You guys ready for this? I hope you are! Let's see if any of you can predict that'll happen in this chapter. Go on, take a moment and predict. Now that you're done with that, enjoy!
The trials have been completed, and we have our entire team back together. However, not everything is going to go as easily from now on. The Destruction is gaining strength and is on its way to destroy one of the last protective Realities guarding Bakugan! We cannot afford to let it fall!
Powers locked away inside
Step up to give the gift of divine
There is no knowing what we face
But we know it to be unsafe
The time now to find
Our guiding light
And save everything that is known
To protect our home
The hatch closed as everybody got inside. Atom looked around. "So, this is the Infinity Matrix, huh?"
"Actually, it's one of many." Said someone. Everybody looked at him to see Syark. "This is just the most powerful one."
"What do you mean?" Asked Dan. Syark sighed.
"Perhaps it would be best if you just followed me. My name is Syark. I'm a Shifter from Reality Ten." He turned. "The situation is dire right now. We need to get all of you up to speed. Please, follow me." He began walking.
"Let's go guys!" Said Takato. "We need to figure out what's going on!"
"Let's just trust the people we know nothing about!" Said Stan. "That's a brilliant idea!"
"It's better than the Destruction." Said Mabel.
"I'm not budging an inch!" Said Stan.
"Fine." Said Syark. He lifted his arm and pressed a button. Something came out of the wall and grabbed Stan.
"Hey!"
"Don't worry. It will not harm you." Said Syark. "But please, we must get going!" He again turned and began walking.
"Let's get going then." Said Shun. The entire group followed, but Stan kept struggling against the robot that held him. They passed lots of people who looked at them in shock.
"Are those them?" Asked one.
"They must be." Said another. "Who else has a group that large?"
"What's with them?" Asked Rika.
Syark sighed. "Let's just say that you guys have become something of legend here. Specifically, Atom, Azion, Cassie, Chaos and Tom. You guys received Omega Genes from here. No others can make that claim." Atom looked at his hand.
"So that's where this symbol came from?" He asked, showing his hand.
"Exactly." Said Syark. He took a quick turn to the left and entered a large room. "Sir, they're here!" Someone turned to Syark.
"Thank you for bringing them here." Said the person. He looked at the group. "Thank you for coming. I have no doubt that you have many questions, but trust me when I say that they'll all be answered soon. Right now, we have an important situation. As I'm certain you all know, the Destruction is making its way to Invasion Core, one of the last Bakugan Realities that exist. If it goes down, we've calculated a 98.6% chance of every other Reality falling. And until you five got here, we had predicted a 99.9% chance of us failing to defend it. With you here, the odds have been increased to 50/50. Does this make sense so far?"
"Yes, it does." Said Ford. "But who are you?" The person chuckled.
"I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that you'd want to know. I am the Commander of the Infinity Matrix."
"Wait, you're the commander?" Asked Rika.
"So you're the one who ordered for us to get our Realital Genes!" Said Dan. The Commander nodded.
"Yes, I did. And I'll explain my reasoning later. For now, we must focus elsewhere!" The ground rumbled.
"What's going on?" Asked Takato.
"We've been having a few mechanical issues recently." Said Syark. "You see, the propulsors haven't been used for over 20 years. They're a little rusty."
"Propulsors?" Asked Azion. "Sounds like an old Star Trek reference."
"Unfortunately, we can no longer reference Reality 66785640." Said Syark. "It was claimed long ago."
"Reality 66785640?" Asked Azion. "Do you guys give every Reality a number?"
"We used to." Said the Commander. "But when this started, we had to speak quickly, so the numbers went out the window." He sighed. "But that's beside the point. Let's continue on." The rumbling died down. "In ten hours, the Destruction is going to get to Invasion Core. We're going to get there in nine. That gives us one hour to set up defenses against it once we get there." The ground rumbled again. "Are you ready?"
"Do we even have a choice?" Asked Chaos. "At this point, we need to work together. Otherwise, all will be lost."
"So, what do we need to do?" Asked Yuri, excitedly. "I can't wait for this! It's going to be fun!"
"Fun is not in the cards." Said the Commander, gravely. "If we fail for even a second, Invasion Core is doomed." That shut Yuri up quickly.
"Doomed?" Asked Hanabi. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said." The Commander sighed. "Okay, look. We have a while to go before we have to start worrying about this. We know the most likely spot for the Destruction to go, right at the split of the Timeline. When we get there, we'll start preparing. You are our best here for this, so we ask that you help us defend Invasion Core. If we can't save it, then everything falls." Atom looked back to the group.
"Do we even have to debate this?" He asked. "I think the only one here who doesn't want to help is Stan, right?" Everybody nodded. Atom turned back to the Commander. "We're in agreement. We'll help."
"Thank you." Said the Commander. He looked at Syark. "Make sure they're rested and ready to battle by the time we get there. If they aren't at peak performance, we won't stand a chance."
"I'll make sure somebody gets right on it, Sir." Syark turned to everybody. "Split up into groups. Some of you are going to need rest while the rest will go and get some battle practice in. I'll have somebody along shortly to guide you to where you need to go. I have to get back to work." Syark walked off.
"So, who's going to get some practice in?" Asked Dan. "I know I am!"
"I think I'm going to get some rest." Said Runo. "We've been going nonstop for how long now?"
"I still don't like it, but I'm tired." Said Stan. "I'm getting some rest."
"Me too." Said Ford. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other.
"I'm going to get ready!" Said Mabel. "You with me Dipper?"
"I guess." Said Dipper.
"Practice is important, but being able to figure out the battle quickly is even more." Said Shun. "I'm going to get some rest."
"How about instead of saying what we're going to do, we just split up?" Asked Tom. "Who's going to get some rest?" Shun and Runo raised their hands, followed by Stan, Ford, Hanabi, Cam, Rika, Henry and Suzie. Yuri raised his hand reluctantly. "Okay, so all of you should separate slightly so that we don't have to do this again when they get here." The ten that raised their hands walked away from the main group a bit. Two people then walked up.
"My name is Hydrona." Said one.
"I'm Likuti." Said the other. "I'll guide the ones who want to rest." The group of ten walked up to him. "Please follow me." They walked away.
"So, the rest of you want to get some practice in, eh?" Asked Hydrona. "I'll show you to our training rooms." He began to walk in the opposite direction.
"Well, let's go!" Said Henry. The group followed him. Hydrona took a quick left, revealing a very strange room.
"Welcome to the training room." He said. "This is where you can practice against your greatest opposition. We'll do a quick memory scan to see what your unique greatest opponent is." A light came on and focused on the group, quickly tracing their memories. It shut off within ten seconds. "Okay, we got each individual opponent." He turned to the room. "Turn on simulation X-456-01." The room rippled, then turned into several smaller rooms. "Simulation X-456-01 is a way for multiple people to train together. I'll save you all the details, but know that it works about the same as any other battle." The room rippled again. "Send data to each station and activate Virtual Reality protocols." A name appeared above each smaller room as devices appeared in them. "Go into the room with your name, step onto the platforms and say the command Start. You'll then see your greatest opponent and will begin to battle. If you win, you will be given the opportunity to end the training, but if you lose you have to try again. Do you all understand?"
"I think so." Said Azion.
"Good. Now, go into your respective rooms. And be ready for anything." Everybody quickly found their individual rooms and went in. Vests appeared on them as they stepped onto the devices. Smaller devices appeared for those who had partners. Finally, helmets appeared on everybody, including the Digimon and Bakugan. Atom looked around, seeing an endless plain of white.
"So, this is a fully automated Virtual Reality chamber?" He asked.
"Precisely." Said Hydrona. "Now, begin."
"Start." Said Dan. His white plane morphed into a destroyed warehouse.
"You want Drago?" Spectra appeared. "Bakugan, Brawl! Rise Pyrus Drago!" Dan looked up to see Vexos Dragonoid.
"Start." Said Andrew.
"Start." Said Cindy. Their worlds linked up, letting them see each other. Magantron appeared before them.
"I will defeat you!" He proclaimed.
"Start." Said Marucho, followed by Daniel. They also linked up, and saw Kirdua and Olep.
"Ready to be drained?" Asked Kirdua.
"Start." Said Atom, Azion, Chaos, Tom and Cassie. Atom and Azion were linked together while Chaos, Tom and Cassie stayed separate. Atom and Azion looked up to see Andrew and Cindy. They got very confused. Chaos looked up and saw Barodius. Tom saw Atom. Cassie found herself against Bill.
"Start." Said Ryo. A large dragon took form as the area turned into a ruined castle. Cyberdramon appeared beside him.
Start." Said Takato. He and Guilmon found themselves against Azion and Dragonomon.
"Start!" Said Mabel, followed by Dipper.
"Start." Said Wendy. The three linked up and saw Mabeland.
"Start." Said Soos. He saw his worst nightmare, a British Dog man. "My worst nightmare, alive again!" Everybody else followed suit, and saw their greatest opponents.
"Good luck to all of you." Said Hydrona. He smiled wickedly. "You'll need it." He whispered. He tapped the wall and a control panel popped open. He turned the difficulty dial from two to ten. He quickly closed the panel, then walked away. "I love my job with new recruits."
"This should be fun!" Said Dan. He looked at Drago. "Are you ready?"
"Always!" Neither noticed Spectra shift slightly.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Dan. "Baku-Sky Raider, Jump! Go Pyrus Fusion Dragonoid!" Drago jumped at Vexos Dragonoid, who staggered backwards.
"You might get the jump on us, but you won't be winning this battle!" Said Spectra.
"We've done this before!" Said Dan. "You're not going to beat us this time!"
"I beg to differ." Said Spectra. "Ability Activate! Diano Cocus X!" The chains spread around Vexos Dragonoid, powering him up.
"You wanna bet you can beat us?" Asked Andrew. "We've faced you before, Magantron, and won! Bakugan, Brawl! Descend Darkus Magnatron.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Cindy. "Bakugan, Stand! Rise Pyrus Magnaliger! Into battle Dragonomon!"
"You're doomed!" Said Magantron. He charged up a blast from the gem in his chest.
"You're done for." Said Kirdua.
"I beg to differ!" Said Daniel. He looked at Marucho. "Ready to go?"
"You know it!"
"I choose you, Clonusium!"
"Charizard, burn him down!"
"Dragonite, let's go!"
"Bakugan, Brawl! Stand Aquos Renas!"
"Change into Renas, Clonusium! And we'll use our ally's abilities!"
"Why are we facing Andrew and Cindy?" Asked Atom.
"I think it might be because of their trial to become friends again." Said Azion. "They faced copies of us and won."
"You ready yet?" Asked Andrew. "We're not going to wait all day!"
"Be ready. None who have challenged me have survived!" Said the Lord of Lightning.
"Want to prove it?" Asked Ryo. He charged forward. "Cyberdramon, stay safe!" Cyberdramon growled, but listened.
"Why are we against Azion?" Asked Guilmon. "Aren't we friends?"
"Not in this place." Said Azion. "This is a practice room. You're going against your strongest opponent."
Hydrona walked back into the command room. "How are they doing?" Asked the Commander.
"They're all in battle and getting ready. I made the decision to bump the difficulty to ten."
"Ten?" Asked the Commander. He looked at Hydrona. "Are you sure that they're strong enough?"
"Time will tell." Said Hydrona. "How are the others doing?" Likuti walked in.
"The ten that went with me are resting now." He said. "Although one was rather difficult."
"Young ones usually are." Said Syark.
"Young ones? Do you need your eyes checked?" Asked Likuti. "I'm talking about the mistrusting old one!"
"Oh." Said Syark. He turned back to the maps. He noticed something. "Uh, Sir, we might have a problem."
"What is it?" Asked the Commander. He looked at the screen. On it was the two remaining Bakugan Realities. And both of them had a level red threat warning. "What? What happened?"
"I'm not sure, sir." Said Syark. "But both are now in danger. We will have to split up." The Commander sighed.
"Hydrona, go get Azion, Chaos and Tom. They need to be sent."
"On it, sir!" Hydrona ran off.
"Here's hoping." Said the Commander.
"With this two pronged attack, we will divide their forces." Said the being. "Spectra, you and Bill will go to the True Evil Reality while I will go to Invasion Core. Whatever Shifters go there, you will take control of, understood? Follow the plan."
"Yes sire." Said Spectra.
"I'm getting giddy!" Said Bill. "Let's do this!"
"What about me?" Asked Setne.
"You will remain here to continue trying to find the spell you need." Said the being. "Once you find it, we'll be able to bring you back to life."
"Got it."
"Okay, we know the plan. Let's go!" Spectra and Bill turned into dark energy, followed by the being. They vanished, leaving Setne.
"Oh, I'll find the spell I need." Said Setne. "Just not the one you want me to find."
"Sir, Spectra and Bill just appeared, heading towards True Evil!" Said Syark.
"Wait, what?" Asked the Commander.
"I can't explain it, but they just appeared!" The Commander growled and Hydrona walked back in, followed by Chaos, Azion and Tom, with their partners.
"It was just getting fun." Complained Azion. "What do you need us for?"
"The other Reality that is vulnerable is under threat." Said the Commander.
"What?" Asked Chaos. "No wonder you called for us."
"Indeed."
"So how are we going to get there?" Asked Tom.
"You remember those portals you guys went through to get to the different Realities, right?" Asked Syark. "We're going to do the same thing now. And before you ask, the reason we didn't do it before is because we can't make one big enough for the entire Infinity Matrix."
"So when do we get sent?" Asked Azion.
"Now." Said Syark, casually. The three vanished into a portal that appeared above them. It quickly closed. "They're on their way."
A portal opened near the True Evil Reality, spitting out Azion, Chaos and Tom. "A little warning next time, maybe?" Yelled Azion.
"Well, we're here." Said Chaos. "So, it was effective." Tom looked across the endless expanse of Realities when Azion's Bakumeter buzzed. All three looked at it.
"You three arrive safely?" Asked Syark.
"Yeah, we're fine." Said Tom. "But where is it?"
"It should be visible in 5, 4, 3, 2," it appeared before he finished. "Darn! My timing was slightly off. Anyways, you know what to do!" Syark ended the call.
"Well, let's get ready then." Said Chaos. He turned towards the mass. "Bakugan, Brawl!"
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Azion.
"Bakugan, Brawl!" Said Tom.
"Baku-Sky Raider, Jump!" Said Chaos.
"Bakugan, Stand!" Said Azion and Tom.
"Join the fray Dragonomon!"
"I summon you, Palkia!" Said Tom. Chaos prepared his deck. The mass continued to approach, headed by Spectra and Bill. They stopped within several yards of Azion, Chaos and Tom.
"So, it's you three that are here to protect, huh?" Asked Bill. "This is going to be fun!"
"You three are no match against my perfect Bakugan!" Said Spectra. "Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Rise Probability Helios!"
"We've faced you before." Said Azion.
"And we've won." Said Chaos.
"And you think you can win?" Asked Tom.
"Oh, we know we can!" Said Spectra. "Ability Activate! Probable Cannon!" A large cannon appeared in front of Probability Helios and he grabbed onto it. "Say goodbye!" Helios fired.
"Ability Activate!" Said Chaos. "Draceous Shield!" The attack hit the shield and vanished. "You'll have to try harder than that!"
"Let's try something new then!" Said Bill. He began to grow in size. "I'm taking the strength of a Bakugan and using it to my advantage!" He stopped at a height equal to Helios. "Let's try this!" Blue fire leapt from his hand, heading for Slight.
"Ability Activate!" Said Tom. "Clear Refresh!" A clear wall of water formed in front of the fire, stopping it.
"Ability Activate!" Said Azion. "Fire Welder!" Pyreon charged in.
"Fools!" Said Spectra. "Ability Activate! Attribute Roulette!" The area glowed yellow, and all three Bakugan facing Helios changed, followed by Dragonomon and Palkia. The Fire Welder failed. "Care to try again?" Azion's Bakumeter buzzed.
"Use a Ventus ability next!" Said Syark. "It's the most likely Attribute to activate!"
"Ability Activate!" Said Tom. "Humid Winds!" The area flashed, turning green. All the Bakugan except Helios turned Ventus, followed by Dragonomon and Palkia. Heavy winds began battering Helios, stopping the Attribute Roulette.
"What?" Asked Spectra.
"Ability Activate!" Said Chaos. "Demolition Hammer!" Vladitor threw his hammer at Bill. He tried to stop it, but got hit in the face.
"That hurt!"
"That's the point." Said Vladitor.
"Ability Activate!" Said Spectra. "Destructive Chance!" The symbol on Helios's chest began changing, and turned into an Egyptian Ha-Di. A beam came out of the shape. Azion's hand began to glow.
"Not happening!" He said. A stone wall appeared in front of the beam and blocked it. Spectra growled.
"Can't you do anything right?" Asked Bill. "I guess I'll have to do this myself." Fire came from his hand again. "Take this!" He fired at everybody.
"Not happening." Said Azion. "Ability Activate! Infernium Shield!" A blazing wall of fire took form and blocked the attack.
"You two aren't getting past us!" Said Pyreon. Spectra and Bill looked at each other and nodded.
"Wanna bet?" Asked Bill. He began shrinking back down.
"We don't think so!" Agreed Spectra. Bill continued shrinking and moved in front of Spectra. Energy began building up from them.
"What are they doing?" Asked Tom. Palkia vanished. "What?"
"Take this!" Yelled Spectra. Beams came out of Bill, heading towards everybody else. The first beam hit Pyreon, followed by Vladitor and Slight. A beam hit Dragonomon while three passed over him, hitting Azion, Chaos and Tom. Dragonomon shook his head while a burning pain entered everybody else's minds before everything went blank.
"Sir, we got more problems!" Said Syark. Another map pulled up.
"What's wrong?"
"The Destruction has sped up, Sir! At its current rate, we won't get there until its deed is done!"
The Commander sighed and looked at Hydrona. "Hydrona, can you go"
"Already done." We all walked around the corner. "I figured that something like this would happen, so I pulled the plug on them."
"I wish you didn't!" Said Dan. "I almost won!"
"And what about the"
"Here as well." Said Likuti as he walked in. The rest followed him.
"What's up?" Asked Henry.
"We've got a big problem." Said Syark. "We're preparing a portal for all of you."
"Why?" Asked Dipper.
"The Destruction has sped up, and will complete its destruction of Invasion Core before we get there, so it'll be up to you to hold down the fort while we try to get there."
"Ready." Said Atom. He looked at everybody else. "Right?"
"We certainly are!" Said Takato.
"Yeah!" Said Guilmon.
"With you all the way!" Said Wendy.
"We've got to protect the Realities, right?" Asked Alice.
"Knew you would agree." Said Syark. He began typing quickly. "And the coordinates are set for both output and input. Here we go!" A portal appeared above all of us and pulled us in. It vanished just as quickly. "Good luck." The Infinity Matrix rumbled again. "You sure the old girl will hold?"
"It has to." Said the Commander.
"We need a plan." Said Cassie. "Anybody got one?"
"I say we just keep hammering it." Said Dan. "It'll eventually decide Invasion Core isn't worth it, right?"
"Always thinking that brawling is the best way." Said Runo. "We have to think differently here."
"Yeah! We need to work smartly! We're not going to be able to defeat it enough to make it decide that." Agreed Julie.
"Why are you two always against me?"
"We need to play defense." Said Rika. "We just need to outlast it, not beat it."
"But that won't work either." Said Takato.
"We still can't hold it back long enough." Agreed Ryo.
"We need to work both ways." Said Atom. "We have to act as a group, but use our own strengths." He looked at Dan. "Dan, you're best at going hard and fast. Same for Keith. You are perfect for being the front line."
"You know it!" Said Dan. "I hate waiting around!"
"I've never agreed with you more, Dan!"
"Rika, Henry, you two both know the value of holding a reserve, just in case. When it comes to it, you two can hold back anything."
"He's right." Said Rika.
"We do know how to keep things back." Agreed Henry.
"Ford, you know more than anybody else here when it comes to things that are weird. How would you handle the Destruction?"
"Well, that's easy in theory." Said Ford. "The best way to defeat it is to just stop it. If we can prevent it from consuming Realities, it will slowly lose power." Atom nodded.
"Stan, you love just hitting things, especially when they threaten your family. Is there a greater threat than the Destruction?"
"Not that I can think of!"
"I think I'm starting to get it now." Said Dipper. "If we split into teams, we should be able to delay it long enough."
"Exactly." Said Atom. "We all have different strengths and weaknesses. But, because we're all different, we reinforce our weaknesses and amplify our strengths. So, who's with me?"
"We actually have a chance in this!" Said Alice.
"You know it!" Said Runo.
"It would seem that being reserved has its perks!" Said Terriermon.
"Now we just need to figure out who best fits where in this plan." Said Marucho. The end of the portal came into view.
"We'll figure it out soon." Said Dan. "But right now, let's just get there!" He went ahead of the group.
"If it's a race you want, it's a race you got Dan!" Said Atom.
Dan here. We've made it to Invasion Core, and we have a plan. We just have to delay the Destruction long enough for those inside the Reality to complete their mission. But things take a dark turn when the Destruction actually shows up, in person no less! We've got to hold it off just long enough! But we start to get worried when Azion, Chaos and Tom don't show up to help. We know they were called for something, but we don't know what it is. That's when it hits us, harder than the truth ever will. We've got to fight back! But at this point, even I'm not sure how long we'll last.