And here's the next chapter! Sorry if I kept you waiting; that cliffhanger was good. This will be a direct continuation of the previous chapter, starting directly where we left off. But no more talking! Let's get to the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan or the characters.
XXX
Chapter 11: Frontal Assault, Part Two
"Gate Card, Set!", Ace yelled, throwing his Gate Card down. He threw Percival, yelling: "Bakugan, Brawl! Darkus Percival, stand!" Percival rose at a power level of 450, and glared challengingly at Alice, who stared back at him.
I could use Hydranoid, she thought, then I'd be able to demolish Percival before Premo Vulcan could do a thing. She shook her head. No, it's too dangerous. I can't lose Hydranoid to a power surge. With that decided, she picked up Leonidas. "I'll be using you in this battle."
"Just throw me in, already!", Leonidas growled, "I can take Percival, easy!"
"Oh, no you don't!", Ace said, loading in an ability. "Ability Activate! Battle Marionette!", he called. Percival's eyes and his gauntlets' eyes suddenly glowed purple. "I call Darkus Alpha Hydranoid!", Ace said gleefully. Hydranoid's ball form became engulfed in the same purple light, drawing him onto the field at a power level of 600.
Alice was horrified. "No! Hydranoid!", she shouted.
Gus smirked. "You're ours, now! Bakugan, Brawl! Vulcan, stand!", he said. Vulcan, with a power level of 500, rose to full height on Percival's right side.
Maybe Leonidas can protect Hydranoid by doing most of the battling, Alice thought, sending in Leonidas while yelling: "Bakugan, Brawl! Darkus Leonidas, stand!"
"Ha! Like we'd make it that easy!", Ace said. "Gate Card Open! Command Card: Additional Task!", he said. Just as Leonidas entered the battle, he was forced out, returning to Alice's hand.
Alice wasn't shocked that the card would do that. She knew that Additional Task forces the last Bakugan on the card back to their owner. She was shocked that the Vestals knew about that card. They always seemed to only use Reactor cards! I guess Hydranoid's fighting this round, she thought mournfully.
Ace, meanwhile, was loading an ability. "Ability Activate! Tri Gunner!", he commanded. Percival, his power level rising to 750, launched a three pronged blast using his gauntlets and his mouth. Those three blasts then combined into one.
Alice responded with her own ability. "Ability Activate! Indigo Nightmare!", she called. Each of Hydranoid's heads blasted a stream of purple and black energy to counter Percival's attack. Hydranoid's power level rose to 900.
"Not happening!", Gus exclaimed, loading his own ability. "Ability Activate! Pyrus Durance!", he commanded. Vulcan's collar shot a blast off orange energy that counteracted the Indigo Nightmare, nullifying the ability. As a result, Percival's Tri Gunner scored a direct hit, causing Hydranoid to grunt in pain. Gus then loaded another ability. "Ability Activate! Titan Knuckle!" Vulcan, his power level rising to 700, then launched his gloves directly at Hydranoid, whose power level decreased to 400.
Alice grit her teeth, then got three abilities ready. "Triple Ability Activate! Death Trident, Chaos Leap Sting, and fusion ability Final Demolition!", she said. As Hydranoid's heads prepared powerful orbs of purple Darkus power for Vulcan, his mini heads extended from his wings and prepared to blast Percival. Hydranoid's power level rose to 600, Percival's dropped to 550, and Vulcan's decreased to 400.
"Impossible!", Gus exclaimed. "You can't…!" Hydranoid launched his attacks, two of them blasted Vulcan's gloves, the third hit Vulcan, who fell to the orb of dark energy, lowering Gus's Life Gauge to 60%. The mini heads blasted Percival with purple blasts.
Ace, however, loaded another ability. "Ability Activate! Darkus Thunder!", he said. Out of nowhere, a thunderstorm began to brew. Percival raised his hand directly at Hydranoid, just in time to catch a powerful bolt of Darkus energy on his pointer finger. As Percival blasted Hydranoid with the bolt, his power level increased to 850, while Hydranoid's decreased to 400.
Alice, however, was having none of that. "Ability Card Activate! Chaos Trident!", she said after loading the powerful ability. Hydranoid launched three orbs of pure black Darkus energy at Percival, annihilating the Darkus Thunder attack. Hydranoid's power level rose to 700, and Percival's decreased to 550. As Percival reverted, Ace's Life Gauge went down to 70%.
"Powerful!", Ace breathed. He didn't expect Hydranoid to be this strong.
Neither did Gus, really. "This might be more difficult than we thought", he admitted. "But I won't fail Master Spectra again!"
"Then let's continue!", Alice said, throwing down her Gate Card. Why hold back?, she thought. Hydranoid easily destroyed them. Using him is a definite win! Momentarily forgetting why she held back before, she then picked up Hydranoid. "Bakugan, brawl!", she said confidently, launching him.
"Bakugan, brawl!", Ace and Gus yelled, engaging their Bakugan, as well.
XXX
Dan finally managed to reach the west flank of the trailer, to find a masked blonde in a red feather coat patiently waiting for him. "Dan Kuso, I presume?", Spectra said in a mocking voice.
"Spectra", Dan said. "Let me make this clear, Vexos. I already beat one masked freak, and I'll beat you, too!"
"Mind your tongue, Brawler", Spectra responded harshly, as if rebuking a rebellious child. "You should be honored to lose to New Vestroia's top ranked Bakugan battler!" the two got their gauntlets ready.
"Gauntlet, Power Strike!", they yelled. Their gauntlets glowed red light, initiating the battle.
"Gate Card, Set!", Spectra yelled, tossing his Gate Card onto the field. He then threw his Bakugan in. "Bakugan, brawl! Pyrus Hyper Dragonoid, stand!", he shouted. Hyper Dragonoid rose at 400.
"That's it?", Dan questioned, "when does the real battle start? Let's do it, Drago!"
"Hold on, Dan!", Drago said. "Remember what happened with Alice. Don't be ruled by your overconfidence!"
Dan's shoulders slumped. "I guess you're right, Drago", he said. "You ready to go?"
"Yes", Drago responded. Dan threw him in, base power level matching his opponent at 400. "En garde, brother", Drago told his opponent, who only growled in response. "Dan, let's go!"
"You got it, Drago!", Dan said, loading an ability. "Ability Card Activate! Burning Dragon!", he called. Drago, his power level rising to 600, launched a fireball from his mouth at Hyper Dragonoid, who remained still.
At least until Spectra loaded in his two abilities. "Double Ability Activate! Dual Dragon and Item Core!", he called. Hyper Dragonoid immediately split into two copies, and each received a tool for battle. One copy got a shield, that he used to block the Burning Dragon, and the other got a sword that he immediately went after Drago with, the other not close behind. Their power levels read at 1000.
"Drago!", Dan shouted, loading another ability. "Ability Activate! Tornado Barrier!", he called. Drago began spinning, engulfing himself in a fire tornado. As the Hyper Dragonoid with the sword attacked the tornado, however, it knocked him back into his copy. This forced them to become one again, their weapons crumbling to dust, and the power level at 300. Hyper Dragonoid reverted, decreasing Spectra's Life Gauge to 40%. "That the best you can do?", Dan taunted as he caught Drago. He then threw his Gate Card down, preparing for the next battle.
Impressive, Spectra thought to himself as Dan threw Drago back into the battle. He then brought out his ultimate weapon. "Now you face Pyrus Viper Helios!", he told Dan and Drago. "Bakugan, Brawl! Helios, stand!" Helios rose, power level at 600, to engage Drago.
XXX
Hydranoid squared off against Percival and Vulcan, neither side activated any abilities, though.
That was about to change, as Ace threw upwards a new contender. "Bakugan Trap, Darkus Falcon Fly!", he called. As Falcon Fly rose at 350, Percival immediately flew onto its back for "high mobility mode", combining the power levels to 800.
Suddenly, both Ace and Gus loaded two abilities each. "Double Ability Activate! Fly Enemy and Tri Gunner!", Ace called. Falcon Fly began shooting purple bursts of energy from its wings, as Percival shot his three pronged blast from his mouth and gauntlets, increasing their combined power levels to 1300.
"Double Ability Activate! Titan Knuckle and Drill Impact!", Gus called. Vulcan's gloves rocketed toward Hydranoid, rotating so quickly they were only a blur. Vulcan's power level increased to 900, and Hydranoid's decreased to 200.
Alice had a plan, however. "Gate Card Open! Darkus Reactor!", she said. The sky turned purple, flashing Darkus lightning, as the ground gave way to shadows. Every Darkus Bakugan on the field had their power level increased by 300, making 500 for Hydranoid, and a combined power level of 1900 for Percival and Falcon Fly.
Ace laughed at that. "Wow, you really aren't good at this, are you?", he asked mockingly.
Gus, however, remembered what happened to Shadow in his battle with Alice. "No!", he said, wide eyed.
"Yeah", Alice said, loading two abilities. "Double Ability Activate! Merge Shield and Trident of Doom!", she called. Hydranoid summoned a shield of Darkus energy, blocking Percival and Falcon Fly's attack. He then launched three orbs of purple and black Darkus energy, which in turn split into three each. Two of which forced Vulcan's gloves off course, nullifying that double ability, and the rest pummeled the Vexos' Bakugan. Hydranoid's power level read at 2400, Percival and Falcon Fly's remained at 1900, and Vulcan's only read 200. The three power levels combined to form 2100.
"Enough of this!", Gus said, clutching his own Bakugan Trap. "I call Subterra Hexados!", he called, throwing it upward. Hexados entered at 350, combining with the others to form 2450. Gus angrily loaded his next ability. "Ability Activate! Land Twist!", he said, anger obvious in his voice. Hexados submerged himself in the ground, reappearing to wrap around Hydranoid, decreasing his power level to 2200. "Try beating us now!", Gus boasted.
Alice loaded another ability in response. "Ability Activate! Destroy Vanish!", she ordered. Hydranoid's saw began boring into Hexados, rapidly decreasing his power level.
Ace acted quickly, loading the next ability. "Ability Activate! Black Maiden!", he commanded. Percival's entire body glowed purple light as he charged Hydranoid. When Percival made contact, the Destroy Vanish was nullified, and Hydranoid reverted. That decreased Alice's Life Gauge to 50%.
"Are you ok, Hydranoid?", Alice asked him.
"I'm fine", Hydranoid answered. "I can still battle!"
Alice realized that Hydranoid simply wasn't enough on his own. That last round was a wake up call for her. Realizing that, she picked up Leonidas and Legionoid. "Are you two willing to battle alongside me?", she asked.
"No", Leonidas answered. "As much as I'd like to get in on the action, every time Hydranoid and I try battling together, we get in each other's way."
"He's right, Alice", Hydranoid responded. "Leo and I once tag teamed against Tigrerra and Gorem. I honestly did better by myself, after they took him down." His voice cracked with shame. "That was when I experienced my first power surge."
"Alright", Alice reasoned. "We'll have to work on your teamwork later, but the stakes are too high now. I'll use Legionoid to help you finish this battle, Hydranoid."
She turned to face her adversaries, realizing that Gus had already set the Gate Card, and their Bakugan and Traps were on the field already, all at base power level, for now. Alice held Hydranoid in her right hand, and Legionoid in her left. She threw in Hydranoid, then tossed Legionoid upward in a double throw. The two rose to greet their opponents.
Legionoid was a serpent with a purple underbelly, dark purple skin on its back, gleaming red eyes, sharp fangs dripping with black venom, and six heads in a formation of two rows of three, all fusing into one huge tail. His starting power level was 350.
"Let's end this!", Hydranoid addressed his partners.
"I agree!", Alice said.
XXX
Dan was shocked to see how powerful Helios was. "Who is this guy, Drago?", Dan asked.
"I recognize him", Drago said, actual malice in his voice. "This is the one who took Tigrerra from Baron!"
"Correct", Helios responded. "And I'll take you just as easily. Spectra?"
Spectra then loaded two abilities into his gauntlet. "Double Ability Activate! General Quasar and fusion ability Omega!", he called. Helios, his power level rising to 1000, shot a large fireball at Drago.
"We can play that way, too!" Dan said as he loaded two of his abilities. "Double Ability Activate! Burning Dragon and fusion ability Pyrus Slayer!" Drago then shot his own fireball to counter Helios. The two power levels equalised at 900.
As the two fireballs collided, Spectra realized that it would draw, so he simply loaded another ability. "Ability Activate! Maximum Quasar!", he ordered. Helios, his power level rising to 1200, then shot a steam of fire at Drago. Drago fell to the floor as the attack hit.
"Hold on, Drago!", Dan said as he threw his Trap Bakugan upward, into the battle. "Bakugan Trap, Pyrus Scorpion, stand!" Scorpion entered the battle with a power level of 350, adding to Drago's to form 1250. Dan wasn't done yet, however, as he loaded three abilities into his gauntlet. "Time for a combination attack. Triple Ability Activate! Burning Dragon, Fire Tornado and Reflection Boost!", he called. Drago launched a horizontal fire tornado at Scorpion, who strengthened the power of the attack, hurling it at Helios. Drago and Scorpion's power level rose to 1650, and Helios's decreased to 1100.
Spectra responded by loading two abilities into his gauntlet. "Double Ability Activate! Nova Defenser and Void Stream!", he called. Helios charged a white hot ball of fire, launching it at his two opponents. The fireball obliterated the fire tornado, and hit both its targets. Drago and Scorpion's power level decreased to 850, and Helios's increased to 1300. As Dan's Bakugan reverted, Dan's Life Gauge fell to 10%.
Dan was unresponsive in shock for an entire ten seconds. "Dan. Dan!", Drago's voice finally snapped him out of it.
Dan shook his head. "He tossed us around like we were rag dolls, Drago", he said. "If I lose the next round, you might end up like Tigrerra!"
"Dan," Drago said, "when I separated from the Perfect Core, I knew the risks. I knew I might suffer the same fate as the others. But I don't let that fear stop me! I continue to fight for my brothers and sisters, the Bakugan! I only ask for you to do the same, Daniel."
Dan nodded his head. "You're right, Drago", he said. "Let's brawl!"
Spectra smiled smugly as he threw down his Gate Card. "Bakugan, brawl!", the two yelled simultaneously, engaging their Bakugan for the final round.
XXX
Hydranoid and Legionoid were surrounded on all flanks, by Vulcan on the ground, by Hexados underground, and by Percival and Falcon Fly in the air. No abilities have been activated yet, however.
Alice loaded an ability, initiating the combat. "Ability Activate! Corrosion!", she called. Legionoid's six heads began blasting venom at all of the opponents, taking 200 from each power level. Upon being hit, Falcon Fly crashed onto the ground, defeating it and decreasing Ace's Life Gauge to 30%. Hexados was the next to get blasted, and despite it's best efforts, it also reverted, causing Gus's Life Gauge to decrease to 20%. Vulcan and Percival were able to withstand it, however.
Ace loaded an ability to stop Legionoid's rampage. "Ability, Activate! Tri Gunner!", he called. Percival, once again, shot a three pronged attack, this time at Legionoid. Percival's power level increased to 550. The attack forced Legionoid to revert, decreasing Alice's Life Gauge to 10%.
Alice didn't have time to make sure Legionoid was ok, however. She was completely focused on the current battle. "Ability Activate! Chaos Leap Sting!", she directed. Hydranoid's mini heads appeared and began blasting Vulcan and Percival. Hydranoid's power level rose to 700, Percival's dropped to 450, and Vulcan's decreased to 200.
Gus responded by loading another ability. "Ability Activate! Viblow!", he called. Vulcan's gloves began to whirl as they shielded Vulcan from the worst of the attack, as his power level increased to 400, and Hydranoid's decreased to 500. However, Vulcan still reverted, decreasing Gus's Life Gauge to 0. "No! Vulcan!", Gus cried out in alarm.
Ace loaded his own ability to counter Hydranoid. "Ability Activate! Night Explorer!", he called. Percival summoned a twister of Darkus energy that clashed with Hydranoid's earlier attack. As the two canceled each other out, Hydranoid's power level decreased to 400.
Ace and Alice were breathing hard, eyeing each other desperately. Both knew that the battle would end here, and neither had any desire to lose.
Ace then loaded another ability. "Percival, Darkus Driver!", he commanded. Percival began flying toward Hydranoid in a blur of rotation, his power level rising to 650.
Alice got her own ability ready. "Ability Activate! Trident of Doom!", she called. Hydranoid launched three orbs of Darkus power that split into another three orbs, all heading to intercept Percival. As the orbs hit, Percival was knocked back and forced to the ground, his power level falling to 150.
As Hydranoid prepared to finish Percival off, he began to become engulfed in a tornado of Darkus energy.
"Hydranoid, no!", Alice exclaimed, as her worst fear became a reality. Hydranoid was locked in a power surge.
XXX
Drago and Helios were engaged in a close range battle, still at base power level. Drago tried to land a punch using his right hand, but Helios caught it with his left, and used the momentum to toss Drago onto the ground.
"Get up, weakling!", Helios growled. "I'm not through with you yet!"
"We gotta turn this battle around, Drago!", Dan said, getting three abilities ready. "Triple Ability Activate! Burning Dragon, Burning Tornado, and fusion ability Pyrus Slayer!" Drago rose, and created a powerful fire tornado. After a few moments, Drago flew out through the top, completely encased in fire. Drago's power level rose to 1100, and Helios's decreased to 300.
"A triple ability?", Spectra questioned, legitimately surprised. He then smirked, as he got his response ready. "That won't last long. Triple Ability Activate! General Quasar, Void Stream, and fusion ability Omega!", he commanded. Helios blasted Drago with a powerful blast of fire. The two attacks canceled each other out, as both contenders were at a power level of 700.
Drago went in the air, Helios following. The two kept moving, trying to outmaneuver the other, blasting each other with fire. But neither one could gain the upper hand, at least until Spectra loaded in his next ability. "Ability Activate! Nova Defenser!", he called. Helios shot another powerful blast of fire, raising his power level to 900 and decreasing Drago's to 300.
"You're not taking Drago, not from me!", Dan said, loading his next attack. "Double Ability Activate! Fire Tornado and Burst Shield!" Drago then summoned another fire tornado, destroying the ability upon contact. Drago's power level rose to 800, and Helios's decreased to 600. Slowly, the fire twister made its way to Helios.
This Dragonoid is impressive, Spectra deduced, but a rudimentary scan shows that his stats are inferior to Helios's in every way. Time to put an end to this. Spectra loaded his last ability. "Ability Activate! Nova Spiral!", he called. A red aura engulfed Helios, who stood his ground against Drago's attack. When Drago reached him, Helios thrusted out his hand, through the twister, and grabbed Drago by his throat!
When Dan checked his gauntlet, he saw that his latest ability was nullified! Helios was back at 900, and Drago returned to a power level of 300! "Drago, hang on!", he said desperately.
Drago was choking, he could barely breathe, but Dan's voice filled him with strength. "I… won't… lose… to… you!", he managed to say.
"What are you talking about?", Helios said. "It's over!"
"It's not… over", Drago wheezed. "Too many have sacrificed too much for it to be over now!" Drago thought of Wyvern, Novalion, and all the Bakugan captured by the Vexos. I won't let them down!, he thought. The gem in Drago's chest, normally blue, began glowing multicolor. "I won't lose!", Drago declared out loud, his voice revealing no weakness at all, only power.
"Drago? What's going on?", Dan asked. As if in answer, an ability appeared in front of him, giving off a spark of the same multicolor light. "Whoa", Dan said with awe. He then put the new ability in his gauntlet. "Ability Activate! Strike Dragon!", Dan said. Drago began emitting waves of this powerful energy, forcing Helios back. Drago's power level rose to 700, and Helios's decreased to 500.
Although struggling to stay in the battle, Helios could only do so much, however, before he reverted to ball form, decreasing Spectra's Life Gauge to 0. "Lucky shot, Drago", Helios growled as he returned to Spectra. "It won't happen again!" Without a word, Spectra returned to his pod, bound for Gamma City. He had some tests to run on the battle data he recorded from battling Drago.
Meanwhile, Dan was talking to his partner. "Drago, what was that?", Dan asked.
"A power I never thought I'd experience again", Drago replied. "The power of the Perfect Core!"
"That's awesome, Drago!", Dan congratulated. "Way to go, beating Helios like that! I guess we proved the better pair, huh?"
"Dan, you know this is no laughing matter. Had I not been able to do that, we both know I would've been captured by Spectra and Helios", Drago replied soberly.
"Drago, I know that, but we need to enjoy the victories we have!", Dan said. "Otherwise, our morale will get really low, and we won't be as effective in battle!"
"I suppose you're right", Drago grudgingly agreed.
"I am!", Dan replied. "Come on, let's meet up with the others. I bet they trashed those Vexos like they were nothing!" With that, Dan and Drago started their jog southeast, to the front of the trailer.
XXX
"No! Not now!", Hydranoid pleaded, resisting the evolution to the best of his ability. The dark twister seemed to contain any sound inside and outside. No doubt Alice was screaming at Hydranoid, encouraging him to keep resisting, but Hydranoid couldn't hear anything outside the twister. "I… must… resist!", Hydranoid told himself.
"And why should you, old friend?", a familiar voice echoed through Hydranoid's heads.
"I know that voice", Hydranoid said, his voice almost seeming fearful. "Reaper? Show yourself!"
"Why, so you can send me to the Doom Dimension again?", Reaper's voice replied. "I don't think so! But I'm not here to talk about me. Big surprise, I know!"
"You're not here at all!", Hydranoid said. "You're a product of my imagination! You have to be!"
"Why are we still talking about me?", Reaper's voice asked. "Normally, I love that topic, but I'm here to talk about you, not me!"
"Stop talking!", Hydranoid said. "It's hard enough to stop this evolution without your annoyance!"
"And why are you stopping yourself from evolving?", Reaper asked. "You're supposed to be the culmination of everything Darkus! The role model for the Darkus Attribute itself! Why are you setting such a bad example for the younger of our kind?"
"Because this evolution will destroy me if I go through with it!", Hydranoid replied.
"What a f**king hypocrite!", Reaper accused. "That never stopped you before! You were Masquerade's most powerful Bakugan, being groomed to become the bearer of the Infinity Core! You knew the amount of energy might destroy you, but you never let it hold you back! Now, you've become soft like your Mistress! How f**king pathetic!"
"Leave Alice out of this!", Hydranoid demanded.
"Ha, or what?", Reaper replied. "Listen, old chap, you're not powerful enough. If you evolve, you'll have the strength to protect Alice on your own! Stay like this, and she'll have to rely on Leonidas and Legionoid to do everything you can't! And what if they lose? What'll happen to her? You need to be strong to protect Alice, so get your a** in gear and f**king evolve, already!"
Hydranoid made his decision. "No! Now, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!", he said.
"We'll finish our talk later. Ta-ta!", Reaper finished, for now. In one last effort, Hydranoid forced the twister off him, successfully delaying his evolution. Hydranoid heard Alice sigh in relief. Hydranoid then collapsed on the ground, exhausted by the effort.
Which was the opening Ace needed to finish the battle, as he loaded an ability into his gauntlet. "Darkus Thunder, Activate!", he called. Percival began brewing a storm, and as a lightning bolt of Darkus energy struck Percival, he caught it on his finger. Hydranoid's power level fell to 200, and Percival's rose to 450. "Take him out, Percival!", Ace yelled. Percival then redirected the bolt at Hydranoid, who could barely put up any resistance. Hydranoid reverted, causing Alice's Life Gauge to go to 0.
Gus nodded to his teammate. "Good work, Ace", he admitted. "Master Spectra will be pleased." After nodding back to Gus, Ace went to the Gus's pod. Gus, however, stayed behind. "Alice", he called, "why would you fight for the Bakugan so strongly?"
"Because they're my friends!", Alice immediately responded.
Gus laughed. "Since when? We know of your past as Masquerade", he told her. Alice's eyes widened in shock. "Yes, we know of who you once were. A ruthless battler who wanted glory and power. I can respect Masquerade. I can't respect you", Gus told her.
Alice shook her head gently. "I'm not Masquerade anymore, Gus", she said. "I've closed that chapter. That's all behind me now."
"That kind of wanting doesn't go away, Alice", Gus assured her. "Someday, you will rediscover Masquerade's drive, his ambition, his greed for power. When you want to satisfy that, come find us, alone. Master Spectra will be ready to welcome you. We'll even let you keep Hydranoid."
Alice didn't respond. Gus seemed to see right through her. Masquerade's personality came from her worst aspects, and being Masquerade made her be more in touch with them, especially after Masquerade's personality finally disappeared. Of course she was tempted to act like Masquerade, of course she felt his desire for power.
Recognizing her lack of response as a moment of conflict, and a small psychological victory, Gus turned around. "I look forward to our future partnership, Alice", he said, right before entering his pod with Ace. The two flew off, leaving Alice alone with her Bakugan.
"I'm sorry, Hydranoid", Alice said. "If I was stronger, I could have helped you win that battle."
"No apologies, Alice", Hydranoid responded. "It was an impossible situation after the power surge."
Alice nodded her head. "We should regroup at the trailer", she said. "Hopefully the others didn't lose, too."
XXX
(Around 5 minutes later)
"What? You all lost?", Dan said, hardly believing it. Everyone seemed down in the dumps. Shun was brooding in the corner of the room. Mira and Baron were sitting on a couch, talking with Dan. Marucho was learning how to pilot the trailer, in case of an emergency where Mira couldn't. Alice was standing in the room, facing Dan, who was sitting on a chair. But they all exchanged their stories. Of Link with his new mechanical Bakugan. Of Shadow's dishonorable battling getting the better of Shun. Of Dan's lucky break with the Perfect Core. And of Hydranoid's power surge costing Alice the battle.
"Why would any Bakugan not want to evolve?", Dan asked. "You would've creamed 'em!"
"Dan!", Drago rebuked. "Bakugan have their limits. It takes an extremely lucky Bakugan to continue evolving without stop. Hydranoid is wise to limit the power he gains."
"Thank you!", Alice told Drago.
"Yeah, whatever. I still say you should've evolved, but to each their own, I guess", Dan said passively.
Shun then turned to Alice. "The Vexos are more powerful than we thought. Maybe we should reconsider the plan for Alpha controller", he said.
"No", Alice said. "We stick to the plan. We don't have time to form a new one." Shun nodded his head, agreeing with what Alice said. Alice then addressed Mira. "Mira, get the trailer as close as possible to Alpha City. The plan is a go", she told her.
"Right", Mira said, moving toward the cockpit.
Marucho then raced after her. "Mira, wait! I call copilot!", he said. After a few moments, the trailer was on the move, bound for Alpha City.
"The plan is a go", Alice murmured, repeating her earlier words. "I just hope it works."
XXX
And we're done! I came into this chapter thinking, "this might not have enough content". And now it's the biggest chapter in the fanfic, for now at least.
I owe the entire Reaper idea to StarMaidenWarrior. It was a good idea that didn't stretch the story too much.
If you have any suggestions, or just want to say or ask me something leave a review or PM me. If you're liking the story, be sure to follow or favorite the story. Until next time, peace out!