Just so you guys know, I'm running low on days I can post daily. Tomorrow might be the last one, and after that I may not be able to post until weekends. School is starting, so I doubt most will be able to read as much as they want anyways. So, I hope you enjoy this episode. Also, Cassie is still around, she's just still looking for Tom.

Ren was contemplating his choices, and his loyalty to Barodius. When the Gundalians initiated an attack again, Kazarina was still working on Exokor. When it was done, she transported and proclaimed that Barodius would be there soon. When he arrived, he overpowered Dan and Azion and blew a hole in the second shield. Then, Ren came down, and turned on Barodius. Things are getting intense!

Powers beyond reality,

Brought about by few.

Crossing time and space,

Changing the race.

Creating a whole new world.

The time to combine is now,

The time to recreate is upon.

The time now to find the power

To regain your lost time.

Ren was sitting in Linehalt's palm when a firefly floated over to him. "Wha?" He held up his hand, and it landed. "Look!" He held it up for Linehalt to see.

"It's a firefly, I didn't know they could survive down here."

"Well, if a creature of light can live down here, then does that mean we can live up there, above ground?" The firefly flew away.

"Don't get your hopes up Ren, they want us to stay here."

"I know they do, but maybe one day, it will be possible."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "I have finally chosen, a side!" He yelled as Linehalt fired at Dharak.

"What're you doing Ren?" Asked Dharak.

"What I should have done from the start!" He replied. "I am fighting, alongside my true friends!"

"Well this is an interesting development." Thought Barodius. "Chaos was right, and Ren will be punished after all." Drago started to get up. Linehalt stepped in front of him.

"Linehalt?" Drago was unable to stay up, and returned to ball form. Pyreon remained on the ground as he returned to ball form.

"Drago!"

"Pyreon!" The Bakugan respective partners ran over, and picked them up.

"Got ya." Said Dan. He looked at Ren.

"Foolish boy, how dare you spit in my face like that?" Asked Barodius. "And to think you were so close to being granted your freedom."

"There was a time when I believed you would do that for me," said Ren, "but now I know differently. For years and years, you filled me with false hopes of living in the sunlight. But now I realize, that as long as I serve you, I will never have my true freedom!"

"Shall we Dharak?" Asked Barodius.

"Bah, why should we dirty our hands? Let Exokor deal with it." Dharak few out of Exokor, and it separated into its three pieces. They each grew eight legs, and advanced towards Linehalt.

"Come on!" Said Linehalt as he aimed his weapon. Two of the pieces attacked, sending Linehalt back. He dropped Boomix.

"Linehalt! No!" Ren ran towards him.

"Your master's a traitorous fool, and now he has sealed both of your fates." Said Dharak. "You should have stayed loyal Linehalt."

"I did." Said Linehalt as he sat up. "Ren and I are loyal to the end!"

"You'll both have the brawlers to keep you company, once we beat Neathia and banish you back to the darkness!"

"We aren't" started Linehalt.

"Ever going back!" Finished Ren.

"We'll see about that." Said Barodius. Ren climbed onto Linehalt, who then stood up.

"Ability Activate! Ice Crasher!" Dark clouds formed above, and purple ice rained down. The Exokor pieces tried to dodge. "Battle Gear Ability Activate! Boomix Lock!" Linehalt grabbed it, and fired at Dharak again.

"Ha. Westwall Shield!" Said Barodius. Dharak created a dark sphere around himself that blocked the attack.

"Pathetic."

"Evil Blow!" Said Barodius. Dharak fired at Linehalt. "Darkness Glow." Dharak added to the blast.

"Ability Activate! Darkness Blizzard!" Yelled Ren. Linehalt's defense hit Dharak's attacks, and nullified them.

"Nice one! He nullified the ability!" Said Dan.

"Keep it going Linehalt!" Said Drago.

"I feel like something's wrong." Said Azion. Linehalt fired again at Dharak using Boomix, but he dodged. Then Dharak fired his attack, and Linehalt dodged. He then fired again.

"Ren, you have always been there for me, even when things looked hopeless, you never gave up our dream of living in the light!" As this was going on, Linehalt and Dharak were in an aerial battle. "Now it's my turn! I'm not going to let anyone take our freedom from us!" Dharak fired again.

"Ability Activate! Razen Breaker!" Linehalt fired his attack, and hit Dharak hard. Barodius growled, and Dharak fired back. The two attacks fought for supremacy.

"Linehalt, even though I was supposed to be your guardian, the truth is we've been watching out for each other all of these years. You saved my life once, and now it's time I saved yours! We were wrong to betray the brawlers the way we did!"

"Then we will redeem ourselves by defeating Barodius!" Said Linehalt. He fired again.

Akwimos and Lythirus were still locked in battle. "Here we go Akwimos! Battle Gear Ability Activate!" Said Marucho. "Gigarth Pointer!"

"Cool is the rule dude!" Akwimos fired.

"You're going down fish face!" Said Stoica. "Ability Activate! Merfolk!" The two attacks hit, and canceled each other out.

"Big deal, Ability Activate!" Said Marucho. "Loop Defense!"

"Surf's up kiddies!" Said Akwimos. A huge wave of water crashed into Lythirus.

"That's right!" Then Marucho saw Lythirus, unharmed. He laughed.

"A little water won't stop me!"

"Oh man!" Said Akwimos.

"Battle Gear, Boost!" Said Gill.

"Uh, Jake, tell me you got a plan!"

"Battle Gear Ability Activate!" Said Gill. "Vicer Oroch!" Krakix fired.

"Battle Gear Ability Activate!" Said Jake. "Rock Hammer - Beo-Blaster!" The two attacks clashed in the middle, and fought for supremacy.

"This guy is strong!" Said Coredem.

"Hold on buddy!"

"I've had enough of this, take him down now Krakix!" Said Gill. His attack doubled, and overpowered Coredem's. The attack hit, and Coredem was defeated. Jake's gauge ran dry.

"Coredem!"

"Listen short stuff, why don't you back off and let the big kids play?" Asked Stoica.

"Who are you calling short?" Marucho pulled out a card.

"Ha! You, you little runt! Ability Activate! Megalo Theria!" Lythirus fired, and defeated Akwimos. Marucho's gauge fell to zero.

"Akwimos!"

Lumagrowl was atop Aranaut, who was struggling to get back up. "Aranaut!"

"Crush him Lumagrowl!"

"You're finished!" Said Lumagrowl.

"I wouldn't count on that." Said Aranaut as his gear took aim. "Open wide you mangy mutt!" Aranaut fired, but Lumagrowl dodged. "How did I miss this close?" Asked Aranaut as he got up.

"You'll pay dearly for that!" Retorted Lumagrowl.

"Get out of there Aranaut!" Said Fabia.

"Barias Gear Lightning!" Said Kazarina. Lumagrowl's gear opened, and fired. The blast hit Aranaut, who was defeated.

"Oh no!" Fabia's gauge was depleted. Kazarina laughed, then I stepped forward.

"It's you." She said.

"Kazarina!" I yelled. "Who gave you Tom?" Fabia gasped.

"I can't give you my sources!"

"It's time we turn up the heat!" Shun pressed a few buttons. "Battle Gear Boost!" Hawktor got his gear. "Let's win this Hawktor!"

"You read my mind!"

"Battle Gear Boost!" Said Airzel. "Battle Gear Ability Activate! Battle Turbine Frain!"

"Barbeque chicken anyone?" Asked Strikeflier. Hawktor dodged.

"Battle Gear Ability Activate!" Said Shun. "Swayther Geku!" Hawktor charged at Lumagrowl.

"I should probably tell you, we're cat people!" Lumagrowl was hit, and was defeated. "Now that the Mutt is out of the way, let's get back to Strikeflier!" As he flew, Shun noticed the lack of their adversary.

"He's gone." Shun looked up. "Huh? What's that?"

"Did you really think we'd run away from a fight?" Asked Airzel.

"Say goodbye!" Said Strikeflier as he fired. The attack hit Hawktor hard, and he was defeated. Shun fell to the ground, and Hawktor rolled to him. His gauge fell to zero. Kazarina laughed.

"Who knew this would be so much fun?" Shun looked at me.

"Atom?"

"Long story short, we discovered that Kazarina has Tom." I replied.

"Ability Activate!" Said Barodius. "High Skewed Waiver!" Dharak fired three blasts at Linehalt.

"Linehalt!" Yelled Ren.

"Aw man, they're getting pummeled!" Said Dan.

"Stay strong Linehalt!" Said Drago.

"Guys," started Azion, "I feel like something's wrong!"

"Ability Activate!" Said Ren. "Gigarth Ray!" Linehalt charged up the attack, and shot at Dharak, who dodged. He fell to the ground.

"I find it very curious that Linehalt hasn't shown his Forbidden Power yet." Said Barodius. "We've certainly given him enough opportunity, maybe we need to push him a little harder!"

"Or perhaps he never possessed the power in the first place!" Said Dharak.

"My father may have been a superstitious old fool, but he was no coward. If Linehalt and his kind didn't possess the Forbidden Power, then he wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to keep them away hidden in the darkness!" He looked behind himself and saw the attack returning. Dharak dodged out of the way. "We need to capture Linehalt and give him to Kazarina!"

"I'm sure her methods will reveal what is really inside of him!" Said Dharak.

"Thunder Probe!" Said Barodius. Dharak glowed, and attacked Linehalt.

"Linehalt!" Yelled Ren as Linehalt was defeated. Ren landed on the ground, and his gauge fell to 100. Dan ran over to him.

"Ren! Are you okay?" Ren moaned.

"It's time for us to step in Dan." Said Drago.

"I'm with you Drago buddy, I know Ren went bad there for a little while, but"

"Say no more. He's our friend, and we need to help him!"

"Stay out of this!" Said Linehalt. Drago looked at him.

"Linehalt?"

"Please! If you really want to help, let us finish this ourselves!"

"But you guys are really banged up and" Ren grabbed Dan's arm.

"Dan, Linehalt is right. Please."

"Ren." Ren looked straight at Dan, who eventually relented. "Fine, I get ya pal. This is your score, and you need to settle it." Ren got up a little.

"Thanks for understanding."

"Let's go." Said Linehalt as he jumped into Ren's hand.

"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Ren. "Bakugan, Stand! We can do this Linehalt!"

Serena was at the Sacred Shrine. "Oh Sacred Orb, I humbly ask you to protect those who are fighting to protect us."

Dharak was floating above the forest. "Where have those rodents scurried away to?" Asked Dharak. Linehalt took aim.

"That's it, hold still!" He fired at the same time Dharak did, and the attacks exploded against each other.

"Why don't you show yourselves you cowards?" Asked Barodius. "Ability Activate! Exodus Waver!" Dharak fired along the cliff Linehalt was on.

"Hold tight Ren!" Linehalt left Boomix, and flew up.

"Blast them out of the sky Dharak!"

"Gladly. Let's try my new favorite toy!" Exokor appeared out of nowhere, and combined.

"Ability Activate!" Said Barodius. Exokor began to spark, and then lots of purple lightning rained about the entire area. Linehalt was knocked backwards.

"Ren! No!" Yelled Dan. He ran up to them, and saw Ren sitting against Linehalt's foot. "Dude!" Ren looked up a little, and opened his eyes.

"We're okay."

"Yeah, don't worry." Said Linehalt as he tried to get up.

"It is clear that a Bakugan as powerful as Linehalt is wasted on a battler like Ren." Said Barodius. "Even after all these years, he hasn't learned how to use the switch code."

"What's he talking about?" Asked Ren.

"I thought you had promise Ren! That's why I gave you so many chances!" Ren gasped. "Obviously, that was an error in judgement on my part. There is nothing special about you at all. No matter!" Ren was helped up by Dan. "Your pathetic dream of living in the sunshine is over Ren! You have nothing but Darkness in your future!"

"Don't listen to him!" Said Linehalt. He got up, in a strange glow.

"Linehalt?"

"Even as a young boy, you believed it was possible! You could see even what I was blind to!" He thought back to what Ren said about the firefly. "It was your vision that helped us get through those horrible times! We can't give up on our dream Ren!" Linehalt fully stood, and was surrounded by a rainbow glow. "Not now. Not ever!" Power exploded around Linehalt.

"What?" Asked Dharak.

"It is the Forbidden Power!" Yelled Barodius.

"No Linehalt!" Said Ren. Dan was flung backwards as he and Drago yelled. I was running towards them when the shockwaves hit, and I was flung backwards as well. Everything was being sent in different directions, including the brawlers and the Gundalian ships.

"What the? What's happening?" Asked Stoica.

"Hold steady!" Yelled Gill.

"I've never seen such power!" Said Airzel. Kazarina was quiet as the energy reached the front line. Dan was holding onto a rock.

"Whatever this is, it's going to rip the planet in two!" Yelled Drago over the noise.

"I know!" Said Dan. I ran up.

"This is bad!"

"Linehalt! Stop it, stop it!" Yelled Ren. Linehalt was unable to stop his power, and it continued to expand. The shockwaves were even rumbling the main Neathian city.

"The energy wave is gaining in strength sir!"

"At this rate, the third shield won't hold much longer!"

"Commander Elright, something is happening with the Sacred Orb!" Said Linus as he ran in. "And Queen Serena hasn't returned from the shrine!"

"Come on, let's go!" Said Elright.

The Sacred Orb was glowing as the shockwaves continued. "Sacred Orb, what's wrong?" Asked Serena.

"Queen Serena, we have to leave!" Said Elright. Serena turned to him, then nodded. They ran out of the Shrine, and the Gargoyle began to glow. Elright looked back, and shielded his eyes. "Is that what I think it is?" Before them stood Dragonoid Colossus.

"Yes, the Orb's last defense, Dragonoid colossus!" The colossus began to glow, then went away in a flash of light. It went straight up, and transformed into its true self, then flew away. It roared as it approached, and Dan looked at it.

"Did you see that?" He asked.

"I think so!" Said Drago.

"I never thought I would truly see him!" I said. Then he transformed into a beam of light, and struck the dome of power that Linehalt was generating. The sudden burst of power hit everything around, and blew me and Dan backwards with our Bakugan. Ren was trying to stay in place, then lurched forward. The energy returned to Linehalt, and he reverted to ball form. Ren picked him up.

"Linehalt." Barodius looked up from where he was on a cliff.

"Are you okay, Dharak?"

"Yes, but that one really hurt! What was that thing?"

"Give me a status report Gill!"

"Well Sire, we've sustained significant damage." Barodius looked to his left to see Dragonoid Colossus, who roared then doubled back, turning into light.

"Interesting." The light split into two, and headed for both me and Dan. It went into our Bakumeters, and we began to wake up. Dan sat up first, and Drago floated over to him.

"Are your ears still ringing too?"

"Yep." I sat up.

"Luckily for me, my ears tend to tune out very loud noises." Out Bakumeters flashed in a rainbow of colors.

"Prepare to transport us." Said Barodius.

"Right away sire!" A ship came forward, and Barodius transported.

"Dan! Atom!" Shun ran over.

"Are you okay?" Asked Marucho.

"Dude!" Fabia ran over as well, and Azion walked over. The Gundalian ships floated up, and we all turned to them. Then, they transported away.

Fabia gasped. "The Gundalians are retreating!"

Barodius was sitting on his throne, thinking. "Linehalt's Forbidden Power is even greater than I imagined. But what's more impressive is that winged creature that came in and snuffed it out! It reminds me of a bedtime story that my father used to tell me, about a guardian spirit who protected the Sacred Orb." He thought back to the events that led up to this. "Either I've opened Pandora's Box, or stumbled onto the greatest treasure ever! I'll have to talk with Chaos about this, he may be able to give me the answers I seek."

"Ren, are you okay?" Asked Dan.

"Never been better!" He replied. "I've finally figured it out!"

"What're you talking about? Figured what out?"

"The truth about my duties as a dark protector. I'm supposed to keep Linehalt from unleashing his Forbidden Power in a destructive power."

"What Forbidden Power?" Asked Drago.

"It's something I've been cursed with as a Dark Bakugan."

"It's not your fault Linehalt, it's mine for not understanding what my duties were." He closed his eyes, and looked down a little. "I promise it won't happen again."

"How could we know better if no one ever told us?" Argued Linehalt.

"It doesn't matter. It was my responsibility, and I failed everyone!" He looked back up. "He was right to hide us away. We must live in seclusion, for the sake of everyone's safety."

"Yes Ren." Ren stood up.

"Goodbye, my friends." He began to walk away.

"Hey Ren, hold up." Said Dan. "You guys are not going anywhere!"

"Huh?" Ren turned to him.

"Well a power like that can also do a lot of good, when it's used against the forces of evil."

"He's right, you could be a great partner in the fight against Barodius." Said Shun. "You just need to learn to control your newfound power Ren."

"Yeah dude, and I'll help you just as these dudes helped me, back when I was learning to become a battle brawler!" Said Jake.

"We'll all help you!" Said Marucho. "That's what real friends are for Ren!"

"But it's more than I deserve of you guys."

"Don't be silly, that stuff is all water under the bridge!" Said Marucho. Ren glowed, and turned back into his human form.

"Oh weird, I was kind getting used to your other look." Said Dan. Most of us walked forward, and several of us laughed. Marucho and Ren nodded at each other.

"Ren, look!" Said Linehalt. A firefly flew up to him, then flew away. Fabia was off to the side, not yet trusting him.

"Fabia." Whispered Azion. "He's fine."

Fabia can't seem to forgive and forget like the rest of us. She can't forgive him for his part in the war, and isn't even sure he can be trusted. So she challenges him to a battle. She's going to see if he is changed, or if he's just continuing to pretend. She's going to find out the truth.