From Depths We Rise

by Insane Dominator

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

34. Vengeance

Two days have come and gone, and Vestal was barely getting out of the slump its been in that whole time. Due to there being so much debris from technologically advanced buildings coming down, search parties had to spent hours – if not the whole night – rummaging through what they could scrounge. A lot of people were hurt, and many were in less jovial spirits than what some needed right now. But in the thick of this cleanup, there was some light to all this destruction.

Atmos sailed overhead, holding two metal girders in his talons that he dropped down in scrap piles that clanged loudly. Fly Beetle was making the easiest work with his horn and body built for rummaging. His horn levered up massive stones and debris, allowing people to get under to search for survivors and bodies. Abis Omega slithered out of slim spots from the alley, with debris aced in coils that he dragged out to make room or Verias to jump in and search. Atchibee used her scythes to slash through large debris to make it easier to get through to obstacles. And elsewhere at a local power plant, Jelldon was along the sides, using his electricity to charge up and help machinery with necessary power.

After many hours of hard work, Luke lugged around a debris piece to another mountainous pile. He wiped the sweat off his forehead using his forearm, breathing hard out.

"You holding up back there, Luke?" Shawn asked. He was nearby, providing safety tape to border a large debris mound.

Luke looked towards him. "Yeah, I think so."

Shawn smirked. "Pretty different helping people out, huh? I'm surprised."

Luke looked down, softly smiling. It wasn't that long ago that he would just leave people for dead back in Thermosphere. The Devil Miasma was an incident that would never truly go away, but in essence it's what made Luke the way he was now. He didn't do so well last time, but he could always make a difference by helping others now.

"We should take a break." Shawn suggested. "We'll find the others and work from there, how's that sound?"

Luke nodded. "Got it."

Not long after, Luke's group had finally caught up with each other and their Bakugan. Fresh water was supplied by fellow volunteers who thanked them for their Bakugan helping out. Once reconvened, everyone was sitting around, talking about the duties they took up.

"So how's that power supply coming, Maggie?" Esther asked.

Maggie grinned. "It's looking good so far. Jelldon helped starting up the generator. There should be enough power to get them going until their generators are fixed."

"That's good." Jase nodded. "With the technology they rely on, I can't imagine that Vestal would go without much power for long. A crude disadvantage to relying on such technology too much."

Shawn was leaning against a wall when he looked towards Shuji. "So how's that search party? Fly Beetle and you doing alright?"

Shuji looked at Shawn as he was leaning beside him. He looked down shortly after. "Yeah, it's fine. We got the heavy stuff out of the way. After that it just got small."

"That's good."

As Luke was having a bite of a sandwich, Abis Omega popped open beside him. "At this rate, it'll be a while before we get anywhere if we keep this up."

"I agree, Abis." Atchibee said. "We need to figure out what we're going to do from here. I wouldn't imagine that Riaan and Rogue Zero would be waiting to lick wounds while we're busy cleaning up their mess."

Behind Maggie, the Battle Brawlers were seen coming forward. She and everyone turned to meet them once more. "Oh, it's you guys!" she gasped.

"The Battle Brawlers…" Jelldon awed.

Luke and everyone steeled themselves as they came forward. Once converged, Marucho looked towards Jase. "Thanks again for all your guys' help. We're making good time in the operations needed." He said.

"It's no trouble." Jase said. "And I presume that you were able to clear your section as well?"

Shun nodded. "Yes. We just finished. We were able to find a couple stragglers that we got to safety. The damage is still clear as day, but we're able to get the people first."

Luke grinned. "That's good."

"Now…" Shun stepped forward, a serious expression boring daggers into everyone. "Tell us, what exactly happened here? Who is this Riaan that you guys confronted?"

The group looked to one another confusedly. They weren't sure what to say, but knew at this point, they had to say something. They helped them, so they had to show some signs of trust. "Very well then…" Jase glanced back. "Shawn, you care to help explain the situation?"

"Why me?" Shawn asked, but he looked around to see no one saying otherwise. He sighed. "Okay, fine…"

Shawn explained in great detail what it was that happened, starting from the beginning. He told them about how they got involved, how they got to Interacia, and also who or what Riaan was. He told them about Riaan's divine plan and how he's leeching life from other planets. By the end of his explanation everyone looked mildly surprised.

"Wait, you serious, or this some kind of joke?" Gunz exasperated.

"Believe me, I wish this was one." Shawn dismayed. "But that's what happened."

Gunz stepped back, showing shock on his face. "Man…"

"So you're saying that this man is actually related to Code Eve?" Shun questioned.

"We're not a hundred percent certain, but from what we've seen, it has to be a possibility." Esther said.

"This is definitely a problem." Marucho had a hand to his chin. "I've never heard anything like it. An entity that can alter his own structure to replicate and siphon actual life matter. That isn't any kind of metamorphosis I've known."

"Sounds all freaky to me!" Radizen exclaimed.

Besides him, Roxtor spoke gibberish.

"Oh you're one to talk, Roxtor! I'm not that freaky!" Radizen backlashed. "If anything that's your department!"

"And you're also saying that he's been hidden amongst our kind this whole time since Vestroia and Earth connected?" Shun asked.

Esther nodded. "Yes. We imagine that's the case. There's more to it than we thought, like for example, he can use his abilities to mimic the textures of the earth as well."

"Yeah, I remember that." Shuji said. "That happened when we went on Interacia. The ground was about to cave in beneath us a couple times. Felt like a marsh."

"And with each different substance he decodes through his body, the more of it is processed in Interacia, where the landscape may very well alter depending on what he took in."

Shun put a hand to his chin. "I see. So if he made Vestal his target, that must mean he was after the advanced technology they were able to find."

"That sounds like bad news all over." Gunz said.

"Yes, I quite agree." A voice from behind made them all turn around. They saw Spectra, Gus, Ace, Baron, Klaus, Keegan, and Luka all present as they caught up on them.

"Oh, it's you guys." Luke said, signs of shock inside his voice.

"Did you manage to find anything out useful?" Jase questioned.

Spectra nodded with a smirk. "Quite so. You'd be quite surprised." He turned to see the Battle Brawlers once more. "Ah, good ole Marucho, and my friend Shun. It's been a while." He chimed.

Marucho smiled. "Indeed it has. We're glad you and the others made it out okay."

"Such exquisite bonds that have properly aged, yet still retains its flavor." Klaus smartly spoke. "Beautiful. Truly this is a wonderful reunion…although, under such bittersweet circumstances I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked.

Luka stepped forward, a cold look chilling the atmosphere around him. "Listen up, because this is going to be a one-time explanation. Seems what we thought actually happened. And it's not good."

Returning the explanations, Luka and Spectra began talking about their side of the story, and the data that they've been collecting. From beginning to end everyone held on, but alas they all showed signs of dismay.

"I see, so that's what happened." Jase said. He was pleasantly composed despite the blunt tone.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself, but it's what happened." Ace said.

Gus showed something on his Bakumeter. It looked like a graph of Vestal's insides. And from the looks of it, a vague magenta was covering most of the inside like a spreading virus. "Take a look for yourselves, it's all there."

Maggie leaned in, gasping. "No way! Is that…!"

Luke and Shawn showed surprise as well.

"You guessed it guys. This is our planet's core." Baron answered. "For some reason, there's this really weird energy that's been spiking ever since that Riaan guy showed up."

"To make matters worse, even as he disappeared. The virus didn't disappear. It's still there." Nemus said.

Jase put a hand to his chin as he was thinking. "Then this can only mean one thing that we know certain. Riaan has no doubt infected this planet with his powers." He paused as he looked at the graph. "And from the looks of it, it seems to have accelerated to match Earth's readings as well."

Marucho tapped on his Bakumeter as he projected a copy of signatures that Mira gave him, showing Earth's readings. "Yeah you're right. Just look at this." He and Gus compared the two graphs, showing them how identical they were.

"But if Riaan was on Earth longer, how come Vestal's losing energy at the same rate?" Percival asked.

"It's because of that damned Empyrean, that's why." Everyone turned towards Luka, seeing the scowl on his face when he thought of that tower. He started walking forwards. "Riaan created tools to help him with his conquest. He may not have mercy on other planets, but he isn't intending to make them all suffer individually…he wants to wipe them out all at once."

"This is just awful." Jelldon dismayed.

"Yeah, this ain't gonna sit well." Fly Beetle agreed.

Verias intervened, hoping to keep the note from going sour. "So now that we know what's going on, what are we gonna do?"

Suddenly the earth began to tremble. The magnitudes were vibrating intensely, startling a lot of people. Luke and everyone were shuffling around, barely keeping themselves up.

"W-what's going on?!" Maggie exclaimed. "An earthquake?!"

Shuji grunted as he balanced himself. "This is bad. The people are gonna start panicking again!"

Jase prodded his glasses, keeping his military composure. "Everyone remain calm! It should be over soon!" As soon as he said that, the magnitude began to slowly diminish back to a steady level. The rumbling and quaking settled, and everyone was standing on edge.

Radizen jumped. "What the heck was that just now?"

"I'm not sure…" Marucho hazily asked on all fours. He stammered up and dusted himself off. "It could've been an aftereffect of Riaan's influence I suspect."

"Yeah, that's gotta be." Luka said. "Once a planet begins breaking down, Interacia's bad qualities start transferring over. That includes their terrible surface and disasters as well."

Luke's eyes widened. 'Wait a minute…' He thought back to the weather reports that he saw on TV before he left for Vestal. 'That's the exact same thing that happened to Earth as we were leaving. Then does this mean that Vestal's gonna get natural disasters more?'

Shawn stepped forward. "Well I don't know about you, but we need to come up with something, and fast before another one of those shakes happen again."

Marucho nodded. "Agree. We need to head back to Earth and compile the data we have of both worlds. We'll also need to hurry to New Vestroia to see what else is happening."

"That case, we need to head out as soon as we can." Shun said. "We've got to find Dan fast or we'll never get things done."

"WAIT!" Suddenly in a burst of comical speed, Keegan sped in a dust cloud that blew in everyone's face. When the dust cleared up, he was in a groveling position with his head down. "Please take me with you! I'm begging you!"

"Wha-Keegan?!" Luke stammered.

"These guys are driving me crazy!" He pointed at the Vestal group accusingly. "I nearly got killed because of them! I take it all back! These guys are way more annoying than you lot!"

"Hey, that's not nice." Baron pouted.

"Yeah, what did we ever do to you?" Ace raised a brow, earning a harsh glare that made him jerk back. "Hey, geez, what's with the look?"

He pointed at Ace. "There! See?! He doesn't even know what he's talking about! Please take me with you! Anything but here! Anything!"

Maggie was wide-eyed at the harsh groveling Keegan was imposing. "…woah. Okay…" she whistled. "Man, this guy begs worse than you, Luke."

"What's that mean?" he grumbled.

Shuji crossed his arms. "This is just sad. You sure we should let him?"

Jase humbly straightened. "That's a good question. For what it's worth, Keegan has shown instrumental usage to us…perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have him tag along for a while longer I suppose."

"Mind if I impose on something?" Spectra stepped forward, immediately erasing the pleasure on Keegan's face.

Jase turned towards him. "Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"Why no, not at all." Spectra answered. "But if I can say something, I think I might have a better solution to this problem."

"Intriguing…go on."

Spectra looked down at Keegan. "This fellow Interacian has been an upmost asset in our operation. It's because of his sacrifice that we got to the Battle Brawlers to begin with. With that said, with his Interacian DNA, I think we can work something out with him assisting me in finding a cure to this little disease we seem to have."

"Wait…" Keegan paled. "You wanna use me as a guinea pig?!"

"You should be honored." Gus smirked over him. "Master Spectra doesn't just acknowledge anyone for his services. If he sees you as an asset then don't feel bad. Consider it an honor."

Luke looked towards everyone. "Well, what do you guys think?" Everyone held their opinions to themselves.

"I can vouch for the young man." Klaus raised his hand. "I've seen him in action with my own eyes. I believe that he can in fact benefit everyone by lending his aid to Vestal for a little while."

"Wha…?" Keegan gaped.

"I get it." Marucho realized. "We can use his Interacia intelligence and DNA to try and stop Riaan somehow." He turned towards the others. "What do you guys think?"

Shun shrugged. "If it'll keep everyone safe then I'm in." he answered. Gunz meekly shrugged like he didn't care.

"Well, it looks like everyone's in on it." Shawn sighed. "Sorry Keegan, guess you're needed here."

Keegan tried to worm his way out of it. "N-now, hold on! Wait a sec! Uh, c-can we uh…you know…work something else out…?" He felt a chill when he looked all around, seeing Ace and Baron smirk at him. Immediately he paled.

"You can't stand us you said. Think we're crazy." Ace reminded him. "Might wanna think about what you say the next time you wanna thank someone."

"Look on the bright side. We need all the help we can get." Baron chimed in.

This didn't sit well with Keegan. He let out a loud cry that echoed through the streets.

"Then it's settled, we'll find the Trailer and ready for departure." Esther sternly said. "Now then, we should get started on preparing."

"Right!" Everyone agreed. All except Keegan, who was groaning angrily to the heavens.

While everyone began talking amongst themselves about the plan, far off away from the group, Luke noticed a silent stare coming from Luka, who was leaning against a pile of rocks. Both were quiet as Luke showed inquiry at Luka, before he suddenly turned and walked off.

"Luka, hold on…!" Luke reached out, but it was too late. He was gone.

"Where's he going you think?" Abis Omega questioned.

Luke retracted his hand, letting go o the prospect. "…I don't know."

Nearby, Esther saw Luke being contemplative. "Luke, what's wrong?"

Luke looked back towards Esther, then back to the direction Luka went off to. He fell quiet as he decided to let the subject drop. "…it's nothing."

---

Rain poured down on Interacia's grand capital. For what felt like an alien ideal, the Interacian people were experiencing natural weather other than sunlight for the first time. The ground was being turned to puddles that people stepped around in; kids of which hopped and splashed in.

In Riaan's divine tower that breached through the rain, the sounds of thunder echoed through the chambers as the outdoor atmosphere was getting drastic. And the same could be said for inside.

Looking out towards the rain through his massive open window, Riaan sat on his throne, a patient stare fixed as beside him, Armagedoid was in his open form, standing tall like a statue in utter silence. Behind them, Hades Pillars was glooming down on Rogue Zero as they kneeled before their superiors. The sheer tension was barely broke by anyone. The thunder outside did all the talking.

After what felt like an eternity, that gaping silence was finally broke by Cyrus. "Maximus Rogue. Xander Hellion. Cesar Ventriliqua. Ariella Island. Hendrix Stone. Killian Miles. Do you know why you were brought to us?"

No one said anything. Not even Maximus was showing a smirk. All that assurance he had was washed away when Abis Omega's attack defeated him. The memory still irked him.

"I take it by your stout silence that you're already aware. Well then, perhaps we'll have to say it ourselves."

Magnus stepped forward. "Your arrogance and lack of resolve is what lead to every one of your defeats. You let yourselves get caught in what could possibly be your biggest plunder yet. You allowed your backs to be turned to let six humans and two Vestals the audacity to meet Lord Riaan's face."

Many of them grunted in annoyance, and partially frustration. Xander balled his fists.

"And Cesar." Lucia said. "Your army has been 90% wiped out. I hope you realize those numbers fall on your responsibility." Cesar prodded his glasses with a frown, huffing. "And it is precisely because of this setback that we are now short-handed on supplied forces to further continue our brigade on Vestal. As of now, Vestal is without our arms still wrapped around it."

Amina lifted her head to Ariella, smirking evilly. "Hmph!" Without care, she stomped inches away from her face. "And here I thought you couldn't get any lower than a dog. All of you." She snobbishly turned around. "Why bother looking at trash any further."

"I quite agree." Zion scowled.

Galilea looked down on Killian. She held no words for him as he kept his head bowed and eyes shut in shame over his loss. She sighed heavily. She was going to have a word with him later on.

Maximus was still silent. His hood was down as beneath, one could barely make out the shuddering look in his eyes. The image of Luke and Abis Omega finishing them off rattled his mind for the umpteenth time today. He had nothing to speak of.

Cyrus took a few steps forward, meeting Maximus as he kneeled in his shadow. The man crossed his arms and looked down with a blood-chilling stare, one that could give children nightmares as thunder roared in the background. "Maximus. Tell me now…how does it feel…that you've experienced true fear?"

Maximus gritted his teeth. His shadowy gaze beneath his hood casted out any means of fighting. He was too warped to realize his superior speaking to him.

Cyrus saw that he was too distraught to answer. "I was hoping for a better answer than just silence you know. I honestly held high expectations for you…but I guess those were of false hope."

A hand was put out, stopping everyone from disowning Rogue Zero. "That's quite enough." Riaan stood up, facing them with his head held high. Everyone turned towards him in shock. "The blame to be casted on is my own."

Lucia gasped. "You? But, sir-!"

"This fault is held on me. There is no reason for you to be berating Rogue Zero because you refuse to point your true fingers at me. This was my idea, and therefore it's my responsibility to bare."

"O-of course milord." Lucia stammered. "Please, forgive our rudeness." She and Hades Pillars kneeled before Riaan in apologies.

With them quelled, Riaan turned towards Rogue Zero. "Now then, Rogue Zero. I understand that you have suffered enough. Please, tell us, what was the experience you have to share with us?"

Rogue Zero was very much humbled by the request of their leader. They all looked to each other worriedly, if not quizzically. Suddenly from the group, Hendrix stood tall, catching the eyes of Ariella. "Hendrix?"

Hendrix held a stern eye towards Riaan. "Yes, Hendrix?" Riaan asked.

"Milord…" The Subterra battler frowned. He honestly looked sad with regret. "It is with great humility, that we take full responsibility for this."

Guilty, Killian stepped up as well. "He's right. You gave us the task of defending you until the end and we let you down. This is on ours shoulders as well."

Nobody else said anything. Maximus was still wrapped on how his section of darkness was swept away by Luke's final attack. The look of fear in his face then was enough to deter him so much that he looked like a statue.

"You can all relax. No need to feel down about yourselves." Riaan dismissed. "Listen well. It is true that you let yourselves open and were without caution when Spectra and his forces took you by surprise. It was perhaps a close call but in the end I got the energy we needed, so you did your jobs, even with negative repercussions."

Cesar chuckled. "Seems we have been graced by his eminence yet again."

"You're far too kind, thank you." Killian bowed. Him, along with everyone bowed again in gratitude.

Riaan grinned. "Good. Now then. On with the basis of our overall agenda. It seems that what I have calculated has come to pass. Our plans have finally caught the attention of the Battle Brawlers that inhabit Earth, and they will most likely be after us as well. With that in mind, I would like to commence further into the next phase of our plans as immediately as we possibly can."

Zion raised his head. "Your eminence, how would you like to proceed?"

"Well, looking back upon this failure of occupying New Vestroia and Vestal, I believe we have to rely now on more moderate advances. With the technology was have finished downloading from Vestal, we'll use that to enhance the programming on the repairs and structures of Empyrean, to prepare for our next target."

"Very well. We'll get them to reconfigure Empyrean for the next destination." Galilea said. "Do you want us to prepare for anything else, milord?"

"Actually…" Riaan closed his eyes, humbly grinning. "I would like to further address this with Hades Pillars promptly. We will discuss our next course of action regarding Empyrean and where our location will be. In the meantime, Rogue Zero…" he turned towards the shamed group. "I understand that safeguarding Empyrean took considerate time out of your hands. In spite of your efforts, I'll have to consider sending you into reflection. You will be on standby until Hades Pillars gives you anymore orders. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your eminence." Ariella answered, bowing her head.

"Good, then everyone, you are dismissed. Hades Pillars, met me for our next course in half an hour. Dismissed." Everyone suddenly disappeared right before his eyes, teleporting off to their steads. With them gone, thunder gave wake to lightning outside, alarming Armagedoid. "At ease, Armagedoid, it's just lightning." Riaan turned around and walked back to his throne. "It's a common sight on Earth you see. Especially during storms." He sat down in his seat, looking comfortable as he frowned out at the storm.

The rain kept pouring down, a dark grey sky that overtook the landscape. As he looked out at the downpour, he continued speaking.

"Just as beauty draws many in, Armagedoid, that beauty can also be a death flag. The rain that we see now, it may brings quenching thirsts to halt, but it can also drown. Just as lightning brings electricity, it also kills in a flash. The very force of nature is a power many question, and that question even I have not yet found the answer to."

Armagedoid glanced down to his master. "But, can you control this world?"

"…I can indeed, Armagedoid. But know this: Not everything can be controlled the way you want them to."

Lightning flashed, crackling thunder throughout the sky.

---

All of Rogue Zero went their separate ways. Killian was the first to teleport to his room, looking annoyed as he went for the bed that Galilea got for him last week. He wanted to just lie down after the hard time he had. Cesar prodded his glasses inside his lab, where he created a variety of projections showing Bakugan and graphs he had to configure stats of. He proceeded to infusions, with Freezer watching besides him. Hendrix went off somewhere, where he began to do push-ups with gritting teeth, partially from frustration and from the weight he felt. Ariella was applying moisturizer to her face as she looked herself in the mirror, huffing. Xander was leaning on his windowsill, flicking Hyper Dragonoid up and down as he stared at the rain shower happening mere inches from his body. But no one was more distraught than someone who teleported to total darkness.

Materializing in his domain, Maximus continued showing no response as he remained stiff as a statue.

Lightning crackled outside again, the thundering rumbling beneath his very feet. Oddly enough, the vibrations didn't faze him. Nothing did.

As if on instinct, he turned towards the mirror in his room – the only other object in his domain. Pitch-black everywhere else and curtains open to view the dark clouds on the other side of the room, where the mirror refracted light. Maximus walked towards it, staring at his reflection grimly.

Silence. That's all that overtook his domain. Nothing but the diminished sounds of rainwater streaming outside, and the spontaneous thunder that rumbled through the atmosphere. The dark silence that Maximus was feeling was what he saw in the reflection; a grim, black creature with nothing but small devil horns and a void look unseen. The only thing made out were the vague bags beneath the eyes.

"Maximus. Tell me now…how does it feel…that you've experienced true fear?"

Cyrus' words entered his mind again. The distraught look started turning bitter as he was thinking back to something about his childhood. He remembered something. A cold, empty place, a unbearable environment where he was left alone. All he saw everywhere were decayed statues, but the air and fear were much alike – unbearable.

"Im…impossible…how…?" he was so out of it that he took one look at Luke and Abis Omega. They looked better than ever, but he was a stuttering mess as his composure was completely shattered.

BOOM!

Lightning crackled outside, bringing Maximus to reality. He took one look at his reflection during a flash, seeing not himself, nor his inner demon…but Luke. He gasped and fell back from shock. His heart was racing as he stared at the mirror again, this time when he saw lightning, he saw his own horrified expression.

Realizing what happened, he thought about Luke's attack one more time. The intimidating look he had edged into his mind, his emotions of fear bubbling into anger. He slowly stood up, walking towards his mirror again as he had a hostile look beneath his hood. The devil child saw lightning flash one more time, again showing Luke hissing at him.

Maximus hissed back, his eyes shrunk so much they were almost gone. His fangs were bared, his fingers twitching. His maniacal scowling was so loud it was bloodcurdling to the ear. "Luuuke~!"

Lightning flashed loud one more time, thunder as loud as Maximus roared inti his mirror and the bloodthirsty reflection.

---

The group stood before the Trailer, finally back to their humble abode. Much to their own surprise, even through the destruction of Vestal, the Trailer was still in one piece. To add to the shock, it was in the exact same spot as it was before.

"You…you've gotta be joking." Luke stammered. "The Trailer, it's still…"

"It's like it wasn't even touched to begin with. Damn." Shawn awed.

Maggie smiled wide. "Talk about a miracle! We're just getting lucky today!"

"Got that right. Some lucky break." Shuji smirked.

Esther heard footsteps and saw Klaus. "It was certainly a lucky find. When the smoke finally cleared, my manner and the estates were the first signs I looked. And amongst them also lied your humble abode. Seems the warm winds blew in the direction of good fortune for us all."

Luke walked up to the Trailer, staring at its massive structure still strong. As he looked longingly, a sense of belonging filled his heart. Cold winds picked up, but he wasn't too bothered by them. What got his attention, however, was the hand on his shoulder belonging to a smiling Shawn. He looked over to see his best friend giving him a grin.

"Hey, you okay?"

Luke hesitated to answer for a moment. He looked back up, smiling again. "Yeah…just thinking is all." He said. "We missed our home."

"Yeah." Shawn looked up at the Trailer as well. "I think we all did."

"Sure is good to be back."

"Ain't that the truth."

Esther ignored the sympathetic notes for the moment and turned towards the Battle Brawlers. "So tell us, what are your plans for now? Are you intending to head back with us?"

"We've been giving it some thought." Marucho said. "We've decided for at least the time being, we could use this to our advantage and learn from as many sources together until we return to Earth."

Shun stepped forward. "We'll follow you along, but only until we're back to Earth. From there, we'll come up with a new plan. Is that clear?"

Esther nodded. "Yes, understood."

"I'll step inside and start up the engine. I suppose this is where we part for the time being." Jase told Spectra and the Vestal group.

"Yes, so it would seem." Spectra said.

Gus scoffed lightly. "You guys have a lot on your plates. We understand if you won't be sending out invitations for a while."

"It's too bad. And here I was getting used to you guys." Ace chimed cooly.

"You'll be sure to keep us informed, right? Right?" Baron slid to the front to the group, looking like he was begging. "Because we gotta chill sometime in this mess we're in! So please, don't leave us hanging too long, okay?" He was shedding wavy tears down his face as he was sad to see them go.

"Baron, calm down." Nemus advised. "It's not like they'll just disappear."

"Not quite yet." Jase answered. "But if not soon, the three planets and the people will all disappear. It's best to act now rather than stay in one spot too long." He turned and prodded his glasses, making light refract off them. "That said, I hope that you are successful in whatever data you're able to get, Spectra. We're counting on you."

Spectra chuckled. "Noted. Please do keep well."

"As to you all." With that, Jase started for the Trailer to get it going. Following him, everyone else started for the Trailer.

"Bye guys, catch ya later!" Maggie waved back smiling, along with others grinning.

"Bye!" Baron waved back in the distance.

Once they were out of sight, Klaus had a hand holding up Sirenoid. "Well now, seems they're on their merry way. It's time that we do what we can as well for Vestal. Sirenoid?"

"Yes, Master Klaus. I shall do as you tell me to do." Sirenoid said.

Spectra grinned and turned away. "Well now, seems like we should be getting to work as well, won't we…Keegan."

Behind him was Keegan, and he looked far from please as he had a gloomy aura and a sulking expression. "Somebody shoot me…"

The Vestal group laughed, though for this laugh shared, it was perhaps the last one they will have for the longest time.

As Luke's group started filing into the Trailer, Luke was the last one to file in. Suddenly a swift sound got Abis Omega's attention. "Huh?"

Luke turned to his partner. "Abis, what's up?" He glanced back, seeing someone who was standing alone meters away. When their eyes met, a distilled silence brewed in their awkward stares. Luke couldn't believe it. "Luka…"

Luka stared at Luke like a statue. His presence alarmed everybody else as they turned inside. They came back, crowding behind Luke as they all stared at the Haos avenger who was focused solemnly on Luke. The air around them shifted as leaves wilted in the trees. With each passing second, the leaves grew restless as winds were ruffling them up.

The second one leaf finally picked up and drifted off, Luke's glare grew serious as he stepped off the Trailer, making way towards Luka until he was a few feet away.

"Luka…"

"You're heading back to Earth, is that right?" he bluntly asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, we were just about to head out. What about you?"

"I was about to head out as well." He turned his head to glance outwards. "I checked the area for anymore stray Bakugan. This planet should at least be free of the tainted. But the damage is too great to take care of."

"I see…" A pause of apology lifted before he spoke. "Luka, how are you gonna handle against Master Riaan? What's your plan?"

Luka looked back to him. "My plan?" he repeated. "My plan, you ask? Exactly what business is what I'm doing relevant to yours?"

"Well, we're both after the same thing, aren't we? We wanna find a way to stop Master Riaan from destroying all worlds. If we put all our heads together, we can find a way to-!"

"Moron."

Luke gasped. "Wait…what?"

"You heard what I said, didn't you? Even after everything that's happened, you still insist on taking down Riaan and his monster?"

"Well, yeah. What do you expect, for me to just stay down and take the fall?"

Luke scoffed again. "Moron. And you're still calling him 'Master Riaan' still?"

"Luka…"

"You moron!" His sudden snapping shut down anything Luke had to say. "You're so naïve that it's making me sick. You really think this is all gonna be that simple? Do you even have a plan?"

Luke furrowed his brow. He wasn't taking his insults lightly. "No, not yet. But we're trying. That's all we can do."

"And you really think trying means something if you fail in the end?" he scowled back. "Even if your plan got you this far, that won't change that Riaan has taken three planets to his influence. He's this much closer to creating a world of one and you're running around like headless chickens waiting for his next strike!"

Luke wanted to say something, but before he could, Luka grabbed him by the collar and stared him in his shocked face. "Listen here, you fake! I'm telling you this for your own good!"

"Luke!" Esther went up, but she was held back when Shuji fixed her in place. She looked back, seeing him shake his head. She resumed watching.

"You think I told all your friends that stuff back on Interacia just so you can get yourselves killed? My goal is to save as many people from that monster's wake, and you completely ignored me!" he shoved Luke back. Luke caught himself and watched Luka turn his back. "I didn't think it would come to this, I was a fool…"

"Luka…"

"I told you all of that just so you and your planets can prepare for the worst, not to see others like you become what I am. Someone who's willing to risk everything to end Riaan once and for all. There's been too many I've seen suffer on Interacia all these years, and Riaan played them like fools by a loose string!" he glared over his shoulder back at the others. "So how do you feel now after seeing Vestal in ruins?"

"Luka…" Abis Omega looked at Brontes, seeing his stare fixed on him alone. He returned the crude stare.

"Luka." Luke remained surprisingly calm in tone. "This is about Riaan, isn't it?" he stepped forward. "Believe it or not, he's been a part of my life as well. And that's another reason why I have to do this."

This time, Luka was the one who gasped.

"Master Riaan deceived me and Shawn, all our lives for that matter. Whether you choose to believe me or not, that still doesn't mean that it isn't less personal for all of us. He took Bakugan from New Vestroia, infected our worlds…you were right, maybe he is a monster. But…" he cleared his throat before choosing to speak again. "Look, I don't know what Riaan did exactly to make you despise him, but I'm not stopping you. And neither should you."

Luka managed to get over his shock, but his scowl returned. "Is that so?"

"It's the way we chose."

"I see…in that case-!" He suddenly pulled out his energy sword, surprising Luke enough to make him step back. "Let me make this clear! If you're so bent on stopping Riaan by yourself, then prove it!"

Everyone looked shocked at all this. Shawn stepped forward. "Hey! Both of you! Don't start here! Luke!"

Luke saw the sword pointed at his face, but he calmed down as Abis Omega remained on his shoulder. "Luka, stop. I don't wanna fight you."

"Is that so? Well then if you can't fight me, how can you expect to fight Riaan if you can't protrude every obstacle that stand in your way?" he asked as he withdrew his energy sword promptly.

"An obstacle?" Abis Omega pieced it together as Luka turned to walk away. "Wait, is that all we are to you? After everything that you've done for us, even after helping, you think we're just in the way?! C'mon! Why can't we just fight Riaan together?!"

Luka stopped meters away with his back still turned. He grimly sighed. "It's not that simple." He muttered.

"What?" Luke and Abis Omega asked in unison.

Luka turned back towards them one more time. "I've made a vow to myself and Brontes that we'd save as many lives needed from Riaan. If you really insist on actually helping, the listen and back off. But if you don't and insist on this path…then you." He referred to Luke as he reached for his sword one more time. "The next we meet, that will decide whose vendetta is stronger. Only the real avenger will stop Riaan before the other." He turned away, this time for good and walked off. "This is the last time we'll meet like this. The choice is yours…but know this: It won't change what must be done."

Luka's final note caught whim to the winds. The winds picked up between Luka and Luke as they separated. Abis Omega and Brontes locked eyes with each other one more time before Brontes took off with Luka.

Luke was left silent, but he was brought back to reality when Jase stepped forward. "Luke…"

"Jase…" he started. "Do you think Luka is jealous of us?"

"That isn't likely to say. Normally when two people seek a common goal, they would always try to establish their superiority to one another. Seems that's exactly what Luka is doing."

"I see." He smirked.

"Is there something amusing?"

Luke turned around, smiling as he walked towards the Trailer. "It's nothing. C'mon, let's head back to Earth."

Jase followed behind. Everyone cleared a path for Luke as he made way inside. They all exchanged worried looks over him, but out of respect stayed silent.

---

The congregation hall was vastly silent, even when thunder still rumbled on occasion. The room's attribute symbols on the outer circle shined, bringing all of Rogue Zero, exclude Maximus, to one spot.

"This the spot where he wanted us?" Killian questioned.

"Last I checked before we got here." Xander answered. "Maximus said he wanted to meet us this instant."

"An urgent rendezvous?" Ariella scoffed. "That doesn't sound like Maximus. At least he paces us. What's with a rush at a time like this? I was about to shower."

"Hmph!" Cesar scoffed as he whipped his locks on the side of his face. "Shame, and I was in the middle of making schematics for those new updates to our arsenal and-!"

The Darkus symbol glowed beneath their feet, summoning Maximus. The Darkus battler had his hood up and head down as he was stone-cold. The air around him began dropping in temperature, immediately alarming his fellow cohorts.

"Well, well, look who's fashionably late, as ever." Ariella scoffed. "So, Maximus, care to tell us what's so important that you dragged us all the way out here?"

"Be quiet, Ariella. I'm sure he has his reasons. You're just mad because you can't take care of yourself as needed." Xander scoffed.

Ariella looked far from pleased. "Please, Xander. If I can't take care of myself, then how is it that I have better breath than the trash heap you crawled out of this morning?"

Xander chuckled. "Well at least that tongue of yours is still in shape."

"Much more so than your body, little man."

"Guys. Guys!" Killian – being between them the whole time – earned glares. He held his ground as he gestured towards Maximus. "He's saying something…"

They all fell silent as Maximus was silent towards his cohorts. He and his captive audience were glaring at one another, exchanging silent vital signals that gave the room a serious vibe.

"Get your things going…we're heading out." He bluntly murmured.

Cesar raised a brow. "Heading out you say? And where exactly is this too?"

"We're going to find Luke and those brats. They've outlived their annoyance long enough…I say it's time we remind them again why they should fear us."

Everyone looked to each other with slight confusion on their faces. They didn't get why so soon, but the motive they felt was partially by them. Just looking at him made it clear something else was up. Of course some like Ariella seemed more elated than scared.

"My goodness, this is quite the bold move you've made, Maximus. Sounds like your patience is thinning at long last. I'm wasn't sure if I was ever going to see this side of you. My, what a rebel you've-!"

All air in the atmosphere was cut off when a gauntlet with sharp claws snatch her by the neck, causing Ariella to gag from the cutting choke. Everyone in the room backed off with wide eyes as Ariella was gaping for air like a fish out of water. Maximus was casually holding his arm out as his hood was down.

"I said we are going after them, now." Sheer, chilling venom was in every syllable of his voice. "Orders or no orders, Luke and that posse of his have outlived their usefulness long enough. I didn't ask for your shitmouth commentary, Ariella…"

He finally turned towards everyone, showing something that made even Hendrix a little wide-eyed…and something that made Ariella's blood run cold.

The eyes of a devil were what they saw staring at them all. A stare that rivaled a Bakugan that got no sleep and was driven insane. The blood red around his eyes, and the monstrous venom seen made it all too clear that he wasn't taking no for an answer. Any sense of argument died as he glanced at Ariella.

"Now let me make myself clear. We are going after them, now. Do not make me repeat myself a third time." He dropped Ariella, letting her fall on to her back harshly. As Killian rushed beside to help her up as she gaped like a fish, Maximus shifted his cape around. "Cesar! I don't care how it's done! Find those six pests, and make sure they stay put!" he shifted his cape again, his frown turning into a malicious, bloodthirsty smirk. "We're gonna go give Luke and his friends our regards."

---

Jase began putting in coordinates as he typed into his keyboard. Beside him, Marucho was watching him tentatively as he was observing the schematics locked on. Shun and Gunz were sitting around the big table at the base of the operating deck as they were waiting patiently. Luke's group strapped into their seats and prepared for takeoff.

Esther was typing into her sequence, making sure the radars and sequences were in good shape. While diagnostic checks were running, she looked over, seeing Luke fairly slow in his checks. "Luke."

Returning from spacing out, Luke turned to the seat closest to him. "Esther…"

"You look spacious. Is what Luka said bothering you?"

Luke looked down. "That's…kinda hard to explain."

Abis Omega rolled onto the table, popping open. "Honestly, what's there to say? I mean, look at us. We're risking our lives for this mission and he's insisting we should back off. You don't see us telling him how to live his life."

"No, you're right." She turned away. "Still, I'm sure he all that for a reason. But please, don't let that stop you, Luke. You have your own life to live as well." She smiled softly. "And you taught us to live our lives like you."

"I'm not sure if we didn't express ourselves much, Abis Omega, but Esther and I are very grateful to you and Luke. You both have become very inspirational Bakugan."

"Really?" Abis Omega sheepishly turned away. "Heh…thanks I guess."

"Just keep walking the path that brings you forward." Esther advised. "And I promise I'll see to it that you make it to the end."

Luke's smile widened as he softly gazed at Esther. "Esther…"

"So are all the calculations there?" Marucho asked Jase. He was watching him as he was in the main driver seat, overlooking the entire bridge.

"Yes, indeed. The Trailer is fully calibrated. We should leave when you're ready." Jase answered.

"Okay then." Marucho looked towards the ceiling. "Alright Radizen! Guys!"

Up on the ceiling of the Trailer, Radizen, Roxtor, Skytruss, Orbeum, Jaakor, and Reptak were all accounted for as they were grouped in front of the Trailer. They all faced forward, ready.

"That's our cue guys, ya ready?" Radizen asked.

Roxtor chimed with gibberish.

"We're ready." Jaakor responded.

"Time to get you guys back." Reptak said.

Together, the Bakugan all let out grunts as they expelled an energy wave forward. The energy beams all converged into one, opening a portal to fit the Trailer through. With the portal now open, the Bakugan all drifted back inside to their respective partners and everyone geared up.

"Okay…" Shuji punched forward. "Let's move it, people!"

Luke and Abis Omega tensed. They were ready.

…

On another screen that looked like a radar, a red dot was beeping. Cesar looked at it with light refracting off his glasses and slowly turned back. "I hope you're satisfied with this, Maximus. Seems our little parasites are traveling through dimensions, but like I predicted they would."

"Excellent work, Cesar." He complimented. "Now then, you know what to do."

Cesar's smirk widened. "Absolutely." A compartment inside of his armrest opened, revealing keypads and a digital screen. He started typing in a sequence, and the screen on his armrest lit up. A connection cable was inserted that connected the chair to the computer, and the graph started showing more waves emanating from all around.

…

As the Trailer was traveling through the dimensional rift, everyone on board was starting to relax. Their voyage was taking them smoothly, thankfully.

"So where're we heading off to?" Shawn inquired towards Jase.

Piloting the Trailer, Jase retained all focus forward. "We've set the coordinates for the Battle Brawlers headquarters. That was the original point we left off of. It makes better sense to travel back to a place we're familiar with."

"Well I guess that makes sense." Verias commented.

"Indeed." Atmos responded. "So then, from there, we'll figure out what we can do from there to decide on our next course of action."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The Trailer sailed through the rifts of space heading right for the bright light on the other side of the tunnel. As they were sailing off, a distorted shockwave sped up to them. Once it passed them, the waves filtered outwards to fade into view, making the light become frozen.

"Hm?" Maggie looked around, noticing no vibrations. "That's weird."

"Why? What's wrong?" Jelldon asked.

"This is weird." Shawn tapped his screen, but it wasn't responding. "The screen's not responding. Couldn't be frozen."

"But didn't we already do diagnostic checks?" Maggie asked.

Shawn leaned back in his seat, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. Couldn't be because of that, can it?"

"What's going on?" Shun asked from below.

Atmos floated to be over the shield of the last screen. "Not quite sure. For some reason, everything just suddenly stopped." He looked back towards Jase. "Anything as of yet?"

Jase was typing as fast as he could, rummaging through the diagnostics and calibrations. "The calibrations and systematics functions are all intact. We're in full working condition."

"But is that's the case, why did we stop?" Esther asked, putting a hand to her chin. "Something doesn't feel right about all this."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Atchibee inquired.

Jase looked through the camera the Trailer had, seeing the surroundings and the drastic pressure they were around. "At the rate we're being put at, there's one thing certain. With us trapped in the rifts of the warp, there isn't any way out."

"What?!" Luke gasped.

"Wait, you serious man?!" Shuji outraged. "You're saying we're just sitting ducks?"

"As crude as a term that is, in simplest terms, yes."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Shuji looked out at the visual glass, seeing the rifts were completely frozen, and there were no lights to beam towards. It really looked like they were suspended.

"What's gonna happen now?" Maggie worried. "Is there a way to get free?"

Jase prodded his glasses. "There might be something we can try."

"Well, spit it out! We're all ears right now." Fly Beetle urged.

"Very well then." Jase looked over towards Luke and Esther. "Luke, Esther. Can you both manually activate the satellite transmission rod? It should be within the settings of your consoles."

Luke blinked. "Uh…sure." He turned around, sitting in his seat with Esther. The two looked to each other and Esther went to work, typing in one of the access codes in the manual she had. Luke pulled out his manual, rummaging through the pages until he found the right one. Once he typed in the code, a list of options came up. When they finally got it down, a small rod jutted up from the top of the Trailer, much like a car rod.

"Good. Now then…" Jase began typing into his screen manually, where he started inserting a plug into his Bakumeter. Once the connection began syncing, the screen showed a visual upload of the power transmitting to the radio. "By inserting the signal trackers to the Trailer's enhanced radio and radar technology, we should be able to emit a feedback strong enough to get a response."

"What'll that do?" Maggie inquired.

"It means a distress signal, Maggie." Esther explained.

Jase nodded. "Precisely. If the radar is able to send a feedback through the rifts of space, then they'll reach a point and bounce back to us, similar to echolocation. That's the direction to the nearest signal that reacted to our stranding."

"And you really think that'll work?" Luke asked.

"In theory, yes. Sure beats wasting away in suspense." The former Colonel sighed. "Oh how cliffhangers trouble me."

"Great." Shuji groaned as he slumped in his seat.

Luke looked out the glass, staring out at space. He could only hope with Abis Omega on his shoulder that the signal gets picked up soon…for all their sakes.

---

In a forest surrounded by dying pine trees, the winds were cold and crisp, carrying shrapnel branch twigs and prickling leaves that swirled around like in the midst of an autumn storm. Strangely enough it was closer to summer, much to many of confusion.

Walking along a trail from the market afar, a lone young woman's bright orange hair shifted and bounced with every step she took. She adorned a bright purple dress over a long bright yellow sundress that kept her warm enough to get to where she needed.

A strong wind passed her, causing her hair to shift in front of her face. She moved a lock, turning to look up at the sky. 'What was that just now…? I thought I heard…'

Unable to tell what it was, she focused on ahead. She arrived at a cottage that wasn't too far from a lab. She walked in, closing the door with a smile. "I'm home!"

"Huh? Alice, you're back." Turning towards his granddaughter, Dr. Michael noticed the load of groceries that Alice had in hand. "You okay?"

Alice sat the groceries on the table and smiled. "Don't worry, Grandfather. I'm okay, really."

Michael smiled. "I'm glad. These unnatural phenomena happening in our weather patterns are what's troubling me. We were lucky we didn't get anything severe it seems."

Alice frowned. "Yeah, me too…I'm worried. Does anyone know what's going on?"

"It's hard to say. These patterns are far from ordinary. Anyways, you just got home, so let me fix up some lunch for you." He walked into the kitchen, leaving Alice to herself again.

Alice sighed. She turned to look towards the doorway. She slowly walked outside to overlook everything on the wooden balcony. As she overlooked the forest across the field, she saw that the pines were dwindling to nothing. She even saw some pines were already reduced to nothing. Another crisp breeze passed her, shifting her hair again. Maybe Grandfather's right. What if something is wrong around here? I know this feeling, but…I can't quite make it out…what's it mean?'

The sounds of alarms were what got Alice's attention. She gasped when she heard the signal coming a short distance away. "What's that?" She recognized where the signal was coming from. "Wait, could that be the lab?" She took to her heels and began making way through the pine trees. She shifted and maneuvered the best she could without snaring her dress. Once she was clear of any debris, she found the massive lab in the silo. Getting inside, Alice turned to the sensors. She saw them going off as a purple dot was blinking constantly. "That's weird. Grandfather's Dimensional Transporter is picking up a signal. But I thought I wasn't active…"

She looked over to the massive gates that were the transporter. She took a longing look at them before her mind itched about the strange feelings she's been having.

"I have to go tell Grandfather, and quick." She turned and ran for the cottage. "Grandfather!"

---

Having a bored outlook, Maggie tapped her finger on her desk with every second she waited. She hummed to quench her boredom, but it wasn't doing any good. She groaned loudly as she rested her head on her desk.

"Maggie? Maggie?" Jelldon called out. He jerked suddenly when snores were heard. Turning around, he saw Shuji was lying in his seat, looking completely knocked out.

Fly Beetle turned towards Jelldon, the two sharing unisons sweat beads at what to do.

"How long have we been waiting for?" Luke asked. He was also showing signs of irritation, but rather than fume like he would normally do, he held his calm. He knew better to not fuss over something that could drain his energy.

"That's hard to say. The concept of time is as questionable as space itself." Esther pointed out.

"Does the system need a reboot in order to send out another signal?" Marucho asked.

"The system had its functions stabilized, so everything should be in condition." Jase answered, continuing to monitor the signal. "But with many planets and extraterrestrials able to transport themselves, it's unknowing if we may end up there."

"So then…we might get to Mira or Earth?" Luke gasped.

Jase's glasses cast away any sign of emotion. "It's a possibility." The screen started beeping, getting his attention. "Hm?"

Shuji snorted awake from the beeping. "Huh? What the-?! What's going on?!"

"Are we under attack again?" Maggie looked around, seeing no signs of potential danger.

Shawn's eyes widened. "Guys! Up ahead, look!"

Everyone saw what he meant as they turned and saw a light glistening in the distance. The rifts that were frozen began moving passed them, bringing their sense of gravity slowly forward again.

"We're moving again!" Verias exclaimed.

"Then that must mean that our signal was responded to." Atchibee said.

"It appears so." Jase started up the Trailer's forward functions. "Now then, everyone hang on. We're about to enter the signal's range. Brace yourselves."

Everyone did as he said and prepared. Whether it'd be enemy or ally, they couldn't tell at this point. What mattered – even to the former Colonel – was getting out in one piece and out of the rifts. Everyone buckled down and gritted their teeth as the tensions drew them forward.

The Trailer went following the path, zipping out of the dimensional rifts at long last.

…

On the radar that Cesar was looking through, there was another beacon that was shown t the top corner. Luke's group's icon started beeping and slowly dragging towards the signal.

"Looks like they're finally on the move." Cesar mused. "Just as I calculated." He felt an ominous chill from behind, knowing that it was Maximus' anxious stare. "You can tell Killian to ready that transporter…your eminence, we've found what you've been looking for."

"Excellent work, Cesar." Maximus smirked. "Now then…shall we go hunting?"

Cesar prodded his glasses up. "As you wish."

…

Inside an enclosed hall, there was a small gathering of Hades Pillars and Riaan. He was currently talking about the holographic visuals of what looked like Battle Gear schematics. Lucia was paying full attention, but then her heart pulsed with a gasp.

Riaan turned towards her. "Lucia, is something wrong?" Everyone else looked towards her, showing equal wonder as well.

Lucia was stunned as she was fixed on images she was witnessing in her mind. She saw the images of Rogue Zero, and what looked like surges that were expelling outwards. She even saw a desolate wasteland, and what looked like an orange-haired girl surrounded by vermilion and dark flames as six red eyes glowed behind her serious stare. When those images faded, Lucia composed enough to look to her associates.

"Your grace." She started. "I believe that something will be coming. And from what I can tell…it's starting with Rogue Zero."

The room fell silent as everyone turned towards Riaan. The man held his composed silence as he retained a calm demeanor. "…how interesting, Lucia." His eyes narrowed. "Tell me, what else did you see?"

…

Alice and Michael stood before the opened dimension gates, both off to the side as added caution. They watched as the portal shined after nearly years of inactivity.

"Alice, are you sure there's something there?" Michael asked.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, positive Grandfather. I saw the sensors pick up the signal a few minutes ago."

Michael looked tentatively at the portal. "I hope you're right. It hasn't been the same since Shadow Prove's attack…I can only hope the repairs were effective."

Alice had nothing to say to the matter. The attack by Shadow Prove brought back some bittersweet memories. It's because of her weakness that the lab was destroyed to begin with. Though she couldn't lie when the sensation of brawling again made her heart lift only a little.

"Alice!"

Alice snapped out of it when she heard his voice. "What?"

"Get back!"

"Wha-!" Alice was blindsided when Michael seized and covered her, getting away from something that made the entire portal shudder.

Electrical impulses crackled around the machine as a large substance was seen traveling, expanding as it came forward. Its mass was so gran that it looked too bid. Alice and Michael widened their eyes when they stared in dumbfounded silence as they saw a fast-moving mechanical tank of great height and length beam through the portal. Its momentum was so great that its front wheels were in midair for several seconds. The entire lab thudded when the foreign entity slammed and spun uncontrollably through the lab to a gravely halt. The whole thing's stop was so staggering that it almost capsized, but it fell back into place, leaving nothing but steam and smoke along its tire tracks that scratched the lab floor. The portal began to deteriorate, slowly diminishing until the power finally turned off.

Alice and Michael were left speechless. They blinked at the same time, both holding the other as they saw the hatch above the top creek open.

"Uuuugh, my head. That was crazy…" Marucho was the first to come out, clutching his aching skull.

Gunz slumped out, also partially dazed. "The heck was that about dude? You trying to kill us?"

At the ladder, Shun looked back. "Everyone alright?"

Save for Jase and Esther, everyone else groaned as they were slumped on their desks. Maggie looked like she was about to pass out, but Shuji had spirals in his eyes. Shawn and Luke were severely dazed, but they were coming around.

"Yes, I think we're just fine." Esther confirmed.

"Speak for yourself." Shuji lurched. "Geez, that just sucked. My freaking head…"

"What happened?" Shawn inquired.

"Beats me." Luke answered, looking around. "Did we make it?"

Jase craned his head skywards. "It appears so. Seems someone responded to our distress signal."

Maggie lazily got back up. "Gngh…yeah, but who? Is it Mira?"

"Hey guys! Come look at this!" Marucho's shout snapped everyone to realization. They all followed his shout to the surface, where they got to their feet on the surface of the Trailer. Looking around their surroundings, everyone took notice of the surroundings.

"Where are we?" Maggie asked. "This doesn't look like Mira's lab."

"Are we not on Earth then?" Fly Beetle questioned, but he looked at something. "Guys, look!"

Everyone looked down at the ground, taking notice of an old man with an equally shocked granddaughter he was safeguarding. The room was filled with a silence that left many uneased to even break. Many eyes drew to two and vice versa, and no one could deter them otherwise.

After what felt like an eternity, Alice looked up, figuring out the few faces. "Ma…rucho?" she looked at the person beside him. "And Shun."

"Alice?" Marucho gasped.

"Alice?" Luke repeated. 'Wait…do they know each other too? How many people do these guys know?'

Alice moved away from Michael and began to settle as Shun and Marucho got down and met her. "Marucho. Shun. It really is you, is it?" She looked over and saw the massive vehicle that damaged a fraction of the lab. She looked at Luke's group again, seeing so many people and faces she didn't recognize. She looked back at her old teammates, confusion hard-pressed. "Guys…I hate to ask this, but…what's going on?"

Marucho and Shun looked to each other before facing her again. "It's along story…" Marucho nervously started.

---

In less than an hour, the Trailer was able to get out of the lab, parking in front of Alice's cottage. Inside, everyone was gathered around the living area as Alice and Michael were filled in.

"So you're the infamous Alice Gehabich." Esther said to the girl on the other side of the room.

"Yes, I am." Alice answered, though her composed tone had underlying shock still remaining. "And you're Marucho and Shun's new friends, right?"

Jase prodded his glasses. "'Friends' would be a stretch. But, we are acquainted as of now."

"We met on Vestal before we decided to head back to Earth. After that, that's kinda where we ended up now." Shawn huffed after breathing. "Geez, why did I have to explain all that again?"

Alice looked down, narrowing her eyes as she tried processing what she was told. "So then…all these natural disasters…it's all because, the world is in danger of this…Riaan. Is that right?"

"Yes." Marucho nodded. "We didn't realize this until Mira gave us the details. After that we received a distress signal from Vestal and went there."

"And it seems that Earth isn't the only one at risk." Shun added. "From what we were told, New Vestroia, Vestal, and quite possibly other planets with Bakugan could very well be in harms way."

"I-I…"

"We know it's a lot to take in, but please, take our word for it. It's all true." Esther insisted. "We've seen it ourselves. As a former Battle Brawler, you must understand where we're going with this, don't you?"

Alice looked to her grandfather. "Grandfather."

Michael crossed his arms. "I see. Then it all makes sense. I was wondering why graphed weather patterns showed no patterns. That also explains the fauna and wildlife seen have been going restless and territorial. Most of the plants began to die out at a rapid level that it's like their water supply is cut off."

"That's the effects of Riaan's innate abilities." Jase began. "He can take a lifeform attached to the earth, and then replicate and morph the DNA and copy it to his home world."

"Meanwhile, the life on the sapped planet begins to wither away like an infection." Atmos finished.

Alice still looked dazed. "So then…our world is dying?"

"It's hard to believe." Luke said with his head down, looking shameful. "I know, it all sounds crazy. I didn't think it could happen…" he looked up to stare at Alice in the eye. "But it did."

Alice gasped. When she saw the look in Luke's eyes, she saw sharp green, not one of worry. She couldn't explain it, but from those eyes, she could see something reflecting in them. A thought even she forgot back in her brawling days. She was so lost in her answer that she almost deterred from her surrounds.

"Shuji." Shawn turned towards the Subterra battler mentioned. "Didn't you say you knew the Battle Brawlers from years ago?"

Shuji looked towards the ceiling as he crossed his arms. "Yeah, that was a while back." He snickered. "Man, good times."

"But I thought you had your butt handed to ya every single time." Fly Beetle reminded.

"S-Shut up!" Shuji scoffed embarrassingly.

"Wow. Guess those were good times then." Maggie slyly sidenoted, earning a glare and pulsing tick mark from Shuji.

"So then we are indeed in the presence of Alice." Jase said before frowning. "Or rather…the former number one battler of Earth: Masquerade."

Alice looked down, shame in her eyes.

"Masquerade." Shawn repeated. "…yeah, that name rings a bell. There was a story behind it, wasn't it? Do you guys know the details?" he looked towards the current Battle Brawlers, namely Shun and Marucho.

Shun humbly looked down. "That too is a long story. But just to be clear, it was Naga's doing. His negative energy created Masquerade."

"I didn't wanna believe it myself. But…" Marucho trailed off, looking towards Alice. He noticed the frown on her face and didn't want to impose. "…uh, Alice. Sorry, but is it okay if we…"

"It's fine Marucho." She said calmly, a small grin appearing on her. "Don't worry. That was a long time ago. Besides…Masquerade was put to rest promptly. Maybe I might not fully grasp what's going on, but I won't doubt you guys." She turned serious. "I can feel it, the negative energy rising in the earth beneath us. It's growing stronger even right now."

"Yes. We can feel it, too." Abis Omega confirmed. "My scales are crawling all over."

"My fur is prickling as well." Verias said. "How ironic, since we're like this for now."

Abis Omega drooped. "Y-yeah…" Suddenly the ground began to tremble, making the cottage and everyone inside vibrate at an alarming level. "W-woah!"

"What's this?!" Atchibee exclaimed. She and the others were wobbling back and forth, the tremors keeping them restless.

Luke shot up. "It's another earthquake!"

Jase spread his legs apart. "Everyone, remain calm this time."

Everyone held their tongues as the vibrations pulsated throughout the land. The landscape slowly settled back into place as the vibrations soon settled in. Once they vanished, they all started moving around.

"Is everyone okay?" Michael asked. "All of you?"

Shuji nodded. "Yeah, we're good. Still…" He glanced at the wall warily, the vibrations still ringing up his wrist.

Shun adjusted. "That was a harsh earthquake. Just like on Vestal."

"That's the third one this week." Alice admitted, earning shocked looks from everyone. "They've been getting a lot worse along with the natural disasters popping up like crazy. A lot of people have been hurt, and many more have…well…" she trailed off, unwilling to finish the note.

"We're sorry." Esther apologized. "We're doing everything we can to try and thwart Riaan's plan. Or at the very least try and contain it someplace inhospitable."

Gunz leaned against the wall. "Well if you ask me, we should've been told about this sooner. We could've been there sooner to stop it if we had."

Reptake floated up besides him. "C'mon, Gunz. Don't be like that. What happened, happened. All we can do is work with what we got, okay?"

"Yeah, I getcha bud." He turned towards the group. "So you said these earthquakes have been getting worse is what you're saying? Now that I think about it, I guess our area had the one the other day, right guys?"

"Right. Bakugan City." Shun answered. "The natural disasters are spontaneous at this point. At this rate, it'll only be a matter of time until Earth is assimilated with Riaan's alternative world."

"Then what do we do?" Radizen asked. Once again, the room was filled with a distilled silence. Everyone looked down at the floor in worry of how to take the situation first-hand.

"This all just can't be by coincidence. Something about this just doesn't feel right." Maggie said, looking at the floor concerningly.

"Yes, I agree." Esther said. "For starters, our destination was the Battle Brawlers HQ, right? So then…if we were transported here then, what made us shift course to begin with?"

Everyone started pondering, their nerves standing in end to come up with an answer. Before one could be made, the sounds of more alarms went off in the distance, perking their heads.

"Huh? What now?" Shuji questioned. "Someone breaking in?"

Alice and Michael perked up with shocked looks. "Oh no! The Dimensional Transporter!" Alice gasped before taking off with Michael.

"Guys, wait up!" Luke grabbed his sword and darted after them. "C'mon!" He hurried with everyone as they followed Alice and Michael to the lab where they came from.

The Dimensional Transporter began crackling static again as alarms were going off. The group rushed in and saw that the portal had started up on its own, much to Michael and Alice's shock. They gasped when they saw the energy levels spiking.

"What's going on?" Maggie questioned.

"The Dimensional Transporter, it looks like it's reacting to something." Marucho figured out. "But I thought it shut down."

"It did." Michael reminded. "Somehow it started up again."

"But how? Is it supposed to be doing that every time something transfers through dimensions?" Shawn inquired.

"Ordinarily, yes. The Dimensional Transporter is able to sense distortions and tell where something is supposed to be, or where it's going to. But in this case, something's wrong here. How can it be reacting this strongly and forced open?"

Jase had a serious look as he prodded his glasses up. "I believe I may have the answer."

Luke instantly got a bad feeling. Peering into the dimensional rifts inside, he couldn't tell, but he thought he was seeing something flow right towards them. It gave off a familiar vibe, one that he no doubt recognized. After so many encounters, how could he distinguish it from anything else? Suddenly, a glint inside was seen, making him go wide-eyed.

"Luke!" Esther shouted.

"Guys, get back!" Luke jumped out of the way to avoid a small dark aircraft fly sideways out. The ship looked very much like a manta ray. Only much bigger then the normal one. It was pitch-black, and it had visors along the top that allowed visuals inside. Everyone ducked as the ship zoomed out of the portal, all of their heartbeats escalating as the mechanical marvel hollered.

"Maggie!" Jelldon hovered over Maggie in worry.

Maggie sat up, staring wide-eyed at the intrusion. "What the-?! What the heck?!"

"Where did that thing come from?!" Marucho exclaimed.

Alice and everyone watched the mechanical being sail around the lab, hollering and screeching. They all pulled together and got into a big circle to watch its every move. The ship spun closer in, slowly until it floated in front of the portal with everyone else.

Shawn and Luke both stepped forward, each getting out their respective weapons of choice. "Who are you?!" Shawn demanded.

A cackling laughter could be heard from inside the ship, echoing out for all to hear. The laughter settled as Luke's ears perked at the sound of it all. 'Wait, this tone…'

A hatch opened below the manta ship, making a black blur shoot down and land in front of Luke on a knee. The cloaked shadow with its hood down snarled as he held his pose for a few seconds, slowly getting up to glare Luke and the gathered group. When he lifted his hood some, his devious smirk could be seen.

"It can't be." Abis Omega awed. "Is that…"

"Maximus…" Luke muttered.

Maximus sneered at Luke with dark jovial written all over. "What's the matter, Luke? Missed me so soon?"

The gathered group got on their guards as the leader of Rogue Zero made his grand appearance. "Maximus. And Rogue Zero." Esther said. "Now it all makes sense. That's why we got trapped in the rifts."

Maximus grinned at Esther. "My goodness, Esther. As tactful as ever I see. Clever." He looked up towards the manta ship he fell from. "Cesar!"

Inside the ship, Cesar was at the front, piloting the ship with the rest of Rogue Zero strapped in. He cackled his own laughter as he enjoyed his ego. "You silly humans, did you really think you could run or hide from me and my genius?" he shouted through the intercoms of the ship. "We had a feeling that you would be departing Vestal at this point, so we took it upon ourselves to see where you'd be going from there."

Shuji's teeth gritted. "Bastards."

"So Cesar's the one who disrupted the dimensions." Jase deduced. "That would explain the majority of our confusion. And it seems they tracked our energy trail to get a lock on the exit point we would take."

Cesar prodded his glasses with a smirk. "Impressed, Jase? I knew my genius would outwit your own eventually." He laughed.

Jase held no emotions in his nonchalant gaze. "Genius you say? I'd go as far as say inflated ego, if you will."

A tick mark sprouted on the manta ray. "Say what?!" Cesar shouted. "You dare mock my genius again?!"

"I said your ego…I never said anything about your ingenuity."

"Don't go twisting my words, Jase Mercury! I've learned from last time, and thus it is your genius that'll be tested this time!"

Alice stayed behind the Battle Brawlers. "Uh, guys? Are they friends of yours too?"

Shun furrowed his brow. "Doubtful. We've never seen them."

Maximus chuckled. "Of course not, Shun Kazami. Why, such an honor to meet most of Battle Brawlers in person. Looks like the trip was more than worth it in the end after all. I guess you can say that Luke and his friends, we share a…very interesting history, you see."

"Interesting isn't the word I would put it." Luke said, holding his sword up. "What are you doing here, Maximus?"

Maximus smirked. "What else?" He suddenly lunged at Luke, swinging his boot around to kick. Luke quickly bunted to defend the kick, holding off Maximus. "To give you our thanks from last time!"

"Luke!" Esther reached out.

"Guys, stay back!" Luke shouted over his shoulder. He broke the tie with Maximus, causing a standstill between them once more. Maximus sneered wickedly, whereas Luke adjusted his stance. 'Something's different about Maximus. He's acting less calm than what I remember…'

Shuji stepped forward. "We gotta stop this guy!"

Shawn readied his fencer. "He's right. We gotta get them out of here!"

Marucho looked back. "Alice, you and Dr. Michael get out while you both can. We'll be right behind you!"

"Yeah, we can't do much brawling in an enclosed space like this, dude!" Gunz added.

Alice nodded, acknowledging the severity of the situation. "Okay." She turned with Michael. They ran out of the lab, with everyone else following.

Maximus watched them go, but above, Rogue Zero's ship hummed as it followed them. He chuckled as he followed. "That's right. Just run and hide…it'll be more sporting when we find you after what you did to us, Luke."

Hearing the harshness in Maximus' tone, Luke knew what he meant. Once everyone was out of the lab, they got a good distance out to the open before Luke stopped and turned around to face Maximus as he headed their way.

"Luke! What're you doing?!" Shawn shouted ahead.

"I'm gonna buy you guys time to get away!" Luke held his sword out. "You guys hurry and find a spot to regroup, Abis and I will stall for as much time against Maximus as we can!"

"Luke…" Esther trailed off, but saw the confident look on Luke's face.

"Don't worry about us. We can handle ourselves just fine now." Luke held up Abis Omega. "Right?"

With that said, Luke turned as Maximus was gaining up on them. The ship overhead was closing in, leaving Esther no choice but to put faith in him. With a nod and prayers to him, she gave one last look before Shun lead the party into the thick woods. The mechanical ship followed overhead, unwilling to give up the pursuit.

Once the coast was clear, Luke and Abis Omega looked across the small field as a strong wind picked up. The chilled breeze gave them goosebumps they ignored. They faced Maximus as his cape shifted in the cold winds, only he looked more satisfied.

"Well now, so nice to finally be alone together again Luke." Maximus chimed. "I believe us friends should have more one-on-one time, don't you think?"

"Why did you follow us all the way out here?" Luke demanded. "Did Master Riaan tell you to?"

"Forget about him for a moment."

"What?"

"This isn't about your beloved 'Master'. He has nothing to do with this." He replied. "Because, just this once, this is between you, me…and our unfinished business. So…" He held up Goblinball between two fingers. "Are you ready?"

Luke could see it. He had no choice in the matter, he could tell by the look in Maximus' stare that he wasn't letting him off easy. Spreading his legs apart, he held his sword. "If it's a battle you want, then we'll give you one!"

"You're going down, Goblinball." Abis Omega promised. "This time, we'll make sure of it."

Maximus' smirk darkened. "That's funny…we were just gong to say the same thing to you."

Maximus: 100% Luke: 100%

Luke held Abis Omega as he prepared for the first round. "Abis Omega and I didn't just come back to Earth just to run into you guys again. But since it's come to this, then we're ready!"

"Good. I expect nothing less from someone who's ready to accept death. Gate Card, set!" Maximus threw the gate Card first, making it fade into a ripple across the battlefield. "Now! Bakugan, brawl!" Maximus threw Goblinball out. "Goblinball, stand!" Goblinball erupted onto the battlefield, expelling a shrilling roar across the battlefield.

"You ready, Abis?" Luke asked.

Abis Omega nodded. "Always, Luke. Let's do this." He closed to ready for battle.

"Okay then, let's brawl! Bakugan, brawl!" Luke threw Abis Omega. "Abis Omega, stand!" In a blue light, Abis Omega animated into battle, his body surrounded in a bright blue aura as he hissed a roar.

Goblinball: 500 Abis Omega: 450

Maximus held up the first ability. "Goblinball! Let's get this tussle over with and feel welcomed again. Ability, activate! Darkus Force!" Goblinball's eye dilated as he snarled at Abis Omega. Dark energy congregated into a single point and fired in a dark beam that shot in a straight line at him.

Goblinball: 500 (+300) = 800 Abis Omega: 450

Luke and Abis Omega remained calm as the energy blast headed their way. "Ability, activate!" Luke countered. "Hydro Pulsar!" Abis Omega lurched as his maw generated intense water pressure inside. Once charged, he reared his head back and forward, unleashing a deep blast that shot through the dark blast and swallowed up Goblinball. The Bakugan gurgled as he was unable to hold up against the power of the attack.

Goblinball: 800 (-300) = 500 Abis Omega: 450 (+300) = 750

The stream wave kept pushing, sending Goblinball into the ground with a thud in front of Maximus.

"Goblinball!" Maximus was forced to cover up from the stray sprinkles and shockwaves generated by the fall. When they settled, he looked ahead, glaring at Luke. "You'll regret doing that…"

"Not as much as you will for not leaving us alone." Abis Omega countered. "Luke!"

Luke nodded. "Right! Ability, activate! Sea Helix!" Abis Omega generated a helix of seawater that he shot at Goblinball. This time, the Bakugan used his pauldrons to block as the attack pushed into him, though as effectively as before.

Goblinball: 500 (-100) = 400 Abis Omega: 750 (+100) = 850

Maximus scoffed. "Like that'll work this time against us! Ability, activate! Shadow Snatch!" Goblinball continued defending against the attack the best he could, grunting until his shadows beneath darkened. In a sudden dark swirl, tendrils of shadows broke apart the helix, leaving sprays of water everywhere as Goblinball and Abis Omega had a straight line towards one another.

Goblinball: 400 (+200) = 600 Abis Omega: 850 (-200) = 650

"We see you~." Maximus chimed before reaching out. "Now! Ability, activate! Phantom-X!" The forbidden ability revealed itself once again, leaving Luke and Abis Omega to tense up. They glared as Goblinball's chords faded into his body, and his eye shrunk. A heartbeat rung through his body as he shriveled in anticipation.

A dark aura enveloped Goblinball as he snarled low, staring coldly at Abis Omega. "This is for seeing your pathetic slithering face again, Abis Omega!" His eye shrunk, unleashing an intense dark energy pulse of cold, void-like energy that eroded towards Abis Omega.

Goblinball: 600 Abis Omega: 650 (-500) = 150

The energy wave ripped apart residual shadows as it shredded across the battlefield towards Abis Omega. But rather than freak out, his body lurched as he refused to quit. He expelled an empowering roar, bright blue surrounding him once more.

"Ability, activate! Coil Guard!" Luke shouted. Abis Omega hissed as he coiled himself up, tightening up as he braced for impact. He was struck hard by the dark energy that swallowed him up, but he held firm to the earth and his stature as he powered through the shockwaves.

'We can do this, Abis Omega. I know we can.' Luke thought, the dark waves shifting his hair.

Maximus snickered. "You really think that'll save you?" he reached forward. "Goblinball!"

Goblinball began floating closer towards the pile of coils ahead of him, each closing foot making the pressure more intense by the second. As Abis Omega was remaining inside, he could hear the grunts the serpent held on. Goblinball knew he had him. He snarled as he bared his claws, readying to strike.

Luke held his stance, using his sword to bunt in the meantime. 'Not yet…not yet…' He waited until Goblinball got closer to give the signal. His eyes widened. 'NOW!'

Inside his head, as if hearing his partner, Abis' eyes also widened.

"Double ability, activate! Dry World, plus Fin Melee!"

The darkness spewing all over was suffocating, but suddenly a swell of mist and water started washing it all away. Goblinball was speechless as he looked around, finding himself trapped in an enclosed whirlpool. "What's happening?" He was outraged, but the swell swallowed him up. He was submerged beneath cold water and swayed around, unaware that he was inside the same bubble as Abis Omega.

Maximus gasped.

"Just like we thought." Luke smiled.

Goblinball shook his head, trying to make sense when he looked ahead. His eye shrunk when Abis Omega was staring in his face, leaving him stunned before the serpent began to violently slash his tail right across the eye. Goblinball shrilled a cry of pain, but had no time as Abis Omega was repeatedly slashing at his body.

"No! Goblinball!" Maximus shouted out.

Goblinball: 600 (-200) = 400 Abis Omega: 150 (+500 +100 +200 +200) = 1150

Goblinball was completely helpless. He grunted as he was slashed like a fish on a cutting board, ironically by some type of fish. Abis gave one final slash, sending him out of the bubble that burst and into the ground, creating an eruption of dust and dirt that caused Maximus to cover up again.

Abis Omega landed on the ground, hissing in retort. "Is that more like it?!"

As the dust settled, Goblinball was seen grunting by Maximus. The Darkus battler's patience was wearing thin. His teeth gritted as images of Cyrus looking down on him mockingly caused a vein to rise in his forehead. 'Do I know fear? No. I don't know it. And I can say I'll prove it. Right here and now. Fore the glory of Rogue Zero. And for Riaan's divine plan.' He threw a Bakugan trap skywards. "Come! Bakugan Trap, Darkus Fortress!" The Bakugan Trap was summoned to the battlefield, all its cannons ready to fire. "Fortress! Goblinball! Dock, now!" he ordered. Goblinball and Fortress did as told, and the systems began morphing as Goblinball became the centerpiece again, his arms docking into the compartments to make the combined suite for Goblinball to use against the sea serpent.

Goblinball: 400/Fortress: 400 = 800 Abis Omega: 1150

Without delay, Maximus ignited the first ability to be used. "Ability, activate! Crossfire!" Goblinball aimed all the cannons on Fortress at Abis Omega, each one readying a charge as volleys of dark energy began expelling at alarming levels.

Almost immediately, Luke added his own cards. "Ability activate, Wave Shield!" Abis Omega generated a liquid blue shield by flexing his fins. Once the shield was up, all of the volleys being launched were absorbed into the water, keeping the lasers from ever hitting Abis Omega.

"So you nullified that ability as well, clever." Maximus meekly snarked. "Now for this. Gate Card, open! Element Merge!"

The Gate Card shined below, creating an empowering aura around Goblinball and Fortress combined. Meanwhile, Abis Omega felt himself sway as he felt his power level drop significantly.

Goblinball: 400 (+200) = 600/Fortress: 400 (+200) = 600 = 1200 Abis Omega: 1150 (-400) = 750

"Abis, hang on!" Luke insisted.

"Don't bother." Maximus snarked, cutting Luke off. "Face it. No matter how many times you decide to show up, we'll always be there, and you'll just get in the way. And you know what, as much as I love to play this game we've been sharing for the past month, my patience has finally thinned. I say, we end this. Right here and now."

'He's completely trying to shut us down for good. That's why he tracked us down.' He looked over at Abis Omega, seeing the serpent in angst. The orange eyes glanced back, giving Luke a knowing look that he remembers all too well. He faced forward, resolution affirmed.

"So then, Luke…you wanna finish this? Me and you." Maximus insisted.

"You idiot!" Luke snapped. "It won't be you against me." He corrected. "It's you…"

"Against us." Abis Omega finished, his body lurching in pain. He exhibited another violent roar as his power was empowered by a blue aura a third time.

"Ability, activate! Abyssal Deluge!" Abis Omega flexed his fins again as he began hissing out loud. Suddenly water began expelling and swirling all around his body, expanding out and swelling throughout the Gate Card. The waves crashed into one another, creating gushes of water that drowned the Gate Card, and geysers erupted beneath Goblinball, causing him to gurgle out again.

Goblinball: 600 (-200) = 400/Fortress: 600 (-200) = 400 = 800 Abis Omega: 750 (+400 +300) = 1450

The pulsing geyser continued rising, leaving Goblinball to take in a lot of pressure and unable to move. As a wave was diminishing, Maximus swiped the residual water away with one arm. "Enough!" he bellowed. "It's time for the big guns! Hope you're ready, Luke!"

Luke adjusted his sword. He and Abis Omega's glares sharpened as they knew what came next.

"Ability, activate! Lore-X!" Within the geyser of water, Goblinball's gurgles were growing faint. Suddenly, a bright purple glint was seen inside, and the water began to manifest into something. The residual spritz started the turn into dark matter, which was overtaking all of sea around Abis Omega. He looked around, seeing the liquid turning into dark matter that was being sucked like a vacuum. The very vacuum was being repulsed and drawn into the void-like spiral that was Goblinball's eye. The Bakugan's whole body was like a glimmering voice with a red iris slit at the center, looking like a red beacon to the gates of Hell when looked at. Goblinball's muffled growls were deeper, his anger and power growing faster than they have before.

'This power…' Luke looked to his Bakumeter, seeing the staggering power rise.

Goblinball: 400 (+2200) = 2600/Fortress: 400 = 3000 Abis Omega: 1450

Maximus darkly chuckled as dark matter spiraled around him. The enigmatic void that was enveloping him was leaving his body to be a black figment with glowing red eyes. He looked just like Goblinball; both evil and insane.

"This guy…"

"Luke!" Luke turned to look at Abis Omega, seeing him showing no worry.

"Abis…" There was a strong silence as they both stared at one another again. As if acknowledging themselves again, they nodded in unison. Together, they faced forward. "You're right! Let's do this!" Abis Omega exhibited another roar, one that shrilled airwaves this time.

"It's pointless!" Maximus reached forward. "Now!"

Goblinball released an expanding shockwave from his eye. His iris shrunk, and a pressurized pulse wave almost twice Goblinball's size obliterated the ground as the ray shot at Abis Omega. The dry grassy field was reduced to oblivion as the shockwaves made nothing less than a pulsing void that reflecting Abis Omega's eyes.

Abis Omega expelled another massive shriek. "COME GET SOME!"

"Let's do this! Triple ability, activate!" Luke roared. "Ocean Impact, plus Diamond Shower!" Abis Omega generated a glossy blue mirror of water in front and exerted a powerful roar as a cyclone of water erupted from it. It ripped across the battlefield, and around it, blue energy shards spun around it like a funnel, expanding outwards into a maelstrom of spiraling blue. Luke jutted his sword out as he roared out with Abis Omega.

"FUSION ABILITY! RIPPLE SLAYER!"

All the diamonds on Abis Omega erupted in glossy blue as he exhibited another violent shout. The blue aura around his body shined as he expelled ripple-like shockwaves. They shot down the aquatic spiral and blue shrapnel, causing them to expand and become a deep blue hurricane that jetted at immense pressure across the atmosphere/

Goblinball: 2600 (-200 -200) = 2200/Fortress: 400 (-200 -200) = 0 = 2200 Abis Omega: 1450 (+500 +200 +300) = 2450

The two beams collided in the center, creating a roaring thunder that shot explosions and shockwaves everywhere. The field overturned as dark matter and pressurized water shot everywhere, and erupting energy shards spread throughout the area as far as the eye could see.

Luke gritted his teeth as he jabbed his sword into the fray. "GET'EM!"

Abis Omega's attack kept pushing, far deeper with each ripple that exploded in front. The waves kept getting bigger, expanding and slowly overpowering Gobinball's attack.

"What?!" Maximus shrieked.

The blue waves and energy shards started swallowing Goblinball, leaving him to cover up. He grunted in pain, but was unable to do anything as nothing but a blue swell erupted, swallowing him in a tidal wave of energy that shook the landscape. Mist exploded everywhere with water, leaving Maximus shocked as a small wave picked him up and slammed him into the ground on his back. He gagged as the mist cleared, and Goblinball and Fortress retreated to ball form at his sides.

Maximus: 50%

Maximus grunted as he sat up, his body completely soaked. He looked up, seeing the mist clear to reveal Abis Omega. A blue aura cloaked his body still as he retreated to ball form, with Luke catching him. The Darkus Rogue Zero's leader was losing patience.

Luke looked down at Abis Omega, seeing his blue light still there. "Abis, you okay?" He asked, genuine concern in his tone.

Abis Omega grunted, but it was more from strain. "Gnngh…yeah, Luke. I'm okay."

"You sure?"

Abis nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. But my energy, it feels like something's…different."

Luke didn't get what it meant, but he knew he had to keep it simple. The battle was still going on. When he looked at Maximus again, he could see that his own patience when his hood was off showed anger. "…okay then, you sure you can keep going?"

Abis Omega nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay…we won't give up until the end."

Maximus scoffed. 'Tch, whatever they're doing next, it won't work. I'll make sure of it. This time when we throw down, I'm gonna make sure they don't get a breather.'

Luke pulled out a Gate Card. "Okay then, let's try this! Gate Card, set!" he threw the card out, making it fade in a blue shockwave across the ground. "Bakugan, brawl! Abis Omega, stand!" In a blue light, Abis Omega arose to battle, the aura still encasing his body as he roared.

Maximus readied Goblinball and threw in in. "Goblinball, stand!" In a crisp light, Goblinball prodded up in the air. Maximus added to the insult by throwing in Fortress. "Fortress, stand! Combine, now!" As Fortress stood, Goblinball immediately reared back and docked into Fortress, making the firepower enhanced Bakugan release a shrilled cry.

Goblinball: 500/Fortress: 400 = 900 Abis Omega: 450

Instantly, Maximus went for the attack again. "Ability, activate! Darkus Slave!" Goblinball aimed his arm cannons at Abis Omega, firing volleys of dark energy that closed in on the serpent.

"Ability, activate! Aquos Cyclowave!" Abis Omega swirled his body and shot an intense blue beam from his maw. The two attacks met in the center, cancelling each other out in a violet flash.

"Nice defense, Luke. But it won't save your skin forever." Maximus sneered. "Ability, activate! Proton Mars!" All of Fortress' cannons propped up and aimed at Abis Omega. Once ready, they fired energy beams dead ahead.

Goblinball: 500/Abis Omega: 400 (+200) = 600 = 1100 Abis Omega: 450

The beams closed in, leaving Luke with little time to waste. 'I gotta get their power levels lower.' A thought came to mind. "They can't beat what they can't see…ability activate, Osmosis!" Abis Omega began camouflaging into the surroundings, leaving an invisible target that evaded purple beams that exploded throughout the surroundings.

Goblinball: 500 (-200) = 300/Fortress: 600 (-200) = 400 = 700 Abis Omega: 450

Maximus smirked as he saw what Luke was doing. "Clever, but not clever enough." He swiped his arm. "Smoke him out!"

"With pleasure!" Goblinball aimed his cannon and started firing everywhere. The beams left bursts of dust and sand to race across the ground, destroying the landscape. Some of the beams closed in on Luke, but he was smart enough to veer away. When one beam shot the ground ahead of him, he used his sword to bunt as dust and dirt shot up from the ground.

Maximus chuckled as he relished in what he was doing. This is getting him on the path he wanted. He was seeing Luke struggle, and this is what was going to give him the edge. "What's wrong? Ran out of tricks to pull out of your sleeve there?" he mocked. "I thought you were going to prove me wrong?"

Luke grunted through the dust waves. 'Stay calm, that's just what he wants.' He calmed down, looking through the battlefield to see dust clouding up the atmosphere. 'Maximus was right about something…I have tricks. We can use the dust to our advantage. Alright then…' "Double ability, activate!" Luke's Bakumeter shot forward, shining two abilities.

With Goblinball's large eye, he looked around for Abis Omega, only to feel a heavy force surrounding the mechanical suit he had. He grunted, unable to move as Abis Omega was constricting him in place. With the Darkus forces immobilized, the sand began to get sucked into Abis Omega, transforming into a mist cloud.

"Dry World, plus Aquos Cyclowave!"

Abis Omega opened his maw, an in an instant, an intense pillar of bright blue swallowed up the landscape as pulses of deep blue water and mist erupted outwards. Maximus covered up as the pressure of the attack knocked him back, roaring as he dug in his heels to track himself. Once he slid to a halt, he looked up to see the roaring pillar fade, and at the top was Abis Omega in his aura with Goblinball and Fortress on the ground, dazed.

Goblinball: 300 (-200) = 100/Fortress: 400 = 500 Abis Omega: 450 (+200 +400) = 1050

Luke swung his sword up. "Ready!" He swung down. "Let's go!"

Abis Omega dove down, his maw wide open as he fell down onto his foes.

"Nice try!" Maximus thwarted. "Double ability, activate! Darkus Force, plus Proton Mars!" Goblinball aimed the cannon of Fortress skywards. The legs of the mechanical trap levered back to aim at the falling serpent. Purple beams shot skywards, and the head cannon unleashed a much bigger beam that traveled in the middle of the shower at Abis Omega.

Goblinball: 100 (+300) = 400/Fortress: 400 (+200) = 600 = 1000 Abis Omega: 1050

Luke saw the multitude of beams heading Abis' way. He glared up, his fixation turning serious. 'We won't lose!'

Abis Omega hissed as he sailed down towards the attack. He opened his maw, releasing a point-blank blue blast that met the purple beams shooting up at him. The results was an intense bright explosion that ignited the skies. The attack generated a smoke cloud, which Abis Omega slipped down from back in front of Luke. His body had bright blue still as he hissed. He looked disoriented, but composed quick enough as Goblinball got his Fortress suit up again.

"Abis!"

Abis shook his head. "I'm okay, Luke."

"You really believe that?" they both turned their attention to the other side of the battlefield. Maximus had his arms crossed as he looked to be mocking them.

"What…?" Luke scoffed back.

"Don't think that I can't see it." He pointed out. "Face it, I know you and your friends are trying to be all goody-goody and all, but at this point it's just sick. You really believe you can us fear you enough to make it so that we can back off? I don't think so."

"Wait a minute…" Luke was piecing it together, and when he did he wasn't pleased. "Is that what this is about then? You think just because we threaten you that you can threaten back?"

"Wow, look who's catching on." Maximus sarcastically pointed out. "If I were in a better mood I'd give you a congrats…" he grimly frowned. "But unfortunately for you, that luxury has long since expired. You've disgraced what Rogue Zero has made a name of, and although I'm not one for grudges, I know what I'm saying when I say you're a thorn in my side, Luke! And I have had enough of you! You really think that you can make me fear you of all people, well that's just ridiculous! A meddlesome twerp like you has no right to, especially when you're supposed to be nothing more than another spineless happing at my feet long ago!"

At this point, Luke was at a loss for words. He could feel the vile venom in Maximus' voice that he was in fact annoyed. This is probably the first time Luke's ever seen him this mentally breaking down in rage. He let Maximus continue.

"Fear is what drives others back! Not me! I'm not some weak-minded fool like you who can be let down only to be picked up by others. The truth is, that you can only rely on yourself and to conquer your own fears. I do not. Fear. Anything!" In a bitter outrage, Maximus reached back, tearing off the hood on his cape completely. "And I'm going to remind you why I am fear itself! Do you hear me, Luke?!"

"Maximus…" Luke was speechless. He's never heard of Maximus speaking so violently before. The bloodthirsty stare he had as he labored left him to gaze at his foe.

Seeing those eyes, Luke could see the shaking beads in them. And in those, he could see reflections of himself on New Vestroia, when he tried to face Maximus before. He felt fear. Genuine fear. Before, Luke would have a hard time, but times have changed. Now the roles were reversed. Luke's changed. He got over his fear, and now Maximus was in the same state he was in before. He almost felt sorry for him.

'Is that what he really felt, all this time…' Luke hung his head, sighing out as he calmed himself. "You better now?"

Maximus' eyes widened. "Say what…?"

"We get it, alright? Abis Omega and I know what you're going through. You're just scared, just like we were back then." In response, Abis Omega took to a more defensive position. "We know what it's like to be afraid of something and someone, Maximus, but dealing with fear wasn't easy you know. I wouldn't expect you to get it either."

Maximus' teeth gritted. "What are you talking about? Me? Afraid?" he snickered. "Don't make me laugh."

"Enough!"

Luke's shouting made him stagger away.

"Maybe you can deny it all you want, but I know that look when Abis Omega and I look at our own reflections in the water." He thought to their time back in New Vestroia, under Preyas' tutelage. They remembered the talks they had, and that made their bodies loosen. "Sometimes it's better to just accept what you are. It's okay if you are afraid. But if you acknowledge it, then maybe things would be much different."

"We may have been weak before, but it's thanks to you guys always putting us down that we realize that we can in fact move forward." Abis Omega said.

Maximus scoffed. "Enough! That's nothing more than nonsense spilling from your mouths! You wanna know real fear then you'll get it!"

"Not as much as you will!" Luke jutted his sword forward. "Abis!"

"If it's our one shot, then it's a risk we'll take together." He declared.

Luke nodded. "Then let's show him just how much farther we've gone!" He swung his sword. "Gate Card, open! Aquos Reactor!" The Gate Card opened, revealing the Aquos attribute symbol and standard background. All around the battlefield, water gushed everywhere, swirling around Abis Omega as his body's shine glistened.

Goblinball: 400/Fortress: 600 = 1000 Abis Omega: 1050 (+500) = 1550

Maximus saw the scene, but he looked far from pleased. "And what good will that do? Face it, I'll make you fear me again, Luke."

"Never again will we fear you, Maximus!" Abis Omega outraged through the tides. This got even Luke's attention. "Maybe individually before we'd been weak, but thanks to Luke and the riends that I've made along the way, I found something to keep close. Maybe it wasa burden before, but being with Luke has given me a new perspective, and with everyone else by my side…we will not be let down! HRRRAAAH!" Abis Omega expelled another violent roar, one that altered the tides around him.

Maximus' eyes narrowed. "What's he thinking…?" He felt something wrong inside his got. When he looked down, he saw that his Bakumeter was showing a drastic change in power as the tides began surrounding Abis Omega.

Abis shrieked louder than before, a cyclone of water from the card swallowing him inside.

Abis Omega: 1550…1552…1558…1563…1570…

"What…?" Maximus gasped.

Everyone there saw it. The water began to mold around Abis Omega like a veil. He had a glare fixed dead ahead as his face was the last thing to be seen before the water swallowed him up.

"Abis…? Abis!" Luke shouted. "Abis Omega!"

Maximus gritted his teeth as he was witnessing something grating his nerves. 'What's he doing? I gotta stop this while I have the chance, and fast!' He pulled out another ability. "Ability, activate! Lore-X!" A bright purple core faded into Goblinball's body again, this time generating enough power to make his eye glow again. A void-like substance eroded some of the atmosphere around him into his body, making him growl as his power grew.

Goblinball: 400 (+1600) = 2000/Fortress: 600 = 2600 Abis Omega: 1650 (still climbing)

Maximus faced the hemisphere of water and smirked. "We've got him now…" he reached out. "Now! Destroy them!"

Goblinball lurched at his command and released as much power as possible. He bellowed as the dark void-like wave ran through the atmosphere at the bubble. Luke could only watch as he saw the attack head towards Abis Omega's direction.

A pair of eyes in an enclosed area shot open, revealing orange eyes that glossed over.

Before the attack hit the hemisphere, the water erupted in an explosion. The beam was blocked out completely, and sprays of freshwater sprinkled the atmosphere.

"What?!" Maximus was in shock at what he was seeing.

Luke covered up from sprays as well. When he uncovered, he went wide-eyed at what he saw.

One pair of fins flexed so largely it looked like a fan, and then another, and then a third one over ahead. A tail swung around, whipping away water in the atmosphere. Abis Omega's entire body had completely morphed into something different. His long, slender body had gotten a little longer, and his diamond-like patterns had also changed. They were all connected by streaks of bright blue, and many of the diamonds were smaller and grouped in roughly 5 before lines segmented them the next set, all the way up to the new tail, which was a slender fan-like fin with a bright blue membrane. From the tail all the way to the back of the neck, there was a long fin membrane that made him more intimidating. The whole underside was no longer smooth and slender, instead it had bright blue segmented scales that pointed down. On the chest area were three orange diamonds; each one bigger as it traveled up the neck. Abis Omega's facial accents had also changed, with a bright blue 'V' below the forehead diamond mark, and behind having two small bright blue horns with more V accents facing away. The sides if his face also had sharper, leaner bright blue accents, and his jaw had gotten edgier and stronger. The number of teeth he had also multiplied and gotten longer and sharper. But perhaps the most bewildering part about Abis Omega was his fins. The head fin had completely evolved to look like bright blue frills with deep blue 'V's near the ends. Small blue diamonds segmented them from each frill. The same was with the humungous fins on his sides. When they unfolded, it looked like a cobra hood. At the ends were spikes on all the fins, including the head fin.

Abis Omega opened his maw, unleashing a ground shaking bellow as he flexed his humungous frills to intimidate his foe, but it shocked more than just Goblinball.

"Oh man…" Luke awed. "Abis, what happened to you?!"

Abis Omega looked down to his body, seeing his longer fins he folded to look at. "I…evolved." He realized. Realizing this, he slicked straight up and flexed his frills once more. "I am…Aquos Frill Abis Omega!" he declared.

"Frill Abis Omega…" Luke awed. "You evolved…"

Maximus was still in shock, though partially having sense of rage building as well. "His Bakugan evolved. How?" He looked down at the stats, seeing what changed.

Goblinball: 2000/Fortress: 600 = 2600 Frill Abis Omega: 1700

"Damnit, his power level got higher than I thought." Maximus cursed as he looked at the newly evolved Bakugan. His confident smirk returned. "But no matter. Since it just evolved, it probably doesn't even know what to do yet. So let's take it down while we still can!"

"Agreed!" Goblinball declared.

"Ability, activate! Phantom-X!" A bright purple core enveloped Goblinball once again. The Bakugan groaned as a dark energy swell expelled from his body, his holler sending a collapsing dark shockwave at Abis Omega.

The longer and stronger serpentine Bakugan glared ahead, his frills stretched and ready.

Luke looked at the new ability options and decided. "Alright then." He showed the ability, glowing in a blue light. "Ability, activate! Mirror Shock!"

Abis Omega remained still as the dark waves eroded at him. But instead of expanding around, they contracted into his hood and head frills. The dark energy collected, becoming clumps of dark matter that began showing glowing glow. When he flexed them, he sent the energy beam back at the opponent, only bigger with strands of blue in it.

"Say what?!" Maximus' voice cracked.

Goblinball: 2000 (-500) = 1500/Fortress: 600 (-500) = 100 = 1600 Frill Abis Omega: 1700 (+300) = 2000

The dark matter was reversed, closing in on Goblinball as his eye shrunk to the size of a pea. He and Fortress were swallowed in their own attack that was amplified by their opponent, causing intense pain and screaming that repulsed them off the ground. The blast wave faded, and they glowed their attribute colors and shrunk to ball form, plopping in front of Maximus' feet.

Maximus: 0%

Maximus was petrified at what he saw. With his shock still evident on his face, he shakily glanced down, eyes shuddering as he saw how Goblinball and Fortress were defeated. He was in brief labor as he glanced back at Luke. "I…I can't believe it." He dropped to a knee, bowing his head. "I lost."

Frill Abis Omega unleashed a victory cry that stretched for miles. The frequency caused Maximus to flinch, getting him to look at Luke to see him unfazed.

"…you." He shakily growled. "I'll remember this from you…Luke." He swished his cape, quickly making an escape as he teleported away.

Luke saw that he was gone, and took the Bakugan with him. He sighed in relief. "Glad that's finally settled."

Abis looked down at Luke, who then looked towards him. The two shared a moment of silence, seeing the other's face filled with surprise.

"Abis, is that…really you?"

The serpent creature nodded. "yes, Luke, it's me." He lowered his head, getting to eye level with him. "Thank you, Luke."

Luke blinked. "What did I do?"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have evolved. I've become a lot stronger, thanks to you."

Luke began sympathizing and his shock settled. In return, he smiled and approached Abis' head. He put a hand to his forehead, specifically the diamond. "Hey, no thanks, alright? That's what friends are for, right? So…to the end?"

Abis grinned. "Of course." He looked pass the dead tree line, his gaze turning serious. "Speaking of friends…"

Luke looked back, his gaze turning serious. "I know…I sure hope the others are okay." Silently, Abis Omega lowered his head further to have Luke get on. Using his two new small blue horns, he held on as the serpent arose and started his course. 'Hang on, guys. We'll be there. Promise.'

They both slipped into the tree line, fading into the norm as the manta shup sailed overhead to look for the others.

---

Well guys, it took a long wait, a VERY long one, but it finally happened. I got Luke to finally surmount Maximus and Abis Omega finally evolved. I know it's long overdue at this point, but whoever said climbing to the top was easy, right? Anyways guys, when I was finishing the first round of the fight, you saw how Goblinball's power was 2200 Gs, well that's actually the overall combined power of Luke's group's Bakugan from the beginning of the story (4 at 350 Gs, and 2 at 400 Gs). And it equaled 2200. So in a sense, Abis Omega surpassed all six, including himself, combined! That's how you make for a finale before you evolve.

As you may have also seen, I'm going to be giving Alice a little spotlight for this arc as well, especially for what I have planned next after all this. And for Luka, well he's going to be a special case as well. You'll find out what I mean next chapter.

Anyways guys, reviews are appreciated, and let me know what you guys thought! Thanks!