Author note:
As you may already seen, in previous chapter I changed the making for dialouges from '-...-' to "...". This decision is purely for a sake of completing the evolution of my writing style, as this fic - I'll be honest here. - was for me primarly an experimental one to define my 'style', I hope you don't mind that.
And now, here comes the next chapter.
Narrator pow:
"Now that I have them in sight, let's run the check list again." Maken thought as he slowly approached the wide group under Cinder's leadership, all of them looking rather unamsed with the exception of the leader. "Cinder, Tyrian, buffed one,... Yup, everyone minus Salem. She sure saves herself for the grande finale."
"Coming alone? The pride of a prince surely is a one to fall with." Cinder said with a smug face, giving her team time to take their places to her left and right.
"Says a person with Fall as a username." Maken snarled, cocking up his gauntlet with one of his cards inside of it. "But look at the bright side, you can get your second teenager today if you play your cards right." He added, as most of Cinder's squad took out their own gauntlet and prepared for a brawl.
"Very well, but I won't be a one to play." Cinder responded in easygoing manner, giving the others a hand gesture to proceed with the fight on their own.
"Well, at least this part worked." Maken thought, as he and most of his opponents activated their gauntlets and freeze time across the whole Remnant. "Now however, I need to make sure they aren't picking themselves up again..."
Blake pow:
"Didn't expect you to stick around with someone else." I said, suprised to see Adam jumping between the rooftops behind me.
"I don't have the gauntlet, you know?" He responded jokingly, looking down at his left wrist. "As soon as Maken enters the brawl, I'm out. That is unless I'm close to someone who can activate the one on his own, it's just reasonable." He added, ust as they spotted Blake's gauntlet glowing.
"I see your point." I responded quickly, activating her gauntlet and allowing them to move freely while the brawl was ongoing.
"Now then, since we know for a fact that Maken is fighting we need to speed up and look for the relic." Ravenoid said as he, and alsoe out of necessity, looked down at pair of shadowy figures who also weren't affected by the time freeze, now walking down the street with one of them having a bright blue lamp inside a golden cage behind his jacket. "And I think we found it as second group..."
Narrator pow:
"Gate card set!" Maken shouted, throwing his card onto the battleground, where it expanded with the red lining across the space between him and the numerous opponents.
"You know, it's not like we can't agree on some familiar goals." Hazel said, trying to defuse the situation.
"Not gonna happen. Goals of mine and Salem are the same." Maken responded, taking one of his bakugans into hand. "After all, there is only one Remnant. And one place can't have two equal rulers." He added, sending Cinder a teasing wink.
"So you're just gonna turn back on Blake's parents?" Cinder asked him in response, slightly amused by the development of the situation.
"Bah! I don't need it, he's fine with limited authority." Young prince responded, preparing for a throw. "But now let's cut the chatter. Bakugan brawl! Pyrus Centipoid stand!" He followed up, unleashing his insect-like bakugan into the battle.
"Shadow, Mercury, Hazel and Komba, do the trick." Cinder said, as the trio nodded in silence and threw Darkus Warius, Haos Siege, Subterra Saurus and Ventus Manion respectively.
Maken - 100%
Centipoid - 350g
Shadow - 100%, Mercury - 100%, Hazel - 100%, Komba - 100%
Warius - 350g, Siege - 300g, Saurus - 300g, Manion - 350g
"Four on one? Jaring!" Maken thought, browsing his cards. "But the triple nod is dangerous, I have to stay vigilant." He continued, finally picking one for the opening move. "Ability card activate, Crawling Blaze!" He shouted, activating the card and causing Centipoid to engulf himself with flames from sudden combustion under his legs.
Centipoid - 350g = 750g
Warius - 350g = 250g, Siege - 300g = 200g, Saurus - 300g = 200g, Manion - 350g = 250g
"You call that an attack? Let's me show you a REAL one!" Shadow retored, making a ratihic laugh before taking his own move. "Ability card activate! Destruction Mace!" He followed it up, activating the move as Warius smashed his mace against the ground, cracking it secerly and letting a dark matter cover his weapon.
Warius - 250g = 550g
"Quite selfish move I admit." Maken smiled, causing Komba to stare at his teammate with rather cross glare.
"Continue, with, the, plan." Cinder said with deadly look towards her subordinates, cutting the diversion short.
"Yeah, sure." Mercury sighed, grabbing one of his cards and loading it inside his gauntlet. "Ability activate, Correlation of Haos and Darkus!" He added as his Siege flexed his muscles before spinning his spear with newfound power.
Siege - 200g = 400g
"Oh right, she sees my plan A." Maken thought, making quick in-mind calculations about ongoing battle. "But now I use plan B." He continued his mind process, taking another ability card and preparing the gauntlet.
"I won't let you do this." Hazel interruoted him, taking action first. "Ability card activate, Triple Nod of Subterra, Darkus and Ventus!" He added with strong, decisive tone as hsi Saurus and allied Warius and Manion screeched with passion upon feeling their power rise up.
Warius - 550g = 850g, Saurus - 200g = 500g, Manion - 250g = 550g
"So soon?" Maken asked suprised, then proceeding to showcase his amusement in it's finest. "Lucky me I expected that! Gate card open!" He proceeded, as the ground below bakugans turned into a command gate card. "Wall. Lock." He added, rationing the words as Hazel's ability card blackened and then fell out of the gauntlet onto the ground.
Warius - 850g = 550g, Saurus - 500g = 200g, Manion - 550g = 250g
"Now that's just dumb! I'll show you how to do it." Komba shouted from the side, joining the action on his own. "Double ability card activate, Correlation of Ventus and Pyrus plus Hurricane Tackle! Now get him down!" He added as his Manion leaped forward to tackle his opponent.
Centipoid - 750g = 550g = 350g
Manion - 250g = 450g
"This is not how you do it, boy scout." Maken sighed with relief before grabbing another card from his collection. "But I can show it to you. Ability card activate! Deflection Shield!" He added as the card activate inside his gauntlet and a red tube rised before Centipoid, deflecting rushed Manion straight back at his three dumbfounded allies.
Centipoid - 350g = 750g
Manion - 450g = 50g
"WHAT!?" Shadow screamed, helplessly observing as four bakugans on his side collapsed one on top of another, ending with Warius and Siege returning in the ball forms under legs of their owners while Manion and Saurus have landed in Maken's hand alongside victorious Centipoid.
Shadow - 100% = 60%, Mercury - 100% = 30%, Hazel - 100% = 0%, Komba - 100% = 0%
"Thanks for the warm-up, I'm sure Cinder wanted it badly." Maken teased his enemies, after which he sent a wink towards their overseer.
"Hmm... Fine by me." Cinder replied, looking towards Tyrian who only smiled maliciously. "But Tyrian starts. I still can offer you a second option if you want." She added while Tyrian casually threw his gate card onto the middle ground between them, where it revealed his atribute as Darkus.
"Fine by me, but don't you dare thinking that I'm just going to give up." Maken said, his smile fading away to allow the determined glare to replace it while he analysed the situation in the back of his head. "He surely will go with Darkus Stinglash..."
"Bakugan brawl! Darkus Stinglash stand!" Tyrian yelled with passion, now not stopped by Cinder as he threw his bakugan of choice onto the battlefield and took the battle-ready stance.
"I knew it, so props for me." Maken thought, looking at the very dark tail and yellow pincers of his next opponent. "But I'm not going to just do the same thing over and over." He said to himself, taking the next bakugan from his collection. "Here I come then, bakugan brawl! Pyrus Tuscor stand!" He shouted as he threw his bakugan of choice onto the field, where it transformed into a lightly armored elephant.
Tuscor - 400g
Cinder - 100%, Tyrian - 100%
Stinglash - 350g
"I'll pass for now." Cinder said, relucantly looking into her hand. "After all, the best should come last..."
