Still not quite regular, but here! I was at a Robotics Competition this weekend, so that's why this is late. We did quite well this time. We made it to Semifinals! Here's hoping for the next one! Anyways, here you all go! Another chapter of Destruction! Enjoy.
Bakugan is in danger, and the only person capable of stopping it is out of commission. The Destruction must've planned this, otherwise why else would it have drawn out the battle like that? But things are only going to get worse from here on out. What can we do?
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
"So, who are most of you?" Asked Cera. "We all know the battle brawlers, but who are the rest of you?" Rika sighed.
"Well, we're not getting anywhere right now, so we might as well delve into the story. My name is Rika. These guys" she pointed at the Tamers, "are Takato, Henry, Kenta, Kazu, Suzie and Ryo. And they" she pointed at the Digimon, "are Digimon. Now before you start asking questions, think of them as the Digital Bakugan of Interspace, but as intelligent beings capable of existing in the real world."
"Makes sense." Said Cera.
"I'm still confused." Said Cameron.
"Not hard to do!" Said Blazeon.
"Will you two be quiet?" Asked Akira. She looked at Rika again. "Continue please."
"Actually, this is where I step in." Said Ford. "I'm Ford. That's Stan, my brother. Those are me great niece and nephew Mabel and Dipper. That's Robbie. She's Wendy. He's Gideon. He's Soos and he's Fiddleford. And finally, she's Pacifica."
"I'm taking a guess here, but have we become Reality Shifters?" Asked Jayden.
"Yeah." Said Cassie. Garfield turned his head to her.
"Say, uh, who are you? I remember Azion from when I first saw Atom, but I don't remember you."
"Well, you probably wouldn't." Said Cassie. "That was long before we found each other again. You see, I was on Neathia when you guys first met."
"Neathia?" Asked Ashia. "So, you're a Neathian? How cool!"
"Hold on, just a secon"
"How skilled of a Brawler are you? I bet you got very good because of the war!"
"Can you please"
"So how do you know Atom? Is he your boyfriend?"
"No, no he's not. He's my cousin!" Cassie got out. Ashia stopped talking.
"Oh."
"You really need to work on your listening skills." Said Jayden.
"Oh, shut up!"
"Anyways." Said Cassie. "I'm Atom's cousin. While he got sent to Earth, I got sent to Neathia. But because of my very limited knowledge about Bakugan, I couldn't do much brawling." She sighed. "My primary knowledge isn't Bakugan. That's Atom. My knowledge is Gravity Falls, these guys." She gestured towards them. "But we have more pressing issues now. We need to get to Bakugan, get Atom to wake up and we need to stop the Destruction. Any ideas?"
"What about dimensional gates?" Asked Garfield. "Could we use one of those?"
"We could, if we were in a Reality." Said Clate. "Unfortunately, we're outside Reality. There's no dimensions we could transport to. We can't use them."
"Well, how do you guys usually travel between Realities?" Asked Cameron.
"Slowly." Said Cassie. "We have to travel ourselves unless helped by another force."
"And what is this 'other force'? Asked Ashia. A blue portal appeared nearby.
"Those." Said Azion. He grabbed Atom. "Let's go!" He made a beeline for the portal.
"Unless you guys want to be left behind, I suggest you follow." Said Cassie. She went towards the portal.
"Come on!" Said Dan. Everybody else went towards the portal.
"I don't know about you guys, but I don't like the idea of trying to find them." Said Garfield. He went after the group.
"If he's going, I'm going!" Said Cameron.
"We all are." Said Cera. The Neo Battle Brawlers followed everybody else into the portal.
"Any luck down below?" Asked the Commander.
"Well, I got the coolant flow reregulated." Said Claip. He looked over at the propulsor engines. "Sort of, at least. They won't meltdown, but I make no guarantees of how long they'll last." Rumbling resounded through the ground. "And I still have to fix that."
"Another time." Said the Commander. Right now, we have far, far bigger worries than a little rumbling."
"I see." Said Claip. "So Invasion Core went down?"
"No, not Invasion Core. True Evil went down."
"Either way, it's a disaster." Said Claip. "So what's the plan?"
"The defenders are going to come back and we're heading to Bakugan. With luck, we'll get there before the Destruction."
"And if we don't?" Asked Claip.
"Then kiss our chances at saving Reality One goodbye."
"Bakugan is vulnerable." Said the Destruction. He looked at Spectra and Bill, then to Tom and Chaos. "However, we lost an asset in that battle. Tell me, Spectra, Bill, what happened?"
"It was Dragonomon." Said Spectra. "He used another one of his abilities. If I recall correctly, it was called Enlightenment. He used it to push our control of Azion out of him. However, it was the glow from Atom and Leonidas that made it possible to destroy that control. Any idea what caused it?"
"I remember that the Reality glowed while he was glowing." Said Bill. "Does that have anything to do with it?"
"Perhaps." Said the Destruction. He began thinking, back to his battles against the first five. He remembered something. "Of course. Just as Leonidas is the Timeline Bakugan reborn, Atom is the First Shifter reborn. He has the power to draw upon Realities and gain powers from them. Invasion Core has brawlers capable of uniting powers with their Bakugan, making them stronger. This ability is known as Reversion. But now we have the advantage. Reversion takes a lot out of someone every time they use it. Atom will be out of commission until long after Bakugan is destroyed. It was all part of the plan."
"Well, how did you know it was going to happen?"
"I have my sources." Said the Destruction. He seemed to stare off into space, then got an idea. "And I think I know the best way to end his pitiful life."
The portal deposited everybody onto the bridge, near Syark. "So, how did it go?" He asked.
"Well, we've got good news and bad news." Said Azion.
"Good news, you defended Invasion Core. Bad news, True evil fell, right?" Asked Syark.
"How did you" started Rika.
"We've been monitoring many of the Realities in danger." Said Syark. "When we got readings of you three at Invasion Core, we checked True Evil and found it to be gone. Destroyed. We got started moving towards Bakugan to try and defend it when our sensors were completely blinded. We assumed it had to do with your battle. But no matter. All of you are safe, right?"
"Almost all of us." Said Dan. "Tom and Chaos are still being controlled by the Destruction, along with their partners. And then they still have Pyreon. To top it all off, well, you'd better see for yourself." Azion turned around and dropped Atom, still out cold. Leonidas rolled out of his hand. Syark blinked in surprise.
"Well then." Was all he said. He pressed the comms button. "Forlia, could you come up here please? Yes, I know there's sickness all around but I need an expert! It's important!" Someone replied. "How about saving all Realities important? Is that enough?! Well, is it?" Another reply. "Thank you. We'll see you in a bit." He let go of the comms button.
"Folia?" Asked Marucho.
"Forlia" Syark corrected "is our lead medic. There isn't a symptom she hasn't seen before. If anybody can figure out what happened to Atom, it's her." Someone came into the room.
"Alright Syark, who needs my help up here?" She asked. It was Forlia. She looked around and saw somebody on the floor. "Is that who I think it is?" Atom's head flopped to the side and Forlia gasped. "It is him! No wonder you called me up here! I'll get to work immediately." She reached into the air, and her hand vanished.
"What the?" Asked Ashia.
"Don't worry." Said Forlia. "I'm simply grabbing my tools." She pulled her arm back, bringing out a bag. She opened it and pulled out several small devices.
"What are those things?" Asked Daniel.
"Basic medical tools." Said Forlia. "Now be quiet! I'm trying to focus." Forlia pressed one of the tools to Atom's forehead, then to his arm. She shook her head. "Classic case of both a power overload and extreme exhaustion. He'll be out for a few hours."
"Well, is there any way we can speed that up?" Asked Clate. Everybody looked at him. "What? This is my problem just as much as it is all of yours."
"Unless you guys have a way to connect yourselves to him, I don't see any way to speed up the process." Said Forlia. She packed up her stuff. "However, I don't think you have much to worry about. He will wake up before we get to Bakugan. Far, far before."
"Will he wake up before the Destruction comes?" Asked Cam.
"That's a good question." Said Forlia. "His brainwave activities are fine, along with his bodily functions. But his cognitive abilities are completely unresponsive. Even if you were to do tricks that usually work, he wouldn't even respond." She sighed. "There aren't many ways to help him while he's in this state. He just needs time."
"Great." Said Hanabi. "The one thing we don't have."
"Actually, I think that there is a way." Said Syark. Forlia looked at him.
"And just what do you suggest?"
"You said his brainwaves are acting normally, right?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean he's dreaming?"
"Anything's possible." Ford got what Syark was saying.
"What if someone linked up with him in his mind and tried to wake him up from there?" He asked. Forlia gasped.
"That, that's ludicrous! The person who goes in will not know what they're getting into! For all we know, his mind is so entangled in different things that you won't be able to find him! Say you could get in. What would you do?"
"I don't know." Said Dan. "But I'm willing!"
"But Dan" started Marucho.
"No buts Marucho. Think of everything he's helped us with in the past. Without him, we would've been attacked by Naga sooner than we were. Spectra might've kept Drago or destroyed him because of what Azion told him. Barodius might've won the war with what Chaos was able to help him with. And don't forget Mechtavius Destroyer! Face it, we have to help him, no matter the danger!" The group was silent for a moment.
"Well, when he's right, he's right." Said Keith. "And we need to him now more than ever. Which one of us can combat the Destruction at Bakugan? If Dan's going, I'm going!"
"Don't forget about us!" Said Drago.
"We need to get Leonidas moving too!" Agreed Helios.
"If you guys are sure about this" started Forlia.
"Don't even ask." Said Dan. "We're doing this!"
"Very well." She looked at Ford. "I'm assuming you know of a way to do it. So get to work."
"Got it." Said Ford. "I'll need a mental mapper, a transmitter, a"
"Why don't you just follow me?" Asked Forlia. "I have most of that stuff in the medic unit."
"Sure thing." They left the room. Dan looked at Atom.
"We're coming to get you." He said. Syark pulled up the map of Bakugan.
"Well, we at least have some time. The Destruction won't get to Bakugan for quite a while yet." He pressed a few more buttons. "According to this, it's actually stagnant right now."
"For those of us without degrees in advanced language, can you dial down the language a bit?" Asked Cindy.
"We can't understand a word you're saying!" Agreed Yuri.
"It's not moving." Stated Syark. Ford and Forlia came back.
"Okay, got almost everything I need." Ford looked at Cam and Cassie. "Now then, I'll need your help."
"With what?" Asked Cam.
"You two can make small devices, and I'll need some help to finish this. Can you make the things I describe?"
"We can try." Said Cassie.
"Okay, here's the first part I need" started Ford. After a lot of trial and error, Ford got his machine ready. "And done." He tightened the final screw. "Okay. This machine will take the mental persona of the person or people under here" he pointed to one side "and transfer into the mind of the person here." He pointed at the other side. "Are you two ready?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Asked Dan. He quickly went under the one side.
"I suppose." Said Keith. He also went under. Ford pressed one of the buttons on the side and the machine whirred.
"This might feel weird, just as a warning." The machine flashed on Dan and Keith's side and they slumped. A flash happened on Atom's side and his body jolted. "Okay, that's done. Now, as for the Bakugan." Ford moved all three out of the way then grabbed Drago, Helios and Leonidas. "You two stay there." He placed Drago and Helios under the same part Dan and Keith were under. "And I'll put Leonidas here." He placed Leonidas where Atom was. "Good luck!" He pressed the button.
Drago and Helios were travelling quickly through a black tunnel. Drago turned to Helios. "Well, here's hoping!"
"You got that right, Drago!" The area in front of them began to brighten, then opened up. What they saw was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Dan and Keith appeared beside them.
"Whoa!" Said Dan. "Where are we?"
"Dan?" Asked Drago.
"They must be having a conjoined dream." Said Keith. All four looked around, seeing that they were in an arena.
"So, where are we?" Asked Dan. A loud noise sounded and all four looked up to see a large screen.
Welcome to Bakugan World Stadium! The place for all the battles you'll ever need! Let's check out some new members! The screen changed and began showing several people.
"What the heck is going on?" Asked Dan.
"Looks like a tournament." Said Keith. "But is this really a dream or is it real?"
And now for our newest member! He claims to be a Reality Shifter capable of perceiving many things at once,
"Do you think" started Drago.
He always tends to be quick to understand, and he's eager to brawl! Welcome Atom!
"Yep." Said Helios. "That's him."
Check out the directories to find these new members! Be sure to give them good brawls! The screen faded.
"Well, let's go find him." Said Dan. Drago and Helios reverted to ball form and landed on their partner's shoulders. Dan and Keith looked around and saw one the mentioned directories. Dan went over to it first and touched it, turning it on.
State the name of the brawler you are looking for.
"We're looking for Atom." Said Dan.
Searching. The machine glowed. Atom can be found in the Gym. Map uploading. Dan's Bakumeter beeped. He looked at it to see a map.
"Let's be on our way then." Said Keith. They began traversing the area.
"The time is now." Said the Destruction. He looked at Spectra and Bill again. "We must get moving. We cannot wait any longer."
"Understood." Said Spectra.
"Time for our first big win!" Said Bill. "But what are we going to do if Atom wakes up before we're done?"
"The odds of that are astronomical." Said the Destruction. "But I've planned for it, just in case. We will destroy his mind before sending him away!"
"I like it." Said Bill. The Destruction looked at Setne.
"Are you ready?"
"Still haven't found the right spell." Said Setne. "I'm a no-go."
"Very well. Keep looking." The Destruction, Spectra, Bill, Chaos and Tom began to glow. "Let's be on our way!" They vanished.
Syark noticed a change in the Destruction. "Looks like our break is over."
"Is the Destruction on the move again?" Asked Marucho.
"Unfortunately, yes." The map zoomed in. "At its current pace, we should get there before it does. But if Dan and Keith can't wake Atom up by then, we won't be able to hold it off." He looked at all six who were unconscious. "We just have to hope."
"Well, looks like this is the place." Said Dan. He stepped towards the gym area.
"I suppose so." Said Keith. They walked in to see a few battles taking place.
"Ability Activate!"
"Gate Card, Open!" Lots of people were brawling.
"Man, how are we supposed to find Atom here?" Asked Dan.
"Are you two lost?" Dan and Keith turned to see Atom. "I might be new here, but I think I know skilled brawlers from unskilled brawlers."
"Unskilled?" Asked Dan. "Are you kidding me? You're one of the most skilled brawlers I've seen!"
"Nice of you to say, but I've never battled here before. Or anywhere else for that matter. This is my first day." A Bakugan popped open on Atom's shoulder.
"Maybe one of these two could give us a battle." Said the Bakugan.
"Not a bad idea, Leo." Said Atom.
"Leonidas?" Asked Dan. He had forgotten what he had originally looked like. "What happened to you man? Why did you devolve?"
"What do you mean devolve?" Asked Leonidas. "I've been this way for a while. In fact, my whole life." Dan gasped.
"I think I know how to wake them up." Whispered Keith. "One of us just needs to remind them of who they are."
"Yeah, I hear ya." Said Dan. He looked back at Atom. "So, you want a battle? I'm up for it."
"Great!" Said Atom. He pressed a few buttons on his Bakumeter. A field opened nearby. "Let's go." He walked over to it. Dan followed. They stood on opposite sides. "You ready?"
"Let's do this." Said Dan.
"Gate Card, Set!" Said Atom. "Bakugan, Brawl! Light them up Leo!" Leonidas rose, in his original form.
"You're not getting the jump on me!" Said Dan. "Bakugan, Brawl! Baku-Sky Raider, Jump!" Drago jumped at Leonidas, but Leonidas dodged.
"You'll have to be faster than that." He said. Dan looked at the Gs and noticed something odd.
"Hey, what gives?" Leonidas was at 450, but Drago was at only 500.
"Have you really forgotten the new rule changes? All Bakugan start at 500 Gs during their first evolution. You can't just start high up like usual."
"What?" Asked Dan.
"Maybe you're not the Dan Kuso of this place." Said Atom. "Anyways, I'll give you the first move."
"You're gonna regret it!" Said Dan. "Ability Activate! Dragon Blade! That should make this battle easy!" Drago went in towards Leonidas, but only gained 200 Gs. "Okay, I really gotta watch the G-Powers."
"That's not going to beat me." Said Atom. "Ability Activate! G-Power Burst!"
"Good call!" Said Leonidas. He glowed and Drago lost 400 Gs.
"Come on!" Said Dan. Leonidas was still at 450 but Drago was down to 300. "Okay, let's try this! Ability Activate! Dragon Spur!" Drago gained 600 Gs.
"So, you're trying to negate my Ability are you? Not happening!" Said Atom. "Gate Card Open! Ability Activate! " His Bakumeter glowed and the card glowed. "Forced Change! This card will make any Bakugan capable of Form Change change Attribute! I call Ventus!" Both Drago and Leo turned Ventus, stopping Drago's Dragon Spur. "Well, I didn't expect that. Anyways, my ability is Nova Split!" Leonidas cloned himself into Haos. Dan looked at the Gs to see that Drago was back down to 300. However, Leonidas was now at 900. "Your move!"
"Let's go for the Fusion Shield!" Said Dan. The effects of Atom's previous card were negated.
"Ability Activate!" Said Atom. "Ability Breaker! I'm negating your counter! And since you used your second one, you cannot counter any more!"
"What?" Asked Dan. "Fine. You want to play it that way? Ability Activate! Dragon Tornado! This should" he noticed that he only transferred 200 Gs. "Oh come on!" Leonidas was still 200 Gs ahead.
"Time for the attack! Go for it Leo!" Said Atom.
"With pleasure!" Both Leonidases went in and attacked Drago, defeating him.
"Just for reference, we're playing with 500 LPs." Said Atom. Dan's gauge fell by 200. "Your move!"
"Man, this is going to be harder than I thought." Thought Dan. "Looks like I'll have to be crafty for this." He grabbed a Gate Card. "You're going to regret facing off against me! Gate Card, Set! Bakugan, Brawl! Rise Pyrus Fusion Dragonoid!"
"Hey Leo, you mind sitting out for a round?" Asked Atom.
"I could use a breather." Said Leo.
"Okay." Atom grabbed another Bakugan. "Bakugan, Brawl! Rise Chronogian!" Chronogian rose.
"What the?" Asked Dan.
"Well, this is surprising." Said Keith. Both Bakugan were at 500 Gs.
"You're up first." Said Atom.
"Okay." Said Dan. "Ability Activate! Dragon Exploder!" Drago gained 200 Gs.
"You're not beating me with that." Said Atom. "Ability Activate! Glowing Light! This will allow me to bring out another Bakugan! You ready Leo?"
"I guess my short break is over." He said. "Throw me in!"
"You got it!" Atom threw Leonidas in. "Special Shot!" He called. "Capital Shine! Drago's base power level is reduced by 150 for the rest of the brawl!" Drago's power level went down by 150.
"Man, Atom is far better here than he ever was back home. And that's with a base Leonidas!" Thought Dan. "I've got to pull this through." He looked at the power difference. Drago was at 550 and Atom's Bakugan were at 950. "I got it! Ability Activate! Dragon Tornado!" That set both power levels to 750.
"Time for a Double Ability! Haos Switch plus Recursion Boost!" Said Atom. "Haos Switch will replace the current Gate Card with one of my own! Then it opens. Time for another Forced Change! This time to Darkus! Then Recursion Boost Activates!" Dan and Keith both remembered what that did. "I choose to reactivate Glowing Light!" A red Bakugan and a blue Bakugan rose up. "I choose to send in Pyreon and Slight!" Both called Bakugan went in. That added 1000 Gs to Atom's side.
"Not good." Said Dan. Drago was at 750 while Atom's team was at 1750. "But I think I can knock you down a peg! Ability Activate! Dragon Eternal Force!" Drago gained 1000 Gs.
"Not bad." Said Atom. "But try this for size! I currently have Pyrus, Aquos, Darkus and Haos Bakugan on the battlefield. Time for another of my special abilities. It's not a Special Ability, but it's pretty nice! Fusion Ability Activate! Shine Arrow! I choose to clone Leonidas!" Another Haos Leonidas appeared. "And now a consecutive Ability! Geo Split!" A Subterra Leonidas appeared. Atom's side gained another 900 Gs, putting them at 2650 Gs. Drago was still at 1750.
"Oh man!" Said Dan.
"Your move." Said Atom.
"I've got to pull this out of the gutter, and soon!" Thought Dan. "But how?" He looked at his cards again. "I've got nothing!"
"So, you skip your turn?" Asked Atom. Dan sighed. "Okay. Everybody! Go!" Drago got attacked and was swiftly defeated, returning to Dan. His gauge fell empty. All of Atom's Bakugan returned to him. "Good brawl. That was fun!"
"What do you think is happening in there?" Asked Runo.
"If I had to take a guess, I'd say a brawl." Said Julie. "You know how Dan is."
"Yeah, I suppose so." Said Runo.
"So, what'd you think? Am I pretty good for a beginner?" Asked Atom.
"But you're not a beginner!" Said Dan. "You're an expert brawler! Not to mention"
"You think I'm that good already?" Asked Atom. "And I was thinking I was pretty good."
"But this isn't you." Said Keith. "Yes, you're Atom. And yes, you're a Reality Shifter. But this isn't you or Leo. You're an expert brawler, and you've helped to defend the Bakugan Reality!"
"You helped in every situation against our greatest enemies! Naga, Zenoheld, Barodius, Mag Mel and Mechtavius Destroyer!" Said Dan. "And Leo. You've evolved with Drago almost every time. You're not a basic Leonidas. You're supposed to be a Mythical Leonidas, your final stage!"
"You are capable of Form Change and Energy Twist. You drew on the power of a Reality to achieve a new level of power! You guys aren't who you truly are right now. Wake up!" Everything Keith and Dan said registered in Atom and Leonidas. Atom's eyes flashed a bit, then he shook his head.
"Wait, if that's true then" his mind realigned. "Whoa. Brain rush."
"You said it." Said Leonidas. He began to glow and changed into Mythical Leonidas. "But I think our heads are clear now. Thanks guys!"
"So you're going to be able to wake up now?" Asked Dan.
"Not yet." Said Atom. "Our bodies are still exhausted. But you guys did accelerate the process." The area began to vanish. "Now, as for how to get you two back to your bodies. How did you get in here?"
"Ford made a device that transferred our 'personas' into your mind." Said Dan. "Not entirely sure what that means."
"Got it." Said Atom. A door appeared behind him. "This should take you out of our minds and back into yours. Good luck."
"Thanks Atom!" Said Dan.
"Let's hope we can defend." Said Keith. They left through the door.
"I hope so too." Said Atom.
Dan and Keith stirred. "Hey! They're waking up!" Called Marucho. Dan and Keith woke up.
"Man, what happened?" Asked Dan.
"Well, you guys went into Atom's mind to try and wake him up." Said Marucho. Everybody else came up. "And just in time too. Look!" Dan and Keith looked at the screen Marucho was pointing at to see that the Destruction was on the move. "So when will Atom wake up?"
"We're not sure. All we did was accelerate the process to them waking up." Said Keith. He looked at Atom and Leonidas. "We can only hope for the best."
"We're approaching the Bakugan Reality." Said Syark. "Be ready. We just have to hold out long enough."
We've made it. Atom is waking up, but the Destruction is here. We have to hold out long enough to save Bakugan! But when the battle turns sour, what will come of all of us? Who will survive the battle if we lose? Everything is breaking apart. We have to endure!
Permission to reference Bakugan World Championship granted by Admin Damian Kirifuda. Like most everything else in these stories, I have no rights to it.