The morning rays on a wreckage lying in the compounds of Vestal refracted on various metal. Light shimmered and were absorbed by many of the infected Interacian Bakugan that were basking after asserting territories. What was once Vestal looked nothing like the way it did just a few days ago. And yet through this abandoned wasteland of debris and empty streets, a single string of light shot out of nowhere and flashed in an open plane. It was a bright flash that camouflaged well with the refracting light on debris, giving some nearby Bakugan the impression of a sunrise. They all ignored it surprisingly as the light dimmed. Once the light soon faded, six figures were all sprawled on the ground, with six marbles of various colors laying close by.

"Gnnngh…man, what a rush." Luke was the first to arise, clutching his aching head. "My head…"

Shawn was the next to arise. "Hey…did that actually work?"

"I think so." Maggie looked around, seeing debris everywhere. She almost mistook it for a garbage dump if it wasn't for the sights of Bakugan high in the sky. "Jelldon, are you seeing this?"

Jelldon jumped onto her shoulder in open ball form. "Yeah, I sure do."

"Then that means we've made it to Vestal." Esther deduced.

Shuji rubbed his head of hair next, groaning. "Man, for a second, I thought they screwed up." His eyes widened when he realized the situation. "Wait a minute! If we're on Vestal, then what part are we-?!" He was cut off when Jase suddenly clamped his mouth over him. "Mmmm! Mm?!" Shuji muffled at Jase.

"Keep your voices down. We're not in the clear out here." Jase told them quietly.

Everyone looked at each other and realized what he meant. Before long, a thumping sound was heard across the ground. They all began to feel a rise of energy within the atmosphere and recognized it as a threat. In a hurry, they all made way behind a debris mound, hiding split seconds before a Haos Hammersaur with tainted black coating appeared, craning its head across. Everyone remained absolutely quiet so as to keep their cover.

Jase looked to everyone as he gestured them over to the nearest alley. They all looked at each other and hurried along. Shawn was the last one to follow as he had to back towards them. He glanced left and right as they sneakily blended in with the shadows.

Unknowingly, they were all watched blending in as a black and orange insectoid-like drone fluttered nearby. Its lenses dilated in and out, focusing in on their images.

...

"That was a close one." Shawn watched another Hammersaur enter the area from the distance of the alleyway. Safe for the time being, he looked back to his teammates. "Everyone good?"

Esther nodded. "Yes. They shouldn't be able to fit through here."

Jase prodded his glasses up. "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you." He said. "Remember, Bakugan are an intelligent species. There's no telling how long exactly until our energy signatures are picked up."

"Yeah, he's got a point." Luke said. "But we can't just stay here in wait until that happens."

"Agreed."

"Then we need to find cover, and quick." Esther told them. "We need to find a way around, and fast."

Shuji folded his arms. "Yeah, but how are we going to do that? This place is gonna be like a maze with all these buildings you know."

"Maybe we can use the buildings as cover and get to a high point?" Maggie suggested.

Jase put a hand to his chin. "It's plausible. A higher altitude would give us a better indication of where we are." He was going into detail of the idea in his head, but his eyes picked up something. "Hm?"

"What?" Luke asked. He noticed that everyone was staring at him. "What are you staring at?" Getting creeped out, he turned around and saw nothing there. Confused by the act, he was starting to show irritation. "Guys…"

"Greetings, my friends."

Luke gasped. When he turned around, he was in a circle with his friends as they centered around the image of someone who had wavy blue, shoulder-length hair with green eyes. He stood tall in a long sleeve, dark brown coat with orange accents all over. He had ash gray pants and brown stocking boots with dark brown cloths at the waist. His smile was rather uncanny to look at.

"Woah!" Shuji leaped back in shock.

"Where did he come from?!" Maggie gasped.

Shawn looked just as shocked, but he glanced up and noticed something. A floating jacker bee-like creature. "Wait…" He noticed a blue reaching down, shimmering on his image.

"You can all relax. I mean you no harm." The figure stated. "My little spy just caught you in its visage, so I thought I'd see for myself."

"A spy you say?" Jase looked up, seeing the bug-like drone. "I see."

"Nifty, isn't it? I wasn't intending on making you feel uncomfortable, but we need good measures for security. Besides, now that you're here, would you like to be out of the rain for a while?"

Shuji furrowed his brow. He made his way afront and reached forward. To his surprise, his hand went through. His eyes were wide as he slowly retracted, seeing that his hand hardy anything, nor felt anything. Not even a vibrating buzz.

"A spy and projector?" Shawn realized. "Interesting…"

Luke stepped forward, looking less than appeased by this offer. "Sorry…but who're you supposed to be?"

The figure looked away as he smirked. "You'll know soon enough. If you wish to meet Master Spectra…then follow. If not, the choice is yours. Just don't expect either side to wait for an answer."

The others watched as the hologram shut off, leaving empty air as the drone bug turned and flew away through. As it widened the distance, everyone was left to process the information.

"Wait…did he just say 'Master Spectra'?" Maggie repeated.

"Yeah, I know I heard." Shuji grimaced. "You think he's…"

Shawn furrowed his brow. "I don't know. Sound like a trap to me."

"Either way, we don't have a better lead." Esther started walking and turned around. "This may be our only chance. It's best to at least see where this goes. Isn't that what you were going to do, Luke?"

Luke looked down, his brow furrowing as well. He seemed hesitant to answer. "…yeah, you're right." He answered. "This might be our only shot. But Shawn isn't wrong either. We'll just have to stay on guard until we know for sure. Right…?" he turned towards the others for their insight, specifically Jase.

The Ventus battler stepped forward. "Most certainly. Now then, if we are done being all chatty-kathy, best tend to pressing on." He started first, with everyone else looking at each other before they began to follow the little drone bug.

Corner after corner, the drone fluttered through a series of connected alleys that went on for miles. The others followed quietly and hastily; at one point was when they were almost spotted when they were forced to cross a street. If not for Shawn dragging Shuji down for cover, they'd be toast. Though somehow they found themselves crawling on end until they came to an alleyway that connected to another street.

The fluttering drone finally stop over a small slight of stairs in front of a side door of a destroyed home.

"Is this it?" Luke looked up and down, seeing the wrecked walls and windows. It looked like it was stepped on.

"Uh…it's…nice I guess." Maggie stared. Clearly she thought it wasn't the case from her tone.

"Maybe the thing's busted or they had to move, that's my guess." Shuji answered.

Esther's brow furrowed. "No, this has to be the place." She looked up towards the tracker. "Alright, so where do we go from here?"

The drone responded by slowly descending to the doorstep. They all remained spacious and weary as it began to act like a bee. Maggie shifted behind Shuji just in case. They all watched as the creature began to move into a small hole right besides the railing. The tracker disappeared into darkness, leaving silence for several seconds.

A loud click was heard, making everyone look down. They all saw the staircase before them suddenly fold its stairs into a side. With slick sheets, the entire staircase lifted. It opened upwards, allowing a view of a dark cellar with a staircase leading down towards it.

"Well, guess that answers that question." Shawn said casually.

"An underground entrance. Cliché, but effective." Jase was the first to walk in. "Remember, stay on guard." He told them. "All of you."

The innuendo felt like it was directed towards Luke. He took it without say due to situation. They all followed Jase's lead as they filed down the cellar. Once they were all in, the stairway shut on them, reverting to regular stairs again.

Down below, everyone began to follow a dark passageway that was leading to somewhere. But it was so dark that it was hard to make out where.

"Ugh, does anyone have a light on them?" Maggie asked. She looked at Jelldon. "Jelldon, you okay?"

The Pyrus Bakugan remained surprisingly calm on Maggie's shoulder. Normally, he'd be shaking out of fear of the dark, wishing for there to be some kind of bright light. But surprisingly, Jelldon hardly flinched. It's like he knew they were okay.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He answered matter-of-factly. "Why?"

Luke looked back. "Huh? Wait, did I hear that right?"

"What?" Jelldon asked. He was now getting strange looks by everyone.

"It's nothing." Atchibee answered. "It's rather…have you gotten over your fear of darkness by any chance?"

Jelldon perked on Maggie's shoulder. He remembered his training with Diablo. It was hell, but the results were more than worth it. He beamed with complacent ride. "Sure did." He chimed. "Diablo sure didn't let it easy on me, I'd tell ya."

"That so?" Shawn inquired before looking at Shuji and Fly Beetle. "So then I guess you guys were trained by Hammer Gorem, that right?"

Shuji looked at him and frowned. "Yeah, and let me tell ya, that guy's no pushover." He cracked his knuckles as he walked on. "Had to really crack up these bad boys to really give it to him."

"I bet."

Jase soon stopped ahead, the others turning quiet again as he began speaking. "Well good to hear all that. Now then…" he stepped off to the side, showing everyone what looked like a massive metal door. "I suppose that you all would be inclined to know what this is."

Luke's eyes widened. He looked at the door to see it having many security features inside of it. He calmed down. "This must be it." He said stoically.

Esther stepped forward. "Let me." Taking the gesture, she was the first to step up. Everyone stepped off to the side to allow her to step up and step in front of the door. She stood in front and had a straight back as she projected herself. "Hello. Is anyone on the other side? We've come on behalf of someone."

She stepped away to see what would happen. They all remained quiet until they heard a small click from the other side. From the side, the massive metallic door began to turn its massive knob on its own, and they all stepped further back to watch how vastly it opened. On the other end, someone introduced them.

"Glad you could make it."

They all saw him. Standing in front of them was that same person who directed them towards him. He smiled callously, one that made them all feel uncomfortably challenged by his demeanor.

"It's you!" Maggie pointed out.

"So you really were dragging us all the way out here." Shawn deduced.

The person grinned. "My apologies. I didn't realize you were so busy to think that you'd be dragged out here."

Jase prodded his glasses up. "It's quite alright. Forgive our earlier gestures. We're just tired is all." He said on a hinted sarcastic tone. "Now then, to whom do we owe the prestigious honors of meeting?"

He chuckled. "Well then…come inside and you'll see soon enough."

They all didn't have anything to lose. They looked at each other one last time as he stepped off to the side and allowed them in. When they entered, they looked around to see the porcelain ground they were treading on compared to dark stone. They saw that that small lab-like structure was remarkably well built to where windows over an observatory deck were shiny and cleaned. They walked around, seeing the many faces of some people that were being offered food by others. It was only a handful, but they looked well.

"Refugees?" Luke stammered. He passed by a few who were giving him dazed and slightly confused look.

Seeing all their helpless faces were bringing him back to his time in Thermosphere. He could still remember passing the dying folks without care and only wanted to get home. He passed by them, now acknowledging their shock and distraught. He frowned heavily, but Shawn put a hand on his shoulder, bringing back to reality and smiled at him. They both followed.

"So what's all this?" Shuji asked, looking left and right.

"We were able to get some refugees who were still out there down here." The man noted. "Don't min them. They're being handled."

Luke looked shocked. "Don't mind them?" he growled. "Wait, you can't be-!"

"Luke." Esther stopped him before he went too far. "It's okay…just look."

Luke looked around again. He was seeing officials who were trying to offer some old blankets that they slept on, but others were still unresponsive. It was hard for Luke to stomach, but he felt horrible for just leaving it like this. "I…I…" He ultimately knew the consequences. This happened because they took too long. Partially that was the case, so he had no room to complain. "…I'm sorry." He muttered quietly towards the people.

Shuji looked down as well. Seeing all these injured people was making him clutch his fists so hard he was borderline shuddering. But he knew better than to lose his cool too.

"Do you perhaps have anything in mind for where you're taking us to?" Jase asked, trying to direct the subject.

The man grinned. "Just beyond here, not much farther." He stood before a locked door with a scanning padlock. He faced it and put his hand on the scanner. A green wave went upwards, recognizing the fingerprint. He leaned in, allowing a scanner to get over his eyeball and read it next. It also gave a confirming glow, to which the door slid upwards this time. H effaced everyone once more. "Now then, I believe there are people here you might have met before."

They all stepped in, their eyes gazing across a smaller room with a lot of computers and more open space. Rather than it being a hallway, it was more compressed to a small work area. Yet in it, Ace, Baron, and Klaus were all accounted for.

Klaus turned in his work desk. "What this? New visitors?"

"Who is it now Gus?" Ace asked. "It better be-!" his eyes widened when looked and recognized the people present. "What the-?! You guys?!"

"Wait, aren't you…Ace?" Maggie pointed out. She pointed towards Baron. "And you're…Baron, right?"

Baron nearly jumped when he saw them all again. "You guys!" instantly he rushed over. "You're all okay! Man, this is a lucky break!"

Shawn nervously snickered. "Well, I wouldn't say that exactly…"

Esther stepped inside, turning towards the man. "What's going on exactly?"

"Please, remain calm." Klaus said, putting a hand up in gesture. "If I may, shall I explain, sir Gus?"

The man, revealing himself to be Gus, nodded. "Of course. Be the guest."

Klaus bowed. "With pleasure." He turned towards the others. "Listen well. You see, after the sudden attack on Vestal almost 4 days ago, there were a few of us that were still in the carnage. That handful of us were able to find one another and our Bakugan. So, with what resources we had, we managed to secure a location where we can hide from the outside."

"A scavenger hideout you say?" Jase deduced.

"That is correct. So after we got situated, we've managed to rally supplies needed, and among them, we found people along the way."

"You mean the people outside?" Maggie inquired. She looked over her shoulder at Luke, who looked just as baffled.

"Yes." Another voice said. In Klaus' palm, Sirenoid popped open. "However, this location is a secret lab. It can only fit so much in one area."

"But then where are the others?" Luke worried. "There's gotta be more, right?!"

Gus smirked. "You sure are open." He sarcastically said. "Yes, we do have other facilities. But we can't guarantee all of them."

Luke's brow furrowed. "So then…you don't know how many are still…" He was beginning to feel dejection again. He mentally cursed himself for not being there to save and count the people he could've saved. He shook his head, trying to remind himself again. 'No. What happened, happened. Now's not the time to dwell in the past. We'll just have to save whoever we can.'

Jase stepped forward. "Forgive my intrusion, but you mentioned before that you have a Master, do you not?"

Gus nodded. "Yes, I do."

The door to the outside opened. As the vaulted door opened, figures walked ahead. Their boots clanged against the ground, earning looks from people.

"If you must know, Master Spectra was the one who was able to orchestrate all of this." Gus continued. "You should be very grateful that he's allowing you in his place."

Jase nodded. "We are. We'll thank him if we ever get the chance. But for now, we need to know who's accounted for."

The figures closed in on the door. The many helpless people looked up to the figures, earning themselves some glances from them back. Some felt discomforted from the pressure they gave off as they reached for the next lab door.

"Well, it's just us for now." Baron pointed out. "You actually just missed Spectra. But he should be back soon."

"Yeah, so just sit tight okay?" Ace chided. "Otherwise we'll never hear the end of it."

Shui crossed his arms, giving a pouted look. "Well I guess we don't have much choice." His inquiry was met with the door sliding open again. Just when he was about to wait, lady luck smiled down upon him as three figures entered his shadow. "Hm?"

They all turned, looking at the figures that stepped in.

Gus smirked. "Welcome back…Master Spectra."

Luke's eyes widened. He was at a loss for words.

Standing before him, a figure smirked. "Good to be back…Gus." The figure raised his head, smirking as he revealed himself as Spectra. He wasn't alone, as what looked like Keegan was on his right, and on his left was Luka. They all looked like a strong man group. "I trust that things went well?"

Esther and Maggie gasped. They saw Keegan with surprise. "Keegan?" Maggie gasped. "That you?"

Recognizing the group, Keegan looked surprised. "What the…?! You guys?" he raised a brow, seeing all of them in one piece. "Where'd you all come from?"

Luke locked eyes with Luka. Luke was at a loss for being in front of him again. The two swordsmen were parallel as they met once again. "Luka…you're…"

Luka shot Luke a knowing glare. Unlike the earthling, he looked less than appealed with his presence. "You found a way back."

From his tone, he sounded like it was an underlying message. Luke didn't take it up as a friendly notice. "…yeah. We did."

Alto Brontes jumped onto Luka's shoulder. "Oh~, nice to see you again, Abis Omega." The Bakugan chimed innocently.

Abis Omega popped open on Luke's shoulder. "Yeah, you too." By his tone, he shared that very same tension.

An uneasy tension filled the air as Luke and Luka stared the other down. Everyone else looked around to get a feel of the atmosphere turning stale with Luka's appeal. Even their Bakugan shared their very distinct auras. The others looked wearily, until Jase chimed in. "Nice to see us getting along so well." He mused.

Spectra approached the group, cutting off Luka and Luke's awkward stares with each other. "Well, well, Gus…seems we have some visitors." He said. "You care to explain?"

Atop of Empyrean, Riaan watched as the sunrise was looming over his head. He basked in the warmth of its radiance with his Armagedoid, both remaining untouched as they were enjoying what cooling winds there were until it was time for it all to turn crispy. The oceanic dark waters themselves were a tainted black, like muck almost. It truly was almost time to go.

Before long, Maximus teleported behind him. He was on a knee before his eminence. "My apologies, lord Riaan. You called on such short notice." He said to him. "You need something?"

Riaan closed his eyes. "Yes…has Hades Pillars returned to Interacia as instructed."

Maximus nodded. "Of course. They arrived as scheduled before daybreak."

"Good. I needed them to get started on graphing and calculating all those changes the planet will be having. With the energy we've been ascertaining, we're undoubtedly expecting more technological transfers. Which means we'll need expansions and territories mapped out."

Maximus bowed his head. "Worry not, sir. I assure you, Cesar will get right on it once we finish our business here."

Riaan glanced over his shoulder. "Do keep that in mind, Maximus." He faced the sunrise again. "I'm almost done congregating the essence into Interacian sequence. After today, Vestal will no longer be of liability. Until then, be sure to send Ariella for one more measure around the area. I'd rather not be surprised at the last second."

Maximus smirked beneath the hood. "Consider it a done deal."

"Intriguing. So that's what happened." Spectra and the others were informed by the group of what their business was here. How they got back from days of training on New Vestroia, and about how they prepared until a right time. "So Riaan transferred you all to New Vestroia…what a surprise. Suppose he's more merciful than what I had predicted."

"New Vestroia? Why there?" Baron asked.

"Beats me. But what I wanna know is how they got here in the first place." Ace said.

Luka furrowed his brow. "It was the native Bakugan, weren't they?" he deduced. "You told them what happened so they made it an obligation to lend a helping hand. Is that right?"

"It'd be too crude to put it at that length." Jase insinuated. "More like they understood the resolve and were conveniently place. But enough drabble." He looked towards Keegan. "Now then, I assume that you or someone informed them of what's going on?"

Keegan waved them dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it." He grunted, pointing a thumb at Luka. "But this guy threatened to cut my head off is I didn't spill all the beans. Geez, here I thought humans were crude."

"Shut up. You're just lucky to be alive right now." Luka retorted. "We needed as much information as we can if we're going to survive this."

Shawn put a hand to his hip as he looked at Spectra. "So you're the infamous Spectra we've been told about."

Spectra grinned. "A pleasure it is to meet you." He shook hands with Shawn. "I was told of a bit about you as well. So you're the six who learned about Riaan's plans from the start huh?"

"We'd be clueless if it weren't for Luka." Maggie pointed out. "Grouchy as he is, he's the one who got us to speed." She shot a happy look at him, but Luka meekly scoffed. She sweat dropped. "Scratch that. Just plain rude."

"So I've been told." Spectra walked over towards a nearby computer and sat on the chair. He began to type in data and sequences of another part of what looked like a map of Vestal. "I was told and shown of what Luka was entailed about. To come across our old friends Brontes certainly was a generous surprise." His positive note was thwarted when he started frowning. "But…this man…this entity…he made a mockery of something that I once had all to myself." His fists clutched in annoyance. "To think that he would go as far as encrypt the blueprints to the forbidden cards that I have spent years preparing."

Gus bowed. "Forgive me for not realizing this sooner, Master Spectra. I believe at the time, we were at the beginning stages."

Luke's eyes widened upon remembering something. "That's right. Mira said something about you creating the forbidden cards, right? She told us to come find you."

"We know. We told him that part already." Ace said. "What part of 'everything' don't you get?"

Shuji stepped forward. "Hey pal, lay off. We just got here, alright?"

"What the Brawler says is right." Klaus stood up from his seat and walked closer. "Now is not the time to be pointing fingers. These people here are the reason as to how we know this formidable foe. They should be treated as assets, not hindrances." He turned towards Spectra. "Now then, I believe you were going to tell them something else, sir Spectra?"

"Why certainly." Spectra swirled in his chair and began typing in keys again. "As you can see…" He pressed a final key, in which green holographic screens projected overhead. They showed readings very similar to what everyone saw when Jase graphed the charts back on Earth. "Not only has he been managing to sync to our planet's life force, but it also appears that he's been slowly taking all that energy in, and absorbing Vestal's essence."

Luke's eyes widened. "Just like on Earth."

"Precisely." Jase said. "And we've all seen the growing collateral damage on New Vestroia during our little reprieve. Seems Riaan's methods are growing faster if those readings are the same as Earth's."

"So that means Riaan's also evolving in power." Esther concluded. "He's able to leech from one source and transfer it to Interacia, but the DNA is fixed…that includes locations and buildings as well."

Shawn's brow furrowed as he looked conspicuously at one subject. "There is something else."

"What?" Maggie asked.

"This is just a hunch, but…" he shot a look at Gus and Spectra. "By any chance, does Vestal also carry Mechanical Trap Bakugan?" Everyone's eyes widened at the revelation, well all except Jase naturally.

"Why, yes. We had done that at one point." Gus pointed out. "And we've learned that they were able to replicate the blueprints for those as well." He frowned in shame. "Another callous mistake on our part."

"It's not your fault, Gus. We were just short-sided is all." Spectra informed. "But, aside from them copying and making a mockery of my creations…" Spectra didn't sound too pleased as he was typing into his computer again, making another projection of blueprints of something that looked like mechanical weapons. "As painful as it is to admit, given Riaan's abilities, I have a feeling he's after this as well."

Luke raised a brow. "What's that?"

Shuji squinted. He couldn't help but feel as though he saw that from somewhere. "Wait hold on, doesn't that look like something that jackwad used back in the B.I.F or something?"

Jase frowned. From the very looks of it, he knew what was happening. "Battle Gear."

"Correct." Spectra said. "You see, I came across this data when it was still described as something we labeled 'Phantom Data'. With it, I was able to construct a Battle Gear for Helios at one point. Although, from the looks of it, it seems even he is looking to take that as well."

"Odds are that it's already too late anyway." Luka scoffed. "As long as there's even one piece of technology sitting on this planet, Riaan will copy everything and know all about it. There's no hiding from that monster."

"That's funny you say that, considering hiding is what you're doing already." Maggie said nonchalantly. "…hey, wait a minute. If that's true, then how come you guys are still here? I mean, wouldn't he have known by now?"

Luka leered at her. "I've studied Riaan's behavior for years. He's crude, but he's not stupid. He already knows we're hiding out somewhere…he's just trying to keep us from getting anywhere near his precious tower."

"The tower?" Esther inquired.

Spectra showed another image. On it revealed a massive tower in the middle of a basin far out from the isle. Around it they all saw more Bakugan that were dark, swimming and flying around the tower's perimeter. "Luka, I do believe you its name, do you not?"

"Yeah, I do." He answered. "It's called Empyrean. It's an enhanced core that's the latest design that helps Riaan speed along his process. You would know all too well what I'm talking about, wouldn't you?" he looked at Luke specifically.

Luke knew what he was talking about. He knew all too well of his experience of what a core is. Rather than ball his fists or look down in shame, he firmly nodded. "I know…and you're saying the core is somewhere inside."

"We believe that the core is in fact at the base of the settlement." Klaus said. "We've attempted to reach it the other day, but as you can see, it didn't work out so well."

"What happened?" Esther inquired.

"We were gonna get close." Ace explained. "We thought that if we sneak our way at him, we'd have a shot. But we were blindsided because those creeps." He grunted in annoyance. "Should've known they'd have forbidden cards too."

"I did tell you that." Luka reminded. "You were just too stupid to listen. I gave you all specifics of each of Rogue Zero and you still went ahead. You only got out because I was there to pull you away."

Ace grunted as he stood up. "Oh yeah, well-!"

A hand touched his shoulder. "Let it go, Ace." Baron said.

Ace looked back at him to see that he showed displeasure as well, but it was the truth. He was stubborn, but one look from Luka made him relent. Though him turning away in shame did little for his ego.

"So as I was saying. While they went for the attack, Gus and I have been taking careful surveillance." Spectra deduced. "However, from our scouting, we've managed to pick up on a couple of other things. Gus, if you would?"

"With pleasure." Gus stepped forward. He held out a Bakumeter as he pressed a button, summoning a grand holographic projection of the layout. "My little drone workers managed to spread out enough to show us precisely these layouts. We've seen even the top of Empyrean." One drone picture recorded showed a close-up enhanced image. It looked exactly like Riaan.

Maggie's eyes widened. "Is that who I think it is?!"

"Yeah, no mistaking it." Shawn said eerily.

Luke glared at the figure atop of Empyrean. "Master…"

They all stared at the picture before another one showed onscreen. They saw what looked like a massive route that went in that direction. It split into two ways, with one route heading to what looked like a center. "We've managed to compile enough footage to get a safe enough route that should at least get us close to Empyrean." Gus explained. "And this other route points us to a directory center. That's where the servers are."

"But why is there a second route mapped?" Maggie asked.

"For a diversion." Jase deduced. "I would imagine that the hardware that handles the servers is one of the many things that Riaan thought of before this attack. It'd be a hassle if reinforcements were to come early in the attack."

"Spot on. You're smart." Spectra smirked. "Naturally we were going to split up our forces and Helios and I would handle the servers. But since you're here…" he stood up and looked at them. "Perhaps we can make this work in all of our favors. What do you say?"

Luke nodded. "Right."

Gus smirked. "Master Spectra, shall I adjust the plans then?"

"Make it so, Gus." Spectra told him. "We'll have a better chance with numbers. We'll have a setup situated. One team will handle the servers, as to where the others will take the route towards the tower."

Esther stepped forward. "You've made sure to account for Rogue Zero, as well as their leaders, am I right?"

"Yeah." Ace said. "They're the reasons why we couldn't get anywhere near the place. Percival got hammered…they're that strong."

"But we should be able to at least slow them down if we can get one group on out tails." Baron said.

"He's right." Luka said. "I've done some research. Apparently we've figured something out. Normally, it's Hades Pillars who's prowling around, not Rogue Zero. So it's safe to assume that they're in Empyrean guarding it."

Shawn crossed his arms. "I see, then that'll make things easier when we split up." He turned towards his friends. "You guys?"

Jase stepped forward. "If it's all the same…I would like to propose something in alternative."

His gesture surprised everyone there, but at the same time intrigued those there. Spectra stared. "I'm listening…"

On Empyrean, with them out of the way, Riaan turned around once more, facing the ocean once more as Bakugan sailed in the vast air far out. On his shoulder, Armagedoid looked up at him in question. "Master…"

Riaan looked out knowingly, appeasing his concerns. "Not to worry, Armagedoid…I had a feeling they would be here." He nonchalantly grinned. "This should be quite an interesting reunion for us all."

"But was it okay to leave Hades Pillars to Interacia?"

Riaan put a hand to his chin, considering his options. "Yes, Armagedoid, you do have a point. However…I'd just like to see what Rogue Zero is capable of. They were very successful in fending off those two Vestals from yesterday…I want to see they can do against this now."

"I see." Armagedoid watched as the sunlight glistened atop of the blackened water, going silent as the tower's networks glistened softly again.

It was dark and very damp. It was very quiet despite the streams that they all walked by. The only consolation of light was from Jase as he held a flashlight that guided the group.

"Ugh. Man, I forgot how much I hated these places." Maggie plugged her nose, not amused at all by the smell. "Should've taken the streets instead."

"Maggie." Esther chimed.

"I know, I know…" she sighed. "But seriously, why are we going through the sewers again? Isn't the core where it's far out at the ocean?"

"That may be, but these tunnels are rather small." Jase said. "Besides that, according to the schematics, the sewage systems coordinates out towards the ocean. In the water, we'll have much less visibility by a number of Bakugan.

"Which will limit the number of forces that can get to us until we get to the core, right?" Luke finished.

"Precisely. Now then, I believe the directions fall to this way." Jase followed, heading towards darker depths.

The plan that Jase had suggested was much different than to what everybody else had intended. Using their experience from Troposphere's diversion tactic back on New Vestroia, Jase offered that same tactic. They would be better off with much less surveillance and a higher level of stealth than compared to rummaging through the streets like everyone else did. With this experience, Spectra and Klaus managed to dig into some old archives and found an aged passage that wasn't too far from them. From what they've been told, the sewer lines were long-thought abandoned since the water systems were all filtered through several treatment plants. So finding a route, the group comprising of Luke's group, Spectra, and Luka were the ones who followed the treatment plant's map into the abandoned lines where filtered water ran through the streams. But the moss and aged fungus and rust everywhere was almost to where it was just sick to just look at. Meanwhile, while they would take a route underground, Ace, Baron, Gus, and Keegan would all take another route underground to get them close to the server station. It was a splintered tactic, but it worked so far. And for what it's worth, they seem to be going well. But they knew better than to keep their guards up all the way. Luka was a pro at that. The whole time he was clutching to his sword to brace for a possible attack, but that aside, everyone felt a little safe knowing there was a way out of this.

Despite the awkward silence that hung in the atmosphere for quite some time, Shuji managed to break it. "So you guys really haven't used these things in years, huh?" he questioned the Vestals.

Luka shrugged. "Don't ask me. I've been on Interacia for years. What about you?" Luka asked Spectra.

The former madman walked calmly aside him. "I wouldn't say they were abandoned by no means. Rather, I've heard the networks were limited. Since Vestal was growing, they had ran out of room to place anymore waterways, which wouldn't really help the treatment plant's filtering."

"Guess that makes sense." Shawn questionably answered. "But these things must run for miles. I've heard of New York's sewage lines running like mad from Earth, but for a whole planet, how'd you even filter all that?"

"We've produced filter systems in every house so that as the water runs, waste gets pushed through a strenuous system before it all ends up at the treatment plants."

Maggie thought for a moment back to when they were in Troposphere. When she thought about it, she realized the filtering system was connected to the core there. Water was filtered and supplied partial power with the Bakugan energy they get from the battles. 'Boy, guess Interacia has really evolved since then if they learned to filter water that way.' She wanted to say it aloud, but knew the subject didn't matter.

"For such advanced species, your filtering is remarkably standard." Jase chimed. "So while you chose to focus on housing an expanding yourselves, you've chosen to leave waterways such as these untapped."

"Make no mistake, once we drive away these invader pests, I can guarantee we'll settle for anew." Spectra glared forward. "But that'll have to wait. Helios and I have a score to settle with that abomination of a Bakugan."

Luka nodded. "Yeah." His eyes narrowed in disgust. "Riaan…"

Hoping to divert the subject, Luke looked at his allies. "So then, once we reach the end of the sewage, that's where we go into the ocean, am I right?"

"Correct." Jase said. "We'll pick up from there. For now, we just need to make sure that we navigate thoroughly. There's no telling when we'll be making a wrong turn."

"I quite agree." Spectra said, heading towards the front. "Shall we?"

Everyone nodded as they followed behind, the beacon of flashlight being their source of light that dwindled in the distance. In the darkness of the water rushing, something splashed before calming.

Luke's group wasn't the only ones who took this adhesive path. Beneath a massive dome-like building the size of a football stadium, a massive manhole suddenly jerked.

"Ow!" a wail came from inside. Moments later, the manhole slowly lifted itself. The cover came off, revealing Keegan as he clutched his head in aching agony. "Geez, whose bright idea was this deathtrap?" he complained. "First we nearly get fungus infections, now we get concussions. Knew I should've just stayed at the base."

"Hey, quit your complaining up there!" Ace shouted. "You wanna go out there and climb that tower?"

Kevin looked out into the distance to see the enormous tower that reached the skies. Even from such a long distance away, he could feel his stomach aching from just the thought of climbing. He irritably sighed in frustration. "Let's just get this over with." He groaned. He looked around one more time to find that a Subterra Verias turned the corner away. "All clear. Go, go, go!" he hushed.

They all quickly crawled out of the manhole cover. Keegan was first, with Gus being next, followed by Ace and Baron. They all hurried and looked at their surroundings as they crept towards the broken window doors of the domain, possibly from a shockwave. With one last look from the rear, Gus gave a look before he and the others filed in, moments before another Anchorsaur entered the area.

"Okay, follow me." Gus lead the pack through the darkness. They hurried through the lobby area, getting to the main hallway.

"So what are we doing exactly?" Keegan asked as they ran. "I'm lost."

"Weren't you listening? We're gonna start up the hardware to get the servers going again!" Ace answered ahead of him. "You really think we can handle this many on our own?"

"With the servers up, we'll be able to get signals out to our friends on Earth." Baron pointed out. "Let's just hope we get there in time."

"We better, because I ain't going down this way." Keegan looked towards Gus. "So, you sure this is the right way?"

"Positive." Gus answered. "My little spies managed to create a small enough diagram from the layout maps. We'll be there soon. That's when we'll use this." Gus held up something between his index finger and thumb. It was black with bright blue neon networks on it.

"A chip?" Keegan questioned.

"That's right. It's a device that Master Spectra created. It's programmed to override any sort of technology, bypassing codes and viruses alike. However, it does have a drawback." He paused as he began rushing towards the door in the distance. "It's still a prototype, so its stability will last only for a minute. So within that time range, we need to get a signal to our allies."

"Sounds like we're racing against the clock then." Ace smirked. "I like a challenge like that."

"Keep your eyes peeled guys, I think I see it up ahead!" Baron pointed at the door ahead of them.

They all congregated to the doorway of metal. It was shut, but they all could see inside some large pieces of machinery that were still operable. From the looks of it all, they could see and tell that much of it was still in one piece.

"Well this looks to be it." Ace said.

"Yeah…but it looks pretty locked up." Baron pointed out, looking at the panels for the fingers and padlock. "Just look at this! If I had known all this would be here, I would've brought a codebreaker of sorts."

"We'll figure out something. We just gotta get inside to-!"

"HRAH!" In a fury, Keegan went and decked the padlock with a full force fist. The impact shattered the padlock, leaving everyone shocked by the sudden move. They all saw the padlock grew static before the screen flickered on and off, until it completely shut down, and the doorway was pried open by his bare hands. He looked left and right, looking into the dark room. "All clear." He said. "C'mon."

He walked in, but everyone was still completely surprised by his abrupt move. He looked back in confusion.

"What? We're on a time crunch, right? Let's go." He walked ahead nonchalantly.

The others looked to each other in slight shock still lingering. With what Keegan saying still in the air, they calmly walked next into the slightly darkened room. They looked around, confirming what they were able to find was indeed a hardware room.

"This looks to be it." Keegan said. "So now what?"

Gus looked over towards a nearby control panel stationed on the other side of the room. "So now, we just have to insert this chip into where the networks all connect. That'll be the vital point where Master Spectra will be able to procure a signal long enough to alert others."

"Makes sense to me." Ace said. "Then we better get over there rather than just talk about this."

The others nodded and they began hurrying over towards the spot. As they ran, however, they were unaware that their images were seen through another monitor in another room in another location. Their figments drew closer to the box, but the figure watching them seemed to be ready.

Chuckling, Cesar's glasses overcast with light. Casually, he pressed a button.

As they all drew closer, a sudden laser wall went up. They all immediately stopped in their treks as a barricade of lasers crossed over each other to shield the other half of the area. "Wait, what?!" Nemus exclaimed. "Where did this barrier come from?"

"Are we trespassing? I thought the systems were down!" Baron yelled.

"They are. These shouldn't be working right now." Ace said before turning towards Gus. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"

Gus scoffed. "Don't blame me. I have nothing to do with this. We're allies, remember?" he looked up, staring at the barricade. "Which means that someone's manually overriding the system."

"Okay, but who's doing it you think?"

Gus frowned. "Take a guess."

Immediately Baron plotted the dots together. "Wait…you mean they can actually do that to our technology now?!"

"How is that even possible?" Nemus asked. "I thought Vestal technology was advanced."

Before they knew it, a strong whirlwind suddenly blew about. They all looked up and around, and before they knew it the ceiling suddenly began cracking apart. They took a step back before a tempest picked up the massive piece of shrapnel over their heads. They all covered up and got down as the rogue pieces fell like shards of glass around them. In the carnage, they barely grasped what was happening before they ultimately looked up, shadows looming over them.

"What the…?" Ace trailed off.

Overhead, the sunlight beamed on the back on humungous silhouettes of bizarre insectoid Bakugan with very thin bodies with four pairs of wings spinning to keep them airborne. Their dull red eyes glowed as around them, many Bakugan in the air surrounded it as an army that overlooked the entire domain. They all cawed and hissed, and Keegan's eyes shrunk before he sulked forward.

"…oh crud."

Cesar chuckled as he watched through his many monitors in a secluded area of Empyrean. "Well now, that should leave them occupied for a while." He mused before pressing another button, dispelling the monitor. He typed in coordinates to another spot. "Now, to see where our little stowaways are up to…" He pressed another button, making another camera appear. The vision appeared to be following underwater in darkness, trekking in night vision into dark depths.

The group continued down the sewer line, the sounds of water dripping echoing through the tunnels behind them as Jase held the flashlight. "We should be closing in on the drain up ahead." Jase informed.

"You said that like three miles back." Shawn noted.

"Last I recalled, I said no such thing." Jase said. "I said 'A few miles down this direction'. I never gave an accurate number."

Maggie sulked forward as she walked. "All this walking's really gonna tire us out before we get there."

Luke hesitated to answer. "Gnnngh…yeah, sorry. I know this is complaining and all, but maybe we should've swam down the current on Abis Omega. That might've sped things along."

"That's fine if you wish to alert other Bakugan so soon." Jase said. "We'll be there shortly, see?" His flashlight shined up ahead, alerting the group.

"Shuji's eyes widened. "Hm? Hey, wait, is that what I think it is?"

Up ahead there was a small light. It was very vague, but it was enough to give them hint to the outside world. Instantly they perked up.

"That must be it." Luke gasped.

"What was your first clue?" Luka glanced back. "That light source is coming from the outside. That means we're right at the bay's convergence with the ocean."

"That's correct." Spectra said. "Shall we discuss our next move from there? We still want to keep a low profile after all."

Before the others could talk some more, they heard screeching from above. They all glanced skywards and heard an ominous shrieking and tremor. A bizarre pressure was beginning to wake the dark waters.

"You guys feel that?" Shuji gasped.

Esther's eyes narrowed as she stared up at the ceiling. She watched it quiver once with a thump. She watched some fungus drop into the water. Her eyes raced to the water as she watched it ripple some from the shockwaves. "…they've been spotted." She realized.

"That's good." Luka said, continuing their path. "It'll slow down the numbers over here. They'll be too distracted to know we'll be slipping right under their noses."

"You sure they'll be alright?" Maggie worried.

Spectra walked pass her. "Don't worry. Gus has good faith. He knows well what to do. All he and Keegan have to do is simply place that chip on, and we can take care of the rest. Now then, wouldn't it be wise to show a little faith as well?"

"As crude as the tone is, he's right. The mission is of upmost importance." Jase continued the trek. "We should be making leeway by now."

As he continued walking, Jase was seemingly aware of the awkward aura everyone shared as he walked besides Spectra. Their tones almost matched in terms of slight sarcasm it was uncanny. 'It's like looking in a mirror.' They thought. But progression aside, they began their trek closer. As they went their way down the sewer lining, they left the dark waters behind.

The water was calm, very calm. A small, odd light shined beneath the darkened abyss as it slowly turned a corner to the same line as the others. It remained beneath surface as they continued unknowingly.

Luka suddenly stopped.

"What's up?" Shuji asked.

Luka glared back at in the direction they came from. He seemed fixated on a chill that shriveled down his spine. His attention drew towards the water, in which the source came from. For the moment he dismissed it.

"…it's nothing." He lied, continuing his course. "C'mon, we're wasting time."

The others followed behind as well, with Jase shining the flashlight ahead still. From the corner of his eye, even he wasn't fooled.

"So Luka, I've been wondering something." Atchibee chimed. "Exactly what happened when we escaped the last time? Where'd you go?"

As he walked, Luka stared forward. "I barely escaped myself." He started. "Those Hades Pillars, they're strong…very strong. I was lucky enough to get out of there before they could finish me off."

Beneath the surface if the water, something odd slowly moved beneath. It was closing in at a steadily rate.

"You were almost finished off?" Maggie reiterated.

"Surprised? Tch, well don't be. I've been laying low ever since I realized Interacia existed. I knew enough places to hide until I could get into what Riaan had in mind."

"Which is that Empyrean tower, is that right?" Esther figured.

Luka scoffed. "You guessed it. I knew he would be moving his attack to another planet after New Vestroia failed, but I didn't know which one until recently. He's been hiding the Empyrean project from right underneath my nose the whole time…" he grunted low t his own lack of insight.

Shawn put a hand to his chin, thinking as well. "First there's this Project Armagedoid, then there's the project for an evolved core. Just what other kinds of projects you think he's hiding right now?"

"We don't know, but right now we have to worry about shutting down this tower the best we can." Verias noted.

"Verias is right. We need to focus on what we can do for the moment before worrying about the future." Esther noted.

Luke nodded. "You're right. The present comes first."

Spectra smirked. "Quite the optimists you are. Let's see just how far that attitude of yours gets, shall we?"

Something in the water loomed ever so closer. In the distance ahead, the refractions of the others could be seen.

Jase ultimately came to a stop, with Luka doing the same. They both stared at the water off to the side.

"What's wrong, guys?" Maggie asked. She looked over, seeing a small beacon of light refracting beneath the surface.

Esther's eyes narrowed. She had a feeling as well when she saw the light slowly drifting through the stream. "Everyone on guard." She muttered quietly.

Luke saw the light as well. He looked towards Jase. "Jase, that's not your flashlight, right?" He looked over to see the Jase was frowning. His flashlight was actually turned off for good measure. When he picked up on the tone, he and Shawn exchanged looks of worry before they turned serious. They reached for their individual weapons, holding them as tight as possible.

"Looks like we got trouble after all." Fly Beetle said.

The light slowly drifted closer in the water, until finally it arched into their direction.

Luka pulled out his energy sword. "Everyone look alive!"

Everyone reacted swiftly as a massive wave gushed out. They all avoided a huge, armored pincer with three huge spikes on it. The blue claw escaped into the water, leaving everyone to stare out in shock at their opponent rising.

Emerging slowly out of the dark water, the Bakugan extinguished a mighty howl as the water ran down its sides. As waves cleared, another pincer aimed and came down onto Luka. He easily dodged, avoiding the crushing blow. Another pincer aimed for Maggie, who looked shocked at the incoming wake.

"Hang on!" Luke rushed in front and pulled out his sword. He bunted, blocking the scraped of that attack that made him slid backwards on his feet, but otherwise he remained intact.

"Luke!" Maggie gasped.

Luke shook off the wake of that attack and focused. "I'm fine, don't worry." He looked back. "Maggie, you okay?"

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Spectra watched calmly as he saw the figment raise its hind legs from the water. It crept up and glared down at its prey, though he seemed more amused. "Well now, this just got interesting." He chimed.

The Bakugan was primarily a dark blue, aquatic Bakugan with a massive mouth with limbs attached. In a sense, it resembles much of Goblinball, though with red horns and light blue ridges that went down the top of its head down the back to create hashes along the spine-like blue tail. It had four huge legs with two humungous pincers with light blue spikes and red accents. On the chin was a light blue horn. Also, like Goblinball, this Bakugan also had an eyeball inside the huge mouth, though it was more purple.

The Bakugan glared down at them all, giving a blue hiss as his shining eye glanced at them all. Slowly, it scanned them with night vision, seeing all their heat signatures that made its nerves tingle.

"A Hakapoid!" Luka shouted.

"KRREEEAAAH!"

The Hakapoid's bloodcurdling echoes ran deep through the sewage canals, distorting the air around it as the shockwaves went everywhere. Everyone covered their ears as their bones quivered from this uneasy air.

Up on the surface, some of the Bakugan that were slowly moving towards Galilea's point began to slow down. Some of them stopped altogether to look back in curiosity of this vague but very prominent pressure beneath them.

The Hakapoid raised another pincer and jutted it down. Luka swung his sword the deflect the shot and was repulsed back along a skid. The Hakapoid roared out at him. "Damnit, should've known there would be something down here." He scoffed. He hurried to seize his Brontes. "Quick, everyone get back!"

The Hakapoid glared him down as it looked along the water's edge. Slowly, it crept towards him, its cyclopean eye sharpening as it was getting a good look at him. He pulled up his energy sword to defend, but the beast released yet another ominous light. The eerie ray was bright enough to blind Luka, making him bent a knee.

"Gngh!"

"Luka!" Luke readied Abis Omega. "Abis, you ready…?" But before they could ready themselves, a pair of feet already stepped up ahead of the rest. "What…?"

Shawn had his head high. He looked back at everyone to already have Verias set. He gave them all a nod. "Sorry Luke, mind if I give it a shot?"

Luke blinked once, and raised a brow. A part of him said no because he wanted to show everyone the results of his training, but he knew better than to question Shawn, his best friend. Out of respect he backed off and nodded.

"We'll be quick, promise." He faced the Bakugan. "We can't stay here too long, otherwise the battle energy will get us uncovered. Verias, let's make it quick."

Verias nodded. "I'm with you."

Hakapoid's brilliant light distracted Luka as the Aquos Bakugan slowly crept forward. It eerily closed the gap on him as the shining beacon thwarted Luka's advances.

"Damnit…" he grunted from trying to open his eyes. He angrily held onto Brontes as he was losing patience. "You're in my way!"

The Hakapoid responded with raising a pincer to attack. Luka barely opened an eye to see the shadow of the pincer, but then the light suddenly the attack didn't last. A strong force in the form of a fast smashed against Hakapoid's head, causing time to slow down to reveal Verias getting the drop on Hakapoid. The Bakugan roared again from the surprise attack.

Luka's eyes widened. "What the…?"

Verias landed on his feet behind, making Hakapoid turn around to glare at him. "You've got some spirit attacking someone without a Bakugan out." Shawn taunted. "But I guess that's the way you were programmed."

The Hakapoid hissed angrily as it bared its pincers at Verias. Verias held his staff in defense.

"What are you doing?! Get back!" Luka shouted. "Can you not feel this guy's power?! It's too high for you!"

Nobody said anything in response; even Shuji didn't have a witty retort. They all just remained silent with expectant looks as Shawn and Verias were readying themselves against this mighty beast.

Spectra smirked. "This should be interesting. Helios?" on his shoulder, a black and green Bakugan with silver on its body popped open to observe.

The Hakapoid exerted another distorted shriek through the air, seemingly taking the challenge by Verias. The echoes ran through the tunnels with earsplitting magnitudes.

Hakapoid: 800 Verias: 450

Shawn had a serious expression. 'We can't waste here very long. The battle energy and tight spaces are against us. We'll have to move fast.' "Verias, let's go! Ability, activate!"

"I'm with you!" Verias brought his staff up as the tip glowed a cosmic glowed a cosmic light. He readied to swing, but to everyone's shock, he sprung ahead at a blurring speed.

Luka's eyes widened. 'Where did he get that kind of speed?'

Verias roared as he violently swung his staff into Hakapoid's eye, creating an explosion of blinding lights. "PRIME MISTRAL!" he hollered like a bloodthirsty warrior as he unleashed enough force into the swing to send Hakapoid flying through the air to the other side of the sewer wall, creating a powerful indent into the side and causing the Bakugan to fall back into the water.

Hakapoid: 800 (-200) = 600 Verias: 450 (+300) = 750

"Woah, what was that speed?!" Maggie gasped.

"Yeah, that like crazy fast." Jelldon noted.

Esther's eyes narrowed. "Did Shawn's Verias manage to increase his speed as well as power?"

"That appears to be the case." Jase said. "Let's see what other tricks were learned."

Shuji and Luke remained silent; the latter was giving a knowing look at Shawn, who nodded back to know he was there. Luke smiled and Shawn faced forward with Verias.

The Hakapoid growled as it resurfaced. It glared ahead at Verias as it hissed a howl.

"Head up! It's going to strike!" Luka shouted.

"We know!" Shawn exclaimed. Hakapoid's eye sharpened as a bright blue beam expelled from the eye, racing towards Verias across the water, tearing open a trench from the pressure. Verias didn't bother moving as Shawn activated an ability. "Ability, activate! Caroline Protector!"

Verias began twirling his staff with one hand, almost effortlessly at that. The intense, roaring blue beam raced into the staff, yet Verias began twirling into the attack at blinding speeds. He kept up very well to where the whole beam was absorbed, and no stray beams went anywhere else, much to Luka's own shock.

'What in the-?!'

Verias howled as the attack was sent back, swinging the staff across the water at Hakapoid. In defense, Hakapoid's eye sharpened, expelling a bright, ominous light that shimmered like Atchibee's Scan Blaze would. The incoming attack dissipate, leaving thin air. Hakapoid looked ahead at Verias, but he wasn't there. Instead, the ape had already jumped and ricocheted off the ceiling and pounced down on Hakapoid, bringing his staff up. Hakapoid looked up, but then was met with Verias piledriving the staff with intense force in the form of Siba Feral into the eye again. The shockwave spilled through the water, causing it to spray everywhere.

Hakapoid: 600 (-200) = 400 Verias: 750 (+200) = 950

Everyone, including Luka and Spectra, all covered up as rogue waves washed up near them with the winds generated. They remained off to the side as Shawn remained stationed where he was, keeping a serious look at the battle.

Verias shot back within the shockwaves of his blow back towards the concrete. He looked ahead through the waves and suddenly used the momentum to shoot at the distraught Hakapoid again. He was like a furry white spritz with his staff out, crying out as he slammed the staff into Hakapoid's side again, sending it into a tailspin skywards. The Bakugan shrieked in pain before Verias slammed his staff on the water, creating force to shoot him up over Hakapoid. Ince over, he screamed as he drove the flat end into the top of the head, sending another bone-shuddering shock into Hakapoid's body that hurled it into the sewage water, making yet another harsh splash.

"Go Shawn and Verias! Go!" Maggie cheered.

"They're not letting up!" Shuji yelled, his forearm used to block the rushing sprays.

Esther nodded. "They're not." They all watched as Verias landed in front of Shawn, who had his fencer out. They could see the determination in both their eyes. "They're hitting that Hakapoid with everything they've got."

"They have to." Jase said calmly. "This is a battle we cannot afford to be wasted upon. They understand that better than anyone else."

Luke watched his best friend give it his all. He said nothing as he and Abis Omega were seeing the results of the training. He was learning first-hand what happens when hard work pays off.

Shawn and Verias glared as the waves calmed. The Hakapoid groaned as it was shaking its head, but the shock was very powerful.

"Well that's not too shabby." Spectra admitted. "For a bunch of rookies no less."

Hakapoid growled as its tail swayed. It glared before it reached forward with the pincer's spikes that glowed.

"Heads up!" Shawn roared. Verias readied a bunt.

Hakapoid expelled bright blue beams from each spike. In total, six projectile beams went at Verias.

Hakapoid: 400 (+400) = 800 Verias: 950 (-400) = 550

Verias held out his staff and bunted the six beams. Their intensity created another shockwave across the dark water they tread on as Verias slowly slid back a couple of feet. He grunted, yet he remained in one piece the whole way through.

"Hold it, Verias." Shawn told him. "Just hold…"

Verias did just that, glaring ahead as he clutched his staff tighter. He started pushing ahead a little, ceasing his consistent sliding as he growled.

Jase perked his head up, picking up something. 'This pressure exerting. It's no doubt coming from Verias.' He looked towards Shawn, who was remaining passive the whole way through. 'He's made Verias' level and capacity evolve. Tigrerra must have really pushed his limits if he's able to tack such an effective ability.'

"Shawn…" Luke muttered.

Shawn remained quiet as he pulled up his Bakumeter one more time, this time showing another ability. "Okay…ready Verias?!"

"Ready!"

"Okay then…ability, activate!" The ability card shimmered brightly, just as Verias' purple gem on his head began glowing. "Haos Sheria!" Verias' entire body had a strong yellow aura around it as a rise of power filled his body. A strong humming caused the blue energy beams to slowly weaken and diminish as the bright light Verias was surrounded in was enhancing. Hakapoid backed off as it realized its attack failed and Verias tensed up from the power it had taken in. His own eyes reflected sheer force and determination.

Luka's eyes widened with shock. 'This can't be…did he really just increase his power by that margin?' He saw Verias tighten his grip more as the aura remained thick around the body. 'No, not only that.' His eyes narrowed. 'This power…somehow he's doubling in strength alone.'

Hakapoid backed off nervously as Verias stepped towards the edge of the concrete. The Haos Bakugan let out a roar that shrilled loudly through the atmosphere. The winds generated left Shawn's eyes to glisten over.

Hakapoid: 800 Verias: 550 (+500) = 1050

"Okay." Shane pointed forward. "Let's shut his lights out! Verias!"

The staff's end slammed into the concrete, making it shudder. The Bakugan again roared before everyone in towering might. Hakapoid's instincts kicked in and it raced ahead to finish off Verias in a hurry. The Bakugan ended up in midair, springing out of the darkness. Time gradually slowed down as it charged up an eye beam, making a compressed hemisphere in front of the eye.

Verias, however, had his own eyes dilate. In a split second, he disappeared into thin air, reappearing in front of Hakapoid with his staff ready to swing. "Take…THIIIIIIS!" With a massive wake in his battle cry, the air shrilled as everything shined bright yellow. Hakapoid's ability and body were suddenly enveloped in a flash before the staff collided with its eye. The power was released in a terrifying frenzy of light waves that opened waterways. It was strong enough to make Hakapoid scream in pain.

The attack's shockwaves ran beneath the streets in a small tremor. A ripple went through the earth before the ground tore open, with Hakapoid jettisoning with a cry of pain as the eye was but a trail of light, colliding with the bridge of a broken building close by. The impact at the end created a massive bright explosion that caused a dust cloud to billow.

Even from the distance, the roars of the that attack made many of the Bakugan turn away from the direction of one end and face where Verias' final battle gun had taken place. This didn't go unnoticed by others watching either.

In the streets on Clawcer for a scouting, Ariella heard a faint rumble. When Clawcer stopped to turn, she also turned around to look. She looked up, seeing a smokestack in the distance. "What do we have here…?" she chimed.

Above Verias and everyone, there was a humungous hole above them where Hakapoid was annihilated on the spot. The Bakugan itself became a blue light in the building's side as everyone saw sunlight beaming down on Verias as he held his pose briefly, before he gently relaxed himself.

"Amazing…" Esther was in deep awe of what she witnessed. Even she was left speechless.

"You can say that again." Maggie said.

"Man, that was some crazy power released just now." Shuji said. "The guy nailed that monster in one blow."

"Blow is right. Right into oblivion." Fly Beetle commented.

Jase remained humble as he prodded his glasses. "Seems that Shawn and Verias learned some new tricks after all. Clear as crystal this all's become. Oh what to do?"

Luke was completely mind blown as Shawn recalled Verias back to ball form. 'Shawn…' He wasn't sure what to say about him. He saw his best friend turn towards him with a thumbs up and smile. Getting over his shock, Luke smiled back. '…thanks Shawn. For staying true looking out for me.'

Luka's eyes dilated. He watched Shawn's battle with flawless execution. In his head, he recounted the time he had to help out Verias, and even then, there was only a small margin of strength felt compared to now. 'Did they seriously get this strong…in such a short span of time? How is that possible? They weren't anywhere near this level of skill the last time I saw them…'

Jase turned and looked nonchalant as always. "Well now, glad you had a nice warmup, Shawn. Very well done."

Shawn smiled. "Thanks Jase. Couldn't have done it without Verias."

"And vice versa." He noted. "However, you do realize that your means of showing off gave away our location, right?"

"Uh…" Shawn looked up towards the ceiling again. In the whole, he could already see some aerial Bakugan flying high up. He flinched. 'Oh crud! We went overkill!'

"Looks like we'll have to speed it up then." Shuji looked towards Luke. "Hey, you think that idea with Abis Omega could still work?"

Luke nodded. "It's not like we have much choice now." He pulled out Abis Omega. "Abis, you ready?"

Abis Omega nodded. "You bet." He closed into ball form, ready to help out in any way he can.

"Everyone get ready, it's gonna get a little wet! Bakugan, brawl!"

Moments later, the sewer was engulfed in a blue light before a splash sound was heard. Not long after, the massive hole that Verias created was covered by many Bakugan nearby that were attracted to the battle energy. They looked down into the hole, looking confusedly. Shortly, Ariella waltzed up with a frown.

She peered into the hole, seeing nothing but dark water that treaded silently. Whatever was there it wasn't there anymore; even she could tell that. She noticed that the current went out towards the sea, her eyes going towards the tower. "What do we have here?" she huffed. A ring went into her Bakumeter. "Hello?"

"Ariella, return to Empyrean." Cesar said through the intercom. "Seems we have some pests that are out minding themselves."

Ariella smirked. "So I've noticed." She stood straight and teleported away, leaving the vacancy spot for the Bakugan to take up as many were peering into dark waters.

The Bakugan glaring down everyone from the broken ceiling left them all perplexed. As they glared skywards at the Farakspin that hissed down at them. The green bugs seemed hostile to say the least as black Bakugan surrounded their atmosphere.

"Where the heck did these guys come from?!" Ace shouted.

"Beats me…" Baron took notice of the three Farakspin that were glaring them down. "Huh?"

"What is it, Baron?" Nemus asked.

"I'm not sure…but…do they look like the Bakugan we beat that one time in Zenoheld's Alternative?"

"Say what?" Ace looked up, getting a closer look at them. "Hey, yeah! Now I remember those!"

"But those were digital clones from before." Percival pointed out. "Something tells me these guys are all too real."

Keegan nervously backed up. "I don't know what the heck you guys are talking about, but if you got a plan, spit it out!" A Farakspin hissed above, making him wince in shock.

Gus looked ahead. "We'll need to draw their attention towards us. We just need to keep them occupied long enough in order for one of us to get that chip implanted." He shot a smirk at Keegan. "So how about it? Wanna be our runner?"

Keegan looked at him like he committed a crime. "Say what?! Have you lost your marbles?! What makes you think I'm going anywhere near those things?!"

Gus shrugged. "It was just a suggestion." He looked up. "Or would you prefer them instead?"

Keegan looked up at the Farakspin above him. They all sneered at the same time, their wings all spinning to keep them airborne. Suddenly being sliced by lasers didn't sound as terrible as dealing with these guys. He swallowed a lump of unease. "Just give me." He took the chip from Gus and stepped forward. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Just…give me an opening, would ya?"

Gus nodded. "Will do. Vulcan, shall we?" He took the Subterra Bakugan in waiting and sided with Ace and Baron.

The Farakspin all bared their massive fangs as they eyed their prey. Their wings spun even faster as Bakugan from around them began to fly around them into the fray.

"Okay Percival, let's do this right! Bakugan, brawl!" Ace threw Percival first, whom opened. "Percival, stand!"

Baron held Nemus between two fingers. "Our turn, Nemus! Bakugan, brawl!" he three in Nemus next. "Nemus, stand!"

"Vulcan! Bakugan, brawl!" Gus was the last one to throw in his Bakugan. "Go, Vulcan!"

All three Bakugan arose to do battle. They let out either roars or poses as they balled their fists, ready to handle the many foes ahead of them. On cue, the Farakspin all let out a shrilled cry, sending the many Bakugan forces at them.

Gus took the initiative. "These goons have no idea who they're messing with." He held up his Bakumeter, showing Rex Vulcan's ability. "Go, Rex Vulcan! Ability, activate! Hyper Impact!" Rex Vulcan reached out, shooting his gauntlets through the air and spiraling through the Bakugan. They vanished into thin air upon impact as the fists cleaned through numbers without trying. "Never underestimate the power of what Master Spectra can do." Gus mocked.

"Now it's our turn." Ace put in an ability. "Ability, activate…"

Percival's draconic shoulder guards opened up and faced the atmosphere. All three maws opened, revealing three violet orbs that converged into one. "Geor Gunner!" he expelled a powerful beam that he arched straight into the sky. The beam blitzed passed a multitude of Bakugan, dissipating them to oblivion.

"Alright Nemus, our turn now!" Baron screamed. "Ability, activate…"

Nemus' staff glowed as he raised it to the enemy Bakugan. "Hope you like a little Haos Force! HRAH!" With a strong shout, he shot the beam of light up into the atmosphere next, swallowing up even more Bakugan that were within the wake and helpless against the strong might.

Ace smirked. "Too easy."

The light waves dissipated from Nemus' attack, revealing the air being vacant; not even the Farakspin were present. "Where did they go?" Percival looked left and right, but he realized a wind was picking up. Before he realized it, the three Farakspin were directly above them, all turning their propeller-like wings as the cyclone began to pick up.

"Incoming!" Keegan warned.

A green twister shot down between all the Farakspin, spiraling into Percival, Nemus, and Vulcan. All three Bakugan covered up as they were hammered with wind pressures anchoring them to the ground, unable to move.

"Percival!" Ace shouted.

"Hang in there, Nemus! Ability, activate! Pyramid Shield!" Baron made a quick save by raising his staff with what wind pressure wasn't hitting him. The shield of light transformed into a four-sided pyramid of light that blocked out most of the wind, giving them room to maneuver.

"Nice save, Baron." Ace grinned.

Baron gave him a thumbs up. "Don't thank me. Thank Nemus."

"I won't be thanking anyone unless we get these bugs off our backs! Sheesh!" Keegan exasperated.

As two of the Farakspin were sustaining the wind wall still engulfing the Bakugan, one Farakspin hovered overhead. It opened its maw, where green bolts expelled from the maw and shot down onto the shield. The green voltage crackled into Nemus' defenses, discharging great magnitudes. Nothong seemed to have happened, but seconds later, the barrier started cracking.

"Vulcan, get ready!" Gus shouted. "Ability, activate! Mega Viblow!" Vulcan reached up with his fingers spread. The massive gauntlets began spinning and vibrating, creating a wall of distorted particles that echoed.

The barrier soon shattered, and the lightning bolts came down. Vulcan's ability easily thwarted the attack, making it discharge elsewhere. "This should hold them short a time!" Vulcan shouted. "Get going!"

"He's right. Now's the time! Get to that controller!" Nemus shouted.

Ace turned towards Keegan. "You heard them! Get going!"

Keegan's brows furrowed. He grunted annoyingly, but chose to brush it off. "Geez, alright! I get it! I'm going, I'm going!" He went rushing ahead towards the fray. 'Geez, these Vestals are pushier than humans.'

The Farakspin all spun their wings faster, making the wind wall strengthen in intensity. The third Farakspin hissed as it also began to spin its wings faster, generating a strong green discharge that went downwards into the tornado again. It combined with the winds, creating a stronger force that clustered Nemus and Percival beneath Vulcan's barrier. Because of their bulk and the wind wall, Keegan had to slow down and maneuver around the side of the chamber's wrecked walls. Stray green sparks crackled nearby, startling him as he was inching towards the lasers the best he could.

'I knew these guys were going to be the end of me.' Standing feet away from death's door, he looked up at the wall of random lasers. He looked up and around to find many had varied openings. He looked back to see the Bakugan holding their own while inside the wall, leaving him with no choice. 'Well, better get this over with.'

Watching the scene through a monitor, Cesar smirked as he saw Keegan inch closer towards his wall. "Think it'll be that easy?" He reached over, pressing a button in his armrest.

Kevin continued inching closer. "Almost there…almost…" He inched closer, but a glint of red caught his attention. "Huh-?!" Barely by the skin of his teeth, he pulled away as a red beam grazed passed him. He pulled away in time and yelped in shock. "Yeow! That's hot!" he shrieked. He looked up, his eyes widening at the scene. "…you've gotta be kidding me."

The laser wall began moving its lasers up and down, left to right. It looked like a lightshow that was meant solemnly for him. When he saw the opportunities before, he saw they appeared and disappeared with every second. In no way was he getting through.

"What's going on?!" Baron shouted through the winds.

"Looks like the lasers are playing hardball on us!" Ace shouted, putting his arms up to keep winds and electricity from pelting his face. "Guys, we gotta shut these bugs down! They're annoying!"

"For once, I agree." Gus intervened. "I'll help Keegan. You both just keep close!"

"Got it!" they nodded.

Gus got ready as he pulled up another ability. "Vulcan, aim for Keegan! Ability, activate! Hammer Knuckle!"

Vulcan reached forward as he balled his fist. The fist fired in another launch, this time launching dead ahead at Keegan. "Be ready!" With all his might, he pushed the attack through the air and reached for Keegan.

The missile-like hand sailed across the ground, creating a wake that closed in on Keegan.

"Oh geez, just how the heck am I gonna get through now?" he pondered. "…I can use Mystic Elico, maybe that'll…" his attention drew towards the background. "…wait, what's that sound? It sounds like a rocket launch?" he turned around, his eyes widening upon seeing a giant hand reach for him. "OH SH-!"

Before he could finish, Vulcan's gantlet clutched Keegan, holding him inside the fingers as it sailed on ahead. Keegan muffled shocked screams inside the rotating hand. It was all a blur as Keegan bypassed the many lasers due to being inside Vulcan's gauntlet. The metal alloy covering the arm made the many lasers ricochet off the shimmering metal, reflecting to others and causing some rays to turn against the other, dispelling the rays.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Keegan shrieked through the atmosphere. He ended up screaming until Vulcan's hand let go upon passing through. The hand arched up while Keegan went sailing ahead, hitting the wall with a painful faceplant. He twitched a few times before he slowly peeled off the wall, hitting his back with a grunt. "Ow." He groaned. After several seconds, he slowly caught up to what happened. "What the…was that just his Bakugan just now…?" When he looked back, all he saw was a smirking Gus. Slowly his face turned red with anger. "You son of a…! When I get my hands on you I'm gonna-!"

"Fusion Ability, activate!" Gus shouted.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Keegan shrieked.

"…Drill Booster!" Vulcan's gauntlet continued its course skywards as it sailed at one of the Farakspin with a harsh angle. The hand transformed into a drill, spiraling into the Bakugan as it was too busy dealing with the prey. Before it knew it, the attack made impact, beaming pass the first Farakspin and knocking it for a loop.

The Bakugan hissed in shock before it faded away in a green light.

Suddenly the wind barrier began to dissipate, leaving the green electricity also to dispel. "Alright, we're free!" Percival exclaimed, looking up at them. "Time to give them a taste of their own medicine."

Ace eagerly grinned. "You read my mind." He held up his Bakumeter. "Ability, activate! Stray Thunder!"

Black clouds eroded above out of nowhere. Percival pointed his finger up as a purple bolt came down. His finger caught the bolt, where he aimed at a Farakspin and struck an intense blown right along the side. The Bakugan screamed in pain before it hissed in agony, being brought into a tailspin downwards.

Keegan was another story. Choosing to try and stay of task, he looked at the box and pulled out the chips. He grunted as he gave it a look, staring at it in inquiry. "You better work." He irritably told the chip. He placed it into the server's connection panel, where the chip stuck to it like a magnet. The chip's eyes glowed as he watched a red network-like energy filled through the empty circuit networks. He saw the whole box in a red outline, making him back off in awe.

Cesar's computer screens were all showing various parts of Vestal, one of which being the seers. Suddenly he saw the screens all get locked on a red 'ERROR' sign. "What's this?" he gasped. "Error?! Error?!" He scooted forward, typing into his keyboard eagerly. "Nobody errors me, but me! Who's doing this?!"

Back at the base, the computer screen finished uploading, getting Klaus' attention. "They did it!" he moved in his chair, scooting towards the computer.

"Hurry, Master Klaus!" Sirenoid insisted. "We only have a minute!"

"I know." He said, typing up a message really fast. "I'm working as fast as I can to write this, just hang on." He started to type faster, making a detailed message the best he can. Due to time, he couldn't even proofread, but that wasn't important right now. "As much as it pains me, this is what I have to deal with for now." He hit a button, causing the message to upload. The bars soon filled up, the screen lighting green

Klaus smiled. "Done! Message sent!"

"So what now, Master Klaus?" Sirenoid inquired.

Klaus stared up at the ceiling. "Now…we wait."

Keegan saw the machine and sighed heavily. "Okay…let's just hope that's enough." He panted. The adrenaline had finally filtered out of his system. He was finally tired, of everything, and everyone. "God, can this day get anymore annoying?" He noticed that there was a shadow beneath him that was enlarging. Confused, he heard another sound from above, making him look up to see something huge sail down. His eyes shrunk again in fear. "…not again-!"

The Farakspin that Percival struck down towards Keegan. The Interacian leaped out of the way with a loud wail as Farakspin collided with the wall's corner, hitting the box and the chip alike with a wake. Keegan rolled across the ground onto his side, disoriented from the blast. Once he was able to get his second wind, he coughed and started to stir.

"Gnnngh…geez, what just hit me?" He weakly looked back, his eyes widening upon seeing the Farakspin that almost crushed him. It was laying so close to his face that all the fatigue flushed out and he shrieked back in fright. Staring in horror, he watched it vanish to thin air, leaving behind a broken wall and a ditch where the box and chip were.

"Where the…the heck did it?" He slowly looked back at the battle, his realization dawning upon seeing Percival's finger still aimed high while Ace smirked. That shock soon changed to insidious anger. Red began to fill his face as his patience was at its end. "I HATE YOU ALL~!" he roared.

"Okay, last one!" Baron shouted, seemingly ignoring Keegan's complaint.

"Quick Baron! While we still got time!" Nemus shouted.

Baron nodded. "You're right! Let's go! Double ability, activate-!"

"DON'T IGNORE ME YOU IDIOTS!" Keegan shouted at a shrieking high pitch.

"Float Shield!" Nemus raised his staff, creating three glowing pyramids that had electricity crackling through their connection. The paralysis move immobilized Farakspin's final clone as Nemus aimed his staff.

"And now…!"

"Sparkly Arrow!" Nemus raised his staff, sending a glossing golden-yellow orb that shot like a rocket through the air. It bolted into Farakspin with great force, creating a bright explosion that shot the Bakugan downwards like the last one.

Keegan looked up and saw the falling Bakugan, this time paling with a tick mark on him. "WHY ME?!" he complained before jumping out of the way. The last Farakspin smashed where he originally was, against making a huge shockwave that threw him for a loop until he hit the wall.

The Farakspin hissed weakly before it soon went limp. It glowed green before vanishing, leaving nothing behind but another dent in the wall.

Ace, Baron, and Gus all looked ahead, seeing their three big opponents having been dealt with. Looking around, everything was a wreck, but they seemed just fine. "You guys okay?" Gus asked them.

"Yeah, we're fine." Ace said. He looked towards Percival. "Percival, you okay up there?!"

"Yeah, we're just fine." He answered.

"That should be the rest of them for now." Vulcan said. "Did we manage to get that chip in?"

"I don't know…" Ace's eyes widened when he saw the broken walls of the server station. When he saw that even the box was destroyed, he looked stunned. "What the-?! Guys look!"

Baron looked at the destroyed connector as well. "What?" his eyes widened. "Oh no! The servers!"

Gus looked over at Keegan, who was sprawled near the wall. 'Did he at least manage to get it on there in time?'

Keegan was conscious for the most part. He had his back to everyone as he laid on the ground like he had taken a beating. In all truth, he did accomplish his goal. He got the chip on, so he couldn't lie when he did just that. But after consecutive near-death experiences – all by his teammates – he didn't wanna face them again. He just wanted this day to end.

'Maybe if I stay still and quiet, maybe they'll go away…' His hopes were high until he heard shrilled cries above. He turned his head with everyone else, seeing more Bakugan copied from New Vestroia above. His face paled in shock. "…I hate today." He mourned.

Looking up, everyone else saw the Bakugan from the area attracted to their battle energy. They peeked through the cracks in the wall and appeared behind as well, surrounded their escape route.

"Looks like we got more trouble." Ace noted.

Baron nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. What now?"

Gus looked around, seeing more numbers pop up. "What do you think?" he told them, holding up his Bakumeter. "We clear the way for our escape!"

Ace cracked his knuckles. "Well, here we go again. Get ready, Percival!" At his command, Percival stepped beside Ace, ready to continue.

"Nemus!" Baron also shouted his partner's name, getting him to his side. Beside them, even Vulcan stepped besides Gus.

Together, they all faced the Bakugan ready to take them on. The Atmos and the Fly Beetle numbers were the first to come for them, making them charge back in retort.

Meanwhile, a much similar battle had come to an end, as well as began. While Bakugan on the surface had entered the sewers in search of the source of this earlier battle energy, they were met with a dead end they came to the reaches of the bay. The tunnel that lead to the outside had a massive grid of iron and metal, no doubt made to filter water. Yet as they were thwarted, they were unaware of a small slit that was in the side of it. A closer inspection showed it was cut, similar to like that of a sword.

In the dark waters that filled the great bay, bubbles filtered their way up. Many shrieks were heard beneath as many tainted Abis Omega were seen either swimming towards something or away, quite possibly out of fear. Either way, the water stirred from the sheer force of the battle.

Many Abis Omega remained stationary as currents of dark water surrounded Luke's Abis Omega. The Bakugan was surrounded in a massive blob of water with everyone hanging onto his back. They all had bubbles over their heads to ensure their oxygen supply while traveling underwater. Though Maggie is going to be complaining big time when they find dry land soon.

Luke pointed his sword forward, gesturing ahead. "Fusion Ability, activate! Blue Mega!" Abis Omega hissed as the hemisphere shined a radiant blue, no doubt from his body. He went barreling clean ahead, bulldozing through water and Abis Omega surrounding him. He zipped in a number of directions, while being able to blow down numbers by numbers that made them sink into the depths beneath.

"Look at us go!" Shuji exclaimed. "I didn't think this guy could move this fast underwater!"

"Well I'm just surprise we can still breathe under here." Shawn said, hanging on while Abis bolted through more numbers in his glossy bubble.

Abis Omega soon passed them all, the serpents slowly sinking into the depths and shimmering blue before fading.

"Looks like we got passed the first wave." Luka noted.

"Yes, but let's not get our hopes up just yet." Jase said. "Now then, shall we press on?"

Luke nodded. "Right. Ability, activate! Osmosis!" Abis Omega began to camouflage into the murky water. The serpent slowly faded into the depths, leaving the only traces being that of the eight small figures that were laced to its back. They all swayed silently, swimming through the water towards their destination.

While on their way towards their destination, Spectra began conversation. "So this is how you people get around, is that it?" he asked.

"No, not really." Shawn answered. "We actually just use the Trailer that we found back on New Vestroia."

"I see. Ace and Baron did say something about that." He smiled. "Quite a twist of fate, I must say."

"Twisted is one word." Shuji said. "Say, how is the Trailer anyway?"

"Is it okay?" Maggie asked, her voice insinuating deep worry for their transportation.

"Rest assured, it's all taken cared of." Spectra said. "Gus and Klaus were able to get it to a safe location before things got shaky. Though I can't promise that it'll be in top condition."

"We appreciate the advice." Jase nodded. "We'll make do once we settle into our next move." He turned towards the front. "Speaking of which, do you know anything about this Empyrean that we should be aware of, Luka?"

Luka stared forward with a serious gaze. "Not that I'm able to tell. I barely know much of its properties myself. I've been laying low enough without the landscape falling over my head that getting near Solaris was hard to do." He squinted his eyes, gazing at shadows ahead. "Look alive!"

Ahead of them, they saw a few Stug swimming idly, with several Limulus also in the depths. Like the other Interacian Bakugan, they were on high alert from this strange energy they were sensing in the water.

"Stay low guys." Luke muttered. "Abis."

They all remained silent, though Luka had his doubts. But he knew better than to bark at something that might not be a threat. He chose to at least tolerate Luke's idea and remained quiet as Abis Omega slowly swam with his camouflage on. Only their figures were seen swimming through the water.

The Bakugan they were closing in on were slowly swimming about. Some looked annoyed, while others were on the verge of finding out. Some wild Abis Omega smelled the water as they picked up on another Abis Omega -this one was strong. This energy made many weary as Abis Omega slowly slithered with everyone's bodies clung close.

As they were being held low, the light from the surface was refracting their faces inside the bubbles. They were almost invisible. When a black limulus slowly swam in their direction, Maggie closed her eyes when she thought they were done for, but due to camouflage, it swam right over them, barely missing their bubbled by a few inches. Spectra and Luka looked calm the whole way.

Luke looked calmly ahead as Abis Omega slowly drifted, silent swaying pass another Abis Omega. They made sure to keep silent before one rogue Abis Omega got a better sight on the figures. It hissed a roar before it swam from above to attack.

Luka looked up, seeing the Abis Omega incoming. 'Damnit!'

Luke tapped Abis Omega, alerting him of the Abis Omega coming from above. He slipped to the side as the serpent shot downwards, instead sinking its fangs into another Abis Omega lingering beneath. The two serpents' sudden collision alerted the other Bakugan in the area, causing them all to turn to see the snakes attack each other out of confusion. Slowly, the crowd began to thicken as Limulus and Stug also joined into the fray. Some blue attacks were shot about, causing some small bursts, but the cluster was the greatest asset for the camouflaged group.

"They're…attacking each other?" Maggie whispered.

Jase watched many Abis Omega bite each other. "It would appear that being so close actually benefitted for us." He explained. "Since we were in close proximity with the other Abis Omega, they must've mistaken their energy signatures from ours."

"I see…that's a neat trick." Shawn smiled. "Good job, Luke. I knew you'd still be sneaky."

Luke smiled at his praise. "Thanks Shawn…" he frowned, showing irritation. "…wait, why do I suddenly feel insulted?"

Shuji watched the scrambling brawl just meters away from them. "So now what? We just leave them there?"

"No." Luka glared. "We'll catch them in one fell swoop. Hurry! Attack now!"

Luke shot him a look. "Hey, I know already. Just hang on." He faced the swarm scrambled with another and braced himself. "Okay, ready Abis?"

Abis remained out of sight as he was still camouflaged. "Ready." He nodded.

Luke smiled. "Okay then…let's go! Ability, activate! Hydro…"

Abis Omega opened his maw, generating a powerful glossy stream inside. Once ready, he let loose. "…Pulsar!" He lurched forward, unleashing a horrendous cyclone of pressurized water that shot like a beaming vortex into the scrambled Bakugan. The intense tidal pressure rocketed with explosive swirling energy currents that caused everyone on Abis Omega to cover up.

All over the place, Bakugan hitting each other were struck out by the attack. Many were destroyed in that one hit, while others drifted out away. Those that were able to process recovered after managing to evade the full blunt of the attack and faced Abis Omega. Some Abis Omega shot blue energy beams, while some like Limulus charged right in.

"Luke, are you sure about this?" Esther questioned, seeing the tandems of foes heading their way.

Luke nodded confidently. "Yeah, no problem. You ready, Abis?" Abis Omega reappeared, flashing Luke a sneering grin. Luke returned the smile. "Alright, me too!" they both face the incoming numbers and swam in, with everyone hanging on for dear life.

The beams were the first thing. They swiveled around them, showing off Abis Omega's agile swimming capabilities. As he swerved like an underwater roller coaster, some Limulus almost attacked. Abis Omega easily avoided them; one he snared the tail by the teeth and whirled him into another Abis Omega, knocking both for a loop. As many converged, he slipped skywards, getting above to ready an attack.

Once the sunlight in the water glistened, Abis Omega's eyes dilated.

"Ability, activate!" Luke roared. "Aquos Cyclowave!"

Abis Omega opened his maw and he expelled another blue beam that shot down at them all. The beam was intense as it raced at the many numbers that were ready. However, some went wide-eyed as they saw Luke's next move. In his Bakumeter, there was another ability – a Fusion Ability.

His friends looked to him expectantly. "Luke!" Esther exclaimed.

"Go! Fusion Ability, activate! Ripple Slayer!"

Abis Omega's diamonds all over his body began to shine brightly. This energy made Luka's eyes widen in shock. 'This power…'

Abis Omega roared as his eyes shrunk. His blue beam suddenly widened, with rushing blue, rippling shockwaves that raced around the attack towards the front. The attack was like a massive ripple that pushed away everything, making the blue beam itself integrate into a bright blue ripple-like wave that swallowed everything beneath in a massive pressurized blast. All the Bakugan in the area lost momentum and their own attacks launched stood no chance as the ripples washed them away, dissipating into thin water.

Once the attack dissipated, the dark water was completely cleared out. No enemies anywhere. Abis Omega hissed loudly in triumph.

"That's showing 'em guys! That was awesome!" Maggie cheered.

"That was surprising." Spectra said neutrally. "Seems your friend isn't the only one with surprising skills."

"Nice job, Luke." Shawn said. "Gotta say, that was pretty good."

Luke smiled back. "Thanks." He looked down at Abis Omega, who seemed very calm. "We couldn't have done it without Amazon or Preyas helping us out…" he wanted to reminisce a little more, but he knew better than to digress, especially at this time. "Abis, let's keep going."

"Right." Abis Omega resumed his swimming path, remaining deep within the water so as not to get attacked above.

They continued their swimming, remaining quiet as they closed in on their target. As they continued their course, they saw something in the distance.

"Hm?" Luke's eyes narrowed.

"What's up?" Shawn asked.

"I…think that I see something." He pointed ahead. "You guys see that?"

Everyone looked ahead at what Luke meant. Much to even their own surprise, they could see something white, even in the dark water. As they closed in, they saw how high it went as it reached up pass the sea and into the air.

Luka's eyes narrowed. He knew what it was. "Empyrean."

Spectra's eye dilated. It shrunk, and then it expanded. A look of excitement crossed his face as he could feel the energy from there.

"We're at the base of the base of it, it seems." Jase said. "Let's see if there's an entrance."

Shuji pointed forward. "Like there?" he pointed at the many arches that were like windows to the inside. Shockingly enough, even they were surprised. "The heck kind of entrance is that?"

"Not sure. But whatever it is, it looks like our way in." Esther said.

Luke nodded. Abis Omega heard everyone and remained subtle. "Steady now." He told himself. He slowly closed in, where he got close to find that the water was actually bordered instead of blooding the area. Choosing to remain calm, Abis Omega slowly breached his head inside, showing everyone the inside.

The base of Empyrean looked…angelic one might say. It had white tiling with deep flowing accents flowing through the ground. The structure of the entire thing had nothing but small arched windows with a stairway leading the light high above.

"Woah…" Luke awed. "What…what kind of tower is this?"

Abis Omega slowly arched deeper into the dry base. His entire body slipped out of the wall of water and everyone soon got off. Their air bubbles popped, giving them newer oxygen at last.

"Brrrr!" Maggie shivered as she was all wet. "Man, that was cold!"

"Yeah, and wet." Shuji said as he wrung his brown sleeveless coat. "Ugh, it's gonna take forever for my pants to get unwet."

Maggie smirked. "Oh? You saying you don't wet your pants?"

"Hey, what's that coming from you?!" Shuji mocked, a red pulsing tick mark on his head. Maggie just snickered while Shuji grunted at the play.

Jase looked up, ignoring his wet clothes for the time being. He was feeling a very strong pressure, and it was coming from high above. Spectra noticed this and looked up. "You feel that too, I bet." He said.

"…yes. This is without the destination we've been looking for." Jase said. He looked back at the water, seeing how dark its gotten. "From my guess, it appears that this tower was designed just as Spectra and Gus foretold. That water outside is remarkably dark. It's impure. Fortunately for us we didn't swallow any of it." Everyone looked to each other at his observation. "Also, judging from the way we came in, this must be designed so as to make access to around the tower easy…however, I wouldn't imagine they wouldn't be aware of this factor already."

Esther stepped forward. "You're right. Riaan's a lot smarter than that…" The area in which they were in began glowing. The accents all glowed, making everything with glowing white turn to red. The red accents flowed skywards through the networks in the walls, making everyone look up to see them flow up pass their level.

"Well that doesn't look good." Shawn said.

"That's gotta mean a security measure, right?" Verias inquired.

Atmos popped open on Jase's shoulder. "It must be how the tower is designed. Perhaps those red markings indicate our signatures."

Jase put a hand to his chin. "That's an ideal hypothesis. If that is the case, then that must be how Rogue Zero and Hades Pillars might be recognized here in this domain. That would also mean they know who we are already."

"So much for surprise." Fly Beetle said.

Luke looked towards Abis Omega and vice versa. Both knew the consequences, but they showed no fear. In fact, they looked like they knew this was going to happen. "Guess it doesn't matter then." Luke said. "We were bound to be found out eventually. What matters is that we get to the top, and that means stopping Rogue Zero if they do end up here. We came here knowing that, right?"

Shawn grinned. "The guy's got a point. We didn't train just to hide forever."

Esther maintained a calm expression as she turned towards Spectra. "Spectra, what do you intend to do if we get to the top?"

The Darkus battler looked away as he chuckled. "Well…" he smirked. "That's a fair question." His face turned at the others. "Let's just say that, just like you, I have my own personal score with him now. So for the time being, I say we enjoy this little collaboration. A race to the top, what do you say?"

Luka scoffed. "Tch, sporting, aren't you?" he started for his path towards the stairs. "Quit wasting time already. We need to go, now."

Esther nodded. "Right. Are we all ready?"

Shuji nodded. "You know I am. Fly Beetle and I are all set."

"That goes double for me." Maggie scoffed.

Jase prodded his glasses, smirking. "As they would say. He who laughs last, laughs the loudest."

"But Jase…I never heard you laugh." Maggie said, a question mark over her head.

"Well…" he walked calmly behind the pack. "Perhaps maybe just this once, just for this splendid occasion. After all, it's not every day that you come knocking at your enemy's basement and offer yourself as a treat."

Everyone sweatdropped at Jase's statement. They could tell he was sarcastic to the upmost degree. They all sighed, choosing to disregard and ready themselves for the next battles.

Luke looked up at the ceiling. He seemed deathly serious as he knew what waited at the top. 'Master.'

The red networks that traveled along Empyrean integrated into the sides. They flowed through the cracks all the way skywards. They made it to the top eventually, where the networks all converged beneath Riaan's feet as he stood in the center. He remained calm as he absorbed the information, the red glow fading beneath him.

"…they're here, Master." Armagedoid said.

Riaan's eyes slowly widened. "Yes, I know Armagedoid." He straightened up, his disposition turning stoic. "Seems we have some uninvited guests roaming about. So then, are you ready, Rogue Zero?"

As if hearing his call, several floors down, Maximus smirked wide beneath his hood. "For this little pest…most definitely."

And so it was to begin. With Gus and his group having done their part, Luke's group ascended the stairs, bringing themselves closer to squaring once more against Rogue Zero, with Riaan waiting for a certain someone within that group. The battle for Vestal has begun.

Sorry it's been almost like a month, but I've been working on The Contender's Ascent all this time. But now I'm back, and I'm gonna wrap up this arc in 3 chapter…okay, well 2 after this one. Anyways, this was just a buildup, but I gave some nice battles that you all love!

Anyways, next chapter's gonna be part 1 of the gang squaring off against Rogue Zero yet again. Hope you all enjoyed, and reviews are appreciated! Thanks! :)