Last episode this weekend. Hopefully it lives up to expectations. I made up a bit here and there, but mostly kept to the actual story. Enjoy!
With the clock ticking down on us, we don't have much time. We need help from our friends if we want to escape this nightmare. Our best chance is Jake, but if he can't be swayed then we're doomed. I can only hope for the best.
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.
Kazarina got locked onto Dan once again. "Lights out!" Jake's hands curled up more as Pyreon began to fight against himself. Within his mind, there were two of him. They represented his conscious and his subconscious. The subconscious one hit the conscious one.
"I will break free of you!" Pyreon yelled. The other one just growled back. He went in again, and hit again. The other one just took it. In his mind, an image appeared. Kazarina pushed the button and the device began sparking. Just as it seemed ready to fire, it stopped.
"Mistress Kazarina, wait!" Said Lumagrowl. "The energy level isn't 100%. Something must've been damaged by the explosion outside."
"Kuso's luck seems endless." Said Kazarina. "Find out what's wrong and fix it!"
"Yes Mistress." Said Lumagrowl. He began pressing buttons. Jake continued to stare at Dan as Pyreon saw the same thing, but kept darting between the four of us. Inside Dan's mind, he saw Jake tossing a football to Dan.
"Got it!" Dan caught it. "Now it's your turn to feel my heat! Bakugan, Brawl!" Dan threw the ball in a perfectly straight line. Jake caught it with relative ease.
"Right on! Now that's how you throw a football dude!"
"Hit me again!" Jake threw the ball again, but Dan missed it. He watched it as it fell. "Aw snap." He picked it up and turned back to where Jake was. He laughed, but stopped when he didn't see Jake. "Jake buddy, why did, why did you leave me?" He straightened his body. "Jake!" He yelled. "Can you hear me? Jake!" It echoed in his mind.
"Power is restored to eighty percent, ninety percent, one hundred percent." Said Lumagrowl. The device glowed ever brighter. Kazarina laughed.
"Looks like your luck is finally up Dan." She prepared to press the button again. "Jake, are you paying close attention?" The last words Dan said in his dream echoed in his mind again, and one got turned into a spoken word.
"J-jake." Said Dan. Jake's mind went into full blast when he heard that one word. The words Dan said echoed again as Jake remembered everything that had transpired. He broke out of the hypnotism.
"I'm here!" He said. He charged Kazarina.
"What?" She asked. Jake shoved her out of the way of the console. That was the last push Pyreon needed.
"I will not let you control me, not if I can do anything about it!" He yelled in his mind. The other one just roared again as Pyreon began to glow. "You are not me, and you never will be me! If there's anything I know it's that me and Azion are to be with Atom, not the Gundalians!" Pyreon ran towards the other version of himself, and shot it backwards. He was able to say three words before it came back again. "Azion, wake up!" Those three words were converted to sound.
"Azion, wake up!" Pyreon nearly hissed out. Azion and Tom turned to him.
"Pyreon has never spoken before." Thought Azion. Then his mind went into overdrive. "Wait, he has spoken before. No, he hasn't. Why am I having conflicting memories?" He remembered when Atom beat Spectra and everything that happened after. "This isn't me, I'm not with Kazarina! I'm not with the Gundalians! I'm with Atom, my friends and Neathia!" He broke free of the hypnotism.
"What's happening?" Asked Lumagrowl. "How did he break free of hypnosis?"
"The same way we did!" Said Azion.
"So, wouldn't you" started Jake.
"Love to know?" Finished Coredem.
"Huh? Coredem too?" Asked Lumagrowl.
"Don't forget about me!" Yelled Pyreon.
"The bond between Bakugan and battler transcends the hypnosis." Said Kazarina. "If one breaks free of its powers then the others follow immediately." The room shook and the ceiling broke. Aranaut came down through it.
"Dan!" Yelled Fabia. "Atom!"
"Fabia, I got Dan the Man!" Said Jake.
"I'll get Atom!" Said Azion. Aranaut landed and broke the ground.
"Hey Jake, is that really the old you?"
"You're not getting Dan back from me!" Seethed Kazarina as she stepped back in front of the console.
"Ability Activate!" Said Fabia. "Fist Alley!" Aranaut blasted at the console and Kazarina jumped away from it. Lumagrowl flew to her hand.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Crush them Lumagrowl!" Jake was busy lifting the restraints off of Dan as Azion was fighting off Tom.
"Tom, come to your senses!" Said Azion. "This isn't you!"
"It is me, and you've lost yourself!" Said Tom. "You've defected!" Jake got all the restraints off of Dan and lifted him up.
"Got ya." Said Jake. Coredem rushed at Drago's container.
"Hold on Drago!" Coredem smashed through it and broke Drago free. Lumagrowl tried to bite Aranaut's arm but he flung him into a wall.
"Kinetic Mirage!" Said Aranaut as he brought his fist back. He fired it at Lumagrowl and he blocked it.
"Garm Shield!" The attack hit Lumagrowl's tails and was stopped. "Aranaut, I should've wiped you out last time you were here!"
"Keep your mouth shut!" Said Fabia.
"Oh, that's right." Said Kazarina. "Aranaut has no memory of his previous visit here, does he?"
"Then allow me to refresh his memory." Said Lumagrowl. Jake was working on my restraints while holding Dan and Azion kept Tom away from him.
"Don't listen to them Aranaut!" Said Fabia.
"You weren't always Princess Fabia's Bakugan." Said Lumagrowl. "At one time you actually belonged to the commander of the Castle Knights! What was his name again?"
"Be quiet!" Shouted Fabia.
"Oh, right. Jin. That was it." Aranaut was silent. "Tell me Aranaut, how was it that you forgot your original brawler's name? Is it the intense shame of failing to protect him? As a knight, you should expect to suffer the consequences of your disgraceful performance. Do the honorable thing and sacrifice yourself to me now, Aranaut! The warrior's code demands it."
"Are you finished yakking mutt?" Asked Aranaut.
"What?"
"Aranaut has a few secrets of his own!" Said Azion.
"I haven't forgotten a thing." Said Aranaut. "I remember Master Jin very well."
"What?" Asked Fabia.
"I also remember being taken to the Bakugan Biological Research Center and having horrible things done to me there! And of course, I'll never forget that it was Fabia who came and rescued me."
"Aranaut." Said Fabia. He looked at her.
"I am sorry Princess Fabia that I have been lying to you for so long. In the beginning, when you didn't mention Jin's name, I thought it was because it was too painful for you to say. So I pretended to have no recollection of him. It wasn't until much later that I realized that you were doing it to protect me. But by then it was too late for me to reveal the truth. It was clear that the loss of Master Jin had caused you tremendous pain and I didn't want to add to it. So I continued on with the lie in hopes that I was somehow sparing your feelings. I realize now that it was the wrong thing to do and I only hope that you can forgive me. Protecting my feeling it a burden you shouldn't of had to bear."
"I'm sorry, I had no idea." Aranaut returned his attention to Lumagrowl.
"You're right, I did fail to protect my master's life but I'll make up for that right now by stopping your mongrel hide into the ground!"
"What makes you think you can beat me this time?" Asked Lumagrowl.
"Battle Gear Boost!" Said Kazarina.
"From this day forward Princess, I promise I will never hide anything from you again!" Lumagrowl prepared for his gear. "Together, you and I will avenge the loss of Master Jin." Fabia looked at him as Lumagrowl got his gear.
"That's right." Said Fabia.
"I've had enough of this weepy nonsense from you two." Said Kazarina. "Destroy them Lumagrowl!" Lumagrowl charged and Aranaut dodged. Fabia readied his Battle Gear.
"Battle Gear Boost!" Lumagrowl landed on the ground and roared.
"Let's go, Lumagrowl." Said Aranaut.
Serena had summoned Elright to speak with her. "Commander Elright."
"Yes your highness?"
"Have we heard anything from Fabia and the others since they were deployed to Gundalia?"
"Unfortunately not. I understand your concern but if I may point out, the Gundalian attacks on Neathia have ceased for the time being. I think we should take that as a good sign. It would suggest that Fabia and the brawlers were keeping the enemy busy." Enright looked at her with a better mood. "The Earthlings have a saying that goes something like this: no news is good news."
"I hope that you're right." Said Serena.
"Battle Gear Ability Activate!" Said Kazarina. "This should be fun! Barias Gear Lightning!" Jake had gotten me out of the restraints and Coredem got Leo.
"Battle Gear Ability Activate! Battle Crusher Duke!" Jake leaned us against a wall.
"Come on Dan the Man, you gotta snap out of it. Please dude, wake up!" He was shaking Dan. "It's me, Jake! I'm back pal!" Both Haos Bakugan blasted at each other. Fabia and Kazarina were buffeted by the blast while Jake kept me and Dan close to him. Azion and Tom were blown back a little bit.
"Jake." Mumbled Dan. He looked at Jake with dim eyes, but they were his. "I kept calling for you, but you wouldn't answer. Is your head in the clouds again?" His eyes regained the shine they were missing.
"I'm real sorry about that buddy, but I'm here now, Okay. But I also need to wake Atom, otherwise we're not getting out of here."
"Already waking up." I said. "She couldn't hypnotize me, so she used sleeping gas. I woke up a while ago, I was just staying like that to make sure she didn't notice." Aranaut charged Lumagrowl and sent him into a wall again.
"Lumagrowl!" Called Kazarina.
"That hurt, now I'm really mad!" Said Lumagrowl.
"Hey!" Yelled Dan. "Shouldn't you be on a leash doggy?"
"How about a game of fetch?" Asked Jake.
"Dan!" Yelled Fabia.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Dan and Jake.
"Bakugan, Stand! Go Subterra Coredem!"
"Bakugan, Stand! Let's do this Pyrus Blitz Dragonoid!" I ran over to Azion and Tom. "You okay Drago?"
"Don't worry about me, Dan. I'm 100%."
"Sorry kids, but it seems that Kazarina's hypnosis got the better of me too." Said Dragonoid Colossus. "How embarrassing." Lumagrowl growled.
"You retched lot are going to suffer for what you did to us!" Said Coredem. "Do you understand?" I got to Azion and Tom.
"That's putting it lightly." Said Drago.
"Ha, payback's a bummer dude!" Said Dan.
"Guys, are you good?" I asked. Tom got up first, showing the yellow eyes.
"Why are you showing concern for me?" He asked. "We're enemies! Now get away from me!"
"Tom, stop this now!" I said. "You know why I'm concerned about you? It's because we are friends. And even if we weren't, I would still show you concern! That's just who I am!" Tom's mind processed the information, then buzzed to life. His eyes shifted from the hypnotized ones to his regular ones, and back again. He held his head.
"Too many thoughts! I can't keep track of them!"
"Just try to understand them!" Said Azion.
"This little reunion will have to wait until later." Said Kazarina. She jumped onto Lumagrowl. "Now Lumagrowl, retreat!"
"We'll be back!" He said as he jumped over them and through a wall. He began running after he landed. Aranaut followed him.
"Get back here cowards! We're gonna finish this now!" Drago and Coredem shot out of the lab with their respective partners on them.
"Tom, please break free!" I said.
"The memories, they're flowing into me! I can't keep them straight! Am I with Gundalia, or am I with Neathia? Am I Atom's friend or not? There's too many!"
"Tom, no matter what happens, we are here for you!" I said.
"We'll never let our friends down!" Agreed Azion. Tom's mind went into full and everything realigned itself perfectly. His eyes returned to normal.
"Everything just became clear. Thanks guys."
"No problem." I said. "We just gotta catch up to the others."
"I'm with you." Said Tom. "All the way!"
"We both are." Said Azion.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" I said. "Bakugan, Stand!"
"Time to rejoin the fight!" Said Leo. All three of us climbed on and Leo took off. Marucho and Shun heard everything and turned towards the noise.
"It's Dan!" Said Marucho. "And Atom!"
"Hey Jake!" Said Shun. "And Azion and Tom!" Lythirus rose from the water with Stoica on his head. He tried to grab Hawktor who dodged it in time.
"Faster Drago, we can't let them get away!" Said Dan.
"I'm gonna mess them up something fierce!" Said Jake.
"Not as much as I am." I said. "They messed with the wrong shifters!"
"And we'll bring just as much as Atom will!" Said Azion.
"No holding back!" Agreed Tom.
"Looks like they're back to normal." Said Linehalt.
"And ready to settle the score too." Agreed Ren.
"Where's Kazarina running to so fast?" Asked Gill.
"It we don't need to run interference anymore, let's join the action!" Said Ren. Linehalt blasted Krakix again and flew off.
"After them Krakix!" Said Gill after Krakix regained his footing. Energy began being blasted out behind him and he took off. Akwimos did the same with his Battle Gear and Hawktor followed as well.
"Battle Gear Ability Activate!" Said Kazarina. "Barias Gear Thunder Bolt!" Lumagrowl blinded Aranaut, who groaned.
"That's harsh!" He fell to the ground defeated. Fabia landed next to him, shielding her eyes. Drago and Coredem were hit by it too and Dan and Jake covered their eyes. It then hit Leo, who was defeated the same way but it didn't nearly blind us. However, we couldn't see Kazarina or Lumagrowl. The light dies down and showed that they were gone. Fabia stood up.
"Where did they go?"
"They got away!" Said Dan.
"But not forever." I said.
"Dan! Atom!"
"Jake! Azion! Tom!" We all looked over to see Shun and Marucho. They ran up.
"Hey guys!" Said Dan.
"Miss us?" Asked Jake.
"We didn't know you were gone." Said Shun. Ren ran up.
"He's just teasing." Said Marucho. "We were so worried."
"Sorry guys." Said Jake.
"Yeah, we're sorry too." Said Dan.
"Same here." I said.
"But thanks for saving us." Said Drago.
"Fabia deserves the credit." Said Shun.
"No, it was a group effort. Besides, Jake was already helping Dan when I got there, and Azion was holding off Tom."
"It was Dan's shouting that snapped me out of it." Said Jake.
"And it was you tackling Kazarina that allowed me to reach Azion." Said Pyreon.
"Whatever happened, it good to have you all back." Said Ren.
"Are you sure you're fighting fit Coredem?" Asked Linehalt.
"Don't worry about me Linehalt, I'm fine." Then I noticed something.
"Wait, where's Cassie?" I asked.
"She went after Nurzak when he got swept away." Said Fabia, know that I would know what she meant.
"She's safe at least."
"Now that we're almost all back together, we should be unstoppable!" Said Marucho.
"Don't count on that." I said.
"How touching!" Said Stoica. "I think I might cry!" We all looked at him, Airzel and Gill. "So what happens next, huh? A group hug?"
"What're we waiting for? Now that we got them all together in one spot, why don't we crush them?" Asked Airzel. Kazarina laughed as she walked behind Shun.
"I guess that we're not the only ones who have reunited." Said Shun.
"Well, we still outnumber them." Said Ren. "Nine to four."
"Wait a second." Said Dan. "Where's Barodius and Chaos?" I gasped.
"Yes that is strange." Said Drago. "I would've expected Dharak to be here, trying to fight me."
"No! They're on their way to Neathia!"
Dan's Bakumeter glowed. "I as sensing a disturbance. The Sacred Orb is agitated. There's trouble on Neathia, and Atom is right!" Fabia and Ren gasped.
"You were so easy to fool." Said Gill as he laughed. "It's pathetic!"
Barodius's ship was coming up on the third shield. All the Neathian people below watched it come as it shrouded parts of it in darkness. An alarm began blaring. "Commander Elright, the Darkus Gundalian Attack Ship is hovering over the capital city! What should we do?"
"Knights, man your battle stations!" Serena appeared on screen.
"Is Gundalia attacking again?" She asked.
"Well, I'm sorry. We're not exactly sure Queen Serena." Said Elright. "If it is an invasion, why have they only dispatched a single ship of the battalion? And why is it Emperor Barodius himself that has come all this way? Regardless, we're still protected by the third shield. Anyone with Gundalian DNA won't be able to pass through." A guard ran up to Elright.
"I'm sorry to report this sir, but Atom left me with a message to be given to you only under these circumstances."
"What's the report?"
"Not only is Barodius here, he has means to get into the shield!" Serena gasped.
"Impossible!" Said Elright. "It can't be done!"
Barodius stood at the front of his ship with Chaos. He looked at Dharak. "Are you ready Dharak?"
"Leave it to me, Emperor." Dharak closed up.
"You're on your own at the beginning, but once you've broken the shield we can give assistance as needed." Said Chaos. Barodius nodded.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand!" Dharak glowed. "Rise Phantom Dharak!" He approached the shield.
"Ha, he's about to bounce off that shield like a fly off a windshield!" Said Elright.
"Queen Serena, please sound the emergency alarms!" Yelled the guard. On the radar screen, Dharak was getting closer to the shield. When he hit it, he didn't bounce off. Instead, he went through it.
"What?" Yelled Elright. "But how!"
"Commander Elright, what is happening?" Asked Serena. Dharak landed in the city and everybody began running away from him.
"Dharak, he's evolved somehow!" The sensors analyzed him.
"The DNA scan is negative." Said another guard.
"What's that?" Asked Elright.
"Dharak's DNA is not reading as Gundalian."
"It seems he's also mutated." Said Elright.
"I tried to warn you!" Said the guard. "Now we're doomed!"
"Thunder Gladiator!" Yelled Dharak. The mouths on his shoulders opened up and he blasted at the shield. He broke through it.
"Oh no!" Said Elright. The shield sensors showed a part of it missing. Then it began to break down. "The third shield is, is disintegrating!"
"I have been reborn!" Yelled Dharak. "And all shall bow down to me!"
"Excellent work, Dharak." Said Barodius. "You crumbled that third shield like tissue paper! It's time to show these insects your true powers!"
"Ready at your command!" Said Chaos.
"This will be fun!" Said Vladitor.
"Move all citizens into the shelters under the palace!" Said Serena.
"Yes!" Said Elright. "All Castle Knight, you heard the Queen! Take the civilians of Neathia to the bunkers!"
"All forces attack!" Said Barodius. Hundreds of Bakugan began raining down from his ship and they all landed near or in the city.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Chaos. He threw Vladitor into the fray. "Bakugan, Stand! Send these people into Darkness!" Vladitor rose up holding his axe as more and more Bakugan landed. They began moving throughout the city, destroying anything they could find.
"Neathia is going to be reduced to rubble." Said Serena. She watched as guards walked through the city with Dharak behind them. Lena, Jesse and Zenet walked with them in perfect unison. Barodius's ship closed in on the palace.
"What the heck?" Asked Dan. "Dharak got through the third shield!"
"How is that possible?" Asked Drago. "His DNA should've kept him out!"
"It was her!" I said as I pointed to Kazarina.
"Don't you remember Drago? You're the one who gave him the key!" Kazarina laughed.
"Aranaut, without the third shield our home will be laid to waste!" Said Fabia.
"Oh no!" Dan's Bakumeter began glowing more brightly.
"Hey, what's going on?" We all looked at him.
"Get ready everyone!" Said Dragonoid Colossus. We all watched the light leap out of Dan's Bakumeter. Dragonoid Colossus took form and roared. "We must return to Neathia immediately!"
"Not so fast, brawlers!" Said Kazarina.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said the four Gundalians. "Bakugan, Stand!"
"Whoa!" Said Dan. The four Bakugan were ready and aiming at us.
The Gundalians are tricky, and they got us with another decoy. Barodius snuck off to attack Neathia with Chaos and Ren's team. They got through the third shield, and the citizens are helpless. We gotta take these Gundalians down, especially Kazarina because of what she has done to everyone! Our trust in each other will surpass anything these guys throw at us, and their lack of loyalty will lead to their destruction. We're gonna win this!"