Chapter 9: We Need Our Ventus Friend!
Dan - My whole world changed one day when all these random cards started raining down everywhere! At first, they seemed harmless enough, so a bunch of us kids invented this cool new game! That's when we realized those cards weren't so harmless after all! They were packed with incredible powers from another world! My name is Dan! And together with my friends, Runo! Marucho! Julie! Sora! Not to mention Mr. Hotshot himself, Shun! And Alice! We are...
Battle Brawlers - The Bakugan Battle Brawlers!
Dan - Bakugan! One goal, two worlds!
(Bakugan Battle Brawlers Opening 1)
What are ya gonna do?
(Dan enters into battle with the field revealing itself)
The odds are stacked against you,
Back against the wall,
(Dan and Masquerade activate their cards to begin battle)
(The two brawlers launch their Bakugan against each other)
You gotta give it your all,
(Sora floats with his Guardian Bakugan, Leonidas)
This is the final stand,
(Multiple scenes of different Bakugan appear)
The powers in your hand!
(Dan throws a Gate Card)
Two worlds collide,
On the inside,
(Naga reaches for the Infinity and the Silent Core)
(Vestroia gets affected by Naga's actions)
(Drago uses Boosted Dragon on an opponent)
(Scenes of Marduk and Vladitor appear)
You got to fight for what's right,
(Sora raises an unknown card before the card glows)
Before it's gone,
Gone, gone,
This is Bakugan!
(Dan and Marucho prepares for battle while Sora and Runo waits)
(Dan returns a Bakugan with a grin)
(The title appears)
[Opening Ends]
It was another day... and another drag for the Battle Brawlers as they were currently facing off against a Brawler who was another one of Masquerade's goons, as the Ventus Brawler smirked before readying his launcher.
"So... you chicken?" The Ventus Brawler sneered at them, causing Dan to groan in annoyance.
"Another lackey of Masquerade's?" Dan sighed, as Sora raised a brow.
"How many times has this been for you guys...?" Sora asked, causing Marucho to smile sheepishly.
"I kind of lost count, but it all started with Dan battling Masquerade's first Brawler..." Marucho started while Runo glared at the opposing Brawler.
"It doesn't matter! This is starting to get old! But just for fun, let me show you who's boss!" Runo declared as she got ready her launcher, as she hadn't had the chance to try it yet.
But of course, with Dan wanting in on the action, the Pyrus Brawler intervened to take the challenge first.
"Ha! No way! I call dibs on this creep!" Dan called out as he rushed up ahead, much to Runo's annoyance, while Sora and Marucho tried to stop him.
"Hey! No fair!"
"Dan, wait!"
"Don't be so reckless!"
But it was already too late as both Dan and the Ventus Brawler took out their Field Card to begin their battle, as the other three tried to stop it.
"FIELD, OPEN!"
And just like that, time started to slow before it stopped, preventing the other Brawlers from intervening in the battle. But it wasn't long before the battle has ended as time began to move regularly once again.
"No fair! You're butting in, Dan- Huh?"
Before the Haos Brawler could finish her complaint, she and the other two watched in surprise to see the Ventus Brawler getting onto his boat and storming off, looking rather bitter for what had happened.
"You just got lucky, that's all! I'll be back, you freaks!" The Brawler snapped as he drove off, leaving the four Brawlers be.
"...Well, that was interesting..." commented Sora as Runo placed her hands on her hips with a sigh.
"So, I'm guessing you beat him?" Runo asked as Marucho smiled, feeling relief and content for the Pyrus Brawler's apparent victory towards his opponent.
"Way to go, Dan! I had total confidence you could do it!" Marucho exclaimed as the Pyrus Brawler chuckled before weakly turning to his three friends.
"Ah, it was nothin'... I had him on the ropes- Ugh..."
THUD!
"Dan!? What happened!?" Sora gasped as he, Runo, and Marucho rushed over to see their friend had fallen over. The three tried to wake their friend up, but it apparently wasn't working as the Pyrus Brawler was unconscious.
"That battle must've wiped him out..." Sora breathed out as Runo frowned.
"Come on... His home isn't too far from here... We can make it there!" Runo called as the three helped their friend up before heading over to his home. By the time they were able to get him to bed, the sun was already beginning to set.
Later...
Soon, with enough rest, the Pyrus Brawler managed to open his eyes and be able to speak again at least as he weakly looked around before sighing.
"You okay?" Sora asked as Dan looked to see his three friends sitting near his bed.
"...Did you guys bring me here...?" The Pyrus Brawler asked.
"Well of course we did... we weren't just going to let you lie there and catch a cold. You already put yourself enough trouble as it is..." Runo commented bluntly, causing Dan to narrow his eyes before he grumbled to himself.
"Thanks... for nothing, I guess." Dan grumbled as Marucho tried to ease up the situation.
The tension soon cleared away before the Pyrus Brawler groaned to himself, remembering on how intense the battle was as he remembered struggling very hard even with Drago by his side.
"Man, that was way up there on the freaky scale... I remember I beat the dude, but after that, it's a total blank..." Dan groaned as Sora raised a brow.
"So you didn't see him running off...? You really sent him packing after that battle." Sora explained as Marucho nodded in agreement.
"He's right. And that was so hilarious...! The way that wannabe Brawler ran with his tail between his legs!" Marucho chuckled as Sora gave a brief chuckle as well, as he clearly remembered the look the Ventus Brawler had on his face.
But Runo, still peeved for losing her spotlight in the battle against Masquerade's minion, took the chance to tease the Pyrus Brawler for his reckless actions.
"Well, it kind of is your fault, Mr. Butt-insky."
Dan shot up and glared at her.
"I knew this would turn into a snooze fest! I'm just lucky that Drago was tough enough to take that chump out when he did!" The Pyrus Brawler exclaimed.
"Take it easy, already... You've already worn yourself out from that battle..." Sora said, trying to calm the Pyrus Brawler down as Marucho closed his eyes in thought.
"According to my data, you'll face much stronger opponents. I might suggest our strategy should reflect this in any future battles." he explained to them, only to get a confused look from the Haos Brawler while the Darkus Brawler just blinked.
"In English?" Runo asked, causing the Darkus Brawler to explain further.
"...I think what he means is that a Bakugan is at its peak when all of its Six Attributes are in perfect alignment." Sora started before gesturing to the Guardian Bakugan he and his friends all have together.
"Like for example... Drago is a Pyrus Bakugan, a Fire Attribute. Tigrerra is Haos, a Light Attribute Bakugan. And Preyas is an Aquos, a Water Attribute Bakugan. While Leonidas on the other hand is a Darkus, the Darkness Attribute." Sora explained.
"Exactly. But the problem is combined, we don't have enough Attributes to fight at full power." Marucho explained, causing Dan to remember what Julie's Attribute use is.
"Add on Julie's, which is Subterra, the Earth Attribute." Dan commented, leaving Runo to realize what was missing.
"Which means we're just one short. Ventus with its Wind Attribute..." Runo spoke as Sora blinked, realizing what this meant. But Marucho beat him to it as he raised the question for the others to hear.
"Hey! Guess who has Ventus?" Marucho asked, which Dan responded almost immediately.
"Shun!?"
"Correct Dan. Right now, Masquerade and Marduk together are both stronger than us. I suggest we align ourselves with Shun and increase our power to defeat them." Marucho said to him.
"Brilliant! With Shun on our team, we'll be a force to be reckoned with. No one will come even close to beating us, not to mention Shun's a real hunk. Right, Dan?" Runo asked him as she turned away from him.
Sora glanced at the Pyrus Brawler, who had his arms folded and not interested with the idea as Marucho went on with the proposal of bringing the Ventus Brawler into the team.
"This is the most impeccable proposal I believe we've ever engineered. What do you think, Dan?" Marucho asked him.
"No!"
The sudden outburst from the Pyrus Brawler surprised both Marucho and Runo while Sora remained silent. It's as if he knew the reason why Dan was against bringing Shun into the team.
"But Dan, we need all the help we can get... Or maybe you're... jealous!" Runo smirked as that caused an immediate protest from the Pyrus Brawler.
"I am not! Besides, I don't need any help! From him or anybody else, even you, Runo! You got that!?" Dan snapped as he lied back down on the bed.
"Yep, you're jealous." Runo giggled as Sora raised a brow at her.
"That's not helping..." Sora commented as Marucho turned to the Darkus Brawler.
"What about you, Sora? What do you think about this?" The Aquos Brawler asked as Sora bit his lips before he slowly shook his head.
"...Sorry. I'm going to have to pass on this as well."
"What!?" Both Runo and Marucho were surprised as they expected the Darkus Brawler to agree with bringing the Ventus Brawler into the team, as they knew how skilled Shun was in a brawl.
"But why not? Do you have something against him?" Runo asked as Sora looked up at his two comrades with a frown.
"I just... don't think it's a good idea to drag him back into Bakugan battling. We'd just be forcing him to do what he doesn't want to do..." Sora commented as he got up and left the room.
That left confusion onto the two as they looked at each other before they frowned.
"What does he mean by that?" Runo asked.
"I don't have a clue..." responded Marucho as Dan remained lying down.
But after hearing Sora's opinion of having Shun on the team, the Pyrus Brawler narrowed his eyes a little.
"Drag him back, huh..." Dan thought before he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
That night...
"I thought you'd agree with having a good ally." Leonidas spoke as they had arrived to the Darkus Brawler's bedroom. Once they got there, Sora lied on his bed where Leonidas tried to question his motives of why he chose to deny Shun's assistance.
"...Would you believe me that I've met Shun face-to-face before?" Sora asked, surprising his Guardian Bakugan.
"Tell me more..." pressed the Bakugan as Sora sighed.
"...Shun and I met each other the first time when a friend of mine introduced me to him... Her name was Audrey... and she was a Ventus Bakugan Brawler, just like Shun..." Sora explained.
"Audrey?" repeated Leonidas as Sora gave a brief nod.
"Yeah..."
Meanwhile...
With Sora and Dan not cooperating with their mission to recruit Shun back into the team, Runo and Marucho decided to take the matter in their own hands to recruit the Ventus Brawler, even if their friends were against it.
"Boy... if Dan finds out what we're doing, he's going to be so mad." Marucho gulped as Kato, the family butler, got the plane ready to get going.
"Relax, Marucho... We have to ask Shun to help us. And trust me, Dan will thank us." Runo said with a confident smile, while Marucho frowned.
"I hope so..."
While they were going there, the two decided to talk of the reason why Sora and Dan were against of bringing Shun back into the action.
"I wonder why Dan is so dead set against Shun...? I remembered they used to be the best of buds. They were even the ones who came up with all the Bakugan rules..." Runo spoke, remembering a bit of their good times in the past together.
"Wow... that's almost interesting." Preyas commented as the Haos Brawler looked down worriedly.
"Call me crazy, but I thought for sure Dan would want to hook up with Shun again." Runo spoke before she remembered a certain someone that was also against the idea of having the Ventus Brawler.
"Which reminds me... what do you think Sora was talking about when we would be dragging Shun back into something that he doesn't want to do?" Runo asked as Marucho took an educated guess.
"Maybe Shun doesn't like to play Bakugan anymore? The records did say he had stopped battling for quite a while now... And his Rank has dropped all the way to 6th place." Marucho said as he checked his Baku-Pod.
"For real...? Before Masquerade snuck around, he was ranked Number 1...!" Runo exclaimed in disbelief as she was shown the current Rankings of the Top 10.
While Runo stared at the rankings in disbelief, the Aquos Brawler turned to the window before noticing a house that seemed rather traditional.
"Look Runo, I believe that's Shun's house down there." Marucho pointed out as the two looked down to see how it looked.
"According to my research, Shun's family owns the largest estate West of Bay City." Marucho stated as they prepared to land near where Shun's home was in.
As they were getting ready to land, a girl who was heading for Shun's home noticed the aircraft heading to land near where the Kazami family lived in.
"What's that about...?" The girl spoke as she frowned, concerned a little of what was going to happen. Nevertheless, she got ready to head inside the gates as she knocked on the door, which opened on its own.
And by the time she got in, the gates closed... It's as if the gates had a mind of its own for the visitors or the intruders.
Later...
It wasn't long before Marucho and Runo had arrived to the same gates of where the girl had gone through as they looked to see how tall the gates were compared to them.
"Big bucks and good looks? Hello, Shun..." Runo said in a playful tone, causing Marucho to remind her of their mission.
"Runo, we're here on business. Besides, what if Shun decides he's not interested in joining us? Our whole mission would be a failure, and worse... we could lose our Bakugan!" Marucho worried, causing Runo to raise a brow at the Aquos Brawler.
"Quit being such a worrywart! Now, let's get this over with." Runo spoke as she called for the Ventus Brawler.
"Hey, Shun-"
But as soon as she spoke, the gates opened up, much to her and Marucho's surprise.
"That was fast..." Runo commented as they walked into the house. As they opened the door, they could only see a dark hallway that seemed to be rather endless and creepy.
But with their mission in progress and with the task of saving the Bakugan from Masquerade in their mind, they didn't plan on letting that stop them.
"I wouldn't be want to be the one who has to vacuum this place..." Runo spoke as she looked around as she and Marucho walked down the hallway.
"You think anyone's at home?" Marucho asked.
"No clue... but let's keep looking." Runo responded as they continued to walk down the dark hallway.
"This place reminds me of your house, Marucho. One big oversized mansion with never enough bathrooms-"
But just as she was speaking, the Haos Brawler accidentally triggered an alarm by stepping on what seemed to be a wire!
That alarmed the two as Runo widened her eyes in surprise.
"Oh no, what did I do...!?" Runo exclaimed as she and the Aquos Brawler looked around frantically, as they were both uneasy of what's about to happen.
And they were right to be uneasy, as out of nowhere, hidden traps revealed themselves! Rods came out of the walls, startling the two as they struggled to dodge it to prevent themselves from getting hit.
"Let's get out of here!" Runo shouted out as they ran through the hallways to try and avoid the incoming rods that were coming straight at them from the walls.
But while they managed to avoid them all, there was another trap ahead of them, which was a trapdoor.
Seeing it ahead, the two managed to take a big jump to avoid falling into it as they tumbled on the ground from the big risk they took.
As they tried to recover from what they had experienced just now, a big net had fallen down, snagging them both as they gasped before struggling to get out of it.
"This house is one big booby trap!" Marucho yelped as he and Runo struggled from inside the net.
"You can say that again!" Runo grunted before the two heard laughter, which sounded old and yet stern.
"Well, what have we here? A couple of snoopy little kids who have the gall to break into my house." The old voice grunted as the two turned to see... an elderly man who seemed to be quite stern and disciplined from the way he was traditionally dressed.
"If you two little whippersnappers think you're smarter than me, then you got another thing coming!" The man snapped as Runo frowned at the elderly man that caught them.
"Yeah, you got any clue who the old dude in the sweat pants is...?" Runo asked, causing Marucho to explain with his knowledge.
"That's Shun's grandfather! He used to be a famous ninja warrior back where there used to be ninja warriors!" Marucho explained, much to the Haos Brawler's disbelief.
"You're kidding...!" That disbelief response only earned a shaking head, which seemed to prove that it was true as Shun's grandfather glared down at the young intruders.
"State your business here... or prepare to face my... wooden stick!" Shun's grandfather demanded, before threatening them with his wooden sword, which seemed to be the old man's weapon of choice.
"Please... put down the stick, we come in peace!" Marucho stated, with Runo adding in with their relationship with the Ventus Brawler.
"Yeah, we're friends of your grandson, Shun! We just want to see him...!" Runo explained, causing the old man to look rather surprised by the statements.
"My grandson? You say you're friends?" The old man asked as the Haos Brawler began with the introduction first.
"My name is Runo... and this is Marucho..." Runo explained before digging through the Aquos Brawler's back pockets, much to his surprise as he shrieked from the sudden touch.
"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? TRYING TO GIVE ME A WEDGIE OR SOMETHING!?" Marucho shrieked as the old man stared, looking unconvinced by their statement of being friends with Shun.
By then, the Haos Brawler took out Preyas, before showing it to the old man.
"See? Show this to Shun and he'll explain everything to you." Runo assured before throwing Preyas at the old man, which caused the Aquos Bakugan to be displeasured by the throw.
"NO! Please! What did I ever do to you!?" Preyas shrieked as the ball form ended up hitting the old man on the head. But as he rolled down on the ground, Preyas opened up before he recovered.
As soon as he did, he returned to his ball form the moment the old man took him into his hand.
After curiously studying Preyas, the old man glared at the two, understanding a little of their reason for wanting to see his grandson.
"Oh yes... you're what they call Bakugan Brawlers. I know all about you... and you're here to get Shun to play this silly game again." The old man said sternly, causing the Haos Brawler to smile sheepishly at the statement.
"Well yeah, that's kind of what we were thinking..." Runo started, causing the old man to scoff.
"That's what I thought. He's not interested. Now leave the premises at once, intruders." The old man snapped, causing Runo to clap her hands together in a pleading position.
"Please, please, please...! Could we just see him for five minutes, please?" Runo pleaded to the old man.
But unfortunately, her pleas went unheard as Shun's grandfather remained stoic and continued to glare down at the young intruders.
"You're starting to get on my nerves, kid... Now beat it!" The man snapped, causing Runo to frown as she knew that there was no use in convincing him.
"...This isn't working, but I've got an idea." Runo spoke before she threw the net off of her and Marucho, before facing and scowling the old man.
"Okay, Grandpa... If you refuse to bring Shun to us, we'll just go find him ourselves, then!" Runo declared as Marucho got up, before requesting Preyas back.
"Yeah, and just one thing... You mind giving me back my Bakugan?" Marucho asked, only to get a huff from the old man as he tossed Preyas back!
"Why do I care...?" The old man grunted as Preyas landed back in Marucho's hands.
"Not again!" Preyas wailed as Marucho managed to catch him. But as he did, the two didn't notice a smoke bomb that the old man has thrown along with Preyas before it exploded!
The smoke made it difficult for the two to breathe together as they coughed from the smoke. But that didn't seem to matter the old man as he wanted the intruders to leave... whether they're sick or not!
"Didn't you hear me!? LEAVE!" The old man bellowed, causing the two to scream in shock before they revealed their Field Cards. And as they did, the cards glowed, causing time to slow down and transport the two to the battlefield.
The two Brawlers opened their eyes to find themselves in the battlefield, as they blinked in surprise.
"W-Where are we?" Preyas asked, looking rather surprised as Tigrerra had the answer.
"A battlefield..." Tigrerra pointed out as Runo smiled sheepishly.
"I... accidentally opened the Field... so... do you guys wanna battle?" Runo asked, much to Preyas' annoyance as he turned to her with an annoyed tone.
"Are you nuts!?" Preyas snapped, causing Runo to giggle a little.
But that was when an idea flew into the Aquos Brawler's mind.
"Wait a minute... I've got an idea... You stopped time when Shun's Grandpa was about to attack. All we have to do is find the exact spot where we were standing." Marucho stated with a smile.
"Oh... I think I catch your drift.. Let's do it!" Runo exclaimed as Marucho pointed to where there were in before the field opened up.
"I believe we were standing right over here..." Marucho pointed, as he and Runo moved over a few feet from where they originally stood.
"Okay, we'll just move over there." Runo spoke before she and Marucho pulled out their Field Cards again once the plan was all set and done.
"Okay, are you ready? You got it!" Marucho asked before he and Runo did the last part of the job...
"Field, Close!"
And with that, the battlefield began to close, returning the two and their Guardian Bakugan back to reality.
And once they returned, they witnessed the old man continuing to descend down on where they should've been, only to get a nasty surprise.
"This is going to leave a mark!" The old man gasped as he panicked, before rolling straight into the trap hole of where the floor had opened up.
"OOF!" As he fell in, there was a loud thud as the two ran over to see what had happened before noticing that the old man had knocked himself out from his self-destruction.
"Oh... honeybun... did you... put the cat out...?" The old man groaned before falling unconscious.
And with the old obstacle out of the way, the two Brawlers hi-fived each other. Now with Shun's grandfather no longer bothering them, they could make their way to see Shun again. But...
"So you two are the cause for the ruckus?" A girl's voice called out as the two blinked before they turned to see a girl coming over to them with a stern look on her face, causing them to blink.
"...Did Shun have a sister?" Runo asked in surprise, but Marucho recognized her.
"No, Runo... She's Audrey! Audrey Esposito! She's Shun's childhood friend and is a Ventus Bakugan Brawler...! She's really good in a brawl, too!" Marucho explained.
"So you know me... I'm guessing you two are here to recruit Shun...?" Audrey asked as Runo blinked.
"Uh, yeah...? How did-"
"I heard the whole conversation... and so I thought I would stop you two from going any further." Audrey explained. The last part stopped the two as they frowned while Runo narrowed her eyes at the Ventus girl.
"Oh really? And what makes you think you can stop us?" Runo asked as Audrey took out her Field Card.
"By beating you here and now. If I win, then I'd like you two to leave without a word. If you win, then I won't stop you two from seeing him. He's had enough problems in the past... and I'm not letting him deal with another one like you two." Audrey spoke coldly.
"Problems!? We're his friends!" Runo protested before she took out her Field Card.
"If you were his friends, then you'd at least know the real reason why he stopped playing Bakugan." Audrey spoke before the two girls got ready to battle.
"FIELD, OPEN!"
And as the field started to open, Marucho held onto Runo's hand to make sure he would stay and watch the battle, as the Attribute Hexagram surrounded the three Brawlers before the battlefield returned to be used properly this time.
Runo VS Audrey
"Gate Card, set!"
The girls threw out their Gate Cards, before the two enlarged enough for the Bakugan to fight in. And soon, the battle was ready to begin. But Marucho was thinking of what Audrey had said earlier before the battle had begun.
"The real reason why Shun stopped playing Bakugan... What's she mean by that?" Marucho questioned before Runo took the first turn.
01T
"It doesn't matter! What matters is getting through to her so that we can see Shun! Bakugan, brawl! Saurus, stand!" Runo called as the Bakugan turned into its true form, revealing a Haos Saurus!
"Saurus enters the battle with 290 G's. No other data available." The Baku-Pod informed as Audrey narrowed her eyes before she took out another Gate Card.
02T
"Gate Card, set!"
Another Gate Card was thrown on the left of the Gate Card where Saurus stood before Audrey sent out her first Bakugan to play.
"Bakugan, brawl! Ventus Monarus, stand!" Audrey called out as a butterfly-like Bakugan took the field, as Runo checked her Baku-Pod.
"Monarus' Power Level at 320 G's."
"That's funny... her Monarus is stronger at its present level... Was she aware of the Character Card I set out...?" Runo questioned, before Marucho realized what Audrey was about to do.
"No, Runo! Monarus has a unique ability that can-"
But before Marucho could finish, Audrey began her next move by playing an Ability Card, which was...
"Ability Card, activate! Air Battle! With this ability, Monarus can battle against another opponent even if that opponent is at another Gate Card! And when that happens, you can't open your Gate Card!" Audrey called out.
"What!?"
Before Runo could react, she could only watch as Monarus unleashed her gust attack, which stunned Saurus before the butterfly Bakugan unleashed a deadly powder that struck Saurus hard, before it forced the Haos Bakugan to return to its ball form.
"W-What just happened...!?" Runo spoke in disbelief as she watched her Bakugan get defeated.
Runo: 2 Bakugan
03T
"You underestimated of how a Ventus Bakugan battles... that's what happened." Audrey said bluntly before Monarus returned to her hand. And as Monarus used the Air Battle ability, Audrey's second Gate Card wasn't used at all.
But the Haos Brawler wasn't finished yet as she threw out her second Gate Card.
"Don't think you've won yet! Gate Card, set! Bakugan, brawl! Griffon, stand!" Runo shouted out.
As soon as she threw her second Gate Card out, Griffon roared upon making its stand on the second Gate Card, preparing to do battle.
04T
Audrey closed her eyes before taking out Monarus again as she opened them to make her move.
"Bakugan, brawl! Monarus, stand!" Audrey called as the butterfly Bakugan took its place on Audrey's second Gate Card once more. But this time, Runo was prepared as she braced herself for what might be another Air Battle ability.
"She sent out Monarus again... is she gonna use the same Ability Card as before?" Runo asked, but Audrey's next move was what caught her off guard.
"I'm not foolish enough to use the same tactics again... Ability Card, activate! Blow Away!"
And with the ability, a strong gust of wind engulfed Griffon before it forced the Haos Bakugan onto Monarus' Gate Card!
"What was that...!?" Runo gasped as Marucho recognized the ability.
"It's the Ventus ability called Blow Away! It forces an opponent's Bakugan to move anywhere where the user of the ability wishes it! Now Griffon is at Monarus' hands!" Marucho pointed out, as Runo took out an Ability Card.
"Not yet she hasn't! Ability Card, activate! Lightning Tornado! With this ability, Monarus' Power Level and Griffon's Power Level will have a little switch of power!" Runo exclaimed as the Baku-Pod showed Monarus losing her power to the Haos Bakugan.
"Monarus' Power Level decreases to 220 G's. Griffon's Power Level increases to 390 G's." The Baku-Pod spoke as Preyas praised the Haos Brawler for a clever countermove.
"You go, girl! Now this part of the battle is at your hand!" Preyas commented as Audrey countered back with her own countermove!
"You wish! Gate Card, open! Positive Delta!" And with her command, the Command Card opened up, draining most of Griffon's energy! The griffin Bakugan roared from losing the power boost and its original power as Runo watched in shock while Marucho checked the Baku-Pod.
"Positive Delta activated. Griffon's Power Level decreases to 190 G's." The Baku-Pod buzzed as Monarus blew Griffon away hard with a strong wind! The griffin Bakugan was knocked away before it was returned to its ball form.
Runo: 1 Bakugan
05T
"No way... I lost again...?" Runo breathed out in disbelief before she fell to her knees.
"Positive Delta... It was a deadly Command Card that can be used to take away power from Fire, Light, and Water Attributed Bakugan...!" Marucho breathed out as Runo frowned.
"So it was a trap... By forcing me into her trap, she was able to catch me off guard even with my counterattack..." Runo commented as the Aquos Brawler nodded.
"Most likely..." Marucho said as Tigrerra floated up.
"Well then... looks like it's my turn." Tigrerra spoke as the Haos Brawler looked at her Guardian Bakugan.
"Are you sure...?" Runo asked, as the tiger Bakugan turned to her.
"Trust me, milady... I'll be fine. By seeing how the battle is going, there is a chance that I may be able to give us a comeback in this battle." Tigrerra explained as Preyas sounded rather impressed from those words.
"You go get her, Tigrerra! Now it's time to show your claws to that cold-hearted girl!" Preyas commented as Audrey narrowed her eyes from what the Aquos Bakugan had just said. Nevertheless, she chose to ignore it as Runo made her move.
"Okay then... It's time to try and win this battle. I'm counting on you, Tigrerra! Bakugan, brawl! Tigrerra, stand!" Runo called out as her Guardian Bakugan stood on the Gate Card that Griffon was on, before Audrey took out her Ventus Bakugan again.
06T
"Tigrerra... So it's time, then. Bakugan, brawl! Ventus Siege, stand!" Audrey called out as the green knight Bakugan challenged Tigrerra in battle.
"Gate Card, open!" Runo called as the Haos Reactor Gate Card opened up, boosting Tigrerra's power.
"Power Level increased. Tigrerra's Power Level now at 490 G's." The Baku-Pod explained as the tiger Bakugan roared before slashing Siege away, resulting in the knight Bakugan's defeat.
The defeated knight returned to its ball form, costing a match for Audrey.
Audrey: 2 Bakugan
07T
"Alright! That's one down and two to go! Let's keep rolling!" Runo exclaimed as Tigrerra returned to her hand. And once that was done, she immediately sent her Bakugan out again to make the second victory count.
"Tigrerra, stand!" Runo exclaimed as the Haos Bakugan roared once more, standing on Audrey's Gate Card this time.
08T
"She's getting overconfident. That's going to have consequences." Audrey commented as a Griffon floated up to her.
"Do you want me to take her this time?" Griffon asked as Audrey smiled and shook her head.
"You're the best for last, Midori. I have to ask you for your patience... Please." Audrey said, earning an understanding nod from her Guardian Bakugan.
"As you wish, Audrey..." The Griffon named Midori spoke softly before her human partner began the next battle by sending out Monarus.
"Bakugan, brawl! Monarus, stand!" Audrey called out as the next battle began between Monarus and Tigrerra.
"Gate Card, open!" Audrey exclaimed as the Ventus Reactor Gate Card increased Monarus' Power Level to 420 G's. But Runo was ready to counter back with an Ability Card of her own.
"Hold it right there! Ability Card, activate! Lightning Shield!" Runo exclaimed as a barrier formed around Tigrerra, causing the wind attack from Monarus to be repelled! And because of the shield's effect, the Gate Card was cancelled.
"Gate Card nullified. Monarus' Power Level decreases to 320 G's." The Baku-Pod spoke before Tigrerra lunged towards Monarus to deal with the finishing blow. One strike was all that was needed as Monarus returned to its ball form in defeat.
Audrey: 1 Bakugan
09T
As Monarus fell, Tigrerra returned to Runo's hand as the Haos Brawler smiled.
"Alright! That's one more Bakugan down! Just one more battle and then we can see Shun!" Runo called out as Marucho watched to see Audrey's expression remaining unchanged. So far, even with her two Bakugan being defeated, Audrey remained stoic.
It's as if she still believed that victory was within her reach.
"Strange... Does she have a strategy in plan? She did see how Tigrerra would battle in the last two battles just now..." Marucho thought as Runo got ready to wrap the battle up.
"Here goes nothing, Tigrerra! Gate Card, set! Bakugan, brawl! Tigrerra, stand!" Runo called out as the Guardian Bakugan roared upon being sent out to the battlefield with the Haos Brawler's final Gate Card.
10T
Audrey watched before turning to Midori, who floated into her hands gently.
"It's time... Are you ready, Midori?" Audrey asked as her Guardian Bakugan gave a growl of understanding and confirmation.
"I am..."
"Then let's go..." Audrey spoke gently before she closed her eyes and got ready to make the last battle count.
"Let the winds blow us to victory... Bakugan, brawl! Midori, stand!" Audrey shouted out as the Ventus Griffon roared and faced Tigrerra for one last battle. Runo blinked, upon hearing the name as she checked her Baku-Pod.
"Griffon's Power Level at 360 G's. Tigrerra's Power Level stabilized at 340 G's." The Baku-Pod explained, causing the Haos Brawler to blink in surprise.
"Whoa... 360 G's... But that won't stop us! We're ready! Gate Card, open!" Runo called out as the Haos Reactor Gate Card opened up once more, giving the Haos Bakugan an extra boost of power!
"Tigrerra's Power Level increases to 640 G's." The Baku-Pod spoke as Audrey narrowed her eyes.
"Don't think that'll work twice. Ability Card, activate! Solar Plexus! With this, not only is your Gate Card negated, but your Bakugan loses another 50 G's!" Audrey called out as light shined down a little, cancelling the effects of the Haos Reactor!
Tigrerra tensed in surprise as she lost the power boost, before the light began to sap some of her power.
"My power...! It's being drained...!" Tigrerra grunted as Runo widened her eyes before checking her Baku-Pod.
"Gate Card cancelled. Minus 50 G's... Tigrerra's Power Level decreased to 290 G's." The Baku-Pod buzzed as Marucho and Preyas began to get concerned.
"No! With only 290 G's, Tigrerra won't be able to stand up to Griffon's attacks!" Marucho exclaimed as the Aquos Bakugan tried to get his comrade up and moving even with the current disadvantage.
"You can't lose, Tigrerra! If you give up here, then all of our exhausting efforts to reach up to this point will be all for nothing!" Preyas shouted out as Tigrerra braced herself as Griffon flew over and struck her not once... but continuously!
"ARGH!"
"Tigrerra!" Runo shouted out before she took out her one last Ability Card to try and win the battle.
"It's all or nothing...! Ability Card, activate! Crystal Fangs!" Runo called out as Tigrerra's claws began to grow more sharper and fierce, surprising Audrey a little as she checked her Baku-Pod.
"Tigrerra's Power Level increases to 370 G's, currently having the advantage in battle." The Baku-Pod buzzed as the Ventus girl bit her lips while Midori just glared. They knew what the outcome was before Tigrerra charged and...
SLASH! SLASH!
"ARGH!" Midori roared in pain before being knocked back in defeat as she returned to her ball form, resulting in Audrey's defeat and Runo's victory.
"...I lost..." Audrey spoke to herself bitterly as she picked up Midori, who was morphed back into her ball form after the battle.
WIN: Runo
The battlefield disappeared as Audrey fell on one knee in defeat, as Runo got Tigrerra back into her hands.
"We did it! We won!" Runo exclaimed as Marucho nodded.
"Now we can-"
But before he could speak any further, a sharp leaf whistle caught their attention. Audrey perked up as well, but realized that it was Shun using the leaf to make a little sound whether it was sharp or not.
"Come on!" Runo called out as she rushed past Audrey with Marucho following her, leaving Audrey be as she sighed.
"...She may have beaten me, but... can the same be said against him?" Audrey asked as she headed over to see the old man still unconscious from the fall he had by falling into the trap himself.
"Oh dear..." Audrey sighed as Midori got onto her shoulder.
"What should we do with him?" Midori asked as Audrey gave a brief small smile.
"We can't just leave him there... not after the big fall he's taken. Even if he's too stern and grumpy, he's still someone that I respect... just like how Father respects him..." Audrey reminded softly.
Later, at around midnight...
Audrey had helped Mr. Kazami out from the trap as she waited outside the house for Shun to arrive as she had sensed that the Ventus Brawler might've challenged against his "former" friends to a battle.
And then, as she opened her eyes to hear footsteps, she turned to see Shun coming back. Noticing the gloves he had around his hands in case for a battle, the Ventus girl turned to her companion with a small smile.
"I take it you've defeated them?" Audrey asked as Shun closed his eyes.
"They fought hard, but it wasn't enough, nonetheless." Shun spoke stoically as he stopped right in front of her.
"And you're sure about what you've decided...? I don't think they came all the way here for nothing." Audrey asked as the Ventus Brawler remained silent upon hearing her words before he stated his decision.
"I'm sure."
"...You're never easy to read." Audrey commented as she watched her friend starting to head back to the house.
"That's because I don't like to reveal too much of what I'm thinking. You know that, Audrey..." Shun spoke before he headed into the house and closed the door, causing the Ventus girl to give a brief smile.
"I do... And that's what I love about you." Audrey said before she turned and vanished, taking her leave from the Kazami residence.
To Sora...
The Darkus Brawler lied on his bed, before turning to the side and seeing a picture that had him and Audrey together back when they were kids. And it wasn't just them. Shun was in the picture with them, with the three of them all smiling together.
"Audrey... Shun... Just what are you two doing now? Are you two still into your... family thing regarding to ninjas...?" Sora thought before he covered himself with the bed covers as he struggled to sleep, due to what Runo and Marucho had brought up about the Ventus Brawler earlier.
"I wonder if he's still isolating himself from the others as always... And that goes for Audrey, too..." thought the Darkus Brawler before he closed his eyes and let sleep take over him.
He was unaware that in just a few days later... there will be something big... big that would involve not just him and his old friends, but enemies and friends that would interfere with an event that is soon to happen...
To be continued...
Sora's Ranking and Battles:
Rank: 286
W/L: 9/1
Next chapters:
Chapter 10: The Old Times Get Better
Chapter 11: Childhood Friend to Face Off!
Chapter 12: The Story About Vestroia
Chapter 13: The Brawlers and Bakugan Valley
Chapter 14: A New Enemy Faceoff! Burn Now!
Preview:
Dan - Hey... This is Dan! Coming up on Bakugan, I found out that Masquerade is ranked number 1 while Shun has ranked down to sixth! And Shun is one unhappy camper... Then he finds out his mother is sick and he decides to quit playing Bakugan! The same goes for Audrey when she is pressured to succeed her father into her family's ninja traditions! But I've got a sneaky plan to get them both back into the game! You with me, Sora? Trust me... This is going to be a real wild west showdown... A big one, that is! And you'll have to read to see who wins!
Dan - Bakugan, brawl! Until next time!