Chapter 5: Frozen Flames
Katrina and Serah arrived at the same time. Serah stopped her bike right next to Katrina's, smiling at her. Katrina nodded in front of them. They saw two hooded figures, seemingly attempting to stage something else. They nodded at each other.
"Hey, you two over there!" Serah called. The two men turned to face the girls. They both snorted.
"Don't know who the little redhead is, but looky what we have here! The world-famous Brawlin' daughter of Tony Stark, Seraphina Stark!"
"Hehe… Those are some nice lookin' Bakugan you've got there. You hand 'em over-"
Katrina immediately cocked a gun, convincing the thugs otherwise.
"You're not taking Stiria and Nix. They're my partners!" She hissed, glaring at them. Serah smirked.
I wondered when that badass Russian ninja-assassin side was gonna show… She thought, a slight chuckle accompanying her thoughts. Serah cocked her head to the left, and folded her arms.
"Hate to break it to ya, but you won't be taking my partner either." Serah said in a slightly playful and sarcastic tone of voice that was trademark amongst seemingly anyone who bore the Stark name. The two thugs growled.
"Fine then. Can't say we didn't warn ya." One of them said angrily. All four pulled out their respective Gate Cards.
"Bakugan! Field, OPEN!" They exclaimed in unison. Time started to slow down to a halt as the battlefield made its appearance as the alternate dimension, known as the battlefield, finally appeared.
"Gate Card, Set!" They exclaimed in unison, causing four Gate Cards, one in red, one in blue, one in orange, and one in green
"Ladies first, after all. Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Pyrus Brynhildr, let them rip!" Serah exclaimed.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Ventus Fear Ripper!" The first thug said.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Aquos Nix, rise to the challenge!" Katrina exclaimed as Nix appeared in her full beauty.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Subterra Robotallion!" The second thug exclaimed.
Aquos Nix G-Power 360
Pyrus Brynhildr G-Power 350
Subterra Robotallion G-Power 300
Ventus Fear Ripper G-Power 380
Nix was on a Gate Card by herself with Robotallion doing nothing on its Gate Card. Meanwhile, Fear Ripper and Brynhildr were about to face it off.
"Gate Card, Open! Let's heat things up!" Serah said as her Brynhildr gained a G-Power boost from the flames that surrounded her Bakugan.
Pyrus Brynhildr G-Power 450
"Ha! You think you're so smart! Ability Activate! Slash Zero!
Ventus Fear Ripper G-Power 460
"Ability Activate. Valkyrian Scythe! This should cut you down to size." Serah said in a bored tone as Fear Ripper was defeated by an upward slash attack before Brynhildr slammed Fear Ripper down like she was a wrestler. Serah smirked.
Ventus Fear Ripper G-Power 410
Pyrus Brynhildr G-Power 500
"What the?!" The second thug exclaimed.
"That was boring." Serah said in a bored tone.
"Want to see boring?! Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Ventus Mantris!" The second thug snapped. He was quite angry, but Serah wasn't really fazed.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Brynhildr!" exclaimed Serah.
Ventus Mantris G-Power 340
Pyrus Brynhildr G-Power 350
"Going head on? Fitting for the daughter of Tony Stark! Let's see how you like this! Ability Activate! Marionette! Alright Robotallion, join the fun!" The second thug exclaimed.
"Thanks, and now, Ability Activate! Robotallion Enforcement!" The first thug cried.
Subterra Robotallion G-Power 350
"Oh no. Two against one. I'm so scared." Serah mocked, pretending to wave her hands in fear.
"I can cut down both of your Bakugan with this. Gestalt Mode Ability! This one turns Brynhildr into her Gestalt Mode, and your abilities will be useless if you try to stop her." Serah added.
Pyrus Brynhildr G-Power 450
With a sharp turn of her wheels, Mantris was sent flying, and Robotallion was sent on a vacation when Brynhildr ran it over.
"Tch! Plan B. We double team the water girl. Bakugan, Brawl! Subterra Hynoid, go!" The first thug hissed.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Ventus El Condor!" The second thug said.
Subterra Hynoid G-Power 380
Ventus El Condor G-Power 350
"I hate bees." Nix said.
"Not as much as I hate men who are complete and total cowards. I would love to slice them in two… or maybe shock them with my gauntlets…"
Serah looked at her in horror.
"Okay… maybe that assassin blood runs a little too strong in your veins there, Kat…"
Katrina laughed.
"I'm just kidding, Serah. I'm learning to be an assassin, not a monster." Katrina said reassuringly.
"Ability Activate! Sisterly Bond! If Nix is alone, Stiria can come to join the fun!" Katrina cried.
Aquos Stiria G-Power 320
"So? We'll get those Bakugan! Ability Activate. Desert Thunder!" The first thug growled.
Subterra Hynoid G-Power 430
"Ability Activate! Dragoon!" The second thug added.
Ventus El Condor G-Power 670
"Gate Card, Open! Trade Off!" Katrina cried. As soon as the gate card opened, both El Condor and Hynoid lost the battle.
"Hey, what happened?!" The first thug demanded.
"Trade Off is a gate card that has any Bakugan over 400 G's automatically lose the battle. Who are the wise guys now, hm?" Katrina replied. The thugs growled as Katrina set down a Gate Card.
"Ready, Katrina?" Serah asked, smirking.
"More than ever!" Katrina exclaimed.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand!" Serah and Katrina cried in unison.
"Stiria, show them your stuff!" Katrina said, taking a bit of a… well, seductive is the best word… pose.
"Brynhildr, show time!" Serah exclaimed, snapping into a pose that showed just how confident she was. She knew that she had this in the bag, and she already had plenty of pride as the one and only daughter of Tony Stark.
"Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Subterra Rattleoid!" The first thug said.
Aquos Stiria G-Power 320
Pyrus Brynhildr G-Power 350
Subterra Rattleoid G-Power 320
"Ability Activate! Poison Fang!" He cried.
Aquos Stiria G-Power 270
"Here we go! Ability Activate! Hydroburst! Not only does it let my Brynhildr gain 100 G's, but it also allows her to attribute change to Aquos!" Serah exclaimed. Brynhildr launched what appeared to be a burst of water as her armor changed from bright red to cool blue.
Aquos Brynhildr G-Power 450
"Now, Gate Card, open! Quartet Battle!" Katrina added.
"It's all you now, Katrina!" Serah exclaimed.
"Thanks. Bakugan, Brawl! Bakugan, Stand! Let's do this, Nix!" Katrina cried. She proceeded to take a pose in which she stood on one leg, leaned back a bit, kicked the other one high in the air, and threw both hands back. For a moment, she seemed to glow blue, and then she dropped the pose, throwing Nix.
Aquos Nix G-Power 360
"Now, it's time for Gestalt Mode Activate! Stiria! Nix! Time to join forces!" Katrina said.
"No way! Your Bakugan can do that too?!" The first thug cried.
"For their Gestalt Mode, they need each other to create one hot ride." Katrina said as both Stiria and Nix combined together to create a motorcycle. Serah chuckled a bit.
Aquos Stiria and Nix G-Power 630
"Now, let's finish this!" Katrina and Serah exclaimed in unison.
The roar of an engine filled the thugs' ears as Stiria and Nix in their Gestalt Mode sped towards Rattleoid while Brynhildr powered up another Hydroburst to launch at the snake. When the two attacks collided, the snake was run over, and drenched, giving the win to Katrina and Serah.
Stiria and Nix disengaged their Gestalt Mode. Brynhildr returned to her normal Pyrus attribute. Both Bakugan returned to their respective owners, who were smiling. Reality returned, but not all was well. Serah collapsed, the heat of battle leading to her exhausting herself prematurely. Katrina guided her to the ground safely, not knowing what was wrong.
"Lady Romanoff, I will attend to Master Serah's needs. You must pursue the men!" Claire reassured. Katrina nodded.
"Right! I'm on it!"
Katrina gave chase to the thugs, remembering the training from her mother.
Survey the situation. Who are you up against? What is your environment like? Are there bystanders? How well are your enemies armed? How well are they trained? What are they capable of? Always be careful, because the answers to these questions can change in a matter of seconds.
She scaled a light pole in a matter of seconds, swinging from pole to pole.
Speed is a very important part of your training. The quicker you can end a battle, the better. But you must also be intelligent about it. Don't be reckless. Swift, yet smart. Don't let them know what hit them.
She flicked her wrists, causing an electric charge to arc between two points on a gold gauntlet.
These are your own versions of my Widow's Bite. One hit, and a normal man is instantly disabled. Use them wisely, and only for good.
She got on top of them, and simultaneously struck both of them in the back of the neck with the gift from her mother. The electric shock stunned them, and she used rope from a nearby butcher's shop to tie the two men to light poles.
Be resourceful. Also, when the job is done, walk away. Never linger.
She smiled.
"You'd be so proud, Mom. I'm sure of it."
She left the scene, leaving the two bound men to the authorities. She was finally allowing the lessons she learned from her mother to sink in. Her inner assassin was finally born. She took to the rooftops to get home, letting the wind rush through her hair.