Dusk worked its way into Troposphere's sky. Even in the high waterfall basin they were sitting, the water was looking to be purple. It was far from poison, but the change of blue throughout the day all the way towards dark waters left the imagination of many open to what alien life thrived beneath those waters, For the more cautious, they'd rather not find out.

However, they didn't think to look inside their walls rather than out to sea.

As the daytime folk began to close up shop and call it quits today, the nighttime owls started to arise as the sun's residual rays were descending until consumed by the cosmos-like ceiling that was New Vestroia's skies. Rogue Zero had begun to retire for the most part for the day; even enemies needed sleep. Ariella sat in her lavish blue corridors working on applying eyeliner remover. Hendrix was busy in the small gym that he had built for himself, bare chested, but his burly bulk was lifting heavy barbells that could collapse normal bodybuilders. Killian was sitting in his green furnished corridor, sitting at his clear-glass desk typing up a report on a holographic keyboard, with Moskeeto quietly by his side. Cesar was still in the lab, busy moving levers through control panels to materialize more towards the dark purple machine that was still being welded together. Xander was in a comfortable chair with eyes watching Maximus on his own virtual screen, watching data upon data showing panels of all their Bakugan and stats. With all of them fixated on their duties and own hobbies, they were unaware as outside, something else lurked.

Slowly stepping out of the dark alley, having been night, a figure concealed in a black shadow came into light.

He had long, surprisingly bright red hair that went down to his waist. His bangs, however, her spiked up, if not slicked back. His skin was porcelain, as though he hadn't seen sunlight in his life. His eyebrows were narrowed, but as red as his hair. For what was seen, his black cape concealed his body to only reveal his black boots that had florescent red lines flow in the front of the toes, making arching waves until reaching the sides.

His eyes opened, showing an intense, serious green gaze. "I know you're here…" he coldly muttered. "This time, you're not getting away from me."

The waves washed in and out of the domain, constantly making the sandy shores change their shades from dark to bright with every time it flowed back into the sea. It darkened immediately when water ran over it. I isle's alcove was quiet, very much so that there were hardly any means to believe anything lived there. It was the perfect hiding spot.

Sitting in front of a moderately sizeable fire, Luke sat quietly in the sand, leaning back so as to face the stars and nighttime sky. It twinkled with arrays of violet, vermilion, and so many mysterious colors. On this night even, there was a large, sea-green moon, much bigger than the one on Earth. Any normal human being would've been astounded, but Luke, however, was in no mood for a celebration.

"Will this be enough, Colonel?" Esther asked as she referred to the bonfire roaring.

The Ventus superior nodded. "Yes, that should do for now. This should last us for a little while at least."

Atmos turned on his shoulder. "Should the others be back anytime now?"

"They should be." Jase turned towards the sea. "And how are the motors for the Trailer functioning, Shawn?"

The Trailer was in its observatory mode for the time being, but outside along the side, Shawn was meddling his fingers beneath, Having dug into the sand to get beneath, he looked up with a small flashlight supplied by the Colonel and inspected the condition. Once he finished up, he was set and ready pulled himself up from down under.

Sitting up, he faced him. "It's not looking too bad. The rudders are still functioning, but a few more tweaks in the morning, I think we can get it all the way to Troposphere without a break." He said.

"Good."

Within the few shrubs within the small woods in the distance, there were bushes rustling. Jase and Esther turned to see who or what was coming out. To their relief, it was an energetic Maggie with a large sac over her shoulder, and following behind was Shuji, who was waddling up with a strained look on his face as he carried heavy wood and tree bark.

"Hey guys, I found food~!" Maggie shouted. She pranced along towards the group.

Shuji adjusted so as to make sure he carried the wood more properly. "Yeah…and I got all this stuff…" he strained, waddling closer behind.

Jase nodded in understanding. "You two sure took your sweet time."

Maggie smiled, but there was a bead of sweat along her head. "Well, I didn't peg Bakugan to eat. There were hardly any plants I thought were safe to pick from. All I really found were some green buds in bushes.

"I'm sure if it were poisonous, they'd be a bright shade. As long as you didn't pick from those, maybe they won't be poisonous."

Maggie's eyes widened. "P-poisonous…"

Jase snickered. "Relax, I'm sure it'll be fine if we put them in a fire or cook them. We'll add that to our rations we still have left." He turned towards Shuji, who had just caught up. "And Shuji, thanks again for supplying the firewood. I understand if it was arduous."

The Subterra battler finally let his arms fall to his sides, allowing the branches and wood to fall to his feet in the sand with a grievous sigh. He finally fell onto his bottom, having been on his feet for a long time. "Man, I'm beat…" he sighed louder as he thudded onto his back.

Fly Beetle rolled onto the sand, popping open and turned to look at the open seas. "…geez…I didn't think the sea had this much to offer. Even out here there's land." He awed.

Jelldon jumped onto Maggie's shoulder, looking out. "Yeah, this is pretty neat!" he chirped. "What do you think, Maggie?"

The Pyrus girl looked out towards the sea, her heels turning to face the waves washing in and out. Her smile was graciously wide as she watched the night sky twinkle over the black water. "Wow…it's so cool." She said.

Jase chuckled. "So you haven't been to the beach then?"

Maggie turned towards him. "Well, this isn't a beach I imagined, but the view is way worth it!"

Esther hugged her knees as she looked up to the sky. "Yes. It's surprising how bright this planet's sky is." She smiled. "It's rapturing when you take a look deeper into it."

Shawn laid an arm on his resting knee, looking up next. "A beach during the day is nice, but here, it's…how should I put it…?"

Maggie chuckled. "Well I think it's beautiful."

"That's makes more than one of us at least." Esther agreed. "I still can't believe that life like this thrives outside of our own world."

"Hehe, betcha the others are gonna wish they saw this back home." Shuji said.

Home. The very word rung like a bell throughout the group. As the fire continued to burn and crackle, they all began to grow silent, even Shuji, who didn't mean to, began to frown at the prospect. They've been away from their home for days, and they were hardly getting by out here in New Vestroia. It was by happenstance they ended up here, but even though they were out on their own personal mission, the thoughts of home made them actually miss it. Whatever reasons they had, whatever lives they had beforehand, it was the security they had that kept them bound to what they did. But now that's security was lost. Out of the frowning group, Jase was the one who seemed to be less sad; then again he was hard to read anyways. He adjusted his glasses while the others looked like they were ready to whine.

"…will be ever get home you think?" Maggie sadly worried.

"Maybe." Esther somberly replied. "Maybe once we learn more."

Shawn despondently grinned downwards, nodding.

Maggie's fists balled in her lap, her eyes starting to mist. "I…I never thought I would actually miss my Mama's cooking." She confessed. "I always wanted to try new things that she didn't know how bake offhand. Pizza, cotton candy, donuts…but you know…I actually do miss her homemade pies. I'm starting to miss those soups she tried to make."

Jelldon looked up towards Maggie, seeing as how she was confessing and starting to look sadder than ever. It left him sad, too.

"I always just ran around and tried to play with the others in my town, but I didn't have much luck finding others who really did enjoy my company that much. Maybe my cheeriness wasn't what they wanted. Maybe they just wanted people who could follow them like follow the leader. I still try. I really do…"

"Maggie…" Esther mourned.

The corner of her eyes were starting to show tears as she thought about her mother. "She's always there for me, even if it wasn't much to offer; I didn't think that I'd miss her this much…Mama…"

A small red piece touched her skirt. Feeling something, she looked down, surprised as Jelldon began to waddle up her leg, perching onto her thigh and looked up to her.

"Jelldon…?"

"Hey, please don't cry." He insisted morbidly. "I'm sure she misses you very much. But I'm sure it'll work out, right? You just gotta have faith you'll see her again. Just like I have faith in you."

Maggie looked towards her partner with a deep, sincere expression. She knew Jelldon wasn't exactly the bravest Bakugan out there, but he truly did mean well. He held up this long sticking by her side, plus her perkiness and his timid behavior really did make for a very interesting mix.

"You have faith in me to do my best, right? I got this far because you encouraged me. I'm sure she has faith in you."

Maggie cupped Jelldon into her hands, taking him up to the side of her face. She snuggled with him tentatively, smiling. "Thanks Jelldon, you're such a sweetie."

Everyone watched Maggie cheer up again from her partner's encouragement. A relationship as trusting s that isn't all that common, but the child and Bakugan relationship definitely means well to spark hope for the group. Fly Beetle turned towards Shuji, who looked at him in return. Jase closed his eyes and smiled, and Atmos lowered his head next to his partner. Atchibee rest on Esther's bare shoulder, the two partners looking towards the other with a growing sense of happiness.

Shawn sat back in the sand, stretching his legs out. "Well I'm glad we're all feeling better." He smiled. "This is a nice pick-me-up, right Verias?"

The Haos Bakugan sat in the sand beside his partner's waist, looking relaxed. "I think we all can use a little bit of those right now."

Atmos turned towards Jase. "Jase. Forgive me or asking, but what is it that you miss about your world?"

Jase snickered as he adjusted his glasses, the embers of the bonfire reflecting in his lenses. "Can't say I'm not necessarily fond of anything at this point, but I think…I may as well miss commanding all those soldiers like little toys who look up to their creators." He chuckled. Of course he didn't – exactly – mean that, but the tease left the group to shoot him inquired looks about his superior position. The fact the deflection of light on his glasses gave him a more ominous appeal.

Maggie shrunk back. "Uh, well…should I be worried?"

Jelldon stood on her shoulder, looking like he was trying not too shake, even when it was a little. "Uh…h-he's probably messing with our heads…is he?" He looked towards Maggie, but she looked just as unsure as he was. They just looked back with uneased expressions and Maggie looking like she was gonna shrink back again.

Shuji snickered. "Bet I feel sorry for those lackies then if they got stuck with someone like you."

"Oh really? Then what may I ask do you miss of Earth, Shuji?" Jase hummed.

Shuji rolled his head away as he laid in the sand. "Heh, probably not much. All I ever do is watch over my little sis, Nene, and she can really be a handful."

Fly Beetle rolled to his side, popping open. "Hope she doesn't hear you say that. She might be offended." That definitely got Shuji to regret saying that as he hardened.

Atchibee turned towards Esther. "What about you, Esther? I'm curious."

Esther looked down at the fire, rethinking about what she had to live through. She didn't seem to muster up even half a grin. "Honestly, I don't even know how to answer that…"

Shawn raised a brow. "Can't make up your mind? What about you, Luke? What do you miss about Earth?" He looked towards the redhead in question, but he wasn't getting any liable replies. "Luke?" Again, no answer. He turned towards him to see what was wrong. Just from one placid look, he got his answer.

Luke was staring hard at the ground. He looked like he was muddling over something that's been on his mind, and really, there was a clear reason why. He was starting at the fire for a while in silence, unable – or rather unwilling – to talk. His green eyes were narrow with an annoyed front, but inside he was downright frustrated.

"Hey Luke, you okay?" Shawn questioned.

Finally snapping out of his bitter thoughts, he looked towards him. "Huh?"

"You've been quiet for a while now. I was beginning to worry you fell asleep with your eye open or something."

Luke's face twisted and he looked away begrudgingly. "You make it sound like it's not normal."

"Well it isn't coming from you."

He raised his nose towards the air. "I'm fine, alright?"

"You're pouting says otherwise." Jase interrupted.

"Hey, shut up! I said I was fine, alright?!" Luke retorted. The Colonel was undeterred.

Shuji sat up, crossing his arms with his face twisted. "hey buddy, you better cool those jets of yours." He warned. Again, Luke gave him the stink eye.

"Sounds to me that somebody's still upset that they lost." Maggie chimed.

"I'd be too if I sucked that bad." Shuji added.

Luke's teeth gritted in frustration. "Gnnngh…you know what, forget this!" She shot back up to his feet, marching away from the group. "I'd rather If you guys can't go two minutes when I ask you to shut up, then I'm getting my own space myself!"

He stomped away from the group, leaving them to watch with pitied expressions.

Esther sighed. "Good grief…"

"Talk about a spoiled child. He's acting like his favorite toy was taken away." Verias said.

Shawn turned back towards the fire, sighing. "Well you can't exactly blame him for his behavior."

Maggie began lightening up. "Maybe…"

Shuji stuck his nose up in a mocking fashion. "Heh! If you ask me, the guy had it coming. He didn't even know what he was doing out there!"

"Maybe, but it was also his lack of experience that backfired." Esther pointed out. "Even in your own element, you aren't fully safe from blunder."

"As critical of a claim as that's perceived, Esther, I do say that you are right." Jase agreed. "If anything by competent, Abis Omega would've been able to subdue his opponents with his long body. But of course, with Luke hardly even grasping the basics, naturally a blunder like this would spark some flames."

"But he's been moping ever since he woke up." Maggie deadpanned. "Even I don't hold grudges like that."

"That guy was pretty strong." Jelldon nervously said.

Jase closed his eyes as his head tilted down towards the flames. "Seems this little mission against Rogue Zero is starting to morally break our most unreliable."

Shawn looked towards Jase with a frown. "Hey now, you wouldn't really call Luke a liability, would you?" he defended. "I mean sure his battling skills aren't really the best, but he's helped us in areas outside the arena. He's got up in Thermosphere, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he's not wrong." Verias said.

Jase adjusted his glasses. "He's not wrong, yes, but he isn't right either." His eyes opened. "Luke may have been an asset, but with the rate things are going for him, his accounts are going to become a liability. If we can't depend on him to at least hold his Bakugan like he holds a sword, then what's there to defend if he can't defend himself?"

Shawn's gaze went away, getting where this was going for Luke. "You're…not wrong."

"I know Luke's never had a social life, but even if that part of me still feels upsetting for him, that doesn't make it okay to just throw our weight onto him when he can't hold it up." Esther explained. She then turned towards Shawn, frowning with him. "I'm not saying that Luke is entirely bad, and honestly, I think he can be a really great battler if he tries. He's helping us in our cause however he can. If he can just try a little harder, then maybe we all can blindside Rogue Zero the next time they come around."

Atchibee nodded on her shoulder. "Abis Omega isn't that strong now, but he and I lived in the same area. I don't know him all the way, but like you, I think he can improve if his partner pushed him."

Esther nodded. "You're right. Luke just needs…a push is all."

Shawn looked back over his shoulder, staring out in the general direction where Luke went off too. He indeed needed a push, but he also knew one more crucial thing, the direction where he needed to be pushed.

A short while passed and the waves of the shore continued to sway in and out of the cove. The waves were calm, like how the others felt. Within the tide's wake, a sword shimmered as it was slashed. The grunting that followed it belonged to its wielder, which happened to be Luke. He adjusted his posture and swung his sword again, left and right to where he looked like he was sparring with an invisible being.

He slashed yet again, this time more wildly in a larger arch. He followed through, stopping once his arm was far behind him. Once situated, he held that position for a long time, his posture unmoved. He looked out towards the sea, his green eyes shaking out of frustration. "Damn…" he muttered angrily. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" With each swear, he slashed at thin air, using the anger his slashes constantly.

He slashed. He swayed. He fruitlessly cut at the sea breeze with little to no reason to. His technique was flawless, but his attitude was wild and impulsive. The more he thought about Cesar, the more he thought about the battle, the more he wanted to just cut it through. But each slash only brought it back to his mind. He was getting nowhere, and eventually he stuck his sword into the ground, holding himself up as he labored his breathing.

As he panted, the sea breeze was remarkably cool against his sweating face. He was slashing several minutes straight in practice, yet it felt like minutes.

Abis Omega popped open in the sand beside him. "Somebody's angry much?"

Even though Luke was tired, he could still bite back. He glared at him. "What's it to you?" he sniped back.

"Nothing." Abis looked towards the sea. He stared out at it as the waves washed up just a few inches from his blue body. "Well this just sucks…"

Luke's face twisted as he shot another glance at him. "Don't blame me, you're also caught in this."

Abis looked at him. "Hey, I'm not the one snapping at people here!"

"But we still lost!"

"Yeah, and you're pinning all the blame on me?"

"I never said that, idiot! I said you're just as bad as I was!"

Abis turned away. "Oh, so you can't admit you don't know what you're doing, but can say you still lost from lack of skill? That doesn't even make sense, Luke. You know that."

Luke's fists balled as his expression grew angrier. "Yeah well I don't even know why we lost to begin with! Aren't you an Aquos Bakugan?"

Abis faced him. "And aren't you supposed to be praising instead of bitterly scorning?"

The two were at a standstill for what felt like the longest time. They stared coldly at the other as the waves went in and out of their reaches. They could've admitted they were wrong about what transpired, but Luke was stubborn and wasn't going to be on the receiving end of the blame game that easily, and unfortunately, Abis Omega wasn't either.

Eventually seeing this, Luke prodded his sword out of the ground and dropped to the ground. He crossed his legs and looked away with one arm supporting his cheek. "Whatever…"

Abis Omega lowered his head, sighing. "You humans get more confusing it's starting to wear on me."

"…but that Rogue Zero guy…he was strong." He thought back to his confrontation against Cesar. When he recalled the various defenses and counters he put up, he could feel his anger rise. That anger soon simmered into a shuddering fear when he recalled that Experiment-X ability he used. He closed his eyes to try and block it out, trying to ignore it. It wasn't working.

"You know if you keep moping all night, you might as well take it to bed."

The voice came from the distance, getting the allies to turn their attention away from their scuffle to the blonde figure walking towards them. His feet pressed into the sand, holding him up. They looked higher to see he had a wrist to his hip, and on his shoulder was a Haos Verias, looking at them. The figure grinned.

"Shawn?" Luke asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing." He said.

Luke didn't buy it. "Then where's everybody else?"

Shawn walked closer towards the sea. "Well, while you were dealing with your little so-called 'issues', we all chose to call it in and head back into the Trailer. I told them that I'd catch up eventually once I warm up a little bit more."

Luke blinked again. "Really?"

Shawn smirked. "At least that's what I told them."

"Then what was it you really need…?"

Shawn turned towards Luke, giving him what could've been the most serious set of eyes he could've given anyone. Luke was caught off guard and he quelled once he could see the truth underlying the silence.

"Luke…I think me might need to have a talk."

Shuji plopped onto his bunk, the minimal springs making him bounce meekly. "Oh yeah, now this is more like it." He sighed as he hugged his small pillow.

Fly Beetle floated over to his nightstand beside him, popping open. "After a nice little sea travel and long hot sun, I think you're onto something."

Jase calmly sat down on his bunk on the other end of the room. He presented his open palm to the pillow, allowing Atmos to hop off and onto the fluffy cushion. "Well, I can't exactly argue or condone that claim. Considering how you were so helpful in gathering firewood." He teased.

Getting the message, Shuji turned his head towards him. "Okay, so you fixed this thing. I get that. Don't sue me, geez."

Jase scoffed with a grin. "It's fine. Comes with responsibility after all. It's not exactly easy to dictate how much or how hard you contribute. It's a matter of perspective. It's as biased as opinions themselves."

Shuji grunted as he struggled to sit up. "So you really serious about what you said?"

Jase raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"What you miss. You really take pleasure in messing with people in your job?"

Jase chuckled. "Why, whatever gave you the idea?"

Shuji groaned in annoyance, very loudly at that. Jase's teasing really wore him down incredulously. Even Jase was aware of this, but who was to say he didn't have to keep pushing buttons.

"Well, if you want to get to my level, think of it like this: Is there really a difference between the relationship of a Bakugan and a soldier to their superior? As 'buddy-buddy' as that is, you mustn't forget who is in charge of you. Even I'm not entirely at liberty to jurisdictions to what Captains and Lieutenants have to say. If they say I must do it, then I shall."

Shuji blinked. He looked at Jase with a confused expression and crossed his arms, his attention slowly drawing downwards as he thought about the scenario. In a way, Jase wasn't wrong. There really isn't a difference from Bakugan and soldiers, at least to a certain point of morals. They do what their battling partners instruct them to do, otherwise they're lost. Once that was pieces, he looked up again.

"More English, please?"

Jase adjusted his glasses with a frown. "In the end, the Bakugan may be your ally, but they are still doing what you tell them to do. You are their lifeline, and without commands, soldiers are nothing but target practice out in no-man's land. Simple as that." He closed his eyes once more. "My concerns mean nothing so long as the mission gets done…but who's to say I enjoy seeing my inferiors suffer?"

Shuji gasped.

"If they fail because of a mistake I've made, that too is my blame. Responsibility weighs a number of obligations, if not lives, into your own hands. Atmos joined forces with me despite knowing those risks…he's willing to risk his very life to secure the freedom of the Bakugan race at the cost of his own security."

Atmos popped open on the pillow, facing Jase. His head went up a little to look at him, as did Jase towards him. They frowned at one another in understanding of the duties of command. Shuji and Fly Beetle turned to look at the other in inquiry of what he was talking about. They didn't join forces under the circumstances Jase did out of obligation and responsibility. For them, it just…happened.

Jase continued. "Atmos thus depends on me. We are battle partners, but I cannot my own personal matters fault what is the true mission here…that's what Luke can't seem to get through his head at this time…"

Shuji scratched the side of his head, his face twisting. "Hmmm…I think I get where you're going with this."

"We all must play our part here, but if we can't live up to our job, then the mission eventually shall collapse upon itself." He smirked. "You of course certainly surprise me, Shuji. Having been able to keep up this long is certainly a feat to behold."

Shuji scoffed with a smirk. "Heh, well it's not like I just laid around while you…" He trailed off in the realization behind Jase's phrasing. By the tone, he caught on with a tick mark. "Hey! My egos' just fine, bub! Lay off already!"

"That's funny, I didn't say anything about your ego."

"But you were thinking it! Just admit it!"

Jase chuckled as he watched Shuji complain. "You people surely do take compliments for granted." He mused lightly. He saw Shuji cross his arms and pout away. 'Well, at least he can be reliable…for now at least…' He looked out towards the window, searching at the New Vestroia sky. He fell silent even in his mind as he stared up to space.

"Alley-OOP!" Maggie landed on her bunk with a hefty bounce. After the cushions settled, she turned her head to the side with her cheeks puffed. "Man, I wish these sheets were a little softer…" she pouted.

Esther fixed up the blue blanket her bunk had on the opposite end, grinning as she fixed all the wrinkles in it. "I know it isn't much, but it's what we have to go by for now. You have to admit it's better than sleeping outside in the sand, right?"

"Yeah, but I still wish these comforters weren't so scratchy." Maggie swerved to sit up in her bunk, smiling. "So Esther, what do you think of this place?"

She turned her head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"This island. New Vestroia. Everything here. I know what I said back there, and I really do mean it…but doesn't this place ever pique your imagination?"

The Darkus battler held her tongue as she looked away from Maggie. Her attention drew back towards the window, more specifically the nighttime sky. Her wonder reached up to the moon; such a large, green moon with so many other planets so close. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie. When she met Luke just a few nights ago, she didn't have much of anything to off of for the sky's serenity, it was still enigmatic to her mind as of right now.

"…yes." She answered. "Maybe it does a little."

Maggie's smile perked. "See? This place isn't so bad!"

"However…" Esther followed up. "It's something like this that I've always been taught as a sin."

"Huh…?" Maggie tilted her head, reiterating what she heard. "A 'sin'? What does that mean?"

Esther continued to look up at the skies with a frown. She looked pleasantly pleased with what she was seeing right now, it was rapture at its finest for her viewing pleasure, of course a part of her adored seeing these sorts of ordeals, there was another part of her that knew it was wrong to have viewing pleasure. Knowing where she stood in her ideals, she shook her head in denial.

"It's nothing." She turned back towards Maggie with a grin. "What do you say we get some rest? We have another big day tomorrow, don't we?"

Maggie chose to dislodge any prospects from her mind of what Esther meant and nodded. "Sure do." She stretched overhead, bending one arms to secure the straightened one. She moaned weakly as she felt the tendons ease. "Gotta sleep if I wanna stay cute. Nighty night, guys."

Jelldon jumped to her nightstand, closing in his ball form. "Goodnight Maggie."

Maggie laid on her side, closing her eyes with a smile. "Night, Jelly-Welly…"

As the Pyrus roommate chose to catch some shut eye, Esther turned away with her emotionless expression once again showing. She knew she had to catch some rest as well, her and Atchibee both did. She reached and turned the lights off, making the whole room dark. With nothing left to do after but close the blinds, she reached or the chord, but stopped when she saw something afoot down below. Still outside, she caught whim of two figures sitting side by side just over to the far corner of her vision. 'Luke? Is he still out there?' Upon further examination, shew saw another person that slipped her mind. 'Shawn too? What are they doing out so late?'

The two childhood amigos were sitting with their legs out to the sea. Their Bakugan were open beside them and remained quiet. They all retained a subtle silence as Luke tried to look nonchalant.

Shawn turned his head to look at him. "So what's up? What's been on your mind?"

Luke looked away. "Tch."

Shawn sighed. "Typical Luke." He got a knee bent and supported his arm, facing the sea. "You're so easy to read, you know that?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I can tell when you're being a pouty pants. You know if Maggie were here, you'd be put to shame, even by her."

Luke's left eye squinted with growing angst. "Hey, I'm 17. She's like…10 or something."

"12, actually. And you've been acting 5."

"How's about we make that the number of seconds before I get up and walk away?"

Shawn shook his head, again sighing for his friend's immaturity. He allowed a moment to pass and let his friend cool his jets. His blue eyes faced the sea, seeing the moonlight shimmer over the water.

"…you really think Master Riaan might be here?" Luke asked.

"Maybe. Is that's what's been bugging ya?"

Luke's chin lowered. "No, not that. But…" He slowly hunched forward, making hiss legs cross. He looked deeper in pondering. "When I battled that guy today, I thought if I thought of Master Riaan's words, I'd have a better reason to fight."

"A better reason other than helping out the Bakugan?"

Luke grunted.

"You know, it's not exactly nice to always be going the selfish route, Luke. I respect Master Riaan as much as you do, and really, I'd do anything worthwhile to make sure I see him again, too." He looked at him. "But if you're doing this battling and all this fighting for just his approval, well that isn't exactly a trustworthy testimony. We're worried about you, Luke. You haven't exactly been the brightest thinker out there, but we still need your help, whether you see it or the others."

Luke did an eyeroll away. "Funny, you guys sure didn't sound like that back at the fire."

"I didn't say any of that."

"Okay, so if you didn't, did that mean something against me?" Luke's tone was more defensive than before. "I'm trying my best, alright?! This is all just…just…" He trailed off, breaking into a sigh of exhaustion. He just wasn't having it, with all this stress, with all this teasing, he was hating every second of it, and in his mind, he was too tired to think it through.

Shawn understood. He's known Luke for pretty much all his life. He knew him in and out, and he had the general idea of what it was that went on inside his head. He's always been headstrong, comical, but foolhardy. Really, there wasn't much selfless as there was selfish, but he did mean well once he tries. With the pieces adding up in his mind, he knew what it was that was contorting his friend. Once more, he faced him, starting it off. "You're scared, aren't ya?"

Luke's eyes widened and turned towards him.

"Don't even think about saying otherwise, Luke. It's pretty obvious you got spooked when those guys took out those cards on you, right?"

Luke tried to deny it, but his head whipping back down to face the wet sand only proved Shawn's point. Shawn also looked out.

"It's scary knowing that such big things live outside those walls of your home back on Earth. The world isn't exactly a slap-happy place; it's decrepit in places even man wasn't supposed to find." He looked at him. "You've always bared with a fighting chance, but when you get into a corner, you don't bite back. That's the problem with you."

Luke's green eyes glazed over to look at him, albeit with more curiosity. "But why are you telling me this now?"

"Well you've never had much of a reason to fight, right? You just swung your sword round just to pass time." Shawn looked towards his fencing scabbard. "Really, I picked up fencing just in case something happened to you. It's like a two-for-one stone thrown."

"What?"

"You don't know how to fight back properly, let's put it at that. Master Riaan taught you how to hold a sword, but you can't use it. When we were in that corridor, those guys we fought didn't care if we had weapons or not. They wanted us hurt, and beaten. Would you really wanted that?"

Luke looked deeper at his shoes with a growing sense of angst. "Well, no…"

"This is reality, Luke. Can you fight unarmed soldiers in the same way you fight Rogue Zero? Something tells me you can't." He, too, looked at the ground. "Those cards they play are scary, but that's also why we fight. Remember what Jase said back on the ship. New Vestroia Bakugan can grow and evolve to surpass themselves if they can. It's the same with human spirit. You just need some experience, and maybe – just maybe – you can actually hold your own in a one-on-one…in a real fight."

Luke had a lot of his own work cut out for him. He truly was amazed at the wisdom Shawn had that he listened to. And in retrospect, he wasn't wrong. His mother and father, for their own reasons, knew the world was a scary place. They figured that out, and knew it was best to keep Luke safe, but now he was wide open, and he didn't have the experience hold his own solo fights. When he considered those possibilities, and the fact he's been teamed up with Esther only proved his insufficiency. Really, it was degrading for him knowing that when he picks up a sword, he always fails to strike another unarmed being with it. Was it his sensitivity? Was it his heart telling him not to fight? No. That can't be it. He swore he'd save the Bakugan even if he was doing it so he could see his master again, But how could he face him again if he can't prove himself? In actuality, he needed help, so did his skills.

With this, he knew what he ha to do. He stood straight up in the sand, surprising Shawn. "Hm? Luke…?"

Luke turned to face his best friend, this time carrying a serious face. "Alright then, let's do it!" He held up a balled fist. "Let's get down to it already!"

"What are you saying?"

"I may not be the greatest battler right now, but I can learn! Okay, so I get caught off guard easily. And maybe…those abilities…do scare me, but I meant what I said when I am going to help in this cause! I wanna get back to show Master Riaan that I've been able to hold my own for the first time without somebody there to be my crutches." He turned and looked down at his Abos Omega, who looked up at him in return. He bent down and proceeded to pick him up.

"I can't find it easy to betray Master Riaan's ideals on fighting unarmed people, but I also know from his mind that he'd be ashamed if I didn't go down fighting." His fist balled, holding onto Abis Omega with a much more serious grasp. "I won't cower away. I'll prove it a hundred times over, even if I have to try and try again a hundred and one times!" He faced Shawn again. "I wanna fight, Shawn. I wanna battle on my own feet and prove to everyone I'm strong!"

The waves rocked back and forth through the ocean, the sound and the oceanic breeze being the one thing that filled the air. The actual breeze of the currents shifted through Luke's spiky hair. He looked the part, even if his green eyes seemed to be showing hints of uneasiness about battling unarmed men. But nevertheless, he was standing now, and that was a sign he wanted to improve.

After what felt like a long time, Shawn snickered. "Those are some pretty bold words you spilled there." He also arose to his feet, putting a wrist to his hip. "I'm not going to further question what motives you have going for you, but as long as you use that like you are right now, then I think we've just reached a compromise."

"Then you really think I have what it takes?"

Shawn smirked. "Don't ask me. Find out for yourself."

Luke smirked. He knew Shawn well enough to know that he had his support, thick and through. He was there when Luke accidentally got stuck in a rose bush and had to he pulled out carefully so as not to get hurt by thorns. He was there when he needed to find Mother and Father's Day gifts, and Shawn was there to give advice. He was also there to help in Cale's tractor for mowing the lawn. No matter what situation, Shawn was a friend thick and through, and he stuck by Luke's side, even when he tried sneaking out on several occasions.

Luke pointed a thumb to himself. "Alright, I say we get to it right away!"

Shawn's eye widened. "Already? Wouldn't it be better to wait until daybreak for that?"

"If I wanna get better, it's best to train with as much time I have! You can never train too much, that's what Master Riaan would say!"

Shawn snickered. "Of course he'd say that…" He showed a serious face. "Alright, what do you say we give our skills a boost, shall we?"

"Deal!"

"Alright, but for now, follow my lead. I'll show you how to really fight."

The two walked a long ways away from the Trailer, making sure that they had the space needed to get their battle on and not wake up the group napping. They had to take several minutes to get the space needed until Luke turned to face Shawn. "Okay, this should be far enough, right?"

Shawn looked back over his shoulder, seeing as how the Trailer was but the size of a penny in his perspective. "Yeah, this should do it." He looked back towards Luke. "You ready?"

Luke spread his legs, bending his knees. "Yes."

Shawn: 100% Luke: 100%

"You seem pretty okay when you're battling alongside one of us, but your solo battling skills needs work." Shawn instructed. "You set up first. Remember, you have to think. Whatever Gate Card you pick has to count."

Luke's eyes narrowed. He thought of his options as he cycled through what Gate Cards he had and was aware of. 'Let's see…there's that Aquos booster…and there's all these Command Cards…' His vision squinted further as he pondered deeper, it was starting to fumble in his mind. 'Man, I forgot how many Gate Cards there were. This is gonna be so annoying.'

"You know it wouldn't take this much time in those real battles, Luke." Shawn pointed out. "You gonna throw down your card or not?"

Luke looked shocked. "Er-yeah! Yeah! Gate Card, set!" With haste, Luke threw down his choice of Gate Card. It went out as a blue shockwave throughout the sand. In his hand, Abis Omega was set.

"Okay, Abis Omega, you ready?"

"Let's."

Luke threw him in. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Go, Aquos Abis Omega!" Rising up from a blue light, several long arches with a slick blue body revealing arose, ending with a head facing Shawn. Abis Omega stood tall, his long body ready and accounted for.

Despite the act of intimidation, Shawn smirked. "Alright, you threw out your Bakugan and Gate Card, now it's my turn." He showed Verias. "Alright Verias, shall we?" He tossed him in. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!" Rising up in a bright yellow, Haos Verias appeared, the simian twirling his staff overhead before its end slammed into sand beside him. He looked ready, willing, and able.

Verias: 350 Abis Omega: 350

Luke looked at the power levels, seeing they were even.

"Alright, good. You realized our power levels are equal." Shawn announced. "Now here's the next step: Are you gonna go on offense or defense?"

Luke looked up towards Abis Omega, seeing that he was looking back at Luke to see what he had to offer. The Aquos battler narrowed his eyes and looked ahead. "I say offense!" He held up his Bakumeter. "Let's go, Abis Omega!"

"On it!" he hissed.

"Ability, activate! Fin Melee!" Abis Omega gave out another hiss as his long body waved around from the side, the tailfin streaking a blue arch with it.

Verias: 350 Abis Omega: 350 (+200) = 550

Verias raised his staff from the side, defending the slashing fin. Abis hissed as his tail recoiled around, but once the momentum was right, he swung again, this time turning his whole body into the swing as its blue arch went down.

"Alright, then I counter!" Shawn exclaimed. "Ability activate, Verias Siba!"

Verias: 350 (+200) = 550 Abis Omega: 550

As the tailfin closed in, Verias used his waist and pivoted to focus on swinging his staff around. Yellow energy enveloped its sides as it spun rapidly. He brought forward, meeting the tailfin in a harsh burst of energy, causing both to recoil.

"You see that, Luke?" Shawn asked. "For every ability your opponent uses, you have to either defend or counterattack."

Luke raised a brow. "But how do you know which is the right one?"

Shawn smirked. "That's what practice is for. Now are you gonna attack again or am I gonna follow up?"

Luke stammered for a few moments. "Uh…yeah! We're going!" He held up his left wrist again, showing his Bakumeter. 'Maybe I can counter his counter? Or maybe I can go on defense and…!' Realizing he was losing precious time, Luke shook his head and allowed his ability to show. "Ability, activate! Sea Helix!"

Verias immediately bounced back when he felt some vapor draw around Abis' bottom. He jumped back in a hurry and landed just as a helix of spinning water surrounded Abis Omega.

Verias: 550 (-100) = 450 Abis Omega: 550 (+100) = 650

Luke bent forward, a confident smile on his face. "Alright! Let's see you counter that!"

Shawn looked obligated as he could see his friend getting cocky. "Careful with what you wish for, Luke. That attitude gets you into trouble. Ability activate, Simian Howl!"

The jewel on Verias' head began to glow with a humming power. His fists balled as his blue eyes faced Abis Omega. "No hard feelings for this!" He took in a deep breath and finally opened his mouth. Expelling outwards, distorted yellow soundwaves reverberated across the sand, causing it to stir alongside its rippling wake. It pulsated right into Abis Omega, shredding and blowing away his aquatic defense. He hovered away so as to hold his own, but he looked like he was struggling.

"Abis!" Luke panicked.

Verias: 450 (+200) = 650 Abis Omega: 650 (-200) = 450

Abis Omega tried to hold his ground, but despite having no ears, he could feel the soundwaves pulsing and repulsing him back feet by feet. He didn't have long before he would lose ground. Luke saw this but balled his fists. "Damn, do I counter? Or do I-?"

"Don't just stand there!" Shawn retorted, shocking Luke once again. "Against powerful abilities like these, your best bet is to try and nullify them! Find a way to turn that around if you have to, but if you can't you gotta defend! It's like how Master Riaan always taught us to bunt and deflect shots!"

Luke was getting the picture, it made him see better. "You mean like this…? Ability activate, Coil Guard!"

Within the roaring waves of yellow passing him, Abis Omega's orange eyes opened. "Yes!" He arched and bundles into coils to compress his muscles. Within his coils, he suppressed any need to withdraw.

Verias: 650 (-200) = 450 Abis Omega: 450 (+200 +100) = 750

"Yes, just like that!" Shawn yelled

Eventually letting up, Verias closed his mouth. "Not bad, Abis." He praised. "Now what else do you have to show us?"

Luke looked at the battle, seeing how his Bakugan was in the lead. 'Okay, looks like we're doing good so far. He might try and break my defense somehow. I gotta widen that gap, and quick!' He swiped his arm in an arch. "Gate Card, open! Aquos Reactor!" The Gate Card beneath revealed itself, showing the reactor for Abis Omega. From the center of the card, water began to flow in an omnidirectional manner. It covered Verias and Abis' bottom halves, but Abis Omega was the one who was enraptured in an empowering blue aura as the water touched him.

The serpent's head arose as he roared with power.

Verias: 450 Abis Omega: 750 (+200) = 950

Seeing the battlefield with a greater aspect, Luke looked even more confident in what was happening. He saw that their difference was 500 Gs, which was good for him. He looked at Shawn, seeing him half-grin. 'Okay, so what do I do from here? Do I wait for his move or something?'

Shawn saw what Luke tried to do and grinned. "Not a bad play." He commended. "You used another power boost to get ahead of me. But…that was predictable."

"What?!" he called.

"Double ability, activate! Pillar Shaker, plus Haos Drain!"

Verias raised his staff out of the water, letting it raise high over his head. Once it was settled into position, he grunted as he brought it down. "Now let's shake things up a bit, shall we?!" With that call, the forehead gem once again glowed, but at the same time a pillar of light came down as the staff stabbed the water, the glowing gem expelled a bright flash, making the light expand in a further radius around Verias. The pillar of sheer light shook up the entire ground, making Luke and Abis feel the sand shudder uncontrollably beneath the water.

"W-whoa!" Luke stammered. "What's…what's happening?!" He watched as the water began to dissipate as the yellow shockwaves ran through the ground, this time kicking up Abis Omega into the air from the intensity increase. Beneath him, the Gate Card pieces had also shattered, picked up alongside him within the shuddering force.

Verias: 450 (+200) = 650 Abis Omega: 950 (-200 -200) = 550

Luke gasped in horror. "No way!"

Abis Omega screamed as he fell downwards with the Gate Card pieces. His whole body slammed hard against the sand, slumping back down fully before another ripple of yellow came for him. It rushed and struck him. Upon impact, he instantly morphed to ball form, shooting at Luke's feet as he stood there in disbelief.

Luke: 80%

Verias went back towards Shawn, who caught him with one hand. He looked down at his partner when he faced his palm up, grinning and nodding in approval. "Well done."

"And to you." Verias complimented.

Luke bent down to pick up Abis Omega. He could be seen with a frown on his face. "He countered my Gate Card, and he attacked at the same time…"

"You let your guard down!" Hearing the call, Luke perked up to get another look of Shawn. "You didn't act when your Gate Card was nullified. I countered the Gate Card. When your opponent uses a Gate Card, you have to judge if it's reasonable enough to nullify or shut down completely. Remember what Cesar did when you used your Gate Card?"

Luke eyes flashed wide with shock. He remembered full well of Freezer's Plot Twist, and that really downgraded his chances big time. He began to feel a sinking feeling return once again, his gut churning with anger rising.

"Remember what I said, your Gate Card can mean a lot in a pinch, but it's instances like what Cesar's Freezer did that turned that power against you. You've got to anticipate what your opponent's move will be."

"Well, it looks like we got our work cut out for us." Abis Omega huffed. "But I ain't through yet!"

"That's what we want to hear! The feeling is mutual!" Verias imposed.

"Alright, Luke, now it's my turn." Shawn swiped his arm, sending out his Gate Card next. "Gate Card, set!" The card went out in a bright shockwave that ran through the surprisingly now dry sand. "Okay, let's go, Verias! Bakugan, brawl! Verias, stand!" Once more, in a yellow light, Verias arose into battle, fixed and set to fight.

Luke's brow furrowed as he glared ahead. 'I can't panic yet. I can still win this. I still have some tricks up my sleeve…I just need to put them together for Abis to use.' He brought his arm back to throw. "Bakugan…brawl!" He threw Abis Omega in once more, making the Bakugan arise once more.

Verias: 350 Abis Omega: 350

Abis Omega and Verias stood apart from one another, both readying their means of offense. In a hurry to get things over with, Verias grunted as he brought his great staff overhead as Abis Omega went lunging at him. His maw opened wide and he snapped his jaws on Verias' staff as it swung downwards, prompting both Bakugan to once again enact in a stalemate.

Luke watched his Bakugan get into the battle, but he knew since he was on his friend's Gate Card, he wasn't in the safe zone just yet. "We have to attack now! Ability activate, Dry World!"

Abis Omega continued to hold his own against Verias, even if it seemed like nothing was getting anywhere. Suddenly, an expulsion of mist eroded from his body, getting Verias to jump back, but he wasn't safe from the indirect blast. He fell on his bottom and supported himself with his hands. He shook his head and grunted, looking up when he was able to come around. What he saw was that beside him, it looked like the ocean waves receded far out…or so it was perceived. When he looked up, he saw Abis Omega was once again in his sphere of ocean water. Verias could feel his power sap to 150 while Abis Omega bumped up to 550.

"Go!" Luke enforced.

Abis Omega pushed his bubble of water at Verias, soaring right into him. "HRAAH!" His battle cry shrilled through ears out there listening.

Verias crouched on his bent knees, readying his counter.

"Now, we take that power!" Shawn shouted. "Verias, ability activate! Caroline Protector!" Suddenly Verias began to twirl his staff in front at an alarming rate. It was moving so fast that it was like a ran without its chord moving at full blast. Once the bubble of water touched the spinning center, the whole thing shot backwards into the sea.

"What?!" Luke exasperated.

Abis Omega cried out as his bubble of water went soaring outwards until it eventually reached the water. The bubble expelled in a blast of sweater that jetted throughout the air and water alike, like a bomb had went off.

Verias: 150 (+200 +200) = 550 Abis Omega: 550 (-200 -200) = 150

Luke attention drew towards the sea. He couldn't believe what happened. "He turned the attack on me?"

"Did you forget what I said earlier?" Luke turned towards Shawn. "Think back on it. Against those kinds of abilities, you need to nullify or better yet reflect that power back at the sender. Maggie's Jelldon can do this. You remember that ability that deflected that blow back in the chamber? If you feel like it'll be too great, defend. Simple as that…" His eyes narrowed. "But don't think it'll be that easy to follow up."

Luke grunted at his lecture. Normally he hated lectures, especially by tutors or even his parents. The only kind of lectures he listened to were by Master Riaan because they were relevant to what he felt was important. Now he was trying his hardest to understand what Shawn meant, and he realized that his guard was down. His fists balled at his folly. "Crap…"

In the water, there was a blue arch with diamonds on the sides. In a daze, Abis Omega's head arched out of the water. He grunted as he tried to uphold himself, but struggled to do so. "Ugh…"

"Abis! Don't fall yet!" Luke encouraged.

"Hey, I'm trying!" he barked back. "You have any ideas?"

Luke grunted yet again, his patience and critical thinking running out of ideas. He looked back at his friend, who looked like he was ready and willing to use his next ability. His timing was running out, but when he realized it, his eyes widened.

"Hey, wait…"

"Verias, let's do this. You with me?" Shawn held up his Bakumeter.

"Let's make this lesson as quick as possible." He enforced. The simian held up his staff, knowing he will indeed make sure that the power gap was going to be in their favor.

Luke's narrow green eyes glared daggers at Abis Omega once again, the sea serpent looking distressed. "If we can't defend…we'll bait!" He swiped his arm. "Abis, go underwater!"

The Aquos Bakugan didn't see why not. It seemed logical given the circumstances. He arched his body back into the water once more, disappearing under the cover of a large splash. With him in the water, his body began to slowly sleek beneath the tides.

"You can't beat what you can't see." Luke said. "Ability activate, Osmosis!" Slowly, his Aquos Bakugan began to slowly vanish beneath the blue water, making himself truly invisible to Verias and Shawn.

Verias: 550 (-200) = 350 Abis Omega: 150

Deep within the water, Abis Omega slowly closed in near the shoreline, but the adversaries were well aware that he was still there. Shawn's ability showed next, expressing his own assurance. "You're still there, you know. We'll smoke you out! Ability, activate! Haos Drain!"

As Verias' power level went back to 550, the gem on his forehead began glowing once more in a yellow light. He turned his left towards the right, taking aim and unleashed a thin yellow beam outward into the water. The laser swept to the left, grazing across the water and making a splash arch shoot up, only to recede back into the water.

Not knowing if his attack made contact, Verias turned his head to look around. "Where did he go?" Having a bad feeling crawl up his spine, the Haos Bakugan's eyes widened in anticipation. He pivoted and looked behind and pointed his staff at the sand. If his attack missed, he had to at least be sure Abis was going to keep his distance.

With his back turned towards the sea, a camouflaged entity arose from behind.

"Now!" Luke shouted. "Offense! Double ability, activate! Sea Helix, plus Fin Melee!"

Abis Omega's invisible body roared at the sky, just as an exertion of spiraling water shot up from beneath. Turning around, Verias looked at the attacker, only to be pushed back by the spinning water veil. The water grazed his arm, drenching it and the fur. Trying to ignore the graze, Verias landed and adjusted his stance, getting into a defense position as Abis shot towards him; still raptured in spinning water that went around his tail as it came around. The attack met Verias' staff, once again reaching a stalemate.

Verias: 550 (-100) = 450 Abis Omega: 150 (+100 +200) = 450

Verias bunted with the sand cushioning his feet. He held his ground against Abis Omega's assault and finally pushed him off. However, Abis' flexible body enabled him to bend his head down as his tail went back. He headbutt beneath the staff into Verias' gut, getting him to recoil back a few steps.

Shawn smirked. "That's good. You're getting better." He said.

Luke flashed his own smirk. "You really think so?" He looked towards Abis Omega, seeing that his Bakugan was actually holding up okay. He looked better than when he did in the first round. He pumped another fist in excitement. "Alright!"

"But don't get too excited now." Shawn dashed his hopes in an instant. "Gate Card, open! Phantasm!"

The Gate Card beneath the two quarreling Bakugan glowed once more. They retained their stalemate even in the glow, but Abis could feel his lower half beginning to dense and get heavier. When he heard the sound of crackling, his eyes widened and looked down to find that his lower arched half was turning into stone. "What's happening?!"

Verias: 450 Abis Omega: 450 (-100) = 350

"He pulled out the Gate Card on me?!" Luke gasped. "Crap!"

Shawn put another hand to his waist. "You better find a counter and fast before I counter." He advised.

Luke's eyes widened. "Uh, r-right!" He again turned towards the battlefield, seeing his Abis Omega continuing to struggle about. 'Aw man, do I even have anything for this? Shawn said to find the appropriate card for the situation, didn't he? How in the heck do I counter this? If I don't hurry, I'll be overrun, and then if I do counter, I'll be open. I gotta knock out those two weaknesses somehow…' Something then came to mind. 'Hey, wait a minute. Maybe that can help!'

"Well if you're not going to counter, I guess we're attacking." He reached out. "Verias, don't hold back!"

Responding promptly, Verias held his staff like it was a javelin. He readied and crouched forward, letting out a battle cry as he jabbed forward.

"Double ability, activate!" Luke snapped.

Shawn's eyes narrowed. "Another one?"

"Aquos Ripple, plus Sea Helix!" Abis Omega raised his head once more as the diamonds around the sides of his body began to glow. As the glow illuminated the sides of the serpent in the night, another helix of water formulated around his body. The water began to spiral faster than before with the blue diamonds shimmering, and when blue translucent shockwaves ran along the ground like ripples over the Gate Card, the helix of water expanded rapidly, making constant echoes of spinning water with each segmented ripple.

Shawn and Verias both looked shocked as they watched the attack close in on them, all while see the Gate Card turn off, and Abis Omega's stony bottom cracked apart after so many water expulsions.

Verias: 450 (-100) = 350 Abis Omega: 350 (+100 +100) = 550

"He's nullifying the card and attacking at the same time!" Shawn exclaimed.

Verias took a few steps ahead to get some ground ready for him. As the first ripple drew closer, the spinning thin water came, making him swung his staff to break through with success. The second one came around, and he swung again through. Then came the third one, but he swung too late, doused with harsh water knocking him away. The next wave came, pushing Verias back farther with no defense. The simian howled with every ripple that carried the water. No matter how little or how much, it was constant, no matter what. Finally, with one more ripple, the simian fell onto his back, thudding against sand harshly. He morphed into ball form, shooting back to Shawn's feet.

Shawn: 60%

Abis Omega exerted a loud roar of triumph as Luke cheered with excitement. He morphed back to ball form and dropped again into his hands, caught with a flick of the wrist. "So how did you like that?" Luke told his opponent. "I remember you saying about me being off guard last round about the Gate Card nullified or something like that, and I knew that nullifying this one was important. Right?"

Shawn looked generously surprised by Luke's strategy. Granted, he wasn't all that keen, but he can learn if he tried. He nodded in approval. "Yeah, you caught me by surprise there. I admit that. Okay then, it's your move."

Luke nodded. "Got it." He reached back, pulling out another Gate Card. When he looked at it, he made sure it had what he was looking for. "I gotta anticipate…that's what he said, right?" He muttered to his Bakugan.

Abis Omega popped open in midair. "That's what I think he said. You sure about this?"

Luke looked ahead. "Who cares? I'll save it for when it's needed!" He threw the card out, making it fade into another blue shockwave that ran across the ground once more. He seized Abis Omega abruptly and shot him in. "Let's win this already!"

"Not a chance!" Shawn threw Verias in.

In a blue and yellow light, both Bakugan arose, glaring daggers at the other with defensive stances taken.

Verias: 350 Abis Omega: 350

Shawn smirked. "Alright Luke, we're picking up the pace a bit. Try to keep up."

Luke furrowed his brow. "Hey, I'm getting it down! Just watch me!" He looked up towards Abis Omega. "Hey! You! Get ready to attack!" In response, Abis Omega lowered his head with a sneer.

Shawn showed an ability card faster than Luke could show his. "Try and keep up! Ability activate, Siba Feral!" Verias crouched and sprung skywards. He got over Abis Omega's elevation with his staff fixed with the position of an axe. His expression looked menacing as he fell down onto his Aquos sparring partner.

'Gotta nullify!' Looked told himself. "Ability, activate! Coil Guard!" Abis Omega immediately shifted to defense by Luke's command. Forgetting the intention to attack, he turned into coils and compressed his body. Verias came down on him, striking constantly with blow after blow against his frame. He profusely swung his staff about and twirled it into Abis, but he wasn't budging as his power level went up to 450.

"Don't let up, Verias! Keep him in defense!" Shawn encouraged. Luke grunted in retort.

Verias did just that. He pounded away profusely, banging his staff to try and break Abis Omega. His body was beginning to ache as Verias was trying to break the defenses he was putting up.

Luke's fists balled once again as he tried to look at all the angles again, but his fists were balling at the prospects that could go wrong. 'Crap. He's not giving me room to attack. I gotta get away somehow…maybe I can go on offense? Crap, but I can't even attack with that onslaught! What do I do here?'

Shawn showed his Bakumeter again. "Alright, he's softened! Let's do this! Ability, activate! Verias Siba!"

As Verias' power level went up to 550, he twirled his staff around once again, igniting a yellow wheel in the rotation. The staff swung into Abis once more, this time sending him out of his coils flying in a screech of pain.

"ABIS!" Luke shrieked.

"UGH!" Abis Omega fell into the ground again, grunting in pain. His deep blue body laid there on the ground, having a mixture of bruises and sand on the wounds inflicted.

Shawn crossed his arms, looking calmer than ever. "You waited too long again." He said. "You didn't act fast enough to consider the defenses your Abis Omega had. You may be fast, but you're not exactly the most durable Bakugan, are you?"

Abis Omega lazily tried to get back up, training a lot as his head slumped about. "Gnnngh…that's…what this is all for, right?" He strained once again for the needed strength to stand. With his body partially up, he opened his mouth in defiance, exerting another loud hiss.

Shawn and Verias both looked at the other to see what the other was thinking. Verias nodded, while Shawn grinned mildly. They looked like they were ready to carry on.

"Alright, if that's how you see it, then let's see you handle this…Fusion ability, activate! Lucifer Bow!" Verias began twirling his staff in front of him, resuming the yellow wheel that was soon taking up a solid shape. Once the twirling reached a peak, Verias swung his staff and stuck one end to the bottom of the ring, holding it like a large frame. Once readied, he reached in, his fingers stretching out yellow energy threads to make a bow and arrow. Once aimed for Abis Omega, he extended his fingers, letting it rip across the sand on a yellow bolt towards the weakened serpent.

Verias: 550 Abis Omega: 450 (-250) = 200

As the bolt drew closer towards Abis Omega, the Aquos Bakugan wasn't so sure as to what he had to do, but his instincts were telling him to dodge if possible. Instead, he looked back in wonder and growing anxiety of what his partner had in mind. What he saw was the face of someone who was actually anticipating.

"Alright, let's do it!" he smiled. "Gate Card, open! Chain Link Force!" The Gate Card glowed and revealed beneath the battlers at hand. The field shined exceptionally as the yellow arrow bolted closer towards Abis Omega. However, when it reached a close enough point, it began to distort in place, changing course back towards sender.

Shawn's eyes widened. "Woah!"

The yellow bolt struck Verias in the gut, making a bright yellow burst of energy envelop the simian. He hollered out so loud that his cries rivaled the small gust of sand and winds that blew everywhere. Shawn covered up within the shockwaves of the attack, grunting.

Verias: 550 (-300) = 250 Abis Omega: 200 (+250) = 450

"Alright! It worked!" Luke cheered. "I actually saved my Bakugan!"

As the dust and sand dissipated, Verias was seen hunched over. He was covered in dirt and scrapes much like Abis Omega. He used his staff as support to hoist back to his two feet while his partner looked on with exceptional grinning.

"Damn, Luke. That was actually pretty good." Shawn complimented. "You used my Fusion ability against me, which halves my opponent's power level, or in this case rounds it to the next lowest number. But it looks like you're catching on."

Luke perked with glee of a child. "Sweet! Now then, let's finish this! Abis Omega!" The Aquos Bakugan raised his head and roared outwards again. "Ability, activate! Fin Melee!"

"Ability, activate! Siba Feral!"

Within Abis Omega's power level jumping to 650, he went at Verias with his long, thin body sliding across the sand. Verias lunged back as well, raising his staff and hollered out with a battle cry. The tail and staff once again clashed, making bright blue sparks ignite within their stiff collision. With Verias' ability, their power levels once again evened out to 450.

Abis let out a cry as he slashed with a blue trail with his tail, only to be parried by the staff of Verias. He twirled the weapon about and swung, scoring another blow to Abis' face. The serpent recoiled away in pain, but recovered enough to retain his look-away position. With him turned around, his tail swung from the side, smacking Verias in the ribs. The Haos Bakugan faltered towards the side, trying to recover from the blow that he took on. His shock widened when Abis suddenly turned and went to attack with his teeth again, in which Verias used his staff to bunt and parry.

Luke glared ahead at the battle. He had to fight back, much harder than Verias currently was. His brow again furrowed as he looked for answers in his mumbling. "Damnit. I gotta get more power to win this." He watched as the sand shifted and stirred as Abis Omega's flexible body made him serpentine around Verias. "I know this battle can't last forever. I've gotta win this, and I gotta amp it up!" His eyes widened in a sudden gasp. "Wait, what about this 'Fusion ability' thing…?"

Abis Omega had Verias in a mess of coils around his body, restraining his arms in loops of his body. He did his best to restrain him from using his muscles, but Verias shifted the staff in one closed hand to its bottom, allowing him to turn it upwards to smack Abis Omega's head from behind. The shock made Abis loosen and fall towards the ground yet again. With Verias free, he raised his staff, opting to try and finish the battle.

"Alright, Verias! Let's finish this!" Shawn announced.

"Not so fast!" Luke intervened. "Let's try this trick! Fusion ability, activate! Blue Mega!"

Abis Omega's eyes widened as he could feel his power charge up once more. His entire body was outlined in a wavy light blue aura, empowering him. The energy traced all over and concentrated into the tail, leaving the membrane of the tailfins to glow a bright light.

"Hrah~!" Verias swung downwards, ready to overpower him.

"EAT THIS!" Abis Omega swung his tail around one last time, this time his Fin Melee making a brighter, larger arc from the ability. It deflected the staff and bolted into Verias' surprised face, sending him skywards from the swing.

Verias: 450 (-100) = 350 Abis Omega: 450 (+200) = 650

Verias was in midair and mouth gaping open before he morphed into ball form, shooting down and landing in front of Shawn. As Shawn's life gauge struck 0%, he didn't seem at all displeased. Rather, he nodded in acceptance.

Luke looked with wide eyes as he processed what it was that happened. When he finally realized that Abis was still standing, his smile widened and jumped in joy. "YES! WE WON! WE WON!" he exclaimed. "YES!"

Abis Omega roared up to the nighttime air once more. With a shrill cry of victory, he morphed into his ball form, returning to Luke's hand with a smug grin.

"Swee~t! I can't believe that actually worked for us!" Luke continued as he looked at Abis Omega. "Man, was that awesome or what?!"

"That hurt, but I feel so alive now…" Abis Omega huffed as he was in his ball form. "…if I didn't feel so beat up right now…" he added.

Luke looked down at his Bakugan, seeing his condition with a half-grin. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"Probably because he isn't so used to intense battling just yet." Shawn called out. He approached Luke with a grin still present. Verias was on his shoulder, and even he looked fatigued to a degree. "Don't forget, our Bakugan aren't the strongest out there. Their overall stats aren't exactly high at this point."

Luke looked down at the ground, recollecting how his Abis Omega had such flimsy defense against Verias' Siba Feral. The scorn was making him feel degraded again. "I know that…"

"But I'm not saying they'll stay like that." Shawn pointed out. "Remember what Jase said. The Bakugan can grow and evolve with every battle they engage in. That also must mean that if we focus hard enough against Rogue Zero, we could increase those stats. But, as you and I saw, we have to act fast and smart if we want to stay in the game."

Luke looked down towards his Bakugan again. He was proud that he actually held his own in that one, but it was because he was given tips in battling. He wouldn't necessarily call it a clear victory for his case since he still lagged in experience.

He needed to get better, and as soon as possible. If Master Riaan was still somewhere around their location, he had to show how powerful he's gotten – on his own two feet. The tides continued to sway in and out some more, his mind getting quiet again.

Shawn relaxed as he put his hands to his hips. "Well, now that we got that little lesson covered up, you up for some shut eye? I think we got ourselves a lot rest to-"

"Wait, Shawn."

Before Shawn turned away, he looked at Luke with wonder. "What is it?"

Luke continued looking towards the sand. "Is that it? We're just quitting after one battle?"

"Why? You wanna keep going?" When Luke stayed silent, he knew the answer. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Ah, I see."

"That was just one battle, and I really think I started to get that feeling…but I'm no so sure that'll be enough. It's as you said, Rogue Zero really pushed their Bakugan, so we gotta push twice as hard. I just learned to think about all this, but I need a little more practice. We don't have time to sit around and not get stronger, you know!"

"Luke." Shawn said.

Luke turned towards the sea, crossing his arms once again. "I know that I need rest…but I wanna get stronger and better before I know it. So is a few more rounds okay with you? Shawn?" He looked towards the Haos battler with confusion. He wasn't sure what he would say, but he prayed it would help.

The frown on Shawn's face left a damper on Luke's spirit, but after a sneer, he grinned. "That's the commitment that we need."

"Shawn…"

"Relax, Luke. I ain't going anywhere. Sure, we can go a little more. It's as you said, we need every second we can if we wanna be ahead of Rogue Zero, right? We have to make sure you can stay on your feet, but Verias and I also need to get stronger. It's a win-win." He looked at his shoulder. "So are you wanting to go more, Verias?"

"Yeah. I think I caught my second wind already." He answered.

Abis Omega popped open in the air beside Luke. "Then I say we get to it."

"You sure, Abis Omega?"

The Aquos Bakugan nodded. "I need to get better and stronger, don't I? That battling was tough…but I gotta get used to that, otherwise this'll be a big waste of time."

Luke held up a fist. "You hear that? Let's go again, but this time we're gonna be better than before!"

Shawn returned the gesture. "Well alright then, but Verias and I won't hold back. It'll be winner take all. You sure you remember what to do, Luke?"

"Yeah, yeah! I'll get it all down, let's just brawl already!"

And so Luke and Shawn pivoted on their heels and raced away from the other. They got the distance away before they looked back at one another, with Shawn throwing out a Gate Card first.

"Bakugan, brawl!"

Both Bakugan were thrown out at the same time. Even though they looked tired, they were ready and willing to go once again. They raced at the other in the hopes of training. Their heads collided in a powerful tremble, making both grunt and try to think their way with every fight.

"Come on, Abis! Whack him!"

"Verias, defend!"

Abis whacked his tail from the side, but Verias ducked instead of used his staff like before. Luke and Shawn reached out towards each other, yelling aloud as they sought to learn from experience, and their overall Bakugan to exceed.

In unison, as their abilities shined, so did the determination in their eyes. "LET'S GO!"

As their endeavoring training from afar stirred up sand, their abilities parried one another; Luke having more than a few mistakes that made him see Abis take blunders, but he encouraged, making him bounce back even with every thud on the ground.

From afar, on the railing of the Trailer's balcony, there was someone who was watching the battling from the distance it carried. She smiled with respect as she watched Luke fight with everything he had, trying to think of the right abilities to use in his fumbling mistakes.

The Darkus battler for the group looked towards the moon again, seeing it being massive with enigmatic spaces. She slowly closed her eyes, allowing her lips to slowly move with her voices.

And there you stand,

So brave and with a guiding hand.

It was there when,

You stood and declared like a valiant man.

Abis Omega went with a Dry World at Verias, who held his staff out as a Heaven Solace sparkled down, enveloping him and nullifying the Dry World upon contact. Luke yelled in a mute-like state as he showed another ability, this making the residual water from Dry World morph into a helix of seawater. The transitioning was as smooth as Esther's angelic notes themselves.

There you laid in your sleep,

Dreaming of a future so deep.

With one eye open,

You begin to see the lives around reopen.

Shawn swiped his arm, Verias swinging his staff in the same direction. Abis Omega ducked upon Luke's voice, and countered with his tail swinging into Verias' exposed side. As he faltered, Luke punched forward, urging Abis to fight on.

It was but a yesterday,

When we were in such dark and woe.

We had but one way,

And that was to never say no.

Abis Omega dove into the water, getting Verias to hold his staff in readiness for his attack.

But then you opened our eyes,

With your talks of new dreams.

We search for the skies,

And there we saw the light of a new dawn.

Luke and Shawn looked towards the other, both crying out as their Bakugan dodged the other's attack in a speedy display.

The black that was but the past,

It went by so fast.

We race towards the new dawn,

Forever moving to a future so vast.

Esther closed her mouth and nodded. Her blue eyes looked towards the skies, seeing a comet shoot in the blink of an eye.

"Alright! Up and at 'em, sleepybutt!" Maggie shouted.

Luke stirred in his bunk, groaning meekly. "Go away…"

Maggie put her hands to her hips, sighing. "Man, you're such a sleepyhead it's sad."

Shawn slowly slumped up, his expression equally as exhausted. "Is it really morning already…?" he groaned.

"I'm afraid so." Verias said, popping open on his nightstand. "Abis, you up yet?"

The Aquos Bakugan's sphere slowly opened, the head down. "Uuuugh…what's the emergency?" he groaned.

Maggie went to the center of the room, looking at them with another huff in her breath. She shook her head in sadness. "Man, and here I thought Shuji was a heavy sleeper. You guys put even him to shame."

"HEY! I'M STILL HERE!" the shrilled shout of Shuji came from far down the hallway. Unsurprisingly, he was ignored.

"Are you guys feeling well? You look like you were chased by Saurus all day." Jelldon exaggerated.

"Funny, I feel l was stepped on by a Juggernoid." Shawn slumped out of his bunk, stretching his back in a long, deep arch. He moaned with relief to get any stiffness out of his tired bones. "Alright, guess we're up now. Luke…"

"Ugh, who invented mornings anyways?" With one last exhausted groan, Luke turned and planted his feet on the floor. He hunched forward like he was some tired, groggily old man, and looked the part with his angered expression.

Maggie leaned up towards Shawn. "He looks like he's never seen sunlight before." She whispered.

"That so? I almost mistook him for Sleeping Beauty." Shawn teased.

"More like the Beast."

A tick mark grew on Luke's head at their bantering. "Grrrr…! Are we gonna do anything or what?" he barked.

Maggie grinned. "Relax, crankypants. Now that you're up, we can finally pluck out the rations for the day into a fair share. Jase said so."

"And who made him trail boss?" Luke mumbled.

Shawn raised a brow and grinned. "Well do you know where we're going, Luke?"

"…you guys suck!"

Maggie chuckled at everyone's expense. She waltzed on over towards the windowsill pass them and opened the blinds. Once the chord went down, sunlight cursed Luke and Shawn's eyes so bad they flinched away. Maggie again grinned in delight as she waltzed with a skip between them towards the hallway. "Now that you're done acting like vampires, let's get to it!" She announced with such glee as she turned the corner to exit the room.

Luke looked at the door with a burning glare, while Shawn had one to a lesser extent. The two groaning friends slowly turned to the other and sighed, seeing as how there was no point anymore.

"I don't know if I should feel sorry or find this humorous." Verias said.

"I'm too tired to care." Abis Omega groaned.

Inside the observatory's main room, the windows all up front were getting a view of north, more specifically, the glistening sun rays coming from the left side and illuminating the sand and water. Even the high alcove walls looked majestic in the morning light. Everyone having grabbed their fair share of rations took the time to appreciate the view.

Of course, even though they have seen the light before, it was still somewhat intriguing. Esther continued looking at the windows, seeing the view of the New Vestroia morning as enigmatic as it was that first morning.

"Hey Esther, you not hungry or what?"

Having grabbed attention by Luke, Esther looked back at him with a frown. "Sorry, I was distracted." She turned her affairs towards the small plate of the food Maggie managed to find, as well as the few fruits from the other day from Thermosphere.

Luke sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Geez…"

Jase stood before all of them, arms folded behind his back. "Now then, I trust that everyone's had a full night's rest." The rest of the group, however, they all didn't look nearly as well as they had originally thought in perspective. The only ones who looked like they were healthy were Jase and Maggie. Shuji was more or less awake, but the way his forehead rest on his plate said other things.

Maggie nodded. "Yup, sure did."

"Greeeat." Shuji muffled in his empty plate.

Luke and Shawn didn't reply. They looked like they were gonna murder somebody.

"Good." Jase chimed. "Then we can get onto business. Now then, direct your attention towards the screen, if you may?" He reached to the center of their table, which was where the holographic projection system was. He reached for the disclosed keyboard imprinted on it, typing up a function that eventually forced a holographic projection to expand over everyone's heads. It was the globe of New Vestroia. As the globe circulated, it was notably large in land mass, and the ocean they were crossing wasn't as vast as they perceived it to be…at least the section they were in at the moment.

"As you can see here, this is our location." Jase pointed towards the red dot in the void-like sea between two green land masses far away from each other. The dot was sitting on a small green point, indicating the island they settled on. "This spot is here. We're about a third of a way out. If we can stay on course with no altercations, we should be there before the sun goes down at the latest."

"Then what's the earliest?" Shuji groaned sideways.

"Supper." He deadpanned.

Shuji rolled his forehead back on his empty plate. "Great."

"Once we are all set, I'll prepare the conversion and we can fully embrace the sea once more. Now then…" He trailed off when someone stepped out of their seat. The figure stood up with a frown. "Esther, what's wrong?"

"You see something?" Maggie tilted her head towards the side to look at the cove, but saw nothing.

"No, not that." Without warning, Esther turned where she stood, looking down at the person next to her. "Luke…"

Having been able to swallow the last of the fruit, Luke gave Esther a lousy eye. "Huh, what is it now? Can't you see I'm busy?" It wasn't accurate to say he was. He literally just finished eating, and minding that flavor was more sweet than he originally thought, he opt to just let it sit. Of course the stern look on Esther's face had other plans installed for him.

The Darkus battler frowned down on Luke, making him uncomfortable in all the wrong ways. He looked towards her fully, leaning back slightly from disturbance. "Hey, what is it? C'mon, spit it out. You're really making me uncomfortable like this!"

"Luke…" Esther paused. "I want to have a battle with you."

Luke looked up to her with widened eyes. "You what?!"

Everyone around looked towards her with surprise. Honestly, they didn't see that coming, but the coming couldn't have been anymore arbitrary. Even Jase showed honest surprise.

"I said, that I request your audience for a battle. Are you going to answer?" she reiterated.

Luke was at a loss for words. If anything, he would be flattered that he was getting challenges already. After last night's intensive training, he felt assured, but having to fight Esther right out of the gate sparked some inquiry for him. "W-why all of a sudden? Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah, Esther. What's with this challenge?" Maggie questioned.

"Well you can fill us in, too. We're still here you know." Shuji pointed out.

Esther crossed her arms beneath her bust, pushing it up some. As distraction as it could be considered, Luke wasn't in that mood. "Luke, tell me. Do you want to keep up with us?"

Luke's brows furrowed, as though the answer was obvious. "Of course I do. What kind of idiotic question is that?"

"Then would testing your meddle as you are now prove how strong you can support our cause?"

"Well…I guess…"

"I see now." Jase adjusted his glasses again. "I think Esther has a valid point here."

"She does?" Shuji questioned.

Esther nodded. "I'm not at liberty to say, but…when we think about it, thinking other than ourselves, are we really ready?" She looked down at the table, looking deep in retrospect. "As it stands, we can barely hold our own fights. If we meet with Rogue Zero again, wouldn't it make sense to be as prepared as they are?"

Jase put a hand to his chin. "Huh, how interesting. So you're suggesting that we coordinate before anything else?"

She turned towards Jase. "Basically, but the point is that we can't show weakness in front our enemies. We need to prove we have…no, we need the strength to fight back. So Luke…" she faced him. "If you're done sulking about your mess of a battle yesterday, then why not let me educate you?"

Luke raised a brow at the proposal. He leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. "This is a big waste of time. Why bother? After all, what can you teach me that I already don't know?"

"Luke…"

"Well I say do it." Shawn advised.

"Huh?" Luke looked at him with inquiry. Shawn grinned.

"Why not? It's not like battling won't have benefits taken from us. If we all battle as hard as we can against each other, we'll get a better understanding of each other. More than likely, we'll also be able to strengthen our Bakugan this way. It's a win-win." His grin widened. "Of course you would know, right Luke?"

Jase looked towards the whole group. "Now I understand. If we are able to at least anticipate ourselves, we should be able to anticipate Rogue Zero's advances. And if fortunate, we could ascertain stronger assets in terms of our Bakugan's capacity."

Jelldon popped open on the table. "Oh, you mean like training?"

"That's exactly what it sounds like to me." Shuji said. He was sitting up with his fist ramming into his hand with a smirk. "I've been aching to mess up some bones."

Luke looked all around with growing shock. From the looks of it, everybody was all in, meaning there was nowhere for him to turn and make excuses. He and Shawn stayed up so late getting their Bakugan's strength and their training to the best of their newly found capabilities that rest sounded apparent, but now that he thought deeper about it, he looked towards Esther again, seeing the intent in her eyes. He looked away sheepishly towards the round edge of the table. "…fine, I guess." He submitted.

"Then it appears we are in agreement." Atmos said.

"Indeed we are. Then we shall spend only a couple hours making sure we are at least prepared." Jase instructed. "Now then, shall we get started?"

"Yes!" Maggie burst out of her seat with Jelldon in hand. "Alright slowpokes, last one out is a moldy slug~!" In a mad dash, she hurried on out of the main room's domain, the two sliding doors closing behind.

Jase snickered as he proceeded behind. With his own smirk, Shawn got up from his seat. The next was Shuji, who seemed less than ecstatic, but as he walked towards the door, he raised a fist of determination. Esther proceeded in tow, with Luke giving another sigh before looking up towards the ceiling.

"Why me…?"

With the sun rising, the shimmering rays were making the atmosphere warm enough to get a jolt going. Esther and Luke stood a good distance away from each other, looking at the other with their own vibes against the other.

Esther was serious in her eyes. She wanted to do better. She had to be. As the air shifted her hair, she stared at Luke with resolution. 'Luke…you've become more competent, but will it be enough?'

On the other end of the battlefield, Luke put a hand to his hip. "Hey! Are we gonna get started or what?!" he yelled.

"Yes! Begin!" she announced.

Luke didn't hesitate at all to throw out his Gate Card first. "Alright, Gate Card, set!" The card went shooting out towards the middle, landing in the sand and fading into another blue shockwave throughout the area. He held up Abis Omega in readiness. "Okay then, here goes nothing…Bakugan, brawl! Abis Omega, stand!"

The ball went out, erupting into Abis Omega once more. The Aquos serpent stood at 350.

Esther's face grew serious. "Then it's my turn. Bakugan, brawl!" She threw Atchibee outwards, who popped open. "Atchibee, stand!"

In a purple light, the wings expanded, flapping and kicking up Atchibee into the air. She stood at 400.

Esther raised her left wrist first. "Allow me to go first. Ability, activate! Vermilion Jet Black!"

Atchibee began to flap her wings, everything around her and Abis Omega beginning to blacken into a dark mist. Eventually, everything was to where Atchibee's eyes were the only thing visible, giving her an ominous appeal.

Inside the mist, Abis Omega did nothing, but from the experience from last night that he was going to have to defend.

Luke raised his left arm, his blue Bakumeter revealing two ability cards layered over the other. "Let's go, Abis! Double ability, activate! Osmosis, plus Fin Melee!"

Upon command, Abis Omega began to slowly disappear into the black mist, truly becoming unseen. Atchibee's red eyes brightened and fired weak purple bolts from the lenses. They shot downwards, electrocuting something for a prolonged period of time. As the shocking went on, Atchibee was unaware of something underneath.

In the black mist, Esther looked at the cloud to see nothing but sand being electrocuted. 'Abis Omega used the cover to escape. But how did he know how to evade Atchibee-!' She got cut off when a blue slash was visible in midair. The faded silhouette that was Atchibee flickered with the attack, making a scowl reverberate. Esther gasped in shock once more. "What?"

The black mist cleared away, revealing what happened. Atchibee was still in midair, but she was held in place by Abis Omega. He was visible and in the flesh, holding down his opponent with his coils around her body.

"Alright!" Luke cheered.

Esther looked at the scene with eyes wide. 'He countered Atchibee's signature ability without problem. Did his late training bare fruit…?' Her brow furrowed, focusing on the battle. "Atchibee, get him off!"

Atchibee waved her whole worm-like body through the air, shifting back and forth, rocking about to try and get her adversary off; however, Abis maintained a tight enough grip to not be deterred. He constricted tighter the more Atchibee struggled, getting her to stop bending her blades.

"Not bad, Abis…" she muttered. "Stopping me before I could even attack…"

"You haven't seen anything yet!" he assured.

Esther drew out another ability. "Ability, activate! Lavender Shock!"

Atchibee's tail was bending back and forth, swaying closer to a part of Abis Omega's underside. Once close enough, the pincer end ignited with weak static and pinched on a part of him. Dark purple static engulfed Abis Omega's body as he could feel his body stiffening from the electrical pulses. The Aquos Bakugan roared out as his electrocuted body dropped towards the ground, sundering loudly with a thud in the sand.

"Hey, get up!" Luke urged. Abis Omega dizzily got up, but shook off the static to look up at his opponent with a resolute expression.

Esther looked unimpressed as she looked at the power levels again, seeing Atchibee at 400 and Abis Omega at 250. She faced Luke again. "Is that all?"

Luke's brow furrowed. He looked towards Abis Omega again and stared for a few moments. They then looked back at the same time, ready to attack. "Alright then, ability, activate!"

Abis Omega said nothing as he raised his head. He expelled a large mass of mist from his body, which in turn began to expand into a cloud. The mist made Esther and Atchibee both keep their guards up, aware of what was to come. Once it dissipated, they saw that Abis Omega was in the air in a globe of water.

"Dry World!"

Abis Omega went lunging at his opponent through the veil of water, bolting with vibrant shrieks.

Esther's wrist went up again, exemplifying another ability. "Ability, activate! Scare Flash!" Atchibee's wings shimmered brightly as she shrieked out once more. The "eyeballs" of the wings began to glow, before the shimmering, beaming rays of brightness went everywhere.

"I knew it!" Luke reached out towards the field. "Gate Card, open! Ring Zero!"

The Gate Card beneath opened, glowing a bright color. Once up, the bright beaming rays Atchibee was unleashing suddenly thinned out, vanishing into thin air. Moreover, Atchibee froze in place, unable to move. It was like she was hit by the pause button.

Esther gasped again. 'He neutralized Atchibee's ability.'

Abis Omega roared as he dove right into the stiff Atchibee. He bolted with his liquified envelopment and crashed into Atchibee with a powerful explosion of mist and water. The eruption spouted rain-like droplets that showered down on Luke and Esther alike. The two looked up in shock as they watched the mist cloud vaporize slowly, and within it, Atchibee morphing to ball form. She fell to Esther's feet in the sand, her life gauge dropping to 50%.

The Darkus battler looked down at her fallen Bakugan in shock and then faced Luke. She watched as Abis Omega went to ball form, caught by a slap happy Luke. 'He stopped me dead in my tracks. He anticipated me nullifying his ability and used that against me. Even now I'm impressed.' As she picked up Atchibee, a smile crept in her face. 'Maybe we can depend on him deeply now…'

"Hey! You wanna try again?!" Luke called out.

Esther nodded. "Yes! I won't falter behind!" She threw her Gate Card out, fading into a dark purple shockwave through the area. "Atchibee, can you go on?"

Atchibee opened in her palm, facing her. "Don't worry, Esther. I won't underestimate them again. We have to battle harder than ever now!" She closed, readying to be thrown in.

Esther nodded and faced Luke again. "Okay, then let's go! Bakugan, brawl!"

Verias and Fly Beetle pushed at each other. The Haos Bakugan was using his staff as a bunker to intercept and parry Fly Beetle's horns. The insect dug in his heels and pushed, only for Verias to suddenly jump out of the way to allow him to fall forward. With a thud, Fly Beetle slammed into the ground, and Verias landed on his thorax, sending a shock through him.

"Wha-?!" Shuji looked ahead with shock.

"C'mon, Shuji. You have to be smarter than that." Shawn provoked. "Ability, activate!"

Verias' gem glowed a bright light as his power concentrated into it. "Haos Drain!" he cried out. A bright laser beam bolted into Fly Beetle.

Shuji's eyes narrowed. "We'll just see about that, punk! Ability, activate! Subterra Seeker!"

Fly Beetle's wing shields opened, with the inner brown accents glowing a lava-like color. Once the yellow laser made impact with the wing shields, it was morphed into a bright glob of light that remained stiff for a few seconds before unleashed back at Verias. It closed in as the simian looked unmoved.

Shawn showed a serious expression as he presented another ability card. "Ability, activate! Heaven Solace!" Verias presented his staff out towards the laser heading his way, remaining as patient as could be until a radiant light enveloped him from above. It acted as a bunker when the yellow attack made impact, dissipating into thin air.

Shuji gasped again. "Woah, that was pretty good."

"You want to get stringer, do you? Now are you going to attack or what?"

Shuji smirked at Shawn's own insistence. His face showed eagerness at the voice pronounced. "Fine by me! Fly Beetle! Kick them to the curb!"

Fly Beetle flapped his wings profusely as he darted right for Verias, closing in with his horn projected ahead to strike.

"Ability, activate!" Jase raised his forearm as Atmos cawed overhead. The avian soared brightly in the rising sun as his yellow eyes reflected Jelldon's figure down below. "Ventus Airsaw!"

Atmos flapped his wings, sending a singular green crescent of energy spiraling at Jelldon down below.

Maggie showed a serious face as she punched forward with her red Bakumeter. "Oh no you don't! Ability, activate! Gel Shield!"

Jelldon held his own ground as he crossed his two tentacles in front of his face. He braced himself as the orange spots on his face glowed, expelling a red liquid-like forcefield around his body, which absorbed the green crescent into it.

Jase adjusted his glasses again, looking into the heat of battle with a gaze of resolution. "Not a bad defense." He reached out once more. "Then shall we step up our offense? Ability, activate! Avianna Tempest!"

Atmos' entire body gave off a light green aura as he flapped his wings. The wind once again picked up, surging with the strength of a typhoon that spread about haphazardly. The winds – while wild – were surging like a veil around Atmos.

"Shall we test your wits now?" Atmos imposed.

Maggie balled her fists, ready to take action. "Oh yeah? Well we can be strong too!" She turned towards Jelldon. "Ready, Jelldon!"

Jelldon looked up, looking unnerved as the whirlwinds picked up. As unsound as he looked, he knew he had to endure against the training. He had to get prepared. He needed to be sure he could be there for Maggie. "…okay!" he yelled. "Let's do this!"

"Then let us proceed." Jase announced. "Atmos!"

Surrounded by winds and a glowing aura, Atmos went racing at Jelldon, diving at an alarming rate while Jelldon's tentacles sparked with red static.

The battle tides swayed and odds were constantly against the other. Everyone was tussling to where they knew what they were doing. Luke and Esther stood still as their long hair constantly shifted with the winds from the battle they were having.

Atchibee arched over Esther's head like a roller coaster. She shrieked aloud as she maneuvered back to position while Abis Omega slithered in place, bracing himself. In one fell slash, Atchibee's blade slashed at the snake, making a dark purple trail flow. It met Abis Omega's face, making him grunt and recoil. With his body still turned, déjà vu caught him as his tail swung from the tide, crashing into Atchibee and knocking her sideways towards the sea. She caught herself just above the ocean line and flapped her wings, facing him with gusto.

"Ability, activate!" both shouted.

Atchibee remained still as her body was surrounded by a purple tempest, which expanded into a tower of purple whirlwinds. "Darkus Stream!"

Abis Omega lurched forward as the diamonds on his body began to shine brightly. He looked up at Atchibee's cyclone with the will to battle. "Diamond Shower!"

"Go!" Their partners demanded.

Atchibee's towering purple whirlwind swayed about profusely. The tower collapsed towards Abis Omega, the head of the tower shifting to dive at him. Abis Omega returned in kind by unleashing a funneling tempest of blue energy diamonds that expelled from his body. The two attacks met in the middle, with blue energy shards colliding into the whirlwinds. There was a lot of battle energy produced as Abis Omega continued unleashing his attack, but at the same time Atchibee's attack also funneled with a deep spin.

Finally, the two attacks reached their stalemate, exploding in a collapsing fashion. Thin air revealed itself between Abis Omega and Atchibee, the two staring at the other with red and orange eyes barreling deeply into the other. They were so caught up that their battle energy made a blue speck flow like a snowflake.

"Huh?" Abis Omega looked up, seeing purple and blue twinkling lights rain down like snowflakes.

Atchibee soon followed, looking up to see that their combined energy made the purple and blue snowflakes fall. They twinkled like tiny stars, leaving Luke and Esther to look on in a slight daze.

Much like their Bakugan, they too were caught off guard, but in a good way. In the heat of their intense training, there was that small glimmer of light that radiated from their combined power. They were entranced, raptured even by the blue and purple hues sprinkling down radiating their atmosphere.

Esther held out her gloved hand, watching as a blue and purple snowflake fluttered into it. Upon contact, it dissipated.

"Woah…" Luke muttered.

This didn't go unnoticed by the group in practice of their own. Shawn and Shuji caught attention of the raining snowflakes of energy and stopped. They stared with their own awe, as did their Bakugan. Soon to follow was Maggie and Jase, and Jelldon and Atmos ceasing to boot. They all turned towards the falling snowflakes around Luke and Esther, awed for a moment of peace they seemed to have made.

Maggie's smile brightened. "Wow, so pretty…"

Jase grinned. "A display of power in Zen, as they would say."

"Huh?"

"It's more of a philosophy. Think like this, would you rather be worrying about the present, or would you rather worry about the future? If one focuses on the future problems rather than now, that stress wouldn't make for a good psychological stepping stone for the next day, whereas those who appreciate the present stumble through life one day at a time."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with now?"

"Well, it's not everyday you see beauty in the midst of an ambitious time, do you?"

Maggie looked back up to watch the flakes fall. She saw them twinkle down on Luke and Esther, seeing the two caught up in their own surprise. In a way, she could feel appeased too. "Yeah, now I see it!"

"Not bad, not at all." Shawn approved.

The Bakugan looked up with wonders of their own at the twinkling flakes. If their allies were able to strive for that much in strength, then they could as well, but like what Luke and Shawn did last night, they had to fight hard.

Esther looked up with shock quickly easing. With a smile, she looked ahead at Luke, watching him in a daze.

Luke looked on with wonders of a child. It was like a 5-year-old staring into space for the first time. He couldn't explain it, but as the blue and purple sparkles twinkled down, it was like tiny stars coming at him with a bunch of expectations. He remained as passive as could be as he could feel the power radiating through the air. It was exotic. It was something else. He reached his hand out, allowing him to allow the last of the blue and purple snowflakes into the palm.

"This is Bakugan power?" He looked deeper in his pal, narrowing his eyes as the blue and purple flakes were sitting there. As they began to fade to nothing, Luke's eyes continued narrowing, as though scrutinizing.

Realizing they were being distracted, Esther's face grew serious once more. "Enough stargazing. Luke, you ready to continue?" For some reason, she didn't get an answer from him. "Luke?"

Luke's narrowed eyes were squinted, but it was like they were heavy. Unable to tolerate, Luke's eyes closed, collapsing to his side once again, this time with a thud.

"Luke!" Esther panicked. She darted right for him, letting everyone see the horror themselves.

"Oh, crap! Again?!" In a rush, Shuji rushed as well.

"Uh oh." Maggie deadpanned. She hurried towards him, proceeded by Jase and Shawn.

As the Bakuugan also closed in, the group hurriedly surrounded Luke as he laid in the sand, unmoved and blacked out. The group's feet made it towards him, but even then he was unable to wake up.

"LUKE!" Esther screamed.

Black. Once again, it was that same color that was the void of one's mind. In the emptiness that was Luke's own mind, the group's voices of concern could not reach him. His grunts were the first things that left his mouth. 'Gnnngh…what? Where am I now?' From the voice that was his mind, he felt psychologically irritated. 'This place again, great. What the hell am I doing here now?' Slowly, he began to see a purple wave reach out towards him. 'What is that?' In the sake of security, he covered up as the fog passed him. He was instantly hit with a wave of cool air as the mist enveloped him. He held his space as opened his eyes weakly through the purple fog. Within it, he could see something in it. Now recovered from shock, he looked ahead with an inquired gaze. His brow furrowed as the odd sphere from ahead was giving of an energy unlike anything he's felt. It was making his psychology's skin crawl. 'What…what's that light?'

The purple fog began to lift, revealing Luke passing through it to gaze ahead. He looked back to see what happened to the purple fog, only to find that it surrounded the space around him in an odd circle. He looked left and right, even as his goosebumps shriveled from this estrange energy. 'Something's not right here…?' When he looked ahead once more, his attention drew towards the ball of light. He heard it crackle with the sound of electricity, oddly enough. He stared with widened eyes at it.

The sphere looked bizarre, unlike anything he's seen before. He could feel a strange, enigmatic, but especially spontaneous energy. It was making him feel jumpy, but at the same time bitterly unsound. He couldn't get closer because his feet were stuck in place by the space that was its gravity field. He could feel his heart palpitate, thumping so loudly that with every pulse, it was like sending varied afterimages around his body that shrunk back in.

His green eyes were staring at the odd ball as it had six colors inside of it bouncing from each corner. However, for some reason, the balls weren't as bright as he thought they would be. 'Those colors…are they the attributes? But why are they so dark…? What in the hell is this place?!'

Before he could answer these questions for himself, the sphere's static shrunk to a weak level. Luke gasped as he could feel the estrange power it carried being weakened. He remained silent in overwhelming astonishment as the static remained that way, yet its gravity field began to expand. He covered up as the gravity was pushing him away, shoving him back into the purple whirpool that was the fog.

Luke's screams went silent as he spiraled out of control into the darkening norm.

Here's chapter 10 and all of it's longevity. As usual, I trouble even myself with the continuous task to shorthand all this stuff, but what can you do? The answer is simple: read and like it! So really, this chapter was more or less the sole development of Luke becoming a competent battler, as did Shawn to an extent. You can consider this a 'best friends grow together' chapter. So now Luke's become a capable – if not decent – battler after training all night to get his Bakugan's abilities and stats stronger. I guess the most reasonable comparison could be the kind of training in Pokémon Sun and Moon games or XY, that Super/Hyper training. That's as best as a comparison that I can give, but now Abis Omega and Verias are better at battling and countering now.

I wasn't sure exactly if I should've wrote down Esther's song for moving forward. In all honesty, I just made it up, but I'm not definite if it was the best idea in mind. I'm not sure if FanFiction flags people for this stuff, but I swear when I thought of this from the top of my head. If you guys know the rule for this, please clarify, because I'd rather not get into much trouble over this.

So for a few more kicks this chapter, we get insight on all the characters; why Jase takes responsibility, Maggie and her mom, Shuji with his family, Esther resigning to sins, and Luke and Shawn's history.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter, I have a big surprise planned that you might like. Until then, ciao!