The colosseum roared with a crowd of booming volume; both sound and population. The many citizens gathered were waving snacks and concessions as they watched carnage unfold. Mighty shadows vaguely passed the other over their heads, and some gasped and spilled their beverages after seeing a scary part of a horror film.
The two shadows split apart, revealing a pair of feet that made the ground shake. Revealed was a Pyrus Verias, who raised his staff and bared his fangs in a roar.
Opposing it was a Fly Beetle, a Subterra one. The Bakugan flapped his wings rapidly and backed off. Behind him, standing on his golden hexagonal platform, looked to be his battle partner. The partner smirked in high confidence, and at the same time on high adrenaline.
"Both Bakugan are looking to be kicking of this first round with a display of power and deep skill! It's anyone's guess who'll come out of this one!" the announcer yelled. He was on a high platform above the stadium to het an overview of the battle. He was a man with an excited look on his face with slicked back blonde hair and sunglasses. He also appeared to have tight jeans and a black leather coat and moustache.
"Both contestants are down to just 60% left on their life gauges." He continued. "If one side is victorious, then they'll be moving onto round 2! Will it be the burning, rampaging Yahir, or will it be the rookie buzzing his way in, Shuji!"
The audience roared with excitement, though to the likes of the announcer and those common, this was more or a routine. It wasn't all that thrilling unless one was a newbie, such was a few individuals
Yahir raised his wrist, where a red ability card appeared. "Ability, activate! Siba Feral!" His Pyrus Verias raised his staff overhead, where the two ends were starting to glow. He went springing forth with an animalistic cry for battle at Fly Beetle.
Shuji's face showed seriousness as he lifted his wrist. "Ability, activate! Exo-Shield!"
Fly Beetle landed on the ground and closed his wings. The Bakugan stayed quiet as his body went stiff and was surrounded by an orange glow. Verias began to pound away at the hardened layer of energy around his body, but on the first stroke, he bounced off like a fly off a windshield.
"Sorry pal, but you'll have to do better than that." Shuji taunted.
Yahir grunted in annoyance over his opponent's defense.
"Alright, wait a go, Shuji!" Maggie cheered vigorously, standing up to her team's chagrin. "You show'em, too, Fly Beetle!"
Shawn inspected the battle with arms crossed, staying clear of Maggie sitting back down beside him. "He managed to defend against that attack for now."
"But he's still having a ways to go." Esther said. "It only took him this long to figure out his opponent's method of attack. He's still slow."
Clutching his fists, Luke angrily looked down at the battle. "Come on! Hit them harder, Shuji!" he yelled.
Unable to hear his friends and team, Shuji kept his focus on the opponent that lied ahead. He looked tense, but at the same time confident. His eyes narrowed as he grinned. "Man, this kid actually knows how to throw me off." He murmured.
"Shuji, look alive!" Fly Beetle reminded.
"Huh? Hey, I know that!" he retorted. "Alright then, let's try this then! Ability, activate!" At the call of the ability, Fly Beetle's wings opened again. He took back to the open air throughout the colosseum and hovered above Verias. "Sonic Wing!" Upon said ability, orange-brown crescents began to rain down onto the Pyrus Bakugan.
Yahir raised his wrist again. "Ability, activate! Verias Siba!"
Verias twirled his staff overhead, where an orange flame-like energy enveloped the two ends to make it look like a twirling torch that he reached up to defend with. The defense was greatly appreciated as the crescents were nullified and went around the flaming wheel. The air shuddered and shook as it was like a fan against the odds.
"And it looks like Yahir isn't giving in so easily!" the announcer exclaimed excitedly.
Shuji's brow furrowed as he smirked. "This is the chance I've been waiting for. Now!" He swiped his arm up. "Gate Card, open! Phantasm!"
The card below glowed just as the crescents launched by Fly Beetle gave in. Verias' twirling kept going on until it noticed something wrong. Looking down, he couldn't move his legs as they were slowly solidifying into solid stone, much to his shock.
"You've gotta be kidding me! You set a trap?!" Yahir gasped.
"And it looks like Verias can't move thanks to that strategy by Shuji! Now it looks like the bug's ready to home in on his prey!" the announcer excitedly shouted.
Verias: 350 (-100) = 250 Fly Beetle: 350
"Alright, now let's hurry this up before they get a chance! Now, Fly Beetle!" Shuji commanded.
"Right!" he yelled.
"Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!" From the two yellow tusks on either side of Fly Beetle, two bright orange rays were fired. They two projectiles homed in on the incapacitated Verias, who hollered out in sheer horror before blasted head on and enveloped in the two rays. He glowed red and spiraled back into a small sphere that dropped before Yahir's feet.
Yahir: 0%
Yahir dropped to his knees in deep shock over his loss.
"And there you have it! The one who's moving up to round 2 is Shuji!" the announcer exclaimed. "Let's here it for our qualifier!"
"Yea~~h!" Shuji raised both fists high as he rejoiced in his victory. The crowd cheered as the rookie took the rug and swept it beneath the Pyrus brawler, figuratively of course.
"Well, someone's looking happy." Maggie chimed.
"One could say a little too happy for his own good." Jase smirked. "He must really have battling issues back home."
"How do you know that? You psychic or something?" Luke questioned.
Jase chuckled as he adjusted his glasses. "In your little world, sure. But even though this has been very entertaining, let's not forget why we're here." To demonstrate his point, he looked up at the sky, with the others following towards the top of the gold dome. There, they saw the light the small globe made dissipate. The tingling sensations they had on their skins also evaporated.
"Did anyone else feel that?" Luke asked, looking at his arm to feel the hairs quelling from the passing goosebumps.
"I did." Abis said. "That's definitely what we felt yesterday."
"Yes, there's no mistaking it now. The energy was in fact coming from the generated energy the battles give off." Esther confirmed. "And it also looks like the schematics are also accurate…" Slowly, her mind faded to events that were resurfacing from a black panel. The events of last night flowed loud and clear for her to understand.
After rendezvousing with the whole gain once more with the much needed supplies, not to mention empty stomachs, Jase was able to find them a fellow tower in which acted as an inn. Notably, as thin as they were, the commodities they held were rather human as well, much to their surprise. It was like a suite in a standard hotel where they stayed, but aside from light blue walls, they settled in around the living room coffee table, ready to move onto the next matter at hand.
"Oh man! This is so good!"
Of course even after a long day, their stomachs needed compensation.
Luke's shouts of happiness were answered by a smiling Esther, who held up a sandwich. "Yes, this is tickling my taste buds. Where did you find these, Maggie?"
The little girl chuckled. "Well, we just found the right place at the right time." She beamed.
Shuji bit off a huge slab of savored meat, looking pleased. "Hwell hi hall hots ah hehonds." He muffled.
"Don't talk with your mouthful, Shuji." Esther scolded.
Looking at her, he backed off and swallow. "Woops, sorry." He apologized.
"It's fine, but I'm afraid we'll have to settle only this amount for the night. Sorry." Shawn said. "This was all the free samples we could scrounge, so we'll have to eat sparingly."
"Aw man." Shuji sulked. "I could really use a hamburger."
Maggie looked at Shuji with a smirk. "Maybe that's why you had trouble fitting in the vent today." She teased.
"Hey, what was that?! I am not fat!" he shouted.
Maggie snickered.
"I don't recall anyone saying that word, other than yourself just now." Jase smirked.
"Just shut up! Hurry and get to what we found, alright?!" Shuji's retort was also an indication to get the story along, or rather what they found. He wasn't wrong, and Jase's frown returned with a nod.
"Very well then." Jase began to tap on his Bakumeter, which began to beep and bloop with the coordinates in its system being transmitted. "So here's what we've managed to find on our end…"
A hologram suddenly transmitted from the Bakumeter screen to the space between the group surrounding the coffee table. They all backed away to give space for the blue, smaller version of Thermosphere to be shed into new light. Shuji almost fell on the couch end due to shock.
"Woah…" Luke leaned in, looking at all the tiny buildings on the coffee table; he even laid eyes on the massive colosseum. "What is this?"
"I managed to hack into their system and copy the service and systematic data onto my Bakumeter." Jase explained. "It wasn't easy, but the encryption came out on a landscape view. This will help us relay our approach to the plan." He turned towards Luke and Esther. "Luke. Esther. You both went to the colosseum and viewed the events taking place, right?"
"Yes, we did." Esther nodded.
Luke sat back in his seat, arms behind his head. "I mean we saw Bakugan fighting in the arena. Sure, that's normal on Earth…but something felt off. I can't place it." His eyes squinted as a result of his growing confusion. "At times, our skins felt funny, like an energy wave or something passes by. And at the top, right before that energy goes away, this weird white globe at the top shines a little."
Shuji crossed his arms. "And what's that got to do with anything here?"
"I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps it's a matter of energy absorption." Esther figured.
"I wouldn't imagine it being that simple, Esther." Jase said, grasping everyone's attention. "Energy cannot be destroyed so easily. It can, however, be converted. Like how light energy becomes heat energy. That's elementary science. With that in mind, this very globe you speak of must be transferring or converting that energy elsewhere."
"Do you have any ideas where it all goes?" Shawn asked. He was leaning back against the couch like Luke, with legs crossed and heel on the coffee table.
Jase looked down at his Bakumeter and pressed another button. The holographic landscape zoomed out, shrinking it and enabling it to lift. To everyone's shock, there was a network of vents and lines that went towards a chamber right below the massive observatory tower in the dead center of the city.
Luke leaned forward again. "What the-?!"
"Is that an underground network?" Esther inquired.
"Precisely. This is where all the power and the energy flows from the stadium." Jase pointed at the colosseum first, where it gave off an expanding green energy to give off the Bakugan battle energy. "The green dome is the released battle energy that the Bakugan unleashed. Depending on how long or hard they battle, the variable is the same – it's all sucked into the top point of the colosseum." To show his point, the green forcefield expanding throughout the city suddenly retreated into the colosseum, or rather the top point just as he said. The point was glowing a bright green, like a tower top would at night.
Maggie's eyes widened in shock. "Wow~!"
"There's more." Jase continued. "The Bakugan battle energy is then brought through a network beneath the surface towards the main chamber, which we can conclude is the main core of the entire city." To follow his point, the compressed green dot went straight beneath the surface and followed the elongated chord that went to the large room in the very bottom of a network of corridors and chambers. Once there, the energy lit the whole holographic room, and then it gave off rippling green energy like a sonar system straight below it all. "This is where all that battle energy is drawn to. It's very likely to be the city's power core. From the data I copied, the battle energy is transmitted into a constant food source for the core stabilizer. In other words, the more battles generated above, the more power the chamber processes."
"So then that's what makes all the Bakugan as spheres again?" Maggie questioned.
"Close, Maggie, but there's one more step involved. The energy that's closed in on the core is…how should I put this? Perhaps changed would best describe it. The battle energy acts as power that goes throughout the networks around the core. It's regulated throughout the city, but only half of it."
"Half?" Esther inquired. "Wouldn't that mean…?"
"Yes, the remainder of that energy will be transmitted into waves that pulse through the ground throughout New Vestroia." Jase answered. "So now we know how to shut down their systems and get to freeing the Bakugan."
"Well, we know at least. But how exactly will we do it? That's the problem here." Shawn pointed out.
"We need to find a way to cut off the circulation of power generated from the battles. That's one factor." Verias added.
"Indeed. That will make the core itself unbalanced, and with lack of power, the energy waves resonating into the earth will subdue." Atmos surmised.
Luke raised a brow. "Well if we want to malfunction the controls, shouldn't we just break that weird radio thing above the colosseum?"
"Yeah, that could work." Abis Omega said.
"I don't think it'll be that simple, Luke." Esther argued.
Luke looked at her shocked. "Why not?!"
"Because if we end up breaking it in public, we'll draw ourselves to open fire. Plus since that's where the energy is converged, the battle energy of being absorbed at the time could implode. We could probably end up killing ourselves detonating a bomb."
"She's got a point." Atchibee agreed. "So what do you all think?"
Shawn put a hand to his chin. "Good question…"
The entire group was stumped, or rather dumbfounded with this road block they had standing in their way. Shuji and Luke were crossing their arms and looking pouty, while Esther, Shawn, and Jase were thinking more subtle. Maggie was like them, but her eyes widened when she hit an epiphany.
"Wait, hold on!"
"What?" Jelldon asked.
"Do you remember those two guys we battled earlier today?" she reminded. "They mentioned something about this TWB thing going on tomorrow."
Shawn's eyes widened as well. "You're right. What did they call it? The Thermosphere Weekend Brawl?"
"It's a tournament!" Verias realized. "If that's true, imagine all the battle energy that'll be generated!"
"Yeah, you're right. That could make things worse for us." Abis figured, although explaining from then on seemed unlikely to be in his fins.
"Call me crazy, but shouldn't we take advantage of this tournament then if that happens?" Fly Beetle inquired as he opened from ball form.
Atmos looked towards him with surprise. "That could be something."
Jase put a hand to his chin, looking away. "In that case, this could work to our advantage…alright then." He looked at everyone with a confirmed smirk. "I believe we now know our course of action. We'll hit the core from both below and above at the same time."
"Meaning…?" Maggie trailed off.
"Meaning we'll divide into two teams for this operation to be successful. We'll need one team to enter the tournament to make sure the battle energy is at full mass. The other team will sneak through the elevator to the below ground chambers of the observatory. We'll have to run through security to get to the chamber were the core stabilizer is, but if we pull this off, we'll recalibrate the system to make the energy flow go in reverse and cause a shut down."
Esther's eyes slowly began to widen. "Which means we'll also stop the core's power supply permanently since it's in the underground network."
"Heh! Sounds like a dare." Shuji smirked. "I'm in."
"Me too." Fly Beetle announced.
"How about you, Luke?" Esther asked.
Luke shrugged. "I guess so." He looked away as everyone began to continue planning. His mind drifted back to all those structures and Bakugan they saw battling. The energy felt was also what popped in his mind. 'Still, those Bakugan…those structures; something's off here. Something was really weird about those Bakugan we saw in the stadium, like they were…god, why can't I find the right words?!'
In his mental frustration, he overheard talking and planning, drawing him back towards the group discussion. Whatever unnerved him would have to wait.
Shuji stood over the coffee table, pointing a thumb at his smirking face. "Alright, enough jib-jab, how's about I handle the tournament?"
His chance to stand up above the rest surprised the group. "You, Shuji?" Esther asked. "Are you sure about this?"
Shuji chuckled. "Oh please, if I can brawl circles in Bakugan Interspace, what's the problem here? We'll just whip them about until they go cry to their mommies. That should give us the energy we need."
"Well if he's in this, then I am too I guess." Fly Beetle floated up beside Shuji, staying a few inches away from his left shoulder. "I'll do what I can to help out."
Jase nodded. "Very well then. But just to be on the safe side, we'll need one more volunteer."
Luke's brow began to furrow. 'Maybe I'll find out about this if I get with them up close.' With his thoughts in mind, he leaned forward. "If that's case, then maybe…"
"I'll do it!" Maggie piped up. "I wanna go!"
Her teammates looked at her in deep confusion.
"Maggie? You want to enter the tournament?" Jase inquired.
Maggie vigorously nodded. "Mhm! This will be a great chance for us to get stronger." She held up Jelldon. "Plus, Jelldon can be a big help."
Jelldon opened up again, his green eyes looking at everyone surrounding him. "W-wait up! What?!" He looked at Maggie with a scared look. "M-Maggie, are you sure? C-couldn't we leave this to Esther or Luke?"
"That's what I was about to say!" Luke snapped, however he fell on deaf ears.
Maggie chirped a smile. "Yeah. We can do it. We have to do our part somewhere, right?"
Jelldon continued to show uneasiness. "Uh…"
"I think you both can do it." Shawn said, once again catching everyone's attention. He crossed his arms and sat back in the cushions. He looked so calm about his decision. "I think this experience will be good for you both. I've seen what Jelldon can do, he isn't a slouch. He'll really help us out in the long run if he enters this TWB."
Atchibee looked towards Esther, who showed no qualms with the decision. "If that's what you want, then do your best." The Darkus battler said.
Jase smirked. "Well this should man up Jelldon." He mused.
Jelldon looked around, seeing all the many faces who were looking at him. It was making him uncomfortable to say the very least, but seeing how this was pressure, he didn't find much of a way out of it. Ultimately he reflected back on the battle earlier today, and he realized he did rather well, despite the whining.
"Y…you all think I can really do this?" he asked, hope in his eyes.
Maggie flashed him another peppy smile. "Of course, silly! You did super in that battle today. If you could do well there, you can handle this tournament by yourself. Because I believe in you." Though she really didn't mean him soloing the whole thing; true she was entering, but they wouldn't be alone as long as Shuji was aiding them.
Feeling a sense of confidence rise, Jelldon looked at everyone once more, a sense of pride rising. "Alright then, if you guys really think I can…then I'll do it! Yeah! I'm totally doing this!" he declared.
"That's the spirit!" Maggie chirped.
Seeing how he was completely deflected an opportunity, Luke folded his arms and slouched backwards. He gave a meek grunt as he accepted the plan, though he didn't have to like it.
"It looks like we'll be seeing through with the plan after all then." Esther said.
Jase nodded. "It appears so. Although…" he looked down at the arena, where Shuji was still flexing and showing off for the spectators. "I'm pretty sure 'subtle' was within the mention of the overview this morning."
"Good grief." Shawn sighed.
"HAH! Yeah~!" Shuji flexed once again with his right bicep. "You see that? That's guns, and I'm fully loaded of them!" As he gloated on, Fly Beetle remained on his shoulder, keeping himself stable as Shuji felt his confidence rise.
"Uh, shouldn't we just get along already? I think we're already praised enough." He warned. However, he got no response. "Shuji?"
Shuji kept showing off as he crossed his arms before the defeated battler, laughing all the way. "Not too bad, kid. But not good enough either." He pointed a thumb to himself. "Maybe next time, we'll have a better fight, and then you'll show me what you-"
"Shuji!" The voice from his orange Bakumeter startled the Subterra battler, making him yelp backwards and cringed. He looked down wearily at his Bakumeter, where he heard the voice of Jase from the stands.
"Don't forget why you're here. Remember, keep them stalled long enough for us to reach the core. Generate as much power as you possibly can with Fly Beetle, understand?"
Shuji sweat dropped. "Uh…yeah. Right…" he looked away in subtle embarrassment. "Sorry."
"Just stay careful. Maggie's in this too, so watch her back. We'll be starting the operation now, but keep us updated on any new findings." With that, Jase cut off the transmission.
With his battle over, Shuji turned away and walked off the golden platform. He made way down the stairs, where a small smirk crawled on his face. "...hehe…I got this." He mused.
"Don't you mean 'we' got this?" Fly Beetle corrected.
"Huh? Oh, right."
Maggie got up from her seat just as Shuji entered the tunnel. "Well, guess that means we're up~!" she chimed. "You guys okay?"
Esther nodded. "We'll be fine. Just do what you can."
"Make sure you keep an eye on Shuji, too." Shawn warned. "I think that last battle may have left him a little too giddy for his own good."
Maggie winked. "Sure!" She took off with Jelldon in hand. "I'll see you guys soon!" She waved to them as she made way down the rows, allowing the group to tend to themselves and their own mission.
"So, guess we start now?" Luke asked.
"Looks like it." Abis said. "We should get going now, the sooner, the better."
"I guess." Luke stood up, with the others following as he turned to get out of the rows of people crowded in the seats. "Let's just hurry up already. The sooner we stop this thing, the quicker we can go home."
In the tunnel, footsteps were heard coming down the one way of the hall. Shuji kept walking until he saw someone coming from ahead. He stopped and noticed that it was his teammate who was rushing to catch up with him.
Maggie eventually caught up, waving up to him. "Shuji!" she chirped once close enough. "Great job! Looks like you two did pretty cool out there."
Shuji raised his head and smirk. "Heh, that was nothing. We could've broken him sooner."
"It took us until the last round to realize his offense." Fly Beetle deadpanned, earning an embarrassed glare from Shuji.
Maggie chuckled. "Well, either way, the competition in round 2 is going to be tougher, so both of you be careful, okay?"
Shuji nodded. "Yeah. You just be sure and get there as well, okay Maggie?"
Maggie nodded viciously. "Yeah! Just watch me! Let's go, Jelldon!" The 10-year-old child went rushing around Shuji to reach the crowds and light at the end of the tunnel. She closed in, entering the dirt pathway that lead to a flight of golden stairs. Once out back in the sun, she was met with cheers and awes.
"And now for the next match to decide who among the two of these fine warriors will be taking home the gold for this tournament!" the announcer exclaimed. "Coming into view, we have an adorable and very spunky girl! She's the rookie of rookies, the pink-dressed terror, everyone…Maggie Deering!"
Maggie smiled wide as she waved to everyone and the crowd, who was waving back and cheering for her. With all these cheers, even Jelldon was feeling his confidence from last night rise up again.
"Okay then! This is it…right?" he questioned.
Maggie made it onto the platform, staring at the vacant spot on the other side of the arena. "Yup. Let's just hope we get lucky and do our best."
Jelldon nodded. "Right, we gotta generate enough power so I'll battle as hard as I can against this guy!"
"And her opponent…" the announcer brought attention to the guy who was to be her adversary coming up on the other end. His footsteps were closing in as he was being announced.
By the time his hair and eyes came into view, Maggie's own gaze widened. "Wait, huh?!"
The figure smirked as the announcer continued. "He's soloing the twin mayhem this time, but make no mistake, a runner up in this daring tournament to see how his mighty hammer and style shuts down Maggie…Ray!"
The crowd gave a round of applause for the next contestant, who happened to be the familiar person who happened to have been part of Maggie's day as of yesterday. Suffice to say she looked shocked.
"Huh?! Hey! I know you!" She pointed an accusing finger at her opponent. "You're the one who bumped into me yesterday!"
Ray's face contorted with anger. "Yeah, and I also recall you being the one who I told to meet me here. And look what we have, just you, you little pipsqueak."
Maggie's cheeks puffed in a pout. "Pipsqueak?" she angrily gnawed.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna get even today, so pull out your Bakugan and let's get this over with." He held up two fingers, with his Hammersaur wedged in between. "You ready?"
'I need to stall and keep the attention drawn on me, but I'll have to act like the part if I wanna sell it.' To cope with her thoughts, Maggie spread her little heels apart, holding out her Pyrus Jelldon. "Alright, let's go!"
"Right!" Jelldon chirped.
Ray flashed his sharp teeth. "That's it!"
The crowd roared as the announcer got up from his seat and pointed down at the battlefield. "Alright, the rules are simple, and I'm sure you know them well, so without further ado…BEGIN~!" he wailed.
Without any waste of breath, Ray pulled out a Gate Card. "I'm starting off! Gate Card, set!" His Gate Card went sailing outwards until it engrossed the center of the arena. It faded into purple that went throughout the rectangular octagonal stadium. He flicked his Bakugan and caught it in midair. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!"
The Darkus Hammersaur came bursting forth, howling out with an insidious snarl.
"It's that same Bakugan from yesterday, too." Maggie said, her brow furrowing. "Then that means we won't have to worry on its defenses then, right?"
In the stands with the crowd, Rhett showed a rather snarky smirk as he saw his brother in action. "Better kick that little twerp after all the complaining you put me through yesterday." He warned.
Focusing, Maggie threw back her arm. "Let's go, Jelldon! Bakugan, brawl!" She threw Jelldon out towards the arena. "Bakugan, stand! Go, Pyrus Jelldon!"
In a red glow, Jelldon arose into battle. His tentacles and stingers waved about as he eyes Hammersaur.
Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 350
Ray held up his wrist. "Time for the grown-ups to teach you kindergarteners a lesson. Ability, activate! Crush Hurricane!"
Hammersaur let out an insidious snarl as he had arms out to either side. He began to vividly rotate like a top and spun his way into Jelldon.
Hammersaur: 350 (+100) = 450 Jelldon: 350 (-100) = 250
Maggie held up her Bakumeter next. "Oh yeah? Well don't forget that we have this! Ability, activate!" she declared. "Gel Shield!"
The small orange spots in front of the stiffened Jelldon began to glow, expanding out a ripping red, water-like veil around him. Hammersaur struck the net with his harsh spin, but all it did was bounce off. The Darkus Bakugan veered away and had his tongue out as he glared at Jelldon.
"And it looks like Maggie's on defense, leading off with Gel Shield, a unique ability only fit for Jelldon!" the announcer exclaimed. "With it, not only was Crush Hurricane nullified, but for the rest of the round, all subtraction to Jelldon will be halved!"
Hammersaur: 450 (-100) = 350 Jelldon: 250 (+100) = 350
Maggie smiled confidently. "How's that?"
"Like I haven't seen that before." Ray rebuffed. "What else you got?"
Accepting his challenge, Maggie held up her Bakumeter, another ability card appearing. "Let's show him what we got, Jelldon! Ability, activate! Sting Ray!"
Jelldon held up his two stingers in front, which were outlined in red electricity and static. "Alright, then take…that!" He jutted out the two tendrils, which jabbed Hammersaur in his chest head on. The crocodile howled as his body was electrocuted by red voltage that caused a great recoil. He reeled back a few steps from that attack for a good distance.
Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 350 (+200) = 550
In the tunnel, Shuji looked up at one of the monitors that was on the side. He saw Maggie's counter and pumped a fist. "Yeah, that's how it's done." He said.
Despite the setback, Ray smirked.
"What's so funny?" Maggie wondered.
"Maybe because we got you right where we want you." He answered. "Time to pull out this bad boy. Gate Card, open!" the Gate Card beneath began to glow at his command. "Pyrus Spotting Out!"
As the Gate Card shimmered and glistened, the light rays began startling Jelldon. He turned and twisted uneasily as he was unfamiliar with his energy sapping his strength. His callous caution began to wear him down, his whole body beginning to feel great power draining. "Gnnnngh!" he grunted as he began to feel tired.
"Jelldon! What's wrong?!" Maggie exclaimed. She looked down at her Bakumeter to see what kind of damage was being dealt now.
Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 550 (-250) = 300
"And it looks like Ray's gone and activated the secret weapon to counter his Pyrus opponent, the Pyrus Spotting Out!" the announcer excitedly declared. "With this command card, all Pyrus Bakugan on the opposite slide are slashed by 500 Gs! And what an upset with Jelldon, because his Gel Shield halved the subtraction! This is so gratifying that I can just explode!" he wailed about as he lifted his head back in his adrenaline rush.
Ray smirked maliciously. "How'd you like that? Now you're just a wide-open waterbed for Hammersaur to just pound at."
Maggie clutched her fists, looking up to her struggling Bakugan. "Jelldon, can you still battle?"
Though his energy was exhausted, Jelldon kept one of his many eyes open. "Yeah…I think so…"
"Not on my watch!" Ray interjected. "Ability, activate! Knuckle Barbarian!"
Hammersaur gave out a loud roar as he clutched his claws together to bring the two hammers together. He slammed them both on the ground, generating a purple linear shockwave that traveled over the Gate Card for Jelldon.
Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 300 (-100) = 200
The attack closed in, much to Rhett's joy. "This'll be good."
"Double ability, activate!" Maggie interjected. "Sting Ray, plus Shockwave!"
Mustering up what power he could, Jelldon straightened back up. He looked ahead at the shockwave heading his way, and as much as he wanted to flinch, he instead raised all four of his tentacles as they were enveloped in red static. Added with Sting Ray, electricity flourished at the tips. All four were slammed down on the ground at the same time, sending a discharge of red static with an expanding red ring around it. It pulsated forward, reaching for the purple shockwave coming ahead. Thanks to the Sting Ray, the extra voltage dissipated it and kept going.
Hammersaur: 350 (-200) = 150 Jelldon: 200 (+200) = 400
The attack finally reached Hammersaur, making him cry out in pain as the red ring and discharge following electrocuted him head to toe. It didn't take long for him to lose hold and give in, becoming a purple energy that swirled into a sphere, falling in front of a startled Ray.
Ray blinked. "Huh?!"
Ray: 30%
Maggie chimed as she caught her Jelldon, a proud smile on her face. "Alright, yes!" when she finished her little pep, she glanced up, noticing the small white glow at the top of the colosseum. 'And it looks like we're starting to generate battle energy, too.'
"And in a 'shocking' turnaround, little Maggie completely overwhelmed Hammersaur's offense with a combination of Sting Ray and Shockwave, two of another one of Jelldon's attacks! Wait a go, you little jellyfish you!"
The crowd cheered for that round's results, much to the dismay of Ray and Rhett. The former clutched his fists as he looked at Maggie with anger. Seeing that smile on her face as she seemed to be giving Jelldon a pep talk to invoke some more confidence was only agitating. "That little runt is really pissing me off." He growled.
His Bakumeter beeped, catching his attention. "Hey, what was that?" From the other end, it was easy to tell that it was his twin brother. "I thought you were going to cream her?"
"Hey, lay off bud, okay?! I got this!" he snapped back. "I told you I can run this thing solo against her, right? All I need is next round to prove it." He turned the communication off, watching his opponent pull out the next Gate Card.
"Alright then, my turn!" Maggie tossed the Gate Card out. "Gate Card, set!" The Gate Card went flying out, landing and fading in a red ripple throughout the arena.
"Bakugan, brawl!" She threw Jelldon out again, the Pyrus Bakugan being summoned. "Jelldon, stand!"
"Bakugan, brawl!" The angry teen threw his Bakugan next, Hammersaur making another appearance. "Hammersaur, stand!"
The two were at a standoff, with the jellyfish glaring up at the crocodile. Jelldon did a small growl to intimidate the larger foe, but when Hammersaur opened his mouth to reveal the sharp teeth, he immediately shrunk back.
"Come on, Jelldon! Don't wimp out early!" Fly Beetle encouraged, watching from the stands now with Shuji.
Ray pointed at Maggie. "Those were all dumbass flukes, little half-pint! Now it's warpath time!" He held up his wrist. "Ability, activate! Darkus Magnify!"
Hammersaur's entire body began to emit a bright purple aura. He could feel all his energy reserves rise as the Darkus energy inside arose. His roar was as insidious as his power level rising, again startling Jelldon.
Hammersaur: 350 (+300) = 650 Jelldon: 350
"And would you look at that! Ray's gone and thrown down his trump card for Hammersaur, amping his power level big time! It looks like he isn't joking around with the little girl now!" the announcer exclaimed. "Just how is Maggie going to counter against such an opponent now?!"
Though she could admit she too was overwhelmed, Maggie didn't lose focus. "Jelldon! Don't give up!" she encouraged. "Ability, activate! Sting Ray!"
Though he was unsound with all this, he didn't stop to think. Against the stronger adversary it seemed, he concentrated red static at the tips of his front tentacles and fired red electricity.
Ray smirked. "Ability, activate! Mirror Ghost!"
The lightning continued onwards towards Hammersaur in fact did nothing but stand still as the red electric blast went through him like a ghost. It wasn't even felt by him, much to Maggie's shock.
"And it looks like Ray pulled out Hammersaur's unique ability, Mirror Ghost, making him untouchable!" exclaimed the announcer. "It looks like Ray's going in for the kill now!"
"Go, Hammersaur!" Ray eagerly pointed out. At his command, the Darkus Bakugan pounced onto Jelldon. He cornered the jellyfish with ease and had huge hammers over his head. In an act of desperation, Jelldon used his tentacles to wrap around the arms. With his much weaker strength, he was easily pinned down, but was barely holding on as the small claws were digging into his soft body.
As hard as he tried to fight it, Jelldon was cornered, and Maggie gave him a deep worried expression. "Jelldon, hang on!"
"Don't bother!" Ray retorted. "Come on, Hammersaur, crush that pile of jelly!"
Hammersaur pushed deeper onto Jelldon as the Pyrus Bakugan struggled. As he could feel the nails claw at him, it only made him all the more unsound. However, Maggie wasn't going down without a fight. She had an ace up her sleeve. She just had to wait for the right opportunity.
When Hammersaur raised his right arm, that was the opening.
"Now, Jelldon! Ability, activate! Darkus Jailer!"
In a desperate act, Jelldon jutted his tentacles out, sending vermilion static that surrounded Hammersaur's body. The attack was what paralyzed the Darkus Bakugan as he couldn't bring down the hammer to end the round. With that save, Jelldon was able to keep his tentacle hut out as he slowly distanced himself to in front instead of below. The crowd was completely shocked by this change of events, even Rhett.
Hammersaur: 650 (-300) = 350 Jelldon: 350
Ray's eyes were stiff as stone. "Wait…crap!"
"Just in the nick of time." Maggie sighed.
"What a change of plans here! Pyrus Jelldon went and used an anti-Darkus ability to completely shut down Darkus Hammersaur! And it looks like that move also brought down his power level by 300 as well! Wow!"
Jelldon was holding himself to the best of his abilities to keep Hammersaur in place. With the body still having an arm up, he still had some momentum to finish the job. He looked back at Maggie to see of her approval. "So what do you got?!" he inquired.
"This!" She swiped her arm. "Gate Card, open! Pyrus Reactor!"
The Gate Card beneath revealed itself. In the center was the Pyrus insignia, which had the swirling Pyrus background behind. Slowly, the battlefield was searing in a fiery spiral like a shell from the four corners. They all swirled and converged into a ring around Jelldon, enhancing his powers.
Hammersaur: 350 Jelldon: 350 (+200) = 550
"Crap! Not good! Not good!" Ray panicked.
Maggie reached out. "Now, Jelldon!"
With the enhanced Pyrus flames surrounding him, Jelldon looked back at Hammersaur and manipulated him forward. With the vermilion static reeling him forward, the stiff Bakugan was unable to balance his fall forward as Jelldon brought one of his tentacles back. With a loud huff, Jelldon used all his might to jab forward on the stomach region, searing in a light shock. The harsh, hot, and electrified jab dissipated the vermilion static. To many of those who were fans of the Darkus attribute, their spirits sunk as Hammersaur gagged and reverted to ball form, falling back to a distraught Ray's side.
Ray: 0%
The crowd cheered as Jelldon looked ahead, surprised by what he did. When reality finally sunk in a few seconds later, his eyes widened as a wave of relief washed over him. Maggie jumped for joy over her partner and the battle energy they were able to generate – though it wasn't all that much.
"Yeah!" Shuji shot up from his seat as he cheered for his teammate.
"It looks like the rookie girl cam and left quite the stinging impression on the competition! Maggie Deering will be moving on to the second round now!"
As Maggie looked up and around, she felt a sense of accomplishment wash over her. Her opponent, however, was less than happy. He fell to his knees and grimaced over his defeat for the second time in the row by the younger girl.
Rhett was in the stands, shaking his head. "Great."
Ray gave Maggie a discouraging look, but all she did was give him a chirpy face. "That was fun. Let's do that again, sometime." She smiled before turning and walking back down the stairway she came up from.
Ray stared at Maggie, his left eyebrow beginning to twitch in confusion. He was completely speechless before his world completely cracked into a million glass pieces. 'Beaten…by that punk runt…twice…' He was so out of it that he couldn't process the call he was getting from his brother.
As his pride was shattered and crowds applauding, Maggie hummed as she carried herself down the steps to the next round.
Standing beneath the massive observatory tower, the four remainders of the group were looking up at the huge domain. It looked like it could go on forever if not for the top that was the size of a gumball from their points.
"This is the place?" Luke questioned. "It's pretty big."
"Well isn't that an understatement, Luke." Shawn smirked.
"Hey!" he whined.
Esther looked up at the top. "So then to get down to the center elevator, we'll have to go all the way up there, first?"
"Basically." Jase replied. "We'll need to be quick though. With this weekend's tournament as a distraction, we'll have to be weary of guards."
"So then they'll be our only concern? Doesn't sound so hard to me." Luke shrugged. "Let's just get going then. The sooner the better."
"Right." Esther followed.
The group followed Luke into the nearest elevator, where they had taken liberties in climbing the massive tower. It went high, so high that while Luke was tapping his foot out of impatience, he was distracted by the view.
"Wooah~." He closed in on the glass, looking out at the enormous display. The higher they climbed, the more gravity pulled, and the more sites were in view. "This is like the time I saw that valley…"
"Not a bad view, isn't it Luke?" Jase smirked.
"Huh? I…I guess so."
"Luke's been very limited on commodities and where his feet lie. He hasn't traveled much, so this is all pretty new to him." Shawn explained.
Esther eyed Luke's childish gaze on the world below. "I see…wait." She looked at Shawn. "What do you mean he hasn't traveled much?"
Shawn's gaze drew towards Luke, his voice getting lower. "Well, how should I put this…? His folk don't react well to Bakugan integrated with our society. In fact, it's what closed the Revolutia family off. It's kind of a long story, but involving Bakugan and all, Luke hasn't left family grounds in his whole life."
Esther frowned heavily. "I'm sorry…I didn't know."
"Well that explains a few things if you ask me." Jase smirked. He looked at Luke, watching him stay fixated on the city and dome in the distance. "Let's just hope his inexperience doesn't hinder our objective."
Luke continued to eye to large colosseum in the distance, his shock never ending. "I didn't think the colosseum could be this huge from here…" he was cut off when he heard a loud ding from the elevator door. Behind them, the door began to slide open, revealing only a few bystanders on the floor. "Hey, we're here?" he gasped. "Finally!"
With an act of haste, he rushed out of the elevator, with Esther and everyone else falling behind. They entered while a few bystanders passed into the elevator next to go down. Once the doors closed, they were gathered close by the massive vanish point.
"So what now?" Esther asked.
"Now…" Jase turned towards the few panels engraved into the wall on the other side. "We just hack in and ride our way down the shaft."
Luke blinked as his ears twitched from what he said. "Huh…for some reason, it feels like that didn't sound right at all…?"
"How's that?" Shawn teased, chuckling a bit at Jase's joke.
"We'll need to keep this quiet, so whatever you do, don't draw attention to ourselves. It'll compromise what Shuji and Maggie promised to do." Esther said, getting them all to stay focused once more.
"Got it." Luke nodded.
The four slowly made way for the in-wall PC, with Shawn and Verias looking left and right to keep them posted. As they looked about Jase was punching in the same code as he did beforehand. He began to type the numbers and pressed the next key, displaying the options.
"Looks like we're in." Atchibee whispered.
Verias turned on Shawn's shoulder, his shock evident. "Everyone, incoming!" he lowly warned.
Everyone's gazes adverted towards the one guard that was making a roundabout. As he closed in, Jase hurriedly turned towards the panel and closed out of everything. They knew the drill…for the most part. As Jase, Esther, and Shawn all swayed to look out at the window, Luke didn't follow up until he saw the guard for himself. Though clumsy, he hurriedly leaned against the wall in an attempt to "act natural".
The guard closed in, seeing Jase with a pair of binoculars in hand. "Excuse me, everything alright over here?" he questioned suspiciously.
Looking away from the set of binoculars he had, Jase smiled. "Oh, sorry. We didn't see you there." He apologized in his façade. "No, I think we're alright."
"Are we in your way?" Esther asked.
The guard looked towards Luke, seeing that he was right next to the machine. He didn't find it natural, but he knew something was up. "…what are you four doing exactly?"
"We were simply coming up here to get a larger view of the TWB." Jase lied. "We were asked by the committee to show an outside footage of the battle in the events of large attacks unleashed by the Bakugan, or rather if they move too fast."
He turned towards the PC. "Uh huh. And why are you close to our employee scanner?" He most certainly wasn't feeling convinced.
Shawn turned towards the device. "That? Well we thought it was an ATM by mistake. We needed money for concessions for when we get down there."
While the motives were questionable, the guard looked over towards the PC, seeing what was the plain screen. In a way with how it was set up – as was the banking statement – it did correlate to a degree. Ultimately, he chose to dismiss their juncture and shrugged.
"Alright then. Carry on."
Mentally sighing, the group eased up and walked a few paces away. The guard closed in on the PC for himself, allowing the group to huddle.
"That was close." Luke warned. "Do you think he bought it?"
"Well we can't be for certain, Luke." Esther warned. "We'll have to be quick about this."
He raised a brow. "With what?"
"The moment he finishes or gets out of sight, we'll make a break and hurry for the elevator." Jase said as he looked through the binoculars. In the reflection of them, he could see explosions happening inside the dome, and the white absorption device shimmering weakly. "The longer we stall or deflect, the less of a chance we have at reaching the core."
"And that means Shuji and Maggie will be in trouble." Shawn added.
Luke crossed his arms and gave a puzzled look at his feet. "Hmmm, I get that. But something I don't get."
Abis popped open beside him. "What is it?"
Luke then looked up, giving the ceiling a tired expression. "What's this about an ATM? What's that mean?"
Abis wanted to answer his inexperienced partner, but even he was struck with confusion. "…huh. You know, I don't know either. Guess it's an alien thing or code?"
Esther, Shawn, and Jase all looked at each other, sharing blank looks over Luke's lack of knowledge.
The guard typed in his code and began to press in his coordinates. As he did, he noticed his log time. "Wait, why did it say my last log time was 2 minutes ago? I didn't clock out until like 50 minutes ago. This thing's gonna mess up my paycheck again." Within his rising wonders, the small intercom on the side of his ear began to beep and flash blue. He raised a brow and placed two fingers on the device. "Hello…?"
From the other end, a voice could be heard. "Do you copy? This is the security room above." It was another guard, no doubt watching them from the camera room above. "We've got a problem…"
As the guard was being filled in on the situation, the others were starting to hear the voice. The sound picked up in Atchibee's sensory, and the Bakugan could hear the vibrations and the smallest voices very well.
"Everyone, look alive." She warned.
Raising a brow, Luke turned around. "Huh? What do you mean?" He was cut off when a hand touched his shoulder, which caused him to look over to see the guard with a serious expression.
"Sorry, guys. But it looks like you're coming with me." He retorted.
Realizing the situation, there was no turning back now. Jase moved in at high speeds, getting behind the guard with a sidestep and got him in an armbar. This allowed Luke to be freed as the guard cried out in pain. "Sorry about this." With a swift apology, Jase pivoted and threw him into the wall, hitting the guard in the head and slumping over.
With a thud, Luke looked at the downed guard, his shock ever so apparent. His green eyes were fixed on his fallen figure, seeing how the man was visibly assaulted. He was completely in shock over the circumstances, and because of that, everyone slipped right pass him.
"Hurry!" Shawn ushered.
Jase moved in to get the same pin as before. With a few added keys, he finally pressed the last key to enter the elevator beside them. "Now's our chance, everyone inside." He moved out of the way for Shawn and Esther to dash inside. Jase followed next, but the one still to be holding onto wonder was Luke.
The redhead looked down at the man, realizing what finally happened. A bad taste filled his mouth as he felt paralyzed.
"Luke, you okay?" Abis Omega asked. "Luke?"
"Luke! Come on!" Shawn shouted.
Finally snapping out of it, he blinked. "H-huh?! What?!" He looked at the elevator and back at the body. Although he felt unsure, he eyed it unnerved as he stepped towards the elevator. He almost tripped right in as it closed, allowing them to enter a white tube that began its descent.
As the elevator door was shut, the guard was coming around. He grunted and groaned as his head was feeling a lot of pain. Though struggling, he turned on his stomach and hunched over. He slowly crept a hand up the wall – though slipping on occasion – and once the tips of his fingers touched the panel, he began to glare.
"ATM my ass." He huffed as he punched in a code.
"Shuji! Come in, Shuji!" Jase exclaimed. He was speaking into his Bakumeter as the elevator descended rapidly down to the underground levels. "Do you hear us?"
On the other end, there was brief static, but Shuji's voice and image got through. "Oh, you guys!" he exclaimed.
"Shuji, listen. Our mission has been compromised. They know who we are now."
Shuji's eyes widened in shock. "Say what? What do you mean?"
"Is Maggie with you?" Esther intervened.
"Uh, not right now. She's somewhere around here…I just gotta find her."
"The two of you need to meet up at once. It's dangerous to be apart now that word's gotten around on us." She warned.
"Okay, okay! I hear ya, alright?!" he exasperated. "Don't pressure me! Do you want us to come and find you or what?"
Jase frowned. "No, stick to the plan." He insisted. "There's a chance they may only mistake us here as the culprits in this scheme. We've managed to bypass their security, but we'll be diving under shortly. You've got to keep stalling."
"Alright, whatever you say." With that remark, the connection made was cut off, leaving the group in the elevator to continue their descent.
As the descent went on, the group began to think about their plan of action.
"So what do we do now?" Shawn asked.
"Maggie and Shuji should be alright, but with our current course of action, no doubt a few alarms have set off." Jase said. He adjusted his glasses with a deep, contemplative frown. "It'll only be a matter of time before our presence alerts the chambers beneath us."
"So that means we'll be set up to an ambush right from the start." Esther figured.
"Exactly. We'll need everyone to be on guard when we enter the chambers and corridors. That includes Shawn's fencing skills, as well as Luke's swordsmanship."
Abis Omega was still on a certain someone's shoulder. He turned to look up at the discomforted expression that Luke had on his face. He's had it ever since he saw Jase assault that guard with deliberate violence. In Luke's eyes, it was an act on pure pain. He's seen the Royal Guard at his home practice all the time; he even joined in on sparring on occasion to get training swings in. All that was just sparring, not deliberate intent. Training was one thing, but deliberate manslaughter was a whole other story. A scary story that Luke now realized had consequences.
"Hey, Luke." Abis asked. "Are you well?"
All attention went towards Luke, who showed no expression change. They all saw the discomfort, but were hardly fazed.
"That guy back there…did we really have to hurt him like that?" he finally asked.
Jase looked away with a hand to his hip. "It wasn't like there was another alternative."
"I know that!" he snapped. "But what if he got a concussion, or what if…brain damage…?" The images were pouring into his own brain, and that was what made him feel all the more discomforted.
Unfortunately, the others knew reasoning was otherwise feeble. "What's the point of worrying?" Esther questioned.
"What?" Luke gasped.
"It's like Jase said, we don't have time to worry or think of other methods. This isn't a game of pick and choose; this is a liberation. Naturally, there'll be conflict. It's unavoidable."
"But…but what if they're unarmed?" Luke reasoned. "Master Riaan taught me to never strike someone who isn't armed. Shawn?" He turned towards Shawn to see what he had to say, to which he had but a frown on his face as well.
"Yeah, I remember that lesson. But you know freedom isn't free either. We didn't pick up swords just to carry and use them for picking locks or anything, they're actual weapons that we learned to use. If we're assaulted, do you really think worrying about your opponent's feelings will change the fact that they still tried to hurt you or stop you from saving others?"
Luke's brow furrowed. "Well, no…but…"
"We understand." Jase said. "Human conflict is uncomfortable, but what about Bakugan? Have you considered when they battle? Perhaps some enjoy a good battle, and maybe some were just forced into games they wished they never played." His eyes drew towards Atmos, who popped open beside his shoulder. The two looked at each other dead in the eye.
"Humans and Bakugan fight for sport, but also for a cause. That fact will never chance, and in the end, someone, even by accident, will end up sustaining wounds. I'm sure you realized that."
"If you don't want to fight, that's your choice. Just stay behind us then." Esther said in a cold, serious tone.
Luke's eyes widened. "Wait! I never said I wanted to not free the Bakugan! I…just don't think hurting other people will benefit."
Esther looked away, her eyes showing sadness of their own. "…I know. I think we all know that." She showed a serious look again. "But in battle, it's either you win, or you lose. Some battles you just have to take risks, even at the cost of your own life."
"Esther…"
Atchibee turned towards her partner. "You speak a bitter truth, Esther. But I agree when it's for the best."
"We Bakugan aren't so different from you humans after all." Verias said. "Some of us are out there who may have wanted to fight. That's why we chose to fight with you guys."
Atmos pivoted on Jase's shoulder. "We should get ready, everyone. We're starting to get below the tower's main levels."
"He's right." Jase said. "Everyone, be ready…" He stayed completely still as his attention adverted towards the struggler. "That means you too, Luke."
As much as Luke wanted to fight the fact harming on purpose was something he didn't want or want to do, he knew deep down it's what had to be dealt with. Abis stayed on his shoulder, turning towards the door.
"…I know…" Luke mumbled.
The Aquos Bakugan stayed as quiet as his battle partner. "Humans. So troubling to make up their minds." He huffed.
In a dim light, there could be seen a black-hooded figure. No doubt judging by the curved up protrusions beneath that it was Maximus. His smirk was evident as to his rather amused mood. Within the darkness that shrouded him from view, there were also hints of other silhouettes lingering around, no doubt the shapes of his comrades.
"Well, well, well…looks like our little order was dropped." The leader mused. "More fun for us then."
"So what you got for us?" Xander asked.
Maximus stayed in place as what looked like green energy poured in from various networks, which converged and glowed brightly behind him. He remained unfazed.
"Hendrix. Ariella. Give our little cockroaches a…generous welcome." His eyes beneath his hood narrowed. "Make sure you get a message cross them."
Hendrix slowly nodded. "As you wish."
Ariella whipped her blue locks behind her head. "So be it. Consider it done."
With that, the Subterra and Aquos withdrew from Maximus' presence. As a set of sliding doors opened and shut, the space was again closed off for Xander to stand by his leader's side.
The figment turned to look at the dark cloak. "Do you really believe that they'll take care of the problem?"
Maximus turned to face the opposite direction. "We've seen the footage; we know the faces. If what we saw really was a problem, then they'll make it here. If not, well…" a smirk formed on his lips. "It just means that our power was just too much for them. We'll soon find out, right Xander."
The associate showed a smirk of his own, one full of thrill. Even he looked like he was aching for his own test run.
Maximus looked up at the humungous unknown machinery ahead of them. It was so complex that it could've been mistaken for either an in-wall generator, or even the fact that it had panels and machines everywhere, including the monitors that were operational when it was all responsible for transporting them here. "We've spend a long time getting what we wanted. Now who's to say we're just going to let it slide? This little miscalculation Cesar made will be of great disturbance of not dealt with."
The elevator door opened, revealing a massive room that was equal to the size of a mall hall in width. Instantly, they took notice of how the décor was all white with porcelain tiling. There was a semi-ovular staircase that lead to a number of guards that instantly turned towards them.
As the group exited, they stood at the top of the staircase while guards down below got in defensive stances with staffs they pulled out. The tips popped open with prongs that had static.
As the standoff began, Luke swallowed hard as he reluctantly pulled out his sword, and Shawn got out his fencer. Esther and Jase both stood ready as their Bakugan were accounted for in their palms.
Panting came from Shuji as he made way down the hallway. He made it step by step as quick as he could've gotten. He made vivid haste as he was a worn our sprinter.
"Hurry!" Fly Beetle urged.
"I'm hurrying, alright?!" Shuji yelled as he hurried, arms up and making a break for the tunnel.
Up ahead, Maggie calmly smiled as she made way down the path. She had a small skip in her step as she took her sweet time getting to her seat. As she continued her small serenade that was her stroll, Jelldon was on her shoulder, looking ahead.
"Hey, what's that up ahead?" he asked.
"Hm?" Maggie looked up, her brown eyes seeing Shuji run towards her.
"Maggie!"
She stopped and saw the sweat on Shuji's face as he finally met her and came to his knees. He panted heavily, much to her surprise. "Oh, Shui." She said surprised. "What are you doing here? And why are you sweating? You trying to burn calories before the next round or something?"
Once he caught his breath, the big guy clutched his fists. "There's no time! We've got a big problem with the others!"
Maggie gasped.
"Trouble?" Jelldon worried. "Well I hope they're okay."
The sound of a crowd cheering down the tunnel alarmed the four. They turned back towards the way Maggie came, confused and wondrous.
"What an upset!" the announcer shrieked. From his voice, it came from the side, in which they looked to find there was a monitor displaying the current battle that ended with what looked like an Aquos Abis Omega in ball form landing in front of a stunned battler. "The battle was over before it even started! This player's gone off the deep end and threw the crowd with a big loop! And it looks like his Bakugan's got something to prove as well!"
Shuji and Maggie saw the screen change, and what they saw made them gasp in deep shock.
The monitor showed both the battler and his Bakugan that was flying in place. The person looked to be a rather mature individual, roughly the same height as Luke. He had very short dirty blonde hair that was spiked to a point, with bangs included. His blue eyes were behind decent-width glasses, with a shaved goatee and sideburns. On the end of one of the legs of the glasses was a green streamer that went over his shoulder. For attire, he had gray upper body bullet vest with no sleeves It had a bright green collar and a zip-up bright green line running straight in the middle to the where the abs were covered. On the triceps, there were white armbands with small red arrows; and on the forearms were solid light green bandages. He had blue jeans and simple brown boots. What was shocking was how he had a bright green feather-like sarashi on his left hip, with a pointed edged, red cape on his left shoulder and draped over. It was held by bright blue buttons and a simple bright green arrow where the shoulder would be. And the cape only covered the left half, and not the bare right shoulder.
His Bakugan, however, was the scary part. The Bakugan looked like a massive mosquito. It had multicell compound eyes with a jagged, compressed needle of a nose that was royal blue. The top of the head running down the back were bright green colored barbs, all the way to the bright green tail. The ridges around the eyes were the same green, as was the diamonds running down the main body, and on the edging of the arm plates, which were much like burly humans. He had four massive wings that were completely clear. The four small legs beneath were silver, but for the rest of the body…was black. And that's what unnerved them. They could tell that there was supposed to be regular green, but the plates on the arms, the claws that ended in silver vails, even around the face and edging around the wings was completely black, like poison.
"And the round 1 competitors have been decided! This day, we've got some fresh competition for our fellow regulars, for this Bakugan's battler is crazy strong~! Give it up…for the stinging wind that burns your wounds, the buzzer that lingers around you until you fall over…Killian Miles!"
Killian showed a calm frown as the Ventus Bakugan swirled green and returned to his hand. The green streamer on his glasses flowed through the winds.
From the looks of it all, Shuji and Maggie looked at one another. They recognized the back coloring from before, and when they looked back at Killian's face, they could feel an uneasy vibe flow.
"I think we got a big problem of our own." Maggie grimaced.
Here's a little cliffhanger for all you Bakugan lovers! Now I understand that this chapter has been…depreciative of battles and rather focused more on plot development, but I can and will ensure next chapter will have exactly what you've been wanting. There'll be a LOT of fights that I will be getting into next chapter, so it'll probably be twice as long as this one was.
For the TWB, you now get a good picture of Killian, the Ventus battler of Rogue Zero. I was wondering how I could make this guy stand out in terms of attire, but while I was in Florida a month ago, I saw Thor Ragnarok and got a very interesting design setup for Killian. As for the Bakugan, you can already guess by description who it was that I picked.
So if I'm accurate about all this, this should probably be the last update before New Year's Day. So in 2018, I'll get a chapter out, and then maybe spend a majority then getting my OCxCana story done. But so far, let me know how this chapter appealed. Review, comment, and thanks a ton, guys!