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.

6. The Semifinal Takedown

Just a heads up guys. This is a VERY long chapter, so I'd find some snacks if I were you.

---

Loud cheers screamed through the air. The audience was watching above elevated stands and bleachers as they watched a battle below. The explosions and smoke billowed like a smokescreen, obscuring their sight as the action went on inside.

Two Bakugan suddenly climbed out of the smoke cloud, a Haos Atmos spreading its wings wide and taking off towards the ceiling, with a Subterra Fly Beetle emerging from the smoke in hot pursuit.

The battler in charge of Fly Beetle raised his left wrist, the brawler soon revealed to be Shuji as he was in the next round. "Ability, activate!" he cried out. "Horn Buster!" As Fly Beetle ascended, the horn's tusk-like tips charging up with orange-brown lightning energy. A streaky beam went at the ascending bird, closing in as Fly Beetle's power level jumped from 350 to 550

"Oh no you don't!" the opponent called out. She was a female of relatively shorter height with green eyes of seriousness. Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail and spiky all the way down to her midback area. She had on a simple red t-shirt and jean shorts that stopped above her knees.

"Ability, activate! Halo Echo!" Her Haos Atmos looked down to see the oncoming blast wave and spread its wings. It opened its mouth and released yellow soundwaves that echoed down towards the attack. Both attacks met in the middle, creating a stalemate for a few seconds before an explosion was set off, causing smoke to expand between the two fighters yet again.

Atmos: 550 Fly Beetle: 550 (-200) = 350

"Oh. And Akisha takes the lead again!" the announcer exclaimed. "It looks like the bug just isn't strong enough to handle the predator."

Shuji smirked. "That's what you think…" he pointed down at the battlefield. "Gate Card, open! Land Pressure!"

The Gate Card revealed itself, much to Akisha's surprise. Haos Atmos suddenly lost its element in the sky and a powerful force of gravity dragged it downwards, crashing hard into the ground and anchored like gum on a sidewalk. Its power level also dropped to 350 as well.

"No!" Akisha gasped.

"Enough fooling around, it's time to get down to business!" Shuji shouted angrily as his next ability showed. "Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!"

Fly Beetle's tusks began to glow brightly. "Take this!" With a strong shout, he unleashed two bright brown projectile beams at Atmos. With the Haos Bakugan on the ground, it was unable to block or defend as the two beams crashed down and generated a loud, rattling burst of orange that made smoke bellow. As the smoke went about, Haos Atmos turned into a ball once more and flew back to Akisha's feet.

Akisha: 0%

The blonde battler slumped to her knees in shock as Fly Beetle returned to a smirking Shuji's hand. He raised the same fist and smiled wide for the crowd. "And that's it! What a turnaround! Looks like the beetle's horns were just enough to pluck the bird! It was a good show, but it looks like it's Shuji who'll be moving onto the next round!" the announcer announced with such vigorous anticipation that the crowd was falling for it.

In the stands, Maggie was waving her arms comically as she cheered loudly for her teammate. "You go, Shuji! You kicked her butt like it was made of glass! Yeah!" she exclaimed, much to everyone around her getting uncomfortable with it.

Shuji held out his fist towards her, smirking with great pride. Knowing he was but a hop, skip, and a jump away from the semifinals, he knew things were heating up fast. He was being sure to stay on guard, but as the crowds cheered for Shuji getting another win, his eyes were drawn away from Maggie towards someone who was coming in from the same tunnel he was about to enter. The big smile he had was replaced by a look of drawn seriousness as his foot stepped forward.

Time slowed down as Shuji and Killian were in the middle of interchanging for their respective battles. With Shuji's battle over with, it was Killian's turn next, and they were passing in the tunnel, shoulder to shoulder as they slowly looked at one another. Blue eyes matched dark eyes; one full of seriousness, and one that read anxiety. It was clear who was the one that was prominent.

The two passed each other in the tunnel, with Killian advancing towards the light while Shuji went off into the tunnel. As he pressed on, even though he kept a calm face, he swallowed a lump, which indicated his unsound ego.

"Don't let your guard down." Fly Beetle whispered.

"I know." Shuji said. "…do you think he knows who we are?"

"Who knows."

Killian's glare was dead ahead. He didn't bother looking back…he got enough evidence in the footage he got from the surveillance yesterday.

---

Maggie slouched back in her seat, a tired sigh escaping her lungs. "That was tough to watch." She grimaced. Her feet dangled on the bleachers as she craned her head up, eyes closed.

Jelldon popped open on her right thigh, the swaying up and down not seeming to bother him that much. "Yeah, I-I'm surprised that we've gotten this far with them."

"Oh don't see such a poopypants." She opened an eye. "It's not like we have an option here, Plus, it's a good way to stall, right? I mean, everyone's gone down under I hope. So we need to keep tabs."

"I…guess you're right."

"Speaking of which." Maggie looked down at her Bakumeter, pressing a button to activate the screen. "Hey, guys, it's me, Maggie? Are you there?"

There was a brief flash of static before the screen showed constants swaying. From the looks that went from the side view of guys running to revealing Jase with a straight frown.

"This is Jade here, what's going on?" he questioned as guys were swinging their weapons from behind. He moved to the side and let the guy fall forward.

Maggie got closer to the screen to try and get a good view of what was happening. "Huh? Hey, are you okay?"

Jase spun around. "Never mind that!" he kicked a guy in the chin, sending him falling down onto his allies painfully. Jelldon winced and closed away from the sight. "Has there been any word yet regarding what's happening with your end?"

Despite the situation it seemed, Maggie drew a serious frown. "Mhm! Shuji just made it through the quarterfinals. I'm up soon."

"I see." Jase smirked. "So Shuji made it that far huh…" he leaned away from a static-filled weapon. "Well the surprises just never stop around here." He dodged another one.

"I know, right?" Maggie enthusiastically chirped. "I thought he'd probably goof up and he'd he spazzing against a wall."

"A~CHOO!" Shuji sneezed as he was making way up the stairs towards the stands. The sneeze through him off balance and he lost balance on the one foot, falling backwards and rolling on his sides into a thudding faceplant on the ground. "Ow…" he muffled.

Jelldon turned away. "Anybody feel that?"

Maggie gave him a quizzical look. "What are you saying?"

He looked back, his inquiry left in the air. "Er…n-never mind."

"Well just stick to the plan. Remember, you need to conjure up as much battle energy as possible. Don't let them get to you, do you understand?"

Maggie's worries only intensified. She couldn't think of telling Jase that there was already someone who was currently battling with a black and green Moskeeto. The audience shouted in the stands as the Darkus Freezer was reduced to ball form, falling towards the plump opponent's knees as his life gauge dropped to 0.

"And Killian Miles advances towards the semifinals!" the announcer roared over his seat. "What a twist of fate this turned out to be, the upstart flying mayhem certainly knows how to make an entrance, and how to finish it! This is the power that everyone will be going up against, as any of the other three that are to come will surely be in for a world of shock!"

Killian kept a serious frown as he caught Moskeeto. He held the same fist up and raised his head. The audience cheered as he held a strong stature, the green streamer on the end of his glasses having swayed with an intense vibe.

If Maggie made it pass this round, odds were she was going to face him, or Shuji. Either didn't sound like a peasant option, not after seeing the few rounds beforehand where Killian stomped on his opponent's Bakugan. This pill was tough to take.

Seeing the unsound look Maggie has on the small screen, Jase was getting unsound. "Maggie? Maggie!"

She snapped back at Jase. "Huh? O-Oh! Sorry! Yeah, loud and clear!" she saluted.

The screen on the Bakumeter went back to black, a sigh escaping as she slouched forward. "Good grief…"

"Why didn't you tell him about the Bakugan?" Jelldon asked. "Shouldn't they know?"

Maggie's eyelids opened halfway. "Maybe…but then it'd compromise our job here then. Knowing Jase, he may have us abort this whole thing. But then we'll be forced to join back up with the others and then we won't be able to get them from both sides."

Jelldon turned towards Killian as he saw him walk calmly towards the tunnel. "So we're really doing this then…"

Maggie perked up. "Yeah, but don't worry! If we're lucky, we might not have to face him if he end up getting eliminated the next round."

"Maybe, but then we'd have to battle Shuji." Jelldon pointed out.

Maggie giggled as she winked down at her Bakugan. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"And now for our next match!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Oh right! My turn!" In a panic, the excited Pyrus girl stood up and made a beeline for the stairway, making a dust trail behind her swift feet.

Shuji climbed up the steps, albeit slower this time, and holding onto the railing. "Aw man…" he groaned as he took each step like a grandpa.

A pink blur with black hair scooted down the stairway pass him. "Hi, Shuji!" it quickly squealed.

Stopping and looking down, he was wide-eyed as a bead of sweat made way down his head. "…Maggie?"

Killian made way down the hall as a dust cloud passed him. He didn't turn as he rather glanced over as Maggie rushed for her next battle in a hurry. As questionable as he found her energy, he instead blinked and rolled his eyes away, albeit with an awkward notion. He couldn't believe he was to fight these kinds of people. "Hope the others are having a blast." He muttered to himself.

---

The audience cheered as Maggie made it to the stairway and onto the golden platform once more. She had a big smile as she breathed in and out due to her quick rush. She was ready to do battle against her opponent, which was a tall light-skinned teen with a cap on backwards. He sported dark skinny jeans over white sneakers and a red shirt beneath a leather jacket.

"Everyone set! This is a battle between the adorable Maggie, and the punk himself, Drew! This shall be a battle in which either sides' life gauge drops to 0. May the better brawler win!"

"Gate Card, set!" Drew pulled out a card from his coat pocket. He thrust his arm out and the card hot the ground, fading into a light blue ripple across the ground. "Bakugan, brawl!" he threw his Bakugan, which went far out towards the ground. "Bakugan, stand! Aquos Jelldon!"

The field was enveloped in a blue light. Rising up, much to Maggie and Jelldon's shock was an Aquos Jelldon, but with a sea-blue color rather than red, and light blue spots and frills instead. It also had orange eyes instead of green.

"Woah! It's you, Jelldon!" Maggie gasped. "You're so…blue!" There were sparkles in her pupils as she smiled wide. "Wow, so this is an Aquos Jelldon!"

"Yeah, I…guess it's not so bad." He meekly answered, feeling a little sore wth his Aquos version looking more suiting.

"…but I think red's more fitting for you." She added.

Jelldon turned towards her, shocked. "R-really?"

Maggie nodded. "Sure! Red is my favorite color after all." She tenderly held out her gloved hand to her partner on her shoulder. "Now come on! Let's show him what a little red versus blue can prove!"

Revitalized by his partner's ambition, Jelldon closed up and jumped into her hand. "Okay!"

Maggie grabbed Jelldon and threw him. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Show 'em, Pyrus Jelldon!"

In a red glow, Pyrus Jelldon arose onto the battlefield, letting out a loud cry.

"And it looks like we have ourselves a battle between two Bakugan of the same species!" the announcer called out. "It's Aquos Jelldon versus Pyrus! Fire and water colliding in this fight that'll leave you stunned!"

Drew had his knees bent as he smirked. He took a deep breath out like he was ready to pitch a baseball. "Alright." He cocked his head. "Let's show this kid how we play it in the big leagues."

Maggie pointed at him. "The only thing big here is your mouth!" she retorted. "Let's go! Ability, activate! Sting Ray!" Pyrus Jelldon raised two of his tentacles and orbs of energy flared. From said orbs, streaky red lightning flowed towards the Aquos counterpart.

"Ability, activate!" Drew countered. "Sting Ray!" Like Jelldon's attack, Aquos Jelldon raised its tentacles and blue orbs formed instead of red. Streaky blue lightning zapped away and met red lightning in the center A collision of blue and red respectively ignited between them, soon to dissipate with only brief static dispersing.

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

"Even!" Maggie chirped.

"But not for long." Drew pointed towards the battlefield. "Gate Card, open! Enemy Down!"

The Gate Card revealed itself in a glow, and Jelldon could feel the ground beneath him starting sap at the power he had. As he grunted, his power level was dropping from 550 to 250. He was starting to lose balance, much to Maggie's shock.

"Jelldon!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Enemy Down is a command card that drops each opponent's Bakugan's power level by 300 Gs." Drew explained, before he pulled out another ability summon. "Alright, ability activate! Power Sting!" Blue electrical static began to intensify around the four limbs, and the ovals on the four appendages started to glow. The frequency made rivaled the power poured into the electric-filled stingers as they stretched out towards Pyrus Jelldon.

"Maggie!" Jelldon shouted.

"Double ability, activate!" Maggie countered. "Gel Shield plus Power Sting!" Her Jelldon stayed still with eyes closed, waiting for the attack as the orange spots on him glowed, releasing a watery red forcefield that surrounded Jelldon. The tentacles of the opponents stretched out and bounced right off, retracting back to the Aquos Jelldon. Once the shield dissipated, Jelldon's orange spots on his tentacles glowed and frequency was heard from his tentacles. Red electricity surged.

"How's about a taste of medicine!" he cried as he shot his stingers ahead.

As the attack closed in, Drew didn't sway as he instead countered. "Ability, activate! Shockwave!" The Bakugan raised his static-filled tentacles and slammed them down on the ground, sending an omnidirectional field at Jelldon's attack. The red static wave met the stingers, where Pyrus Jelldon recoiled back with a strong yelp.

"Ow!"

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

"Aw man~. Now we're back to square one." Maggie pouted.

"And it looks like the two Bakugan completely cancelled the other out! Both Jelldon may have different attributes, but that doesn't mean they still use the same abilities, and that's what's going to make the whole battle one of skill and brains!" the announcer yelped aloud, getting a wide smirk on his face. "So now, just who will prevail? Will fire evaporate water?! We'll just see!"

The pout on Maggie's face soon turned to one of determination. "Well we're not done yet! Let's go, Jelldon!"

"Righty-O!" He raised his stingers, ready to give the battle his all.

---

A guard swung his staff with charged electricity. The weapon missed as Jase leaned towards the side and then leaned inwards, dodging another staff of electricity.

With little room to act, he adjusted his glasses with a frown. "Looks like I have no choice then…"

He spun around and reached for his belt. Tucked in was a hand-sized navy-blue bar. He reached and plucked it out of place. Holding it, he used his ring finger and twirled it around, where it suddenly grew five times longer to make a staff. His hand slid down to the middle, where there was a cushion for his hands to rest on. On the back of said cushion was a red button, which his middle finger tapped. The head of the staff jutted out two knife-like prongs, making it look like a bisento.

The guards all around him were startled by the weapon he unleashed.

'There's something wrong with Maggie's side. Whatever it is, we have to hurry, there's no room for anymore jeopardizing.' He thought. "Come!"

Esther dodged a quick staff of electricity and grabbed the bottom half of it as the guy fell forward. She yanked it clean out of his grasp, turning swiftly with it to prod an incoming guy in his gut. The guy felt an intense electrical shock flow threw him, yelling out loud as he felt numb. He fell before Esther, but she stepped back with a serious look on her face as she looked down at him.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I'll only be borrowing this for a little while." Just as she finished, her eyes narrowed, and she turned around to bunt and parrying another staff trying to attack her. She was admirably sharp for someone who wasn't used to holding weapons, but she knew by instinct that she had to keep up the defense. She pivoted around the parry and prodded the guy's neck with the end, shocking him as well as knocking him down. She turned immediately and parried another guy. She pushed him off by a foot and kicked his stomach, forcing him onto his back. However, unknowingly, another guy was coming from behind to strike her.

Just as she turned around at the last second, a loud battle cry was heard and a fence was swiped, cutting into the guy's chest and forcing him back. The figure responsible had blonde hair and a fencer swiped by one arm.

"Don't worry, I got your back!" he announced.

"Shawn!" Esther gasped.

Shawn frowned as he faced the foes ahead of him. There were two guys with static-filled staffs, and he adjusted the stance he had to comply with his disadvantage. "We're outnumbered here. We need to find a way to lose these guys and quick!" A guy lunged at him with a staff jutting out. He swiped his fencer across, sending the staff and the guy to the ground beside him. "We need some sort of barricade…Luke!"

The friend called was unlike the others, because unlike them, he was on the defensive side. "Hngh!" he raised his blade, stopping the attack cold. He pivoted and let him fall forward, but the twist made hi aware of the next guy attacking with a staff. He again parried, but with a distasteful look in his eyes.

His green eyes narrowed, trying hard to hold off the forces advancing onto him. He knew attacking these guys since it was intention of brutal harm was justified, but he couldn't push away the principles of what Master Riaan taught him, and that's what's been pulling him in and out of the fray. Defense he was doing, but even with every slash and deflect he did, he didn't do more than just let them falter until they get back on their feet.

This didn't go unnoticed by Abis Omega in his pocket. "Luke, focus!" he yelled.

"I-I am! Shut up!" he stuttered as he dodged to the left, holding his sword still. Rather than cut into the guy's back, he used the guard of the sword and brought it down. He hit the guy pretty hard, and he thudded onto his stomach, gagging as he was beaten down.

Hearing grotesque sound, Luke kept his position and remained wide-eyed at what he had to do deliberately. His green eyes were dilating as everything around him was rather deaf. His vision turned slowly towards the others, his breathing rasping slowly. In, and then out. He saw Esther lean back and then lean forward to jab a guy in the chest, succeeding in the electrocution. Seeing the guy scream in anguish made his body feel a few goosebumps rise. He watched as the guy fell into unconsciousness.

His attention went towards Jase. He saw him twirl and slash his bisento with gusto horizontally, cutting the staffs of the three guys in front clean in half. They all backed off in shock as Jase twirled his staff overhead once more, prompting them to act cautious.

He turned towards Shawn then, seeing him slash his fencer into another guy's chest, he saw something closer. Red. In liquid form. His eyes were dilating as he small a weak splatter across the ground, and his heart hitched when he saw the one guard reel to a knee and clutch his wound. When Shawn retracted his position, he was seen with his own serious face, but underlying that was guilt that Luke reciprocated.

This was the meaning of battle. A real battle.

"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."

Those words echoed like a cave in his mind. He knew he was going to have to fight eventually, but hurting like this, and seeing the troubles of battle, it was just a lot to take in…

"LUKE!"

Esther's shout got his attention. He turned just in time for a guy to come on his left and got out of the way. Esther jumped right in between them, blocking the prod with a bunt. She grunted as she trued to hold on, but was barely managing.

"Esther?!" Luke blinked.

"Luke…hurry and find a way out of here." She winced. She was starting to lose hold. She looked "Hurry!"

Though he was startled, he had to recall he was in the middle of a mission. "R-right!" He veered away from the battle of the many men still surrounding them. He looked away from Jase twirling and scraping the opponents and Shawn, who was doing the same. He shook his head and looked around the spacious domain. "Crap. I didn't think we'd have to fight like this…" he muttered. "I knew something would go wrong…but this is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth." He shook his head, trying to focus. "N-never mind all that! I gotta find some sort of switch or something!"

As the fight went on beside him, he turned his head towards the right, hoping to find something along the wall far away. He narrowed his eyes at something that caught his attention.

"Huh…?"

Up ahead, there looked like a control panel embedded into the wall right at the end of the chamber, where it passed into the massive corridor. When comparing it to the panel on the top of the observatory tower, it was the same.

"Is that it?" he questioned.

---

Drew shoved his arm out. "Gate Card, open! Element Merge!" The Gate Card that Aquos and Pyrus Jelldon were on glowed. As the glow went on, Pyrus Jelldon's body was giving off a red aura, which began to shoot at Aquos Jelldon and envelop its body. He could feel his power being sapped away once more, his pain flaring.

Drew: 60% Maggie: 60%

Jelldon: 550 (+200) = 750 Jelldon: 550 (-200) = 350

"Jelldon, hang on!" Maggie's tiny gloved hands balled as she was running out of time and options. She needed a counter, and quick. Their battle was going on for quite some time, and frankly, it was getting nerve-wrecking. With how even the two Jelldon were, their little battle wasn't going to last very long. They needed to hurry up, and fast.

"Crap. She's in trouble." Shuji grunted as he leaned from his seat.

Killian watched with crossed arms and sitting casually amongst the crowd, seeing with undeterred eyes.

"Alright, Jelldon, hurry up and finish her!" Drew exclaimed. The Aquos Jelldon raised its tentacles and readied a static-filled tendril, poised to strike the weakened Pyrus counterpart.

"Jelldon!" Maggie shouted.

The weakened Jelldon opened an eye, seeing that his opponent was closing in. He was very unsettled with his it was approaching, but he had no time to second guess. With what little nerve he had in him, he grunted as loud as he could. "Maggie! Hurry" he exclaimed. "Do it!"

Maggie's eyes widened for a moment, before they returned to normal and a smirk formed on her face. "Okay then…let's give it a shot!"

"Right!" Jelldon readied himself.

"Your Bakugan and mine share the same abilities." Drew pointed out. "I can use Gel Shield and stop you cold!"

Maggie smirked. "We may have the same abilities…but what you don't have is Jelldon's spirit…and Pyrus abilities, too!"

Drew's eyes widened at the last part. "Say what?"

From her wrist, Maggie made two holographic cards layer atop of one another. "Alright, Jelldon! Now! Double ability, activate! Power Sting, plus Fusion Ability, activate…"

"Fusion Ability?!" exclaimed Drew.

"Glowcer Red!"

The orange spots on Jelldon's tentacles glowed once more as red electricity began to surge in the tentacles. As they did, the frequency had begun to surge. As red static enflamed his tentacles, the frill around his midsection began to give off a bright red glow, where as a small flare began to exude and spiral down the tentacles. The spiraling flames mixed with the red static, giving off a bit of heat. With a loud shout, the Aquos Jelldon fell towards Jelldon, where as closed his eyes tightly and screamed out. "HIYA!" He jutted out both front tentacles, making a discharge of red lightning and flames alike. The burst of the two elements surged in front of every direction of Jelldon, swallowing the Aquos one in a loud cry.

Jelldon: 750 (-200 -100) = 450 Jelldon: 350 (+200 +200) = 750

The Aquos Jelldon cried out loud as red static enveloped his body, and char marks were on the soft body. It slowly fell back, enveloped in a bright blue light and morphed back into ball form. It bounced in front of Drew, whereas his clutched fist softened as his defeat left him dumbfounded.

Drew: 0%

The audience cheered loudly for the results, and many were completely shocked by the usage of the last move. It was surprising to say the least, and within all that cheering, Shuji was standing up high and balling a fist full of excitement.

"Yes! You nailed it!" he grunted.

Killian looked at the battle's conclusion, his usual eyes showing a slight wide to them. Clearly even he was a little surprised – a little.

"Alright! We did it, Jelldon!" Maggie cheered proudly.

Jelldon took a wheezing breath in to fill his body with air. After a heart-racing narrow win, he could finally be at ease. He looked up and smiled, if it were possible. "Uh, w-we did, didn't we!" He glowed red and morphed back into ball form. He went back to Maggie's hand and popped open again.

"I knew we could do it!" he beamed.

The girl gave her partner a wink. "Of course you did." She teased.

"What a very interesting way to conclude the quarterfinal battle. Little newbie Maggie has really stunned New Vestroia and all of us with her big heart and that little gelatinous pal of hers." The announcer eagerly smiled. "Now! Let's get on with the big semifinal matchups! Everybody look towards the big screen!"

All attention went towards the middle of the arena over the battlefield. Appearing above was a very large blue projection screen, where there were four slots separately. Shuji and Maggie looked up in wonder and slight anticipation while others like Killian kept a calm look down on the screen.

The slots began to roll, and the images were spinning. "Let's see who we have facing off in this glorified battle to come, shall we?!" the announcer raised his hand slowly outwards for all to see. "And here~'s the pairings!"

The roulette stopped, and the four panels were chosen. The first two slots were Maggie and Killian, and the other two being filled by Shuji and Keegan. Both Shuji and Maggie gasped at the results. The audience, however, cheered.

"And there you have it! Right off the bat, it's gonna be Killian showing off his power! It'll be the mosquito against the jellyfish, and right after that will be the other newcomer, Shuji, and with his Fly Beetle taking on our daily battler himself, Keegan!"

It took a long while for the information to sink in. Once it finally did, it was fair to say that neither Maggie nor Shuji were entirely inclined. They knew that if this came about, they had to be prepared, but they were anything but. Maggie turned on the golden platform, staring up at her soon-to-be opponent. She noticed the serious glare he was giving her, making it hard to tell if he was serious or not feeling anything. All she did in return was narrow her eyes.

Unlike Killian, her nervousness was clear.

"Oh man." Shuji grimaced. "This is bad."

Sitting in the stands, Keegan smirked. "Looks like I get the fatty. No big deal. This'll be too easy."

As Maggie looked up at Killian, a serious tension filled the air. The real fight was about to begin.

---

"Ho!" Jase swung his bisento around, cutting off several guys from advancing towards him. "There should be a panel around here. Everyone stay weary and find it!" he exclaimed.

Esther leaned to the side and dodged another jab of the weapon and turned her staff inwards, shocking the guy right in the collar bone. "I think I remember the panel being up ahead a little!" she said as she parried.

"Correct." Jase said. "I memorized that part inclusively."

Shawn swiped his fencer and prodded a guy in the stomach, forcing him back. He turned towards Luke, who was looking spaciously ahead. "Luke! Go!"

"Alright, I got this!" Luke took a running start and went immediately for the mad break for the panel. He hurried with all his leg strength away from the fight, much to some soldiers' shock. Those who were drawn the attention were blindsided by a whack by the dull side of Jase's bisento, and some were prodded by the static-filled staff Esther utilized. It was a lot of soldiers that they had to face, and frankly, they were starting to lose ground. It was up to Luke to fix this mess.

He closed in on the panel, hurrying towards the complex mechanism. As he drew in, he unsheathed his sword on the one side. "Alright! Let's try this then!" He finally closed in and pulled his sword back. "HRAH!"

The sword pierced the panel clean through, making its screen crack profusely. The whole thing had its screen stuck on the same distorted setting with the options available. The sword was stuck in its place, and the whole panel was stiff for a few seconds before static was coming to bloom. A red siren began to envelop the chamber, echoing loudly overhead.

"EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROTOCOL: FAIL-SAFE DEFENSE CLOSURE ACTIVE. MAIN CHAMBER TO BORDER, IN T MINUS 30 SECONDS."

The entrance to the humungous corridor beside Luke began to vibrate, and a silver garage-like wall began to slowly descend from above. It covered the whole top and started to work its way down, alarming Luke. Without haste, he hurried over to the other side of the wall coming down.

"Guys, hurry up!"

Jase turned towards the corridor. "That's our cue!" He pointed his bisento in front and lunged ahead, forcing everyone to clear way for him. The guards stayed along the sides as he got a clear path towards the corridor.

Esther turned with a shocked expression, drawing her away from the guard that was running after her. With a harsh turn, she swung the staff like it was a bat, deflecting his staff to the side. As he fumbled over, she threw the staff in hand to the side, and she turned tail and dashed for the exit. Shawn followed in pursuit, having the few injured guards around him blocking off the others. The three were making a mad dash with the many guards chasing after them. They all hurried up as Luke ushered them with hurry as the wall was starting to cover the top of his head.

"Hurry up! C'mon already!" he yelled in a panicked tone.

"Hurry!" Jase exclaimed. With a strong shout, he slid ahead, with Shawn and Esther doing the same. The three slid beneath just as the wall came down on their heads, getting passed it at just the last second. They all made it at the very last second with a tumble to a knee or both knees. Shawn and Esther panted as the ground shuddered when the garage-like silver wall fully closed. And just like that, they were in the clear.

"That…was a close one…" Shawn labored between breaths.

"It was…" Esther huffed. "But the important thing…is that we made it out now."

The wall behind them glowed for a second and got their attention. They all looked up towards it to see the segments between each iron wall was gone, and instead there was a completely solid iron fort. It was like it was an iron fortress.

Jase cleared his throat and stood up. Adjusting his glasses, another frown made itself visible. "For now, it looks like we're in the clear." He said. "Everyone alright?"

Esther stood back up, giving him a nod. "Yes, we should be okay."

"Man, you guys sure were slow." Luke rolled his eyes away with hands behind his head. "Seriously, you actually had me thinking I had to do the rest on my own for a moment."

Esther frowned at the prospect. "Sorry, we didn't mean to hold you up like that."

Luke turned away. "C'mon, don't be like that. I mean you had guys on your tail, surely that motivated you."

Shawn grinned. "That may be, but what about you, Luke?" he pointed out. "Where were you in that fight?"

From the tone Shawn gave, it was more of a tease rather than a guilt trip, but Luke didn't know that. He turned farther away with embarrassed red in his cheeks. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing was coming out right.

"It's quite alright." Jase said. "You're just not used to all of this yet. I'm sure you'll find your resolve to truly fight."

Luke turned towards him with a deep frown. "Well it's not like I enjoy mortally wounding them either…"

"We know." Esther said. "It's okay, Luke. It just means you're a good person deep down."

"Yeah, way down." Shawn added, of course it only made Luke shoot him a look.

"Well, at least you were useful this time around." Jase smirked.

Luke shot him another look. "Hey! Shut up!"

Taking a moment to digress from Luke, Shawn noticed the weapon that Jase was holding. It looked very appealing as one might put it. "Jase, is that your weapon?" he pointed to the bisento, catching Jase's realization.

"You mean this?" He held up his weapon, where he pressed the button on the side of the cushioning. The blades of the bisento retracted inwards, making it a staff once more. "Why yes, this is my more personal means of self-defense. It's very versatile if I'm without a Bakugan."

"Did you make it yourself?" Esther questioned.

Jase smirked. "Actually, as a matter of fact, yes." He made his grip loosen, allowing the staff to fall through the fingers until he clutched the top again. He pressed another button, withdrawing its length back to a hand size. He withdrew it back into his belt pouch. "But the details aren't important right now." He stated. "You on the other hand, you certainly surprised me with your use of staffs, Esther."

The light-brown haired woman held a modest composition. "I've had paid lessons in a few self-defense lessons. They come in handy when I'm in shady places." She shot another look at Jase. "But that isn't the subject either, am I right?"

"Truer words were never spoken." A voice rang from nearby. Everyone's attention went from the other towards someone who was closing in.

His footsteps were deep, both calm strides. But the familiar head of hair and deep voice was as shocking as his actual self appearing before them.

Esther's eyes slowly widened. "Oh no…"

Stopping several meters ahead of them was one of the few people anybody needed to see at this time. The man was reveled to see Hendrix, and he shot them all a grimacing look. "I admire your courage to come down here, despite the risks taken. However, this is where the line is drawn." He warned.

Luke readied his sword in a defensive manner. "It's you again!" he sniped.

"Hendrix." Esther glared.

Hendrix looked up at the flat silver wall bordering them. "That security shield is the main entrance in. With you behind it, there's no turning back now." His eyes narrowed as he glared at them. "No one's getting in…nor are they getting out."

Luke sheathed his sword and pulled out Abis Omega. "You." He growled. "I remember you. You took those Bakugan and made them lose their minds. All for what? Power? That's just plain cruel, even for my liking."

"Luke…" Shawn muttered.

Hendrix looked towards the ground with eyes shut. "This wasn't mean to be your business. However, now that you're here, I won't allow such a feeble obstacle to stand in my way."

Luke, Shawn, and Esther all readied themselves as they pulled out their Bakugan, however, a gloved hand pulled itself in front of them, blocking them from entering the fray.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves, everyone." Jase said. "Don't forget why we're here."

"Jase?" Shawn questioned.

Slowly, the Ventus battler took his own calm steps forward. "If it's alright, I wish to fully see what our associate here has to offer to Atmos and myself. Consider this your little ticket." He stepped in front, with his Ventus Atmos appearing out of his pocket and grabbed him.

Luke's eyes widened as Jase advanced. "What? Jase…but what about us?! Don't we have a better shot at beating him together like this?!" he yelled.

"Yeah, shouldn't we beat him and then move on?" Abis Omega questioned.

"I don't think we have that luxury right now." Atchibee pointed out.

"What?"

Esther frowned. "She's right. Jase is buying us time so the rest of us can go on ahead. We can't afford to have all our forces depend on one foe right now. For all we know, Ariella could be nearby ahead."

Luke gasped at the realization.

"Which is precisely why we need to use this to our advantage." Shawn said. "He said in the plans that it's a straight shot down the corridor. Right?"

"Last I checked." Verias confirmed.

Luke growled beneath everyone's ears. Sure he wanted to get back at Hendrix for being an interference, but deep down, he knew it was better to handle to situation by going on ahead. They needed this time right now to act, and he knew that. With clutched fists, he looked away from the action to unfold.

"Okay then. What are we waiting for, let's go!" Luke started running around the two, with Esther and Shawn following close behind. "Don't make us regret this! You hear me?!" He shouted back,

Jase adjusted his glasses as his brown eyes were leering. He had no verbal response as he instead looked at Hendrix.

The Subterra battler watched as everyone ran pass him. As they all went on ahead, he glanced back at Jase, turning to face him. The two shared a deep, glaring silence as they knew their objectives and their occupancy, but did not waver, despite the risks.

"I don't wish to fight you like this." Hendrix admitted.

"The feeling is mutual." Jase countered.

"However, you stand in our way. So now we must deliver." Atmos added.

Hendrix stood still as he craned his neck to one side, cracking the bones, and repeated when turning the other way. His shoulders loosened as he took a few steps forward. "Very well then."

The two stood in equal distance to engage. The atmosphere around them thickened as their individual drives were forcing them to engage in pointless combat.

Hendrix: 100% Jase: 100%

"Do you think that this is the wisest choice?" Atmos questioned, battling alone.

"It's as he spoke, there's no turning back." Jase said. "Shuji and Maggie are working hard topside, so we need to do the same and follow through with our own plan. Your kind depends on us, so let's go!" He pulled out a Gate Card and threw it. "Gate Card, set!"

The Gate Card went far out in between them. It stopped and turned into a fading green energy across the porcelain ground.

Jase gently held Atmos and brought his arm around. "Bakugan, brawl!" He swiped his arm, throwing his Bakugan in. "Bakugan, stand! Ventus Atmos!"

A pair of massive wings spread out, flapping once to take Atmos into the air. He cawed loudly for battle.

"Bakugan, brawl!" Hendrix threw his Bakugan in next. "Bakugan, stand! Subterra Rafflesian!"

A small brown gust kicked up, but Jase remained calm as it faded outwards. The brown light gave forth the morphed Rafflesian, its black coloring the same as before. He grunted loudly with no emotions given.

Rafflesian: 450 Atmos: 400

"It didn't have to be like this, however I have my orders. You and your friends won't make it to that chamber, not while we're around." Hendrix held up his wrist, showing an ability. "Ability, activate! Ground Force!"

Rafflesian grunted as the pupils in the dead center of the dull petals were glowing a bright orange. Energy beneath began to make the ground underneath crack, the porcelain tiling making cracks with seeping dirt waves spout around the growling Bakugan.

Rafflesian: 450 (+300) = 750 Atmos: 400

In the air, Atmos glared. "Shall we, Jase?"

Jase nodded. "Right! Ability, activate! Winding Winds!" His Bakugan cawed loudly in response, flapping his wings to generate a green whirlwind that went at Rafflesian. The glow in his eyes faded, and the aura and dirt from the ground were windswept back into the cracks.

Rafflesian: 750 (-300) = 450 Atmos: 400 (+200) = 600

"An impressive counter." Hendrix commended.

"Your praise is most appreciative." Jase grinned facetiously. "Now then, let's try this…" he reached out to the battlefield. "Gate Card, open! Healing Up!" The Gate Card beneath them activated, glowing with a healthy, fresh scent to it. A green aura enveloped Atmos as he ascended a little higher, cawing louder than ever.

Rafflesian: 450 Atmos: 600 (+300) = 900

"Healing Up is a command card in which all Bakugan on my side of the field gain 300 Gs." He explained.

"Do you still intend to stall?" Atmos questioned from above. His wings flapped once more, and he went for a dive down onto Rafflesian.

As he watched the green falcon swoop in, Hendrix's eyes narrowed. "Yes…" he answered. "Ability, activate! Corona Thorns!"

Rafflesian's four yellow vines began to glow and were raised into the air. The tips were pointed down, and the four came slamming down in a whip-like manner, smashing into the ground. Vibrant shockwaves ran deep through the battlefield, reaching towards the air in which Atmos flew right in. The impact forced him back up, yelling as the green aura around him faded. The Gate Card beneath had also cracked after a few seconds, shattering like glass.

Rafflesian: 450 Atmos: 900 (-300 -200) = 400

"So you've managed to stop my Gate Card's bonus. Very interesting you are." Jase noted.

Hendrix narrowed his eyes at the Ventus battler, but not so determined as they were annoyed. "You talk to much." He grunted.

"Oh, my apologies. Shall I accommodate with your wishes then?" He raised his wrist, forming another ability card. "Atmos, ready?"

Shaking himself awake, Atmos looked down with a serious look. "Yes."

"Ability, activate! Aviana Tempest!"

Atmos began flapping his wings once more. The gust that was being made went in all directions rather than just Rafflesian. The whirlwinds went and surrounded Atmos as a glowing green aura outlined his body. While at the same wind the winds generated around him acted like a veil.

Rafflesian: 450 Atmos: 400 (+200) = 600

The excess winds were blowing about, but even with the shift running through his clothing, Hendrix took a step back to anchor his ground. He grunted as he held up his Bakumeter. "Ability, activate! Bud Bomber!"

The Rafflesian yelled out through the winds, blowing some away and around him. The buds that were apart of the tiny stem began to glow a bright orange. A frequency could be heard before volleys of expanding brown orbs shot up at Atmos like a machine gun, in rapid fire succession that weren't at all thrown off by the winds.

Rafflesian: 450 Atmos: 600 (-300) = 300

As the attack closed in, Atmos stayed patient through the green aura.

"Let's go!" Jase shouted. "Atmos, ability activate! Ventus Airsaw!"

The falcon spread both wings and gave one large flap. A green crescent went spinning at the volleys like a boomerang, only this time around it, there was a weak veil of wind to cover its range.

Rafflesian: 450 (-200 -100) = 150 Atmos: 300

The green blade spun clean through the volleys, chopping them up like butter knives through cake. The spliced brown volleys burst in the space behind the saucer, but it only intensified its velocity as it passed Rafflesian. A green streak followed and faded into thin air. In a matter of seconds, a green gash erupted on the side of Rafflesian, forcing a loud roar of pain to erupt. It leaned back and morphed back into ball form, falling at Hendrix's feet for him to unemotionally look at.

Hendrix: 70%

Atmos glowed green and flew back into Jase's hand. He frowned as he saw the calm look on Hendrix.

"Explain." He said.

"Aviana Tempest is Atmos' signature ability." Jase started. "It generates tailwinds around him and increases his powers. Not only does his power level increase by 200 Gs, but any Ventus abilities Atmos uses for the rest of the round are 100 Gs stronger in terms of their effects."

Hendrix knelt and picked up his Rafflesian in silence. He looked calm, but he did not want to get beaten down that badly. "Impressive…" he threw in a Gate Card next, fading to brown. "But it won't stop me. Bear with me, Rafflesian…" he threw him in. "Bakugan, brawl!"

Rafflesian let out an unemotional growl as he entered battle once more.

"Atmos…" Jase trailed off.

"Yes." He closed into ball form and was grabbed. Like Rafflesian, he was also thrown in.

"Bakugan, brawl! Ventus Atmos, stand!" Jase's call was matched with Atmos unfolding his wings once more as he took flight.

Rafflesian: 450 Atmos: 400

Hendrix started off the next round. "Ability, activate! Mineral Plight!" A bright orange glow came from beneath Rafflesian, the power flowing beneath and into his body. With a growl, his power level went from 450 to 650.

Jase squinted. "We'll just have to use a defense ability again…"

Hendrix reached down. "Gate Card, open! Devour Ventus!"

"What?" Jase and Atmos questioned.

The Gate Card revealed itself, its own perplexing glow this time instead of helping Atmos, it was hindering him. The strength he had in him was beginning to sap away. For some reason, the power he had to use and fly was starting to weigh like gravity. He grunted with his voice growing hoarse.

"Atmos!" Jase shouted. He looked down at his Bakumeter, seeing what was happening.

Rafflesian: 650 Atmos: 318 (and dropping)

With every second that passed, Atmos' power level was declining. His strength was fading, and he wasn't going to last much longer. Hendrix kept a serious composure as he watched his opponent's Bakugan struggle. "Like I said, I didn't want for this to happen…but you've forced my hand. Now your indulgence will be your undoing."

Jase gave Hendrix a serious face. He looked towards Atmos next, knowing that he had to hurry with a counter, and quick. He saw the struggle that his Bakugan was having, but he also knew that he had to make sure that he was okay. He was his partner after all.

"Sorry, but I do not intend to let even my associates down." He spoke calmly. "Isn't that right, Atmos?"

The falcon shakily lifted his head, looking back at Jase in his waning vision. "Of course…" he strained.

"Now…let's get you out of this mess, shall we?" Jase smirked as he pulled his wrist up. "Ability, activate! Storm Chase!"

His yellow eyes opened a little as he retained focus. He used whatever energy he had inside to get his wings to expand. With the widespread, Hendrix was caught surprised again as he noticed Atmos beginning to spin like a drill. He retained a scrutinizing look as he watched a small gust envelop around Atmos as he began spinning. The Ventus Bakugan suddenly shot straight forward and spun pass Rafflesian, continuing his course skyward in an arch. Following his direction, a burst of whirlwinds followed like a horizontal tornado. Its side touched the ground and the Gate Card cracked and shattered. The glow beneath Rafflesian had also vanished as the winds by the tornado's side touched him.

Rafflesian: 650 (-200) = 450 Atmos: 400

The tornado following Atmos faded, and he cawed as he flew overhead with energy restored.

Looking up and then back down at Jase, Hendrix glared for another explanation, but he already had a good guess. "You nullified my ability and Gate Card." He figured.

Jase grinned. "Right. Shall we, Atmos? Ability, activate! Typhoon Chase!"

Atmos did a U-turn and flapped his wings. A green aura outlined his body as he generated a gust down at Rafflesian, making the ground beneath him chip a bit. As he kept making a gust push him back, Atmos' power level went from 400 to 500.

Hendrix covered up as the winds were fairly strong; strong enough to make him step back.

"Whatever it is that you intend, we won't allow you to keep these fellow Bakugan defenseless like this. Not while it wasn't their choice to make anyway."

The winds were pushing him back harder, but his teeth were showing as he began to weigh himself forward. He stopped at last, his coat instead being the only things that was shifting in the winds. With arms up, he held himself forward and gave a harsh glare ahead. Harsher than before. "…you have no idea."

"What?"

"Ability, activate! Seed Flare!" Rafflesian kept himself anchored and growled in response to his master's call. His many massive petals opened up, revealing the undersides, much to Jase's surprise. There were many upon many seed-like holes, and from them, brown rays went in all directions. They beamed straight through the winds created, heading right for Atmos.

Rafflesian: 450 (+200) = 650 Atmos: 500 (-100) = 400

The many brown rays were like tiny beams that struck Atmos in a few spots. Small but deadly, the heated rays generated a burst of smoke upon impact. Smoke bellowed as Atmos fell out of the sky, cawing as he glowed green and began morphing into a sphere once more. Jase looked on in surprise of the counter made.

Jase: 50%

Rafflesian grunted as he returned to ball form. Hendrix caught him while still glaring at Jase. "You have no idea how deep of this hole you are making for yourself."

Jase kept his composure as he knelt and picked up Atmos. He looked up at Hendrix, staying quiet.

In his hand, Atmos stirred. "What does he mean by that?" he asked.

"I don't know…" he paused. "But I think there was more to this than we originally had thought."

---

The stadium roared with vibrant and lively crowds. They all looked down as two contestants were seen walking out of their respective tunnels. Their silhouettes made it clear that the left wing's character was taller and more mature. They all cheered louder as both Maggie and Killian revealed themselves to the world.

"Yeah! Get that punk, Maggie!" Shuji cheered.

"This is going to be a really tough fight." Fly Beetle said. "I just hope she does alright. You know that Bakugan she's about to face, well it's…"

Shuji looked towards him. "Hey, I know, okay? Are you seriously this worried about some little battle?"

"As worried as I am about you being accident prone."

"I am not! You butt out of my business, alright?! That time was because I didn't watch my step!"

His shouting was heard by Maggie. The little girl sighed and shook her head at her teammate's antics. "What are you gonna do?" she rhetorically asked while smiling.

On her shoulder, Jelldon popped open. "Uh…s-should we be worried?" he nervously asked.

"Hm? About what?" Maggie wondered. She looked ahead in wonder, seeing the answer standing on the other side of the battlefield. The problem had hands in his pocket and looking rather fierce. The way he had his attire on made him look interesting enough, but the way he looked meant business.

After a few moments, she looked back at Jelldon, her perky smile back. "Don't worry. As long as we give it our all, we should be able to keep up." She casually chimed.

"O-o-okay…" he nodded. "Yeah, no worries!"

Her smile grew perkier. "See? That guy won't know what hit him."

Killian kept arms folded as he looked at Maggie. He knew from the discussion he was involved in last night meant he was supposed to keep tabs and a close eye over ground, but he didn't perplex about the idea of 2 of the 6 hindrances being accounted for. Regardless, he had a job to do, and whatever the case, he was going to make sure they weren't so tough to beat. 'Better make this quick. I'd rather not look like a bully in front of this girl.' He pondered. He picked up his Bakugan, looking down at it with the same expression. "Be ready, Moskeeto. Let's prove your worth and mine."

The Ventus Bakugan hissed in his ball form.

"Alright, battle fans! It's time at long last! Our fighters are set and fixed for the semifinals. So, battling it out today, we have the little go-getter herself, the princess that just keeps the fans all happy for the adventure on the arena, and the stinging amateur…"

"Amateur?!" Maggie pouted with puffed cheeks.

"Maggie~!" The audience cheered loudly for the conclusion, clapping for the little Pyrus battler. "And her opponent, he's the one we've all been itching to see, the battler with no qualms to show no mercy, infamous Killian Miles!"

The audience cheered again, but this one slightly louder. This of course didn't sit well with Maggie.

"Aw, he got better cheers than me." She whined.

Jelldon jumped on her shoulder. "Well, let's make them cheer for something else." He insisted.

Maggie turned towards him, smiling. "You're right. Let's get down to business Jelldon. Let's teach this guy just who he's messing with!"

Shuji sat quietly in his seat, looking out with Fly Beetle on his shoulder.

"Let the battle begin!" the announcer declared.

Killian reached for a Gate Card. "I'll set up first!" he warned. "Gate Card, set!" He threw the card towards the center of the battlefield, where it faded into a green wave around the battlefield.

"Okay, let's see what this guy's got." Shuji said, ready to observe.

He twisted his wrist to make his Bakugan in midair. He snatched it in a flash and pulled his arm back. "Make it count! Bakugan, brawl!" he threw the Bakugan out, where it bounced several times before rolling to a complete stop. "Bakugan, stand!"

The ball opened, and the large eyes flashed. The sphere was unleashed, and a green light shot upwards. Maggie and Shuji looked up as a green gust expelled from the ground, forcing the battler to cover up. The Pyrus girl could've sworn she saw a pair of clear wings. Then another. And then she saw a huge needle slowly rising. Slowly, but surely, rising into the air was Moskeeto, the green light fading to reveal his many disturbing features.

The crowd cheered loudly upon seeing the Bakugan again. Amongst them, Keegan smirked. "Well, well…that's something you don't see every day."

The gusts faded, and Maggie looked up with wide eyes. "So that's another black Bakugan?" As she was in her shock, her brow furrowed and looked serious. "…right, let's do it!" She grabbed Jelldon and pulled her arm back. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Go Pyrus Jelldon!"

The ball opened, and Jelldon arose into battle once more.

Moskeeto: 450 Jelldon: 350

Jelldon faced Moskeeto with a look of readiness. "Bring it on!"

The Moskeeto buzzed harshly, his hissing so loud that it made Jelldon instantly regret his confidence boost. He recoiled in a cringe.

"You can have the first move." Killian said calmly, nodding quickly. "Ladies first."

Maggie smiled happily. "Oh, how sweet." She cooed. "Jelldon, let's do this! You ready?"

Shaken up as he was, the jellyfish shook his head at the sound of his partner's words. "Uh, right! Let's give them what they asked for." He growled.

Maggie held up her Bakumeter, revealing two cards layered. "Double ability, activate! Sting Ray, plus Shockwave!" The tips of Jelldon's tentacles were all surging in red electricity and lifted them into the air. Once at a peak, he slammed them all down at once, sending red lightning from the tentacles in front, and all around a shockwave of red electricity discharged in a ring perimeter. The combined wall of red electricity went at Moskeeto as he did nothing but stay quiet.

Moskeeto: 450 (-200) = 250 Jelldon: 350 (+200) = 550

The attack drew closer, and as it did, Killian's brow furrowed. "…ability, activate!" he cried out. "Clear Compound!"

Moskeeto's multicellular eyes began to glow a bright green, and they started to reflect the image of the incoming blast wave. With a loud hiss, the Ventus Bakugan's eyes brightened up, and the red electricity suddenly dissipated.

Maggie gasped in shock. "Huh?"

"How'd he do that?!" Jelldon exclaimed.

Killian half-grinned. "Good job."

Moskeeto: 250 (+200 +200) = 650 Jelldon: 550 (-200) = 350

"And it looks like Killian knocked out Jelldon's ability cold." The announcer said over the intercom. "This Bakugan sure knows how to bug you when you're trying, that's for sure!"

Maggie's brow furrowed again. "Great. We'll just need to try harder then." She huffed.

Killian raised his fist. "Time for offense! Ability, activate! Aero Slim!" Moskeeto responded with another loud cry. He circled around and went into a dive at Jelldon. As the jellyfish down below tried to keep his shaking calm, Moskeeto's claws glowed bright green, and from them were launched showers of green shards.

Moskeeto: 650 (+200) = 850 Jelldon: 350 (-100) = 250

"Uh oh!" Fly Beetle panicked.

The shower of green shards fell down, and Jelldon's green eyes widened in shock and terror. "Uh, Maggi~e!" He cried worriedly.

Maggie hummed as she raised her Bakumeter. "Don't worry, Jelldon! We're not done yet! Ability, activate! Gel Shield!"

Jelldon stayed put as his orange spots on his front began to glow. A red, watery, translucent forcefield eroded outwards and absorbed the green shards raining down. Like that, his power level went back to 350 while Moskeeto dropped back to 650.

Killian's eyelids were halfway open. He was either unamused or possibly tired. "You're still lower than mine." He pointed out.

Maggie held up a fist. "But that won't stop us! Jelldon, let's show him!"

"You betcha!" the jellyfish Bakugan chimed.

Killian's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized his opponent. "Alright then, try this. Gate Card, open!" With a loud snap of his fingers, the battlefield revealed itself. "Ventus Reactor!"

With the Ventus symbol revealed on the battlefield, the center unleashed a gust that blew upwards. The updraft picked up Moskeeto, making him ascend higher than before.

Moskeeto: 650 (+100) = 750 Jelldon: 350

"His power just keeps increasing…" Maggie murmured, her frown once again forming from shock.

"Alright, Moskeeto…" Killian paused, his finger that he snapped with slowly pointing towards Maggie. "Put some hurt on him!" His Bakugan complied with his insistence and began to dive at Jelldon once more.

Maggie's brow furrowed. "Oh no you don't! Ability, activate! Power Sting!" In a last-second attempt, Jelldon's orange spots on his tentacles glowed as red electricity surged. When the fast-moving insect drew closer, Jelldon yelled out as the tentacles swung about, making the insect fly in and get hit by one of the many flail-like swings.

"Yeah!" Shuji cheered.

Moskeeto recoiled a few meters away and enveloped in red static around the body. However, it hissed only as a retort.

Moskeeto: 750 (-200) = 550 Jelldon: 350 (+200) = 550

"Yeah, now we're cooking with gas!" Maggie chimed.

Killian kept his calm gaze. "Maybe so, but let's see how you like it when you're smoked."

"Huh?"

He held up his wrist. "Double ability, activate!" Two ability cards appeared atop of the other, layered and glowing green. "Frequency Shaker, plus Parasite Claw!"

Moskeeto glared at Jelldon as he continued to swing his tentacles profusely, trying to wear him away like a pesky fly. He ascended high so as to dodge a random whack, and Jelldon looked up to see him glaring down at him.

"Jelldon, be careful!" Maggie warned.

Moskeeto's fast-moving wings finally kicked into a faster pace. Shockwaves of green began to exert from his body and travel down at Jelldon like an echo. His flailing came to a halt when his body was subjugated to the shockwaves. He winced as the vibrations still traveled through his shield that came up. With the opening, Moskeeto's claws glowed and fired green beams, similar to Fly Beetle's Fly Arrow.

Moskeeto: 550 Jelldon: 550 (-100 -100) = 350

Though the watery shield was rippling in front of Jelldon, the weakened green beams still went through and stung Jelldon. The jellyfish yelled aloud as green bursts of energy ignited where they struck and fell backwards. He glowed into a bright red ball and went back at Maggie's feet.

Maggie: 60%

The audience cheered with the results, but Shuji on the other hand didn't feel like joining them. "Woah! Did he just break through Jelldon's shield?! But how?!"

Fly Beetle watched as Killian's Bakugan glowed green and went back to his hand, a composed smile kept on his face. "…I don't know…are all these guys empowered by these cards that dangerous?"

Maggie got to her knees and looked worriedly down. "Are you okay, Jelldon?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so." He said before being picked up by his partner.

"We'll need to work harder this round then. We can't let them get the upper hand this time. Everybody's counting on us to spark a lot of energy release. And I'd rather not be out-energized by him." She shot a look at Killian, who looked ready for the next round.

The small white orb in the colosseum's far top glowed a shimmering white, absorbing more battle energy the Bakugan had released. It lasted a few seconds before retreating.

Shuji noticed the energy for a split second before it faded. "Huh?" He looked up, seeing the glow upwards fading, his attention on the white orb that was the source of all the absorption. He stared at it for a few seconds, eying it quizzically before looking back down. Suddenly he slouched forward with a hand to his cheek.

"Man this bites." He grimaced.

"What does?" Fly Beetle asked.

"Remind me again why we're here. Is it to win, or is it to get that thing above to combust, you tell me."

Fly Beetle turned from Shuji towards the battle ahead. He honestly wasn't sure either. On one hand, they had to get battle energy up to get the system to shut down. But on the other hand, they're battling a guy who has power equaling that of Hendrix and Ariella, of not more. If he was tied to those two, then he could be warning them and giving them tips or information. In all honesty, Fly Beetle just like Shuji: dumbfounded.

"Bakugan, brawl!" both Maggie and Killian threw their Bakugan out, both popping out for the next round.

"You won't be so lucky this time around!" Maggie chirped boldly. "We'll be sure to hit you extra hard!"

Killian welcomed the challenged. "Then come get us then! Ability, activate! Aero Slim!" Moskeeto hissed loudly as his claws jutted out again, unleashing showers of green shards.

Moskeeto: 450 (+200) = 650 Jelldon: 350 (-100) = 250

"Ability, activate! Sting Ray!" Jelldon put up both his front tentacles and released red, streaky bolts that flew skyward. As they struck a few shards, many more continued to fall around him. A few struck his body, making him wince.

Moskeeto: 650 Jelldon: 250 (+200) = 450

"Sorry, but you're gonna have to do a lot more!" Killian warned.

Maggie's brow furrowed. "Oh yeah? Then how about this! Time to ground your Moskeeto, bub! Gate Card, open! Land Pressure!"

The Gate Card opened, and Moskeeto began to feel an intensified gravity field drag him down. His raining shards dissipated as he was pulled down to earth. With little resistance, the insect hit the ground like a pancake on the floor. It grunted, much to Killian's slight surprise.

"A most tactful play by Maggie! Jelldon was saved by the field! Land Pressure rendered the aerodynamic Bakugan unable to fight back, leaving it wide open!" the announcer spoke.

"Not too shabby." Killian murmured.

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

Seeing the tides turn on the opponent, Shuji pumped both fists. "Yes!"

Maggie pulled off a wide smile as her casual chirpy demeanor rolled in. "Wow, this is pretty fun! My heart's actually racing faster than a jackrabbit. I didn't think fighting people this strong could be so exhilarating."

Killian, despite better judgement, raised a brow at her inexperience. "That so? Well there's always a first time for everything I suppose. You're not that shabby yourself."

"Aw, thank you." She chimed. "Now let's see you handle this! Ability, activate! Power Sting! Hit him hard, Jelldon!"

"Okay!" the Pyrus jellyfish raised his tentacles as they were flaring in a red discharge while the spots on the limbs shimmered. He gave a loud shout as he lashed his front limbs forward.

Moskeeto: 450 (-200) = 250 Jelldon: 450 (+200) = 650

As he watched the attack draw closer, Killian narrowed his eyes. 'She's better than I thought…guess I should wrap this up then.' He held up his wrist. "Ability, activate! Needle Diffuse!"

Moskeeto's head arose as the limbs drew in. With a loud hiss, his massive needle-like nose plunged into the ground, causing it to crack apart and shatter like glass. The shards went in the way of Jelldon's attack, making him retreat rather than push forward.

"W-What?" Jelldon panicked.

"He nullified the Gate Card!" Maggie gasped.

The audience and Shuji gasped at the display made, they certainly didn't see that move coming.

Moskeeto's clear wings spread out once more and flapped profusely, making him fly back into the air above Jelldon. The black and green insectoid creature hissed loudly.

"I know, Moskeeto. Let's wrap this up!" Killian pulled up his Bakumeter, showing another ability. "Ability, activate! Max Sonic!"

Moskeeto's eyes began to glow, and the wings were noticeably beating faster than before. They were beating so fast that they were almost invisible. A loud frequency could be heard, like a cannon was ready to fire. The air was beginning to vibrate as well around Jelldon, making his soft body jiggle like gelatin. It was starting to throw him off balance.

Realizing what might happen next, Maggie gasped. "Jelldon, get out of there!" she cried.

Killian raised his fingers, giving anticipation. "…sick 'em." He snapped his fingers.

Moskeeto gave an incredulous hiss as a much stronger shockwave blasted at Jelldon. It looked like a cyclone with green rings flowing with it and shaking up the land. Jelldon was so scared that he couldn't even move from his spot. His green eyes widened and a scream came from him as the funnel of vibrating energy swallowed him.

"Jelldon!" Maggie cried loudly.

Shuji gasped in awe and horror. Right above him, the orb started to gather more of the battle energy the attack was releasing.

Moskeeto: 250 (+200 +300) = 750 Jelldon: 650 (-300) = 350

Jelldon wasn't able to hold himself up as the vibration funnel was rendering him stiff. If he had ears, he would've covered them, but all he did was scream and glowed red. His body swirled back into a ball and flew back to Maggie's feet, horrifying the young girl.

Maggie: 0%

"Aw~…" Maggie looked down at Jelldon, slowly picking him up with a worried look. "Jelldon…"

"And that's that, ladies and gentlemen! The winner of the first semifinal battle is Killian Miles!" the announcer exclaimed. He was standing with such an exhilarated look on his face. "That was a shocking move as his last ability just completely knocked Maggie out of the competition. It was a good run for her, so everyone, give it up for both our fair players!"

Moskeeto glowed and returned to Killian's hand. He looked at Maggie as she gave a despairing look in defeat and nodded. "Thanks for the battle." And with that, he walked away.

Maggie sighed in her loss. "Sorry, guys…but it looks like I ran out of playtime. Too bad."

A fist banged a knee hard, startling Fly Beetle. He looked up in shock to see that it was Shuji who was looking frustrated. He watched as Killian made his way down the stairway, leaving Maggie to pout and sulk in her inability. "That punk…" he sneered.

Elsewhere in the stands, Keegan's smirk was maliciously widening. "Now this just keeps getting better and better. This is gonna be a hell lot of fun!"

Killian made way down the stairs and began his march towards the tunnel. As he did, he thought back to the battle against Maggie. He pondered about the videos and the experience Hendrix and Ariella had. 'I know those two fought the Aquos and Darkus battler, but are they stronger? If she was part of them, then if she was smart, she would've used Gel Shield to counter my Max Sonic rather than squeal like a kindergartener. Guess I overthought this a bit.' He disappeared into the tunnel's darkness. 'If that's how strong they are, then this competition for our abilities won't be a challenge.'

---

"This way?!" Luke shouted.

"Yeah! He said straight ahead!" Esther yelled.

"Then let's pick it up while we're young over here!" Shawn picked up his pace, getting everyone to follow him as he led the pack this time.

The group had been going on for quite some time in their prolonged race to the chamber where the city's energy core was held. Luke felt like going back at oftentimes due to insecurities for Jase's sake, but Esther was making sure he didn't forget the matter at hand. They ran as far in as they could, getting closer to something that they've been feeling for quite a while.

"Does anyone feel that?" Atchibee questioned.

"Yeah, I feel something tingly, too." Abis answered.

"It's got to be that battle energy. I think we're getting closer." Verias spoke.

Shawn nodded. "The air is off around here…I think you guys might be onto something. Stay on guard, guys."

"Right!" Luke and Esther confirmed.

They soon entered a slightly wider, if not rounder, segment of the corridor, looking a lot like an open longue type of domain, only thing was that there was little furniture, and little to no monitors. Though the ceilings were high, they only went so far up. It all looked abnormally high-tech if not had architectural quirks. For instance, it didn't look like a design made on Earth, not that anyone could recognize.

Getting to the center of the chamber point, the three looked around to examine its features.

"Just what kind of freaky chamber is this?" Luke questioned. "It's weird. Who puts something like this in?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe to provide as a rest stop or a leisure point, I suppose." Esther suggested. "It has been a long run."

"Makes sense to me." Shawn shrugged. "Luke?"

Luke's expression turned sour as he proceeded to take a few more steps forward. "Well I'm not buying this. It's obviously some kind of trap." He snobbishly strode along. "Come on, we don't have time to waste! Let's just get those Bakugan free so we can find a way back already!"

"Luke, don't rush! We don't know what might be up ahead!" Esther warned.

Luke turned to ball fists at her. "But we can't just slow down now!"

"You'd be wise to listen to your friend over there."

The voice calling behind Luke alarmed the group. The familiar tone in said voice was also what alarmed Luke and Esther especially. When they shifted on their hells to look over, they saw that it was an acquaintance whose hips swayed side to side, with blue hair hanging down from the side of her head and behind her shoulder. Her smirk grew mischievous.

Esther got into position. "Ariella."

Luke took position with his Bakugan. Shawn kept his cool as well.

"Why the faces? You should be grateful that we let you stay within our walls overnight." She told them as she stopped meters in front of them, a wrist to her hip. "After all, it wasn't like you could completely shield yourselves from us."

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

"You mean you knew about us?" Abis gasped.

"I'd rather not spoil the details, not that I'd expect you fools to understand. You weren't exactly being smart when you decided to enter Thermosphere. Haven't your folk taught you all to not sneak into other people's homes?"

"Did anyone tell you not to do that with planets?" Shawn countered.

"Your tongue is sharper than your wits, boy. If you really think you'll be reaching that chamber unscathed, you're worse than what we examined."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke questioned. Before he could get an answer, his Bakumeter began to beep. The ringing caught him by surprise, getting him to look at it in question.

"What is it?" Esther asked.

"Hang on, alright!" he exclaimed impatiently. "Let's see…" looking at the settings, he scrambled to find the right button. When he pressed the one button, the picture of Shuji showed on the small screen.

"You guys!"

"Shuji?" Shawn inquired. "What are you doing? What's going on?"

"I've got some bad news, guys!" he warned.

"Yeah, well so do we?" Luke retorted angrily. "Those guys we fought back in the wasteland, they're here."

"What?!"

Esther nodded. "It's the truth. Jase stayed behind to take on Hendrix on his own." She noticed that within the background, there wasn't much but black. "Shuji, where are you?"

"I'm in the tunnel to the colosseum. Maggie's been eliminated from the tournament!"

Luke's eyes shot wide. "What?"

Esther put a hand to her mouth. "She was?"

A small snicker came from Ariella. "What a surprise there." She sounded so sarcastic. "Seems like the works of Killian if you ask me."

"Killian?" Shawn parroted.

"Wait…" Luke had a stupefied expression. "You mean there's more of you?!"

Ariella smirked. "You weren't the only ones withholding surprises, amateurs. Of course there were more than just us two, but the numbers don't matter now, do they? What matters is what lies before your chubby friend up in the arena."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING CHUBBY?!" Shuji comically yelled through the Bakumeter.

"Who's Killian?" Esther interrogated.

"He's like this serious guy who swept Maggie up and beat her down. That guy's Bakugan is seriously crazy." He explained. "What's more…uh…"

"Spit it out! What is it?" Luke demanded.

"I gotta go! I think I see Maggie up ahead! What do I say?"

Esther leaned into the Bakumeter. "Tell her to come find us. Make sure she gets out of there safely, okay?"

"Gotcha." With that, the communication went offline. The group was left to ponder about what was processed and they turned back towards Ariella.

"Your little friend with the Jelldon wasn't very lucky. Killian may be a little complex, but make no mistake, when there's work to be done, there isn't anybody else who can do it faster nor efficiently than he can. Your friend with the ego will be short-lived, as will your own."

Shawn's brow furrowed. "So they had someone topside, too?"

"Looks like it. That makes our pincer attack compromised." Esther grunted.

Luke balled a fist tighter. "Crap…then what do we do?!"

Ariella's glare was fixed on Luke. "You're not exactly full of options here. Humans such as yourself don't have the capacity to adapt. Just try as you like, but just tell me what do you intend to do now?" she was acting fully snobbish, even for Esther's liking. Last time, she was pretty hungry when it came to her ego, but this time was much worse. It was like she knew of the results and was absolutely certain.

Whatever the guys had to do, they had to think, and quick.

Luke, stepped up to ready, but he was intercepted by Shawn. "Shawn?"

"Listen, we can't dawdle. It's just as you said, Luke, we don't have time to rest. Maggie's been eliminated from the competition, so the battle energy lies solemnly on Shuji and Fly Beetle. If they can't do it, then we can't force a clog and force a power shutdown. We can't also just assume we're going to lose all this effort. Jase is still back there, we can't let that or Maggie's defeat be in vain. Do you understand?"

"Shawn…"

Verias popped open on his shoulder. When he and Shawn looked at one another and back at Ariella, they knew what they were going to do. "We'll hold her off. You both go around and head for that chamber." Shawn spoke.

"Shawn!" Luke argued, but was intervened by Esther.

"Luke, don't get sidetracked. We need to keep going." She said.

Atchibee popped open. "Yeah, she's right. We need to hurry and stop that core ourselves."

As much as Luke wanted to protest, he was only delaying what they had just spoken about. He growled lowly as he folded his arms away. After several seconds, he turned away. "Okay, fine." He huffed. "Let's go already!"

"Right!" Esther started running beside Luke, both taking off around Shawn and Ariella. Before they were out of earshot, Luke turned back towards his best friend.

"Make sure you catch up, okay Shawn?!"

As he watched his friend run off, the spiky-haired blonde took a deep breath in and then out, sighing heavily. "Honestly…" his eyes opened. "You ask a lot from me, Luke…but I don't go back on my word. I'll catch up, after all, someone's gotta make sure you don't do anything stupid again."

As Luke and Esther ran pass Ariella, the Aquos battler glanced at them and turned towards Shawn. Her frown was fixed. "So you really intend to put your faith in those two then, is that it?"

Shawn faced her with a grin. "You're pretty bold to have just let them go like that." He retorted.

"I remember you from last time. You and that other Ventus battler if I presume. I have to hand it to you when you may have gotten the drop on us from before, but rest assured, it won't happen this time." She held up two fingers, in between was her tainted Aquos Clawcer. It had a dark blue aura around it to signal its power. "So, shall we begin?"

Shawn spread his legs and readied himself. Beside him, Verias started to float off the shoulder. "Do you have anything in mind against her? You know how strong she is." He notified.

"I know…" he pulled out a Gate Card. "But stalling or not, we can't let it end here. You with me on this, Verias?"

The Haos Bakugan nodded. "With diligence."

Shawn smirked. "Dually noted."

Ariella had her own smirk forming with a chuckle.

Ariella: 100% Shawn: 100%

"I know the code of men and women…so ladies first." He said.

Ariella craned her head up. "How noble of you." She chimed. "But I'm feeling quite generous right now, so I'll let you start off."

Though unwilling, he had a job to do. With compliance, he pulled out a Gate Card. "As you say. Gate Card, set!" he flung the Gate Card with a pivot and sideswipe. The card went in between, stretching far out to make a yellow energy expand around them. "Okay, Verias, let's." Beside him, Verias closed into ball form and he grabbed him. "Bakugan, brawl!" He threw him out. "Haos Verias, stand!"

Popping out of the ball's bright yellow glow, Verias jumped onto his feet and made the ground shudder. He twirled his staff around to show his expertise and held it back in the far hand while having the free left hand to look like he was ready you claw at her. "Enter, Haos Verias!"

"Ha. Quite the opening, but now let's try this." She threw her Clawcer in. "Bakugan, brawl! Aquos Clawcer, stand!"

The Bakugan was summoned out. A blue light encompassed where it was coming from, causing Shawn and Verias to cover up. They stayed on the ground as a massive claw arose, pinching the air in bravado. Clawcer arose with a loud grunt, his dull eyes glaring at Verias.

Clawcer: 450 Verias: 350

"Ability, activate!" Ariella held up her wrist as an ability card showed itself. "Shield Crush Delta!" Her Clawcer grunted as he aimed his huge pincers at Verias. A humming sound came from them as they glowed blue. When they pinched together and jutted out, a crescent of blue traveled across the ground for Verias.

Clawcer: 450 Verias: 350 (-300) = 50

Verias held his staff up. "Shawn!"

"Yeah, I know!" he nodded. "Ability, activate! Heaven Solace!"

Verias raised his staff high overhead, where an angelic light shined from the norm right above. Yellow and white sparkles came down and the light was beaming of a barrier around him. The crescent zoomed in, dissipating upon impact. However, the blow's recoil made Verias jump back from lack of balance.

Clawcer: 450 Verias: 50 (+300) = 350

"So how's that?" Shawn teased.

"Not bad. But let's see what happens when I do this…" Ariella pulled up another ability. "Ability, activate! Aquos Cyclowave!" Clawcer began to charge up a blue hemisphere between his pincers.

Clawcer: 450 (+400) = 850 Verias: 350

Verias' eyes widened. "Unbelievable."

"That's a lot of power." Shawn said, slightly shocked. "Let's see…"

Ariella pointed her finger at Verias. "Now! Destroy him!" Her Clawcer grunted as he opened his claws. A compressed bright blue beam with static went blasting across the ground, making everything shake and dust kicking up on either side.

As it drew closer, Verias held up his staff.

"If you have that much power…then we'll do this!" he held up his wrist. "Ability, activate! Caroline Protector!"

Verias began to spin and twirl his staff. As he did, a thin trail of yellow made a weak ring of light that turned into a wheel in front of Verias as he kept twirling. The blue laser shot right into the twirling staff. However, instead of ripping right through it like it was meant to, it was drawn to the sides into the yellow ring, turning it to blue.

"What happened?!" Ariella exclaimed.

"Suppose you're not sure what momentum is, do you?" Shawn explained. "Use your enemy's force against them." He shot his arm forward. "Alright, now!"

"Take…THIS!" Verias pivoted and twirled with a harsh swing. The swing backed a lot of power that send the ring back as Aquos Cyclowave again, this time heading for Clawcer. It traveled with the same power as before, shaking the ground. When it reached Clawcer, he was enveloped in a bright blue burst of energy that erupted into smoke.

Clawcer smashed into the ground on his back, grunting.

Clawcer: 850 (-400 -400) = 50 Verias: 350

"That sneaky little…" Ariella couldn't believe her luck. Her opponent returned a powerful attack that she obtained through forced evolution, and that power was used against her.

"Now…" Shawn reached out. "Bakugan Gate Card, open!" The battlefield revealed itself, being a pink, white, yellow background, almost like it was majestic. In the center was a Haos symbol. "Haos Reactor!"

The card expelled light crystals and shimmering speckles across the ground. It felt more like space than anything else, a yellow aura outlining Verias.

Clawcer: 50 Verias: 350 (+50) = 400

Verias gripped his staff with both hands and went sprinting across the ground in a loud roar. He went running like a monkey would, charging right for Clawcer.

"Double ability, activate!" two abilities layered over Ariella's Bakumeter. "Power Merge, and Star Lance!"

Clawcer glared at Verias as he came sprinting in. His dull eyes shot weak blue lasers, while his huge claw's star-like symbol released a blue beam at him as well.

Clawcer: 50 (+100) = 150 Verias: 400 (-100 -200) = 100

The three beams were closing in on the simian, but Shawn had a serious frown as his wrist was crossed over. "Verias, let's go! Ability, activate! Verias Siba!"

The Haos Bakugan closed in and slid across the ground on his feet. He brought his arms around and began to twirl his staff, making a wheel of light-like fire ignite and swung it. The swung weapon went clean through the double attack, dissipating them both.

Clawcer: 150 Verias: 100 (+200) = 300

"This one's for Maggie and Jelldon!" Verias leaped into the air and right above Clawcer. With the Aquos Bakugan's humungous claw barely able to get overhead, Verias came crashing down with a battle shout. His twirling staff struck Clawcer's head, causing him to shout. The Bakugan shrunk to ball form and went to Ariella's feet, much to her dismay.

Ariella: 70%

Verias returned to ball form and went back to Shawn's open hand. He caught him with a serious look.

Ariella picked up her Bakugan and looked at him with a quelled expression, with a grin involved. "Alright, I admit that you caught me by surprise there."

"Keeping things from getting out of hand is rather a secondary nature to me." Shawn shrugged. "Guess good habits come from watching Luke's back all this time."

"So your hobby is now a profession?" Verias inquired.

Shawn chuckled. "Of sorts."

"Well I'll let you know when I care to be indulged by your tales. Gate Card, set!" Ariella threw out her card, making the battlefield beneath make a blue ripple fade outward. "Bakugan, brawl! Aquos Clawcer, stand!"

Once more, Clawcer arose into battle, a menacing blue aura around his body.

"Looks like things are getting serious." Verias said.

Shawn again nodded. "Yeah. So we better be extra careful then." He opened his hand to allow Verias to fly into it. He grabbed and threw him into the fray. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!"

Landing on his two feet, Verias held his staff upright and howled.

Clawcer: 450 Verias: 350

Ariella swiped her arm. "Gate Card, open! Aquos Reactor!" Upon command, the battlefield revealed the reactor card, and from all four corners, spouts of water arose. The area beneath Shawn's boots was starting to flood, and he looked down in question for a moment. When the water reached Clawcer, his blue aura grew, as did his power level.

Clawcer: 450 (+250) = 700 Verias: 350

"Like I said, you caught me by surprise that time, but not again."

Shawn gave her a glare. "And I seem to have said we're catching up our friends. Double ability, activate! Verias Siba, plus Siba Feral!"

A flame-like light appeared as Verias spun his staff as before. He jumped up and somersaulted downwards towards Clawcer with a loud shout.

Clawcer: 700 (-200) = 500 Verias: 350 (+200 +200) = 750

As the simian drew closer, Ariella kept a straight face. "Ability, activate! Carapace Shield!" Her Clawcer then bunted and held up his claw. A blue, translucent shield appeared around him as Verias dropped in front, in a crouched position and poised to strike. With loud shouts, the Bakugan began to rapidly swing away, battering left and right at the shield. However, each strike did nothing but bounce off.

"What?!" Shawn gasped.

"You're not the only one who upholds surprises." Ariella noted.

Clawcer: 500 (+200 +100) = 800 Verias: 750 (-200 -200 -100) = 250

Seeing as how his attack wasn't working, Verias backed off just as the huge claw swung. He barely missed it and landed several feet away. "These guys are good." He noted.

Shawn held a more cautious stance. "Yeah, for sure." He held up his wrist, where two more abilities layered atop one another. "Verias, let's go again!"

"You read my mind!"

The two holographic cards glowed. "Double ability, activate! Haos Drain, plus Simian Howl!"

The purple gem on Verias' crown began to glow as he opened his mouth. Once more at offense, Verias opened his mouth, expelling yellow shockwaves outwards that echoed loudly. As that happened, a yellow laser with deep yellow static shot out of the gem, racing right through the middle of the echo.

Clawcer: 800 (-200) = 600 Verias: 250 (+200 +200) = 650

"Ability, activate!" Ariella held up her wrist as another ability glowed. "Aquos Cyclowave!"

Clawcer aimed its claw straight ahead and opened a little. The Aquos Bakugan watched the massive shockwave tunnel and yellow laser close in, and the blue hemisphere opt to compress. With one fell go, another blue beam with tremendous force raised across the ground, colliding with Verias' attack with a loud boom.

The shockwaves made Shawn cover up, forcing him to slide back. He held on, but as was Verias. Clawcer and Ariella, however, were unfazed.

Clawcer: 600 (+400) = 1000 Verias: 650

The blue beam slowly overpowered the yellow laser exerting from Verias. It began to drift closer, and closer, and Verias was unable to hold on until the blast finally caught up to him. He screamed as an explosion swallowed him.

Massive burst of energy sent Shawn screaming as well, tumbling over onto his stomach. He grunted as he felt sore in a few places, and that's when Verias plopped to a stop right in front of him.

Shawn: 30%

Ariella grabbed Clawcer as he returned to her hand. She gave her opponent a stink eye as she watched him get up to a knee. "You're bunch is persistent, I'll give you that."

With a pant, Shawn looked up at her. "This battle isn't over yet! Verias and I can still keep going! Right?"

Though shaken up in ball form, the Bakugan responded. "Sorry, they got me of guard there…but I'm ready now."

"As am I." Shawn held out Verias and gave his opponent a deep frown. 'Luke…this may take a while. Don't do anything that you'll regret.'

Ariella chuckled once more as she held up her Clawcer. "So you really are wishing to go on? So be it!"

---

The cheers were distant in the tunnel as Shuji was making way down it. It wasn't exactly easy given his bigger physique, but he was sprinting nonetheless.

"Up ahead! I think I see here!" Fly Beetle shouted.

"Can it, alright?! I know!" Shuji yelled through his physically demanding rush.

Up ahead, Maggie walked slowly into the tunnel with a frown on her face. Her perky attitude was hampered by her loss, and she sighed as she went on.

"I-I'm sorry, Maggie. I wasn't able to really do anything." Jelldon said in a shaken tone.

"What are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong." She reasoned. "We've made it this far, didn't we?"

"I guess, but that Moskeeto really got me good. I wasn't that strong after all…"

"Jelldon…" Maggie didn't want to see her Jelldon like this. It was saddening, and seeing her friend and partner as glum – if not more – as her, it was disheartening further. She needed to find something to say to at least cheer him up.

She shook her head, getting her disappointment out of her systems. "Cheer up, Jelldon. It's okay." She smiled at him, which he looked at. He couldn't tell if it was forced or not, but her eyes showed her own emotions that he could read. "I mean, sure, we lost, and it's a bit sad…" she paused. "But I'm still proud! We've beat all those guys because you had confidence, and I was there to support you."

"…I…guess so…"

"We've got some great experience from this, so why don't we stop sulking and be grateful from this? We got stronger facing all those opponents, so let's keep supporting and doing our very best for each other."

Jelldon thought about Maggie's words for a moment and looked ahead. Sure, he was sad as well, and he took a big blow in his confidence again, but you can't win them all. There were bumpy roads ahead, and Jelldon isn't sure he could handle all that, but at least he wasn't alone. In fact, if it wasn't for Maggie, he wouldn't have gone on this crazy adventure to save his kind. That was something to be proud of at least. He's trying.

Visibly shaking side to side, he brushed off his sadness and had satisfaction. "…yeah. You're right! We'll do better next time!" he exclaimed. Of course hopefully by then, he'll have much more guts rather than play chicken, but Bakugan can't tell the future…as far as he knew.

"That's the spirit!" Maggie chirped.

"Maggie!"

The voice rang from the tunnel. Looking ahead, the Pyrus girl looked up and saw Shuji running to a stop and hunching over. He breathed in and out, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, Shuji!" she chirped as she watched him catch himself. "Man, you gotta do something about getting a gym membership if you're gonna pass out before reaching the stairs."

"Finally catching his breath, he looked angrily at her. "Just shut up!" he whined. "Anyways, are you okay?"

Maggie nodded. "Yup, we're fine." She deadpanned. Suffice to say her answer startled the older teen.

"But…aren't you…?"

"We'll be okay, promise. That battle was a lot of fun, even if we didn't get lucky today. At least we learned something about that guy, right?"

Shuji raised a brow and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you're not wrong…"

Maggie smiled wider. "Of course not."

"Glad you're better, but we got some news for you." Fly Beetle said, getting them back on track.

Maggie blinked. "Huh?"

Shuji's eyes widened in remembrance. "Hey, yeah! That's right! Those creeps we saw outside this place, they're back!"

Maggie gasped in shock.

"It's true. That man and woman are apparently working with that guy you fought. Looks like we're dealing with more than just two this time." Fly Beetle explained.

Maggie balled her fists, her face growing fiery with determination. "So then they're copying our pincer strategy we stayed up making! Those cheaters!"

"Those guys are gonna need some help. You saw how powerful those creeps were. Can you find your way to them?"

Maggie nodded quickly. "Yeah, just leave it to me! I'll give them backup!" She started working around Shuji in a dash, but before she got too far, she stopped and turned back towards Shuji. To his shock, she waved a finger at him, as though she was scolding him. "You better not slack off while I'm gone. If I find out, you're gonna be sorry. Okay mister?" she spoke in a scolding motherly tone.

Shuji had a bead of sweat on his face as he nervously shrunk away a few inches. "U-uh…yeah." He answered awkwardly.

"Good! Now, win this next on for me and Jelldon!" With that, she turned on her black heels and went darting down the dark tunnel.

As he watched Maggie take off, Shuji looked on with the realization that he was on his own. Although technically there was also his partner, Fly Beetle, but try telling him that.

"…you think she'll be alright?"

"I wouldn't worry. She's too spunky to get caught or dragged down that easily."

"Guess so…so we're on our own then, huh?"

"Looks like it. You scared?"

Shuji's fists balled as his heart began to beat. "Yeah! I'm no chicken! I can do this! Heck, I could've done it sooner if you didn't question me a bunch!"

Fly Beetle's horn levered up and down. "Well you better save that confidence for the arena. We're gonna need it."

"Stop telling me what I already know~! Why are you all telling me stuff I already know?! I'm not deaf!" He groaned loudly as he marched out of the tunnel and into the light. He was met with cheers and many of audience as they welcomed him into the semifinals. He made way up the stairs, his body in full view for those waiting at eye-level first row.

As he stood on the gold pressure, he had a frown on his face, a small bead of sweat starting to roll down his face. 'No pressure…no pressure…'

Keegan had a smirk on his face from the other side of the battlefield. He could see the small sweat and his opponent swallowing a lump down his throat. He spectated as he watched Shuji try to stretch his rams over his sides and trying to build himself up. "This guy's so toast." He sneered.

"Welcome, one and all, to the second semifinal match of the Thermosphere TWB!" the announcer exclaimed. "We have ourselves another soon-to-be intense battle that is sure to rattle cages this time around. There'll be a lot bussing for who will be facing Killian, when the victor of this battle gets the opportunity! This match is going to be having our daily douser of power, our regular who always gets under your skin…Keegan!"

Keegan arrogantly smirked as the crowd cheered for him. Some had scattered boos, indicating his popularity.

"And facing him is this new challenger! The newbie who's been climbing his way up, making a shocking stop here…Shuji!"

The crowd did the same, although the clapping was more quiet. It was clear that they didn't have high confidence in him. It didn't go well for his sulking ego.

"You ready?" Fly Beetle asked.

Getting focused, Shuji showed his readiness. "Yeah! I'm gonna wipe that smirk off that know-it-all's face!"

Keegan remained unchanged. "You'll try."

Watching from high up beside a column, Killian cleaned against it with arms folded and looking down with a frown. He watched quietly as the action was to begin.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Oh yeah!" Shuji pulled out his Gate card first. "It's first come, first serve! Gate card, set!" he threw the Gate Card out onto the battlefield, where it faded into a brown ripple. He smirked as he held Fly Beetle back. "Ready or not, here I come! Bakugan, brawl!" he threw Fly Beetle out. "Bakugan, stand!"

Rolling outwards to a slow stop, Fly Beetle was summoned into battle. His horn was raised high and he gave a loud roar as his brown outer wings lifted, allowing the inner yellow wings to flap and lift him higher over the ground.

Keegan chuckled humorously at his opponent's Bakugan. "That's it? That's what got you to the semifinals?" he taunted laughably. "You're funny! Using an overgrown beetle! Hahaha!"

Shuji raised a fist. "Hey you little twerp! Shut up!"

"Or what? Gonna tell me to buzz off? Man, the competition must've sucked this week if they had let someone like you beat them. Man, are you all just pathetic! Hahaha!"

Shuji's teeth gritted. "Smart mouth…"

Keegan pulled out his Bakugan, which was notably blue. "Alright, let's show this guy just how this game is played. Bakugan, brawl!" He threw his Bakugan in, which went out in front of Fly Beetle. "Aquos Mystic Elico, stand!"

The sphere opened, and as it did, a cube popped out of it. The sphere glowed, and a twister of water shot straight up from it. Fly Beetle and Shuji's eyes followed the twister upwards to where it was just above their heads. Something spun out of it and leaped out. As the water faded into rain around it, it revealed the same Bakugan that Luke and Esther saw on the screen yesterday. Mystic Elico had arms out and steadied as he landed on both feet. It stood far above Fly Beetle as the fish-man Bakugan had a deep frown, glaring holes into the shocked duo.

"Woah…" Shuji awed.

Mystic Elico: 450 Fly Beetle: 350

"And there it is! Keegan's ace in the hole is out and ready to do some damage!"

Mystic Elico glared down at Fly Beetle with a menacing gaze, but it did not say anything. Fly Beetle hissed back, elevating himself to rival his eye-level.

"I'll let you start, since you seem so desperate." Keegan mocked.

"You'll be sorry you said that!" Shuji yelled. "Double ability, activate! Horn Buster, plus Sonic Wing!" At the call, Fly Beetle shot a brown streaky bolt from his nose horns, and his wings flapped and sent several crescents of brown that went on either side, heading right for Mystic Elico.

Mystic Elico: 450 (-200) = 250 Fly Beetle: 350 (+200) = 550

The blast of brown struck the Aquos Bakugan in his chest, but he didn't budge. It wasn't until the crescents of the Sonic Wing arched in and bombarded Mystic Elico profusely, enveloping him in bursts of brown that obscured him a smoke cloud.

Shuji pumped his fists. "Yeah!"

Keegan snickered arrogantly. He raised his wrist and showed an ability card. "Ability, activate…Hui Fountain!"

The smoke cloud beneath Fly Beetle continued to bellow, but as it did, it was starting to draw water. "What?" the insectoid Bakugan inquired as more water seeped through the smoke. As the smoke cleared, the answer came clear, and it was in the form of a veil of water around Mystic Elico's head pouring down on all sides. It drenched the ground beneath him and made the appearance he gave similar to a fountain. Within it, a green aura emanated, restoring the damage dealt to the Bakugan.

With a swipe from both arms, the Bakugan roared and dissipated all the water around him, showing no visible marks.

"No way!" Shuji panicked.

"Yes way." Keegan retorted. "Hui Fountain restores damage to Mystic Elico. Not only that, but it nullifies all abilities and returns him to his base power level."

Mystic Elico: 250 (+200) = 450 Fly Beetle: 550 (-200) = 350

"And now, ability, activate! Blue Aria!" Mystic Elico brought two hands together, conjuring up a powerful blue sphere with a shining center. Once it was compressed, it grunted and thrust forward, sending the bomb at Fly Beetle.

Mystic Elico: 450 (+200) = 650 Fly Beetle: 350 (-100) = 250

The sphere closed in, but Fly Beetle did his best to ready for it.

"Oh no you don't! Ability, activate!" Shuji countered, his ability card revealed glowing. "Exo-Shield!"

Fly Beetle remained stable in the air as his body gave off a powerful orange glow. As it did, his surface hardened, and the aquatic sphere closed in and collided head on. The explosion of water erupted through the area, and the front row patrons were splashed and completely drenched by the burst of water. It rained down on Shuji, but he covered up to avoid getting blinded by water. When it all stopped raining, Fly Beetle was visibly unharmed.

"Man, that actually stung a bit." Fly Beetle admitted. His power level went back to 350, while Mystic Elico went back to 450.

"Big deal." Keegan chided.

Shuji gritted his teeth at his enemy's patronizing. To shut him up, he unleashed another ability. "Now this'll shut you up! Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!" Fly Beetle hovered in the air and hissed. His yellow tusks glowed and unleashed bright brown beams from them.

Mystic Elico: 450 (-100) = 350 Fly Beetle: 350 (+200) = 550

The beams went for Elico, but he surprisingly dodged them.

"He's quick." Fly Beetle said. Trying again, he fired another dual beam, but Elico dodged by leaping towards the side again. Fly Beetle did it again, and again, but every time, Elico was dodging.

"Crap! Stay still, would ya?!" Shuji exasperated.

Keegan rolled his eyes away. "Crybaby." He huffed.

"What?!" Shuji snarled.

"You heard me. You…are just…a big…crybaby. So…" he pulled up another ability. "Let's shut this freaking bay up! Ability, activate! Waterlog!"

Dodging another beam by jumping, Mystic Elico found himself in the air at the same elevation as Fly Beetle. When he looked at him, he saw his hands reaching out towards him. As his many lenses saw his adversary, Elico wasted no time in unleashing a large torrent of water at Fly Beetle.

"Crap! Look out!" Shuji warned.

Fly Beetle tried to maneuver, but the attack was too close and too fast. He was struck in the underside, and his belly got soaked. "Gah! I'm hit!" He began to descend towards the ground, where his wings folded in and he tried to regain himself. He looked up as Elico descended as well, but noticed how he wasn't hurt. "Wait…what happened?" In his questioning of why there was no damage, something was different. Or rather, he was becoming different. He noticed how his body's orange color was staring to morph into a deep blue, and to his shock, the yellow horns and tusks were becoming silver, as were his claws. "What's happening to me?!" he yelled.

"Huh?!" Shuji saw the transformation of colors, his eyes as wide as owls. "Wait, what the heck?! Why does he look like an Aquos Fly Beetle?!"

"That's because he is, stupid." Keegan answered. "Waterlog is an ability that changes the opponent's attribute to Aquos. So now, you can't use any of your Subterra abilities."

"W-wha~?!"

"Yeah, that's right. Cry like a baby would. 'Waaa~h'. Can't believe I'm wasting my time with someone like you."

Shuji jumped up and began to flail on the other end of the arena. "Oh~! I've had with you, you jerk! Just shut it, because I haven't even begun to brawl yet!"

"Oh really? Then prove it." Keegan dared.

Shuji balled another fist. "Right, let's clean this guy's clocks, Fly Beetle." He reached out. "Gate Card, open! Enemy Down!"

The Gate Card revealed itself, and the ground beneath Elico was shaking haphazardly, where its power level went from 350 to 50.

"This is our chance!" Fly Beetle encouraged.

"Hell yeah! Now let's shut this guy up!" Shuji smirked as he punched forward. "You ready…?"

Keegan began to chuckle lowly. His snickering was turning inti a meek chuckle, one that was startling Shuji. He lost his mojo as he saw the knowing look the opponent gave.

"Oh, man. You're funny man. You really are." He teased.

Shuji raised a brow. "What…?"

"Guess now's as good as time as any to show you how this game is played." He pulled up another ability. "Ability, activate…Mystic Dice!"

Before Fly Beetle could move in to charge, he saw a bright glow in front of Elico. "What…?" Both he and Shuji watched in shock as the light materialized a cube that was spinning wildly in place. What was odd was how the cube had so many colors on it; six in total.

"Heh?!" Shuji gasped.

"A…cube?" Fly Beetle said.

Killian stayed quiet as he adjusted on the pillar he leaned on.

Keegan smirked. Once a certain time has passed, he pointed ahead. "Alright, now!"

Mystic Elico reached out and grabbed the dice. The die finally stopped spinning, and in front was the Pyrus symbol.

"It's Pyrus?" Shuji blinked.

"Yeah, now watch the magic happen. Elico…attribute change!"

The Pyrus symbol glowed on the cube and suddenly flames enveloped the die and Elico. His body was in seared flames that flickered with embers. Shuji and Fly Beetle looked on in deep shock as they saw nothing but a wall of fire. When it the flames of the Bakugan began to settle, it revealed that all the deep blue on him had turned to red. All of the lighter blue shades on his body was thus become orange, whereas the silver on his body parts were transformed to red. The renewed Bakugan had dissipating embers around him, giving him a dominant stature.

"No way!" Fly Beetle exclaimed. Shuji looked with an equally dumbfounded expression.

"And there it is! Mystic Elico's signature ability!" the announcer shouted, standing out of his seat again with a shocked look on his face. "There we have the signature ability of Mystic Elico! Where it's Mystic Dice ability allows him to transform into any of the 6 attributes at pure random! This is the signature trick to how Keegan just keeps getting the jump on all our competitors!"

Mystic Elico's green eyes glared daggers down at Fly Beetle, leaving the smaller Bakugan surprised.

Keegan held up his Bakumeter with a smirk. "Now for a taste of Pyrus. Ability, activate!" The ability card revealed itself, but glowed red. "Backfire!" Fire began to develop in a ring around Pyrus Mystic Elico. The small ring of fire expanded out over the field, and Fly Beetle was forced into the air to didge the flames. When he looked down, he saw how the ring of flames enveloped the whole Gate Card and watched it burn. To his and Shuji's shock, the flames died out, leaving the card charred.

Mystic Elico: 50 (+300) = 350 Fly Beetle: 550

"You nullified my Gate Card, with a Pyrus Ability?!" Shuji gasped.

"Took you long enough to realize." Keegan smirked. "I can use that attribute's abilities as long as my attribute corresponds to it. This is the power of Elico! It's his diversity that makes me unbeatable!"

Shuji's eyes widened in shock. For some reason, he got a weird case of déjà vu. And what made it weirder, it's something familiar with him personally. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the battle was going.

"Shuji!" Fly Beetle exclaimed.

"H-huh? Oh, yeah!" he pointed ahead. "We got the higher power level, so sick him!"

Fly Beetle went flying in, darting right for the weaker Elico.

"Not on my watch. Ability, activate! Burn Shield!" As Mystic Elico remained motionless, a wall of spinning fire enveloped him completely. Fly Beetle went right into the shield without delay or thinking, but the temperature caused him to recoil upon meeting the wall of flames. Instantly he winced and backed off towards the ground. His power level then dropped from 550 to 350.

"Hey! Get up!" Shuji encouraged. His Fly Beetle shook himself up, but his front was still feeling recoil from the heat.

Keegan smirked. "And now, ability, activate! Pyrus Spear!" The wall of spinning fire dissipated, revealing Elico with his massive gauntlet claws reaching out to Fly Beetle. The thick claws glowed red and unleashed thick bright red beams at Fly Beetle. The many lasers struck him head on, causing a burning sensation to fulfill itself.

"GAH!" the Aquos insectoid screamed.

"Crap! You've gotta be kidding me!" Shuji exasperated.

Mystic Elico: 350 (+200) = 550 Fly Beetle: 350

Fly Beetle struggled with gusto, but nothing was working. "I…can't…hold on~…!" The Aquos Bakugan finally lost his momentum to hold and went shooting backwards. As he was lifted off his foothold, his body glowed brown-orange again and he went back to Shuji's feet.

Shuji looked ahead in shock as his life gauge went from 100% to 60%.

The audience cheered loudly, and Killian kept a calm look as he eyed Shuji, then back to Mystic Elico.

Keegan laughed as his Bakugan glowed blue and returned to him. "Man you suck! You should just quit now, you hefty garbage load!"

Shuji growled as he picked up his Fly Beetle. "Man, that guy really shut me down there. He blocked me from using my abilities and changed his own. That punk…" he was starting to get frustrated. So much in fact that his grip on Fly Beetle was tightening.

"H-hey…a little…elbow room please…"

Keegan threw his Gate Card out. "Gate Card, set!" The Gate Card hit the ground and faded to blue all around. "Bakugan, brawl! Mystic Elico, stand!"

In another tornado of water, Mystic Elico leaped out and landed unsoundly.

"Okay, now he's in for it." Shuji brought his arm back. "Let's…get him! Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!"

From a bright brown light, Fly Beetle arose.

Mystic Elico: 450 Fly Beetle: 350

"You're gonna wish you had a Bakugan like mine." Keegan taunted. "Ability, activate…Mystic Dice!"

A glow appeared in front of Elico, revealing the spinning dice from before.

"It's Mystic Dice again?!" Shuji gasped.

Keegan swiped his arm up. "Do it!"

Mystic Elico slowly reached out and clutched the dice. It stopped cold, glowing upon showing the Ventus symbol. A green tornado revealed itself and encompassed the powerful Bakugan and dice. The wind swept about in front of Fly Beetle and Shuji, making the latter ball his fists as he waited for the attribute change. As it faded, it revealed that the dark blue armor and coloring on Elico was now dark green, and the blue color he had was changed to a bright green. Any residual accents he had were a brighter shade of green beyond that, and the claws on the gauntlets and blades on his back were all silver.

"Now this is more like it." Keegan said. "Let's see what your bug has now."

Shuji grunted with angst. "I'm gonna make you shut that trap one way or another, punk! Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!" Fly Beetle ascended into the air, where his huge yellow tusks glowed and unleashed brown beams at Ventus Mystic Elico.

Keegan took it nonchalantly. "Whatever. Ability, activate! Draft Shield!" An updraft from the ground in front of Mystic Elico erupted upon the call, and the wind barrier took the beams and nullified its energy.

"Again?" Shuji gasped.

Fly Beetle grunted.

Keegan laughed. "Now to blow you away! Ability, activate! Tornado Mayhem!"

A green aura outlined Mystic Elico as his blade-like wings spread out. He reached out with both arms, where in front, two green twisters were summoned. They caused a lot of turbulence, and Fly Beetle found himself drawn closer into it.

Mystic Elico: 450 (+200) = 650 Fly Beetle: 350 (-200) = 150

Shuji covered up from the winds that blew like crazy, but he was still looking up. "Hey, get out of there!" he yelled.

Fly Beetle tried to resist, but his body wasn't complying. "I'm…trying…" However, he wasn't so lucky as the two tornadoes combined into one, looking twice as big as before. Fly Beetle was sucked right in, whirled around like clothes in the washer. He screamed profusely as he was tumbling skywards. When he reached the eye, he was spit out atop, his screams loud and clear to be heard.

"Aaaaah!" he went to terra firma back first, the thud shaking up the ground and picking up dust. Shuji tried covering up again from the dust wave that blew right pass him.

Killian kept his eyes on the battle with no intention of looking away. He was deeply focused on the capabilities that both contenders had to offer.

Shuji coughed a little dust out of his throat and cringed. He wiped the spit off his mouth and leered ahead. "Man, that's gonna wreck my appetite." He said.

"Heh, good. It'd do you good because you're gonna fall flat like a pancake, chubby." Keegan taunted.

A tick mark grew on the annoyed battler. "You snobby little…!"

Fly Beetle managed to turn himself over at long last. After an exhausted few attempts at picking himself up, he shook his head and looked back at Mystic Elico.

"So, what next?" Keegan asked.

"This!" This time, two abilities showed on his Bakumeter. "Double ability, activate! Horn Buster, plus Tusk Arrow!" From the horn's tip, a blast of streaky brown energy went at Elico, while two beams fired from his tusks. Two solid, narrow beams followed on the sides of a streaky brown one, heading right for the opponent.

Mystic Elico brought his massive gauntlet claw forward and jabbed at the beams, intercepting all three and making it deflect in various directions. However, the triple beams did push him back a few feet.

Mystic Elico: 650 (-100) = 550 Fly Beetle: 150 (+200 +200) = 550

"And we're not done yet! Ability, activate!" Shuji followed. "Sonic Wing!" Fly Beetle suddenly stopped his triple blast and backed off several feet higher. His wings flapped profusely, and instead sent many brown crescents down at Mystic Elico. This time, however, Elico jumped into the air and dodged the many bursts happening down below.

Mystic Elico: 550 (-200) = 350 Fly Beetle: 550

As the explosions settled, Mystic Elico landed, allowing Keegan to make another ability appear. "Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!" Same as before, the glowing dice showed and began spinning. Elico reached out this time and stopped it on Subterra. A wide smirk appeared on Keegan's face upon seeing this.

From the dice, a magma-like substance began to erode. It encompassed the cube and Elico completely was within a hardening case of cooled magma. Several seconds later, the magma cracked, and the rock fell apart to reveal dust. A lone Mystic Elico was seen within the dust, with his dark green now deep brown, with bright green patterns being a duller brown, and the accents on his body all orange.

"What? Another one?" Shuji exasperated for the umpteenth time. "Can't this guy just make up his mind or something?!"

Keegan reached out to the field. "Gate Card, open! Forcement Wind!" The Gate Card glowed at his beckoned call, the glow concentrating around Mystic Elico as a body aura surrounded him.

Mystic Elico: 350 (+200) = 550 Fly Beetle: 550

"What's that?" Shuji asked.

"You're as dumb as you are out of shape. Forcement Wind is a command card that increases my power level 100 Gs times the same number of Bakugan of the same attribute in play. Now, you feel jealous yet?" he whipped his arm up, revealing yet another ability. "Ability, activate! Plate Tomb!"

Mystic Elico raised his right claw high into the air and plunged it straight into the ground. A straight shockwave of dirt and rock went right at Fly Beetle. The ground was so startled that it was cracking a trench right beneath the Bakugan.

"W-whoa! Ah!" From the trench, dust and stone suddenly bombarded him. The large-scale burst began to vacuum inwards, sucking Fly Beetle into the ground. He yelped as his whole lower body was encased in four-sided stones that held him prisoner. He grunted at his inability to move his tiny claws inside.

"Fly Beetle, what are you doing?!" Shuji panicked.

Fly Beetle turned his head and horn, but even the tusks weren't reaching his target.

"It's no use." Keegan said. "As long as Plate Tomb is active, you can't use your abilities."

The news made Shuji's fists ball tighter. "You stopped me…again?!"

Keegan shrugged casually. "Sorry pal, but that's how I roll. Ability, activate! Subterra Spartan!"

Elico, once again, raised his right gauntlet claw into the air. It sank it deep, where another trail of dirt and rock raced across towards the stoned Fly Beetle. As Shuji gaped in sheer shock, Fly Beetle was struggling with all his might to break free, only for the whole tomb to burst apart and the insectoid struck from below by rising stones.

"AAAH!"

Mystic Elico: 550 (+200) = 750 Fly Beetle: 550

Fly Beetle went soaring and ached incredulously. As he arched down, his body glowed brown and he continued falling until he plopped at Shuji's feet.

Shuji: 20%

Mystic Elico returned to ball form, caught by a sneering Keegan.

"And once again, Keegan had flawlessly owned this battle! He caught Shuji in the midst of some serious attribute changes that kept him on his ties, and eventually off his rocker!" the announcer exclaimed. "If Shuji loses the next round, then it's all over, and Keegan would move on to battle Killian in the finals!"

"The guy's dimmer than he thinks." Killian glared angrily at Keegan, showing no remorse for his arrogant attitude. "This isn't a battle, it's a massacre."

Shuji sank to his knees, glaring ahead at his opponent. His eyes were shrunk as he couldn't believe his luck. Losing twice in a row, and flawlessly. He couldn't feel more crushed than he has now.

"If you're through trying to be so tough, I'd like to get on with the next round. Sorry pal, but you're just not worth my time. I mean just look at you. You're barely hanging on as you are. It's nothing personal, but you just never had what it takes to beat me and my attribute changing, but this is just run of the mill stuff. What I'm really into is that other guy and what his Moskeeto is made of, now that's a real challenge, don't you think?"

"Hey, you're crossing lines!" Fly Beetle retorted. "You need to quiet down or-!" A loud force rattled him back into a ball. The sudden shock made him feel stiff when he recognized that unsound grunt of frustration.

BOOM!

Again, he heard it. He turned around, seeing a gloved fist with a stalemate in the golden platform. "Huh…?" when he looked up, he saw that his partner was on his one knee, a look of sheer angst and humility on his face. He looked so frustrated that he was about to cry.

"Damnit…Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Shuji punched the ground furiously with the right arm. "This guy…this can't be happening. And what's worse is that I can't even fight back as I am now…I don't have the right plans, or even the right attribute to shut him down! GNGH!" He punched harder than before.

Killian watched what was supposed to be his intruder struggling with himself. Seeing him breakdown before Keegan was just sick to his core. He knew Maximus would hold nothing against showing a smirk, but this was just hard for him to watch. He actually felt sorry for Shuji.

"I can't believe it…if I had just more abilities…if-if I had the right Bakugan…"

"Shuji…"

"Then I wouldn't be like this! I'd be keeping up, but now look!"

"Shuji!"

"WHY! CAN'T! I! DO! ANYTHING! RIGHT!" He burst out as he smashed his fist into the platform. He hunched over and gritted his teeth in the boiling blast going inside his mind. Ever since he learned to play Bakugan, he was always two steps behind, even against his younger sister, Nene, and she played Bakugan like a pro. Back before the whole Naga incident, he was so warped in winning that he used different attributes due to one being defective if they didn't win. He did it over and over, and he didn't know when to quit, even after Bakugan Interspace's shutdown. He was still losing because his attributed strategies holding hold up, even with Subterra, Darkus, and Haos…he just couldn't make up his mind. He didn't stand with one strategy and follow through. And yet this guy he was facing was brawling circles around him and he was using the same style he used.

His body shuddered, his frustration dimming to displeasure, and then to grief. "I don't think…that I can…"

WHAM!"

Fly Beetle's ball form slammed into Shuji's forehead, causing him to fall back and land on his behind. "Ow!" He leaned back, rubbing his forehead to soften the pain he felt. "Owww…" he looked ahead, seeing who the culprit was. "Huh…?"

Fly Beetle was still closed, but he turned towards him with a certain vibe coming off him. "Shuji…pick me up."

"Er-what?"

"Pick me up." He repeated. "I want to see your face."

Though he questioned what the Bakugan wanted or why he wanted to look at him, Shuji was too lost to even know or care anymore. He scooped Fly Beetle in his palms, and that's when the bug popped open and looked up at his distant partner.

"Shuji…I'm sorry." He started. "I'm sorry that I didn't turn out the way you wanted me to be. I'm not this big, scary Bakugan who can win battles, and I most certainly am not the strongest one out there. I'm no less of a fighter as I am a grazer. I'm just…weak."

Shuji lowered his head, his fates only grimacing.

"Yeah, I said it. I'm weak, but only because I didn't try to think I could just be this powerful Bakugan who could save worlds that were salvaged like those 6 warrior Bakugan. We've been peaceful, and maybe that's why we don't try. Maybe it's stupid of me to think, but maybe it's a sign."

"A…sign?"

"Yeah, maybe ." He lowered and raised his horn like a lever. "Look, I'm not sure why you choose many Bakugan types to battle, or why you care so much about abilities and strategies…but it isn't the attribute that's wrong. It's yours." Shuji gasped at his words. "You can deny it, and I wish I could, but the truth is that you don't hold faith in one attribute. You just want to win, don't you?" He watched as Shuji once again lowered his head in shame.

"…well…y-yeah…"

"Well I want to win this, too. No, I need to win this. You need to win this battle."

"Then what the heck am I supposed to do to beat this guy?!" Shuji snapped.

"Just believe."

Shuji fell completely silent.

"Believe in yourself. Believe in the attribute that I have. Believe in the abilities that you can use. But more importantly, Shuji, we need to believe in each other. And I believe that you can let go of this selfish habit of thinking of these stupid types, and just consider me more than just a toy you can throw in. I have a heart, too, Shuji, and like yours, it beats. It gets faster when I can feel you give me strength, and it slows when I feel you distant yourself into despair."

"…r-really…?"

The Subterra Bakugan turned to look at Keegan. "A Bakugan gets power through battle, but I don't you know where we living Bakugan really get our power from, do you? Ever since I met you, I was wondering why I was battling harder, and I think I know now. It's because when you try, I try, and that's my motivation right there. That kid over there, he's just blabbing on about power and types, when he doesn't put his heart nor faith in his Elico." He turned to look at Shuji again. "So I think…no, I believe…that we can win this, but only if you rely on me, as I will rely on you."

Shuji started to think deeply of what Fly Beetle had just said. Sure it sounded crazy, but maybe he didn't throw Fly Beetle away for a reason. Maybe it was time for him to see what made a real brawler, just like the great Dan Kuso and Drago. He always wondered what made them so powerful, but he just didn't know how. Maybe now, he may have discovered the answer.

To Fly Beetle's shock, he watched Shuji close his eyes and bowed his head to the insect. "…I'm sorry." He apologized.

Fly Beetle seemed surprised. "You're sorry?"

"Just listen!" Shuji snapped. "Look…you're wrong. I'm the one who should be apologizing. Not you. You may not be the strongest…but I think I get why now…at least I think so…" Fly Beetle tilted in his ball form at Shuji's words. "You were right. I was in the wrong, and I admit it…I'm not as good as Dan or any of the brawlers. I just wanna win, but I guess I wasn't relying on you as I was in my strategy. I get that your power level is low…" he forced a smile. "But…I think I'll make this work for me."

"Shuji…?"

"Yeah, I think I deserve this. This is my lesson to learn, and I think now I know just who to rely on. So, what do you say?"

Hearing this, Fly Beetle was feeling more than passive. In fact, this was the most shocked he felt in his entire life. "…well I say this: Stand your ground!"

"Yeah!" Shuji stood up.

"We Subterra Bakugan hold our ground and prove our strengths! Now, let's prove our strength to this guy, what do you say?"

Shuji pumped a fist and smiled. "You read my mind!"

Over on the other side of the battlefield, Keegan was giving a tired look as he watched Shuji be sad at one moment, and then so happy the next. It was disturbing, as well as annoying. "Geez, what's with that fatty being so gung-ho right now? Can we just get to you being crushed already? I'm really anxious in beating that other guy."

Shuji gave a serious look towards his Bakugan. "Alright, let's do some damage. I've got an idea now, are you in?"

"Sure am." Fly Beetle said. He closed in his ball form for Shuji to clutch and hold.

"Okay, let's throw him off his game then! Gate Card, set!" he threw his Gate Card out on the field. "Bakugan, brawl!" Fly Beetle arose into battle once more, giving a loud roar as he arose into the air.

"Finally! I thought you'd be too wimpy to go on." Keegan admitted. "Alright, let's wrap this up! Bakugan, brawl! Mystic Elico, stand!" Once more, Mystic Elico arose into battle.

Mystic Elico: 450 Fly Beetle: 350

A smirk crossed Shuji's lips. "Hate to break it to ya, punk, but if you wanna get to that guy, you're gonna have to beat us first, right Fly Beetle?"

"Right!"

Killian did a "pffft" as he shrugged. "Tough talk already? Well too bad, you're boring me."

"Oh yeah? Well let's see you stop us?"

Keegan's brow raised. Suffice to say he felt challenged. "Oh really? Then you'll get what you asked for! Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!" His Elico summoned another dice, which spun profusely until he grabbed hold of it. This time, a light enveloped Mystic Elico, turning him into Haos. His body was primarily white now, with gray armor and skin alike. The accents were all yellow, and the blades on his back have turned gray.

With a serious look on his face, Shuji raised his wrist. "Okay, let's get to work." At his call, he heard the buzzing from Fly Beetle enhance. "Ability, activate! Horn Buster!"

Fly Beetle generated a crackling brown energy at the end of his horn, where he leaned back and forward. He unleashed a streaky blast as before that went for Elico. His power level went up to 550.

"Hmph! I'm gonna break your confidence like I'm gonna break that long nose on that beetle!" Keegan exclaimed. "Ability, activate! Lightning Slasher!"

Elico crossed both arms and watched the attack close in. When it drew close enough, the massive six claws glowed bright yellow and elongated. He grunted as he sliced in an X-shaped formation, yellow trails glistening into fading existence. Moments later, the brown blast sliced apart, dissipating to thin air.

Mystic Elico: 450 (+200) = 650 Fly Beetle: 550 (-200) = 350

Shuji looked up to his partner. "Fly Beetle!"

"I'm okay! Let's keep at him!" he shouted.

Shuji nodded, looking back down with a boastful smirk. "Alright, you're on."

"Ability, activate! Lightning Tornado!" A white tornado with yellow streaks flowing through it began to surround Elico. The Bakugan took a big leap forward and went diving for the insectoid.

Mystic Elico: 650 (+100) = 750 Fly Beetle: 350 (-100) = 250

The tornado of crackling lightning surged at Fly Beetle, but the humungous beetle did what he was feeling inside his partner: his intentions. He could feel Shuji telling him to get out of the way, even if he wasn't saying it out loud. With heightened sensibility, the Subterra Bakugan waited until the last second. A bold move, but he ascended in a small burst of speed, barely dodging the electrical spiral.

"Yeah!" Shuji cheered. "Now we're talking!"

Fly Beetle descended down on the ground. With the appendages holding up on the floor, he looked ready to strike.

"Let's try amping up the ante…" Shuji raised his Bakumeter with a smirk. "Let's go! Double ability, activate! Sonic Wing, and Fusion Ability, Terra Surge!"

Killian's eyes widened. 'A Fusion Ability?'

Fly Beetle's whole body was outlined in an orange glow. The glow even extended to the wings, where they began to flap profusely. Along with the orange-brown crescents, many small comets of the same color expelled. They traveled over the earth, causing it the crack apart beneath and dust to split into a trail. The crescents and comets converged in front of the still tornado, where they burst upon impact. After several seconds of bombardment, the lightning dissipated, revealing Elico losing balance in midair.

"What?!" Keegan gasped.

Mystic Elico: 750 (-200 -200) = 350 Fly Beetle: 250 (+200) = 450

Elico landed on a knee, but when he went to stand, he was met with a horn and a roaring Fly Beetle. The Subterra Bakugan hollered out as he flew straight into Elico's midriff, sending a shock through the Bakugan.

"The heck? Is he actually fighting back?" Keegan questioned in disbelief.

Fly Beetle jumped on Elico, digging his claws into the Bakugan. His wings flapped, and he carried himself skywards, attempting to drag Elico off the ground by a few meters. "Sorry, but we have a job to do!" he exclaimed. "And your attitude has gone too far, now you're gonna…PAY!" With his momentum at a peak, Fly Beetle folded in his wings, dropping like an actual fly with Elico. Elico fell onto his back with great force, causing the stadium to shudder. Keegan watched with a shocked look as he watched the dust clear, and Fly Beetle arose on top of Elico and flew backwards onto the battlefield.

The Haos Bakugan grunted as it attempted to sit up on the crushed rock that came from his body slam.

"You still wanna go?" Shuji questioned, further agitating Keegan.

The disgruntled expression plastered on him didn't waver. "Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!"

Mystic Elico stood up once more and created the spinning dice. He reached out once more, his attribute symbol picked being Ventus. Once more, a brief green whirlwind surrounded him, and he morphed into Ventus Mystic Elico.

"Ability, activate! Ventus Diffuse!" Mystic Elico went spiraling into Fly Beetle with a green cyclone jetting spinning his spin. As he drew closer, Fly Beetle's power level went from 450 to 250.

Shuji held up his Bakumeter again. "Time to get on with the plan. Ability, activate! Cast-Iron Carapace!"

Fly Beetle's entire body went completely stiff, his eyes glowing weakly as an orange-brown filament began to erode over his body. The metallic substance soon encompassed him in a hard, case-like armor, which shimmered like crystal.

Mystic Elico went right into the hard substance, but to its and Keegan's shock, the Ventus Bakugan bounced right off, the winds he generated diffusing themselves.

"Say what?!"

Mystic Elico: 350 Fly Beetle: 250 (+200) = 450

"Cast-Iron Carapace is another one of Fly Beetle's abilities. It allows him to amp up his power level, and not only that, but also completely shut down and protect him from Gate Card and ability effects! That makes him completely untouchable!" the announcer cheered. "Is this Shuji's big break after all?!"

Keegan's initial shock was soon wavering to a raised brow. "Oh yeah? Well you can't stay inside there forever. Elico's claws are gonna rip right through that hide."

As if on cue, Mystic Elico raised one of his gauntlet claws.

The smirk on Shuji returned. "Who said we were fighting back, when we can use our defense as our offense?"

"…what?" Keegan blinked.

Shuji reached out towards the field. "Gate Card, open! Active Ghost!"

The field revealed itself in a bright glow, and Keegan's eyes widened in a gasp. Before him, Mystic Elico was swallowed in a large explosion that swallowed up the whole arena. The shaking and bright flash enveloped everything, even Fly Beetle. However, he didn't budge on bit as the flames and shockwaves did nothing more than breeze pass his defenses.

Elico returned to ball form and plopped to Keegan's feet, his eyes cascaded sown in shock as his life gauge dropped to 80%.

Shuji caught Fly Beetle as he returned to him. "Haha! Knew that would work."

Fly Beetle opened up in his palm. "Well done. We caught him off guard there. Good thinking using that ability."

Shuji beamed with pride. "Yeah, well, I'm just glad your defense came in handy." He looked away sheepishly. "Though I wouldn't have done it without you telling me…" he whispered.

"What?" Fly Beetle asked, catching a hint of what he said.

"Nothing. Let's just keep using our strengths we have and turn this battle around!"

Keegan reached down and picked up Mystic Elico. By the looks of things, he was a little hindered by the drop in his life gauge. It's been some time since he was caught off guard. He gave Shuji an angry glare as he pulled out a Gate Card. "Alright, fatty, you're just annoying me now! Gate Card, set!" H ether the Gate Card out, which faded into a blue ripple.

"Bakugan, brawl!" Both Shuji and Keegan threw their Bakugan out, standing once more.

Mystic Elico: 450 Fly Beetle: 350

"Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!" Once again, the dice spun in front of Mystic Elico, where he eventually grabbed it and was enveloped in a dark energy. The energy encompassed him for a moment, until in a flash, he was seen with Black armor over a purple body, with a darker purple on some armor, added in with silver blades on the wings.

Shuji's eyes narrowed. "So it's Darkus."

"Ability, activate! Darkus Beagilita!" Mystic Elico's red eyes shimmered a powerful purple and jumped into the air. "Get rid of them already!" Keegan roared impatiently towards his Bakugan. The Mystic Elico raised his arms overhead, where a purple light began to glisten and swirl into a hemisphere. With a black orb about his size, Elico threw it down at Fly Beetle.

The Bakugan was seen standing still as a purple light reflected off his body.

"Ability, activate!" Shuji countered. "Subterra Seeker!" Fly Beetle's wings lifted up, the brown accents on them beginning to glow molten lava-like. The sphere came down onto the insectoid, bit it was caught by the outer wings instead of explode.

"What?!" Keegan gasped.

Shuji pointed a finger at Elico. "Alright, you know what to do!"

"This'll hurt me more than it will you! HRAH!" Fly Beetle's wings nudged forward, sending the black hemisphere soaring upwards at Elico. The Bakugan was enveloped in a large explosion that erupted into smoke, the sight of which left the audience completely baffled.

Keegan watched with a gaping expression as he watched Elico fall out of the smoke cloud onto his back, thudding hard.

Mystic Elico: 450 (-300) = 150 Fly Beetle: 350 (+100) = 450

Shuji tightened a fist with a smile. "How do you like the power of Subterra? Not so tough now, are ya?"

Keegan's eyes narrowed in deep disgust. He wasn't believing his luck. He couldn't. Here he was, about to beat this fat wannabe out of nowhere, but here he was fighting back, and it was actually grating his nerves. "How is this guy getting that much better all of a sudden?"

Elico staggered back up, ready to go again.

"Gate Card, open! Darkus Reactor!" The Gate Card belonging to Keegan opened, and the field was enveloped in rippling black darkness that swallowed up everything beneath Elico and Fly Beetle.

Mystic Elico: 150 (+200) = 350 Fly Beetle: 450

"Crap! How about this then! Ability, activate! Spice Slayer!" He yelled so hurriedly, like his desperation was getting the better of him. It was clear now that the pressure was being put on him, but he gave no damn. Elico's body exerted several black and purple mist-like streams that went at Fly Beetle, swallowing him in the same energy that was draining his power.

Mystic Elico: 350 (+100) = 450 Fly Beetle: 450 (-100) = 350

"NOW! Get him NOW!" Keegan cried out in a panic, and Elico went racing across the battlefield towards the insectoid.

Readying himself, Fly Beetle stayed calm within the black mist. His eyes were seeing Elico's body's heat energy, which wasn't going to be so lucky for the opponent.

"You're not blindsiding me and Fly Beetle, not while I can still see." Shuji said. "Straight ahead! Ability, activate! Horn Buster!"

Elico closed in and brought a claw back, but when the gap was closed, a blast of streaky brown energy tore a hole open through the Spice Slayer. For a brief moment, Keegan felt time slow down as the attack drew in, his horror reaching new levels. Elico was blasted straight in the chest by the attack, which surprisingly had more flare to it than before. The force was so strong was Elico was seen falling on its back again.

Mystic Elico: 450 Fly Beetle: 350 (+200) = 550

"Oh come on!" Keegan whined. "What was that?!"

Shuji chuckled beneath his voice. "Like we said, we're back in this game, and we're in it to win it!" Alongside him, Fly Beetle raised his horn and hissed.

"Uh, 'we'? The hell is this? What are you saying now, fatso? It's just you! If you're talking about your Bakugan, that's just stupid. They're just pets that can battle and change their attributes! And now I'll show you again, with this!" Keegan held up his Bakumeter. "Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!"

The dice appeared once more, which Elico grabbed hold of and a blue cyclone enveloped him. When the vortex faded, it revealed him back to being Aquos.

"Yeah! Just like that! My power's more than that overgrown bug, just you watch!"

Shuji, however, sneered.

"What is it?" Keegan looked down at his Bakumeter, his eyes widening when he saw his Bakugan's power level suddenly drop.

Mystic Elico: 450 (-200) = 250 Fly Beetle: 550

"What the hell?!" he roared.

"Maybe you've forgotten, but your Gate Card only works for Darkus Bakugan, doesn't it?" Shuji reminded him. "Looks like your little attribute changing strategy isn't so great after all."

"Now look who's running their mouths now. If you're trying to psyche me out, let me tell you this: You're still nothing more than a weakling, and weaklings stay as weaklings! Double ability, activate! Blue Aria, plus Waterlog!"

Mystic Elico: 250 (+200) = 450 Fly Beetle: 550 (-100) = 450

Elico morphed a compressed sphere of water between both claws and thrust his arm out. The attack zoomed in on Fly Beetle as he stuck his horn out like a battering ram. The sphere exploded in front, creating a powerful spray was caused him to get shoved back several feet, engraving claw marks in the battlefield. As he recoiled, his body had turned blue once more, with the tusks and horn spikes turning silver.

"You good?" Shuji called out.

Fly Beetle nodded. "Don't worry, we still have more tricks up our sleeves."

Getting the inclination, Shuji grinned again.

Keegan glared daggers. "What are you so glad about? I just shut down your abilities now that you're Aquos. What could you possibly have now that can prove anything but your pathetic façade!"

Shuji showed another ability. "Maybe you've forgotten, but you may have shut down my Subterra powers, but we still got Fly Beetle's unique abilities for its species."

Keegan's eyes widened. "The hell?!"

"Ability, activate! Infestation Stigma!" Fly Beetle's wings opened once more to release several small orange comets with tails that followed them. They all buzzed and swarmed around Elico as he tried to sway away, but they surrounded and grabbed onto him. The Bakugan grunted as its body was itching and shaking about like it had a rash. Its power level had thus dropped to 250.

"That won't work on me, you moron!" Keegan argued. "Ability, activate…" he waited for the ability to show, but nothing came out of the Bakumeter. "What?!"

"Guess no one told you, jerk. Infestation Stigma shuts down your opponent's abilities, as well as subtract 200 Gs." Shuji explained.

"CRAP!"

"Now, hit him where it hurts!" Shuji reached his arm out and Fly Beetle followed his command. The Bakugan took off in a speedy dash at a low altitude into the scratching and itching Elico. Before Elico could realize the predicament, it was jabbed hard by a harsh horn. The impact was dead on the forehead, sending him flying in midair. When he reached out far enough, he morphed back into a ball and fell at Keegan's feet.

Keegan: 40%

"N-no! This isn't right!" Keegan staggered.

Shuji caught his Fly Beetle with a frown. "Yeah, welcome to my world."

Keegan was holding Elico tightly in anger. "You stupid…freaking…." He seared deep glares into Shuji's eyes, the harsh glare serving to make the Subterra battler lean away as he saw the pure unadulterated frustration and anger searing from him. "How the hell did you get that strong?! Your Bakugan is just weak! And yet you did that?! Tell me! Just what did you do?!"

Shuji gave Keegan his own deep frown. "Hate to break it to ya, pal, but it ain't just Fly Beetle who got a lesson…I did."

"What are you blabbing about now?"

"Maybe you should hear yourself talk, because all I hear is garbage. Maybe I was a little easy before, and I take blame for that, not my Bakugan. Look, I'm still trying to get used to this whole…bonding thing…but this battle proved it. I actually can stick with one attribute, and I can kick your butt if I have Fly Beetle to back me up." He reached out towards him, holding the closed Fly Beetle in his possession. "So get ready, because we're gonna show ya how it's done!"

'Not the Bakugan…but the…battler…?' Keegan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was actually being lectured by someone who was lower and weaker than him; not only that, but after all the battling he went through to reach his reputation, he was very much proud of it. He wasn't going to let some now-it-all steal his thunder, not while he was still kicking that is. Failure was not an option. Not too him. His teeth gritted as his anger boiled out. Many could've sworn that the glare he had turned to that of a devil's own anger. "WHAT A LOAD OF BULL!" he snapped.

Shuji flinched at his retort.

"What's this talk about stupid feelings and all this load of crap! If you ask me, I'm just taking advice from someone who doesn't know anything about Bakugan battling! It's about the power the Bakugan has, the more powerful it is, the better the chances are at winning, and I never lose!" he was exclaiming with so much rage that his left eye was twitching. "You're not sounding like a realist! You're speaking like a silly kid who believes in fairies! Bakugan aren't like your pals! They don't even speak! They're pets who can clean up messes that nobody needs and fight! It doesn't matter what emotions they have because in the end, they're only meant for victory! And nothing like these 'believing' in one another can really change that! Grow up!" As he finished, he was panting and having spit on either side of his mouth. He was venting out tremendously, but apparently not enough for Shuji's liking.

The Subterra battler was wide-eyed at his opponent snapping, but no words formed. But it wasn't like there was anything needed to be said anyway. Even Killian was glaring hard at Keegan for such words. When he looked down at his Moskeeto, he looked over the black coloring and turned him around. He looked back at the battle with a deeper leer fixed on both fighters.

"It's all about power, and that stupid bug that you have is nothing, because it's just a bug! That's all! A stupid bug, just like the rest! My Bakugan is special, which is why it'll never lose to a stand-in like you! Now play your card! NOW!"

Shuji glared deep holes into his opponent for all the words spilled out just now. It was so much to take in, but for him, it was more personal than he could've imagined. When he looked at him, he could've sworn he saw a figment of a little girl with tainted range hair and purple eyes. She was smaller, but her voice and words always left him sore. It left him with no room to think for himself. But now, this was his chance to prove that he could think for himself, to prove that he was solid, and found what suited him best.

He looked down at Fly Beetle. "This guy's off his rocker. You think we can pull this off?"

"Whatever you think, I'm ready and able." Fly Beetle said.

Shuji nodded. "Okay then…what do you say we show this joker who's speaking nonsense then?"

"I'm right behind you!"

"Yeah!" Shuji pulled out his Gate Card. "This one's for Maggie! Gate Card, set!" the card went out to the battlefield, fading into brown.

"Bakugan, brawl!" both Elico and Fly Beetle went out one last time.

Mystic Elico: 450 Fly Beetle: 350

Shuji started off fast. "Ability, activate! Tusk Arrow!" Fly Beetle had his limbs planted and fired two brown beams from his tusks.

"Can the crap and just lose already! Ability, activate! Hui Fountain!" Mystic Elico's body expelled a spout of water that acted like a veil around him, flooding the ground around him as well. Fly Beetle's attack was completely absorbed by the water and nullified.

Keegan held up his Bakumeter angrily. "How's about I show you how better attributes are when you change them instead of just one! Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!"

A dice appeared once more, and Elico reached for it, this time glowing a bright light that transformed him back into Haos.

"Now double ability, activate! Lightning Slasher, plus Lightning Tornado!"

Mystic Elico: 450 (+200 +100) = 750 Fly Beetle: 350 (-200 -100) = 50

Elico's gauntlet claws swiped to either side, where they grew light sabers again. He then brought them up and began to corkscrew, gathering white and yellow electricity that acted like a cyclone beneath his sabers.

"Fly Beetle, stand your ground!" Shuji urged.

Gripping the ground beneath, Fly Beetle fastened. "Don't worry, I will!"

Elico arched into the air and went at Fly Beetle in a spiraling yellow flash. The taller Bakugan spun on in and passed the insect, enveloping him in a heinous cyclone of lightning. Fly Beetle hissed loudly as his body felt pain in all the wrong places, and if he was honest, he wasn't hanging on well.

"Fly Beetle!"

Shuji's shout got to the Bakugan. His renewed sense of faith his dopey partner gave him a firmer hold on the earth as he toughed out every static that brushed alongside him. It hurt, but he refused to give up. With him holding out a little longer, the tornado eventually dissipated, revealing Fly Beetle with several marks and scrapes on his body, but still standing.

"FOR REAL?!"

Shuji pumped a fist. "Yeah!"

The audience cheered loudly for the battle that rampaging, even the ecstatic announcer was twitching up a storm that words were barely forming.

"Ah…ah…j-just crazy! CRAZY! Shuji is fighting back and putting the reigning champ at his knees here! I've never seen Keegan so riled up before, ladies and gentlemen! This is coming to one crazy match with the underdog going at it against the profuse champion! Just who is going to win this now is anyone's guess!"

"Wooooh!"

"This battle is awesome!"

"Go, Fly Beetle!"

"Beat that punk's Bakugan!"

The audience cheered in hopes rising for the even match. Even Killian had arms folded and staring with a focused expression.

Hearing the sounds of the public, Shuji balled a fist. "You hear that? Time to finish what we started."

Keegan's patience was gone. He was full-on going nuts as he glared heinously, almost psychotically. "I'm not losing to a weakling! Ability, activate! Mystic Dice!"

Once more, upon landing in front of his master, Elico created the dice that spun rapidly. It was grabbed hold of and glowed brown. A magma-like layer appeared over him, and cracked moments later to reveal his Subterra form.

Seeing this, Shuji anchored himself, while Fly Beetle mimicked.

"Put that weakling in his place! Ability, activate! Plate Tomb!"

Elico raised his claw once more, yelling out as it plunged the massive weapon into the ground. A crack appeared and trailed towards Fly Beetle, opening up to make a trench.

Shuji's eyes narrowed. "Finally…now! Gate Card, open! Chain Link Force!"

The Gate Card opened, and the trench cracked and continued towards Fly Beetle. However, just when it was moments away from reaching him, the dust and dirt starting to rise began to distort, and the dust and rock spouting upwards instead went back to Elico. The Bakugan still had its claw embedded in the earth when the trench suddenly opened up beneath it instead, and dust and rock spouted up on him. It was suddenly vacuumed inward, dragging Elico down and having four rocks surround him in a tent-wall formation.

Keegan couldn't believe what was happening. His Bakugan was completely helpless and unable to move. "Oh crud!"

"I-Incredible! Shuji's command card was Chain Link Force! This is a very helpful Gate Card as it bounces back the opponent's Bakugan's abilities. In this case, now Elico's the one who can't activate abilities!"

Shuji saw the stiffened Elico with a smirk. "Alright, just what the doctor ordered."

Elico was trying to move, but the plates that held him up were unwilling to move. "No…this can't…" Keegan couldn't even fathom what was happening.

"Let's hit him with everything we got, Fly Beetle, you with me?" Shuji asked.

"Evermore!" he nodded.

Keegan stepped back in growing fright. "No…but, my Bakugan's far superior…there's no way-!"

"Alright, let's roll!" Shuji held up his Bakumeter, where several abilities were shown. "Ready? Because this is gonna get crazy! Triple ability, activate!"

Keegan's pupil's shrunk. "Triple?!"

Killian's eyes widened.

The cards all glowed in rapid succession. "Horn Buster, plus Tusk Arrow! And Fusion Ability, Terra Surge!"

Fly Beetle was ready to take this big step, whether it was bold or not, it was a lot of power he was going to release, but he refused to call quits, not while his partner was showing his true faith now. As he started to gather power, his tusks and the end of his horn began to glow bright orange. 'I can do this…I can do this…' The orange aura around him was glistening brightly, his power starting to rise up. He was feeling a lot of strain, but he held on as the flow was incredulous.

Shuji pointed a finger up towards the sky and brought it down slowly at Elico. "Alright…" his eyes narrowed. "Let's show them who's to buzz off! Now!"

Fly Beetle's red eyes flashed and yelled out. A massive brown energy blast was shot from his tusks and horn, immediately converging into a large beam that had spiraling orange energy around it. The helix and beam following went across the ground and ripped the ground into a trail of dirt the paved towards Elico.

Mystic Elico: 750 (-100 -200) = 450 Fly Beetle: 50 (+200 +200 +200) = 650

Keegan screamed in both disbelief and terror as the attack swallowed up his Elico in a brown explosion. The shockwaves erupted smoke and dust like it was a volcano, and the energy waves bellowed so much that he fell onto his bottom with a thud. He stared in deep, deep disbelief and fixation, flabbergasted as Mystic Elico came out in ball form and plopped right in front of him.

Keegan: 0%

"It's all over! Ladies and gentlemen, at last, at very long last…Keegan has finally been eliminated!" the announcer was so ecstatic that everyone was following his head in the heinous cheers and praise.

Fly Beetle raised his head and horn, roaring out in victory. He returned to a brown sphere and zipped back to Shuji's hand. "YEAH~!" Shuji raised the fist with Fly Beetle in it into the sky, a wide smile on his face. "Now that's how it's done!"

The audience was completely mind blown, but what bewildered them most was how awesome the battle was. It wasn't common for Keegan to have been put on the defensive as such, but what tripped them over was how he was beaten by someone who was able to use his attributes to his advantage. And with a Fly Beetle no doubt.

Keegan was despairing from how his Bakugan had lost, for the first time fair and square. He was played like a fool, and all he did was look down at the ground sullenly as Shuji cheered back to the crowd with waving arms, with Fly Beetle on his shoulders.

Watching his opponent cheer that he was going onto the finals, Killian couldn't help but smirk. Even he was speechless as he was standing straight up and over the balcony ledge. As he looked at Shuji, he could feel a sense of adrenaline rush through him.

"Looks like I was wrong…this is going to be fun after all."

---

Luke sprinted down the hall with Esther right beside him. Both could feel their skins tingling, and that meant the good news of what was bad news to them. They knew what lied ahead was something they weren't going to like, but that didn't mean they were chicken. "I feel something weird crawling up me neck again. Is that you back there?!" Luke turned over his shoulder, seeing his Bakugan hot on his tail and floating.

"It's this thing you called 'hair' that's tickling your neck." Abis Omega said, further annoying Luke.

"Hey, my hair's got nothing to do with this!"

"Luke, pay attention!" Esther reprimanded. "I think I can feel the energy draw closer. We should be getting near the chamber."

"I feel the energy as well." Atchibee said. "We're right on top of it."

Luke's green eyes glared daggers forward. "Right! Let's go get 'em!" He took off in a greater pace down the corridor, with Esther following and their Bakugan tailing into the distance.

Meanwhile, in the chambers to come, two figures with dark crowns smirked wildly. One had a hood, but beneath, his dark eyes showed a malicious ecstasy for what was to come.

---

New high time writing record I have ever gotten done. Got this written in a total of 5 days with a grand total of over 27K! That's basically double the length that I had intended, but damn do I feel mighty proud. Although, I do apologize for the length this chapter. I had no idea this was going over 20K, but I was such on a role that I couldn't help myself. I will try to do the best to keep this around 15K per chapter on average, but knowing the power of my writing, only time will tell.

I also thought this chapter would be good for a number of reasons. First, it's to set up familiarity with Jase and Shawn against Hendrix and Ariella. It was a good job on my end, but I also used this to my advantage to give Killian a chance to show his power against Maggie. But most importantly, I though this would be the perfect chance for Shuji to get more connected with a more solid style in battling rather than declare attributes that fail him 'defective'. This was nice ground for him to tread on and consider him more in contact with his Fly Beetle. In terms of communication with their Bakugan, Luke and Shuji were tied, but don't worry, Luke will learn eventually, but for the time being, it's all about Shuji's character development.

So I basically set up the next chapter with this great big huge one. You'll be seeing 4 different battles happening at once, with Shuji VS Killian, Jase VS Hendrix, Shawn VS Ariella, and lastly Luke and Esther against the leader and co-leader of Rogue Zero.

Also, if you guys didn't look yet, I made a good evolution picture of Atmos on my art page on Deviantart, so I hope it looks cool.

Anyways, enough yammering on my end, there's been enough words said already to give headaches. I'll dial it back for next time, but review and hope you guys continue to enjoy this tail of Bakugan! :)