Chapter 3: A Rival Appears

Jason stretched his arms, laying in his bed. He tried to go to sleep, but for some reason, the Sandman wasn't visiting him tonight.

Guess it must be because of the brawl, he thought.

Jason did kind of feel sorry for destroying Shuji's Guardian Bakugan the way he did. It was almost like another side of him had come out in those last fleeting moments.

"Something wrong, Jason?"

Jason turned his head to see Glintwing open and look at him. Although the Haos brawler couldn't see it, there was concern in his eyes.

"No, just thinking," Jason said. "You know, about the battle."

"What is there to think about?" Glintwing asked. "We taught that poser and his loudmouth little brother a lesson they'll never forget."

"That's kinda what I'm worried about," Jason said, rolling back over and looking at the ceiling. "Maybe we did go a little too heavy on our assault."

Glintwing looked down, then looked back at Jason and said, "That may be. But you can't be like this your entire brawling career. People are going to think you're afraid of your own power."

"But what if I really am afraid?" Jason said, sitting up. "I destroyed Shuji's Fear Ripper by exactly 800 Gs! That kind of power would usually only be reached by...well, no one!"

"Then shouldn't you be proud that you exceeded everyone's expectations?" Glintwing said, floating up and over to Jason. "I know I would be if I was in your shoes."

Jason buried his hands in his face. "I'm just afraid that your power will take advantage of me and turn me evil. Then everyone would be afraid of me."

"That wouldn't happen and you know it," Glintwing said, poking Jason's hands with his head and causing him to look at the Bakugan. "That's why I partnered with you, Jason. You have a very strong devotion to yourself and Bakugan, and I know you have faith in the light. That's why you chose to battle with Haos, is it not?"

Jason cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know that about me?"

"I can see it in your eyes," the dragon said, lowering his head. "You wouldn't turn a blind eye to someone who needs your help. And you would do anything to keep the world at peace."

Glintwing looked at Jason again. "And you would do whatever it takes to fight off the darkness. I think that's why you showed so much ferocity towards Fear Ripper, is it not?"

"Well, I never did like Darkus Bakugan," Jason admitted. "In fact, I actually despise them. But you can't deny their power; they're pretty fierce. I guess something about Shuji bringing Darkus Bakugan to the brawl set my light side into overdrive."

"Then I think you should learn to control that if you ever have to fight against a Darkus brawler again," Glintwing said. "That'll show 'em to face the light!"

"Haha, yeah!" Jason said confidently. Then he closed his eyes. "Thanks, Glintwing."

"For what?" Glintwing asked, cocking to the side.

"For that little pep talk," Jason said. "I was almost ready to give up Bakugan until you helped me realize what I was capable of. But now I know what I want to brawl for."

"And what's that?" Glintwing asked.

"I want to rid the world of darkness," Jason said. "I want to destroy all evil in this world...and other worlds beyond that."

"It's a very noble mission," Glintwing said. "And also nearly impossible. Light and Dark are like Yin and Yang. There can't be one without the other. Light and darkness coexist in this world naturally, and the balance is a rather delicate one."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Jason said.

"But I'm with you 100 percent," Glintwing said. "No matter how impossible the task is, I'll be right beside you the entire way."

"Thanks, partner," Jason said. "I'm gonna go back to sleep now, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Glintwing said, floating back to Jason's nightstand and touching down. "Good night, Jason."

"Good night, Glintwing," Jason said, lying back down and closing his eyes.

The next day...

Jason was walking home from school when he got a message on his Bakupod from an unknown number.

"Huh? What's this?" Jason asked himself, looking at his screen. He tapped the message icon and watched as a figure cloaked in shadows appeared.

"Jason Carter, I challenge you to a brawl at the park at 3:30 P.M. Be there...if you're not too chicken."

The message went away, and Jason was left looking at a blank screen.

"Looks like we have something to do now," Glintwing said from Jason's shoulder.

"We have about 10 minutes to get ready," Jason said, looking at his Bakupod's clock, which said 3:20 P.M. "Let's head over there now."

Jason quickened his pace slightly, heading in the direction of the park.

"So who do you think this guy is?" Glintwing asked.

"I'm not sure," Jason said. "But to message me directly, he means business. We need to proceed with caution."

"When you say 'proceed with caution', you mean 'kick the living daylights out of him', right?" Glintwing said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Man, you get me already!" Jason said, chuckling. "Come on, partner. We've got a brawl to win."

Jason arrived at the meeting place 10 minutes later to find a black-haired boy no older than him standing by the fountain, cycling through his cards. He had striking green eyes, and he wore a black hooded jacket that adorned a Darkus crest on the left side, as well as on the back. He wore black jeans with black sneakers; his entire appearance practically screamed Darkus brawler. As Jason walked up, the brawler looked over and saw him step up.

"So you decided to show up after all," the brawler said. "Good. At least you're not a chicken."

"Who are you?" Jason said roughly.

The brawler sensed Jason's roughness and merely smiled. "My name is Drake Mercer. I am the world's greatest Bakugan brawler."

"Haha, yeah, right!" Jason laughed. "I already know that's not true."

"And how do you know?" Drake said, tension building up around them.

"First of all, you don't possess the air of a champion," Jason said. "Second, if you were a champion, you wouldn't bother with someone as low as me on the ranking board."

That last comment hurt Jason a little bit, since he hadn't even topped 500 on the boards yet. He was rank 523 on the best brawler list; hell, Glintwing was higher than him on the strongest Bakugan list!

"Hmph, that doesn't mean jack to me," Drake said aggressively. "I'm in it to show that rankings are nothing if you've got strength! Sheer power can never be measured with a stupid number!"

"You're a little wrong there, pal," Jason said, smiling. "You're forgetting about the Bakugan's G-power levels."

"Enough talk!" Drake shouted, whipping out a Gate Card. "Let's get to the real action!"

"Then let's get started!" Jason shouted, pulling out his own Gate Card.

"Bakugan Field Open!"

The brawlers appeared on the battlefield, and neither one wasted any time throwing down their Gate Cards. Jason made his move, throwing out his first Bakugan.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

The white snake rose up, coiling into a battle stance.

"Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs. No further data available."

"Bakugan Brawl!" Drake shouted, countering with his own Bakugan. Only this Bakugan flew straight past Serpenoid and landed on his own card.

"Bakugan Stand! Rise, Darkus Griffon!"

Drake's first Bakugan rose up in the form of a black chimera, roaring loudly and spreading its wings.

"Darkus Griffon enters battle with 350 Gs. No further data available."

"You're trying to get the home field advantage, huh?" Jason said. "Well that's not flying with me! Bakugan Brawl!"

Another white ball went whizzing through the air, landing directly in front of Drake's Griffon.

"Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Stinglash!"

Stinglash appeared on the card and reared its ugly head, screaming at the Griffon.

"Haos Stinglash enters battle with 330 Gs. Battle commence."

"Ha! Take this!" Drake shouted. "Gate Card open now! Joker's Wild!"

A black explosion erupted from the open Gate Card, and before Jason knew it, his Stinglash was back in its ball form, rolling back to him.

"What?! What just happened?!" he shouted.

"The Command Card 'Joker's Wild' defeats any Bakugan on it that's not a Darkus attribute," Drake said, catching his Griffon out of the air. "Say goodbye to your precious bug."

"This battle's just getting started!" Jason shouted. "I'm not out of it yet!"

"OK! Watch as I destroy another one of your Bakugan!" Drake shouted aggressively, throwing out another black ball. "Bakugan Brawl!"

The ball landed right in front of Jason's Serpenoid, opening into a form that Jason identified almost immediately.

"Bakugan Stand! Destroy them, Darkus Fear Ripper!"

The clawed humanoid Bakugan rose up and faced Serpenoid, smiling with his claws gleaming.

"Darkus Fear Ripper enters battle with 380 Gs. Battle commence."

"Ability Activate! Slash Zero!" Drake shouted.

Fear Ripper's claws began to glow with a purple aura as its signature Ability took effect.

"Fear Ripper's power level increased to 460 Gs."

"Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, holding up his counter. "Colorvoid! Change attribute to Subterra!"

Jason threw the card at Fear Ripper, who got latched onto and drained of color as Jason's Colorvoid activated. Then, Fear Ripper's color changed to brown and orange as its attribute affiliation changed to the Subterra attribute.

"You...! How dare you!" Drake shouted. He knew that all of his strategies were now void because of the attribute change. But Serpenoid still didn't have enough power to win.

"Doesn't matter! Tear him apart, Fear Ripper!" Drake shouted.

"Gate Card open! Pleasant Stone!"

The gate opened, and Serpenoid immediately began to flare up with power.

"Serpenoid's power level increased to 620 Gs. Fear Ripper remains at 460 Gs."

"Take him down, Serpenoid!"

Serpenoid slammed Drake's Fear Ripper with his tail, sending it flying off the card and reverting it to its ball form. The defeated Bakugan rolled back to the stunned Darkus brawler. Serpenoid flew back to Jason, who caught it.

"Now we're even!" Jason shouted.

"This battle isn't over yet! Gate Card Set!" Drake shouted, throwing down another Gate Card. Jason did the same, and the cards expanded in a flash of yellow and purple light.

"We'll see about that! Bakugan Brawl!" Jason said, throwing another Bakugan onto the field. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Laserman!"

Laserman landed perfectly on Jason's card and exploded onto the field, letting out a robotic battle cry.

"Haos Laserman enters battle with 370 Gs. No further data available."

"Not bad, but take this! Bakugan Brawl!" Drake said, sending out Laserman's opponent. "Bakugan Stand! Rise, Darkus Siege!"

A purple flash erupted, and Jason saw a black armored warrior walk out of it, carrying a staff with a nasty serrated blade on the end.

"Darkus Siege enters battle with 360 Gs. Battle commence."

"Ability Activate! Black Javelin!" Drake said, pulling out a card.

Siege spun its staff, causing the Gate Cards on either side to glow. Soon enough, Jason's card began to glow purple as the Gate Cards were switched.

"Now! Gate Card open!" Drake shouted. "Hyper Merge!"

"Power transferred, Laserman power level decreased to 270 Gs, Siege power level increased to 460 Gs."

"I don't think so! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, pulling out Laserman's signature Ability. "Spiced Slayer!"

"Ability Activate!" Drake said, countering. "Double Dimension!"

Laserman's grappling beams fired at Siege, but Siege spun his staff and blocked them completely, keeping their power levels stable.

"Siege! Crush that machine!" Drake shouted.

Siege ran at Laserman, slamming it twice with the base of the staff before stabbing it in the torso and sending him flying back to Jason, who pulled out his trump card.

"Ability Activate! Taking You With Me!"

A massive energy beam erupted from the card and pierced through Siege, reverting it to its ball form and flying back to Drake, who was getting irritated very fast.

"Grr! You're dead meat! Bakugan Brawl!" he shouted angrily, throwing his Bakugan onto the remaining card. "Bakugan Stand! Destroy him, Darkus Griffon!"

Drake's Griffon rose once again, roaring and spreading its wings.

"Darkus Griffon enters battle with 350 Gs. No further data available."

"Bakugan Brawl!" Jason shouted, throwing his Bakugan at Drake's Griffon. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

The serpentine Bakugan rose up and faced Griffon, hissing viciously.

"Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs. Battle commence."

"Ability Activate!" Drake shouted. "Venomous Beast Torrent Attack!"

Griffon flashed purple and reverted, flying back to Drake. Then, one of his defeated Bakugan glowed purple and flew out into battle, transforming into the clawed form of Darkus Fear Ripper.

"OK! Let's party! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Flash!"

Serpenoid's energy flared, and it began to glow brightly as it gained a massive power boost.

"Serpenoid's power level increased to 430 Gs."

"Ability Activate!" Drake said, pulling out his next offensive Ability. "Shadow Avatar!"

A massive black wind began to blow across the battlefield, almost causing Jason to lose his balance. He looked at his Bakupod and was instantly shocked.

"Fear Ripper's power level increased to 780 Gs."

"A 400 G power boost?!" Jason shouted, aghast. "How?!"

"The Ability Card 'Shadow Avatar' increases the power level of a Darkus Bakugan by 400 Gs if its power level is 450 Gs or lower," Drake shouted over the gale. "It's the ultimate offensive Ability Card!"

"Yeah? Well, I hate to tell you, but it's time I shut down your little windstorm!" Jason shouted, pulling out his most powerful card. "Time to face the light! Ability Activate! Shiny Devil!"

Serpenoid began to glow even brighter, looking like a searchlight in the night. Almost instantly, the wind died down, leaving Drake dumbstruck.

"What the heck just happened?!" Drake shouted. He looked at his Bakupod to see Serpenoid's power level skyrocket.

"Serpenoid's power level increased to 830 Gs."

"My ultimate Ability Card, 'Shiny Devil', not only cancels out an offensive attack, but it also boosts the power level of Haos Bakugan by 400 Gs if my opponent's power level is 200 Gs or more higher than mine," Jason said, now being his turn to wear a victorious smile. "I can also use it as an offensive Ability! Destroy him, Serpenoid!"

Serpenoid focused the light coming off him into a beam and launched it at Fear Ripper, who screamed as the massive attack ripped at him, and before Drake could do anything, Fear Ripper was already back in its ball form and rolling back to him.

"Haha! Yeah, we won!" Jason shouted victoriously.

"Uh-uh, we ain't done yet!" Drake said, pulling out one more card. "I've still got one more Bakugan in my arsenal. Gate Card Set!"

"Dang, thought it was over," Jason huffed, throwing out another Gate Card.

"Now, Bakugan Brawl!" Drake shouted, throwing out his final Bakugan. "Bakugan Stand! Destroy him, Darkus Achim!"

A purple light exploded, and Jason was awestruck as a black Dragonoid Bakugan rose up and roared loudly. It was humanoid, looking like a dragon instead of a wyvern, which Jason found out that was what Drago technically was.

"Darkus Achim enters battle with 440 Gs. No further data available."

"Whoa! OK, now we're cookin'! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Attractor!"

An unseeable force picked up Achim and moved him to Jason's Gate Card, right where he wanted him.

"OK, Glintwing! Ready to show this guy who's boss?" Jason said to his partner.

"Let's light him up like the 4th of July!" Glintwing responded, closing up and dropping into Jason's hand.

"Alright! Bakugan Brawl!" Jason shouted, lobbing the Dragonoid Bakugan onto the field for the final battle. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Glintwing!"

Glintwing rose up and unfurled his glowing feathered wings, facing Achim and roaring.

"Haos Glintwing enters battle with 430 Gs. Battle commence."

"Quite the battle cry," Achim said, getting into a battle stance. "Let's see how strong you really are."

"I'm right here, come and get some!" Glintwing shouted back, doing the same.

"Ability Activate!" Drake shouted. "Power From Darkness!"

Achim began to charge up a dark energy blast in his maw, training his line of sight on Glintwing before firing.

"Ability Activate! Lightning Shield!" Jason said, pulling out his counter ability.

Glintwing was surrounded by a sparking yellow shield, increasing his power level and nullifying the Ability at the same time.

"Ability nullified, Glintwing's power level increased to 480 Gs. Achim remains at 440 Gs."

"Now it's our turn! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Angelic Dragon!"

Glintwing glowed brightly, floating up into the air and getting ready to execute his attack.

"Glintwing's power level increased to 580 Gs."

"Ability Activate! Destruction Boost!" Drake shouted, pulling out his own Special Ability.

Achim's maw began to glow as a black energy beam was charging up.

"Achim's power level increased to 540 Gs."

"Let's step up the intensity! Fusion Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, revealing a second card behind the first. "Flash Barrage!"

Glintwing flapped his glowing wings, spawning multiple arrows of light from them.

"Glintwing's power level increased to 680 Gs."

"I thought you'd never ask! Fusion Ability Activate!" Drake shouted, also revealing another card. "Black Thunder!"

Achim's maw now began to spark violently as his energy transformed to match the properties of electricity.

"Achim's power level increased to 640 Gs."

"I could beat you now, but just for extra measure," Jason said, grinning. "Gate Card Open! Character!"

"Glintwing's power level doubled to 1360 Gs."

Glintwing roared as the power from the character card flowed into him, doubling his power. Drake knew he had to stop it, and fast.

"Ability Activate! Dimension 4!"

A dark wind blew across the field, but it was doing nothing to hinder Glintwing's power increase.

"Why didn't it work?!" Drake shouted.

"Dimension 4 only nullifies attribute bonuses. Since a Character Card isn't aligned with a certain attribute, it isn't affected by the power of Dimension 4," Jason said. "Now, prepare to face the light! Go now!"

Glintwing fired the arrows of light, which Achim managed to destroy with his own attack. But he could not stop the big white missile flying at him, and before either one knew what hit them, Achim was back in his ball form, rolling back to Drake.

"What…? Impossible…!"

Jason caught Glintwing as he reverted, and all he could do was smile as they exited the field.

The light died down, revealing a victorious Jason and an angry Drake, who could do nothing but glower at him.

"And that's game," Jason said.

"Grr…I went easy on you!" Drake said, picking up his Bakugan. "Next time, you won't be so lucky!"

With that, the distraught Darkus brawler ran off. Jason shook his head and walked in the direction of his house.

"That was quite the battle," Glintwing said, popping open on Jason's shoulder. "That'll make him think twice about challenging us."

"I don't know about that, Glintwing," Jason said. "Somehow, I get the feeling that we won't be seeing the last of him."

Jason continued walking, knowing that he could have possibly found a new rival.

Preview for next chapter

Hey, it's Jason here. I meet up with Dan tomorrow, as well as his friend Runo, who also uses Haos. We're about to start a battle until these two chumps step up and start picking on Runo! We end up getting dragged into a combination battle, and for whatever reason, they're packing cards I've never seen before! I don't know what they're up to, but I'm not letting them win. You should tune in to see us kick these posers to the curb! Bakugan Brawl! See ya there!

Author's Note: Finally, the third chapter! I can't believe it's finally finished! Woo! Eh, can't celebrate yet. There's still a lot of story to go, so stay tuned!

Anyway, please read and review, and keep your eyes peeled for the next installment.

Strato Abyss signing out.