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.

4. Thermosphere

Complete black surrounded everything. It was utter darkness, with neither heat or cold. It wasn't tepid, nor was it tranquil. And yet, at the same time, it felt like…everything. It was a very strange feeling; nothing, yet everything at the same time. Within that darkness, there was an enigmatic tone.

"My great warrior…you have been chosen…you…and your friends…" From the sound of it, it was a woman's voice. "A great tale shall fall. In tales that lie in stone, there lies a tale that follows its entities. Those entities that dare to take the path of righteousness out of all odds shall cometh of six worlds. Six worlds that intertwine into what shall spark the dawn of a revolution…"

The voice faded, just as the darkness itself lifted.

---

A body turned on one side of the bed. Underneath the navy-blue blanket was Luke, who stirred occasionally. He groaned as he slept, even through the rising sun that beamed through the wide window. In a sudden spur, his eyes opened, a groggy expression shown on his face. Realizing he was awake, he slouched up and gave the wall on the other side of the room a blank stare. "I'm up…" he grumbled. He rubbed the side of his head, his red hair surprisingly soft. "Man, what a crazy night. How far did we even drive?" He turned towards the window, seeing the sunrise fresh as life itself rising. It was still very early, but Luke was known to have been that typical morning frontier walker. However, something boggled his mind, and it wasn't just the fact that he was sleeping in a dirty old trailer in the middle of nowhere. As he glared out at the morning sun, his mind began backtracking.

'I could've sworn…that I just heard a voice calling out to me. Was that just a dream?'

A blue orb opened on the stand beside him. It popped open to reveal Abis Omega awakening as well with his own groan. "Man, that was a long night…" he mumbled. "Don't I ever get any sleep now? Huh?" He turned to notice that Luke was up. "Oh, you."

"Hey, Abis." Luke groggily greeted. Compared to a minute ago, he seemed well.

"Guess it's another day of crazy then, right?" the Aquos Bakugan inquired dryly.

Luke took the blanket off his body, revealing himself to be in only his jeans and black t-shirt. He pivoted and slid in his socks that lied in his shoes. As he bent down to tie his shoes, he frowned heavily. His green eyes were fixated on the flooring, and yet his body was on auto pilot as he kept tying.

"Hey, you okay?" Abis asked. "You're looking a little stale."

Snapping back to reality, Luke looked up towards his Bakugan. "No, I'm fine." He grunted. "Just had a weird dream is all."

"If you say so." The Aquos Bakugan didn't find a need to pry in his business, but as much as he was interested in these "dreams" that Luke had, this was only a second occurrence. He knew that as his partner by default, he felt he should be careful around his human ally. As he was growing weary on keeping his mouth shut, thankfully, the door slid open on the other side.

Luke hummed in question as the door slid to reveal someone already up. Walking into the room, Shawn smiled.

"I see you're up now." He said.

"Shawn." Luke said, surprised.

"You just got up?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah…"

Shawn noticed the inquired Luke on Luke's face, but he simply smirked it off. "Looks like someone had a rough night. Guess Jade's driving knocked you for a loop then."

Luke turned away. "I'm fine."

Shawn put his hands up, feigning innocence. "Alright, alright. You ready then? We have a lot of ground to cover."

"You better believe it." Luke stood up and put on his coat. He turned around and held Abis Omega as he closed in his ball form. With him in hand, he was set and smiling. He pivoted and ran out the door, catching up with Shawn. "Hey, wait up!"

---

After a light breakfast on the remaining provisions they all had, the group was rendered without any fresh water or even the likes of nourishment to last until the trip's conclusion. They all gathered on the second floor of the trailer, which was in observatory mode. On a round table, they all gathered beside Jase, who was up straight and adjusting his glasses.

"I'm glad we're finally up now." He smirked. "Especially you, Shuji."

Shuji stepped back. "What?! What's that mean?!"

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose with a deep sigh. "Oh good grief. You were out like a light. Did you not even hear me the first 20 times?"

"Not to mention the snoring." Jelldon groaned. It was clear he lacked sleep as much as his partner did.

Shuji had nothing to say. Even Fly Beetle turned towards him in confusion, but he simply folded his arms and pouted away in embarrassment.

"So Jase." Esther started. "Have you been able to fully operate the vehicle?"

Jase nodded with confidence. "I trust that you will find my ability to now operate this contraption will be most effective. I took the time to find the manuals and guidelines imprinted in the system. For example…" To demonstrate his expertise, he tapped several keys on the keyboard of the circular table. In front, a green panel with a layout of New Vestroia's geography was present. A red dot appeared on the screen, which was their pinpoint.

Maggie's eyes widened in shock. "Wow! That's so cool!"

"So that's our current location?" Shawn asked.

Again, Jase nodded. "Affirmative. This vehicle has already been hardwired with a map of New Vestroia's geography, and at the same time, it's been also receiving some…interesting feedback."

Luke crossed his arms. "What's that mean?"

Jase turned towards him. "Well, Luke, interesting is an adjective that details your attention to so-"

"I know that!" Luke snapped. "I meant these weird waves you speak of!"

Luke chuckled at the teasing and moved right along. "Well…" He pressed more keys on the platform, largening the global view of New Vestroia to where it looked like a globe rather than a flat map. "These energy waves are not only massive, but they're also looking to be so powerful that they're like heavy vibrating pulses that ripple constantly throughout the earth."

The screen showed what looked like green ripples that came from two points completely polar opposites of each other. The one was on the far east, where they were, while there was another in the far west, over on what looked like another large piece of land.

"What are those?" Shuji asked.

"Those must be the pinpoints from where the energies are coming from." Shawn answered.

Jase nodded. "More or less. What we're picking up are what are labeled as 'dimension waves', wavelengths that are able to become so powerful that the likes of Bakugan are affected."

"So that's why we were reverted to spherical form." Atchibee speculated.

"Looks like these guys who we are up against, they must have similar intelligence to know the technology that made us like this before." Verias said. "If that is the case, then how did they get their hands on it?"

"I'm just wondering if it's the same species." Fly Beetle added.

Esther put a hand to her chin, trying to think. "That wouldn't be false…"

"Well if it's the same species as before, would that also mean there has to be a similar way to getting rid of them then?" Luke wondered.

Jase tapped another key pattern on the board. They all watched as another screen appeared, showing the distance between them and Thermosphere. "As far as what I have been able to detail, these two checkpoints have to rely on some energy or perhaps power core to send these waves out. To be strong enough to reverberate throughout the world means there must be a large energy requirement. I believe that if we take out the source in both cities, the Bakugan should return to normal again."

Shuji crossed his arms next. "So like…taking out a radio tower or something?"

"As a simile, something like that." Jase answered. "It may not resonate from a tower at all. It could be a core or massive generator within the city itself. We just need to figure out how it operates and shut it down."

Luke stepped up next, but he showed a more acquiescent vibe. "And then…that'll get us home?"

Jase frowned. "I'm afraid I'm not sure."

"But we still have to get home ourselves, you know." Luke retorted. His answer came out quicker than anticipated.

"Luke." Esther said.

Jase lowered his head as he frowned in disappointment. "I don't think you're grasping the situation here, Luke."

"What? Of course I am!" He pointed a thumb to himself. "I know well enough that if we get to these cities, we should find Master Riaan and stop these things, then we can go home. Right, guys?" He turned left and right, looking for any signs of others agreeing. Shuji looked more or less confused, but the others didn't show anything less than wonder and frowns at Luke. "Uh…"

"Luke." He turned his attention towards Esther. "You need to take a deep breath and think about the situation we're in. For all we know, we may never get home, at least not yet."

Luke gasped in horror. "What? But we can't stay here!"

"Well it's not like we have a choice either." Shawn argued. "We could get home, but if we do find a way, what about the Bakugan? We can't just leave them like this."

"Yeah!" Maggie added. "Jelldon and the others need our help! I wanna see my Mom again, but I can't leave him like this. It's too harsh."

"Maggie…?" Jelldon looked at Maggie, his green eyes showing shock at his battle partner.

"Your friend that you speak of could be here in New Vestroia, but what are the odds that it could also be false?" Jase asked. "There's no guarantee that he's even here."

Luke stomped on the ground, fists clutched. "But he has to be! Shawn made it here, didn't he?! If we find Master Riaan, we'll have a better chance at beating those guys who attacked us and get the Bakugan free! Surely then we may find a way home, right?"

"But Luke…" Shawn trailed off, getting Luke's exasperation.

The way looked at him, it showed his confusion and frustration. This was his annoyance, as well as his fault. If pointed out, he'd deny it like some child. But the world also doesn't revolve around him.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to agree with Jase on this one. As far as what I know, we may as well be dealing with enemies who may only have a one-way trip here. Plus, Master Riaan is very skilled. We'll find him, but if not during the venture, then would it really be worth it to sit around after circling the world to find him?"

Luke was confused to say the least, but the merit Shawn gave was a valid point. He knew Master Riaan was very powerful, and a skilled teacher in the art f weaponry. He had what it took to stay alive, that he knew. But Luke was also taught something else by him – don't leave a man behind unless he's dead.

He looked at everyone, seeing the discomfort on their faces. They looked worried for Luke's decision to say the least.

"Whether you choose to help us or not is up to you." Esther said. "But we'll be up front doing what we can."

"Wait." They all watched as what looked like Luke to be hesitating. He looked down at the ground, fists clutching. He looked annoyed for a lack of better word. "…I…I want to get home, and I want Master Riaan with us, too. I think we can really benefit, but I still wouldn't feel right about what happened." He thought back to Clawcer and Rafflesian, remembering how they were all black and menacing, but at the same time, he could also see the immense level of pain they were going through. "I know getting home is important, but those guys from before, they made those Bakugan suffer, I mean, it's wrong and all…but I guess it'd be worse of me to think of more suffering because of that."

"Luke?" Abis looked towards his partner, his shock on the rise.

"I guess what I'm saying…is that I'll help you guys and all, as long as we get those guys to stop doing whatever they're doing, right?"

"They all looked towards each other, somewhat getting what Luke was trying to say. In a way, they kind of got where he was going with this. They turned towards him, with Maggie smiling.

"Great! Looks like we're in this together then!" she chirped.

Shawn smiled. "Thank you, Luke. I'm sure the Bakugan appreciate it."

Luke crossed his arms and looked away. "Yeah, well, Master Riaan wouldn't forgive me if he found out I let Bakugan left like this. He has one, too, so that'd be disrespectful."

Esther smiled generously.

Jase approached Luke, giving a serious frown. "Very well then. Now that we have come to a mutual agreement, there's another matter I'd want to get to."

Luke looked towards him, his brow raised in wonder. "Huh?" He noticed how Jase was looking at him solemnly. What shocked him was what happened next. His eyes slowly widened when he saw him pull up a green sphere. When it was raised to his side, he had a bad feeling crawl up his spine.

"I was evaluating your battle skills, and even now, I want to get an understanding of them. Would you be obliged to prove your worth?"

Esther's eyes widened. "What are you doing? You want to test his skills now?"

"Oh great, not this again." Shuji rolled his eyes. "Alright, but this time, we're not holding back."

"Uh, I don't think he was talking about you, Shuji." Maggie pointed out.

Luke stepped back, completely surprised by Jase's offer. "Another battle?" he exasperated. "Isn't that pointless I we have something more important to deal with?"

Jase smirked. "I see no problem with it. Besides, if you don't know your own strength, then how will you expect to help the Bakugan? You have to be sure of yourself before you can be sure of others."

Abis Omega arose to Luke's side, looking more than what could be described as willing. "I guess you have a point. As long as it's quick, right Luke?"

Luke sighed; he knew he really didn't have a choice. "Okay." He grabbed Abis Omega. "But after we're done, we need to get moving."

Jase nodded. "You have my word. It shall be swift."

---

The two suns in the horizon were just over the horizon. They were beaming in an angle down on the group as they all stood outside the observatory. They watched as Jase and Luke stood apart from each other, battle distance and ready.

Jase held the Gate Card in his hand. "Shall we get this over with? Gate Card, set!" He shot the card out by simply swiping his arm opposite. The card landed on the ground, fading into a bright green that rippled all throughout the land.

"Bakugan, brawl!" He threw his Bakugan, which popped out once close enough. "Ventus Atmos, stand!"

The Bakugan arose in a green light. The light faded, and Atmos flapped. He ascended slightly, cawing out as his wingspan startled the group.

"Woah, what long wings!" Shuji gasped.

Jase chuckled. "Why thank you. Now, Luke, your turn."

"Here we go!" He threw Abis Omega. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!"

The ball opened, and popping out in a blue light was Abis Omega. The massive serpent roared out as he glared at Atmos, ready to do battle.

Atmos: 400 Abis Omega: 350

"Gate Card, open." Jase slowly swiped his arm across once more. The field glowed brightly, revealing the Ventus symbol and what looked like the Ventus colors swirling in the card. "Ventus Reactor."

The card began to expel a lot of wind the became a green cyclone that surrounded Atmos. The whirlwind made Atmos glow a bright green aura, one that magnified his power.

Atmos: 400 (+50) = 450 Abis Omega: 350

The winds were weak, but enough to stir Luke's hair and his coat. "Alright, let's try this then! Ability, activate!" He held up his wrist, an ability card reveling itself. "Sea Helix!"

Abis Omega stayed still as his body was surrounded by a helix of water. It swirled and spiraled like a shield, protecting him from Atmos' gust that he was giving off. As Abis Omega's power level went from 350 to 450, Atmos' power level went down to 350.

"That was a decent move, right?" Maggie questioned.

Esther nodded. "It's a good start."

Shawn put a hand to his chin, raising a brow. "Although, I really question something else…"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Maggie asked.

Jase stood still as his opponent was surrounded by spiraling water. The helix was dense enough to be considered a lot of water, but to him, it only served to make him smile. "That should do it."

Luke raised a brow. "What was that?"

Jase held up his wrist. "Ability, activate! Typhoon Chase!"

Atmos cawed out as his body gave a bright green aura. He flapped his wings repeatedly, summoning a really strong gust that blew into Abis and his helix of water. The Bakugan tried to hold his ground, but hissed as he was recoiling away to defend.

Atmos: 350 (+100) = 450 Abis Omega: 450

"Gah! So powerful!" Maggie covered up, keeping her dress from flying.

Abis kept his ground as the winds were pushing. The Sea Helix, however, was not so fortunate. The water it generated followed the wind. The droplets and waves followed within it, and it all began to splatter over the observatory, much to everyone's surprise.

Luke gasped in surprise. "What?!"

"Hey, watch it!" Shuji snapped. "You're getting the vehicle wet!"

Esther's eyes widened. "So, wait, look!" She and the others looked at the winds and water alike, both splattering against the observatory was starting to wear away the dirt, and the air began to blow hard into the entrance, creating a powerful draft inside the vehicle. All the dust inside the contraption was beginning to die out.

Maggie looked up, completely shocked beyond her imagination. "It's getting water to make the vehicle clean."

"Well that's one way to get two birds with one stone." Shawn smiled.

Once the wind dialed down, Abis was seen faltering with a thud. He shook his head, but when he looked back, he noticed how the dirt on the transportation was all gone. In fact, it looked clean and crisp. Even Luke was caught completely off guard.

"Wait, the hell just happened?" he gasped.

"I used Atmos' ability to pick up some of your water from your ability to clean the transportation." Jase explained with a smirk. "It was very effective, wasn't it?"

Luke was completely dumbfounded, for lack of better words. He was speechless, and soon quickly turned to a stuttering shock. "B-but I thought…?"

With him and Abis completely off guard, Jase didn't waste a beat as he got Atmos set. "Now then ability, activate! Ventus Airsaw!"

Atmos cawed as he took advantage of his opponent completely confused. He flapped his wings once, sending a singular blade of green energy at Abis. The Aquos Bakugan was still in shock that he was off guard completely. He looked back, just as the airsaw slashed at him with green blazes.

With a shout of pain, Abis glowed blue, swirling back into ball form that plopped by Luke's side. Luke looked down at the fallen Bakugan, completely baffled.

Luke: 60%

"Nice shot." Verias commented.

"That'd throw me off, too." Fly Beetle commented.

Atmos glowed green and swirled back into ball form. He returned to Jase's hand, caught without having to move much. The battler smiled as he walked forward, meeting up with Luke.

"W-wait! Hold up a second!" Luke snapped. "You mean, you just wanted to battle…only to get the trailer clean?"

Jase nodded with a teasing smirk. "I do apologies, but I figured if I said it upfront, you wouldn't feel as obligated to help. No hard feelings."

Abis Omega popped open again, looking at him confused. "But, I thought you wanted to test us and our strength?"

"Well, it was more or less that as well." He responded. "Consider it a win-win for both of us, wouldn't you say?"

Luke looked back at the trailer and back at Jase. He did not appreciate being lied to, but he had to admit it did look a lot better than intended. It's the thought that counted, and technically, that was considered quick. Though, it did leave a sour taste in his mouth.

A hand was put on his shoulder, revealing it to be Shawn. "Oh lighten up, Luke. That was quick, just like he said." He assured. "Besides, I'm sure we all know the other's strength by now. We just need to be ready for whatever comes our way."

Luke looked down at the ground giving a meek brow. "…fine." He pouted. "But we're picking up from where we left off. I hate leaving battles unfinished."

"You have my word." Jase nodded. "Now, would you like to continue just a little more?"

Luke smirked in delight. "Yeah, definitely!" He looked down at Abis Omega, picking him up from the ground. "You ready to get back at him?"

"Let's go again." The Aquos Bakugan readied.

With that, Luke frowned as he threw his Gate Card next. "Alright then, let's finish this! Bakugan, brawl…"

---

The trailer wheels were mowing and turning without delay. The whole vehicle looked fresh and lively; even the floors and shower curtains were scrubbed down. The whole machine looked rather well. After one more round against Jase, the two agreed to stop for the time being, and the group had to spend the next hour or so trying to clean the inside of the trailer. It was grueling, and it was hell, but it's what made the blankets smell better, and everyone pitched in with ease.

Finally, with the sun up, everyone was moving. They were inside the trailer and heading off for Thermosphere. Inside, everything was looking swell.

Shuji slouched on a seat, completely exhausted. "Ma~n." he sighed.

Maggie leaned in, giving him a pouty scolding. "Aw, don't tell us you're exhausted just from that?"

"Hey, give me a break, would ya? I had to scrub that freaking toilet for ten minutes straight!" Shuji retorted.

"At least now the gears are looking in shape." Shawn noted. "We should be reaching Thermosphere very soon."

"This is all a very formidable task we're about to do. We'll have to do our best for the Bakugan." Esther commented.

"I hear you there, Esther." Atchibee acknowledged. She turned on her partner's shoulder to look up and around the location. "Say, just what exactly are we in, per se?"

Abis turned towards her. "Good question."

"Um, didn't you guys call this thing…what was it again? A trailer?" Jelldon inquired.

Luke crossed his arms, rolling his eyes away. "Yeah, but last I checked, trailers like these don't exist."

"Then what do we call it, then?" Shawn wondered.

Everyone looked down and wondered of what to do regarding the vehicle they were on. They seemed perplexed at best for ideas, and that's where Maggie raised her hand.

"I got it!" she yelled. "We should have a name for this thing!"

"A name?" Esther questioned.

Maggie eagerly nodded. "Mhm! Everyone should have a name, shouldn't they? Why don't we settle what we're on just by calling it that?" She looked out ahead, towards were Jade was riding the contraption over the land. "And I got just the name!"

"You do?" Shawn smirked.

"Heh, this should be good." Shuji snorted.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah! And I call it…The Trailer." She sounded extra dramatic as she moved her arm in an arc.

A long silence passed as everyone just stared at her. There were no words to describe how they felt, nor what to say about her little "imagination".

"Sounds good to me." Shawn deadpanned.

"Wait, what?!" Shuji gawked.

"Guess it's simple to remember." Luke shrugged.

"Hold on-!"

"The Trailer, well it makes sense." Esther pointed out.

"You-!"

Maggie chimed with satisfaction. "See? I knew you all would like it! From here on, we're calling this guy, The Trailer!"

Shuji waved his hands in the air, groaning as he turned away in annoyance.

"Everyone, look alive." Jase called out. "We're approaching our destination."

All the conversation declined into quiet gasps of wonder. Everyone turned ahead, with Luke racing upfront to get a visual straight through the window. They all crossed the wasteland of rock and cliffs, and soon enough, they came to a stop just over a cliff. The Trailer parked itself and sat on the edge that overlooked the large, circular-shaped domain that was the same place Jase and Shawn overlooked; even at the same points.

With full view of their target, everyone closed in on the window and awed at the sight. Truly, they did not see this coming in the slightest.

"Woah~, that really is a city!" Maggie gasped.

"Man, that place is huge!" Shuji exclaimed.

"Well, saying it's huge is one word." Shawn chimed.

Luke looked down at the massive city and its huge, dome-like border. He couldn't believe his eyes; and not just because he had an overview on something other than his estate garden now. His green eyes were fixated on the location, and words cannot come out of his mouth.

Abis popped open in front of him. "It's like nothing I've ever seen."

"This is the place that we left off before we came for all of you." Atmos explained. "I believe that we have made it to Thermosphere."

Everyone gathered closely around the vast windows, taking in the kingdom-like establishment inside. They could see almost everything from where they were, ranging from the small buildings, to the colosseum-like domain it had in the northern part of the city. It wasn't like anything they saw on Earth, not even remotely.

"How captivating." Esther said.

"Agreed." Jase noted. "But the outward appearance, this is in fact ne of those precise points we discussed."

Maggie was feeling something odd, though not in a bad way. Her body was picking up something very foreign, but couldn't put it in words. "Uh…"

"What is it?" Jelldon asked.

"Does anyone else feel a tingly sensation?" she asked.

Shuji looked down at his own skin. "Hm? Yeah, now that you mention it…"

"I feel it, too." Luke looked down at his arm. It was starting to get goosebumps. 'My skin is crawling.'

"This is because of the energy that lies within those borders." Jase explained. "Remember what I said, the energy that reverted Bakugan into spheres is also what this energy comprises of. The closer we get, the more potent it feels."

"I see, and it must also be reasonable to believe we'll find the strongest signature from the heart of the city, right?" Esther inquired.

"It could be a good guess, but we'll find out soon." Atchibee noted.

Luke showed a face of determination. He held up his fist and clutched the air tight. "Then what are we waiting for? We need to get inside and shut it all down!"

"Hold on, Luke." Shawn intercepted. "It's not going to be that easy."

"I know that, but if we get it over with, we'll catch them off guard, right?" he rebuffed.

"Let me explain, Luke." Jase adjusted his glasses, picking up the pieces from then on. "As far as this energy goes, it could also be a detection system. Remember how I explained that it travels through the earth to reach other parts of the world? If it's related to ground, then we'll be at a disadvantage if we try to use our Trailer to bust through. We'll have no choice but to go on foot for the time being. We'll be harder to spot of they have a surveillance system for outside borders."

"Sounds good to me." Maggie nodded. "Jelldon, what about you?"

"I-I guess." He answered unnerved.

Luke folded his arms as he looked down at the window. "Gngh, alright, then what do we have to do to get inside?"

Jase looked down at the city. "Well, perhaps we can use a form of ventilation. Those walls are rather too high to climb, not to mention that we don't have much of any rope. However, even in busy cities and crowded rooms, there's always a need for fresh air. They must have some ventilation or filter system on the sides of the walls. If it's large enough, we'll sneak in that way and blend in with the crowd."

"If that's our only way, then it's worth a shot." Esther said. "Luke, what about you? Do you want another way in?"

Luke was never good at thinking. He hated to be decided on. He had the biggest trouble when it came to decision making, and he never really had the luxury of it for himself. He was still knew to thinking for the whole group, and honestly he didn't know what to think of it, but nevertheless, as much as he would like to know more practical ways of sneaking in, he was too occupied with finding the quickest way to get home.

Ultimately, he came to a conclusion. "If it'll get this over with already." He growled.

Shuji smirked. "Well, guess we're getting our hands dirty."

"Looks like it." Fly Beetle said.

Abis Omega turned towards the window, looking out with the other Bakugan. He and the five glanced at everything they could see, and took it all in. "We'll get inside, then I guess it'll be…up to us?" he inquired.

"Looks like it." Verias nodded.

"I'm honestly shocked I'm actually here doing this." Atchibee noted. "I never thought I'd be helping out like this."

"Great minds think alike." Abis added. "You and me both."

Jelldon looked worried as he stared ahead. His ball form was shaking so bad. "This is all getting nervous for me."

"You'll be fine, Jelldon. We'll make sure of that." Atmos assured. "Right?"

"Sure." Fly Beetle shrugged.

"Alright everyone, time to begin the operation." Jase announced.

"Right!"

---

The group gathered what supplies they could've fit on hand. They exited the Trailer and left it parked over the cliff as they had to take a steep climb down. Soon enough, they've managed to get into walking distance, and so far, nothing has gone wrong as they trekked towards the ridge of the wall. They all closed in, noticing how it reached as high as a hundred feet.

"Woah! It's so big!" Maggie exclaimed. "It's like a castle!"

"Reminds me of Nene's bedroom when she's having a fit." Shuji noted. The smirk on his face soon turned to a nervous look. "Uh…please tell me she didn't hear any of that."

Esther looked over to her right. She saw something that lied on the purple wall, something that was white with vents. "Look, an opening."

"I see it, too." Shawn said. "Luke, come over here!"

"What is it?" Luke followed Shawn and the others. They all hurried over towards the rectangular vent. It appeared to have a wider width to accommodate its size. Its huge railing were spread out far enough to almost mistake it for a sideways white jail.

Even now, they could feel air expel. It a hit, and rather foul. They could feel their very eyes burn.

"Bleh! The air is so disgusting!" Maggie snorted. "Bleh!"

"That means it's been filtering. This is a good point." Jase spoke. "We'll need to slice one or two for entrance."

Luke smirked as he put a hand on his sword. "Alright, I got this! Stand back, guys!" To everyone's shock, Luke pulled out the blade from the scabbard. It shimmered within the beaming sun, and all watched as he cut into the two ends of the two rails. They fell at his feet, while he withdrew his blade.

Everyone looked shocked at him at how swiftly he's done it. Not to mention breaking them with great precision. Even Jase was rendered a little shocked.

"My word." Esther gasped. "What a skilled blade."

Luke smirked. "Aw, it's nothing! You should see master Riaan with a blade! He's so fast I can barely keep up!"

"Well he is the one who taught us how to defend ourselves." Shawn reminded. Before he could add anymore, they were interrupted by a throat clearing from Jase.

"Not to dampen your nostalgia, but our subject lies elsewhere."

"You're right. Sorry." Shawn apologized. "Ready, Luke?"

"Yeah!"

The group made headway through the opening. They were being sure to stay quiet and fast at the same time. They made headway down what looked like a network of warm air ducts with hot, burning air heading their way. It was making it hard to keep up when the stench added insult to injury.

"Bleh! Man, is this what alien planets smell like?" Maggie whined.

Shuji plugged his own nose as he trekked in front. "It's worse than my dog's dung in the summer."

"It is rather repulsive." Esther admitted. "With how potent it is, we should be reaching the exit point soon. Straight ahead, you believe?"

"Yes." Jase answered.

Luke was holding up the charge as he rushed on ahead. He was to be cautious as he knew that they were going to be in enemy territory now. He held his ground and stayed strong within the potent smell. He hurried along as the hit air was ventilating pass them. They all soldiered on behind his lead.

After a ways of walking, Luke noticed something ahead with what looked like fast-moving fans. "Hm? I think I see something!"

The group got a little closer, where up ahead, it was in fact a fast, moving fan. It was moving so fast that they could hardly see the blades. Fitting into a square-shaped ventilation, it was taking a lot of power to push all that air outwards.

"A fan?" Shuji questioned. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"So what now? I don't think I wanna be human sushi." Maggie worried.

Luke's eyes narrowed as he again pulled out his scabbard. "Don't worry, I'll try something else! HRAH!" With a strong cry, he rushed towards the fan, startling his comrades.

"Luke, what are you-?!" Esther was completely cut off by Shuji.

"Are you crazy?! You can't cut that thing!"

"I know!" Luke shouted. "That's why I'm doing…THIS!" With a mighty shout out to the fan, he drew the blade in a downward strike position and plunged the sword into the side of the wall. It was diagonal and slanted, and as the next blade came along, it was no match against the sharp-edged blade of Luke's sword. It was stopped cold, like a filter stopped by a wedged rock.

Luke stepped back, beaming with pride. "Like that!"

"You've made a wedge!" Abis gasped.

"Oh wow! That was crazy!" Maggie chimed. "Luke, when did you learn to do that?"

Luke smirked. "It's nothing special."

Esther smiled at him. "That was smart thinking, Luke. Thank you."

"That was actually smart of you." Jase spoke. "That is yet another surprise from someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Luke stammered.

They were all beginning to hear creaking from the wall, which got their attention as they turned and saw the blade starting to push. The sword was starting to lose momentum.

"Hurry, to the other side!" Shawn exclaimed. Everyone rushed on over, making a fast beeline for the slowly moving fans. The first to cross was Luke, with the order being Shawn, Esther, Jase, Maggie, and finally the clumsy Shuji, who plopped on his stomach with a thud, groaning even.

Hurrying, Luke turned back towards the fan and reached for his sword. With a quick pivot, he turned the blade's handle towards himself and prodded it out. Instantly the fan started going again, and the air behind them was getting sucked in. Slowly, they were as well.

"Hurry, let's go!" Esther encouraged.

The group crawled and rushed towards the light that was five feet away. They all managed to get away from the rapid, huge blades and Luke saw a thin screen in front. Taking swift action, he slashed through it, cutting it open for him and his friends to fall through. Simultaneously, they all found themselves in midair before tumbling over, falling face-first onto blades of grass.

"Oof!" The unlucky ones falling first were Luke, Shuji, and Shawn, while Esther, Jase, and Maggie respectively landed on the mentioned.

"Ow." Shuji groaned.

"Double ow." Luke added.

"Well, that could've gone better. At least we're still in one piece." Shawn grimaced, his weight suppressed by Jase.

The group got up and assisted the three cushions to their feet. Maggie of course felt chipper with the nice landing, much to Shuji's bitter annoyance, and Esther got off Luke with haste. Jase got up and assisted his allies. Once gathered, they all dusted themselves off and looked around.

"Where are we?" Esther questioned. "This doesn't look anything foreign."

Everyone inspected the area around. From paneling left to right, they saw green grass and shrubs in front; the trees were also a good cover to keep them from being spotted. As odd as it was for their liking, it felt more homey than anything else.

"Is this…a park?" Maggie inquired. "Do these aliens grow grass just like us or what?"

Shuji's brow furrowed. "Beats me. But I'm not just gonna stand here like a statue all day you know."

"Shuji's right. We need to find out more." Fly Beetle said.

Esther took the lead as she closed in on the bushes. "Then we should continue. Let's see what we have here…" Everyone followed behind the Darkus brawler, looking carefully out beyond the trees as she removed the bushes and shrubs that sat in front of their cover. They all moved up, seeing with widened eyes the sidewalks and pavements of what looked like streets. There were no cars, but instead people were walking everywhere. It was like a busy domain, with medium-tall buildings to large, narrow towers. Some designs resembled castles in like a network around them, with smooth, lamented walls it seemed since the sun reflected off them. Architecture all around was just so…sporadic, one might say.

"Oh wow…" Maggie chimed.

"I'll say." Jelldon gasped. "Is this all stuff that goes on in your world?"

Esther looked left and right, noting the tall towers. "Look at all those pinnacles. Just how high do they go?"

"High enough to overlook the whole area, no doubt." Shawn said. His eyes went to the massive one in the center of the whole city.

Luke slowly turned left and right. His mouth's lips were parted as he got a good look at everything that went on. To say he was awestruck would be an understatement. 'So then these are real life parks then?' He saw the busy streets. 'Those are streets.' He looked at the tall towers. 'And those towers are so much taller than on TV!'

Like Luke, Abis Omega was new to this as his partner. "Wow. I've never seen anything like it before." He turned towards Luke. "So then all you humans can build this stuff?"

Luke swallowed. "Y-yeah. We can make stuff like that." From the sound of his tone, he wasn't exactly sure since he hasn't seen much other than Cale doing construction around the estate. It wasn't much other than plates and added tiling when it was wearing down, but honestly, seeing something as grand as all this was a whole new experience.

Shawn looked towards his friend, smiling at his wonder.

Jase watched as people came and went about past them. As they did, he put a hand to his chin, a frown on his face. He knew something didn't look right.

Atmos noticed his partner's conception. "Is there something wrong?"

"Of sorts. Take a look around." He insisted. Everyone did as told and looked at the many people that were passing by with smiles. Some were mutual and busy, and some were looking fresh with various attires fixed on them. In all honesty, nothing seemed wrong.

"Uh, I don't see anything." Shuji deadpanned.

"That's the thing. Nothing's wrong." Jase pointed out.

"What's that mean?" Verias asked.

Jase narrowed his eyes. "It means we're dealing with a façade. What better way to cast away melancholy than with some bright appearances? Why does everyone look satisfied? And why do they all look human?"

Luke gasped as he turned towards Jase. "Wait…" He looked back at them all, seeing many greet each other, some even walking in haste towards other places. While he didn't see any cars or vehicles, he did find it shocking with how they could be mistaken for aliens. "But why do they all look human? I don't get it."

"Don't all humans look like that?" Abis Omega questioned.

"Yes, but I think Jase is onto something." Esther said.

"The energy is very weird here. Even the air is exotic inside this domain." Atchibee noted.

"Shuji raised a brow. "So then what? If we hit them, they'll just fall like robots?"

Shawn put a hand to his hip. "Well I doubt violence will do nothing but get us into more trouble."

Maggie turned towards Jase. "So what do we do?"

Jase turned towards her, smirking once more. "Well, I believe this calls for an evaluation."

"What?" Luke questioned.

"The longer we stand here and needlessly question why they look like humans and have similar architecture won't these those answers. If anything, we are to reaffirm our objective and divide ourselves to cover more ground." He looked at everyone accounted for. "With our numbers, splitting into three groups of two will benefit us."

Luke smirk as he pointed a thumb towards himself. "Alright, that'll make it harder for those guys to find us!"

"We're in." Esther nodded.

"Alright, then here's what I propose." Jase looked towards Luke and Esther first. "Luke. Esther. Remember that large colosseum up north? I think we should know more about that if it's related to Bakugan. See what you find in there."

"Yes, understood."

"Alright." Luke casually answered.

Next came Maggie and Shawn. "Maggie. Shawn. We're out of rations, I'm afraid. Do what you can to scrounge up any medicinal and otherwise edibles."

Shawn nodded. "Alright."

"Yay! Shopping trip!" Maggie jumped with joy. She turned and grabbed Shawn's hand, dragging him along. "C'mon! Let's go and find some neat stuff we can try out!"

Shawn was taken back by the 10-year-old's excitement. "O-okay. Just slow down, we don't even know where we're going."

Jase watched as the two went along. "Right, and then that leaves me and Shuji. We'll scout the city to get a diagram and any schematics and directions needed to get to the city's core or energy source."

Shuji, however, stomped his foot. "Hey, why do I get the brainy one?!"

"Is that a problem?" Jase shot Shuji a look, one that made the brawler rather unsettled. The look he gave was still having a smirk, but even behind it, it was a question of power and authority; something Shuji was never good at fighting. Ultimately, the boy turned away.

"No, just wondering." He huffed.

"Good. We'll keep in touch using our Bakumeters. We'll agree on a stop point and meet up there. Until then, everyone, stay weary." He turned away. "Come on, we should get going."

"Right." Shuji followed behind, walking for the sake of the assignment and group alike.

With Esther and Luke let alone, they had to deal with the problem for themselves. Esther turned towards him, looking serious. "We should head north. I think the colosseum shouldn't be too far if we can find a route with less people to interlude."

Luke lead the way. "Alright, gotcha. Let's just find this place and see what it's about already."

Without haste nor say, the remainder of the group carried on. They headed north, with Shuji and Jase heading east, and Shawn and Maggie heading east. They all diverged within the ever-expansive domain.

---

"Hey, take a look at this, Shawn!" Maggie held up what looked like a chocolate popsicle. She opened her mouth wide and took a nice, chewy bite out of it. The moment she ate it, the more her taste buds flare. "Dis ish so hood!" she muffled as she chewed.

"Really, is that so?" he questioned. He turned towards the vendor, holding up two fingers. "Guess we'll take one more."

The vendor reached into the cooler and took one more sample out. He gave it to Shawn, who nodded in appreciation.

The two walked off slowly, with Maggie watching as Shawn took a nice little nibble out of his popsicle. "See? Isn't it delicious?" she questioned.

He looked at her with a smile. "Yeah, you're right. This is pretty good."

Maggie looked chipper than before. "Then we should get some more!"

Shawn, unfortunately, showed a saddened grin. "I would love to, but I'm afraid we can't carry popsicles like that. I'm afraid they'll melt. Sorry."

"Oh." Maggie sulked.

Shawn's smile grew more supportive. "But don't feel bad, at least we know it was delicious, right? We'll just do our best to find some more material for us to save."

Maggie nodded. "Sure!" She pointed ahead. "Look, what about that stand?"

To what she was pointing at, it looked like a booth with a lot of earthly produce. There were lettuce, celery, peapods, onions, a lot of fresh, garden produce, something that caught Shawn's attention.

"Good eye." He said. "What do you say we try samples before deciding?"

"Sure!"

---

Shuji was looking around quizzically, while Jase was looking rather stoic. The two were looking around another part of Thermosphere, where they were taking liberties with who they were seeing and what exactly they were passing by.

"Okay, so from our starting point to here, it appears we have this place known as the antiques and what looks like clothing. And judging by that directions board we've found, it appears Shawn and Maggie went to the food district. Got all that?" Jase said it all with a straight face, and judging by the way he spoke, it was clear he memorized all the contents up to now. "Shuji?" He looked over his shoulder, looking to find Shuji sulking. He looked completely out of it to say the least.

"Uhh, what was that last one again?" he questioned in a tired slur.

Jase looked back ahead, slowing down his pace. "Fair enough. I suppose if we find a physical map instead of memorizing, maybe that will help us."

"You mean just me, right?" Shuji deadpanned.

Jase went on with a smirk. "More or less."

Shuji began to grow weary as he threw a small fit. A tick mark sprouted on his head as he gritted his teeth. "Why you…!"

Fly Beetle popped open on his shoulder. "Well he sure is a character."

"Don't encourage him!" Shuji yelled.

"Sorry, just saying. You could really use a few more hints to when people want to help."

"Just zip it! I'm perfectly fine!" He wailed as he argued with his Bakugan. Of course it caught the attention of people close by, but otherwise Jase pressed on with a smirk.

On his shoulder, Atmos opened in ball form and looked ahead as stoically as his partner. "Well he sure is a rowdy one. Perhaps we should've thought this through?" he questioned as Shuji was making a ruckus and pouts behind.

Jase continued ahead with glasses adjusting. "Perhaps so, but this could also benefit us in the long run. We'll see." He looked over his shoulder again. "Shuji, are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming! Just wait up!" Shuji rushed to catch up, pacing himself rather hastily. It only served to amuse Jase further.

"You humans can be so amusing at times." Atmos noted.

"Yes, he is." Jase teased.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS TO ME?!" Shuji shouted.

---

Walking down an avenue, the remainder of the group was Luke guiding Esther up north. He knew well enough that the sun rose in the east and sets in the west. That meant he knew for a fact that they were heading in the right way. Luke, of course, knew it was best to keep quiet and weary, especially with all the people lurking. He didn't like those smiles they had.

"We should be cautious." Abis Omega reminded.

"I know that." Luke irritably answered. "And why are you on my shoulder?"

"Well where else am I supposed to perch then? I'd rather not be in some dumb pocket."

"Well could you at least get off my shoulder?! What are you, some freaky parrot?!"

Like a certain someone on the other side of Thermosphere, attention was getting towards them. Esther looked left and right, but otherwise did her best to keep quiet around the folk. She leaned in towards Luke, staying focused on their path.

"Luke, try and keep it down." She warned.

Realizing what was happening, Luke looked around and saw the stares. Frankly, he didn't react well. "What are you looking at?" he daringly questioned, making the bystander more uncomfortable and recoil.

Atchibee opened on Esther's shoulder and looked at Luke taking a rather bullish charge. "If this keeps up, harassment will get around quite fast."

Esther sighed. "Afraid so."

Luke led a rather grumpy charge as Esther continued to follow him. Due to his bizarre social skills, Luke didn't exactly have to tell people to get out of the way, they did it instead. With one annoyed look, nobody questioned him as he instead walked along. He kept heading north, heading past several markets and other places that seemed enticing to look around. He wanted to get around to what he wanted, and that meant nothing will stand in his way.

The two passed through the avenue, the two stopping in their tracks as they looked up towards something that seemed rather…large.

"This it?" Luke questioned.

"Looks so."

The boy and girl had their eyes set on something rather gargantuan in proportions. They saw what appeared to be a similarity to an earth-like colosseum. It was rather large, and ovular in shape. What was shocking was how it had a huge ovular dome to accommodate its tremendous size. It and the colosseum had golden edging that lines up perfectly to a radio tower-like top. As top model as it all look, it still had a rather Romanized appeal when it came to the arches on the outside and entrance.

The two walked a little closer, passing the street to stare at the huge domain. Even Luke was greatly impressed by how massive it was.

"Woah…" he awed. "You can fit my house in here. Maybe twenty of them!"

"Your home must be very big then." Esther commented.

Luke shrugged. "Meh, it's not that big." His attention went back towards the roaring colosseum, which had monitors all the way outside of it. It showed the crowd getting very anxious for something. "I wonder what this is all about? Do they play sports, too?"

Esther out a hand to her chin as her brow furrowed. "It's strange. To think they have so much of what feels like our world stuffed inside here. I wonder if this is just by coincidence?"

Luke looked more or less confused by the implication. "Uh, I guess so." He shrugged. "Wait, now that I think about it…" he showed slight shock. "Wasn't there also what looked like grass and shrubs we ended up in?"

"Yeah, you're right. Come to think of it, even the folk around here look human. Did this mean that this city was transported from Earth you think?"

"But then how would you get all that agriculture inside?" Atchibee asked. "Those buildings and castles are one thing, but what about those thin towers?"

"Yeah, are those part of your planet perhaps?" Abis inquired.

Luke shrugged. "Not that I'm familiar with." Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook, though only so little. "What the?!"

Inside the arena, the audience cheered as they witnessed a Haos Atmos being sent towards the ground. Their cheering was directed more or less to the opponent, who was much taller than the Haos avian.

Abis floated in front, looking shocked. "Look there!"

Everyone's eyes laid on what looked like a fish-man Bakugan. It was large, and primarily blue. It had red eyes with what looked like a fin helmet-crown with smaller fins on the sides like earrings. It had dark blue armor on the bulky chest leading to a silver chest ornament. Directly beneath was an orange diamond with silver edging beneath. The legs had muscular blue and dark blue shading with silver ridging swerving over and underneath the thighs to dark blue shinguards with a yellow base. It had massive blue shoulder pauldrons with light blue curves inside it. He had sharp claws with what looked like two huge blue gauntlets with an orange gem on either side. They all had a pair of silver, enormous claws, ones far exceeding his actual ones. He also adorned what looked like bladed, curved tentacles, six in counting. It frowned deeply as it was looking at its fallen foe, much to the joy of the audience.

"And just like that, Mystic Elico takes the battle by storm!" the announcer shouted.

The picture on the front screen changed to the Bakugan's battle partner, who had an average height and body, and had brown eyes and a cocky smirk. His red hair was wild if not spiky all over. It could've been mistaken for a leafy shrub if not for the dark red bandana keeping the bangs up. He had a yellow zigzag on it as well. For attire, his fair skin was covered by a white t-shirt beneath a dark blue vest with pockets. He had brown pants that stopped above the shins, revealing his brown loafers. He looked content as he knew the battle was all his.

"And it looks like we're having our winner declared folk! Today's underdog is looking to be Keegan and his Bakugan, Mystic Elico!"

"Who's that?" Luke asked.

"I don't know, but look at his Bakugan." Esther responded.

Both Abis Omega and Atchibee were completely silent as their heads raised to watch the big screen.

The Haos Atmos was doing its best to stand. It struggled, but it gave a mighty caw as it ascended back into the air.

Its battler was a regular woman, with blue eyes and yellow bangs. Her ponytail was high as she had a red t-shirt and dark shirt. She held up her wrist as a Haos ability revealed itself. "Ability, activate! Halo Echo!"

Atmos gave a large caw as yellow, circular soundwave projected from her mouth, stretching for Mystic Elico.

The brawler smirked as the attack went his way. "Not a bad counter, but…not good enough! Ability, activate! Blue Aria!"

The Aquos Bakugan brought his hands together to create what looked like a blue sphere of water. He brought it up front, where it doubled in size to be half his body size. He launched the attack, which pulsed straight through the attack shot at him. The attack struck Atmos, causing a loud shriek as a blue explosion burst where it was. Moments later, as smoke cleared, it reverted to ball form and fell beside the Haos battler, who looked up shocked at how her life gauge dropped from 60% to 0%.

"And that's it, ladies and gentlemen! We have ourselves a brand new champion to this day!" the announcer screamed. "That was a good battle and effort, but now, the minor league tournament for the day goes to Keegan! Let's here it for our victor!"

The audience cheered as Keegan seized Mystic Elico, smirking as he nonchalantly claimed his place.

Luke and Esther were still in shock with the level of power the brawler had. It made him look unbeatable, if not good.

"Did you see that?" Luke gasped, eyes shaking. "With just one blow…"

"I saw. What power." Esther responded. As she looked at the colosseum, her eyes showed more uneasiness. "To think such a Bakugan has that much power."

"Do you think we'll have to worry about it?" Luke asked.

Esther looked at him, frowning in worry. "Hopefully not. We have larger problems to deal with." She smiled. "But it's thoughtful of you to consider that as well."

Luke sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well…" He was cut off when a pulse went through him, but it wasn't just him. Esther also felt her heart skip a beat.

"Huh?" Abis jerked up, catching everyone's attention. "Wait, did anyone feel that just now?"

"Yeah, I felt it, too." Atchibee said.

Luke looked left and right, feeling his guard heightened from that sudden burst of energy. "What happened? Was that an energy spike just now?"

Esther looked all around for answers. Her eyes darted up when she noticed the white center of the radio tower top of the colosseum was giving off a powerful glow. "What's that?"

The remainder of the group looked up, their attention drew to what Esther pointed at above. To their surprise, they, too, saw the small sphere glow. The longer it glowed, the more energy they could've felt. It felt very familiar, that much they all knew. Soon enough, the glow faded, as did the energy.

"…what was that all about?" Luke wondered.

"I don't know, but that energy made me feel tingly." Abis commented.

Atchibee turned towards her partner. "Esther."

She put a hand to her chin, looking deeply pondering. "I'm not sure how to put it. Could it be that same energy we've been feeling ever since we came here?" She glanced up, this time more heavily. "If so…then we may have found some piece of this puzzle."

Luke looked up, completely confused, but did not say anything that would pry her thoughts. His green eyes just glared up at the huge screen and the colosseum alike, along with his Bakugan that shared the same confusion.

---

Maggie smiled with beaming pride. "HAHA! Look at all this!" In her two hands, she carried two large, brown paper bags stuffed with assorted edibles. She looked pretty happy as she carried them. "We can eat for a week with all this!"

Shawn walked beside her, but unlike her, he carries four bags, each stuffed with various foods as well. "Yeah, we should hold out like this for a while." He nodded.

Maggie picked up her pace. "I was shocked at how many free samples we were able to get! Talk about counting your blessings."

"I can't argue there…" The look on Shawn's face grew into what could've been a look of worry. "But still…"

Maggie tilted her head. "Hm?"

"All this food we have, doesn't it look familiar to Earth's?"

Maggie's big, brown eyes widened in surprise. She looked down at her bags, peeking at the grains and the various foods they had with them. In retrospect, it all looked just like their planet's. "Huh, well you put it like that…"

"Something's wrong here, but it's still too early to jump to conclusions." He looked at his yellow Bakumeter on his left wrist. "Let's find a spot to rest so we can call the others, okay?"

She nodded. "Oka-!" She was rudely interrupted when an odd force almost made her tumble over. "W-whoa!" She almost slipped and fell over, but managed to hold onto her groceries.

"Maggie!" Shawn gasped. He sat his groceries down in a hurry and knelt to her.

Jelldon popped open. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Shaking her head, the little girl furrowed her brow. "Yeah, I-I'm okay."

"Hey, watch it you little runt." A rude voice called up.

Looking up, Maggie and Shawn's attention turned towards the force responsible for almost pushing her over. It turned out one of two guys bumped into her. The one who bumped into her was someone who looked like he was 15, as did the other. Each had deep, dark eyes, with tan skin and what looked white shaggy white hair for one and the other shorter length. The one who bumped into her had a blue shirt with a black vest over it that had gold jewels, while the other had a red shirt with a similar black, vest, but instead had large, black wristbands with gold embroidery. They had jeans on, with brown belts and shoes alike.

The one snarked as he stared at Maggie, giving her a glare. "Yeah, you." He sniped.

Maggie looked a little worried. "Uh…"

"'Uh', what?" the other questioned. "Is that all you have to say? No 'sorry'?"

Maggie recoiled a little. "But, I didn't…"

The bumper gave a sharp look, glaring over her. He looked at the startled Maggie with narrowing eyes. "What's with you bumping into your elders like that, huh? What do you say to me, huh?"

The way they were gaining up on Maggie wasn't doing well for her self-esteem. She was looking to have a small panic as Jelldon recoiled as well. As much as he wanted to defend, he was also very much intimidated.

"Say you're sorry." The other demanded. "Go on, say it."

"I…I…" Before Maggie could finish, Shawn stepped in front, arms crossed.

"Sorry, but I think it's the other way around." He retorted.

"Shawn!" Maggie gasped.

The two guys gave Shawn a look as he stood between them and the little girl. "Heh? Hey pal. Who the hell are you?" the bumper questioned.

Shawn raised a brow. "I could be asking you the same thing." He replied. "Who're you to ask someone to apologize when you specifically bumped her."

The bumper wagged his finger. "Nu-UH! Look, she was in my way, and unless you want a good smack, I suggest you say you're s-!" Before he could finish, a sudden slash of air made him recoil. With a shriek, he bounced back as a fencer was pointed at the Adam's Apple of his throat. Like the other two teams that had gained attention, Shawn's side was no different.

The other looked shocked. "What the-?!"

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Even Shawn's tone was different. Rather than calm, he was much slower, and more threatening. It was what made Maggie look at him in deep, hefty shock at the protector. "Now, we can either settle this like gentlemen we ought to be, or we can have it your way. It's your call."

The twins were completely off guard by the sudden change in attitude that Shawn projected. It's what made them almost look petrified.

"You wouldn't dare." The one challenged. He was silenced when the fencer was pointed to his jugular next, and within the blink of an eye.

"Care to try me?" Shawn challenged.

"Woah…Shawn…" Maggie was at a loss for words. She knew Shawn was a good lookout for others – mostly for Luke's case – but she didn't know he'd go to these extremes for protection.

The bumper shot him a look. "Well who cares if who bumped into who? You should just go crawl back to wherever you came from…" a malicious smirk came across his face as he pulled up a Darkus Bakugan. It looked a lot like a Hammersaur. "Unless you wanna settle this dispute using these?"

Shawn raised a brow. "Bakugan?"

The other twin smirked. "Oh, you know them? Well if you have one, then bring it. Unless you and your little friend wanna go to your mama and bawl."

Maggie, taking the most of the offense, stood up and pouted. "Hey, I'm not that helpless!"

The other twin looked down at her, getting close to her face again. This time, however, she didn't waver. "Those are some tough words, little girl. Sucks for you, though." Like his brother, he pulled out an Anchorsaur in ball form. He flicked it and caught it in midair. "I'll make you fall down so hard that you'll need more than bandages!"

Her gloved hands clutched, showing her anger. "Oh yeah?! Well I bet your about as sucky as a brawler as you are a coward!"

There was a collective "Oooh!" from the audience watching. The roast Maggie gave made the bully wide-eyed and slowly lean back. He gave her a wide stare as she put hands to her hips and gave a look of struggling bravery. Slowly regaining himself, he looked at Shawn, who gave him a serious frown and fencer still in hand. He was so very much tempted to just shove Maggie into the ground, but he could see that if he made the wrong move, he'd get more than a gash.

He pointed a finger at her, giving a cold glare. "You better get ready to have your little rear end handed to ya, small fry!" he snapped.

Shawn's brow furrowed as he grinned. "Then it seems our impasse will be settled."

"Bring it." The bumper's brother retorted.

On the ground, Jelldon was looking uneasy as he was seeing how childish but brave Maggie was getting. All that shouting was making his soft skin crawl. He kept himself turned away, scared.

"Jelldon, you okay?" Verias asked.

"Uh, d-do we have to fight?" he asked. "I mean, do we have to do this?"

"Do you really wanna let Maggie's pride be disgraced?" the Haos Bakugan questioned.

"N-no…"

"I understand how you feel about these pointless fights, but it's times like these that we gotta stand up for ourselves. Just as Shawn stood up for Maggie. Come on, we have to have their backs, it's what partners do." Verias turned back ahead, where he gave the area ahead a sharp glare in his spherical form. "Don't worry too much about it, we'll help you out."

"R-really?" Jelldon gasped, his hopes rising.

"Yeah, now are you in this or not?"

Jelldon looked scared, but as he saw Maggie, he knew he had to make a stand somewhere. If his young partner was going to defend herself and not him, where was his pride. With what he took him, he knew he may regret it, but he wasn't going to let Maggie down, not when it was something like this.

He inched forward, stnding behind Maggie. "You got it."

"Jelldon, you ready?" Maggie asked.

The shy Pyrus Bakugan jumped on her shoulder, popping open again. "Okay!"

The twins smirked at Maggie and Shawn. They saw their Bakugan on their shoulders, and they grew all the more anxious.

---

A massive tower skyrocketed all the way up towards the atmosphere, reaching so high that it wasn't even funny. The fact the it was also thin meant other things. There, along the side, there was an elevator that went skyrocketing. It was shooting rather swiftly, but the higher it went, the further it took two allies away from the ground.

"Woah! You can see everything from in here!" Shuji got towards the glass, so close his face and everything was against it. The vibrations went through his skin like a massage chair. "So this is really the center of the whole city?"

"Yes, this would be a great place to observe. We'll have a vanish point from here for the time being." Jase smiled. He went closer towards the window, but only by a single step. He looked out, giving everything beneath a bird's eye view. "Let's see…"

"Hey, isn't that the big dome?" Shuji looked far out, seeing the huge dome that had a roaring crowd and expansive population inside.

Jase looked far out, a smile still plastered on him. "Why yes, I believe it is."

The two suddenly felt a sudden pulse emanating from all over. It made their skins tingle, but not in a good nor bad way. It was very exotic, to say the very least.

"Did everyone just feel that?" Fly Beetle sked.

"Yeah, I did. What was that?" Shuji wondered.

"I could be wrong, but it felt like energy resonating from the battle arena." Atmos said.

"You could be right." Jase said. "But if that's the case, then here's my own question – just where does that energy go?" Before his question could be answered with deeper inquiry, the elevator made a ding sound. They knew their stop was here, and the door behind slid open.

"Well that was sure quick." Shuji commented.

"I'll say." Jase walked out, with Shuji following. "Well, since this is an observatory tower, we should probably take advantage of that and get a layout of the districts."

As Jase walked around, looking out the massive windows of the huge tower, Shuji followed quizzically behind. He looked confused more or less, but thankfully not to where he appeared flustered. He looked around, giving everything and all the folk around him estrange looks before moving right along.

"Shuji." Fly Beetle got his attention. "Is there something up?"

"Wha…? Uh, hmmm…" he looked contemplative as he crossed his arms. "Well, how should I put this?"

Jase looked over his shoulder, giving Shuji his full attention.

"Didn't you say the center of this place should be a factor, or something like that? I mean, why is there an observatory tower to begin with? Is something watching over something? And why let regular people inside without some guide like at those amusement parks? It's weird."

Jase looked at Shuji like he had gained a second head. "That's actually a good point right there." He shockingly admitted. "You just might be onto something, Shuji. You actually are beneficial."

Shuji shot the Ventus associate a glare. "Watch it, will ya?! Or did you want a knuckle sandwich?!"

Jase chuckled. "My apologies. I was merely encouraging you."

The duo suddenly heard the sound of what was button tapping. When they looked over their shoulder, they saw what looked like a small PC edged into the wall, and with it were two postal guards. One was punching in a code, in which an elevator on the adjacent side popped open. He went in, while his associate stepped in front of the keyboard.

Jase smiled. "And it looks like you were right after all." He stayed quiet as he carefully watched the guard punch in coordinates of his own. On the right-hand side, another elevator opened, in which he went into. Both closed at the same time, and from the sounds of it, one went up, and one went down.

Both men looked at the computer and then at themselves. With the coast clear, Shuji slowly turned and crossed his arms. He took a baby step back. Then another. And quickly swiveled until he was behind Jase. Meanwhile, Jase was in front of the computer, tapping the screen.

"How interesting." He murmured. He tapped his finger against the PC, which to his shock opened up a panel asking for a code.

"A security code perhaps?" Atmos wondered.

Jase smirked. "No worries. I've managed to recall that last one's number he punched in."

True to what he said, he punched in the security code. A sequence of numbers were pushed and he hit enter. When that happened, a variety of options popped up, and Jase looked at all of them with the options reflecting off his glasses.

"Looks to me we've found what we're looking for…"

---

Nearby the market district, it all seemed swell. It was getting quite the attention, especially since in an open field with fresh grass, everyone was on the sidelines as news bout a skirmish escalated quickly. In no time, a crowd surrounded Maggie, Shawn, and the two twins as they were settling into battle.

"You ready to teach this little twerp some respect, Rhett?" the bumper asked.

"That goes double for her friend over there, Ray, don't forget that." The twin brother, revealed to be Rhett, noted.

Maggie and Shawn looked all around, seeing the many people that were attracted to the soon-to-be battle. It startled them to say the least.

"Wow, I didn't realize how quick word spreads around here." Maggie nonchalantly remarked.

"Let's just hope this doesn't compromise our mission." Shawn said. He spread his legs apart, glaring at the adversaries in readiness. "We need to teach these two a lesson, but we have to do it fast, otherwise our chances of getting to the bottom of all this won't get anywhere."

"Right." Maggie nodded.

On the other side of the grassy plain, the twins couldn't hear the two as they talked, but that didn't shirk their confidence. "Think they're thinking of an apology?" Ray questioned.

"Who cares, let's just get this over with." Rhett remarked. "You mind if I start?!" he yelled across the field.

"Sure, be our guest!" Shawn shouted back. "Careful, guys. Stay on guard." At his notion, Verias and Jelldon readied inside their ball forms.

Rhett: 100% Shawn: 100%

Ray: 100% Maggie: 100%

Rhett smirked as he pulled out a Gate Card. "Alright then, Gate Card, set!" He set the field in a fading purple card. It stretched throughout the grassy area, leaving even the audience in suspense. He grabbed his Anchorsaur and threw it. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan…stand!"

At the call, the ball opened and glowed. A purple light enveloped everything as a crocodile-like Bakugan arose. "Rise, Darkus Anchorsaur!" Rhett's Bakugan came out as a humanoid crocodilian with purple skin and a periwinkle underside. He was shin guards and embroidery on it and the upper body armor it had. Three red jewel-like spikes were on each though, and the wrists had dark cuffs with red embroidery. The significant part of Anchorsaur was the fact he had two massive shields on either side of his shoulders. He came out roaring, intimidating with ease.

Anchorsaur: 350

Shawn looked down at Maggie, grinning. "Mind if I start?"

Rhett gave a harsh glare. "Sucker Punch! Ability, activate!" To everyone's shock, the Anchorsaur on the field roared as his eyes flashed. "Shock Down!"

His shoulders were positioned forward, in which the cores unleashed vibrant purple electricity. The went straight at Maggie, causing her to flinch as the electricity, though weak, was making her flinch.

"Maggie!" Shawn panicked.

Maggie was weary, but the electricity compressed around Jelldon in her hand. To the Bakugan's shock, he was dragged out of Maggie's hand. They all watched as he was dragged by the electric current. "Jelldon, no!" Maggie cried out.

The electricity lost hold and vanished, allowing Jelldon to drop on the field. He popped open, glowing and transforming into his physical form with a roar.

"What was that?" Shawn gasped.

"Shock Down is an ability that forces my opponent's weakest Bakugan to battle." Rhett sneered. "And it drags them into the dirt, like so!"

Anchorsaur: 350 Jelldon: 350 (-100) = 250

"That ability also dropped his power level?!" Maggie exasperated.

Jelldon, feeling intimidated by Anchorsaur closing in, recoiled. "H-hey! I'm not that weak!" he testified. "You take that back!"

The Anchorsaur unleashed purple static from his shoulders. The static surrounded Jelldon as he couldn't move. His body was hung like a Christmas ornament in midair, his body unable to squirm away.

"H-hey! Let me go! Somebody help me!"

Rhett and Ray laughed as they high-fived one another.

"Hang on, everyone! We're coming!" Shawn threw next. "Bakugan, brawl!" Verias went out far. "Haos Verias, stand!"

A light enveloped the battlefield. Rising up into battle a staff swung around a pair of hands. The material swung so fast as the ape-like Bakugan came between Jelldon and Anchorsaur. He brought the staff down, but Anchorsaur pivoted to allow it to bounce off. Of course that also undid his attack and released Jelldon. He plopped back beside Verias, who roared out in readiness.

Maggie put a hand on her chest, sighing deeply. "That was a close ONE. Thanks, guys."

Shawn gave a thumbs up. "Don't sweat it."

"Are you okay, Jelldon?" Verias asked.

"Yeah, I…I think so?"

Ray gave an annoyed look. "Looks like it's my turn. Bakugan, brawl!" He threw his Bakugan next. "Bakugan, stand! Darkus Hammersaur!"

Appearing beside Anchorsaur, it looked like another Anchorsaur, only different it seemed. This Bakugan had his tongue out, but the key difference this time was that he had bare shoulders, and his claws were instead in huger claws that acted like hammers with a hexagon pattern on top. Both Bakugan's appearances left a very startled impression on Jelldon and Verias; mostly Jelldon.

"Uh, i-is that a cousin?" he sweat dropped.

Anchorsaur: 350 Verias: 350

Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 250

"It's a compliment type of Bakugan?" Shawn inquired. "This should be interesting. Verias, get ready!"

"You got it, Shawn!"

The Haos battler of the group gave a serious face as he lifted his wrist hos show an ability. "Ability, activate! Verias Siba!"

Verias began to twirl his staff like it were a weapon, where the tips expelled a light and followed, making a yellow wheel that he brought overhead as he jumped for Anchorsaur.

Maggie's face grew serious as well. "Alright, Jelldon! Let's teach these bullies a lesson! Ability, activate! Sting Ray!"

Mustering up courage. Jelldon shuffled in place and got antsy to attack. The tips of is stingers began to flare and red electricity jolted out towards Hammersaur.

Anchorsaur: 350 Verias: 350 (+200) = 550

Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 250 (+200) = 450

Rhett kept his cocky expression. "Oh yeah? Well sucks for you!" He swiped his arm. "Gate Card, open! Darkus Reactor!"

The battlefield glowed, revealing the Darkus symbol in the middle of the Darkus swirling background. The battlefield beneath began to emit dark ripples that enveloped the ground all around in a dark void, while at the same time enveloping Hammersaur and Anchorsaur in a purple aura.

Anchorsaur: 350 (+300) = 650 Verias: 550

Hammersaur: 350 (+300) = 650 Jelldon: 450

Verias came yelling and swung his staff against Anchorsaur. However, Anchorsaur was too sturdy, and the attack completely bounced off. Verias landed on a knee and gritted his teeth. While that happened the weak electric shock that Jelldon unleashed went at Hammersaur, but the Bakugan swatted his big claws, completely deflecting the weak blast to thin air.

"Huh?!" Jelldon panicked.

"Their power increased." Verias cursed. "Keep your guard up, guys!"

"Maggie, stay on your toes!" Shawn warned.

"Right!"

Ray raised his wrist, a Darkus ability showing. "I call dibs on that little doll. Ability, activate! Crush Hurricane!" Hammersaur suddenly clasped his two hands together. With them intact, the big claws were linked. Together, he crouched and jumped right above Jelldon. He raised his hands to ready and pound him.

"I'm up for a little mashed sushi!" Ray sneered.

Anchorsaur: 650 Verias: 550

Hammersaur: 650 (+100) = 750 Jelldon: 450 (-100) = 350

As Hammersaur came down, Maggie refused to take any chances. She held up her wrist to counter. "Ability, activate! Gel Shield!"

Jelldon's cowering form covered up as Hammersaur came down. However, the orange spots on his face began to emit rippling water-like energy that Hammersaur struck. His attack completely bounced off, and he landed in the same spot he started.

Anchorsaur: 650 Verias: 550

Hammersaur: 750 (-100) = 650 Jelldon: 350 (+100) = 450

"Good counter, Maggie." Shawn praised.

"Pffft, so you nullified my ability. We still got more!" Ray exclaimed. "Rhett, screw them over!"

"Oh hell yeah!" the twin brother exclaimed. "Ability, activate! Bind Destruction!"

The edging of Anchorsaur's shoulder plated began to glow purple. Slowly, the energy separated from the edging into two rings that launched at Verias and Jelldon. Both Bakugan winced as the rings bound around them, slowly integrating into their bodies and flashed purple. Afterwards, they both looked a little worn.

Anchorsaur: 650 Verias: 550 (-100) = 450

Hammersaur: 650 Jelldon: 450 (-100) = 350

"Bind Destruction is an ability that lowers the opponent's power level depending on the difference between each of their power levels." Rhett explained. "So since that monkey was 100 Gs lower, he lost that same amount, and your little jellyfish friend lost 200, but…" he looked at his Bakumeter, getting shocked. "Wait, what?! Why did it not drop 200, but 100?"

Maggie flashed a smirk. "That's the added effect of Gel Shield for ya. It nullifies the opponent's ability, and it cuts subtraction done to him by half for the rest of the round."

Ray's eyes narrowed. "Crap."

"Ability, activate!" Shawn applied an interception as he raised his wrist. "Heaven Solace!"

With what strength he had, Verias raised his arm that held his staff. A stadium-like light glimmered down, large enough to cover them both. Both Jelldon and Verias were enveloped in the heaven-like radiance that gave them their power back.

"That'll nullify their ability." Shawn smirked.

Anchorsaur: 650 Verias: 450 (+100) = 550

Hammersaur: 650 Jelldon: 350 (+100) = 450

"Great, you guys just keep defending~! We'll be over here when you want to attack us." Ray taunted.

Maggie wasn't going to all for the taunt, but she wasn't going to lie down either. "Jelldon, you ready!"

"Sure!" he exclaimed.

"Ability, activate! Shockwave!" At the card's call, Jelldon's stingers began to envelop in red electricity. The energy was risen with the four appendages, and with one slam on the ground, there, expelled, an omnidirectional wave of red static in a circular ring went.

Rhett smirked. "You're not the only one who can nullify abilities! Ability, activate! Magnerious!"

Anchorsaur stepped in front, giving out a large roar as his shoulders emitted purple energy ripples that reached out. They spread far and fast, dissipating the red ring that expanded everywhere. The two attacks cancelled out, which left the space between them free.

"Like that?" Ray inquired. "Ability, activate! Knuckle Barbarian!" He pointed ahead. "Get rid of that stupid jellyfish!"

Hammersaur clutched his claws and raised them overhead. He brought it down on the ground, sending a bright purple linear shockwave that went right for Jelldon.

"Maggie, you okay?!" Shawn exclaimed.

She nodded. "We'll be fine! Jelldon, ready yourself!" She brought her wrist up. "Ability, activate! Morphed Deflect!"

Jelldon remained completely still as his green eyes stayed glowed ahead. He did as told and didn't move. The shockwave reached his lower side, but shockingly, it bounced off him like a trampoline, completely altering direction for Anchorsaur.

"What the hell?!" Ray yelled. "I thought it hit?!"

"Morphed Deflect deflects an opponent's attack right at one of their Bakugan!" Maggie explained.

Anchorsaur: 650 (-200) = 450 Verias: 550

Hammersaur: 650 Jelldon: 450

Anchorsaur was caught completely off guard by the incoming shockwave. He didn't have a shot at defending as it raced across the land and burst at his feet. Smoke bellowed everywhere with his cry of pain. As he fell over, he morphed into ball form and retreated to Rhett's side.

The bully looked completely startled. "Crap!"

Rhett: 60%

"You just knocked me out! What the hell man?!" Rhett yelled at his brother angrily.

"Hey, it's not my fault! You should've kept on guard!" Ray berated.

Shawn braced himself for what was to come. "Verias…"

The Bakugan raised his staff. "Do it!"

Shawn raised his wrist, a Haos ability transmitting. "Ability, activate! Siba Feral!"

Verias didn't have a lot of time to react. He had to hit hard and fast, and that's what he did when he made a loud shriek and raised his staff. The ends glowed yellow and he swung right for Hammersaur. He whacked him once, then again. Then again, over and over viciously. The staff was swung and batted so much, and Hammersaur was smacked so many times with no defense.

Verias: 550 (+200) = 750

Hammersaur: 650 (-200) = 450 Jelldon: 450

Verias raised his staff over his head. "This is for gaining up on a little girl!" With a powerful downward blow, the staff struck Hammersaur's head. The Bakugan fell backwards as Verias landed, swirling into a purple ball and recoiled to Ray's feet.

Ray: 40%

Jelldon and Verias retreated back to ball form, and they were caught by their partners. "Alright, you did really awesome, Jelldon! You were so cool!" Maggie praised.

Jelldon kept closed in his ball, looking away sheepishly. "I-it wasn't me…was it?"

Verias opened, looking at Jelldon. "I was merely support. You did most of the work out there. Good job."

"Right, you both are pretty good at picking your cards." Shawn complimented.

Rhett was lightly bumped on the elbow by his brother. "What are you doing? I thought you had her, you screwover!"

"Can it, alright! This time, we're bouncing back." He shot a deep glare at Maggie especially. "And then we'll scrape her off our shoes and onto the pavement."

"I'll set the field now!" Maggie swung out, sending a card into the battle. "Gate Card, set!" she brought her arm back. "Alright, go Jelldon!" She threw the Pyrus Bakugan, sending him into battle.

"Here we go, Verias! Bakugan, brawl!" Shawn was next as he threw Verias next.

"Bakugan, brawl!" the twins threw Hammersaur and Anchorsaur out last, both rising up beside the other.

Anchorsaur: 350 Verias: 350

Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 350

"Alright, you pissed me off back there, you little rat!" Rhett berated. "Now it's time I screw you guys over! Ability, activate! Power Eraser!"

Anchorsaur brought his shoulders forward, where purple static flared. The electric flow reached for Verias and Jelldon, both enveloped in a painful shock that went through their bodies. Their bodies were unable to listen as the static lifted them into the air, much to their dismay.

"I can't…move…!" Verias struggled.

"Somebody get me down!" Jelldon pleaded.

Anchorsaur: 350 Verias: 350 (-300) = 50

Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 350 (-300) = 50

Rhett smirked. "Good luck activating abilities now!" he snorted.

Ray cracked his knuckles. "I've been waiting for this. Now screw them up!" At the command, Hammersaur raised his huge claws, ready to strike.

Maggie swiped her arm. "Gate Card, open!" At her command, the battlefield began to glow, revealing a white command card. "Evil Clear!"

Anchorsaur continued to hold them up, but to his shock, the electricity he gave off began to flicker on and off, and swiftly doing so before it faded for good. The ape and the jellyfish landed on the ground once again, ready for action.

"But how?!" Rhett shouted in outrage. "Was my ability just shut off?!"

Maggie gave a confident smirk. "Yup, so now our power levels return."

Anchorsaur: 350 Verias: 50 (+300) = 350

Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 50 (+300) = 350

Ray's patience looked like he was going to lose it. He angrily gritted his teeth and looked at Maggie with a bitter taste in his mouth. "I'm not going to be shown up by some snot-nosed wimp! Take this!" he raised his wrist, the Bakumeter showing two abilities overlapping the other. "Double Ability, activate! Darkus Cave, plus Darkus Howling!"

Anchorsaur: 350 Verias: 350

Hammersaur: 350 (+100) = 450 Jelldon: 350 (-200) = 150

The ground around Hammersaur emitted purple shockwaves that magnified his power. A purple aura encased his body as he opened his mouth, emitting purple soundwaves that went at Jelldon. The Pyrus Bakugan continued to look uneasy as his opponent's attack was drawing near.

Maggie, however, refused to let that happen. "Oh no you don't! Ability, activate! Gel Shield!"

At her command, the orange ovals in front of Jelldon's face glowed, emitting red water-like waves all around his body. They traveled all over, and the shockwaves and soundwaves reaching out for him closed in, but they immediately dissipated upon connecting with the shield. And just like that, Jelldon and Hammersaur both returned to 350 like nothing happened.

"Come on!" Ray snapped. "Are you serious?!"

Maggie and Shawn high fived the other, the former chirping with a satisfied smile. It only made Ray all the angrier. He had it, and he wasn't gonna take losing his pride to bumping into some petty little go-happy runt. Nope, he was angry.

"That's it, time for the big guns!" he retorted. "Let's go! Ability, activate! Darkus Magnify!"

Both Hammersaur and Anchorsaur were enveloped in bright purple auras. Both their power began to rise, and their heads raised as they felt the power flow from the aura.

Anchorsaur: 350 (+300) = 650 Verias: 350

Hammersaur: 350 (+300) = 650 Jelldon: 350

"About time we throw down our ace!" Rhett exclaimed. "With this ability, all Darkus Bakugan on our side of the field gets 300 Gs! Try and beat that!" he swiped his arm out. "Go, Anchorsaur!"

"Hammersaur!" Ray yelled.

Both empowered Bakugan went charging for Verias and Jelldon. As expected, neither moved; though Jelldon was more or less out of unsure. However, Maggie didn't look at all unnerved; in fact, she looked happy.

"Alright, Jelldon! Let's shut them down! You know what to do!" she chimed.

Jelldon blinked. "I…" he gasped. "I do! Oh yeah!"

Maggie held up her wrist, smiling wide. "Ability, activate! Darkus Jailer!"

As Hammersaur and Anchorsaur closed in for the attack, they were more or less targeting Jelldon, which was what he wanted. The nervous jellyfish readied himself, his stingers all starting to get tipped in what appeared to be vermilion tips. The two stingers in front aimed for the running crocodiles, and he unleashed vermilion bolts of electricity. Similar to Anchorsaur's Power Eraser, the attack enveloped both their bodies in vermilion static. They were completely helpless as they were suspended in the air, now the ones being the puppets.

"Impossible!" Rhett shouted. "She just took away our power we gained!"

Anchorsaur: 650 (-300) = 350 Verias: 350

Hammersaur: 650 (-300) = 350 Jelldon: 350

Shawn looked at Maggie with deep shock. Suffice to say that the way his blue eyes showed an epiphany meant even he never expected her comeback.

"Surprised?" Maggie winked at her elder partner-in-crime. "It's an anti-Darkus ability that goes well for Pyrus Bakugan." She looked back at Jelldon. "It not only downs all Darkus Bakugan's power levels on the opponent's side, but shuts them down completely! In other words, their Hammersaur and Anchorsaur can't move at all!"

"That was very good thinking of you." Shawn smiled. "Now we can finish this."

Ray lifted his wrist. "Ability…" However, nothing was showing on his Bakumeter. "Ability! God! What?!" He looked up, his eyes widening as he realized he was completely taken over. Both brothers in fact showed deep shock as they realized what was going to happen now.

"If we may?" Shawn smiled as he clutched his fist and held up his yellow Bakumeter. "Now Verias, ability, activate!" For Verias, the purple gem on his furry crown began to glow. The Haos Bakugan lunged straight up, meeting both reptilian creatures at eye-level. "Simian Howl!"

Verias closed his mouth and opened it once more, this time, yellow soundwaves expelled outwards, shaking the atmosphere as they went for both Hammersaur and Anchorsaur.

Anchorsaur: 350 (-200) = 150 Verias: 350 (+200) = 550

Hammersaur: 350 (-200) = 150 Jelldon: 350

The yellow soundwaves were so powerful that they knocked them both completely put of the air. They both retreated into ball forms, falling right out of the sky and in front of the twins as they finally fell to their knees in disbelief.

Rhett: 0%

Ray: 0%

Maggie couldn't help but jump for sheer joy. "Alright, we won! We won!"

Shawn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we did. Didn't we." He looked back up to Verias, who in turn looked down at his battle partner. He glowed and reverted to ball form, in which he caught. Jelldon also reverted to ball form, falling right onto Maggie's cupped hands.

The 10-year-old gave a very pleased smile. "See? You didn't have to be worried. I was right there with you."

"We…we won?" he realized. "We actually did it! Oh boy! I feel so ali~~ve!" He spun crazily in Maggie's hand, which made the girl chuckle at her silly partner.

"Well there's a good confidence booster." Verias acknowledged, talking to Shawn. "He'll be fine with us."

Shawn looked down at Jelldon and Maggie, smiling as she saw the little girl lifting her Pyrus Bakugan up and down like a bouncing baby. "Yeah, he'll fit in just fine."

Ray pounded his fist on the ground. He gave a glare towards the ground, anger showing as beads of sweat formed on his face. "Damnit! How could I let this happen?! Great! Just great!"

Rhett hunched over as well, but he wasn't throwing as big as a fit. With what dignity he had, he picked up his Anchorsaur and looked at it. "Man, we really screwed up there, didn't we?"

As both grimaced in defeat, a hand reached down towards them. To their shock, it was Shawn, who half-grinned down towards them. "That was a good battle." He praised.

The two brothers looked up with brows furrowing. Together, they scoffed as they instead tried to smack him away. Shawn recoiled as the two brothers got up on their feet without his help. They gave tired stares at Shawn and Maggie alike; mostly Maggie.

"You just got lucky, little girl, that's all." Ray huffed.

"Thanks…I guess." Maggie answered awkwardly.

The bumper pointed a finger straight into her face. "You're going down solo when the TWB starts tomorrow! You're entering, right?"

Maggie raised a brow in question. "TW…huh?"

"What, you live in a cave? The Thermosphere Weekend Brawl?" Rhett deadpanned. "Ring a bell?"

Shawn and Maggie looked at each other, completely confused by what they were talking about. Before they could ask anymore questions, Shawn's Bakumeter began to make a loud ringer.

"Huh?" he lift it up, tapping a small button on the yellow device. "Hello?"

"Shawn, are you there? Can you hear me?" It was Jase's voice, much to their surprise.

"Is that Jase?" Maggie exclaimed.

"I think so." Shawn looked back down at his glowing screen. "Jase, do you copy? It's us."

"Maggie and Shawn, too. Good, very good." He spoke. "I'm relieved to have contacted you all. Has everyone been able to get the necessities needed at this point?"

Maggie nodded. "Yup! Sure did!"

Over on the other end of Thermosphere, Esther spoke into her purple Bakumeter. "Luke and I are okay. But we've found something very interesting about this colosseum."

"And we have the schematics and blueprints. Good, everyone fall back. Return to where we started so we can find a spot to rest for the night."

"On it!" Shawn exclaimed. With that, the connection was cut off, and he and Maggie knew they had business to attend to. He looked back at the defeated twins, smiling regardless of what happened. "Sorry guys, but we need to get going."

Maggie propped up a bag in her arm. "Yup, have places to be! No hard feelings, okay?"

The twins watched with blank stares as they watched Maggie and Shawn get their grocery bags from before, and they completely turned away like it was no big deal. Before they started, they looked back over their shoulders.

"Have a nice day." Shawn sniped.

"Bye-bye~!" Maggie chimed as she pranced along with her paper bags.

The twins were left dumbfounded by their reactions and how they treated them. It was complete mystery, but regardless, they were looking at the other, blinking once, then twice, before their brows furrowed.

"What the hell was that about?" Ray questioned.

---

Shawn and Maggie carefully carried their groceries through the city, being sure to not get sidetracked again. As the duo walked along casually, however, they were approaching the center tower's area. They were unaware that at the top of the tower, there was something that looked like a red dot in front of each massive window. Each dot glimmered as everything within its tiny, beady, bulbous reflection was but images sent elsewhere.

In the far top of the tower, above the observatory section, there was a series of monitors and panels. There were scanners everywhere as there was dim lighting to operate in. In a rather small stool with light pink cushioning, it was rollable, and a pair of heels shuffled in front, propelling the chair across the smooth, lamented ground.

"Woooh…" a rather nonchalant person rolled from one end of a panel towards the other. The person rolling into the light of the monitors revealed himself to be Killian, or so he was called. He made a complete stop and caned his neck up to see the many monitors and people that were strolling and doing whatever they saw fit.

He slouched forward, seeing one monitor with a rather attractive local who was getting many of men to stare at her. He only glanced before moving right along to the market district, seeing vendors selling clothes to another attractive woman. As expected, the monitors and scanners on each individual was no different.

"Well, this is a nice way to spend my afternoon." Killian spoke in such modest exaggeration with an eye roll. "Sitting here on watch tower duty while Ariella and Hendrix have their 'sweet luxury' after two long days. Hoorah~ for them." His attention drew to another random monitor, where another screen showed the colosseum and crowds starting to exit. There, he got a good look at Keegan. The scanners were zooming in on him and the Bakugan he had in his pocket; it showed a diagram and stats of what appeared to be Mystic Elico. It made Killian raise a brow. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday…Mystic Elico, huh?" he smirked as he looked down at his own pocket. Even there, he could feel his own Bakugan's power flow through his skin. "Looks like you'll have some worthy competition yet, just take it easy until tomorrow."

As he continued to monitor, the screens showed an interesting event, one that got different readings compared to usual. The sensors and graphs began to alter, much to Killian's wonder.

"What?" he zipped ahead, pushing his stool to slide and stop in front of a set of readings and sensors. "Well this is odd. Why is it picking up different DNA readings?" In his haste, he pushed back into the same spot as before. He looked around, pressing keyboards. After a sequence, everything turned gray like old 1920 movies, leaving it easy to snuff out whatever he was reading. To his surprise, six bodies were red, which belonged to Maggie and Shawn as they went down the market, Luke and Esther as they observed the stadium, and lastly – and this one being the most bothersome to him – the PC being hacked by Jase and Shuji watching guard. "Wait…are those…?"

Before he could finish, the elevator nearby signaled someone coming up. It revealed a local guard as he came rolling in with a serious frown. Though older and taller, he looked down at Killian with upmost respect. "Sir Killian."

"What?" he asked hastily.

"I've come to relieve you of your time here. Your hour is up. All security goes back to me now."

With an aggravated sigh, Killian turned back towards the monitors. He grimaced as he knew this news was very bad, to the group at least. Though he wasn't one to jump the gun. With haste, he pulled out a flash drive and inserted it into a connection. There, the files and images, as well as data transferred and filled the bar in less than a few seconds. With an all clear, he pulled the flash drive out and got up.

"Fine. Do as you see fit. Thanks for letting me scope out the competition." Killian said.

He entered the elevator, while the guard went back to surveillance monitoring. His job was to just watch over and see how problems go, but for Killian, the room was for the sake of another reason. He sighed again as he descended down the elevator shaft.

---

The sun was nice and hot, perfect conditions for anyone who would love an afternoon swim or wanted to head out to the beach.

In a regular building, this one was rather low key, but nevertheless lavish. The tiling was extravagant and deep blue in the deep pool, which was rather private and secluded by fine shrubs to keep peeping toms away.

Sitting on the far, shallow end of the warm pool, Ariella was in her navy-blue bikini, which showed of her figure quite modestly. Many of women would've killed to be her. Her arms went out to either side as she put her head back. She gave a deep sigh as her face bathed in New Vestroia's sun.

"Now this is how it's supposed to be. Just enjoying our little privileges." She sneered.

Hendrix was in plain brown swim trunks, showing his bare upper body. As expected, he was broad and hairy, but also rather toned as one would put it. He had eyes closed and arms crossed as he leaned against the long end of the pool. Unlike her, he seemed more contemplative.

"Our privileges only go so far as our progress." He reminded.

"Then just enjoy it while it lasts." She huffed. Her head craned to the expansive territory that was the Rogue Zero Thermosphere HQ. It was smaller compared to the houses, but inside, it was darker in shading and colors; darker in tone one might say. It had a rather expansive inside with chambers relating to their individual quarters, but the fact was there was a depth to it. More specifically down below. Ariella's eyes glanced down at the smooth cement, where there was the chamber. "I'm sure Xander and Maximus wouldn't mind such luxuries."

"We're here for a reason." He said.

"And we came and did that." She reminded him harshly. She rolled her head back and sighed. "If you're gonna be a brick and lay there on a pile of jobs all day, how's about you put on the jets/ I got a few knots in my back."

Hendrix groaned, but otherwise didn't say. The burly man arose from the pool, where he got up and walked pass the few lawn chairs. He made way for a white hatch and lift the lid. He turned to knob placed behind, and set it to a reasonable setting. Jets of water pushed behind Ariella, acting like a jacuzzi.

A small smile crossed her face. "Thank you."

The ripples of the jacuzzi spread throughout the pool, where Hendrix went to the side and looked down. He did nothing but stare at the water, watching it sway and bounce in various directions. He fell silent as his associate was much more at least.

The door to the HQ slide open, revealing Killian standing with arms behind his back. He stood at attention as he drew the Subterra battler's attention.

"Killian." Hendrix greeted.

"Hm?" Ariella removed her sunglasses to see the guy spoken of. "Oh, so you're back, huh?"

Killian looked at them, albeit unsettled. "Is, uh, this a bad time?"

"I thought you were scoping out the Bakugan for the competition tomorrow." Ariella said. She put her sunglasses back on and casually laid back.

"I was. And well, how should I put this?" the way he spoke was what got Hendrix and Ariella to stop whatever they were doing. They saw the uneasy look on his face, and though he had that look at times, it was under peculiar circumstances.

"You guys recall your little 'mission' yesterday?" he emphasized with making quote marks with his fingers. He then pulled up the flash drive. "I…think you all might want to see this."

"How vexing."

The mysterious and dry voice caught Killian's attention. His and the two others' attention turned towards inside. A pair of footsteps were seen, where they slowly escalated to reveal a hooded, cloaked guy. With him, followed the associate. Appearing was none other than Xander, who followed behind Maximus. Stepping up, the leader of the group looked at the flash drive, a mischievous smirk crossing on his face.

"And what is it that you have to share with us this time?"

---

Boom! Chapter 4, and I made it with the old Insane Dominator's lengthy demeanor! How did you like that one? I figured that I could give Abis Omega just a little more screen time in the beginning before shutting him away for a few chapters, but at the same time figured Atmos could use a good appeal. So in terms of Bakugan, you saw that I picked these groups for a reason; Verias and Jelldon definitely needed a shot at some battling, at least in my perspective. And I foreshadowed some key opponents to come in the later chapters.

For Mystic Elico's overall design, I really didn't do anymore than go on my usual Google Search Image section. There was a Haos one, and I really just had it as Aquos here. And as for the other Bakugan, I made Hammersaur and Anchorsaur make an appeal in battle. Thought it'd be a good time to address battles against those that weren't against Rogue Zero just this time.

Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and the sequence of events that are being laid out. Hope to hear good things and thanks for letting me get another chapter up for all my loyal peeps!