Chapter 25 : Mission Strategies

* Dan's POV *

"And so , I've tracked down the movements of the Vestals and the Gundalians . Apparently , most of the activity is going on in Beta City , and I must say , they are making quite a lot of progress ," Marucho deduced as he pushed his glasses .

"That's our boy ," Elfin commented proudly , hovering above the boy's head .

"As I was saying , so far , they have created several machines that have yet to achieve their objectives fully ."

"Please refresh me on their objectives again ," Runo sighed , rubbing her head .

"They transported all of the Bakugan to Earth to clear land in Vestroia so that they will have more grounds to experiment . They're trying to create a device that can generate the power of all the Bakugan ," I explained to the blunette with a smile . Runo shot me a thankful look .

"What do they want the power for anyway ?" Mira asked , puzzled .

Ace turned to Baron , raising an eyebrow . "You didn't explain ?"

Baron scratched his head awkwardly . "I may have forgotten ..."

All eyes turned to Baron .

"Alright , alright ! With that power , they can do anything . According to the secret files we got when we hacked into the accounts of the researchers , these powers , when combined , can give humans the ability to bend ."

"Bend ?" I was dumbfounded . "Why would they want to bend ? I mean , stretch your body , what for ?"

Runo backhanded me .

"I don't think they meant that kind of bend ."

I rubbed my sore head , glaring at the blunette who folded her arms and turned away .

"Precisely . These 'bending' that Baron speaks of actually refers to sending out power from a human's body ." Marucho explained calmly .

"You see , there are six attributes in all - Pyrus , Ventus , Subterra , Haos , Darkus and Aquos . Let's say the Vestals manage to drain all the powers from the Bakugan , the Bakugan will die . Powers are their source of energy to live , after all ," Ace added as he guided everyone to the large electronic table in the middle of the room .

Tapping on the screen swiftly , an image of a human appeared . It showed a Pyrus Bakugan beside the human . The Bakugan merged with the human , and the human began to glow . The human raised an arm , and fire shot out from his palm . The Bakugan vanished .

"So basically , whichever attribute the human takes in , he'll have the power ?" Julie questioned .

"Yes . And if they fuse all attributes within a human , the human will be unbeatable ," Marucho explained .

"And they will use their powers to intimidate the people to obey them ?" Alice asked .

"Correct again ."

"These jerks . Are all they think about controlling people and ruling the universe ?" I punched my fists together .

Silence .

"Anyway , here's the mission ," Ace tapped the screen once more , revealing an image of an industrial city with many factories .

"What happened to this place ?" I gasped . All around the city , there were only factories and a few blocks of tall apartments around .

"Just so they could have more land , they increased the spaces in the apartments and tore down the old ones ," Baron replied .

Ace pointed to a tall tower in the middle of the city .

"This is where all the activities in the city are being controlled ."

"So I guess we'll be attacking it first ," Shun finally spoke up .

"Look , we have nine brawlers in all , don't we ? There will be five factories , including the main tower , so I suggest we split into groups of two or three and attack the four smaller factories ."

I peered at Runo secretly , hoping to be paired up with her .

"How do you guys think we should be separated ?" Ace sighed .

"Daniel and Runo should go together . In case we meet up some guards who recognize Runo , at least Daniel can protect her ," Drago popped onto the table , along with the rest of the Bakugan .

Way to go , Drago !

I glanced at Runo , who smiled at me .

"That could work . Then maybe we should pair up as a mixture of boys and girls ," Marucho cleaned his glasses before putting them on again .

"Hey , are you saying that us girls are weak ?" Julie yelled at the small blonde .

"No , of course not !" Marucho waved his hands before him urgently . "I was just thinking , maybe ... girls have their own set of charms ?"

All of us fell down , anime-style .

"Hey , who knows ? The guards are probably all males and your feminine charms could work !" Preyas joked , hopping up and down in an attempt to stand up for his partner .

I turned to Runo , who looked a little unhappy .

Leaning closer to her , I grinned as I whispered in her ear , "Don't worry , I don't think any of them will get caught up with your charms anyway ."

Runo's jaw dropped . The blunette glared at me before backhanding me , while I laughed as I rubbed my head .

"Then how about I go with Mira , Shun with Julie , and Alice with Marucho and Baron ?" Ace suggested .

At the corner of the room , Shun opened an eye . Alice turned to Shun , looking a little glum . Wait , was something wrong ?

"How about , Shun and Alice , and Julie with Marucho and Baron ?" Runo said quickly . "I don't think Julie should be with Shun , after all , putting a bubbly , noisy girl with a quiet ninja doesn't sound right !"

"Hey !" Julie protested .

"Got a point . Then so it shall be !" Ace agreed .

Alice beamed at Shun , whose lips curved up into a small smile before closing his eyes again . Alice then turned to Runo , mouthing a 'thank you' .

"Is there something wrong ?" I whispered into Runo's ear , puzzled by the two .

Runo blinked , looking at me as though I had grown two heads . She shook her head , turning back to Ace .

"Dan , Runo , you guys take the North . Mira and I will take South , Shun and Alice , East and the rest , West . Any questions ?"

We all shook our heads .

"Well then , since we're approaching the West first , we'll drop Ace and Mira off first before heading East and then North ," Baron , who was driving , turned back and instructed .

Suddenly , the mission didn't seem so dull anymore , especially when Runo was my partner ...

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I'm back already ! I finished chapters 25 – 36 during these two days . Really . If I am bored I could really write a lot , hahas ! To readers , thanks for reading ! But please , if you can , do leave a review too ! I would greatly appreciate it . Those who dislike my story , please don't leave harsh remarks . :x Thanks ~! ^^