Chapter 8: Dark Power
Bakugan Battle Field…
"Gate Card Set!" Ryder and Masquerade shouted as they threw their respective gate cards.
"It's time, Hydranoid," Masquerade smirked.
"Excellent!" Hydranoid exclaimed as Masquerade loaded him into his launcher.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Hydranoid Stand!" Masquerade yelled as Hydranoid appeared on Masquerade's gate card.
"Darkus Hydranoid G power 650 Gs." The bakupod announced. Hydranoid roared as he slammed his tail onto the ground in anticipation of the upcoming battle.
"Come and face me, Leonidas!" Hydranoid demanded as he and Masquerade extruded negative energy.
"So this is Hydranoid, huh? I can see why Masquerade is the number one brawler in the world." Ryder commented as Leonidas floated next to him.
"I'm ready to take him!" Leonidas exclaimed.
"Let's hope we both are," Ryder replied as he grabbed onto Leonidas.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Leonidas Stand!" Ryder shouted as Leonidas appeared before Hydranoid.
"Darkus Leonidas G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"So you are the Leonidas I've heard so much about? I look forward to sending you to the Doom Dimension!" Hydranoid goaded.
"I don't plan on going back there, Hydranoid!" Leonidas stated.
"So he truly was born there." Masquerade thought.
Hydranoid and Leonidas charged at one another and collided, neither giving an inch to the other. However, over time Hydranoid overpowered Leonidas pushing his fellow Darkus Bakugan back. To avoid him, Leonidas flew up into the air.
"Gate Card Open! Hydranoid Clash!" Masquerade declared activating Hydranoid's character card.
"Darkus Hydranoid G power increase by 400 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power 1050 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Hydranoid proceeded to jump up and spin around to whip Leonidas out of the sky with his tail. The attack sent Leonidas to the ground as Hydranoid landed on top of him. With Leonidas pinned to the ground, Hydranoid attempted to bite him in the head.
"Double Ability Activate! Alpha Blaster and Darkus Twister!" Ryder countered.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by 450 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 1050 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Leonidas fired his beam right into Hydranoid's mouth, knocking his fellow Darkus Bakugan off of him. With Hydranoid no longer on top of Leonidas, Hydranoid flew into the air and spun around to form a twister and came down on Hydranoid.
"Not so tough now, are you!?" Leonidas goaded.
"Ability Activate Auragano Revenge!" Masquerade shouted as he threw the ability card out.
"Darkus Leonidas G power decrease by 100 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 950 Gs." The bakupod began.
"Darkus Hydranoid G power increase by 100 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 1150 Gs." The bakupod announced.
As Leonidas came down on Hydranoid, he was smacked to the ground with his tail. Hydranoid proceeded to bite on Leonidas's leg and spin around to throw Leonidas away. The Darkus Bakugan just managed to stop his momentum and took back up to the sky.
"What was that you said just a moment ago?" Hydranoid chuckled.
"The battle is not over!" Leonidas countered.
"I beg to differ," Masquerade smirked.
"What can you do to close the G power gap?" Masquerade questioned.
"You're doomed to return to the Doom Dimension!" Hydranoid declared as he jumped up at Leonidas.
Hydranoid latched onto Leonidas, biting down on his neck and wrapping his tail around Leonidas's leg. The added weight began to drag Leonidas down from the sky as Hydranoid kept biting down harder and harder.
"Leonidas!" Ryder called as the two Darkus Bakugan got closer and closer to the ground.
"I refuse to lose!" Leonidas roared as his power began to flare up.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by unspecified levels." The bakupod announced.
"So he can increase his power," Masquerade muttered.
"It won't help yo….!" Hydranoid began before the power increase silenced him
"Hydranoid!" Masquerade called until a crack formed on the left side of his mask.
Negative energy from him began to be absorbed by Leonidas as he powered up further. Masquerade clutched his mask as the energy continued to be absorbed by Leonidas, causing more cracks.
"No, what is this!? I thought I could have avoided it in battle, but it's still happening. Leonidas is absorbing all the negative energy in the area." Masquerade thought.
"If nothing is done, I may…I may lose control, and Alice will have full control forever!" Masquerade gritted.
"I'm not going down without a fight!" Masquerade shouted as dark energy surrounded his body, stopping Leonidas from absorbing any more of the energy.
At the same time, Hydranoid also extruded the same dark power stopping Leonidas's power up and creating a shockwave that separated the two. When they hit the ground, the two returned to ball form, falling at their partner's feet, ending the battle in a draw.
"What the hell was that?" Ryder questioned as he picked Leonidas up.
"I don't know. At first, it was much like other times I've powered up before, but as I did it, I felt more energy leak off Masquerade," Leonidas began.
"Then when both of them used that dark power, it felt…familiar in a sense. Like it was the basis of all Darkus power." Leonidas finished as he floated up to Ryder's level.
"The basis of Darkus power?" Ryder wondered as he looked in Masquerade's direction.
"That was too close," Masquerade murmured as he removed his hand from his damaged mask.
"Leonidas is strong. Stronger than I thought." Hydranoid stated.
"What was that power?" Masquerade inquired.
"It felt like the pure power of Darkus that lies within every Darkus Bakugan. There was once a tale that once a Bakugan master its innate power that it can master its element." Hydranoid explained.
"So you think that was what happens when you and I master Darkus power. Or, more specifically, the power of darkness?" Masquerade asked.
"In theory," Hydranoid answered.
"Until now, I never thought it was real," Hydranoid added.
"So there is a way to make you stronger before we evolve you then…perfect," Masquerade smirked.
"It stopped Leonidas from absorbing the negative energy in my body as well. Good, I don't plan on losing control to Alice." Masquerade thought.
"We're going to need to make sure the next time we battle them, we make full use of that power." Masquerade stated.
"Not going to worry about the how?" Hydranoid questioned.
"Darkus power just sounds like the power of darkness. Negative energy could be considered a type of darkness. " Masquerade responded.
"Yes, but only when it was beginning to be stripped away from you did we tap into it." Hydranoid reminded.
"Then we will need to experiment. Let this battle do just that." Masquerade stated as he loaded Fear Ripper.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Fear Ripper Stand!" Masquerade shouted as Fear Ripper appeared on Ryder's gate card.
"Darkus Fear Ripper G power 460 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Let's keep things safe from here on out," Ryder suggested as he took hold of Rattleoid.
"Hey Leonidas," Ryder called.
"Yes?" Leonidas replied.
"That pure Darkus power you talked about. Can we use it too?" Ryder asked.
"I don't know. Honestly, as I am not very old and have never been to Vestroia, I don't know how to tap into it or even that it existed." Leonidas responded.
"I see. Then we'll have to give this all we've got to make sure it won't help them." Ryder stated.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Rattleoid Stand!" Ryder yelled as Rattleoid appeared before Fear Ripper.
"Darkus Rattleoid G power 545 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Once Rattleoid appeared, it attacked, giving no time for Fear Ripper to respond as it spun around and whipped its fellow Darkus Bakugan with its tail. Fear Ripper was thrown away by the attack, and Rattleoid didn't let up as it slithered to Fear Ripper and wrapped it up.
"Gate Card Open! Darkus Reservoir." Ryder declared.
"Darkus Rattleoid G power increase by 80 Gs. Darkus Rattleoid G power 625 Gs." The bakupod announced. With its increased power, Rattleoid crushed Fear Ripper harder.
"Ability Card Activate! Darkus Mirror!" Masquerade countered.
"Darkus Rattleoid and Darkus Fear Ripper G power exchange. Darkus Rattleoid G power 460 Gs. Darkus Fear Ripper G power 625 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With the powers swapped, Fear Ripper tore Rattloid off of it and grabbed onto its tail. Fear Ripper lifted Rattleoid off the ground and threw it around. As it began to let go, a portal to the Doom Dimension opened, but before Fear Ripper could throw Rattloid in, Ryder retaliated.
"Double Ability Activate! The Shadow and Darkus Wave!" Ryder countered.
"Darkus Rattleoid G power increase by 170 Gs. Darkus Rattleoid G power 630 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Just as Fear Ripper let go of Rattleoid, the serpent-like Bakugan latched onto Fear Ripper's arm. Rattleoid got itself back to the ground and threw Fear Ripper into the air. As the portal to the Doom Dimension closed, Rattleoid caught Fear Ripper in its mouth and defeated it.
"Not bad." Masquerade complimented.
"But while you can beat cannon fodder, you'll never beat Hydranoid." Masquerade goaded.
"I will be the Ultimate Bakugan!" Hydranoid declared.
"The Ultimate Bakugan? You guys really have your sights held high." Ryder commented.
"But then again, since you are the number one brawler, it's not crazy to think you're going after such a goal," Ryder added.
"You and Leonidas will be a necessary stepping stone for my evolution." Hydranoid hissed.
"Bakugan can actually evolve?" Ryder wondered.
"I wouldn't expect an amateur who's only recently achieved success to know anything about it." Masquerade stated.
"True, but even though it's for the moment, I'm beating you remember." Ryder reminded.
"Plus, your mask looks like it needs to be replaced." Ryder pointed out as he held a gate card.
"Don't get cocky," Masquerade replied as he took out a gate card.
"Gate Card Set!" The Two shouted as they threw their gate cards onto the field.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Hydranoid Stand!" Masquerade yelled as he tossed Hydranoid onto his gate card.
"Darkus Hydranoid G power 650 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"He wants the battle on his terms," Ryder murmured.
"Do you have a plan?" Leonidas inquired.
"Not yet. I may just have to wing it." Ryder answered.
"Sounds exciting," Leonidas replied.
"We barely got out of the last battle with a draw. This will not be easy." Ryder murmured.
"Alright, let's do this, Leonidas." Ryder smiled.
"I'm ready!" Leonidas exclaimed as Ryder grabbed onto him.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Leonidas Stand!" Ryder shouted as he hurled Leonidas towards Hydranoid.
"Darkus Leonidas G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Ready to lose Leonidas?" Hydranoid questioned.
"I'm not losing today!" Leonidas responded.
"Let's see you say that when you are withering away in the Doom Dimension!" Hydranoid roared.
"Gate Card Open! Energy Merge!" Masquerade declared.
"Darkus Leonidas G power decrease by 100 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 500 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power increase by 100 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power 750 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"I'm not done yet," Masquerade smirked.
"Ability Card Activate Auragano Revenge," Masquerade added.
"Darkus Leonidas G power decrease by 100 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 400 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power increase by 100 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power 850 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Hydranoid ran towards Leonidas, ramming into his stomach. This attack sent Leonidas back and to the ground as the power difference was great. As Leonidas hit the ground, Hydranoid followed up his attack by slamming his tail on Leonidas's stomach.
"It is time you learned your place!" Hydranoid cackled as he continued to whip his tail on Leonidas.
"Double Ability Activate! Alpha Blaster and Darkus Twister!" Ryder countered.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by 450 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 850 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With the power balanced just as Hydranoid's tail was going to hit Leonidas's stomach, Leonidas grabbed his tail. Leonidas then took to the sky and spun in a twister while covering himself with his beam. The backlash of energy that came knocked Hydranoid around.
"My place is mine to decide!" Leonidas declared as he threw Hydranoid towards the ground. Hydranoid managed to land on his feet with an earth-shattering thud.
"Double Ability Activate! Darkus Nova and Hydranoid Buster!" Masquerade declared.
"Darkus Hydranoid G power increase by 450 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power 1300 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With new power found, Hydranoid fired a large beam straight at Leonidas, who flew out of the way to avoid the attack. Leonidas dove down and clawed at Hydranoid but was stopped when Hydranoid bit his arm and slammed him into the ground.
Roaring loud enough to shake the surrounding around, Leonidas got back up and began surging with power once more. His G power began to increase once more rapidly, allowing him to stop Hydranoid's next attack.
"That is growing annoying," Masquerade muttered as his mask began to crack again.
"Hydranoid, take him down before he gets too strong!" Masquerade ordered.
"With pleasure!" Hydranoid hissed as he charged at Leonidas.
Leonidas and Hydranoid clashed, holding one another in place before Leonidas lifted Hydranoid into the air. But before he could throw him, Hydranoid bit Leonidas in the neck, causing Leonidas to drop Hydranoid.
Once Hydranoid landed, he spun around to sweep Hydranoid off his legs with his tail. The dragon-like Bakugan hit the ground hard as Hydranoid pinned him there. Only it didn't last long as Leonidas's G power became matched with Hydranoid's allow Leonidas to free himself.
"Darkus Leonidas G power 1300 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"This isn't good Leonidas's power has capped! Without another G power boost, this is just going to end up in a draw." Ryder thought.
"How can we beat Hydranoid?" Ryder wondered as he noticed Masquerade's mask crack once more.
"Something wrong, Masquerade? Because you don't look so good." Ryder asked.
"It's nothing." Masquerade stated.
"Why isn't it working? Why won't the power come back!?" Masquerade questioned.
"I cannot and will not allow myself to be extinguished like this!" Masquerade thought as a spark of dark energy emerged. Masquerade noticed this but just as fast did it appear, did it disappear.
"Could the key be anger? Or is it more?" Masquerade wondered.
"To win and complete my goal, I will do whatever I can!" Masquerade determined.
Masquerade looked within himself and went past the negative energy that birthed him and Alice, who was asleep within their body. Eventually, a spark of dark power came, then another before his entire body emanated it.
His mask stopped deteriorating as the energy sprouted on Hydranoid as well, pushing Leonidas backward. As Hydranoid attacked Leonidas, a card formed in Masquerade's hand, one that would change the battle entirely.
"Fusion Ability Activate! Chaos of the Darkness!" Masquerade declared.
"Fusion Ability?" Ryder questioned.
"Darkus Hydranoid G power 400 Gs. Darkus Hydranoid G power 1700 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With the sudden newfound power, Hydranoid assaulted Leonidas to no end. Leonidas struggled against Hydranoid's power, but he was unable to fight back. His power refused to go up, and he was quickly losing ground.
"Darkus Leonidas G power drop detected." The bakupod announced as Leonidas was continued to be hit by Hydranoid.
"This power is just what I needed!" Hydranoid exclaimed as he continued to attack Leonidas.
Now not only with a large G power gap, Leonidas's G power slowly fell, increasing that gap. It would only be a little while longer before Leonidas is defeated. Behind the dragon-like Bakugan, a portal to the Doom Dimension opened.
"NOW BEGONE AND FOREVER ROT IN THE DOOM DIMENSION!" Hydranoid roared as he shoved Leonidas towards the portal.
"I WILL NOT RETURN THERE!" Leonidas cried as he grabbed onto the edges of the portal and stopped himself from falling it.
Even as the portal was sucking him in, Leonidas resisted and began to pull out of the portal. The doom card allowed Leonidas to escape the Doom Dimension, and the Darkus Bakugan was not going to let it take him back.
"Impossible!" Masquerade shouted as he watched Leonidas pull himself out of the portal slowly.
"Hydranoid!" Masquerade yelled.
"On it!" Hydranoid replied as he charged in and pushed Leonidas back.
"Leonidas!" Ryder cried.
At that moment, Ryder felt despair. It was something he had not felt in a while, and it sparked a dark mass of energy in him and Leonidas. Much like with Masquerade, dark energy enveloped them both for anger and rage wasn't the only emotion attached to darkness.
But there's were incomplete as Ryder didn't know what to do with it. All it did was allow Leonidas to repel Hydranoid and break free from the portal. In that instant, the energy disappeared not only from Ryder and Leonidas but from Masquerade too.
"What?!" Masquerade questioned as his mask began to crack once more. Eventually, it got to the point where one of the sides broke off, revealing Alice's hazel eye.
"No!" Masquerade cried.
"Hydranoid, we have to go!" Masquerade called as he recalled the doom card as ended the battle prematurely.
"This isn't the end. Next time we meet, I'll finish the job." Masquerade stated as he grabbed onto Hydranoid.
"Wait, what about Alice!?" Ryder questioned as Masquerade disappeared. But as he did, Ryder saw his eye beneath his broken mask. It looked familiar, but Ryder couldn't tell why.
"What the hell was that?" Ryder wondered as Leonidas floated next to him.
"How are you doing, Leonidas?" Ryder asked.
"I'm fine, but it was too close. We must get stronger!" Leonidas responded.
"True, but first, we need to find out where Masquerade took Alice," Ryder replied, reminding Leonidas of their missing friend.
"Where should we start?" Leonidas inquired.
"Let's go around the park and expand from there. Hopefully, he didn't take her far!" Ryder answered as he ran off to find Alice.
He looked around for over an hour, asking anyone he could find if they saw Alice anywhere. Every time he came up empty, his heart beat faster and faster with concern. Ryder didn't know why but he was scared that Alice wasn't there.
Sure they were friends, but it felt worse knowing that Masquerade had her. He could only hope that She was safe. Eventually, he came to the end of Central Park exhausted after he had run around everywhere.
Masquerade's Mansion…
Masquerade went to the supercomputer that calculated the powers of all the Bakugan and Brawlers in the world. He opened the secret chamber that held the Silent Orb, replenishing the negative energy Leonidas had taken.
He knew it was a probability of happening during the battle but not to that degree. But now, he knew there was a way to stop it. The pure Darkus power that resulted in the fusion ability Masquerade needed to master it. If he did, Leonidas would not be a problem.
"We almost had it!" Hydranoid hissed.
"I couldn't risk it, Hydranoid. If that continued, I may have lost control." Masquerade replied.
"Whatever," Hydranoid murmured.
"But that power we had back there. It was interesting." Masquerade smirked.
"True, the fusion ability that came as a result of the Darkus power was very helpful." Hydranoid agreed.
"We must master the power if we hope to beat Leonidas next time and truly make you the Ultimate Bakugan." Masquerade stated.
"But don't forget the boy and Leonidas both tapped into the power just before you ended the battle." Hydranoid reminded.
"True, but after watching him through Alice's eyes, I don't think he'll be able to master it any time soon." Masquerade smiled.
"Speaking of Alice, shouldn't you return to the boy?" Hydranoid asked.
"No. He's made Alice stronger, and I can't afford it to continue until we master this power." Masquerade replied.
"Thinking about it, the Battle Brawlers will go looking for Ryder after news of our battle breaks out," Masquerade added.
"I don't want them there and finding out about this power, so I'm going to have them intercepted," Masquerade stated as he sent messages to his subordinates, then he disappeared.
Central Park…
"She's nowhere in Central Park! Where could she be?" Ryder questioned as he fell to his knees in exhaustion.
He had been searching for almost two hours and covered all of Central Park. Ryder knew that he could look around the city near, but the entire would be too much for the day. After all, he did have to get home when it was dark.
"For all, I know Alice may not be in New York anymore. Whatever trick Masquerade uses to get around, he could have taken her far away." Ryder realized.
"Ryder, you should rest before you collapse," Leonidas suggested.
"I can't, Leo. Alice is missing, and I…I just can't stop until I know she's okay. She's my friend, and I failed to keep her safe." Ryder replied as he began hyperventilating.
"I can feel your fear and panic, Ryder, but you need to calm down," Leonidas advised.
"I know, but…I can't forgive myself unless I find her," Ryder stated.
"Then let us keep searching but take it a bit slower," Leonidas suggested.
"Okay." Ryder agreed as he slowly got up and continued on while catching his breath.
Wardington…
"What?!" Runo and Marucho gasped.
"Ryder and Masquerade battled? What happened?!" Runo questioned.
"It says it ended as a draw as the battle was stopped before it could finish," Julie answered.
"He battled Masquerade to a standstill? Who knew he had it in him." Marucho gasped.
"But how did he do it?" Runo wondered.
"Maybe we should ask him," Tigrerra suggested.
"Right, let's call him!" Julie agreed.
"On it," Runo replied as she attempted to add Ryder to the call, but it didn't go through.
"I don't think he's online yet," Runo stated.
"Do you think something bad happened to him?" Julie asked.
"That depends on who stopped the battle," Marucho stated.
"What if it was Marduk! Maybe he went after Masquerade and interrupted the battle." Julie suggested.
"That could be, but then again, he would get the chance if he competes in the tournament." Gorem pointed out.
"True, but he could be impatient and went there anyway." Tigrerra proposed.
"While that is a possibility, it doesn't explain how he got from here to New York in such a short time. We know Masquerade has some sort of transportation, but not Marduk." Marucho stated.
"What if Marduk works with Masquerade," Runo suggested.
"He's not working with Masquerade. When he challenged Shun and I, he specifically stated as such. However, it may not be impossible that he could travel there." Skyress explained.
"So he's not working with Masquerade then. If he is there, then maybe it is to battle Masquerade." Marucho murmured.
"I'm going to look up Marduk's battle history and see if they have battled before," Marucho added as he typed away on his computer.
"I can't believe it!" Marucho gasped.
"What is it, Marucho?" Runo inquired.
"It says here that Marduk already battled against Masquerade three times! The first two he lost but the last one ended just like Ryder's battle," Marucho explained.
"And in the last battle, he had Vladitor," Marucho added.
"So maybe he's been battling others to get stronger and take on Masquerade again." Julie theorized.
"That could be a possibility." Runo agreed as Marucho kept researching Marduk's battle history.
"I believe there may be another reason Marduk may be there if he was the reason for the battle to end prematurely," Marucho stated.
"What is it, Marucho?" Preyas asked as he hopped onto the laptop.
"Are you kidding!?" Preyas questioned as he fell down.
"What is it already?!" Runo asked, getting impatient.
"It seems that our new friend Ryder already knows Marduk," Marucho answered as he displayed the information he had just found to Runo and Julie.
"Ryder beat Marduk?!" Julie gasped.
"Wait, but in the Bakugan listed in the battle, there isn't Vladitor." Runo pointed out.
"Exactly if you remember when we first met, Ryder explained that he first battle with Leonidas against another Darkus User who used the Doom Card." Marucho began.
"I believe this is the battle he spoke off." Marucho finished.
"But didn't he say that brawler disappeared?" Julie asked.
"True, which means Marduk may want revenge on both Masquerade and Ryder. We don't know exactly what Masquerade did to Marduk after Ryder beat him, but I think it's safe to assume that is when he met Vladitor." Marucho theorized.
"Vladitor was banished to the Doom Dimension that could mean that Masquerade cast Marduk there as well, and the two broke out together." Skyress hypothesized.
"That would explain how Marduk met Vladitor," Marucho murmured.
"So if Marduk is there, he could be after either Masquerade or Ryder. It's impossible to tell." Drago stated.
"Either way, it spells trouble for Ryder and Alice." Runo pointed out.
"We should head over just in case. It'll take three hours in the ship." Marucho suggested.
"It's still surprising how fast it is." Runo laughed.
"There won't be any time to get me will there?" Julie asked.
"Sorry, Julie, but we need to get there as fast as we can so that we can help. We may miss the battle, but we can see if we can help with the aftermath." Marucho explained.
"We may just learn some things from this too, so let's go!" Runo exclaimed.
"We'll have the doctors stay with Dan and Shun while we're gone," Marucho assured.
"Then we'll stay here. Best of luck." Drago replied.
Runo and Marucho, with Tigrerra and Preyas in tow, ran towards Marucho's ship. They ran up the stairs and arrived at the roof only to see they were cut off. Komba and Klaus stood between them and the ship launchers at the ready.
"What are you two doing here?" Runo questioned.
"Masquerade told us to stop you from leaving Wardington. I don't know what he's got planned, but he doesn't want you going anywhere." Komba answered.
"So if you wish to leave, then you must defeat us first," Klaus stated.
"We don't have time for this!" Runo shouted.
"We don't have a choice Runo. They won't get out of the way unless we battle them." Marucho replied as he handed her a launcher.
"Fine, let's make this quick!" Runo murmured as she took out a field card.
"Okay, we'll beat you nice and quick if you want it to be over quickly." Komba goaded, causing Runo to growl in annoyance.
"It seems like Masquerade plans many things ahead." Marucho sighed as he took out a field card.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Klaus asked as he and Komba took out their field cards.
"Field Open!" The Four shouted as time slowed to a stop.
"Doom Card Set." Komba and Klaus stated as they dropped their doom cards onto the field.
"Gate Card Set!" They added as they threw their respective gate cards onto the field.
"Ladies first!" Runo declared as she took a Bakugan from her belt.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Tuskor Stand!" Runo yelled as she launched Tuskor onto her gate card.
"Haos Tuskor G power 520 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"I'll take her on!" Komba laughed.
"Fine, be my guest," Klaus replied.
"Bakugan Brawl! Ventus Griffon Stand!" Komba shouted as he launched Griffon onto Runo's gate card.
"Ventus Griffon G power 540 Gs." The bakupod announced. Griffon took to the air to avoid Tuskor as the Haos Bakugan attempted to tackle it.
"Gate Card Open! Haos Trigger!" Runo declared as her gate card activated.
"Haos Tuskor G power increase by 100 Gs. Haos Tuskor G power 620 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Tuskor raised its trunk and swung at Griffon as the Ventus Bakugan flew around to stay away from the Haos Bakugan's trunk. It didn't last long, however, as Tuskor grabbed onto Griffon's leg and took it to the ground.
"Ability Card Activate! Storm Breaker!" Komba countered as he tossed the ability card on Runo's gate card, negating it.
"Haos Tuskor G power decrease by 100 Gs. Haos Tuskor G power 520 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Acting quickly, Griffon knocked Tuskor off its feet and tackled it on the ground. It proceeded to bite down on Tuskor's neck as the Haos Bakugan thrashed around in a futile attempt to get Griffon off of it.
"Ability Activate! Lightning Shield!" Runo shouted as she pulled out her ability card.
"Sorry, that's not happening! Ability Card Activate! Ability Counter!" Komba snickered as he canceled out Runo's ability card.
"You've got to be faster on the draw if you want to win." Komba laughed as Griffon finished Tuskor off, sending it to the doom dimension.
"Why, you little…!" Runo seethed in anger.
"Calm down, Runo. We need to keep a cool head if we want to win this." Marucho pleaded.
"I am very calm," Runo murmured as she swallowed her anger to focus.
"Uh, are you sure about that?" Preyas questioned as Runo glared at him.
"Sorry!" Preyas cried as he coward from Runo.
"It's my turn now," Marucho stated.
"Bakugan Brawl! Aquos Saurus Stand!" Marucho shouted as his Bakugan landed on Komba's gate card.
"Aquos Saurus G power 500 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Trying to avoid a battle? It won't help you." Klaus commented as he loaded his launcher.
"Bakugan Brawl! Aquos Siege Stand!" Klaus yelled as he launched Siege onto the same gate card as Saurus.
"Aquos Siege G power 485 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Ability Card Activate! Aquos Rip Tide!" Klaus declared. Suddenly a giant pool of water appeared under the two Aquos Bakugan, dragging both of them off Komba's gate card onto Klaus's.
"Oh no!" Marucho gasped.
"Gate Card Open! Trade-Off!" Klaus stated, defeating Saurus immediately sending it to the doom dimension.
"Saurus, no!" Marucho cried.
"Half thought out strategies like that will get you nowhere." Klaus scoffed.
"He's right. We can't rush this battle." Marucho sighed.
"Then what do you suggest we do we don't have time?" Runo questioned.
"First, I think your forgetting time is frozen during a battle, but I get that you're in a hurry. Secondly, we must not rush this battle." Marucho responded.
"Fine then," Runo replied as she took out a gate card.
"Gate Card Set!" Runo shouted before loading a Bakugan into her launcher.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Mantris Stand!" Runo added as she launched Mantris onto her gate card.
"Haos Mantris G power 505 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"My turn! Bakugan Brawl! Ventus Monarus Stand!" Komba yelled as he launched Monarus onto Runo's gate card.
"Ventus Monarus G power 530 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Gate Card Open! Grand Spirit!" Runo declared.
"Currently 3 Gate Cards on the field. Haos Mantris G power increase by 150 Gs. Haos Mantris G power 655 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Mantris sliced at Monarus with its bladed arms, narrowly missing the Ventus Bakugan as it flew around it. In response to this, Mantris attacked faster and faster in order to catch Monarus, and slowly but surely, it began to work as it was one swing away from victory.
"Ability Card Activate! Ventus Whirlwind!" Komba countered.
"Ventus Monarus G power increase by 100 Gs. Ventus Monarus G power 630 Gs. Haos Mantris G power decrease by 100 Gs. Haos Mantris G power 555 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With the G power now in its favor, Monarus blocked Mantris's attack and proceeded to throw it into the sky. Monarus took off and darted right towards Mantris, hitting it in the stomach before flying off to hit it again, and again, and again, and so forth.
"Ability Card Activate! Haos Flash!" Runo declared as she tossed the ability card towards Mantris.
"Haos Mantris G power increase by 100 Gs. Haos Mantris G power 655 Gs." The bakupod announced.
As Monarus came in for another attack, Mantris got its barrings and sliced at Monarus's face defeating the Ventus Bakugan. With the battle over, Runo caught her Mantris as Komba picked up his Monarus from the ground.
"Not bad, but the battles only started," Komba smirked.
"Says the one who boasted when he won a single battle." Runo pointed out.
"That's different!" Komba argued.
"In what way!" Runo shouted before they entered a yelling match.
"How long do you think they're going to yell at one another?" Preyas asked.
"Probably until someone interrupts them," Tigrerra answered.
"Enough!" Klaus yelled, stopping the match.
"Like that," Tigrerra commented.
"We are still in a middle of a battle, mind you." Klaus reminded.
"Right, so let's continue." Marucho agreed as he grabbed onto Preyas.
"Wait! Why am I going to battle now?" Preyas questioned as Marucho loaded Preyas.
"Bakugan Brawl! Aquos Preyas Stand!" Marucho shouted as he launched Preyas onto his gate card.
"Aquos Preyas G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Oh, come on, this is too soon!" Preyas complained.
"Come on, Preyas, we've got this!" Marucho encouraged.
"Aquos Preyas. I'm going to have to go all out here." Klaus murmured.
"Are you ready, Sirenoid?" Klaus asked.
"Always ready," Sirenoid answered as Klaus loaded her into his launcher.
"Bakugan Brawl! Aquos Sirenoid Stand!" Klaus yelled as he launched Sirenoid onto Marucho's gate card.
"Aquos Sirenoid G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Gate Card Open! Quartet Battle!" Marucho declared.
"Let's do this, Tigrerra," Runo smirked.
"Let us show them who's boss!" Tigrerra replied as Runo loaded her.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Tigrerra Stand!" Runo shouted as she launched Tigrerra onto Marucho's gate card.
"Haos Tigrerra G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Guess that's our cue." Komba pointed out.
"Let me at them!" Harpus insisted.
"With pleasure," Komba replied as he loaded Harpus and launched her onto Marucho's gate card.
"Ventus Harpus G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Combined G power of both teams 1200 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Alright Preyas let's start with a little attribute change!" Marucho smiled.
"Let's do it! Attribute change, Darkus!" Preyas declared as he changed from Aquos to Darkus.
"Ability Card Activate! Darkus and Haos Co Side!" Marucho shouted.
"Combined G power of Darkus Preyas and Haos Tigrerra increase by 200 Gs. Combined G power 1400 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Alright, let's show them whose boss!" Preyas boasted.
"With pleasure!" Tigrerra roared as the two charged at Sirenoid and Harpus.
Tigrerra jumped at Sirenoid, who sank down into the ground to avoid the attack before coming up behind her. However, before Sirenoid could attack, Tigrerra whipped her with her tail knocking her aside.
Meanwhile, Preyas jumped as Harpus who flew higher to avoid Preyas's grasp. But Preyas flipped over and knocked Harpus towards the ground with his tail. As Harpus hit the ground, Preyas dropped from the sky and landed on her stomach.
"I'm not going to lose here!" Komba stated as he pulled out an ability card.
"Ability Card Activate! Feather Storm!" Komba declared.
"Ventus Harpus G power increase by 200 Gs. Ventus Harpus G power 800 Gs. Combined G power 1400 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Get your ugly scales off of me!" Harpus shouted as she knocked Preyas off of her. She then flew up and kicked him in the head before diving down and bombarding him.
"We're not done yet. Ability Card Activate! Rapid River!" Klaus shouted as he loaded a new Bakugan.
"Bakugan Brawl! Aquos Terrorclaw Stand!" Klaus added as he launched a new Bakugan onto the gate card.
"Aquos Terrorclaw G power 515 Gs. Combined G power 1915 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With her new ally, Sirenoid played a tune on her harp that disorientated Tigrerra's senses as Terrorclaw went in for the attack. Both Tigrerra and Preyas were now on the defensive as they were pushed back further and further.
"Hang in there, Preyas!" Marucho called.
"Ability Activate! Darkus Submerge!" Marucho shouted.
"Darkus Preyas G power increase by 200 Gs. Combined G power 1600 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Now it's my turn!" Runo declared.
"Ability Card Activate! Rapid Haos!" Runo yelled as she loaded Mantris.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Mantris Stand!" Runo added as she launched Mantris onto the gate card.
"Haos Mantris G power 505 Gs. Combined G power 2105 Gs." The bakupod announced.
The G power once again back in their favor Tigrerra, Mantris, and Preyas fought back once more. Tigrerra headbutted Terrorclaw away as Mantris attacked it before charging at Sirenoid. Sirenoid blocked with her harp as Tigrerra bit at her.
Preyas grabbed onto Harpus before tossing her aside. Now free from her bombardment, he ran towards Harpus and jumped and ax kicked Harpus in the back. He then grabbed her leg and picked her up, and slammed her back into the ground.
"No No No!" Komba denied.
"I'm not losing here!" Komba stated as he pulled out another ability card.
"Ability Card Activate! Rapid Storm!" Komba declared as he loaded another Bakugan.
"Bakugan Brawl! Ventus Griffon Stand!" Komba shouted as he launched Griffon.
"Ventus Griffon G power 540 Gs. Combined G power 2455 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Just as Griffon entered the battle, it tackled Preyas to the ground as Harpus clawed at him in the sky. While this happened, Terrorclaw got up and knocked Mantris away before attacking Tigrerra in the back, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Ability Card Activate! Water Refrain!" Marucho countered, negating Komba's ability card, sending Griffon back to Komba.
"No way!" Komba denied as he caught Griffon.
"Combined G power decreased by 540 Gs. Combined G power 1915 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Preyas hopped up and kicked Harpus in the chin before getting onto his feet and punching her in the gut. Tigrerra then got to her feet and bit into one of Terrorclaw's arms before swinging it into Sirenoid.
"It's going to take more than that to take us down!" Tigrerra roared.
"Yeah, we'll kick your butt no problem!" Preyas agreed.
"How are we losing!? We're some of the best brawlers in the world?!" Komba questioned as he began to tremble with anger.
"Calm down, don't let yourself lose to anger," Klaus advised.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Komba shouted as he began to radiate negative energy. As soon as he did, Harpus began to radiate it as well.
"What's happening?" Runo questioned.
"Uh…I've got a bad feeling about this!" Preyas stuttered.
"Ventus Harpus G power increase by unmeasurable levels." The bakupod announced.
"This is the effect of the Silent Orb. It is feeding on his negative emotions." Klaus stated.
"Oh well." Klaus sighed as he gave a nod to Sirenoid.
Preyas attempted to jump at Harpus, but due to the negative energy, she moved erratically as her eyes turn deep red. Tigrerra attempted to help Preyas, but she too was unable to touch Harpus. As this happened, Sirenoid began to play on her harp once more.
She created a large wave of water, picking up Tigrerra, Mantris, and Preyas. Sirenoid created a waterspout carrying the Bakugan into the sky. But as she did, she also picked up Terrorclaw and Harpus in the wave.
Using this as his chance, Preyas being naturally an Aquos he dove down and attacked Sirenoid and knocked Sirenoid through the waterspout and off the gate card. This caused the waterspout to dissipate and the rest of the Bakugan to fall down.
Tigrerra and Mantris landed on their feet, but Harpus and Terroclaw hit the ground hard and were beaten along with Sirenoid. The three Bakugan landed on their owner's feet before Komba collapsed due to the overload of negative energy.
"It seems the negative energy didn't agree with him." Klaus sighed.
"We lost this battle," Klaus stated as he closed the battlefield returning to the normal world.
"You're probably too late anyway," Klaus said as he picked up Komba, and the two disappeared in a flash of light.
"What who said you can just quit and leave!?" Runo questioned.
"Weren't you the one complaining about battling in the first place?" Marucho pointed out.
"Whatever," Runo murmured.
"That last move was odd, though," Marucho replied as he noticed something on the ground.
He walked over to where Klaus was standing and picked up a flash drive that seemed to be left by Klaus. Before he could question what it was and why Klaus left it, Runo dragged him to the ship, and they began their journey to New York.
New York…
Ryder laid on his back on a bench in Central Park as he stared at the sky as the sun set over the horizon. He was exhausted and had looked all over around the park to find Alice but had no luck. No doubt Masquerade still had her somewhere, and he had no way to get to her.
"What do I do now?" Ryder questioned.
"I know it may be hard, but you should probably go home and rest so that you can resume tomorrow," Leonidas suggested.
"I know but…I just…." Ryder stuttered.
He just didn't know what to do. Ryder wanted to keep looking, but he didn't know where to look. He wanted to get Alice back, but he had no plan on how to do so. If he didn't do something, he didn't know if he could ever face the Battle Brawlers.
"Ryder. I can feel what you feel, and I know you're scared. But maybe you should contact the Battle Brawlers. They may be able to help." Leonidas suggested.
"I don't know if I could even face them about this." Ryder expressed.
"You may not have a say in the matter," Leonidas replied as the sound of a large ship came from overhead.
Ryder looked up and saw the same ship the Battle Brawlers had used to come to New York to meet with him the first time. It landed not too far from where they were, and Ryder knew he had to go there.
"Ah crap." Ryder sighed as he reluctantly walked over to where they had landed.
As he walked over, he decided to check his phone or, more specifically, the Bakugan website and noticed that he was getting a call. No doubt it was from them, but he didn't answer, instead opting to message that he was just outside.
"Oh good, it seems that you are alright," Marucho smirked as he and Runo exited the ship.
"We saw you battled Masquerade and came to see what happened," Runo explained.
"Yeah…about that…." Ryder sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. He explained everything that had happened, from the bounty hunters to Masquerade taking Alice and them battling.
"YOU LOST ALICE!" Runo shouted as she grabbed Ryder's collar.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how it happened. She was there one moment and gone the next. Before we could even finish the battle, he left." Ryder apologized.
"It had to be connected to his mask cracking, as you explained," Marucho murmured.
"Yeah, he seemed really concerned about that to the point he had to leave." Ryder agreed.
"But didn't you say he became immune due to the dark energy?" Runo asked.
"Yeah, but I don't think he could control it," Ryder responded as Runo let go of him.
"The new ability he demonstrated is concerning, though. This fusion ability seems powerful." Marucho pointed out.
"It was enough to almost send Leonidas to the Doom Dimension. If it wasn't for us also using the energy, he just might have done it." Ryder replied.
"How did you do that anyway?" Runo inquired.
"Honestly, I don't know. I just felt desperate and scared that I would lose Leonidas. I guess it was…despair, to put it simply." Ryder explained.
"So feeling despair brought out the same power Masquerade had? And it wasn't negative energy?" Runo questioned.
"I think so because other times when Leonidas powered up, it felt different than what happened there," Ryder answered.
"I have a theory. When we first met you and Leonidas, all of our Bakugan agreed that they felt Leonidas extruded negative energy." Marucho began.
"That must be how he increased his power all these other times, like during Ryder and Dan's battle and the battle between Chan Lee and Julio." Marucho continued.
"Tell me, after fighting Bakugan that were empowered by the Silent Orb, did Leonidas ever feel different?" Marucho asked.
"Yeah, he did say that," Ryder replied as he looked over at Leonidas.
"I've realized that when I defeat a Bakugan that has negative energy, I feel like I gain something more than usual from it compared to other Bakugan." Leonidas began.
"During the battle, it felt like I was taking something from Masquerade, But I couldn't say what." Leonidas finished.
"I think you may have the ability to absorb negative energy. It would explain why you feel more gain from a battle with Bakugan tainted by negative energy than normal Bakugan." Marucho theorized.
"But why was Masquerade affected so much by it?" Ryder questioned.
"I think it's because he's been exposed to negative energy for much longer, and therefore he has more to take. But with the dark energy, it protected him from Leonidas." Marucho answered.
"That still doesn't explain what this new energy is." Runo pointed out.
"It sounds similar to the energy Skyress told us she and Shun encountered during their battle with Marduk," Marucho replied.
"Shun battled Marduk?" Ryder questioned.
"That was the other reason we came," Preyas exclaimed.
"That's right, we thought Marduk might come here to battle against you or Masquerade," Marucho added.
"Sorry, I haven't seen Marduk since he disappeared." Ryder apologized.
"So Marduk was the other Darkus User you battled when Leonidas came to our world?" Runo asked.
"Yeah, it was him. I don't know where he went or when he returned, but I haven't seen him since." Ryder explained.
"Well, we can wait for that conversation later. Right now, we need to find out where Masquerade took Alice!" Runo reminded.
"She's definitely not anywhere near Central Park anymore, and it's possible she may not be in the city," Ryder replied as Marucho took out the hard drive he had found.
"Maybe this has some clues." Marucho hypothesized getting the rest of the group's attention.
"I found it after our battle with Klaus and Komba. I think it was left behind." Marucho stated.
"Let's see what's on it," Ryder suggested.
The three entered the ship as Marucho took out his laptop and inserted the hard drive. When he opened it, the hard drive had a single file in it. When opened, it showed some coordinates on a map, and when looking at it on the web, it showed an abandoned mansion.
"What's this place?" Ryder wondered.
"Could this be where Masquerade is hiding out?" Runo questioned.
"I think it is. This is where he and his underlings hide out. It could also be where Alice is." Marucho agreed.
"If that's where she may be, let's go there! I can't forgive myself for what happened until Alice is safe!" Ryder said.
"I promised to keep her safe, and I failed. I have to do something." Ryder added.
"Well said!" Tigrerra commented.
"I agree we can't leave Alice there." Marucho agreed.
"But won't we be outnumbered?" Runo asked.
"We could sneak in and get her out," Ryder suggested.
"But then there won't be a battle!" Leonidas complained.
"We don't need to battle if we don't have to," Ryder replied.
"Ryder's right. We don't need to battle if we don't need to. Let's sneak in and get Alice out of there." Marucho agreed.
"But just in case, you'll need this, Ryder," Marucho stated as he handed Ryder a purple launcher.
"Really? Thanks, Marucho." Ryder thanked as he took the launcher and put it on.
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Let's save Alice!" Runo exclaimed.
"Before we do, we're going to pick up Julie as it seems that she is on the way," Marucho stated as they took off.
Doom Beings Hideout…
"So you guys lost to the Battle Brawlers?" Julio questioned as the Doom Beings sat around one of the many living rooms of the mansion.
"Komba lost control, and in the end, it cost us," Klaus stated.
"I don't remember doing it, though!" Komba argued.
"Of course you wouldn't. That's what happens when you lose control." Chan Lee commented.
"So, are there any more orders from Masquerade?" Billy questioned.
"No. It's back to keeping our ranks up and preparing for the finals." Klaus responded.
"Fine by me!" Julio exclaimed as he left the room.
"I needed to blow off some steam anyway," Komba stated as he too left.
"What about you, Klaus?" Billy asked.
"I'll also be going. I still have some matters to attend to. Sadly I must leave you two here in case Masquerade has a job." Klaus answered.
"Fine by me. I needed a little break anyway." Chan Lee replied.
"I guess that's fine, though I was hoping to get some battles in too." Billy sighed.
"You'll get your battles soon. Fourtress and I, for one, want to battle against Ryder Shade and Leonidas again." Chan Lee stated.
"So do I after he beat me well…." Billy began before trailing off as his memories of after the battle were hazy.
But he did know one thing. If he wanted to get strong enough to battle Marduk, he knew Ryder was a necessary step. Klaus took Billy's pause in chatter to take his leave as he walked down the halls with Sirenoid alongside him.
"Don't you think you should tell them?" Sirenoid inquired.
"Not yet. The negative energy from the Silent Orb still clouds their mind." Klaus responded.
"But I hope soon it will be time." Klaus sighed as he left the mansion.
Next Time Ryder along with half the Battle Brawlers, head over to the abandoned mansion to save Alice from Masquerade. In order to cover the whole mansion, they split up in pairs of two to find Alice.
But as Ryder and Julie explore the mansion, they are found by Chan Lee and Billy, resulting in a tag battle! However, Billy struggles as though he wishes to fight Ryder. He can't get his attention off of Julie.
Tensions rise as the negative energy spikes! Can Billy overcome it? Next Time on Bakugan Doom World: Friends Forever
Author's Note:
Whoo, that took me a while. I have to say, when I was writing the second battle, I suffered a bit of a block, but I managed to make it through. I'm really happy with how this chapter came out too.
So before anyone asks, yes, the energy both Masquerade and Ryder used is the same as the one Marduk used to make the special throw, although Masquerade used it differently. That and Ryder has no idea how to use it, too, but I digress.
I felt like using it to explain fusion abilities in a sense, too, because I don't know when exactly they showed up in the show, but they did with no explanation. At least from what I remember, so yeah, I thought it fit well.
The entire concept will get explained later on, so don't worry if you are confused at the moment. Finally, as for Klaus's actions and what he was talking about in this chapter will also later be explained, so don't worry about it.
Now onto the reviews:
RokenDarkly – Glad you liked the battles, and thanks again for pointing out my error. Sometimes when I write these things, small things like that just slip.
Johannvanguard – I'm happy to hear you liked it, and yeah, I will eventually have Ryder battle more solo battles against the other top brawlers in upcoming chapters, so don't worry about that. I haven't thought about a character that would be a fan of his, but the idea is interesting nonetheless.
Marduk will still be lurking, and his next battle will be in a few chapters, though, so that'll have to wait. Hope you enjoyed these battles, though!
HunterHQ – While Leonidas can't purge the doom card, as you saw here, he can resist being sent to the doom dimension. After all, he did force his way through a doom portal, so it makes sense that he can resist going through one.
As for implementing other aspects of the video game, I can't really see that happening. Sphere attacks can't technically happen as in here once a Bakugan is on a gate card, it appears no longer in its sphere form though hitting them really hard does have the same effect, so I guess that might count.
Battle items just wouldn't make too much sense, and I don't know how to implement it and sadly, the original Bakugan video game was the only one I ever played. I don't have enough knowledge on the others to implement anything else to it save the newest one, which looks like crap tbh.
But in the future, I may look into it just to see if I can do it because why not, right? If it makes the battles more exciting, I'll try and implement it.
That's all I have for this chapter, so I'll see you guys next time!
