Chapter 9: Don't Count Your Problems if You Can't Count the Stars
"Ability activate! Fire Judge!"
Cassie looked at her BakuPod fearfully, knowing that Sage's Centipoid had an unnatural amount of G power as it was.
Right on queue the animated female voice updated Centipoid's power level. "Centipoid power level increase by one, zero, zero G's."
Cassie gasped. "One hundred G's?! Where does that put his power level?" She stared at the miniature screen. "Centipoid power level at four, two, zero G's."
"Looks like were done here," Sage sighed. "Go Centipoid!"
Cassie activated her Gate Card as quickly as possible. "Gate Card, open! Character card!" Lumino began to glow a bright blue.
The stats were updated instantly. "Lumino's power doubled to seven, zero, zero G's. No other data available."
"That should help..." Cassie thought to herself.
"Don't look so relieved, Casserina," Sage said with an almost taunting smirk on his face.
"What..." Cassie began to space as she stared at Sage. She found it hard to concentrate at this point. Sage smirked and stayed silent to enjoy Cassie's blank expression.
"Ability activate!" Cassie was snapped out of her trance by the sudden command. "Firewall!"
"Lumino power decrease by five, zero G's."
"You think fifty G's is going to help you?" Cassie asked trying hard not to laugh.
Sage continued. "Ability activate! Scorching Chains!" Lumino was suddenly wrapped in fire from flippers to beak. His pain seared through Cassie as he made frantic and sudden jolts. Without noticing, tears escaped down her cheeks and she clenched her fists at her side. She put her head down and shut her eyes tight.
"Stop it, you're hurting him..." She said in a dangerously low tone.
"Isn't that the idea, 'Cass'?" Sage taunted. Cassie's mind was suddenly flooded with the fight she had had with Alex, and everything they had been through together. They had been friends for a while...ever since she could remember, and now this jerk had the audacity to...
"Don't call me that," She snapped as she jerked her head up with a deadly glare on her face. Sage became slightly startled, but he didn't let it show. "Now let Lumino go," She raised her voice to a mild shout.
"Sorry, little missy, that just ain't gonna happen."
"Then that leaves me no choice..." Cassie choked back a few tears. "I'm sorry..." She thought. "Ability activate! Reverse Substitution!" Lumino disappeared and an Aquos Siege stood in his place, in the midst of burning ropes.
Sage laughed. "That was your best move? You know I am now, again, in possession of your most favored Bakugan, right?"
Cassie was now on her knees, supporting her upper body with her arms and sobbing. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry Siege...I'm sorry...Lumino..."
Siege wailed and was sucked into the Doom Dimension.
"Cassie..." Bailey leaned over to comfort her. Cassie shook her head vigorously and Bailey backed up.
"Just go on Bailey," Cassie choked. Bailey nodded and took a step forward. "I may not know Cassie that well, but I don't know what I'd do without Serpena...so I have to help Cassie get Lumino back...again..." Bailey thought to herself.
"Bakugan-" Bailey was stopped in mid sentence when the battle arena shook violently. Everyone looked up. "What?"
Bailey helped Cassie to her feet. "What's happening?!" Cassie cried over the rumble of the battle arena.
Outside the playing field, the world began to slowly re-animate.
The battle arena flickered and fear crossed Cassie's face while Bailey held a more concerned look. Jack scowled and turned to Sage.
"What's happening?" He asked in a demanding tone as he tore his shades from his face and held them tightly in his hand.
"Does it look like I know?" Sage snapped back.
"Cassie!" Came a distant voice. Cassie turned to where she thought she had heard it coming from, but didn't see anyone. "Cass!"
"Alex...?" Cassie turned her back to Sage and Jack.
"Cassie!" Alex called again.
"Alex?!" Cassie shouted.
"Cassie who are you shouting for?" Bailey asked curiously. Cassie payed no attention to Bailey and continued shouting. "Cassie, you need to stop...no one's there..." Bailey tried convincing Cassie that Alex wasn't really there, but Cassie had a feeling that he was.
"Get her to stop would you?!" Jack complained groaning and covering his ears.
"Shut up," Bailey snapped rolling her eyes. "Cassie we need to get out of here."
"How?" She looked at Bailey.
"We have to close the field," Sage shouted across the field, which everyone responded with a nod. Everyone whipped out their Field cards and turned them over. "Field, close!"
All the Bakugan went back to their owners and the all the Gate cards in play broke into a billion multicolored pieces. The field around them evaporated and the four stood in the middle of the park again.
Cassie looked around for her friends. She could still hear them calling for her and she ran in their direction.
"Skyler! Jayne! Toryn! Keri! Alex!" Cassie spotted her friends and ran as fast as she could to meet them. Upon reaching them she didn't slow down. She was prepared to embrace Alex in a hug, but her arms slipped right through him, and she kept running as if no one were there. She faltered and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her blood ran cold as she stood back to back with Alex, confused and broken. "What...?" Her voice faltered.