From Depths We Rise

by Insane Dominator

1 year has passed since Dan and the Battle Brawlers saved the universe, and when things were serene, a new group of Bakugan players are sent to New Vestroia when a dimensional interference forces them to meet each other. Caught in the crossfire with aliens seeking resources, Luke, Abis Omega, and new friends must fight using unlikely odds if they're to save all from extinction.

2. An Interesting Union

The bizarre night sky that reminisced of space began to wave away to several moons that were shimmering white. The spacy stardust faded as blue began to envelop the land slowly from the east. The morning sun began to peak over the canyons in the far in the horizon, beaming sunbeams everywhere.

The rays of sun shimmered into the forest, into the trees where dew collected. From one of the many trees, the dew shimmered as it fell from a leaf, falling straight down until it popped on a sleeping man's forehead. With that one tap of water. It made the man groan in his wake.

"Gnnngh…" Luke sat up from the tree trunk he slept next to, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, what a night. I thought I was…" Realizing he was awake and in a forest, he was in sheer reality. He looked around, seeing nothing but empty forestation. "Wait…aw~!" He slumped back against the trunk. "Great. I really am stuck here."

"Mmm…" A moan came from the side, revealing her to be an awakened Esther. The young woman's blue eyes fluttered open, the sound of Luke's loud voice being enough to shake her to the morning's rise. "It's morning?"

Luke turned towards Esther. "Huh? Oh, you. So you're awake now?"

Esther got up. "Yes. I am now." She bent her fingers forwards and stretched her muscles. She felt the nice stretch into her arms, and soon deepening into her spine as she brought them overhead.

"Well now that we're up, what do we do now?" Luke asked, dumbfounded.

Once finished with her stretching, Esther turned towards him. "First thing we need is get some water. Follow me." She walked away from him, leaving Luke to catch up.

"Hey, wait up!"

As Luke and Esther went the nearby stream to find water, both were absent-minded about the two Bakugan that popped out of ball form and turned towards the two humans.

"Looks like they're up again." Abis Omega huffed.

"So it would seem." Atchibee evaluated. "Let's say we check them out." The Darkus insect floated up and followed Esther, with a not so enthused Abis Omega following behind. The two Bakugan followed their undisputed battle partners as of last night and trekked them, much to Luke's annoyance. Although Esther showed no reluctance. They both followed them to the river, where both humans knelt down cupped water from the drink to drink periodically.

Taking in large sip after sip, Luke felt his body getting refreshed. He kept his hydration and sighed once he got his much-needed fill. "That's better." He sighed.

Esther finished her fill, looking towards Luke. "Better?"

"Yup!" Luke shot up. "Now, we can't go on with empty stomachs. We need to find something to eat."

"Eat?" Abis Omega speculated.

"Right, I forgot humans have the tendency to need food and water, to eat." Atchibee informed.

"Well that's stupid. That's pretty fragile bodies then." Abis Omega huffed. "Food."

Luke and Esther walked around, trying to find stuff that could provide nourishment. They stayed close by as they looked about, but had little to fortunate luck discerning the wildlife on the area.

"Are these edible?" She touched an odd-colored leaf in a tree, feeling it to be rich in water.

"I probably wouldn't. That's light-colored, isn't it?" Luke asked, looking at the plant. "Doesn't light-colored plants and animals mean they're poisonous or something?"

Realizing her mistake, she looked at him with wide-eyes. "You're right. Good thinking."

Luke shrugged it off. "Whatever." He bent down, raising a brow at a plain brown large mushroom. "Is this thing edible…?" He leaned in, seeing if there were potential spores in the fungi, but as he peeked underneath, a fellow Pyrus Freezer popped from behind, causing Luke to recoil and land on his butt.

"Whoa! What the-?!"

"Hey, what are you doing around my hiding spot? Huh?!" The offended Freezer bellowed. "This isn't an all you can eat buffet, now get!"

Luke awkwardly arose, giving the Freezer a nasty look. "Okay, alright?!" He and Esther walked away, allowing the Freezer to return to hiding. "Geez, some manners that jerk has."

"Perhaps he's just territorial due to our kind." Esther guessed.

Luke put his hands behind his head. "I know, but that doesn't help our food problem."

"No, it doesn't."

Luke groaned as all he saw was nothing but passing vegetation. With every turn, he saw nothing but foreign plants and off-looking cotton candy puffs everywhere. It was hard to tell what was easy to eat or wasn't. "This is getting so annoying. If we don't something to eat soon, I'm gonna go nuts."

Esther looked around, trying to find some food for her own needs. As she walked about, something pink and dense hit her head. She flinched as a pink star-like tulip fell into her gloves. "Huh?" Looking down, she noticed how thick it was, and how large it was.

"Huh?" Luke leaned in, discerning the plant. "What's that? Ow!" Another one fell on his head, falling off. "What the…?!"

One by one, the pink, thick fruits began to fall from the trees, landing in front and around them. Both looked confused until they turned to the top, seeing that the reason was because Abis Omega and Atchibee were knocking around some pink fruits that grew in the leaves above. With each pass they knock down a fruit, which fell in front of Luke and Esther. Both looked at the fruits and back at their Bakugan.

"Huh…?" Luke was still completely confused.

Both descended, each looking at them mildly. "Well don't just stand there, go on. Eat your fill." Abis Omega said towards his battle partner. "What's with the look? I'm just helping you out." He reasoned.

"Uh…thank, I guess…" Luke looked at the pink fruit in hand confusedly, but he didn't want to disrespect Abis Omega's offer. Begrudgingly, he ate the fruit, and much to his shock, it had a rich outer layer and a sweet center filling-like substance.

"If you insist. Thank you." Esther thanked in Luke's stead, having a small bite to start her meal.

"Well if those guys come around again, we can't be starving like this." Atchibee reasoned. "You still saved us, so we're returning the favor, right Abis."

"Sure, I suppose." The serpent turned back towards Luke, seeing his battle partner eat his fill rather hastily. "Ugh…"

---

Within the laboratory, the lights were luminescent, yet they were dimmed down to where they were able to light up the chamber, where standing at the very large base, the cloaked Maximus had his back turned, looking at the six closed spheres in the perfect attribute diagram. They all were acquiescent and silent, much to his satisfaction.

A figure walked up from behind, revealing Xander. The right-hand man kept himself shrouded in the dim light while engaging with his master. "Sorry for the wait." He apologized.

Hearing his entourage's call, Maximus looked over his shoulder. "It's fine. Did you bring them like I asked?"

Xander nodded. "Consider it done."

The doors slid open behind him, revealing Ariella, Hendrix, and another figure following behind.

"And speak of the devil…"

The three figures walked down the small space separating them from Maximus and Xander. They closed in, and together, they regrouped and looked towards the two.

"Is there a reason why you called us now, Maximus?" Ariella asked, albeit rudely. Of course it could be mistaken for curiosity, no one there was truly convinced.

"Hey, watch it." Xander warned.

"Let her have her word, Xander. It's fine by me." Maximus said, looking back down at the Bakugan before him. "She's just blowing off some steam is all."

Getting the hint, Xander looked back at Ariella, smirking. "Oh, I get it. Still huffing from the little 'setback' last night?"

Ariella narrowed her eyes, her glare melting into Xander's. The level of spite she showed was of no end.

"What was that setback again? You never told us?" The one behind asked.

"It was some resistance. It took us awhile. That is all." Hendrix bluntly stated. Whether it was by rebellious Bakugan or another organism, it wasn't clear. What was clear was how it was enough to hold Ariella up until now. Hendrix, however, let it go completely overhead.

"Save the details for later, guys." Maximus snapped them back to where their attention should lie, his frown deep. "We have more important details to inspect at this time."

"Right, sorry bud." Xander meekly bowed – if a quick dunk of his head meant anything.

"Now, look here, and tell me what you see." Maximus stepped back, allowing everyone to gather around and get a peek at the six Bakugan in ball form. They were all being patient at best, or perhaps they stayed quiet out of fear. Though Ariella and Hendrix showed no concern, Xander crossed his arms, huffing, while the other person present crossed as well, raising a brow beneath his glasses.

"Bakugan?" the one asked.

Xander gave a twisted look at the design. "This all?"

"It is 6, just as Maximus requested." Hendrix explained.

"So enlighten us then. Why take time in having us retrieve these Bakugan?" Ariella questioned.

Maximus' smirk began to show beneath the hood. "Don't you know too many questions is bad for your health?"

"What?" Ariella wondered.

Maximus turned towards a nearby small screen. "Cesar."

As if by coincidence, the screen flicked on, revealing the scientist and his ovular-framed glasses. "Yes, Maximus?" he answered. He had a knowing smirk on his face, as if he already knew.

"I'll be glad to tell you that the retrieval went as planned. Now then, have you finished with those replications, yet?" The hooded leader asked.

Cesar chuckled. "My good heavens, someone's looking eager! Well, it just so happens that, being a genius, I met the quota way before you even asked!" He postured with flamboyant effort. "Thanks to the data that we managed to achieve, we shall create creatures unlike we've ever seen!"

"That's very nice to know, but rather than talking about it, let's get on with it. If it's not too much trouble, Cesar." Xander insinuated.

Catching his stalling, Cesar adjusted his glasses again. "Ah, yes. That. Very well then!" Without anymore delay, buttons were tapped on the armrest, keys pushed and coordinates easily marked. After several button sequences, one last button was pushed. At first, it was all silent, but a small sound came from a small slot in a machine beside the massive plateau they were in front of. Maximus turned towards the slot, seeing that from its cartridge, one ability card printed out, followed by five more, one after another.

Maximus reached for the cards and held them up. As he looked at them, he could tell they were without a doubt authentic. His smirk widened.

"At last, we now have the pieces to make our Bakugan a reality." He held the cards up to the six Bakugan still in ball form. Upon the notion, they all opened, looking up at their new masters and the ability cards in Maximus' hands.

"With this, we now mark our territory. Time for New Vestroia to know the name of the elite group that shall raise Bakugan unlike any other – Rogue Zero."

Behind him, everyone smirked, showing their glee in the prospect. The efforts and planning were well worth it in the end, as they now had their own authentic Bakugan to have as their own.

He presented the Bakugan the ability cards, some turning, and some eagerly and curiously closing in.

"Now then…who would like to go first?"

---

The sun was a little higher in the sky compared to earlier, but that didn't slow down the duo trekking through the deep forest. One foot after the other, the cool ground left dirt spots where one boot landed, where it was stepped in by another shortly.

"Well, at least now we're back on track." Luke said, carrying a small sack over his shoulder.

"Indeed we are." Esther said. "But you have to admit, those fruits were very much sweet."

"Yeah, yeah. At least we have leftovers that dropped. This should last us until we find something else." Luke shrugged.

Esther looked left and right, slowly gazing up at the trees that surrounded them. "Even so, will this be enough to hold us? I mean it's only a day's worth."

Luke flashed a smirk. "Don't be so worried!" He pointed a thumb towards himself. "Don't forget, I got us a sword. If anyone tries to take our rations, they'll have to deal with me first." He felt pretty confident in his sword, especially since he was able to hold his own against Master Riaan as of yesterday. It still surprised him how not even 24 hours ago that he was sucked from his world and taken to wherever this place was. New Vestroyer…? News Vestroy…? Well, whatever planet it was called, all he knew was that he had to deal with some chick he doesn't even know until they find a way off. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

"You're pretty confident in your style of fighting. Are you a swordsman?" Esther inquired, seeing how Luke was holding a scabbard behind him.

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged. "But really, it's Master Riaan who I have to thank."

"You mentioned that name before. Is he that important to you?"

Luke looked to her as though she were stupid. "Well of course he's a big deal! He's the commander of my family's Royal Guard! And he's really good at swords and defense! He taught Shawn and I to hold our weapons, what isn't there to not make a big deal out of with him?!"

Atchibee rest on Esther's shoulder, opening up. "Sounds like you humans really are prideful about one another. Kinda like role models."

"Yes, something like that." Esther nodded.

Abis Omega floated beside Luke. "So you can swing that thing around and really hurt somebody?"

Luke leaned away, giving a quizzical look. "Well, yeah, but I'm not that dumb. It's my way of defending myself, I wouldn't really want to cut anyone." He said. "And why are you so floaty around me?"

"Why are you so needy of proximity? I can't hurt you like this." Abis Omega reasoned. "Geez, are you really that narrow?"

"You're missing the point you little ball!" Luke snapped.

Suddenly there was a loud twig snapping. Esther and Luke's hearts skipped a beat when they heard the sound, instantly reacting and turning towards the direction it came from.

"Someone's here." Esther whispered.

"I know." Luke poised his sword.

The bushes and trees shook up ahead. With the rustling continuing to grow. The unknown projectile was running with swiftness and with what sounded like labored breath. It sounded like it was closing in.

"Could it be those guys we saw from last night?" Esther figured.

"I don't know, but this time, we're not taking chances on guesses." Luke held his sword overhead, ready to strike. "You guys better come out, or we won't hold back this time! HRAH~!" Without holding back, he readied his sword as he closed in the bushes.

The figure rushed out of the bushes at the same time he did, though he seemed to be unable to stop. "Wha~?!"

"WHA~?"

BOOM! In the sudden rush and the new figure's appearance surprising Luke, both ran straight into the other's faces, knocking the other down on their bottoms. They fell back, both clutching their foreheads to suppress their new headaches. They both groaned as they took a minute to process what happened.

"Luke!" Esther gasped.

"Owww…man, that hurt!" Luke groaned. "Just who…?" He trailed off, turning to a shocked expression at who he bumped into.

The person who he bumped into looked like a young man around his age. He had fair skin and brown eyes that accommodated his short, dark, spiky hair that went slightly to a point. He had rather thick eyebrows that raised and lowered to exemplify his expressions. Bodywise, he was a little on the hefty side, as with the large white shirt he wore beneath the black-edged, short-sleeved, orange vest he wore over it. He had a brown belt that tucked in his short and held up his dark yellow cargo short that stopped a few inches below the knees. He had navy blue fingerless gloves and finished the ensemble with brown boots. Compared to Luke and Esther, he was rather…plain.

"Shooting up to his feet, the figure clutched a fist. "Hey, watch where you're going, you twerp!" He angrily shouted.

"What's your deal?" Luke argued. "You bumped into me!"

"No I didn't! You're the one who came running at me with that thing! What are you, crazy?! I could've been hurt!"

Esther took her opportunity to realize the scenario. Her eyes were fixated on their run-in, who was just as startled as them. "Huh?"

"Something wrong?" Atchibee asked.

The figure clutched a fist tighter, showing his anger. "Alright pal, first you run and hold that thing, now you're just picking fights? Are you nuts?!"

"Yeah? You startled me, it was a reflex!" Luke countered.

"Luke. Enough." Esther scolded.

Luke stayed frozen in place for a short time, but nevertheless had enough sense to relent. He pouted and turned away from the figure, crossing his arms. "Hmmm…" Humming after several seconds, Luke finally conceded and glanced back at the new face.

"…alright, fine. I bumped into you. Sorry." He muffled.

The figure turned away, giving his own pout. "Hmph! Fine, I'll let you off this one time." He looked back, raising a brow. "But who the heck are you? You're a face I haven't seen before?"

Luke pointed a thumb at himself. "Me? My name is Luke D. Revolutia. Who are you supposed to be?" He squinted a brow. "Hey, are you with those freaks we saw before?"

He crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? What freaks?"

Esther approached them both. "Luke, he's not one of them." She spoked.

"What? How are you so sure?" He questioned.

She gestured to the item that was beside Shuji, which was a plastic bag. "Would those guys we saw really carry groceries in the middle of the forest?"

Her inquiry hung over Luke's head for a few seconds before he realized it. When it hit his head, his eyes widened in his embarrassment. He turned away, trying to cover his shame.

Esther turned towards the figure. "Our apologies. Who might you be?"

The figure flashed a smirk. "Heh." He huffed. "Well, it just so happens that I'm one of the toughest battlers there is where I come from." He gloated. "Yeah, that's right, it's one of the greatest battlers there is, and that me." He pointed a thumb to himself, flashing an all-knowing smirk. "The name is Shuji, ya get me?"

"Never heard of you." Luke and Esther deadpanned.

Shuji completely floored.

"Wait, what~?!" He whined in despair. "You mean after all those battles in Bakugan Interspace, my name still doesn't ring any bells?! Not even you guys know who made all those strategies happen?!"

"Never been to Bakugan Interspace." Esther said.

"And can't say that I'm still new to this whole Bakugan thing." Luke noted.

Shuji sulked on his knees, completely grimacing over his lack of popularity. "Oh…I see…" Shame was one thing he felt, but his pride was going to take some time to recover.

"So anyways, Shuji." Esther spoke, getting the conversation to draw to a more appropriate matter. "What were you doing running through the forest?"

Realizing why he ran to begin with, he retold it. "Huh? Hey, yeah! Is it still on me?" He turned left and right, looking beneath the armpits and over his shoulders, much to Esther and Luke's confusion. "C'mon, please tell me I shook it off."

"Uh…" Esther blinked.

"I think you hit him too hard." Abis told Luke.

Shuji looked all around, seeing that he wasn't followed. "Did I lose it?"

"Lose what?" Luke asked.

"That huge bug." He answered. "It was huge! And it was crawling up my shoulder like some spider with six legs! And that's not the creepiest part about it." He began to shudder, reminiscing on its features. "The freakiest thing about it was how massive the horn was! It was all curved and freaky! Just what kind of a place is this even?! I wanna go home~!"

Within Luke and the others inquiry, their attention drew to something that was slowly emerging from behind Shuji's shoulder. It slowly climbed into view as he exaggerated all its features, which befitted the insect that was a fellow brown spherical creature. Shuji was so busy explaining it that he didn't realize that it was on his shoulder.

Realizing what it was, Atchibee rest herself on Esther's shoulder. "Is that…?"

"You mean like that?" Luke pointed at it.

"Huh?" Shuji turned to look at what Luke was pointing at, seeing the insect to be a Sub Terra Bakugan. More accurately, a Sub Terra Fly Beetle.

"…hey."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The loud shriek Shuji unleashed bellowed through the entire forest, so lard and so far, that even at one of the higher points, there appeared to be some unknown figure who was at a high point, just above a slope. She looked rather short, and very young at that.

"What was that?" She asked.

On her shoulder, a Pyrus Jelldon looked out in question. "I don't know, but it sounds like help." He figured. "Want to keep going this way?"

The little girl showed a curious expression. "Okay." She chirped as she continued her way. She retained caution as she carefully maneuvered down the slope, staying aware of the damp, cool dirt and fellow Bakugan that may be hiding in the underbrushes.

"Wha…wha…what the heck?!" Shuji panicked, having flailing to where he completely fell on his bottom again. He stared at the floating Fly Beetle, barely processing what he was seeing. "Th-that's the bug! That one! Right there!" He pointed an accusing finger at Fly Beetle, although the Sub Terra Bakugan didn't show any signs of falter.

Esther sighed. "That's no bug, Shuji."

"Well of course it is, just take a look at…" He trailed off, getting a closer look at the "bug" and all its features. The longer he stared, the more he realized what it was. "You mean…it's a Bakugan?!"

"Welcome to my world." Luke groaned.

The Fly Beetle landed on the ground, looking up at the shocked Shuji. "Man, you humans sure can run fast. I almost fell off." He mused.

Shuji reeled back towards the nearby shrubs, completely in disarray. "Wha-?! D-did it just…you guys just…"

"Well it looks like Luke isn't the only one who doesn't get out much." Abis Omega said, much to Luke's chagrin.

The heir pouted. "Who asked you?"

---

The little girl took one slow step in front of the other. She made sure to stay as careful as possible, especially with how damp it could be. "Hope whoever's up ahead, they have some food. I'm starving." She began to think of a potential all you can eat buffet, and her taste buds were beginning to overcome her sense of direction. She almost started drooling as the thought of a big campfire and a huge meal was so overbearing for the ten-year-old.

"Maggie? Maggie!" Jelldon shouted.

"H-huh?! Wha…!" Before she could realize it, she was getting caught up in her fantasies and began to dwindle down the steep incline, which got even steeper. "Oh!" She leaned back, trying to keep traction. "Man, this is getting steep!"

"Be careful." Jelldon warned, however, even to his hopes, Maggie was still gaining speed, unable to stop herself from going down the steep incline.

"Whoa. Whoa~~! Okay, it's getting steep!" She kept getting faster, unable to keep herself in check as she scooted down the steep hill. "I can't stop! Going too fast! Somebody look out!"

---

Down below, the group heard muffled sounds from afar, much to their own wonder. They all turned towards the sound, ears twitching.

"Hey, did anyone hear that?" Esther asked.

"Hear what?" Luke asked.

Shuji took a step closer, looking confused. "Somebody else here?"

Esther's eyes narrowed. "They sound like they're in trouble."

Luke stepped up with Shuji, the former ready to take action if necessary. Without drawing his sword this time, he stared as the sound of cries and feet closed in from the hill up ahead.

"Somebody loo~~k ooOOOUUUT!" From the hill and diving to a steep dash through the thick bushes, Maggie rushed ahead full-on, startling Luke and Shuji alike.

"AH~!"

BAM!

All three humans fell on their backs, completely blown over by the other. The gathered Bakugan flinched as they ran and thudded, and from the looks of things, the three were in a sheer daze. They all groaned as their heads were spinning.

"Oh!" Fly Beetle flinched. "That's gotta hurt."

"No kidding." Abis Omega sweat dropped. "Is this what they call 'Human Trafficking'?"

"Who knew it'd be so physical?" Atchibee added.

Esther rushed for everyone, standing around and overlooking their conditions. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Luke sat up, putting a hand through his red hair. "Ow, my head." he groaned. "What's with everyone knocking into me?"

"Crap, again?" Shuji grimaced as he held his face. "Alright, who's the wise guy now? Huh…?" he trailed off, his wonders increasing.

Luke and Esther both hummed as they got a look at who was the one who showed up now. She looked to another girl with fair skin like Esther. She had large brown eyes, and black hair in two pigtails with thin white strings tying them, though the wavy bangs hung over her forehead. She adorns a simple pink dress with long sleeves that went to banded frills. She had white gloves, much like Esther. The frilly bottom of the skirt laid beneath the waist, which was dark pink. The inner skirt was white, like old-fashioned. She adorned a very small bright pink mantle over her shoulders with red edging and two yellow buttons on either side. Tucked in was a green pendant with a handkerchief tucked into the midsection of the mantle. She had white sticking and black, classy heels.

The unknown girl groaned as she got to her knees. "Oww…"

The Jelldon rolled towards her, popping open. "Maggie, you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think so." She got up.

Jelldon sighed. "I told you to be careful, didn't I? Huh?" He realized the unknown figments who were close by, catching him and Maggie by surprise. Both looked at the two guys and nother girl, and their Bakugan.

The group was still processing what happened, and who they were met with now. Esther, however, managed to recover from her surprise. "It's…a young girl?" She questioned.

"What's going on here?" Luke grunted. "First this guy, now her?" Both him and Shuji got up, the two and Maggie regaining balance beneath. Once composed, they began to process it all.

Maggie tilted her head like an innocent girl would. "People?" she confusedly said.

Esther approached the young girl, looking down at her. With Atchibee close by, she showed a great deal of seriousness down towards the surprised Maggie, who stared up with awe.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Me?" she pointed to herself. "I'm Maggie." she looked around, seemingly confused, if not embarrassed. "Um…do you have anything to eat…?"

---

It wasn't long before the group found a couple of fallen logs to sit down on and regroup. The group now comprised of Luke, Esther, Shuji, and Maggie was present ad accounted for. Maggie was currently wolfing down many of the fruits Luke and Esther picked up earlier, much to Luke's dismay. He watched as she ate her fill, and even Shuji snacked on some.

"So you said your name was Maggie, correct?" Esther asked, having processed her side of the story.

"Mhm." Maggie nodded, the corners of her lips having white from the fruity insides.

Luke raised a brow. "And you both went through a weird wormhole like us, too?"

Maggie swallowed and stood up. "Yeah, it was all super weird!" She exaggerated by waving her arms out and around. "I was just running through my hometown, looking for some food to bring home to my Mama, and then the next thing I knew, I was running downhill to this weird vortex that popped up. It was super weird." She looked down beside her, looking at Jelldon. "The next thing I knew, I ended up here. And soon enough, I met this guy."

Jelldon turned towards everyone. "Hi, everybody." He greeted.

"I wasn't sure where I was until he pointed out New Vestroia. I had no idea where I was going, but after getting lost so many times, he just chose to help me find my way." she smiled. "But I don't mind. It's good to have company with you."

"Yes, it sure is." Esther agreed. "And how about you, Shuji? How did you get to New Vestroia?"

Shuji looked down at the ground, furrowing his eyebrows. "Let's see…"

Not even a day ago, Shuji was walking through down, exiting the local market with what was a large bag of groceries and assorted food groups, though small as they were. He hurried with haste through the streets, carrying it back towards his house.

'I gotta be fast about this. My Mom's gonna kill me if I don't bring this stuff back by dinner.' He began to panic as he could picture his mother in a yellow and red checkered apron holding a ladle, giving Shuji a motherly glare that made him shrink back. In fright, he hurried his pace through the streets. 'Keep a grip. Stay focused.'

He wandered through the park, eventually making way up the fountain. He stopped to look around, seeing many people who had Bakugan partners on their shoulders. Even now, he still didn't have a partner, and yet Nene back home had a Bakugan. Although it wasn't personal. Akira didn't have one either, so he wasn't alone.

Shaking his head, his thoughts were suppressed and rushed down the flight of stairs beyond the fountain. 'If I don't make it, I'm gonna be-!'

He was cut off when he lost his footing. He began to fall forward, screaming out as he tripped on his bottom and fumbled down the steps, with the groceries held tight. As he reached the bottom, however, an odd static-like energy began to erode. Nobody was around, so they didn't witness the static intensifying into a wormhole.

"Waaah~!" Shuji rolled and fumbled right into the it, along with the groceries. As he disappeared inside, the wormhole began to ignite static before it twisted and vanished in a bright flash-like bolt, leaving the ground partially cindered.

"So you ended up here just like us?" Luke asked, crossing his arms. He turned towards Fly Beetle next. "And you fled from this thing?"

"Just shut it, alright!" Shuji pouted. "How was I supposed to know where I was? I ended up in the middle of nowhere and needed to get to somewhere safe! How was I supposed to know this was another planet?" He hunched over, giving a rather grumpy vibe towards the group.

"Well, at least now we know, right?" Fly Beetle shrugged, if him nodding meant anything.

Shuji crossed his arms. "Yeah, whatever."

Luke scratched his head, showing his sheer irritation. "Man, what a pain. Just how many of us ended up here anyway?"

Esther put a hand to her chin, deeply pondering. "It's hard to say. From yours and my own experience, we weren't the only ones transported here. If Shuji and Maggie were also caught in this distortion, could it be possible that this is randomly plucking us from our planet? And if so, how many wormholes took us?" Her eyes squinted, her thinking deepening. "I wonder…"

"Well don't stress yourself over it." Maggie chimed, showing no concern over the matter. "Sure we're off Earth, but since we know we're in the home of Bakugan, we're not in any real danger, are we?"

Luke looked away, thinking about her comment. "Guess not…"

"But even if we're not in any immediate danger, the Bakugan are still in spherical forms rather than their physical ones." Esther reminded. "That means this is someone else's work, and it's clear that they're targeting Bakugan."

"But why would they target us?" Jelldon asked.

Abis Omega turned towards him. "We've seen it last night. These guys were snooping around and capturing a few Bakugan. And that's not the oddest part."

"What?" Fly Beetle inquired.

"Yeah, they were able to teleport away for some reason." Luke added. "It's like they have technology already to just zap them away from us. It's weird."

Esther looked down at Atchibee, showing a frown. "We're hoping to know more of this mystery. But for now, we don't have much of a lead. We're torn from our home planet, and this one is in trouble. Whoever is responsible must know something's wrong here."

Luke stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "Well, we're not going to get back home just by standing around." He swung his arms, popping his shoulders. "I'm sick of this place already, so let's just find another spot already and find a way home."

He began to walk off, ready to get a move on, until Shuji stood up with fists ready.

"Hey, hold on a second!" he retorted.

Luke looked back towards him, confused. "What is it now?"

"Who said I want to follow you? Do you even know where you're going?" he retorted.

Luke put a hand to his hip. "No, do you?"

"No, but I'm not gonna follow some twerp who just absent-mindedly goes about looking for something to bump in! How do we even know we can trust you? For all we know, you could just cut us open in your sleep."

"I wouldn't do that!" Luke shouted in defense. "My Master taught me every principle there is to the sword's code!

Shuji put his hands on his hips now. "Heh, well whatever. Since I'm the most experienced in Bakugan, I think I can handle myself pretty well until I find my way."

"Aw, c'mon, Shuji. Don't be such a downer." Maggie whined.

"Yes. I agree." Esther commented. "We'll be better in a large group. If we come across trouble, we'll be able to hold our own this way."

Shuji crossed his arms. "Well that doesn't mean I have to like you guys!"

"Who said anything about that?" Luke inquired. "I want to get off this planet like you, too, in case you haven't noticed."

Shuji smirked. "Yeah, well I say it's every man for himself. If those clowns come across me as you said, I'll show them a thing or two."

"But you wimped out when you met Fly Beetle." Maggie pointed out.

Shuji flinched in embarrassment. "D-GAH! Aw man~!"

Luke turned away, showing no signs of care. "Well, do what you want then. All that matters is getting somewhere other than here and back to Earth."

Shuji clutched a fist. "And who made you the boss of me?" he threatened.

Maggie squeezed her way between the two, holding her hands up. "Time out!" She yelled. She looked at both as they faced away from the other. "Come on, can't we all just get along? We were having a good time."

"I was doing just fine." Luke said. "It's him. He's the stubborn one."

Shuji huffed, showing reluctance in the group.

Esther sighed as there was no progress coming from all this. "Enough, you guys. Even though we have setbacks, we can't mistrust each other right now. We have to at least understand the situation first. We're all gathered here for a reason, so turning on ourselves when we haven't done anything wrong is foolish."

Luke groaned, turning towards Esther. "I'm trying, okay?!"

"Yeah! I know that, too! But do I have to team up with that wimp?!" Shuji pointed towards Luke as a reference.

Esther sighed again. "So is that it? You can't acknowledge the other?"

Maggie jumped in between. "Hey, I have a great idea! Why don't we battle?" she chirped.

Everyone there looked at her dumbfounded. "A…battle?" they parroted.

She nodded. "Yup! We can all have a big battle, that way we can settle our differences and grow stronger. Luke and be with Esther, and Shuji and I can team up! It's efficient~." She winked.

Esther put a hand to her chin. "She's not wrong."

Luke rubbed the side of his head. "Guh..." he groaned. "This sounds like a big waste of time."

Abis Omega floated beside him. "Well I don't see anything wrong with it."

"How about you, Atchibee?" Esther asked her Darkus Bakugan.

"If it means cooperation, and benefitting our levels in battle, then sure." She agreed.

Shuji looked at the others, smirking. "Huh, when you put it that way, sure, I'll accept that challenge." He pointed a thumb at himself. "But watch out."

"Yay~! We're gonna have some fun!" Maggie chirped.

Esther smiled. "Well, at least we all can start here on that agreement."

"Guess so." Luke lazily shrugged.

The Sub Terra Fly Beetle turned towards Shuji, looking up at him. "Hey, buddy. I'm up for a go." He advised.

Shuji gave him a look. "That depends, are you strong?"

"That depends. Only one way to find out." Fly Beetle closed, allowing to pick him up and smirk.

Maggie cupped Jelldon in her hands, smiling with glee. "You wanna have some fun, Jelldon?"

"If you want me to, I guess…" The Pyrus Jelldon didn't look so keen. It was clear he didn't seem to be that combative.

Maggie winked. "Don't worry. You'll do great. Let's work together on this, alright?"

Jelldon nodded. "Got it."

---

The group eventually found a good clearing just beyond the forest, not too far out from where their position was. They were all set once they reached the barren wastelands, which had canyon-like elements in the rock formations.

"Here, this is a great space!" Maggie said, twirling around to see a full-scale view of the space.

"Yes. This should be fine." Esther said. She looked at everyone, seeing that they were all set. "Shall we get started?"

"Right." They all said.

Shuji: 100% Luke: 100%

Maggie: 100% Esther: 100%

'Okay, I think I know what's going on now.' Luke thought. He thought back to when he had his battle against Ariella and Hendrix, and though inexperienced, he now had a more crisp grasp on battling. "I'll go first then!" He declared, pulling out a Gate Card. "Gate Card, set!"

The card he threw by throwing it landed on the ground in a slide. It faded into a blue ripple that expanded outwards, eventually encompassing the area.

"Alright, let's go!" He brought his arm back. "Bakugan, brawl!" He threw Abis Omega, in which he bounced a few times out far to where he popped open. "Bakugan, stand!"

The Bakugan erupted in a bright blue light, the tail swerving and the Abis Omega standing. The amphibious serpent opened his mouth, unleashing a loud hiss-like roar.

"Bear with me, Atchibee!" Esther shouted. "Bakugan, brawl!" She threw Atchibee, who followed with popping out once out far enough. "Bakugan, stand!"

The sphere popped open, and Atchibee once again erupted into her physical form. The moth-like Bakugan screeched as she was ready for battle.

Maggie looked up to them with widened eyes, showing shock. "Wow, look at them, Shuji!" She squealed. "So cool!"

"Heh, he doesn't look so tough." Shuji sneered. He pulled up the closed Fly Beetle, ready to brawl. "Alright, time to see what you're made of." He brought his foot back and threw the sphere. "Bakugan, brawl!"

Fly Beetle went soaring out in front of Abis Omega and Atchibee, both seeing him clear as day.

"Bakugan, stand!"

Fly Beetle popped open, and the Bakugan was enveloped in a brown light. Arising from the spherical shape was a humungous, orange-brown beetle. He had red compound eyes on either side of the small head, which had two small yellow horns jutting up overhead. On either side were two massive yellow tusks that curved upwards with tons of jagged elements. Aside from that were two antennae-like mandibles on either side, but perhaps the most distinct feature of Fly Beetle was his horn. It was as long as the body itself, going up like a hill to where it had two yellow smaller tusks. The wings were a bright green beneath the coating, which had brown marks edged into them.

Fly Beetle raised his head, his horn pointed at the opponents and set for battle.

Maggie smiled as she held up Jelldon. "Well, guess it's our turn now." She spun around, her arm out. "Bakugan, brawl!" As she spun, she pivoted and lobbed Jelldon, sending him out next. "Bakugan, stand!"

Jelldon popped open, and unlike the familiar attributes, a red light enveloped the atmosphere. Arising next was a jellyfish-like Bakugan. He was primarily red all over, with four small, orange ovals in the front center of his face. He had six small, green eyes; three attached to a red "eyebrow" it seemed. He had a frilly yellow ridge like casual jellyfish would have, and a squishy red underside. He had four red tendrils with orange spots near the body, and between the sides of them were more orange spots.

The massive jellyfish let out a cry as he entered battle.

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

"Let's brawl!" Shuji declared.

Luke clutched a fist and held it out. "Go!"

Fly Beetle opened his wings and flapped them. He went racing for Abis Omega, who went charging for him as well with a roar. Both Bakugan collided head-first, making a loud thud bellow. The two instantly backed off, having recoiled. Fly Beetle fired back first by diving in, but Abis Omega narrowly dodged by shifting his slithery body around, snaking around the horn into a constriction that anchored Fly Beetle.

"I got you." He hissed.

"We'll see about that!" Fly Beetle swayed his massive body left and right, trying to sway Abis off him and his horn.

As that battle progressed, Atchibee went diving right for Jelldon, her blades out and set to strike. Jelldon swiveled his stingers nervously, but he did his best. Once Atchibee slashed with one blade, Jelldon instantly moved his stingers and reached for Atchibee, managing to constrict around them.

Jelldon kept a good hold, but Atchibee was no slouch. "Use your tail! Ability, activate!" Esther called out, her Bakumeter showing an ability. "Lavender Shock!"

With the close proximity, Atchibee's tail end began to spark with purple electricity. "Think again, Jelldon!" With her tail free, the bottom arched up beneath, unleashing a blast of purple lightning. Jelldon was in close-range, and he cried out as he was forced to let go and was being moved back several meters.

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400 (+200) = 600

"Hang on, Jelldon!" Maggie lifted her left wrist, showing a red Bakumeter and an ability card hologram showing. "Ability, activate! Gel Shield!"

As Jelldon tried to hold his ground, the orange spots on his front began to emit rippling red energy waves in front and around his body. It became translucent like water, defending Jelldon from the shock. With that, Atchibee backed off, her power level dropping back to 400.

"Well played." Esther praised.

Shuji smirked as he held up a brown Bakumeter. "Alright, enough tussling! Ability, activate!" A holographic ability card revealed itself, shimmering a bright orange. "Horn Buster!"

Fly Beetle shook constantly, until finally, he slammed his horn on the ground, causing Abis Omega to thud and lay on the ground. The serpent looked up, seeing his adversary above him, the yellow horned tips sparking a bright orange before he reeled it up and back down, sending a blast wave similar to Lavender Shock, only bright brown.

Fly Beetle: 350 (+200) = 550 Abis Omega: 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

As the attack drew closer, Abis Omega looked unsound. He looked towards Luke, who had just put his wrist up next. "Ability, activate! Fin Melee!" At that command, Abis looked back up and hissed. He swerved his tailfin around, which had blue streaks following its slashing motion. It slammed into the Horn Buster attack, causing a stalemate as a bright hemisphere of orange sparks enveloped the are in front of them. Beetle and Abis alike hissed loudly, but in the end, the attacks cancelled out, creating a recoil for the serpent.

Fly Beetle: 550 Abis Omega: 350 (+200) = 550

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

Abis Omega hissed upwards, but that didn't stop Shuji. "Big deal, I got more tricks up my sleeves!"

"So do I!" Luke countered. "Ability, activate! Sea Helix!" Abis was suddenly surrounded by a helix of water, which spiraled like a wall.

Fly Beetle: 550 (-100) = 450 Abis Omega: 550 (+100) = 650

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

"Huh?!" Shuji gasped.

Fly Beetle closed in to attack, much to his better judgement's dismay. Before he realized it, the helix of water spiraled and he was whacked away like a fly. "Gah!"

"Be careful!" Shuji warned.

"Ability, activate!" Maggie shouted. "Go, Jelldon! Sting Ray!"

Jelldon's power level suddenly escalated, going from 350 to 550. His stinger's ends began to ignite in red sparks, and he pointed them at Atchibee. The two red shockwaves struck Atchibee, who was left vulnerable.

"Now it's my turn!" Esther shouted. "Ability, activate! Vermilion Jet Black!"

Atchibee began to flap her wings, hollering as everything around blackened. With the cover, Jelldon's attack faded, and he realized he couldn't see.

"W-wait! Hold on!" He gasped. "When d-did it get so…dark?!" If he were human, he'd be paling, but the only light he saw in the closure that he sought were from a pair of red eyes that sent purple zap waves at him. The jellyfish grunted as his body took the attack, bolts going everywhere around him as well.

"How did you like that?" Esther questioned.

Maggie smirked knowingly. "Mmmm, not bad. But not good enough either."

"What?"

Maggie flashed a cheeky smirk. "Don't underestimate Jelldon, because his Gel Shield Ability does more than just nullify an opponent's ability. It also halves any subtraction done to him for the rest of the round."

Fly Beetle: 450 Abis Omega: 650

Jelldon: 550 (-150) = 400 Atchibee: 400

Maggie smiled. "Alright, Jelldon, let's go get'em!" She made another ability card appear. "Ability, activate! Shockwave!"

Jelldon raised all four of his tendrils, which began to flourish in red static. He slammed all four on the ground, sending an omnidirectional wave of red electricity outwards. The rippling red energy enveloped Atchibee and Abis Omega alike, paralyzing them in red static.

Fly Beetle: 450 Abis Omega: 650 (-200) = 450

Jelldon: 400 Atchibee: 400 (-200) = 200

Abis Omega tried to shake it off, eventually working. "I'm not through yet." He threatened.

"And neither are we." Shuji countered. "Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!"

From Fly Beetle's tusks, two bright brown beams were fired. The two beams were directed towards Abis, ho narrowly coiled so as to cover from the powerful attack. It struck him, making him hiss loudly.

Fly Beetle: 450 (+200) = 650 Abis Omega: 450 (-100) = 350

Jelldon: 400 Atchibee: 200

The blast eventually dissipated, leaving Abis to breath, but Atchibee looked over, a little unnerved. "Abis, you okay?"

"Ability, activate!" Maggie shouted, getting Esther's attention. "Sting Ray!" Once again, Jelldon used the familiar tendrils and enveloped the tips in static. Red electricity went at Atchibee, who looked back to see the attack heading her way.

"Ability, activate! Scan Blaze!" Esther countered with her own ability. Atchibee's eyes suddenly glowed a bright red, which shined with orange-red ripple waves exerting with the energy. The Sting Ray lightning began to fade away, nullified.

Fly Beetle: 650 Abis Omega: 350

Jelldon: 400 Atchibee: 200 (+200) = 400

Atchibee stayed beside Abis as he recovered. They both looked up and down at Jelldon and Fly Beetle, who were surprisingly holding up better than expected. Even Jelldon was a little surprised.

"They're really good." Esther commented.

Shuji smirked. "Well of course we are."

Maggie winked. "Just because we're having fun doesn't make it easy~."

Luke showed hostility as he was dead focused in the battle. "This isn't over yet. Abis Omega, get up! Let's kick this battle into higher levels!"

Abis Omega looked back at Luke, showing wonder.

He swiped his arm. "Gate Card, open! Aquos Reactor!" At his command, the field beneath began to glow, showing a large card with the Aquos background and Aquos symbol in the center. The card's four corners suddenly began to seep water, drenching the ground beneath Jelldon into water. As the water expanded, reaching Abis Omega, he felt power rise from the area having water added.

Fly Beetle: 650 Abis Omega: 350 (+150) = 500

Jelldon: 400 Atchibee: 400

Overlooking the battle scenario, Shuji flashed a knowing smirk of his own. "Oh yeah? Well I got news for you, punk. Even with that little power-up my Bakugan still trumps yours by 150 Gs. Fly Beetle! Go!"

"Right! Her I come!" Fly Beetle went soaring through the now-bluer sky, descending for Abis and Atchibee alike.

Esther shot a look at Luke. "Luke."

"Heh?" He looked to see Esther shooting him a look, one that confused him, but soon realized he had to act. "Huh? Oh! Ability, activate! Osmosis!"

Abis Omega narrowed his eyes. "Let's go!" The diamonds all over his body began to glisten, and slowly, his body began to fade away, like camouflage.

The action bewildered Fly Beetle and Jelldon alike, causing them both to stop in their tracks. "Where did he go?" Fly Beetle asked, turning left and right confusedly.

Fly Beetle: 650 (-200) = 450 Abis Omega: 500

Jelldon: 400 (-100) = 300 Atchibee: 400

"What?! Our power levels are dropping!" Shuji panicked.

Fly Beetle couldn't get a read on Abis as he was camouflaged. Even from the height, the water rippled to where it was hard to tell where he might show up. Jelldon, being confused, was completely oblivious.

WHAM! Suddenly a harsh smack of what felt like a tail hit him head on. He shook about, his jelly-like body rippling.

"What was that?" Fly Beetle looked down, but saw a splash of water beneath. He looked down, but suddenly felt pain as something sharp like fangs snapped on one of his front legs. He yelled aloud as the force pulled him down, his body descending into a crippling state atop the water. That's when the invisible Abis let go, having eye-level…sort of.

"Crap, we gotta smoke him out! Shuji shouted.

"I'll try!" Maggie volunteered. "Ability, activate! Shockwave!"

Jelldon raised his static, red tendrils, ready to unleash his counter.

Esther's eyes darkly narrowed. "Not on my watch." She muttered. "Ability, activate! Scare Flash!"

Atchibee suddenly ascended, making a loud shriek as she gained a descent elevation and its eyeball center of the wings began to glisten. The whole pattern expelled a ferociously bright purple array of light beams that went everywhere. The intimidating pattern coupled by the bright, searing light stopped Jelldon, making him and Fly Beetle cover up and look away.

"She nullified Jelldon before he could begin!" Maggie shrieked.

"And that's not all. Scare Flash is an ability that adds 200 to Atchibee, and each opponent loses that same amount." Esther explained.

Fly Beetle: 450 (-200) = 250 Abis Omega: 500

Jelldon: 300 (-100) = 200 Atchibee: 400 (+200) = 600

"Oh no!" Maggie panicked.

"Now, Luke! Go for the attack!" Esther shouted.

Grunting, Luke raised his wrist. "I know, okay! Ability, activate! Fin Melee!"

Fly Beetle: 250 Abis Omega: 500 (+200) = 700

Jelldon: 200 Atchibee: 600

With Fly Beetle covering up, his antennae and sensors were barely reading. In the bright light, however, he could've sworn he saw a cloaked version of Abis, but only small. Before he had the chance to question, Abis slashed his tail. "HRAH!" The serpent slashed diagonally, making a blue streak that sent Fly Beetle soaring backwards. The beetle recoiled and hissed, taking too much from that one attack. He reverted back to his ball form in a swirling bright brown.

Atchibee's glow brightened, the purple light waves shining so bright and so powerfully that Jelldon couldn't take it. He relented and glowed red, swirling back into a sphere that followed Fly Beetle.

Both Bakugan bounced and rolled to a stop upright in front of the shocked Maggie and Shuji, just as the sky and water returned to normal.

Shuji: 10%

Maggie: 20%

Luke smirked with a fist up. "Nice."

Abis and Atchibee returned to ball form and returned to their hands, leaving the field clear.

"Aw, and I thought we had you there." Maggie pouted. She looked down at her palm. "Are you okay, Jelldon?"

Jelldon popped open again. "Yeah, I think so." He speculated. "S-sorry I let you down. I guess I'm not that good."

Maggie, however, flashed a smile. "Hey, don't feel bad. That was just the first round. We'll bounce back, right, Shuji?" She looked towards Shuji, who showed a smirk on his face.

"Heh, beginners luck." He snorted. "We'll get him this time, with this." He held up a Gate Card, showing it to Maggie, who awed at it.

"Gate Card, set!" Shuji threw the card, which touched the ground and faded into an expanding orange rectangle out in the open. He flicked Fly Beetle up again and snatched him in midair. "Ready or not, here we come! Bakugan, brawl!"

Maggie spun. "Bakugan, brawl!"

Both called out their Bakugan, which responded by opening up again and becoming physical once more, shouting out.

Luke clutched his fists, looking up at them. "We'll get them this time." He assured.

Abis Omega closed up before him again. "Let's get going then if you you're really up for it."

Luke snatched Abis and threw him. "Bakugan, brawl!" He watched as Abis bounced constantly. "Abis Omega, stand!"

Abis Omega entered the battle, standing at 350 just like them, hissing aloud.

"Atchibee, stay on guard." Esther warned.

"Yes." She nodded, closing and allowing Esther to grasp her.

"Bakugan, brawl!" Esther threw her. "Bakugan, stand!"

Just ike before, Atchibee arose, fluttering her wings and taking flight for battle.

"Hah! You may have gotten us last round, but this time, there's no warm-ups, guaranteed!" Shuji shouted, pointing ahead.

Rather than speak, Luke held up his wrist enacting an ability. "Ability, activate! Dry World!"

Abis Omega remained glaring as mist began to expel from his body. All the vapor and humidity erupted, shrouding Fly Beetle. The confused Sub Terra Bakugan looked around, seeing no sign of Abis.

"Huh? Mist?" Fly Beetle questioned. He waited for the mist to clear, in which it did, but when it did, it revealed a large sphere of water, with Abis compressed in its center. "What the?!"

Fly Beetle: 350 (-200) = 150 Abis Omega: 350 (+200) = 550

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

"I got you!" Abis charged at Fly Beetle, the massive globe of water like an aquatic earth as he closed the gap between him and the startled beetle.

"Oh no you don't!" Shuji shouted. "Ability, activate! Exo-Shield!"

Fly Beetle's body went stiff as Abis drew closer. His whole body closed and held his ground as the entire body encased in an orange glow. Abis kept charging, but when the globe struck, it only popped on the edge of the horn tusks like a balloon. The water from the atmosphere sprayed everywhere, and Abis was found shocked.

"What?!"

"He nullified Dry World?" Luke gasped.

Fly Beetle: 150 (+200) = 350 Abis Omega: 550 (-200) = 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

"Now we're back at square one again." Luke groaned.

"Don't sell yourself short, stay focused!" Esther forewarned. "Ability, activate! Vermilion Jet Black!"

Atchibee, once again, made everything around her darken with every flap of her wings. Jelldon stiffened as he saw total darkness, his squirming body in a complete panic. "The dark? Again?!" He squealed. He almost lost his cool when he saw Atchibee's red eyes.

"Don't worry, Jelldon! We can get through this!" Maggie assured. "Just trust me on this!"

The purple zap waves fired, heading for Jelldon, and that was what Maggie wanted. "Now, ability, activate! Morphed Deflect!"

Suddenly, Jelldon's squishy body was hit, but instead of taking damage, it rippled off him, ricocheting the lightning blast at Abis. Abis was caught completely off guard. "Huh?!" Before he had the chance, purple lightning zapped his midsection, making him cry out in pain.

"What?!" Luke gasped.

"She deflected our attack?!" Esther gasped.

Maggie flashed a wink. "Morphed Deflect is another ability that Jelldon's specialty. His squishy body can bounce attacks to another Bakugan like a trampoline. Pretty nifty, right?"

Abis faltered, having unable to fully withstand the attack. He grimaced as he tried to hang on. "Hang in there!" Luke shouted.

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 350 (-300) = 50

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

As Abis was reeling away, Atchibee looked over, dumbfounded. "Are you alright Abis? I'm sorry!"

Shuji flashed yet another smirked. "Time to turn this around. Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!"

Raising his head, his tusks glowed. "You let your guard down! Hrah!" He fired two orange rays from his tusks, which hit Atchibee. The attack made her reel away in recoil, hitting her back. Fly Beetle's power level jumped to 550, while Atchibee dropped to 300.

Shuji kept a smirk on his face. "See that? That's what happens when amateurs mess with top brawlers such as myself. Am I right?"

Esther and Luke narrowed their eyes; Luke's being more peeved than Esther. "This guy's so full of himself." He growled.

"Stay calm. We'll set him straight." Esther assured.

Maggie held up a fist with a smile. "Alright, let's get us a win!"

"You're reading my mind, little twerp." Shuji held up his wrist. "Ability, activate! Sonic Wing!" Fly Beetle responded by getting airborne, and his wings flapped and vibrated furiously. He unleashed several brown crescents that sliced through the air that went at Abis and Atchibee alike.

Esther gave Luke a look. "Luke, nullify the ability."

"I know!" He snapped. "I'll try this then!" Two abilities layered atop the other on his Bakumeter. "Double ability, activate!"

"Hang on, what did he just say?!" Shuji gasped.

Maggie was equally as shocked. "I think he just said…"

"Coil Guard,plus Dry World!"

Abis, able to regain himself, swerved in front of Atchibee and coiled up. His body's muscles stay tightened and he endured Sonic Wing as the brown projectiles bounced off his coils. As they did, a mist-like vapor began to swirl into the area, the currents dissipating the translucent crescents and surrounded Abis in mist until it faded into another sphere of compressed water.

Fly Beetle: 550 (-200) = 350 Abis Omega: 50 (+100 +200) = 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 300

"Abis!" Atchibee exclaimed in shock.

"Come and get some!" Abis challenged, flying right at Fly Beetle with a loud roar.

Fly Beetle soared down towards the incoming water globe. "Bring it!"

The two Bakugan met dead center, the horn diving right into the sphere and popping it. As water sprayed again, the liquid sparkled and slowed Fly Beetle. Just like in the beginning, Abis snapped his jaws in the side of the horn, while his body constricted about, making it hard for Fly Beetle to move in the air.

Realizing he wasn't doing much, Jelldon looked back at Maggie. "Maggie, what do we do?"

Maggie showed a mature face. "Let's help out! Aim for Abis Omega! Ability, activate! Sting Ray!"

Jelldon paid close attention and raised his tendrils. The tips had red static flare profusely and readied as the two combatants were tussling it above. He was sure to stay extra careful in firing, so he didn't harm Fly Beetle. Once ready, a blast of zappy red was unleashed.

"Double ability, activate!" Esther countered. "Scan Blaze, plus Lavender Shock!"

Atchibee's eyes glowed, releasing red rippling heat waves that reached the escalating lightning attack. The attack dissipated, and as Abis held on tight above, both Maggie and Jelldon were brought back to realization and saw Atchibee's tail shoot a small purple lightning blast. The attack alarmed Jelldon, forcing him to use his tentacles and cover up.

"AH!" He yelled as his body flinched from the pain.

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 300 (+200 +200) = 700

Jelldon cowered away in his injuries, while Fly Beetle finally lost Abis and descended back towards the ground. All the combatants returned to their respective positions, looking ready as ever, despite some looking like they were ready to cave in.

"Man, they really got back at us that time." Maggie grimaced. "I didn't know Bakugan could do that."

"Yeah, that's sure playing dirty." Shuji complained.

"Not it's not!" Luke denied. "It's so fair!"

Shuji, however, flashed a smirk. "Then let's see you say that after I pull this trick up my sleeve." He reached out to the field. "Gate Card, open! Phantasm!"

The field beneath began to glow into a rectangular shape, revealing a command card. Beneath Abis and Atchibee, they began to feel a heavy weight, with the sound of crystalizing. Looking down, the two realized – much to their horror – that Abis' lower half and Atchibee's tail was starting to turn to stone.

"What's happening? My body!" Atchibee exclaimed.

"Oh no!" Esther gasped.

"Wait, what gives?! Why are they turning to stone?!" Luke demanded, seeing his Bakugan's lower half being complete rock.

"Maybe you should be paying attention more, rookie." Shuji wagged his finger, scolding him. "How's about a lesson? Phantasm is a command card that turns your opponent's lower half to stone and renders them unable to fully move. Not only that, but subtracts 100 Gs from each of their power levels."

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 350 (-100) = 250

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 700 (-100) = 600

"Now that's playing dirty!" Luke accused with a finger pointing.

"Says the guy who suggested double abilities are fair game!" Shuji argued.

"You…"

"Forget about it." Esther scolded. "Luke, can you nullify the Gate Card?"

Luke raised a brow. "Uh, I…think so? I think! Ability, activate-!"

"Not so fast!" Shuji interjected. "Ability, activate! Infestation Stigma!"

Fly Beetle opened his wings and flapped profusely. From them released some small swarm-like parasites that buzzed rapidly and closed in on Abis. With himself immobile, Abis was left dumbfounded as the swarm enveloped him, buzzing and making his head turn left and right.

"What?!" Luke gasped. Suddenly, the ability he was about to activate stopped glowing, showing no effect. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Esther gasped.

"Here's another trick for ya. Infestation Stigma is another ability that subtracts 200 Gs from an opponent, but that's not all. Since those little guys like to bite and bug ya so much, they'll keep you from activating any abilities."

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 250 (-200) = 50

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 600

"Oh no!" Luke panicked. "Gah! Abis, do something!"

Unfortunately, Abis was in a bind. He couldn't move and he couldn't activate abilities. He hissed as the swarm meddled with him and he couldn't focus. It only enraged Luke and clutched his fists tight. "Damnit…"

Esther raised her wrist. "Then I'll stop them!"

"I don't think so!" Maggie chimed. "Time for a special surprise! An anti-Darkus ability!"

Esther eyes widened. "Anti-Darkus ability?"

Maggie held her wrist up, smiling. "Ability, activate!" Jelldon's tips pointed at Atchibee, while they began to develop vermilion-like static. "Darkus Jailer!" Her Bakugan let out a cry as he sent vermilion lightning at Atchibee, which enveloped her entire body. The vermilion lightning flourished and the moth cried out in distress.

"Atchibee!" Esther shouted.

"Gah, I…can't…move!" She shouted. "My body…it won't listen!"

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 50

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 600 (-300) = 300

"Darkus Jailer is an anti-Darkus ability that subtracts 300 Gs from each Darkus Bakugan, and shuts down their powers as long as this ability is active."Maggie explained.

Esther's fists clutched as she bit her bottom lip. She knew their chances this round just died.

Shuji pointed at Abis. "Alright, now go!"

"Right!" Fly Beetle soared after Abis, using the opportunity to get him while he was incapacitated. The serpent struggled all he wanted, but he didn't notice Fly Beetle until the lasts second.

"Wha-?!"

"Gotcha!" Fly Beetle rammed his horn into Abis, making the serpent cry out loud. The Bakugan glowed and became bright blue, swirling back into a ball that went at Luke's feet.

Luke's eyes shuddered in shock. "What just…?"

Luke: 40%

"And now it's our turn! Ability, activate!" Maggie chimed. "Sting Ray!"

Jelldon raised his stingers and shot some more red electricity at Atchibee, getting his power level to 550. The lightning added to the static around Atchibee was too much. With a loud grunt, she glowed purple and reverted to ball form, tumbling to Esther's front.

Esther: 50%

Jelldon and Fly Beetle returned to their partners, caught with ease. "Alright, we got one!" Maggie chirped happily. See, Jelldon? I knew you could do it!"

Jelldon opened in her palms, looking at her. "I did…I actually won?"

"Now that's more like it." Shuji told his Fly Beetle. He clutched him tight and sneered at Luke and Esther. "Just wait for it, we're only getting started!"

Luke picked up Abis Omega, while Esther picked up Atchibee. Both frowned down at their Bakugan, dismayed it seemed.

"Are you okay, Atchibee?" Esther asked.

"Yeah, I think so." She said. "They just caught us by surprise."

Luke looked at Abis, saying nothing as he glared at Shuji. "That dirty…!" Before he could say or do anymore, Esther put her arm out in front, halting him.

"Wait, Luke. Don't rush it." She told.

"But why?!"

"Stop and think about it. They have abilities that can deflect our attacks, as well as shut down our own abilities as well. If we don't stay careful, we'll lose this next round." Her eyes leered ahead. "Let me throw."

Luke looked ahead, his angry expression showing. "…fine." He huffed.

Without delay, Esther readied a Gate Card. "Gate Card, set!"

The Gate Card slid to the middle, fading into purple that spread.

"Bakugan, brawl!" Everyone threw their Bakugan at the exact same time, ready for more. In the order, Atchibee, Abis, Fly Beetle, and Jelldon.

Luke held up his wrist, clutching his fist tight. "Ability, activate! Fin Melee!"

Abis hissed as he raised his tail, which had blue streaks following. "Time for payback for last time!" His power level went from 350 to 550 as he swung for Fly Beetle.

Shuji held up his wrist. "Oh yeah? How about a taste of your own medicine? Double ability, activate!" At his call, two holograms of ability cards appeared, glowing in succession. "Subterra Seeker, plus Horn Buster!"

Fly Beetle's outer wing coating lifted, showing the inner wings. The outer wing shields began to glow a lava-like color, one that Abis Omega was aiming for. The attack slashed against the wings, but bounced off like a fly off a windshield. Abis recoiled back, his shock startling.

"What was that?" Luke asked.

"That?" Shuji answered. "Just a standard Subterra ability. It reflects the attack back at you."

Fly Beetle's tusks on his horns sparked with orange energy next. He raised his horn and hammered it forward. "And here's a little bonus for ya!" His attack launched a beam at Abis, but the serpent caught whim and slithered to the side, barely dodging it…almost. The beam grazed his fin, leaving a scratch that he winced at.

Fly Beetle: 350 (+100 +200) = 650 Abis Omega: 550 (-200 -200) = 150

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

The blast continued for Atchibee, who waited for Esther's call. "Ability, activate! Lavender Shock!" With a counter measure, Atchibee unleashed a purple lightning blast from her tail, intersecting and creating sparks that battled against the Horn Buster. The two waves cancelled out, leaving thin air.

Fly Beetle: 650 Abis Omega: 150

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400 (+200) = 600

Maggie flashed a perky smile. "Nuh, uh, uh~. Not while we still have our secret weapon. Ready, Jelldon?"

"Ready!"

"Ability, activate! Darkus Jailer!" Jelldon responded thoroughly, this time more confident than before. Vermilion static flared on the end of his stingers and he sent them at Atchibee. Same as before, Atchibee hollered out as her body was enveloped in paralyzing static. Her body twitched as she tried to move, but couldn't.

Fly Beetle: 650 Abis Omega: 150

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 600 (-300) = 300

"Sorry, no hard feelings! Really!" Jelldon insisted, incapacitating Atchibee.

Luke narrowed his eyes, showing uneasiness. "Crap, not that move again." He growled. "Ability, activate! Sea Helix!"

Abis Omega recovered from his graze and glared at Fly Beetle. A helix of water surrounded him once more, acting like a veil. Fly Beetle's power level went to 550, while Abis Omega got to 250.

Shuji sneered. "That all?"

"Crap." Luke cursed.

"Then how's about this? Ability, activate!" Shuji yelled. "Infestation Stigma!"

Fly Beetle floated in the air, his constant flapping of wings releasing a small swarm of small insects with orange comets. The swarm buzzed and closed in on Abis. He tried to warn them by hissing, but they found entry, even through the spinning water. He infested him, making him struggle.

"GAH! Not this again!" He hollered, his attack dissipating within his torment.

Fly Beetle: 550 Abis Omega: 250 (-200) = 50

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 300

It was the same as before. A swarm was around Abis as he felt itchy, and Atchibee was completely incapacitated, unable to move away or anywhere for that matter. The sensation of losing was crawling up Luke's spine as he was cornered. His uneasiness spread like a virus as his anger showed.

"Crap…crap…" He grunted endlessly, seeing Abis Omega in trouble, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. "CRAP!" He yelled.

"Luke!" Esther snapped. "Calm down."

"How can I?! Look at our Bakugan!" Luke panicked, gesturing towards them.

Esther sighed at Luke's mannerism. "Listen. It's important for a battler to stay calm, even in situations such as these. You're lost in your distress, and now look. Your Bakugan is suffering nd picking up anxiety. They can pick up on your emotions easily, and depending on how you feel, their strength can either rise or fall."

Luke looked at her, completely confused. "I don't get it, what?"

"I won't let Atchibee fall. I'll stay calm and think my way through this." She swiped her arm, ready to strike. "Because that's what battle partners do! Gate Card, open!" The Gate Card revealed itself, turning out to be another command card. "Explode!"

From the Gate Card, a rainbow-like aura arose from beneath Atchibee and Abis Omega. The swarm infesting Abis began to fade away, as did the static around Atchibee. Both began to feel rejuvenated, for a lack of better wording.

"Unbelievable!" Shuji cursed.

"What happened to my ability?" Maggie gasped.

"Explode is a command card that nullifies and shuts down all of my opponent's ability effects." Esther explained. "In addition, it brings all the Bakugan power levels on my side back to their base levels."

Fly Beetle: 550 Abis Omega: 50 (+300) = 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 300 (+100) = 400

Shuji gritted his teeth, showing angst. "Gnnngh…alright, so you stopped that move. But my power level is still higher then yours! Right, Fly Beetle!"

"You bet!" He answered. "This battle isn't over yet!"

Esther showed no hesitation in her next move. "Ability, activate! Night Wave!"

Atchibee brought her wings back, giving a casual shriek as she brought them forward. A pitch-black gust was whipped up, which reached and enveloped Fly Beetle and Jelldon. Both covered up, and the insect descended back towards the ground.

Fly Beetle: 550 (-200) = 350 Abis Omega: 350

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

"What the-?! My power level!" Shuji panicked.

"Night Wave brings all my opponent Bakugan power levels base to base levels, too." Esther her indifference, Shuji was in complete disarray. "Atchibee, are you alright?"

The moth looked back to her. "Yes, thanks to you. I'm in your debt."

Luke, still stammering from the weird things Esther explained. Looked back at Abis Omega. "U-uh, you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The serpent said. "Let's get back in there."

Maggie saw a opportunity and smiled. "Alright, look out, Jelldon!"

Esther made the first counter move. "Ability, activate! Vermilion Jet Black!" Her Bakugan flapped her wings, once again darkening the atmosphere around her and Jelldon. The jellyfish was getting stiff once more, his hesitation showing.

"Not the dark again~!" He whined.

Maggie showed a serious face. "Ability, activate! Morphed Deflect!"

Atchibee launched her attack, sending bright purple lightning from her glowing eyes at Jelldon. As expected, the purple lightning bounced right off him, angling towards Abis Omega.

"Not this time!" Luke assured. "Ability, activate! Coil Guard!"

Abis roared as his long, slithery body wrapped into coils. His muscles tightened and took the shock; however, the shock didn't do anything to him.

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 350 (+100) = 450

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400

"I'm not falling for the same trick twice!" The serpent assured.

Maggie's cheeks puffed into a pout. "Aw, fine. Then let's try out this one then?" She raised her wrist, showing another ability. "Ability, activate! Power Sting!"

Jelldon raised his tentacles once more, poised to attack. The orange spots near the bases glowed bright red, and a lot of red static enveloped the tentacles. He reached for Abis, stretching out rather far.

Fly Beetle: 350 Abis Omega: 450 (-200) = 250

Jelldon: 350 (+200) = 550 Atchibee: 400

'I gotta get away from that attack. This is going to be close, but…' Luke readied himself. "Ability, activate! Osmosis!"

At the call of the attack, Abis Omega's diamonds glistened brightly, his whole body vanishing into a cloaked disposition. Jelldon's tentacles only reached open air, much to his confusion. He looked around, completely shocked with Abis vanishing again.

"W-where'd he go?" He asked.

"Beats me." Fly Beetle answered.

Fly Beetle: 350 (-200) = 150 Abis Omega: 250

Jelldon: 550 (-200) = 350 Atchibee: 400

With Jelldon and Fly Beetle looking about in a dazed state, Atchibee turned to look down at her partner. "Esther, let's go!" She urged.

"Right, let's stop Jelldon before he can recover! Double ability, activate!" She held up her wrist, revealing two ability cards. "Lavender Shock!"

Atchibee aimed her tail's forked end at Jelldon, static beginning to ignite.

"And now, Fusion Ability, activate! Chaos Turnover!"

In front of Atchibee's mouth, an eerie black and purple hemisphere was starting to form. It enlarged as Atchibbe's tail fired the weak bolt of purple. When ready, the sphere was shot down at the purple lightning as it traveled. Slowly, the attack infused into the traveling lightning, making its solid purple become a shimmering, glossy purple, streaky blast.

Fly Beetle: 150 Abis Omega: 250

Jelldon: 350 Atchibee: 400 (+200 +200) = 800

The blast closed in, alarming Maggie at the last second. Unfortunately, due to her beating heart, she wasn't able to counter. Jelldon looked back at Atchibee, only for his six green eyes to dilate as all he saw was shimmering purple before everything was enveloped in an explosion. From within the explosion and smoke, Jelldon screamed and fell back, returning to ball form and falling back to Maggie's feet, though this time it wasn't so upright.

"Jelldon…" Maggie grimaced.

Maggie: 0%

Shuji bared his teeth in his growl. "Alright, you just messed with the bull! Fly Beetle, let's go!"

Fly Beetle took position. "Whatever you say." In the faintest of light, he could've sworn that he saw something with Abis' shape make way upfront. He knew instantly what it was. "Got you this time."

"Ability, activate! Cast-Iron Carapace!"

Fly Beetle remained completely stiff from the ability. His body suddenly began to cloak itself in a metallic, gray-like filament that covered him from back to front, horn and all. With himself completely stiff and inside the barrier, the camouflaged Abis became visible, and rammed into him. However, he suddenly bounced off, much to his shock.

"What?"

Fly Beetle: 150 (+200) = 350 Abis Omega: 250

Atchibee: 800

"See that? Cast-Iron Carapace not only ups my power level, but I can also be immune to all ability effects and Gate Cards while this is active, so there!" Shuji gloated.

Luke's fists clutched tight. "Man…" Suddenly, he realized something. "Hey, wait! Esther!"

"Yes?" She looked towards him.

"Ready Atchibee! We're gonna throw him to you!"

Esther looked at Luke, completely dumbfounded. "…eh?"

Luke looked back confidently, his smirk back. "Yeah, we'll make it work! You hear that, Abis Omega! Let's do some damage!"

Abis slithered back around, hearing what his partner said. "Alright." He agreed.

Shuji's eyes narrowed. "Wha…? What are you up to?"

Abis Omega got a few coils around the stiff horn, holding on tight with all the muscle he had. "Ready?!" He called out.

"Sure thing!" Atchibee shouted, her blades up.

Abis Omega thus twisted his body, using what strength he was able to get within the momentum and whipped the coils upwards, sending the encased Fly Beetle soaring straight at Atchibee. The baton thus passed over, and Atchibee flapped her wings and went diving down after the crusty fly. The moth dove after him, and even though it was reflected by the metallic coating, a muffled shriek came from Fly Beetle.

Atchibee passed the shell and slashed her blades, leaving purpe streaks to follow. With her power level being much higher, the power was great enough to cut open the carapace, shattering like glass as Fly Beetle flailed in midair behind. His body became sphere form and he fell to the ground as well, thudding in front of a shocked Shuji.

"Say what?!" He fumed.

Shuji: 0%

Luke showed a victorious smirk. "Alright, it worked!"

Esther nodded. "Yes, it looks like it did. Passing over Fly Beetle like that was surprising, but good thinking."

Luke grinned at her, although more confidently and more arrogantly. "Don't mention it. I was taught to repay what I owe, so that's all I did."

Abis Omega and Atchibee returned to ball form, the battle over with Luke's side declared victors.

Maggie slouched down lazily, sighing. "And here I thought we were going to win." She whined.

Shuji fell to his knees, hunching over his distaste. "I couldn't win. But how?"

Fly Beetle popped open, looking up at his partner. "Well, can't win them all." He didn't seem too bothered unlike him. He turned towards Jelldon. "You did a good job, too, Jelldon." He commented.

Within his sorrows and pity, Jelldon looked at Fly Beetle, surprised. "I…did?"

"Yeah, you weren't bad out there at all." Maggie cheerfully said. "We just need to stay in shape. We'll get there."

Esther approached with Luke, both looking down at their defeated adversaries and new comrades. Esther lowered her head, grinning. "You were both very exceptional. You should be proud of that." She complimented.

"Yeah, guess you were okay." Luke shrugged, rolling his eyes away.

Maggie looked up to them, smiling. "You guys were really good. You had to put out all the stops for this battle huh? I couldn't even keep track of how many abilities you guys had to use."

Luke sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "That did take longer than the last one…"

"Well I'm just glad we just got an understanding." Abis said. "Right?"

"Agreed." Atchibee said. "Jelldon. Fly Beetle. That was a good show of promise."

Jelldon turned away, showing a small blush. "Aw, you guys are gonna make me blush."

Fly Beetle laughed a little. "Wished we won though, but maybe next time." He was suddenly picked up by two big figures. "Whoa, hey now!"

Shuji lifted him up, showing a disgruntled expression. "What was that?! I thought you said you were good?" He berated.

Fly Beetle struggled in his big fingers, his six small legs twiddling. "Hey, you're making it hard for me to move here." However, he only got a tighter grasp from Shuji.

"Man, and after all that! Now look! I'll just have to find a stronger Bakugan for next time, then you'll be sorry." He told Luke and Esther.

At the notion, Esther shot a serious glare at him. "Shuji!" She snapped.

The big boy flinched at how his name was called.

Esther stepped up a few feet, getting closer to him. She held out her palm, showing a cold frown. "Drop him." She ordered.

Shuji blinked. He wasn't knowing why Esther was freaking him out so much, but he didn't want to take chances. He let go of the now closed Fly Beetle, plopping him into her open palm.

"I case if you've forgotten, this isn't some silly game where you can just throw away a toy if it's defected. These are living, intelligent beings just like us. Were you really just going to let him go after this one battle? This isn't some digital clone Bakugan, they have needs like we do. Humans abandoning animals after they're hurt…is just plain lower than scum."

"Yeah, Shuji!" Maggie turned up, giving him a glare. "Don't be mean to Fly Beetle! He did his best out there!"

Backing away from them, the shocked bully-like person was feeling pretty low about how he was told of Bakugan. Sure, he wanted to be great – perhaps better than Dan and the Battle Brawlers, but he has yet to beat them. He's used so many different attributes, and every time he used a different one, claiming the defeated attribute or Bakugan was "defective". Of course, that was back before Interspace was destroyed. Now with a living creature, and with what Esther and Maggie pointed out, he did in fact feel a little sick. He still wasn't too pleased with what he got out of Fly Beetle, but he also didn't want to be seen as some scumbag. Though disgruntled for the time being, he held out his palm, showing some remorse away from them.

Esther understood and dropped Fly Beetle back into Shuji's palm, the Bakugan sitting upright.

"Er…sorry." Shuji apologized meekly.

"It's fine." Fly Beetle said. "Still, now that I know what's going on, I wanna help save Bakugan, too. I know I may not look like much, but maybe if we all take it step by step, maybe we'll get stronger. What do you say?"

Shuji rubbed the back of his head, showing uneasiness about the idea. He wanted to go home as badly as Bakugan wanted their home back, though his ideals ran on his mother berating him. Still, what he thought before ran on empathy. He sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way out. "The heck, might as well pitch in since I'm still here."

"Yay~! Look at us now!" Maggie chimed. "We're all friends now! This is going to be great!"

Luke looked away, showing annoyance. "Well it'll be even greater once we find a way back to our home at some point."

"Guess you just gotta hope you get lucky then." Abis said. "Still…" He turned towards Maggie, Shuji, and Esther, seeing them all gathered. "I haven't had friends like these before. Maybe this'll be good for all of us afterall?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going already." Luke started walking pass everyone. "The more time we waste, the less of a chance we have of getting anywhere. Come on."

The group thus trudged on, pass the forest they all met in to move on to confines unknown.

---

The lights in the chamber brightened, revealing two massive cylindrical casings that could measure about a hundred feet high. They were empty for the time being, but from two very small tubes, there was the small opening. The tubes traveled up to openings on a platform that overlooked the whole chamber from an upward angle, like a second-floor theater.

Standing accounted for was the group now known as Rogue Zero, minus Cesar, who was seen on a video screen and overlooking the process just like the rest. The one guy and Xander were watching patiently while Maximus directed Ariella and Hendrix towards the edge of the railing, where they stood before two machines.

Two holes spiraled open, which were the entrances for their Bakugan. Maximus smirked as two small holds stretched out towards them.

"Do it." He ordered.

Ariella smirked. "With pleasure." Without delay, she placed her closed Clawcer on the stand, in which it slowly slid back into place, giving a loud jerk that pushed Clawcer down the tube.

Hendrix was next as his hold reached for Rafflesian. "I promised you power, you take it." He told the Subterra Bakugan, placing him on the pedestal. Like Clawcer, it slowly slid into place, and he jerked forward and rolled down the tube.

In two separate cylindrical cases, the Bakugan bounced on in. Once inside and coming to a stop, both opened at the same time. They reverted to their physical forms, fitting the casings without much trouble.

"Now, for the good part." Cesar smirked through the screen.

"So it begins then." Maximus held up the strange ability card; two of them in fact. It had a purple core, with an X-like formation that was comprised of purple snares on them. He placed them both in slots beneath the now closed tubes, the cards inserted and miraculously copied and scanned from a small device from within the chambers.

Clawcer and Rafflesian looked down at them in wonder as they finished copying. When they finished, however, the cards' purple cores glowed.

"Just so you know, this may sting for a little while, but we made sure that your bodies would in fact adapt and get stronger from this." Maximus forewarned. "Now, feel the power!"

The purple chords stretched from the cards, slowly reaching and coiling around Rafflesian and Clawcer. Both Bakugan winced as they began to feel a powerful pain flare as the chords strapped on them. The strapping was tight, and the tension was like searing needles sticking into their bodies. The energy was flaring profusely, and Clawcer and Rafflesian trembled as every nerve in their bodies was going numb.

A pulse went through them, like a huge heartbeat. The two Bakugan grimaced as their feelings were starting to wear as their sense of pain tightened further. Veins began to wiggle and pop out of their bodies, their blood and energy thumping with increased adrenaline.

As both Bakugan screamed within their bodies' pulsation, the six figures watched with a mix of grins and half-grins. From within his dark hood, the concealed grin of Maximus was toothy.

---

Here's the second chapter, and I hope this was a real game-changer for you guys! Bet you didn't see any of that coming I bet, with Shuji being part of the protagonist team. I wanted to be original and all, but I also wanted someone who we were all familiar with; someone who could have a good character development and be someone who could perhaps have a shot at having a new viewpoint.

So now we have 4 of the 6 new heroes revealed. We have Aquos, Darkus, and now Subterra and Pyrus. You can probably guess the next two to be revealed, but no spoilers. Not yet at least…

I feel like I'm on a roll, so I'll get to the next chapter right away. Until then, hope you guys were okay with the long fights this chapter! Hopefully next chapter, I hope to tone down the abilities used since I may have overloaded them this time. But that aside, ciao!