NOTE: Welcome back to another chapter! Sorry, this took so long to upload, I had college to worry about. A lot of consideration needed to be taken into account when it came to this chapter as well.

I've realized that both the Tag-Team Tournament and Royal Rumble Tournament will take WAY too long if I do every individual battle. So, some are going to get skipped. Yuji will still be seen interacting with these characters if that's what you are worried about. It's not like I'm skipping through the whole matches, but they'll be shorter and will just handle the more important bits of them until the finals. The final matches are the ones that really matter.

I will be doing the Dan vs Marduk battle.

Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 9: Alpha Blaster

"Marucho? Buddy? Are you sure you should keep going?" Preyas asked apprehensively. The usually zany Bakugan watched as his partner clicked away on his keyboard. It was already past midnight and Marucho hadn't stopped researching on his computer.

"I can't stop now, Preyas." The massive holographic screen reflected off of Marucho's glasses. "I've been analyzing Runo's battle against Yuji in preparation for the finals. Going into battle against Leonidas would be unwise."

"You don't plan to make the same bet, right, buddy?" Preyas asked.

"Not at all. Yuji is adamant that Leonidas isn't dangerous and wants to keep battling him. Attempting to take Leonidas away by force will just result in a negative outcome." Marucho pressed one last key. The screen lit up, showcasing three separate bar graphs.

"What are these?" Preyas asked.

"The first one is the energy output that Yuji and Leonidas were admitting in their battle against Shuji. As you can see, Preyas, the meters aren't as high. The two weren't synergized at all during the battle." Marucho pointed towards the second one. "This one is their battle against Runo before their awakening. Their energy levels are a bit higher, however Yuji's was still lower than Leonidas'." Marucho then looked at the third one. "This final one is them after their awakening. It's a near perfect synchronization."

"Awakening?" Preyas asked.

"That's just what I'm calling it for now. The spectacle the two created was a new power. That white aura that Tigrerra told us about has something to do about it."

Preyas jumped up to his partner's face. "Then give me the plan, buddy ol pal! I know you've got it cooking up in that noggin of yours!"

Marucho smiled softly at Preyas. "Of course, I do. We're going to break that synchronization between the two of them. If that white aura is what gives them power, then we'll just have to make sure they're kept from using it."

"How!?"

When Preyas heard Marucho's plan, the Aquos Bakugan felt his jaw drop. Well, he would've if he had a jaw in his ball form.


"Serena! I'm fine!" Yuji cried, pushing his little sister back. Ever since he had woken up, Serena hadn't left his side since. The newbie was trying to eat his breakfast until Serena forcefully took the fork from him in an attempt to feed him.

"B-but you could still be hurt! I don't want you to die!" Serena exclaimed.

"I'm not gonna die from eating breakfast!"

"You could choke!"

"I'm not that careless!"

A feminine hand softly grabbed Serena's arm and took the fork from her. "Now, now, you two. It's too early in the morning for all of this bickering." Their mother said. She placed another plate of breakfast in front of their father, who was occupied with watching the news. "Besides, it's a big day for Yuji. He needs to eat to his fullest."

His mother's comment reminded Yuji of the upcoming finals match between himself and Marucho. Memories of his first meeting with Marucho were still fresh in his mind like an open wound. Yuji's fists clenched in frustration as thoughts of the smartest Battle Brawler were increasing.

He had barely managed to defeat Runo and if it hadn't been for the weird power surge between himself and Leonidas, they would've lost right there. And he would've lost Leonidas in the process. If he lost against Marucho today… would Leonidas be taken from him still?

Sitting still on the dinner table was Leonidas, the Haos Bakugan could sense the distress in his partner. Though, unlike before, Leonidas couldn't find the strength to ease his partner's worries. Between the two of them he had always been the stronger one with no worry that their future endeavors would end with their victory.

But their victories had caused his partner nothing but pain. His involvement with Yuji had driven a wedge between him and his new friends and had painted a large target onto his back. Worse…Yuji had gotten hurt because of him. Nothing good had come from their partnership at all.

Maybe, it would be best if they- "NO!" Leonidas disregarded the depressing thought. "I will not allow myself to falter! One of our toughest battles is approaching! I must be ready for it!" Leonidas did his best to focus on his drive for battle.

But the previous thoughts still haunted the back of his mind.


"Tch! I can't believe that loser made it to the finals." Akira grumbled as he stomped his way through the stadium's hallways. He saw the screens lining up the walls, showcasing the upcoming match between Yuji and Marucho. "It should've been me or Shuji! Not that noob!" Akira had wanted to avenge his brother's loss against Yuji but was knocked out of the tournament in the second round by Runo. After throwing a temper tantrum from losing to one of the Battle Brawlers, the Subterra boy at least hoped that the Haos Brawler would humiliate Yuji.

Sadly, it seemed that some higher power was against him recently, because that noob had pulled off some freaky feat and won.

Akira clicked his tongue again, kicking a can that was lazily left on the floor. He hadn't paid much attention to how hard he kicked it, because the can went soaring through the hallway.

CLANK!

"OW!"

Hm? That voice sounded familiar. Looking down the hallway, Akira spotted a very familiar head of blue hair.

"WHO THE HECK DID THAT!?"

Yup. That voice was definitely familiar and annoying to listen to. Where had he heard it before? It wasn't until the girl turned around, hissing at him with seething eyes that Akira finally put the pieces together.

"Oh, crud…"


"Sorry, sir! I promise it won't happen again!" Alice bowed repeatedly to the security officer. When Alice had arrived at the stadium, she had expected to find Yuji and Marucho, wishing them both good luck, and then join the rest of her friends in watching the finals.

She didn't expect to hear her name being called over the intercom to come to the security office and find Serena sitting in one of the office chairs with a scuffed-up Akira glaring right next to her. When she had asked what happened, the security officer said that Serena was found hitting Akira over the head with an empty soda can.

Alice honestly didn't know why she was surprised that Serena assaulted someone with a soda can. The youngest Shujin was the most unique child she had ever met.

After making the kids apologize for their behavior, Alice was now forced to babysit the two or risk getting booted out of the stadium. Even worse was that the two wouldn't stop arguing over every little thing! Wonderful!

Alice loved kids. They were the future and she enjoyed teaching kids about Bakugan whenever given the chance. She couldn't wait until the day she could have kids of her own. But these two were really testing her patience.

"Could you two please stop arguing for a couple of seconds?" Alice asked kindly.

"No." Both answered.

"Why was that something they agreed on!?" Alice mentally cried. Putting her hands on her hips, Alice did her best to look stern. "Look, I have to keep watch over you two. So, we're going to go sit with my friends and you aren't going to argue while we get there. Got it?"

"Why do I have to go sit with your loser friends?" Akira asked.

"I can just tell Dan that you got beat up by a girl."

"Why are we just standing here!? Let's go to your friends!" Akira sped off to the spectator seats.

Serena turned to Alice with a wide smile. "I really like you, Alice!"

"Just don't get in trouble again, please. Not sure if I can handle the embarrassment of getting called like that again."

"No promises!" Serena skipped away happily. Leaving Alice to follow them with a heavy sigh.


Yuji sat in the waiting room, preparing himself for the finals. He had been checking over his deck for the past hour to make sure there was no chance of making a mistake. He couldn't afford to make a mistake here or else it was all over. The newbie really appreciated the addition of Leonidas' Gate Card, such a power boost will be handy against whatever Marucho had planned. Speaking of Leonidas…

"Hey, Leonidas? You, okay?" Yuji asked his partner, who was sitting on the desk.

Leonidas opened up. "Of course, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been silent all day. I just want to make sure that you're ready. We have to win this or else you'll be taken away."

Leonidas understood, but the way Yuji was speaking had confused him. "Are you not excited about reaching the finals?"

Yuji shook his head. "I don't have time to focus on that. If I get distracted during this battle, then Marucho will win. I won't lose you, Leonidas. I promise."

"He doesn't even care about having fun anymore? Is this my fault as well?" Leonidas felt the guilt building up in his throat. His presence really has been stressing out Yuji.

"THE FINALS WILL BEGIN IN 5 MINUTES! BATTLERS GET READY!"

Yuji got up from his seat, putting his deck back into its holster. There was nothing left for him to do but face his opponent with everything he had. "You ready, Leonidas?"

"...Yes. Let's battle!" Leonidas' voice lacked its usual vigor, but Yuji didn't have time to focus on it. He grabbed his partner and left the waiting room.


Yuji stood in the ring, across from him was Marucho. The smaller Brawler smiled warmly at him which confused Yuji greatly. "You're not gonna threaten me?"

"No. I'm not Runo."

"Ah…right…" Yuji laughed nervously.

"Though, I do ask that you hand over Leonidas. He is still too dangerous, especially after that last match." Marucho said. His declaration had made the air in the room tense.

"I'm sorry, Marucho. I can't let you take Leonidas. I don't understand why you guys insist that he's dangerous, but he's, my partner. Which means that I won't hand him over." Yuji raised up his Gate Card.

Marucho responded in kind. "So be it."

"FIELD OPEN!"


"Here it goes, guys!" Dan jumped in his seat excitedly. Spraying his popcorn all over Runo's lap.

"Will you calm down!? You're acting like a child!" Runo scolded him.

"Kick his butt, big bro!" Serena cheered.

"Good luck, Yuji! You too, Marucho!" Alice cheered too.


"GATE CARD, SET!" Two massive cards appeared in the battle arena between the two brawlers.

Marucho took the first turn. "Bakugan brawl!" An Aquos Bakugan rolled onto Marucho's Gate Card, surprising the newbie. "Preyas Stand!"

"Oh yeah, baby! It's my time to shine!" From the blue blinding light stood a tall blue humanoid chameleon-like Bakugan.

Aquos Preyas: 300 Gs!

Yuji gasped loudly. "You're already sending out Preyas!?" Usually, you wouldn't send out your strongest Bakugan from the start unless… "Unless he's planning something."

"What should we do, Yuji?" Leonidas asked.

"Last time with Runo, I didn't send you out first, because she'd expected it. But this time Marucho's pretty much challenging us." Yuji replied. "I guess you're up this time, buddy. Are you ready?"

"...As ready as I can be!"

"Alright then, let's go! Bakugan Brawl!" Yuji tossed Leonidas out onto the field. His partner rolled down right in front of Preyas, eclipsing the field in blinding light. "Leonidas Stand!"

Everyone stared at the scene with a pause. When Leonidas landed on the Gate Card there was no immediate attack from him or loud thunderous roars. The Haos dragon simply stood across from Preyas, glaring at him.

Haos Leonidas: 340 Gs!

"Leonidas…?" Yuji whispered, shocked.

"Now, that's a surprise." Marucho pushed up his glasses.

Preyas however, simply found amusement in the situation. "What's wrong, Leo 'ol pal? Cold feet?" The chameleon Bakugan wiggled his toes. "Or does a cat have your tongue? Get it? Because you fought Tigrerra-"

"Do you ever shut up?" Leonidas growled.

"Not really!"

Yuji was slightly concerned by his partner's behavior but focused on the battle. "Ability Card activate!" The black card shifted into a bright light before settling down to reveal a normal attribute card.

Haos Leonidas: 340 Gs to 490 Gs!

"Get him, Leonidas!" Yuji ordered.

"RAH!" Leonidas charged at Preyas with the intent to cut the chameleon's tongue out.

Marucho smirked. "Ability Card activate! Dive Mirage!"

Preyas laughed mockingly as the Gate Card began to ripple like water. Preyas dived down into the Gate Card, completely dodging Leonidas' attack. The dragon and human wondered where Preyas had gone until his laughter echoed through the dimensional space.

Suddenly, the chameleon Bakugan appeared, standing across from Leonidas, but on Yuji's Gate Card instead. "Surprise! Did ya miss me!?"

"What the!? He just moved to a different Gate Card!" Yuji exclaimed.

Marucho chose now to explain the card's effect. "Dive Mirage allows Preyas to move to any other Gate Card. And the Gate Card that he moves to has its ability nullified." Marucho's explanation shocked Yuji.


"Nice one, Marucho!" Runo cheered. "He baited Yuji into sending out Leonidas for the specific purpose of nullifying one of Yuji's Gate Cards."

"Not only that, but Yuji wasted a G-power boost ability pretty early because of it. Whether or not Yuji sent out Leonidas was mostly irrelevant, because his main goal was taking out one of his Gate Cards." Dan said.

"Though, I'm more worried about Leonidas. He usually starts off every battle with an immediate attack, but this time…" Alice put a hand to her chest.

"Maybe, it's their strategy?" Dan suggested.

Runo snorted. "That dragon wouldn't know 'strategy' if it hit him in the head."

Alice turned to Serena, who was trying to steal Akira's popcorn (Alice bought it). "Serena, do you know what's going on with them?"

Serena looked at them. "Not really. Leonidas had been unusually quiet all day. I just thought maybe he was constipated."

Akira scrunched his face in disgust. "Can you not say that when I'm trying to eat?"

"Shut up, side-character." Serena insulted him.

"Side-character!?"

Alice shook her head and turned back to the battle.


Yuji watched as Leonidas' G-power went back to normal after the battle ended. He needed to think of something now that both Leonidas and Preyas were on the field. "I can't take Preyas right now, but I could hopefully force him to fight Leonidas." Yuji pulled out a Gate Card. "GATE CARD, SET!"

The card touched down next to Preyas. "Bakugan Brawl!" Yuji tossed out his next Bakugan. "Bakugan Stand!" His Haos Siege landed on his extra Gate Card.

Haos Siege: 270 Gs!

Marucho brought out his next Bakugan as well. "Bakugan Brawl!" It touched down in front of Siege. "Bakugan Stand!" An Aquos Falconeer ascended into the air.

Aquos Falconeer: 290 Gs!

"290!? I was hoping it would be less than that!" Yuji gritted his teeth. He had hoped that he could save another Ability, but that may've been too wishful. "Ability activate! Lightning Shield! If I have a Haos Bakugan in battle, then I can decrease your Bakugan's G-Power by 100!"

Aquos Falconeer: 290 Gs to 190 Gs!

Siege sprinted towards the falcon Bakugan with its spear aimed at its chest. However, before the attack could land, Marucho made his move.

"Ability activate! Ability Counter! Your Ability Card is negated! Thus, Falconeer's G-Power returns to normal!" Marucho declared.

Aquos Falconeer: 190 Gs to 290 Gs!

Falconeer dodged Siege's attack and flew into the air. The falcon Bakugan descended back down and delivered a devastating kick to Siege's head, sending the Bakugan back to Yuji.


"Your brother is gonna lose." Akira said.

"No way! Yuji's gonna win this!" Serena argued.

"He just got outsmarted twice." Akira reminded her.

"So, what? Runo outsmarted him and still got her butt kicked. Which says a lot more about her than my brother."

"I can hear you!" Runo yelled.

Tigrerra hummed. "The two of them are now down two Ability Cards, but Marucho still has all of his Bakugan available. He currently holds the lead."

"Time for Yuji's comeback then!" Serena grinned.


Marucho observed the field and eyed the Gate Card that Leonidas was standing on. "Time to move the plan forward a bit. Bakugan Brawl!" Marucho tossed his Falconeer at Leonidas.

Aquos Falconeer: 290 Gs!

"Gate Card open! Intercept!" Marucho declared. "This Gate Card stops a battle and moves onto the next player's turn."

"Which means it's my turn. But what is his goal?" Yuji still couldn't figure out Marucho's plan, because if anything this move was a lot more beneficial to him. "But I do need Leonidas back if I want to use his Character Card." Yuji took out his last Bakugan. "Bakugan Brawl!" He sent it over to Leonidas. "Bakugan Stand!"

Haos Falconeer: 210 Gs!

Leonidas glanced over to his fellow teammate. "I didn't need the assistance!"

"I know, but you're gonna have to deal with it anyway! Now go!" Yuji yelled.

"RAH!" Leonidas and Haos Falconeer showed no mercy to the Aquos one. Beating the blue falcon senselessly until it returned to Marucho's side. Yuji caught both of his Bakugan, but he looked anything but happy at the outcome.

"What's wrong, Yuji? Shouldn't you be happy?" Marucho grabbed his attention.

"Huh?" Yuji blinked.

"We both only have two Bakugan left. Isn't this match making you excited? Fun?" Marucho continued.

Yuji frowned at him. "I don't have time to worry about having fun! I'm going to protect Leonidas!"

From within his palm, Leonidas felt his guilt grow more.

"I see. Then we'll continue! GATE CARD, SET!"


Alice watched as the next two rounds ended quickly with Leonidas taking out Marucho's Gargonoid and Preyas defeating Yuji's Falconeer. Leaving the two Brawlers with just their aces left to do battle. In her gut something about the way this battle has been playing out has had her on edge. Even with the now even playing field the match didn't seem even at all.

It felt more like this battle had been controlled from the start- "Oh…oh, that's what Marucho's been planning…!" Alice gasped.


Yuji frowned at his last Gate Card. It was Leonidas' Character Card and the final Gate Card between both players. In this situation he normally would've felt confident in his win, but his gut was feeling off. Everything about this battle felt off. It was almost as if this battle was pla-

"Yuji!"

The newbie was dragged from his thoughts by his partner. The two stared at one another for a moment. "Yeah, Leonidas?"

"I…." Leonidas stopped himself. He wanted to say so much to Yuji, but he just couldn't. He didn't know how to say it. Instead he chose the only thing he could say. "...I'm ready for battle!"

Yuji smiled. "Yeah. Let's win this, partner."

"Why…why does that word hurt?" Leonidas questioned.

Ignorant to his partner's plight, Yuji tossed out his Gate Card. "GATE CARD, SET!" Yuji tossed out Leonidas. "Bakugan Brawl! Leonidas Stand!" Leonidas emerged from the golden light. And just like before his entrance was tamer compared to his previous ones.

Haos Leonidas: 340 Gs!

Marucho looked down at his partner. "Ready, Preyas?"

"I'm always ready, Marucho! But…uh…are you sure this plan will work?" Preyas asked.

Marucho nodded his head. "Not to worry, Preyas. The plan was already in effect long before this battle started." Marucho tossed out his Guardian. "Bakugan Brawl! Preyas Stand!"

"ALRIGHT~! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! YOUR STAR HAS ARRIVED!" Preyas posed dramatically as if thousands of cameras were pointed at him.

Aquos Preyas: 300 Gs!

"Gate Card open!" Yuji ordered. The card revealed itself as Leonidas' Character Card, filling the dragon with overflowing power!

"RAAAGH!" Leonidas roared loudly as the power filled his body.

Haos Leonidas: 340 Gs to 740 Gs!

"This is our only shot! There's no way Marucho can match 740 Gs!" Yuji told himself. "Go, Leonidas!"

The dragon charged at Preyas with vicious ferocity. "Time to shut you up for good!"

Preyas yelped in fright and turned to run away. "Ah nuts! I can't beat that! AAAHHH! Marucho, buddy! HELP!" Preyas cried as Leonidas' claws were about to strike him.

"SHUT UP-"

"Ability Card activate! Blue Stealth!" Marucho shouted, holding up his final Ability Card.

Leonidas gasped at his claws swiping through thin air as Preyas disappeared from his sight. Not only that he could also feel the boost he gained from the Gate Card disappearing as well! "W-what!?"

"Leonidas!" Yuji called out to him. Looking down at his Baku-Watch, Yuji gasped at the sight of Leonidas' power decreasing.

Haos Leonidas: 740 Gs to 340 Gs!

Aquos Preyas: 300 Gs to 500 Gs!

"And Preyas' G-Power went up!?" Yuji cried.

"Yes." Marucho's voice grabbed his attention. "Blue Stealth nullifies the opponent's Gate Card!


"Attaboy, Marucho! There ya go!" Runo cheered for her friend.

"No! Yuji! C'mon use an ability! You have one left!" Serena cried.

"It wouldn't matter." Akira said. "A simple power boost wouldn't be enough to match 550 Gs."

"I didn't ask for your opinion!"

As if I care if you ask or not!"

Dan folded his arms. "Marucho played him well. Heck, I didn't even realize that he was baiting Yuji into a trap."

"He knew Yuji would aim to use Leonidas' Character Card. All of this was just putting Yuji into a corner of having nothing left to save himself. Nullifying every possible move Yuji tried to make." Alice said.


"H-how did you…?" Yuji stuttered.

"It was quite obvious. Why wouldn't you want to use the new power card you achieved to win this match? All I had to do was corner you into having nothing else to fall back on." Marucho explained.

"You planned all of this?" It all made sense now. No matter what moves he made it always felt like Marucho was in control of the battle. He was being led around like a mouse to cheese and he never even realized it.

Seeing that he had Yuji's spirit beaten, Marucho put his attention back to the battle. "Finish it, Preyas!"

"With pleasure, buddy!" Preyas sank down beneath the Gate Card as if it was water. His hands shot back up, grabbing Leonidas' legs, and dragging the dragon down below.

Yuji started panicking. "Leonidas!"

Leonidas felt his body submerge into the ocean depths. Oddly enough he wasn't fighting back against Preyas. "Maybe…maybe this was supposed to happen after all. Without me Yuji won't be hurt anymore."

"Leonidas! Please!" Yuji screamed. His chest began to burn as his emotions grew more intense.

"It's no use, Yuji. Leonidas wants this." Marucho said.

"He…wants this?" Yuji questioned.

"Yes, because he's realized that he is a danger towards you."

"He's not dangerous! How many times do I have to repeat myself!?"

"But you did get hurt, right? After your battle with Runo, you were knocked unconscious. How do you think that made Leonidas feel?" Marucho declared.

Yuji's eyes widened and he turned to the sinking dragon. "Is that…is that why you've been acting strangely all day? Because you're worried about me?"

Leonidas refused to look at Yuji. "It would be better if you weren't around me. I've caused you nothing but trouble since I've appeared. You even got-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!"

Marucho and Leonidas stared at Yuji with wide eyes. Especially Leonidas, who could see the white aura beginning to grow around Yuji's body. "You think it would be better if we weren't together!? Well, you're wrong! My life would be miserable without you! Ever since I've met you, I've never been happier to have a friend! My best friend!"

"Best…friend…" Leonidas muttered. Preyas was still dragging him down; his torso was almost completely submerged.

Yuji felt hot tears rolling down his face, his body's temperature was growing by the second. "We're partners, Leonidas! No amount of pain will ever change that! Didn't we make a promise to become the strongest partners!? To beat every Bakugan that comes our way!?"

Leonidas felt Yuji's aura seeping into his body. Memories of their first encounter were flashing through his mind.

"Will battling with you give me the opportunity to defeat other Bakugan?"

"Yeah! We'll be the strongest!"

"OR ARE YOU SO WEAK THAT OUR PROMISE MEANT NOTHING!?"

"...Weak?" Leonidas repeated. The word tasted like poison in his mouth. A disgusting curse that should never be used to describe him in any fashion. He was not weak! He was strong! Strong enough to crush every Bakugan in his way! "I AM NOT WEAK!" Leonidas began thrashing around to break free from Preyas' hold. His power still wasn't high enough to push back, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

Marucho's eyes widened. The scene in front of him was looking all too familiar. "No! PREYAS, HURRY!"

"LEONIDAS!"

SHING!

Yuji gasped, looking down at the final Ability Card in his hand. He watched as the white aura converged onto the card, almost blinding him. When the light dies down Yuji couldn't believe his own eyes. Just like with Runo's Gate Card, his Ability Card had changed. With Leonidas unleashing a massive beam of destruction from his mouth. "...Alpha…Blaster…"

Leonidas roared with all his might as Preyas finally dragged him underneath the Gate Card. But that was exactly when Yuji made his move.

"ABILITY ACTIVATE! ALPHA BLASTER!"

We are Number One Battle Brawlers! We are Number One Battle Brawlers!

Pop out Bakugan! Stop time and go!

BOOM!

"RAAAAHHHH!" Leonidas bursts out from the Gate Card at neck breaking speeds. Preyas was thrown off of him, dropping butt first onto the ground.

Haos Leonidas: 340 Gs to 540 Gs!


Sousa bokura dake ga shitteru himitsu ga aru (yes!)

Otona ni wa mienai (toki no hazamade)

Dan jumped out of his seat. "Holy crap! A new Ability!?"

Drago was just as amazed as his partner. "Incredible. This power…it's just like…"

Runo was fuming. "WHAT!? He's pulling this again!?"

"At least it's his own card this time…" Tigrerra sighed.

"How come this loser gets the cool stuff!" Akira complained.

Alice stared wide eyed at the screen. "Another miracle? They've pulled off another one…!"

Serena was jumping up and down in pure bliss. "Alpha Blaster!? That sounds so sick! GO YUJI! LEONIDAS!"


Motto tsuyoku nareru shinka shiteku Ability (yes!)

Gooru o mezasunda

Marucho couldn't believe his eyes either. All of his calculations and planning were falling apart at the seams. He was so close! So close to getting Leonidas away from Yuji! Looking down at his Baku-Watch, he checked the energy readings between Yuji and Leonidas and his jaw dropped.

Unlike before when the two were off balance, they were now perfectly synced! Their power and souls had finally become one! "Impossible…"

(Open your eyes) Kono sekai o sukueru no wa

(Open your mind) Bokura no Imagination Jump!

Leonidas was soaring through the multicolored skies, going higher, and higher, and higher! He couldn't stop! He didn't know if he could ever stop! The power flowing through his systems was burning bright hot! Leonidas could feel it! All of the emotions that connected himself to Yuji were converging and mixing inside of his body. Like a white-hot burst that needed to escape!

"GO, LEONIDAS!" Yuji's voice was loud and clear.

We are Number One Battle Brawlers! We are Number One Battle Brawlers!

Pop out Bakugan! Stop time and go!

(BAKU BAKU GAN GAN Burning Fight!)

Leonidas turned around, facing directly down at the battlefield below. He pulled back his head, pushing that white hot energy in his chest up into his throat. A blue ball of destructive energy conjured into life within his mouth.

Mugen no Energy kanjitara torai!

(Hey, ready go!)

"RAAAAAAHHHHH!" Leonidas unleashed the beam attack down towards the helpless Preyas! The chameleon Bakugan could only stare at the approaching beam of destruction, unable to stop it.

"I'm sorry, Marucho…" Were Preyas' last thoughts before he was hit with the destructive attack. The beam melted the Gate Card and the field, leaving a giant crevice in its wake. Marucho fell to his knees as Preyas rolled over to him in his ball form.

Bokura no Infinity

Tsukami torunda stop time and go!

Yuji caught Leonidas in his hands after his partner reverted back into his ball form. The two stared at each other as a wide exhausted smile found its way onto Yuji's face. Yuji fell onto his bottom from exhaustion.

"Y-Yuji!?" Leonidas cried.

"I'm fine, Leonidas! Honestly, I'm not gonna worry you like that again." Yuji said. "I promise."

The two just stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence until a loud triumphant noise entered the arena. Turning to the screens, Yuji and Leonidas both gaped at the image.

YUJI SHUJIN - STANDARD TOURNAMENT CHAMPION!

Yuji blinked at the screen for a few moments. "I…won…" It was a difficult subject to process since he had never won something this big before. His very first Bakugan Tournament had ended with a victory, where most people like him would've lost the first round. And they managed to beat TWO of the Battle Brawlers!

"I won…no…WE won!" Yuji smiled at Leonidas. "As partners."

Leonidas was smiling back at him. "As partners."


Yuji was blushing up a storm as he stood on the podium. A golden trophy sat in his hands as a huge crowd of people were surrounding him and taking pictures. His own mother was up front as well with her camera at the ready. His little sister was in another heated argument with Akira, arguing about which older brother was cooler.

Marucho and Runo were handed third and second place trophies in their hands, waving at the crowd. The little Brawlers hadn't said much to him after their battle other than congratulating him on his win. Runo had also congratulated him on his win, but other than that they hadn't continued talking to him. It was obvious they were still untrusting of Leonidas after all that had happened.

But in all honesty, he couldn't care less at the moment. He and Leonidas had WON their first ever tournament together! Nothing could possibly beat this moment!

"Yo, Yuji!"

Yuji and the others looked over to see Dan approaching, Drago perched on his shoulder. "Hey, Dan! I-I won!" Yuji held up the trophy.

Dan smiled, a strong sense of pride swelling within him. "I saw it, buddy. I couldn't be any prouder of ya!"

"I couldn't have done it without Leonidas. He's my perfect partner. Together, we're unbeatable!" Yuji smiled at his partner.

"No human or Bakugan will stand in our way!" Leonidas added.

"I see." Dan smirked. "If that's the case then how about a battle? Between me and you."

THUD!

Yuji had dropped his trophy on the floor. "Eh?"

Arc 1 End

NOTE: And that's the closing of the first Arc of "Stand Up, Leonidas!" I will not lie when I say that this entire arc was difficult and I really wanted to get past it, because everything I want to do is after this point. Let's get to talking!

1. Yuji now has both Leonidas cards! I always planned for him to acquire both cards in this beginning arc, because they represent his bond with Leonidas. Their bond is now solidified, so Leonidas will gain a higher standard G-Power in the next arc. This doesn't mean Leonidas won't gain more Ability Cards in the future.

2. I hope Marucho and Preyas were good enough in this chapter. I really struggled with writing them. I tried my best to have Marucho in control of the entire match, because of his smarts and assumptions. These two are my least favorite of the group, I enjoy writing everyone else more than them. So, they might not appear too much outside of plot related things.

3. Dan and Yuji having a battle before the Pyrus Tournament!? Yeah, I think it narratively works even better if they have a fight this early on. Who do think is going to win?

4. The song that played at the end was "Number One Battle Brawlers". The Japanese opening of Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

I do hope you all enjoyed everything up till now and I'm sorry for the long waits. I hope you continue to stick with "Stand Up, Leonidas" and my other works in the future!