And I'm back. Really sorry about the delay. Don't really have much excuse, but it's here now. I hope you enjoy the action!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan or the characters.
XXX
Chapter 12: The Tournament
Most of Alpha City was nearly completely empty. At the stores, homes, and streets, almost no one could be found. Fully automated hover cars raced down the streets without passengers, holograph screens played advertisements, and even the government building and labs were only stated by an absolutely essential skeleton crew.
The only place in Alpha City where anyone could be found was at the stadium in the middle. They were in the stands, roaring in an adrenaline fueled cheer.
Because the monthly Bakugan tournament had begun.
At the current moment, the circular battlefield only contained the two large pillars meant to house the battlers. The Bakugan had just finished a round of battling. But it was enough to stir the crowd into their aforementioned craze.
"I can hardly believe it!", the announcer called out. "After just one round in this tournament, I think we've found a definite top contender! But can she keep it up?!"
Atop one of the pillars, a hazel eyed, green haired Vestal in a yellow jumpsuit bristled. "Three minutes in, and they're calling her a top contender." He scowled, but he was nervous, too. "But who is this girl? I've never felt so… outclassed. And in the opening round, too?"
The Vestal's opponent was a girl of average teenager height, and orange hair done in a ponytail down her back. Her outfit was a simple pair of dark purple pants and a black jacket with white pads on the shoulders. Her hands were covered in a pair of dark purple gloves. Her face was covered in an imitation of Spectra's mask, where the red was replaced by black. She stood composed, but her arm was already poised to throw her Bakugan.
Beneath the mock Spectra mask, Alice's hazel human eyes were fixed ahead. Her breathing was calm, her heart rate hadn't even accelerated from the battle. "Ready to go again?", she asked her Bakugan.
"Please." Leonidas scoffed in Alice's hand. "This guy is nothing compared to the Vexos."
"Gate Card, set!" The Vestal across Alice threw in his card. He stepped forward, lip quivering in fear. "I-I'll stop holding back! You're in for it now, you hear me?! Bakugan, brawl!" His Haos Bakugan landed on his card, raising up a Haos Atmos. The yellow predator bird flapped her wings to ascend and cawed loudly.
"Bakugan, brawl!" Alice launched in her own Bakugan. "Darkus Leonidas, stand!"
Leonidas rose up near Alice's pillar with a flash of purple energy. He took up a battle stance to face down the Atmos.
Leonidas: 450
Atmos: 350
"Here we go again!", the announcer projected, exuberantly playing up the crowd's excitement. "Let's see how round two plays out!"
The Vestal's hand snapped out. "Gate Card Open, now! Haos Reactor!"
The ground below lit up brightly with an ethereal glow. Yellow particles rose high in the air, where Atmos lit up herself. Her empowered caw was both loud and intimidating for most.
Immediately, the Vestal drew a card, and placed it inside his white and yellow gauntlet. "Ability Activate! Lightwing!"
Atmos flapped her wings again, her yellow glow became more distinct and stronger. Then, she began to move, her body darting around the field, building up her speed.
Leonidas: 450
Atmos: 350+200+200=750
"And Atmos is flying all over the place! I wonder what Travers's strategy is?" The announcer's commentary, while accurate, didn't give a hint of what the strategy could be.
But Alice had already dissected it. 'He knows that Atmos can't stand up to Leonidas in a power battle, so he's switched tactics to hit-and-run. It's pretty clever, really; taking advantage of Atmos's superior aerial mobility. But there's a pretty big problem with that….' Alice loaded in her ability. "Ability Activate! Delta Twister!"
Leonidas began to float in the air and spin, his rotation building up speed and momentum at a rapid pace. A similar dark fog from before built up around him. He was quickly obscured by the dark power, which swirled like a dark hurricane.
Leonidas: 450+200=650
Atmos: 750-200=550
Lashes of wind, formed by the twister, whipped in every direction. The light illusion on the ground was ripped apart within moments. The audience was quickly pushed to the backs of their seats.
Travers covered his face with his arms, hair blown behind him. "What in the world?!"
Atmos cawed, trying to push back against the harsh winds. But her winds caught wind, and she was quickly propelled backwards regardless of her efforts. It only stopped when she slammed against the glass-like dome of the arena.
'And that's the weakness', Alice finished her thought. 'The arena's big, but it's still an enclosed space. So we don't need to outfly that Atmos. There's nowhere to go.'
"What an unbelievably effective counter!" The announcer stood up in his place. "Without space to move, Atmos couldn't evade that tornado's range! She had nowhere to go!"
Travers loaded in two abilities, a desperate gleamin his eyes. "Enough! Whoever you are, girl, I'm not going down without a fight! Double Ability Activate! Lightning Tornado, plus Halo Echo!"
Atmos quickly pushed herself away from the dome, taking to the air once again. Praying back against Leonidas's tornado as much as possible, Atmos spread out her wingspan, projecting her Haos enthusiasm as much as possible.
Another tornado, one of yellow energy instead of purple energy, formed, spinning around the avian Bakugan. The two twisters weren't near enough to physically clash, but the wind currents picked up by both did contest. That contest ended up a perpetual draw.
The stalemate was not long lasting, though. It was ended when, from within Atmos's new tornado, a bright yellow energy ring shot out towards Leonidas. The winds from either tornado didn't affect the course or speed at all.
Leonidas: 650-100-200=350
Atmos: 550+100=650
Alice looked Travers directly in the eye, though he couldn't tell because of her mask. The gleam in his eye was still there, and Alice recognized it. Masquerade had seen it in many of his earlier battles, against opponents who were hilariously out of their league and had finally realized it. When those opponents launched their final trump card, they sometimes had that look in their eye.
Masquerade had always shut those opponents down. And now, Alice would do the same.
"Double Ability Activate." The two cards dome a distinct purple within the gauntlet. "Doom Corruption, plus Oregano Revenge!"
Almost immediately, Leonidas stopped his twister, the wind immediately around him dying down to normal. Dark energy started to form around the dark dragon, engulfing him in a fog of mist. His shape was still easily discernible, but his body was hidden away. Only his glowing eyes could be seen from the fog.
Both the winds from Atmos's twister and the yellow disk connected against Leonidas's fog, only to be repelled and neutralized. The disk dropped to the ground and shattered, with even its inertia canceled.
Leonidas: 350+300+200+100=950
Atmos: 650-100-100=450
Travers gasped aloud. "No… that's…." His mouth formed the word impossible, but it wasn't spoken aloud.
Not needing any prodding, Leonidas charged ahead at Atmos, claws open to strike. The collision broke through the twister, and Leonidas gripped Atmos's left leg with his right claws before the bird could react.
Instantly, Leonidas flung Atmos to the ground, making her shriek in pain. An instant later, Atmos glowed light yellow and shrunk down to her ball. Leonidas quickly reverted to ball form as well, and both shot to Alice.
Even as the Bakugan were in transit, Travers watched as his Life Gauge dropped from 20% down to the obvious 0%.
Alice caught both Bakugan in her right hand, and exhaled loudly. A brief look at Travers made her look away, it was reminiscent of how those same outclassed kids looked after Masquerade crushed them. And the worst part was that Alice felt the same kind of dark satisfaction that Masquerade had felt in that situation.
Alice was so different from how she was back in those days. She was stronger, more confident. Her empathy hasn't diminished. Her dealing mind had reunited, and all of her best parts with them. But here she was, crushing hopes stealing Bakugan, like a common bully. Like Masquerade
"And that's it, folks!", the announcer cried. "After a jaw dropping display of power and skill, this match was utterly dominated by the first timer to the tournament, complete with a captured Bakugan without breaking a seat! The victory goes to this mysterious battler, known only as MALICE!"
XXX
At the farthest of the stands, the only three other humans on the planet, or in the dimension, were observing both the battle and the crowd's reaction.
Dan sulked at the loud cheering. "Man, Alice is certainly getting the glory."
"Dan, you know why we can't battle", Drago admonished.
"Yeah, I know", Dan confirmed. "You'd draw too much attention too early. We need to get the timing of the reveal right. But I can dream, right?"
"Dream on your own time", Shun remarked. "Right now, we have to stay focused."
"By the way, who's idea was it for Alice to call herself 'Malice'?", Marucho asked. "It seems pretty obvious."
"Obvious, yes, but it fitted", Shun said. "It's close to her name, it adds to her 'Darkus' theme, and is dramatic enough that the populace would accept it. And to answer your question, Leonidas thought it up."
"Should've known."
Shun stood up. "Now that the battle's over, our widow's open. We should get moving now."
Dan grinned. "Yeah, I know", he said. "Still kinda sucks we can't watch Mira and Baron battle their first round, but hey! We've got somewhere to be!"
As they all rose and began walking towards the nearest exit of the stands, they couldn't help but hear the booming announcement. "Now that the first single match is out of the way, let's move on to the tag team division!"
Alice and Travers had both already vacated their spots on the towered platforms. In their place were the two tag teams of the first battle. And one of the duos was Mira and Baron.
XXX
After her first battle was won, Alice had left the tower through the elevator, and a tunnel underneath the arena. She'd gone over to the area of the waiting room from under the stadium.
"Well done", Hydranoid whispered. He was hiding in one of the shoulder pads on Alice's shirt. "No mercy at all."
"Can't let my guard down", Alice whispered back. She reached the entrance of the waiting room before continuing. "No telling what else we're up against."
"That'll be me."
Startled, Alice looked inside the room. Inside it was a Vestal that Alice immediately recognized from the shopping center, on the first day of the infiltration.
The Vestal grinned as he examined the mask. "Yeah, it's you, alright." He obviously remembered that meeting, too. "So, why the Spectra mask?"
Alice sharply inhaled, only to force herself calm. 'He doesn't actually know anything. He's just intuitive', she reminded herself. "I'm self conscious. Don't want to show my face so publicly." A half truth, at the very least.
"Fair enough", the Vestal replied. "I thought you'd be here, actually. Someone with our kind of determination? This is the best place to be. Cool that I'm right."
Alice didn't respond. This Vestal seemed as confident as before, and she was unnerved. Whoever this was, he was a master of talking off without actually giving anything away. There was nothing to detect, aside from borderline arrogant self-confidence. So she just let him talk; there was nothing for her to say.
"Are you also going under an alias, too? Or is 'Malice' your real name?" He was teasing, his incessant grin remaining.
"Alias", Alice replied. "Don't ask for my real name."
"I'll give you mine, anyway. Only polite." The Vestal moved to exit the waiting room. When he reached Alice's side, he whispered: "My name's Kyle. See you in the finals, 'Malice'. Make it a good show."
And then, he was gone.
Alice relaxed. With this 'Kyle' gone, there were no witnesses for what she was about to do. Knowing the precise timing of the plan, Alice rushed to a coach's entrance inside the room, and she opened the door.
Shun, Dan and Marucho hurried through, and the door closed behind them.
"Nice work, Alice", Shun said, complimenting both the battle and her perfect timing in letting them in.
Alice nodded in reply. "Get going. We don't have much time."
"Right", Dan said. "Good luck in the tournament. See you again, after you win it all?"
"That's the plan", Alice confirmed.
"Good luck", Marucho repeated. Then, they were gone.
With that, Alice could relax. Until the next round, her part in the plan was over. She was free to observe. The tag battle had the duo Mira and Baron fighting, and the other team was already down to 40% of their respective Life Gauges.
"Seems the rookies are doing well enough", Hydranoid said.
Even back from before Dan and Marucho had gotten to New Vestroia and joined up, the plan was to have the Vestal recruits battle in the tag team. Alice could get away with a melodramatic disguise with enough of a show on her part, but to extend that to three people? It was too much of a risk of drawing too much attention, so it was better for as many of their tournament battlers as possible to have verifiable identities to avoid trouble.
That was also why Mira and Baron weren't wearing disguises themselves. They didn't need to; they weren't openly wanted criminals to the public and had verifiable identities in case a bystander got curious.
But for the plan to work, Mira and Baron had to win the tag team tournament. And they were faring rather well in their first match, but anyone's standards. Not only had they won round one, but the duo of Nemus and Wilda had their opponents on the ropes.
Said opponents were two young boys in identical jumpsuits, save for the colors. One was light green and the other was royal blue. Their hairstyles even matched the colors of those jumpsuits. And both were grimacing at how the battle was going so far. They were already desperate enough to start pleading with their Bakugan, creatures they thought couldn't understand them.
"Get back up, Stug!"
"Fly Beetle!"
The two Bakugan facing off against Wilda and Nemus were an Aquos Stug, a hermit crab like creature, and a Ventus Fly Beetle. And they were already down and struggling to rise.
Neither of Alice's Vestal friends surrendered a moment. The advantage was theirs, and they pressed it, with another ability ready for each.
"Ability Activate! Gun Lock!"
"Ability Activate! Bolting Arrow!"
Pores on Wilda's shoulders began to glow orange, charging up a notably powerful energy attack. A moment later, they fired out a pair of orbs of orange energy directly at the Ventus Fly Beetle.
Seconds afterwards, Nemus planted his staff into the ground. He raised his hand to the hole at the end, conjuring up a bowstring and arrow of light energy. Pulling back the energy arrow, he aimed directly at the Stug, and then let the arrow fly.
Both energy attacks got their marks, and both the Stug and the Fly Beetle glowed their Attribute colors, and retreated back to their battlers.
The Bakugan weren't taken, but Mira and Baron watched both opponents' Life Gauges drop empty, meaning a perfect victory.
"Well, how about that?" The announcer was making light of the situation, but even he sounded surprised. "In the first tag team match, we find another top contending team in the duo of Mira and Baron! Or so it seems, at least!"
"Of course they're top contenders", Hydranoid growled. "They had us to coach them, didn't they?"
"Shame they didn't take any Bakugan", Leonidas grumbled. "But hey, they can't all be us."
Alice chuckled lightly at Leonidas's lighthearted remark. "Still, they performed phenomenally. And proceeding through the tournament is all they need to do, and I'd say they accomplished that."
"And now, we switch back to the other battle of the singles division", the announcer called out. "The winner of this bout will face the mysterious Malice in the semifinal round of the tournament!"
The crowd roared. Obviously, mentioning Alice's alias worked wonders for their attention.
"You'd better not get a fan club", Hydranoid growled. "We don't need more fanatic Vestal fan-people. Baron's more than enough."
"And, of course, the winner of that semifinal battle will earn the right to face any one of the Vexos in single combat, for all the marbles!"
The resulting sounds from the stands were akin less to a cheering crowd, and more to a storm of continuous thunderbolts. They were obviously supportive of such an event, and they let it out.
"Without further ado, five it up for our two competitors: Evan and Kyle!"
And hearing Kyle's name piqued Alice's interest. "Let's see what he's capable of."
"Knowing who he'll be up against next, I doubt he'll reveal everything he can do", Leonidas warned.
"We'll still get an idea", Alice argued back.
XXX
Kyle stood as confidently as ever against Evan, a lean boy in a dark purple tee and white pants, who had a Darkus gauntlet equipped. "So Malice isn't the only Darkus in the singles? Neat." He only whispered the words. Evan didn't hear them, but someone else did.
"Battle… begin!"
"Gate Card, set!" Evan threw down a Darkus card with a standard toss. "Now… Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Darkus Goblinball!"
The Bakugan that arose was a rather abnormal one. It was a giant yellow eye, encompassed by a dark purple hard shell with two fangs above the eye. The creature had two small humanoid arms and two purple wings.
Kyle sported a clear smirk. "A Darkus Attributed opponent. Nice. A perfect little warmup for Malice."
"Hey! I'm not a warmup!", Evan protested in righteous indignation. "Take this seriously!"
"Oh believe me, I am." Kyle flicked a Subterra Bakugan into the air, to catch it again, then throw it straight down, onto the field. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Subterra Fear Ripper!"
The Bakugan that rose was one from the old days. The same giant claws and fierce disposition that's standard of a Fear Ripper.
Fear Ripper: 350
Goblinball: 400
"So that's our matchup for this round! The eye versus the claws!", the announcer shouted out. "Two Bakugan that excel at offensive plays! It seems the winner would be who can strike the hardest!"
"Only if it's a battle between two novices", Kyle muttered in a quiet retort. "And I'm not a novice."
"Ability Activate!" Kyle's musings were interrupted once Evan announced his ability. "Irate Eye!"
Goblinball's usually yellow iris began to glow purple, charging up Darkus energy. Instants later, the eye shot out a transparent beam of purple light directly at Fear Ripper.
Fear Ripper crossed his large claws for fingers to block the light, but the claws started to steam and sizzle under the purple glow. The beam was clearly burning down Fear Ripper's stamina.
Fear Ripper: 350-200=150
Goblinball: 400
"And, to add insult to injury…" Evan snapped his fingers. "Now! Gate Card Open! Darkus Reactor!"
Immediately, a perfect circle of darkness rose up from the ground. As the darkness rose even higher, Goblinball became encased in a purple aura. In addition, Goblinball's light beam only intensified, but it didn't seem to detract from the dark fog at all. It only caused more damage to Fear Ripper.
Fear Ripper: 150
Goblinball: 400+400=800
"Do you realize how annoying it is?!", Evan shrieked in outrage. "To train myself to the bone for a chance to compete in the tournament, to finally get some glory? Only to get shown up in your own Attribute by some nobody who shows up out of nowhere!? No! I'll beat you, then I'll beat Malice, then I'll beat Shadow Prove and take his place in the Vexos!"
"Man, you've got no idea", Kyle sniped, locking in his own ability. "Ability Activate! Magma Providence!"
Fear Ripper quickly lit up a flash of orange energy, before the light traveled through his feet and into the ground. Then, the light spread out to encompass the entire field.
Evan was shocked from what he was seeing. "Hey! What the heck is going on!?"
In an instant, the dark fog over the field dissipated, leaving a clear field behind, but only for a moment. Rock pillars rose up from the earth, and Fear Ripper groaned with an influx of power.
Fear Ripper: 150+400=550
Goblinball: 800-400=400
One of the rotating rock pillars smacked into Goblinball, forcing the Darkus Bakugan to break his focus with Fear Ripper, which finally gave Fear Ripper some relief.
"Un… unbelievable!" The announcer couldn't hide his shock. "That card seems to have shifted the Darkus Reactor card into a Subterra Reactor! I didn't even know a card like that existed!"
"Hey, Evan!" Evan looked over at Kyle. For once, Kyle seemed to have a serious expression on his face. "You asked me if I was ever shown up in my own Attribute, by some new guy out of nowhere? … yeah, I was. I really do know how it feels. And I'm here to prove that I'm stronger now." His smirk returned, and he beckoned Evan with a come at me gesture. "But I'll give you one more chance. Bring it on."
Evan heaved a heavy breath, before loading in two more abilities. "Don't take me for granted~! Double Ability Activate! Shadow Snatch, plus Darkus Impact!"
First off, Goblinball reached down to the ground with his undersized arms, reaching and melting through his own shadow. Shadowy claws of darkness shot out from the shadow and quickly gripped Fear Ripper by his waist.
"Now stay there…" Evan ordered. "And GET OBLITERATED!"
Goblinball's eye began to fill up with dark purple energy, with so much quantity that it grew into an own of the energy. The orb grew so large, it completely hid the eye behind it. Then, Goblinball shot the compressed orb straight ahead, right at the restrained Fear Ripper
Fear Ripper: 550-200=350
Goblinball: 400+200+300=900
"Just look at that offensive play!", the announcer commentated. "And with a power level difference like that, it seems like this battle's good and done!"
"That's what you think." Kyle calmly loaded in his own two abilities. "Got a lot of power behind that attack. Shame it doesn't matter. Double Ability Activate!"
At that precise moment, Goblinball's energy orb made contact with Fear Ripper. The orb expanded explosively in a blast of power, wiping out the shadowy restraints binding Fear Ripper.
"Not so smart mouthed now, huh?!", Evan gloated. But once he took a closer look at Fear Ripper, his shock redoubled. "No way!"
Fear Ripper withstood all of the punishment, his claws suddenly glowing bright orange. A single slash, and the blast wave was split where each claw slashed at it. The rest dissipated harmlessly.
Fear Ripper: 350+200+100=650
Goblinball: 900-500-100=300
"That was our Savage Shield. I nullified your Double Ability with it." Kyle smirked at Evan's visual disbelief. "And this is Slash Assault!"
Fear Ripper: 650+200=850
Goblinball: 300-200=100
With that, Fear Ripper raced straight at the floating Darkus Bakugan, with all his claws parted, glowing, and ready to deal massive damage. He growled fiercely.
Evan sucked in a breath, before shouting out his orders. "Stop them, Goblinball!"
The demonic Bakugan shot a beam of light purple energy at Fear Ripper, but the Subterra Bakugan sliced it apart without even breaking his pace.
Seconds later, Fear Ripper was right at Goblinball. Then, the Bakugan started slashing. Ten sharp claws sliced at Goblinball repeatedly, each one leaving behind an orange slash mark.
And Fear Ripper didn't stop. He just kept slicing away at Goblinball, not showing down at all. Goblinball tried to back away, but Fear Ripper easily kept pace.
"Just look at that!", the announcer cried. "For a minute, I thought the tide was turning to Evan's favor. But no! Kyle retook the lead with a fervor, and now Goblinball's under a relentless assault!"
It was too much. Goblinball couldn't possibly take such a battering for long. Instead, he glowed purple and shrunk all the way to ball form.
Evan's irises shrunk as much as they could, as they observed the Goblinball streak through the air, into Kyle's palm. Fear Ripper followed, shooting into Kyle's throwing hand.
Evan: 0%
"And that's the battle! Down and out after one round!", the announcer exclaimed. "The most one sided battle we've had today, and that's saying something!"
The announcer was very good at riling up the crowd. They roared with approval.
"I honestly can't believe I'm saying this, but it looks like Malice might have her work cut out for her!"
XXX
Alice had taken off her mask once Kyle had left the waiting room, so it was easy to see her eyes shrunken in disbelief. She watched the screen, open-mouthed, as the crowd roared in approval of the battle. Kyle's name could be clearly heard in a semi-prominent chant, the Subterra battler clearly being another crowd favorite.
Unlike Alice, Kyle didn't need an overly dramatic alias to get the stands excited; he accomplished it through sheer charisma. It was what Alice had wanted to gain with them, only better executed.
Leonidas scoffed. "Tch. He's not that great."
"He is, Leo", Alice countered. "Even with your strength, it took us two rounds to win our battle. Kyle did it in one."
"I wasn't going all out", Leonidas protested.
"That only means that Kyle took his battle more seriously than we did ours." Alice's counterpoint received no response. "Not to mention, Kyle was battling with a standard Bakugan. To still maintain such an advantage… his skill is extremely commendable. And his usage of a standard Subterra ability like Mama Providence to turn the tide shows he's extremely knowledgeable about his own Attribute. ."
"And he's our opponent", Hydranoid growled.
"It's just a Fear Ripper", Leonidas snapped. "I can handle it easily."
"That's another thing." Alice took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "However fiercely he fought with Fear Ripper… he seemed so nonchalant about the whole battle. Like he wasn't really taking it seriously at all."
"What's your instinct?" Hydranoid inquired about this, knowing that Alice's gut would probably be right.
"I think Kyle's got a more powerful Bakugan waiting in the wings. His Fear Ripper is meant to lower our guard as much as possible. So we can't lower our guard against him."
Leonidas sighed. "Well, at least it won't be as boring as the last battle. It's more fun to fight someone with some bite, anyway."
That was true enough. Even from Alice's memories from Masquerade, a victory was infinitely more satisfying when battling an opponent that had some skill of their own. It was for that reason that Masquerade ended up opting to stay away from the hopeless novices that didn't even know what they were doing, in favor of those with a bit of their own bite.
Crushing the hopelessly weak was a facing passtime, compared to even a few moments of a real fight. Even Masquerade acknowledged that. And while Alice had an entirely different morality, she felt the same thrills that her counterpart did, and also agreed with that sentiment.
"I agree", was all Alice said in reply.
"Of course you do", Leonidas said. "Because I'm right."
"Perhaps we should go meet up with Mira and Baron", Hydranoid suggested, seemingly eager to move away from the subject. "We only have a brief amount of time before our next battle, after all."
"Good idea, Hydranoid", Alice said, standing up, and beckoning at her Bakugan. Each one jumped onto her shoulders, and Versailles inside her shirt's shoulder pads.
Taking a deep breath, Alice placed the mask on her face, the pupils activating with an orange light. Then, she left the room, bound for her Vestal friends.
XXX
In the meantime, Dan, Shun and Marucho were racing through the compound, making as little noise as possible as they rushed through hallway after hallway. Shun took the lead in the formation, with Dan close behind the ninja, and Marucho behind both of them.
Marucho was falling behind. It wasn't just that his legs were a lot shorter than his friends', either. The other two were moving at near superhuman speeds. Shun was a ninja in training who forged his body into a machine, and Dan made it a habit to run nearly every morning. Their stamina was nearly inhuman.
"H-hey, guys!", Marucho yelled weakly. "Wait up!"
Shun stopped his rush, with Dan following his lead. The two huffed indignantly. "You okay, bud?", Dan asked.
Marucho collapsed, hands on his knees and breathing ragged breaths. "I cant… I can't run anymore."
Shun sighed and pinched his nose. "We can't slow down, Marucho. The timing is critical."
"Can we leave him here?" Dan's inquiry earned a sharp look from Shun. Dan held up his hands in reaction. "Hey, it's not like he'll be much help in this state!"
"So you can reliably access the Dimension Controller's controls?", Shun asked. "Because I can't. And, as we talked about, just smashing it isn't an option."
"Okay! I get it", Dan surrendered. "So what's your idea? Marucho can't keep up with us."
Shun narrowed his eyes for a moment, before he closed them, contemplating a solution. When he opened them, he rushed to Marucho's spot, picked him up, and forced him into a piggyback riding position.
Marucho gasped in shock. "Huh!?"
"It's the best option", Shun explained, before resuming his pace, not even slowing down from Marucho's added weight.
Dan chuckled at Marucho's new predicament for a brief moment, before resuming his own run. Like a few moments before, Dan was right behind Shun, darting down corridor after corridor.
Marucho was hanging onto Shun's neck for dear life, knowing what would happen if he fell off at Shun's speed. Still, he grumbled. "This is humiliating."
"But necessary." Shun allowed himself a small grin, which Marucho noticed. "Marucho, you're integral to the plan. And we don't leave teammates behind, let alone friends. No way are we leaving you behind."
Marucho smiled. He felt his pride soar up to Shun's praise. He knew his role in the plan, and Shun was right. There was no one else among them who could fill his role, without leaving a major gap in that plan. "Thank you."
"Hey, Marucho." Dan caught Marucho's attention. "How're the others doing in the tournament?"
"Let me check." Marucho fished out a mobile computer of Vestal design, flashing up a screen connected to the televised tournament. "Huh. They've all progressed to their final preliminary rounds. When they win, they'll earn the right to battle the Vexos."
"All according to plan", Shun said. "Excellent."
They turned a corner, to find that it wasn't empty at all. In fact, there were two Vestal guards, in green uniforms and armed with ringed batons. Their eyes are costed by gem caps with visors.
The two guards immediately tensed up. "Hey, what are you doing here?", one demanded.
"This is a restricted area!", the other added.
Dan chuckled nervously. "Is it? Sorry, we're a bit lost. You know where the bathroom is?" He said the words a tad too quickly, and the guards picked up on his nervous tone.
One of the guards pointed his baton at Dan. "Why so on edge, kid?"
"Well, if you were being threatened by an armed guy, you'd be on edge too." Dan flashed an easygoing smile. "Seriously. Where's the nearest bathroom?"
The other guard seemingly glared at Dan, but it was hard to tell because of the visor. "How stupid do you think we are? There are at least ten different bathrooms between the stands and here."
"Oh… really?" Dan chucked again. "Sorry. Didn't notice. Could you point out the nearest one…?"
The guard that was actively threatening Dan growled. "You're coming with us."
The standoff was finally concluded when Shun rushed forward, harnessing all of his ingrained speed. He hand chopped both guards behind the neck, and the two immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.
Shun and Dan each caught a guard before they could land on the floor, and cause a disturbance with the thud it would make. As they slowly settled the guards down, Dan huffed at Shun. "You couldn't have done that earlier?"
"I had to let Marucho down before acting", Shun answered. "Besides, you seemed to have been in control for a while."
"Well, I wasn't", Dan protested. "Shouldn't you have seen that?"
Shun's mouth twitched into a barely noticeable grin. "I was enjoying your improv. Really, the bathroom?"
"Shut up and run", Marucho said, climbing back atop Shun's back.
Ventus and Pyrus battlers nodded, racing through the hallway and continuing their route through the compound. If guards would get in their way again, they'd take out the guards. They couldn't stop. Not for anything and not for anyone. And nothing could impede their progress.
XXX
Spectra had holed himself up in his posse's personal lab, specifically in the viewing room, complete with two huge screens. Each screen was displaying a different Bakugan in battle: one showed off Alpha Hydranoid, the other Neo Dragonoid.
Spectra looked over at the Hydranoid video absent-mindedly, as he thought over what he knew of how that Bakugan fought. 'In terms of general power output, Alpha Hydranoid matches, or even slightly exceeds, what Helios can do. He has three separate heads that work well on cohesion; does that translate to an increase in reaction speed too?'
As the video progressed to Hydranoid cloaking himself within a great mass of Darkus energy, Spectra continued his internal monologue. 'And, of course, there's Hydranoid's absurd endurance to high energy. Helios couldn't come anywhere close to matching Hydranoid's peak in power.'
As much as it bruised Spectra's ego, he had to admit that Hydranoid was stronger than his prized Helios. Perhaps not by much, not enough to invariably tilt a battle in Alice's favor, but it was undeniable. However, Spectra could clearly see a weakness. 'Maintaining that kind of power would drain Hydranoid's stamina immensely. Our best chance once Merge Shield is activated would be to drastically lower Hydranoid's power level, at just the right moment.'
Then, Spectra glanced at the other screen, displaying Drago emitting waves of Perfect Core energy. 'Then there's Drago. By all accounts, Helios shouldn't have any problems dealing with him… except for one factor.' The Perfect Core. The tantalizing image of near limitless power, at the direction of a Dragonoid far past his prime. 'What a waste. Still, defeating Drago will come down to how much of the Perfect Core's energy Drago can channel at once. As such, Helios should refrain from going all out until Drago unleashes his trump card.'
When Spectra informed the Vexos he and Gus would be indisposed, he meant that he'd be going over the battle data of the two most troublesome of their adversaries, constructing concrete battle plans to defeat them with Helios. As it was right now, those two Bakugan were in the way of his plans. It was essential for Helios to surpass them. And, to that end, in-depth planning was also essential. Spectra Phantom couldn't leave anything to chance; with opponents like these, he couldn't afford to.
Spectra was cut off from his solitary when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in", he said wearily.
The door slid open, and Gus walked through and into the room. He bowed his head in deference and apology for Spectra. "I know you asked to be left alone, and I apologize for the intrusion, Master."
"Go ahead, Gus", Spectra said.
"As you instructed, I was observing the Bakugan Tournament in the center of the city." Gus pressed a button on his gauntlet, displaying Alice in her masked outfit, battling with Leonidas. "You were correct in assuming Alice would participate in the single's division."
Spectra grinned. "I see she's sporting a distinct disguise. Where'd she get the mask?"
"A lot of shops sell merchandise based off what the Vexos wear", Gus explained. "Your mask ended up so popular, they made them in all six Attribute colors."
"What an excellently thought up disguise", Spectra proclaimed. "I'd have never thought Alice would hide her identity with an imitation of my own mask. Inspired."
"That means that the others are probably making their move on the Dimension Controller", Gus said. "Should we notify security to look for intruders?"
"... No." Spectra shook his head. "Let's see how this plays out. We'll show our hands when we're good and ready."
Gus bowed his head in agreement. "As you say, sir."
Spectra reckoned in his chair, a wide grin on his face. "Honestly… we can disregard our control over Alpha City. Once Alice earns her right to challenge the Vexos, we'll make our move. And it will be spectacular."
XXX
Alice was once again in the battling platform, right on the grounds of the battlefield. All around her, the cheering public let out deafening screams of approval, knowing the kind of battle that was in store for them.
The other battle of the tag team division was, apparently, very evenly matched. Two groups of siblings, the Dark Angels who specialized in Haos Bakugan versus the Inferno Wave siblings. Apparently, the latter are victorious, and would face Mira and Baron in the semifinals.
Alice chose not to pay much mind to that. Because her semifinal round was up, and Kyle was her opponent.
"Here it is, folks! The match of the day is finally here!" The commentator's voice, enhanced by its megaphone system, dwarfed even the roar of the crowd. "Malice, and Kyle! Two prodigies in their own right, facing off for the chance to battle the Vexos! Will Darkus expert Malice claim victory, or will the Subterra prodigy Kyle wrest it from her palms!? We're about to find out!"
"Does he ever shut up?", Kyle murmured quietly.
Alice could barely make out that he said anything. 'Is he talking to himself?'
"Are both brawlers ready?"
"We are!", Alice and Kyle both shouted in unison.
"Alright, then! BATTLE BEGIN!"
"Gate Card, set!" Alice's hand snapped out, throwing her card before Kyle could get a chance.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Hey, no need to be so aggressive, 'Malice'. I'd have let you throw first if you asked. Ladies first and all that, right?"
Alice didn't respond to the taunting. She just chose to launch in her own Bakugan. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Darkus Leonidas, rise!"
Leonidas quickly materialized, flying into the air and making a stance in midair, claws poised to slash savagely.
"And there's Leonidas", Kyle remarked. "Really, he's a strong Bakugan." He fished out a Subterra Bakugan, with different markings than his Fear Ripper. "You know, going into this tournament, I thought I could save this Bakugan for the Vexos. Can't always get what you want! Bakugan, brawl!"
The Bakugan shot down the pillar, landing on the ground, and popped open with an intense orange flash. From the glow, a colossal creature emerged.
He was a giant, bulked up humanoid Bakugan, with light brown skin and orange markings all over his body. The only clothing he wore was a white skirt, and brown armor on the wrists. Most distinctive was the single, yellow eye on his forehead, and the right hand holding a hammer made entirely of rock.
Beneath her mask, Alice's eyes bulged into her head. "That's-!"
"Subterra Cycloid!", Kyle and Alice shouted in unison.
Leonidas: 450
Cycloid: 400
For a brief moment, there was no cheering. Cycloid's arrival had assumed the populace into silence. Even the announcer couldn't get anything out; no commentary or anything.
Kyle's smirk widened more than ever at the stunned silence. "So, what do you think?"
And the crowd went crazy.
"No way, is that really Cycloid? From the Battle Brawler stories?"
"Looks a lot like it!"
"I guess the stories were based off real Bakugan, after all!"
"Go, Kyle! Go, Kyle!"
"I've never seen a tournament like this, folks!" The announcer was quite exuberant. "That's right, folks! That is Cycloid, just like in the stories. Although the stories themselves are just that, some of the Bakugan and their power are, clearly, quite real! So let's see what Cycloid can do!"
Alice bristled as she heard the Vestals disparage stories she knew to be true, and actively participated in. The urge to unmask and prove them all wrong, burst the bubble the royal family was desperate to maintain, was almost overwhelming - but no. Not yet. Not until the perfect moment had come.
And Alice came to another resolution. It was up to her and Leonidas to take back Cycloid. Victory wasn't enough; they had to free Alice's old acquaintance. The only problem was, of course, Cycloid was in the possession of a highly skilled Subterra battler.
Kyle, surprisingly, shook his head in annoyance at the crowd. "So that's what they say?", he murmured. "Whatever." He loaded a card straight into his gauntlet. "I'll show you guys what Cycloid can do! Ability Activate! Gigantic Hammer!"
Cycloid lifted up his right hand, carrying the rock hammer around with ease. He began a quick sprint for Leonidas, moving far faster than he'd look like he could run. And, when he got close enough, he swung the hammer at Leonidas.
Before Leonidas could believe it was happening, he had to move to dodge the swing. The hammer almost made contact with him, it was that fast. When it got the ground, the impact rocked the earth, leaving a sizable crater in the battlefield behind.
Leonidas: 450-200=250
Cycloid: 400+200=600
"What brute strength!", the announcer marveled. "That would've meant big damage if it hit Leonidas!"
Cycloid's eye stared down Leonidas with a menacing glare. Then, the cyclops lifted up his hand again, carrying the hammer so it would got Leonidas on its way up.
"Ability Activate!" Alice's gauntlet had been locked in the card, and began shining purple. "Doom Corruption!"
Dark energy started to form around the dark dragon, engulfing him in a fog of mist. His shape was still easily discernible, but his body was hidden away. Only his glowing eyes could be seen from the fog.
Leonidas's claws hand quickly moved to intercept Cycloid's hammer. Not only did the limb block the hammer that was gripped with Cycloid's strength. Leonidas actually caught it, forcing the Subterra Bakugan into a standoff with him.
Leonidas: 250+200+200=650
Cycloid: 600-200=400
Leonidas growled as he faced down Cycloid. 'It's frustrating that I can't talk to Alice during the fights, but she hasn't steered me wrong yet! Cycloid is going down!'
"Hey, nice move!", Kyle congratulated Alice, an ability card being nonchalantly placed in his gauntlet. "You forced Cycloid into close combat. I can deal! Ability Activate! Skeet Punch!"
Leonidas didn't even have time to react before Cycloid reacted. While his right hand was gripping the hammer, distracting Leonidas, his left hand closed into a fist and shot out at the dragon.
The fist smashed against Leonidas's face, making the dragon's eyes widened in pain. He let out a guttural growl and flew backwards, propelled by the hit.
Leonidas: 650
Cycloid: 400+400=800
Leonidas landed on the ground, not lasting down, but on a knee. He began to stand up, stumbling but still evading total collapse.
'Such fast reaction time', Alice thought to herself. 'It's clear that close quarters combat won't work. We'll have to switch to long range.' "Ability, Activate! Alpha Blaster!"
A bright sphere of light purple appeared in his mouth, gradually increasing in size with every moment. Once the orb reached the size of Leonidas's head, he aimed it at Cycloid without delay, and released it, sending it flying through the air.
"Swing and a-miss!" Kyle's taint was accompanied by his loading of another ability. "Ability Activate! Stealth Swing!"
Cycloid was quick to take hold of his hammer, with both hands. He lifted it behind his head, as if it were a bat to be swung.
In fact, that's exactly what happened. As soon as Leonidas's orb was close enough, Cycloid did swing his bat, perfectly striking the orb and sending it flying away.
Straight toward Leonidas, in fact.
Leonidas: 650-200=450
Cycloid: 800
'He's prepared for long range attacks, too?!' In retrospect, it made sense. No way Kyle wouldn't prepare for such a glaring weakness. But Alice had to act, lest Leonidas taste his own medicine. "Leonidas, move! Fusion Ability Activate! Beta Enhancement!"
Leonidas started glowing a faint purple hue, the color outlining his form. Eyeing his redirected orb, Leonidas spread his wings and leapt upwards, flying into the air. The orb sailed under him, not getting anywhere close to hitting him.
Leonidas: 450+200=650
Cycloid: 800-100=700
"Just look at these two!", the announcer finally resumed his comments. "Attack and counterattack after attack and counterattack! Neither one's missing a beat! Jury's out on who has the advantage!"
Leonidas snarled low. 'No way I'm losing to this berserker!' His purple hue intensified, and he charged Cycloid at full speed. He brandished his claws, ready to slash down the cyclops.
Cycloid took a step back, releasing his hold on his hammer and cupping his hands. When Leonidas crashed against him, Cycloid immediately got to work, catching Leonidas and stopping his momentum. His brute strength was perfectly utilized to trap Leonidas.
Alice held up her hand, about to signal her Gate Card to empower Leonidas, but she stopped herself from saying the words. 'No! He can subvert a Darkus Reactor with Magma Providence! But that means-!'
As Cycloid held Leonidas in place, the Subterra Bakugan offered his Darkus adversary a grin that looked all too self-satisfied. Leonidas's eyes widened. 'No way. Is he-?!'
"Ability Activate! Rocky Punch!"
Cycloid immediately closed his right hand into a fist, and shot out into Leonidas's gut. Leonidas was still forced in place by Cycloid's left hand, so he was forced to bear the full force of the punch.
Leonidas: 650-200=450
Cycloid: 700
Leonidas gagged, spittle forced out of his mouth. He wasn't even released from Cycloid's hold when he glowed purple and shrunk to ball form, dropping to Alice's feet. Cycloid immediately shrunk to his ball, and returned to Kyle's right hand in victory.
Alice: 50%
"Oh… my… GOODNESS!", the announcer exclaimed. "What a round of battling! A true clash of titans, but only one could stand at the top. And now, the advantage is Kyle's!"
"Leonidas, are you okay?", Alice asked.
"Fine", Leonidas barked. "But… I noticed something with Cycloid. He wasn't battling like a mindless animal. It's like he has his intelligence."
Alice thought over the round, how Cycloid caught Leonidas instead of taking him head on. How Cycloid timed his counters perfectly. And all without real direction from Kyle. "You're right. That'll make getting him back even more difficult."
"Wasn't that fun, 'Malice'?" Kyle's voice warned Alice's attention. "You did good. Not as well as I thought, really, but good."
Alice glared at Kyle. "I'm just getting started."
"That's what I'm talking about! Gate Card, set!"
Alice and Kyle locked glares, amused Vestal eyes clashing with masked human eyes. Both of them launched their Bakugan once again, to begin the second round. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!"
And within seconds, Leonidas and Cycloid rose up once again, facing down each other in attempted intimidation.
Leonidas: 450
Cycloid: 400
'We have to take the initiative. Can't give them a moment to breathe!' Alice locked two abilities inside her gauntlet. "Go, Leonidas! Double Ability Activate! Alpha Blaster-!"
Leonidas arched his back, letting out a feral roar for everyone to hear. Leonidas opened his mouth wide, his head locking onto the red and black dragon. A perfectly spherical orb of light purple energy formed within his mouth, only to be held off as the second ability was announced.
"Fusion Ability, Beta Enhancement!"
Leonidas started glowing a faint purple hue, the color outlining his form. Within moments, the energy transferred to his orb, intensifying the power and adding a darker purple color to the mix. The orb began to emit waves of Darkus energy, intense enough to chill the air around Leonidas.
Leonidas: 450+200+200=850
Cycloid: 400-100=300
Even from her perch, Alice could feel the full of Leonidas's intense orb. She wasn't bothered by it in the least. "Go, now!"
As soon as Alice gave the go-ahead, Leonidas stopped hosing onto the orb he'd charged up. In a single instant, the Darkus firebomb shot away from Leonidas, guided towards Cycloid at breakneck speeds.
"And Malice launches a devastating attack! She's clearly going for a quick win here! Can Kyle fend it off?"
"Sure, I can", Kyle said dismissively. He smirked wide, flashing his teeth, as he placed a single ability into the gauntlet compartment.
His nonchalance only served to further antagonize Alice and Leonidas; Alice was almost sure, at this point, that the effect was intentional.
"Ability Activate! Boom Hammer!"
Like how he handled almost everything in the previous round, Cycloid's reaction to the powerful Darkus orb was the same: swinging his hammer at it, one handed. The giant mass of rock smashed against the orb from above, die to an upward swing, and redirected the orb to strike the ground.
Leonidas: 850-400=450
Cycloid: 300+100=400
The orb's collision with the earth kicked up a cloud of dust, temporarily obscuring Cycloid's massive frame.
"What power! What skill! What a battle!"
The announcer's voice booked through the field, and Leonidas growled low. He was utterly sick of the mindless commentary. And the crowd's incessant cheering. It grated on his ears. He needed all of his focus for a battle like this, darnit!
Cycloid was, without a doubt, a strong adversary. Physical strength that eclipsed his own by miles, enough for him to shrug off anything Leonidas tried. The advantage was most certainly Cycloid's.
Suddenly, Cycloid was rushing out of the dust cloud, hammer left behind to gain greater speed. He growled fiercely as Kyle's voice rang out.
"Double Ability, Activate! Skeet Punch, plus Rocky Punch!"
Cycloid hefted both hands up, closing them into right fists. His arms locked into position to throw the punch. Leonidas barely had time to brace himself before the fists started flying.
The left fist came first, rocketing at Leonidas. The still dragon ducked the jab, the hand hovering dangerously close to him.
But Cycloid wasn't done. His left hand retracted, and his right hand flew out to the ducking Leonidas. And that one made contact.
"AAARRRGGHH!" Leonidas roared in pain as the fist collided with him. It was all he could do to catch his collapse with his hands. He stared up at Cycloid's eye with a hateful glare. 'Is he… stronger than me? Me?! Impossible. I won't lose to him!'
Leonidas: 450-200=250
Cycloid: 400+400=800
"Leonidas!", Alice yelled. Even in her distress, she analyzed the situation. 'That left punch was nothing but a feint. Kyle and Cycloid faked us out.' The only way for Cycloid to pull that off, though… 'There's no question. Cycloid's self aware. He's fighting of his own free will.'
Cycloid heaved his left fist again, ready to smash down on the downed Leonidas.
"This is it!", Kyle roared.
Suddenly, Leonidas's body erupted in a dark fog. The fog spread out against Cycloid, pushing him away as if it was solid.
The fog then began to condense, converging back on Leonidas. The dragonic Bakugan shot into the air, with his eyes glowing a bright enough purple to cut through the haze.
Leonidas: 250+200+200=650
Cycloid: 800-400=400
Alice hoisted her gauntlet, revealing Doom Corruption loaded and active. "You're not the only one who can nullify Double Abilities", she remarked.
Kyle shrugged. "Eh. Turnabout is fair play, I guess." He stopped his arm to the side. "Though I doubt you could take this! Gate Card Open! Subterra Reactor!"
With that, the Subterra rectangle revealed itself on the ground, preceding a brief earthquake as the geometry beneath the field was altered. Rock pillars erupted from the earth, giving Cycloid plenty of cover.
Within seconds, Cycloid has doubled back to his earlier position, and picked up his mace of stone. Turning back around, he gave Leonidas a downright leery grin.
Leonidas: 650
Cycloid: 400+400=800
Leonidas was breathing heavily, his mind weary from the fight. He had to resist his own battle instincts, which called for offensive charge. He knew better than to charge Cycloid like this; he'd already tried and failed that approach. Still, he bared his fangs and brandished his claws. 'No way am I losing. If Hydranoid could stomp this guy in his first stage of evolution… then I should be more than enough to trounce him!'
Fortunately, Alice was ready with her next card. "Ability Activate! Delta Twister!"
Leonidas's dark fog, which had begun to dissipate, suddenly reforged its strength, becoming more intense than it was before. The fog spread out, circulating around Leonidas and dressing the drafts with them, until a legitimate twister of dark energy emerged, strong as ever.
Leonidas: 650+200=850
Cycloid: 800-200=600
Dark winds tore away at the rock pillars, whittling them down to under half their original size. But Cycloid still stood there, unwavering as ever.
Kyle had to shift his stance slightly to ensure steady fitting in the twister; otherwise he was unaffected. "That all you got?! Ability Activate! Gigantic Hammer!"
Once again, Cycloid lifted up his hammer, ready to swing out once more. The mallet was held in Cycloid's right hand, to maximize the swing at some loss of control.
Cycloid began to charge against the dark twister, pressing on despite the wind resistance increasing with each step. He powered through without so much as slowing down.
Leonidas: 850-200=650
Cycloid: 600+200=800
"And once again, Cycloid is powering through all of Leonidas's efforts! It seems like Cycloid's brute strength has left Malice totally bewildered and out of viable options!"
"That's what they think", Alice thought. 'In truth, there is a weakness with their offensive… and we can exploit it without leaving ourselves vulnerable. The time is now!' She got her next ability locked and loaded.
Cycloid continued to press onwards, undeterred by the winds. They weren't powerful enough to force him back. The round was all but over…
And then, the tide turned. The winds didn't grow any stronger, but they became sharper. The erupted through all of the rock pillars, shredding the earth to nothing. And Cycloid was bearing the brunt of the assault. Suddenly, his advance ground to a halt.
Leonidas: 650
Cycloid: 400
"What just happened?!", the announcer demanded. "It looks like Malice had a trick up her sleeve! This battle's not over yet!"
Kyle had to cover up from the winds. "What's going on? How'd they drop our power so quickly?!"
"It's Dimension Four", Alice explained. "With it active, any Attribute Reactor is rendered useless. The one chink in your armor."
Kyle's eyes widened. "No!" He rushed to load in his next ability, but he was too late.
Caught up in the twister, so close to it, Cycloid couldn't take any more. He began to glow, then shrunk to ball form and fall to Kyle's feet.
Kyle: 50%
Leonidas then, finally, ceased fueling his twister. As it was reduced to nothing, Leonidas shrunk to ball form and flew across the field, straight into Alice's palm.
"And now they're even! It's quite literally 50-50 now! No way to know who's going to win now!"
Kyle was silent as he picked up Cycloid's ball in a smooth motion. He stood back up, eyes never leaving the literal mask of his opponent.
Alice smiled thinly. "Nice job", she whispered. "We caught him off guard that go-around. Let's finish this."
"Let's." With that agreement, Leonidas closed into his ball once more.
Reassured of her ability to win, Alice quickly drew a Gate Card. She only staked when Kyle called out to her.
"You proud of yourself, now?" His smirk has finally vanished as he began to see 'Malice' for what she was: an actual threat. "I'll admit it. You're good. A lot better than I thought. But you won't win this battle. I won't let you."
The sudden conviction in his tone stalled Alice's Gate Card deployment. Suddenly, she was extremely wary of this odd Vestal. "What are you talking about?"
Kyle glared. His nonchalant demeanor was greatly diminished. "There's a difference between you and me. You're here for personal glory, to make a name for yourself. It's the only logical conclusion, with all this drama you've made around yourself."
"And your goals?", Alice inquired.
"I'm fighting for a cause that you don't even understand", Kyle said. "I'm fighting for legions of others. You don't understand yet. But, once I win the tournament, I'll give my message. Then, you'll understand."
Kyle breathed deeply before finishing. "The difference between us is our conviction. You'll never match my conviction, because you don't even understand what you're fighting for, while I do. That's why you'll never beat me."
Realization dawned within Alice. Instantaneously, the dots connected themselves. Why Kyle opposed the Vexos so strongly. Why he was such a strong battler. Why Cycloid seemed to be battling of his own free will. He was. This speech finally put things into perspective.
A brief locked glance with Leonidas, then Hydranoid, and they all realized they were on the same page.
Kyle was aware of the truth regarding the Bakugan. He was fighting to disillusion the populace.
The irony was, Kyle was facing one of the few within Alpha City who did know the truth: Alice. And, for the sake of her plan, her ally in ideals had to go down.
"You understand him now, yes?", she murmured.
"I do", Leonidas agreed. "Still has to go down."
Alice nodded solemnly, a sinking pit in her stomach, as she threw the Card down. She had to beat Kyle, but she'd take no pleasure in doing so. Not anymore. The thrill of the fight was burned off by the realization that their conflict was because of a misunderstanding.
"Bakugan…", Alice began.
"... brawl!", Kyle finished. Both threw in b their Bakugan. "Bakugan, stand!"
And, once again, Cycloid and Leonidas rose for battle once more. The lean dragon and the massive cyclops in a final confrontation.
Leonidas: 450
Cycloid: 400
Kyle immediately loaded an ability inside his gauntlet, almost scowling while doing so. "Ability Activate! Skeet Punch!"
As Kyle called out the words, Cycloid jumped forward to attack Leonidas. His right hand gripped his mallet, and his left was made into a clenched fist.
Leonidas braced himself, preparing to dodge the inevitable attack, even as Cycloid got within range. When Cycloid's left hand flew at Leonidas, he was already moving to evade the punch. He managed to dodge with a successful sidestep.
Leonidas: 450
Cycloid: 400+400=800
A rush of wind blew past Leonidas; the result of Cycloid's punch. It was that strong. Leonidas was suddenly very glad he managed to dodge it.
Kyle's eyebrow twitched. "Don't let him do that, Cycloid! Keep punching until we get him!"
Imperceptible to all who were watching, except Leonidas, Cycloid actually nodded to the instructions. He pulled back his fist to try and hit Leonidas once more.
In reaction, Alice swung out her hand. "Now! Gate Card Open! Darkus Reactor!"
With that, a large mass of darkness rose from the earth, converging onto Leonidas. He became encased in the dark haze, which became even stronger as it drew strength from Leonidas, and the haze further empowered Leonidas in return.
Leonidas: 450+200=650
Cycloid: 800
Leonidas quickly ascended high into the air, reaching near the top of the dome. Cycloid dropped his fist, knowing he couldn't possibly land a hit with how high up Leonidas was.
Kyle sneered lowly. "That Gate Card wasn't meant to give Leonidas power; she knows I can subvert that. It was to give Leonidas enough speed to get way up in the air."
Alice then forced an ability inside her gauntlet. "Keep up the pressure! Ability Activate! Delta Twister!"
Leonidas began to spin, his rotation building up speed and momentum at a rapid pace. A similar dark fog from before built up around him, circulating around his body at an increasingly accelerating pace. He was quickly obscured by the dark power, which swirled like a dark hurricane.
Leonidas: 650+200=850
Cycloid: 800-200=600
"You think I'm scared!?" Kyle yelled out his protests, even as he pressed his next ability into his gauntlet. "Your Gate Card will be my shield! Ability Activate! Magma Providence!"
Cycloid quickly lit up a flash of orange energy, before the light traveled through his feet and into the ground. Then, the light spread out to encompass the entire field.
In an instant, the dark fog over the field dissipated, leaving a clear field behind, but only for a moment. Rock pillars rose up from the earth, highly resistant to Leonidas's dark winds.
Leonidas: 850-200=650
Cycloid: 600+200=800
Leonidas then completed his attack, his tornado sputtering out on its own. He glared straight at Cycloid, who eyed him with singular direction.
Alice and Kyle loaded one more ability each, activating them at the same exact time. "Ability Activate!"
"Rocky Punch!"
Cycloid went first, switching his hands so his left hand was holding the hammer. Free from the weight, the right hand closed into a fist and reared it back to punch.
"Oregano Revenge!"
Leonidas then went to action. He exhumed a small burst of dark energy that spread out to Cycloid within moments. The dark fog encircled Cycloid, sapping a small amount of power before returning to Leonidas. The dragon roared with increased power.
Leonidas: 650-200+100=550
Cycloid: 800-100=700
Leonidas's eyes all but glowed with his rage. 'Just go down, already!' He began a quick descent towards Cycloid, building up as much momentum as he could to try and match Cycloid's force.
Cycloid didn't even bother changing his strategy. As soon as Leonidas got in range, he just let his fist fly. The two forces collided head on, causing a shockwave to ring out from the two Bakugan.
Almost as soon as it began, though, the stalemate came to an end. Cycloid took a step forward, then pushed out with his engaged arm. Leonidas was forced away and back on the disadvantage. He dropped to a crouch, breathing heavily.
"Finish them off!", Kyle called, along with his next words. "Double Ability Activate! Gigantic Hammer, plus Boom Hammer!"
The two abilities both had the same motion. Able to do both at once, Cycloid merely gripped his hammer with both hands, his veins showing with how tightly he clenched it. He took a few steps forward, preparing to hammer down on Leonidas more powerfully than ever.
In the few moments before Cycloid could attack, Leonidas nearly collapsed. Whatever was left of his dark aura seemed to collapse in on itself and disappear, leaving Leonidas more vulnerable than ever.
Leonidas: 550-200-100=250
Cycloid: 700+200+100=1000
'He rebounded Oregano Revenge in on itself with that second ability. It nullified it!', Alice analyzed.
"What an inspired attack!" The announcer, it seemed, finally regained his voice. "After a stunning round of combat, Kyle pulls ahead of Malice by 750 points, just in two abilities! Can Malice counter this?!"
'Theoretically, I can.' Even as Alice thought it, her eyebrows lowered as she narrowed her eyes. 'I could nullify it easily enough. But Cycloid's raw strength would just shrug it off. Leonidas needs to cause a massive amount of damage to beat Cycloid. And, in this situation, there's only one way to do that.' She sucked in a breath. "No choice. Do it. Just do it!"
Kyle's eyes widened in alarm. She wasn't acting like someone who'd given up. "Cycloid, go!"
Too late. Alice loaded in her counter. "Triple Ability, Activate!"
Kyle's mouth opened in disbelief. "She's that crazy?"
"Did I hear that right!?" Even the announcer was flabbergasted.
"Alpha Blaster, Doom Corruption, plus Fusion Ability Beta Enhancement!"
Before anything else happened, Leonidas quickly charged up a clean orb of light purple energy, with a white core within his mouth. He fired it with the speed of a gun firing a bullet.
The orb got Cycloid right in the face; at such close range there wasn't any feasible way for Cycloid to dodge it. Still, he just growled in annoyance and continued his advance. That attack only bought Leonidas a second.
But a second was all Leonidas needed.
Out of nowhere, Leonidas became fully encased in a transparent, dark purple aura. He stood straight as all signs of weariness melted away. Waves of energy emitted from him as his power rose drastically. "RROOOAAAGGGHH!"
Leonidas: 250+200+300+200+200=1150
Cycloid: 1000-300-100=600
Leonidas felt the power, as intense as both Triple Abilities he'd tried to execute before. But this one was different. No, he was different. 'I don't know if it's the training, or if I built up a resistance after failing to do this twice….' He clenched a fist. 'But I can take it. I'm stronger now than I was before!' He let out another roar, proclaiming his power.
Alice made a fist with her left hand. 'He pulled it off!', she ecstatically thought.
"Un… unbelievable…." The announcer was awestruck. "You're seeing it here, folks. Malice and Leonidas seem to have successfully pulled off a Triple Ability!"
'Cycloid… you're not my equal, and you're not my better!' Leonidas clenched his whole body in anticipation. 'Now it's my turn to do the thrashing!' He launched himself forward, right at Cycloid.
Unafraid, Cycloid met Leonidas's charge the way he did before - head on. He extended his arms to catch Leonidas.
But Leonidas caught that. His claws gripped Cycloid by his arms, digging into the skin and refusing to let go. Cycloid tried to struggle his way out, but Leonidas held firm, his strength suddenly superior.
And then, Leonidas flew up, high into the air, and dragged Cycloid up with him. His tail knocked away the hammer, letting it fall to the ground.
Cycloid's body went limp once his feet left the ground. Without a way to fly, his physical strength meant nothing in the air. It was all he could do to flail his legs in protest, and that amounted to nothing. He couldn't offer any resistance.
At the top of the dome, Leonidas pulled Cycloid up so they were face to face. "You lose", he whispered to his Subterra adversary. Risk be darned, he'd let Cycloid know what he was in for. And, this high up, the voice wouldn't carry to the audience.
Cycloid's eye widened one last time.
And then, Leonidas began his attack. He didn't just drop Cycloid to the ground. He pulled Cycloid overhead and flung him downwards. With the added force of Leonidas's throw, Cycloid dropped and crashed even harder, and more painfully.
After that, Leonidas still wasn't done. He opened up and siphoned all of his aura inside his mouth, condensing it into a single orb, more intense than anything Leonidas had ever dished out before. And then, he fired it down at Cycloid.
The orb made contact, and exploded in a fantastic purple light show. The explosion rocked the whole arena, the battlefield most of all. And then, the purple energy gave way to a smoky haze. Cycloid was then visible.
But only for a moment, for he then shrunk down to ball form, succeeded right afterwards by Leonidas. And both Bakugan rocketed straight for Alice's hand.
Kyle reached out fruitlessly for his former Bakugan. "NO!" His cry held no cocky indifference, just pure desperation.
Alice caught both Bakugan in her left hand, frowning as she heard Kyle's cry. "I guess we were right", she murmured. "No one would react that badly to losing a toy. He knows."
"Game, set, and match!" The announcer was jubilant. "With a showing like that, no doubt in my mind. This victory has been earned. Give it up for your finalist, MALICE!"
The crowd went berserk after hearing that. The battle had been the most intense of the day, at least so far. And if Vestals liked anything, they liked intense battles.
"Go, Malice!"
"You rock!"
"Go beat Shadow and take the Darkus spot on the Vexos!"
"We're all rooting for you!"
"Malice! Malice! Malice!"
Soon, it seemed the whole crowd was chanting the alias. "MALICE! MALICE! MALICE!"
Alice frowned as she and Kyle left their stages to clear the field. She wasn't exactly glad at how the battle ended. Going that hard was the only way to reliably end the battle, and she was glad that Leonidas managed to pull off that Triple Ability. But taking Cycloid from Kyle wasn't something Alice wanted to do. But she had to advance, so she didn't hesitate.
At that point, her stage had sunk into the pillar enough that she couldn't be seen by the public. When that happened, she opened her hand to speak with Leonidas and Cycloid. "How are you, Leonidas? Was the Triple Ability too much?"
"I'm great." Leonidas had some actual glee in his voice. "What a rush…." After his moment of gloating, he turned to Cycloid, who was still in ball form. "Cycloid's out, though. Gave him quite a thrashing. Not surprised."
"We should let him recuperate, then." With that decision made, and the elevator near the bottom, Alice pocketed Cycloid and returned Leonidas to his hiding place.
As she left the platform elevator and walked down the corridor, she was slightly surprised to see Kyle walking toward her, down the opposite end of the same hallway.
Kyle fixed his gaze on Alice, and he sighed. His eyes showed only defeat. "We should talk."
Alice nodded. "I completely agree."
XXX
Beneath his own mask, Spectra's eyes were gleaming. He, Gus and Ace had all been watching the battle between Alice and Kyle with full interest.
Ace let out a sigh as the battlers exited the field. "For a second, I thought she might lose. That battle was pretty close."
"It's amazing", Spectra remarked. "Leonidas tried a Triple Ability against Helios, and it brought him to his knees all on its own. But here, he pulled it off nearly perfectly."
"Could Leonidas possibly be growing stronger that quickly?" It was Gus that said that.
Spectra chuckled. "No matter. Alice won the battle, and has thus earned her right to a Vexos challenge. That's all that really matters."
"It's time to proceed with our plan", Gus confirmed.
XXX
Alice and Kyle were, once again, in the waiting room. The only company they had were the Bakugan on their persons.
But their attitudes and the dispositions were entirely different from before. None of Kyle's confident veneer remained; all that was left was his forced calm. But Alice could see the panic in his eyes.
"What did you want to talk about?" Alice was curious.
"The Bakugan", came Kyle's quick answer. "You don't understand what you're-"
"I know they're intelligent." Alice's statement both cut Kyle off and shut him up. "That's your message, right?"
Kyle likely would've gasped, but he just got over much more shocking events. He nodded. "That's the gist of it. Had a few more details about myself, personally." He laughed bitterly at himself. "Lot of good that does me now."
Alice thought about what to do next for a moment, before reaching into her pocket. "Here." She placed Cycloid into Kyle's open hand.
Kyle stood there, open-mouthed and stunned. "Th-thank you. Why?"
Alkyd had an easy answer. "We're fighting for the same thing, and Cycloid chose to fight for you. Why not?"
"Thanks." Kyle regained a semblance of his grin, but it was less exaggerated and far more sincere. "Who are you, 'Malice'? Really?"
"Who are you?", Alice shot back.
Kyle nodded. "I guess you deserve to know." His shoulders slumped as he let down his guard. He fished out a portable hologram computer from his pocket, firing up a hologram of a still picture.
It took Alice a millisecond to see it was a picture of the Vexos. Spectra was most prominent among them. Mylene stood at his right, and Shadow Prove at her right. Lync and Volt were the leftmost and rightmost, respectively.
But there was a difference in the Vexos roster, in between Spectra and Lync. The Subterra specialist. It wasn't Gus. It was a lean figure, his entire body cloaked in a hooded dark brown cloak, over a black bodysuit. Only a single red Vestal eye could be seen.
Realization dawned in Alice. "It's you." She looked at Kyle in a new light. "You were on the Vexos. Gus took your spot."
Kyle nodded. "That's how I knew about the Bakugan."
That didn't exactly endear Kyle to Alice. "How much did you help the royal family in their New Vestroia campaign?"
"Not at all. Gus replaced me before we left for New Vestroia." Kyle looked down. "Still, I did a lot of things I'm not proud of. I wanted to leave, but leaving the Vexos amounted to treason to the royal family, and I couldn't survive that. So I had to wait until I was dismissed. Gus was good fortune. Once I left, I could build up my counter offensive." He spread out his hands. "This was it. And I failed."
Alice took a deep breath. "It's comforting to know that someone would've done something, even if I wasn't here." She turned to leave the room.
"Wait." Kyle reached out. "Please. Who are you?"
Alice smiled. "You'll find out at the Vexos challenge." She began to walk out of the room.
In the middle of her stride, Alice suddenly spotted. She felt a surge from the Dimension Controller in her pocket. "What-?!" That was all she could get out before the card activated, transporting her, unbidden, away from the area.
Kyle's alarm was immediate. "What the hell?! Malice! Where are you!?"
There was no answer. She was gone.
XXX
Alice reappeared in a dark corridor, wide enough for three people to stand aside by side, and very long both ahead and behind. The slight but sudden shift in air pressure told Alice she was in the air, meaning she was probably in a transport.
"Welcome, Alice." Spectra's voice came from behind Alice. "I hope you find my ship accommodating."
Alice turned and discarded her mask. She knew it was pointless here. "Spectra."
Spectra stood there, with Gus and Ace at his sides as always. "I thought it was time for another meeting."
"How'd you get me here?", Alice demanded.
"That transporter card of yours", Spectra explained. "We've been tracking its signature since you arrived in New Vestroia. You ever wonder how we kept finding you? And, of course, we could use that signal to force a teleporter to any location on New Vestroia."
Alice's gaze turned stony. "I only need a few moments to leave." Her hand fished out her card, which immediately began to glow once again.
Spectra smirked. "I only need a few moments."
Alice's concentration was disrupted by a sudden red haze in her vision. Curious despite herself, she altered her state to see what was at the end of the hall: a large portrait of Helios, trimmed with gold.
And the eye was glowing red.
Alice's thoughts began to dull, as did her card. It became harder and harder for her to actually think. She ground her teeth, but couldn't concentrate enough to get the card to react.
Spectra's smirk widened an iota. Alice had fallen into his trap. It was only a matter of time now.
XXX
I really can't apologize enough for being so late. Writer's block and procrastination, but that's no excuse. And I have no excuse. I just hope this was a good enough chapter.
Anyway, that's it! I hope you enjoyed! If you did, be sure to follow or favorite the story. If you want to say anything, feel free to leave a review or PM me. Before I go, responses:
Alice Gehabich: Well, that's spoilers, isn't it?
Tony Anderson: I'm remastering this "season" and the direct sequel. Nothing more.
Until next time, goodbye!
P.S. Atmos's Flash Echo ability, as well as all of Goblinball's featured abilities, belong to one Insane Dominator. You know him. I mentioned him. Thanks for that, man.