A/N: Look its late guys I'm in a hurry to get this up, so forgive me my lack of replying to reviews but I want to get this up so I can go to bed. I have college tomorrow so yeah forgive me for not doing an awesome A/N this time.
Chapter 72
Mike couldn't take it anymore. Even after receiving the reassurance that Meredith and Tyler could be contacted, and were going to somehow make it from their world to the bakugan world. Mike just couldn't handle being in the hospital another minute.
After he'd hung up with Tyler and Meredith. He'd trailed after the brawlers as the nurses led Jenny and Jewls into a room for the girls to be taken care of. It saddened him immensely as he realized how many rooms were occupied by the brawlers as he passed each room glancing in the window. After the nurses had taken Jenny and Jewls into the room they'd be cared for in, they'd closed the door for any of the other brawlers besides Runo who wanted to be there as moral support.
Marucho had seemed to shrink even further when Jewls had come bearing Masquerade's message. Once the door had closed barring Mike and Marucho from entering the little blond had turned away from the door, his adams apple bobbing as the young boy swallowed thickly. Mike looked down at the kid sympathetically. The poor guy had watched as two of his close friends, two who he believed to be the strongest of them all be sent to the hospital thanks to the injuries their enemies had inflicted upon them. Now it seemed like everyone around them was dropping like flies, Billy, Jet, and now Jenny and Jewls.
And then the kid had the only knowledge that it was going to get worse as his consolation for it all.
"Mike?" Marucho had said quietly, his voice sounding watery, the boy lifting his head slowly to look up at Mike with watering eyes. "D-do you think Jewls will be okay?" He asked.
Mike looked at him for a moment before looking away. "It didn't look too deep." He said. "She'll probably be fine."
'But I don't think she'll come out of it without a scar.' He thought with a wince. What had caused Masquerade to take such a turn for the worse? The guy had been malevelont and devious on the show, but this, this was a whole new level that he'd never gone to.
Masquerade was the cause that four people were in the hospital. Two of which were because he'd decided he wanted to have some fun cutting them up, and the other two were forced to suffer as witnesses. Mike, having grown up in Chicago a city well known for its brutal crimes in certain areas, had seen the affect witnessing these horrendous acts had had on the poor souls. He didn't blame either Dan or Jenny, both of which gave him the impression of being fairly shielded from such things for reacting as badly to what they'd witnessed as they had.
A soft sniff drew Mike out of his thoughts and made him look towards Marucho. The little boy having bowed his head, big tears trailing down his cheeks.
"Why-why is this happening?" The boy asked shoulders shaking as he sniffled more tears falling. "Masquerade seemed to be, seemed to be almost becoming good." He mumbled. "He didn't hurt me and Runo before, or Jet, or Julie. Why the sudden change now?"
Mike frowned. "I-"
The door they were standing near swung open suddenly making Mike and Marucho jump. Shun stepped out slipping on his gloves as he did.
"The only way we're going to get any answers at all would be to go to the scene of the crime." Shun said simply as he tugged on his other glove. "I'll go there now." He glanced at Mike and Marucho. "IF you want to come, you'll have to keep up." Shun said as he turned and headed down the hall
Mike blinked realizing this golden opportunity for an excuse to get away, he moved to follow Shun when a muted sniffle made him pause and glance back at Marucho. The little blond genius was standing there looking lost and uncertain. Mike winced as he realized that going to the scene of the crime would only make the younger boy feel worse. Forcing a smile on his face he turned fully to Marucho.
"Hey Marucho I need you to do me a big favor." Mike said placing his hands on his hips.
"Oh?" Marucho said blinking away the tears to look up at Mike. "Wh-what do you need?"
Mike's expression turned serious. "I need you to keep an eye on everyone while Shun and I go investigate. If Dan, or Billy wake up or Jenny calms down enough to talk I want you to see if you can find anything."
Marucho wiped at his eyes and nodded. "Okay, I can do that."
Mike turned to go and frowned, something suddenly popping up in his head. Where were they now in the timeline? Masquerade had beat the top 5 brawlers, well beat 4 of them and then brutally cut up the other one. Both Dan and Masquerade had evolved their respective bakugan all the way. Which meant the brawlers getting sent to the doom dimension was steadily creeping up, but for some reason Mike felt like there was something missing. Like there was some important event that was supposed to happen, but everything else had been moving too fast for it to really come up.
"Uh I want you to… Try to figure out what Masquerade's identity is!" Mike said snapping his fingers, yes! The brawlers hadn't done that yet! "Yeah, if you find out who he is that'd be a big help."
Marucho's eyes widened and he nodded steadily seeming to straighten at the aspect of a task that needed to be done. "Yeah, yeah I could do that!" He said. "I'll see what I can find on the internet," He told Mike.
"Just call us the Masked Investigators. We'll have you Masky's identity before you can say 'Masquerade'." Preyas said jumping up and down with excitement.
Mike hid his sigh of relief behind a laugh. "That's good to hear, you two do that okay? I'll see you later." He said throwing a wave over his shoulder as he took off down the corridor.
Marucho nodded. "We'll get it done!" He called after him Preyas floating up beside him.
As Mike ran a bitter smile crossed his features. Just as he'd thought. Once he gave Marucho something besides his fear and grief to focus on, the boy recovered well. Hopefully if he sent Marucho on the case, Marucho would pick up on whatever it was that they were glossing over in the bakugan plotline.
Or if he didn't, it wasn't an even that wasn't too important.
/-/
"Okay so now all we have to do is find a way to get to the bakugan world." Tyler said now standing outside of the warehouse Aidan's singed messenger bag over one shoulder. He glanced around before turning to Meredith. "So uh, how are we going to get to another dimension?" He asked frowning.
Meredith frowned. "On our world there are 6 portals that coincide with the 6 attributes." She said.
"Oh that's interesting." Tyler said bobbing his head then he snapped his head to look at Meredith eyes wide. "Wait what?! There's portals to a whole 'nother freaking world and no one else knows about it?!" Tyler said.
Meredith cast him a look. "Yes, but if you shout it out a little louder, everyone will know about it."
Tyler waved his hand flippantly. "I doubt it, pretty sure everyone out here is holed up in their houses to keep warm."
"Smart people."Meredith muttered as she glanced around. "So the portal we need to find is the subterra portal." She said as she walked a bit away from the warehouse the snow beginning to let up.
"Why Subterra?" Tyler asked following after her staggering slightly in the deepening snow, he regreted not bringing his snow boots, his poor sneakers were soaked and his toes were starting to freeze.
Meredith turned ot look at him. "You do use Subterra bakugan don't you?" She asked him.
Tyler paused for a moment. "Well I'd always wanted to use Pyrus bakugan," He said frowning.
Meredith heaved an exasperated sigh as she continued to walk towards an area where Tyler noted that the ground seemed to fall away. "I thought Viki used Pyrus bakugan." She said.
Tyler pouted. "Well, yeah she does, but that doesn't mean I can't." He said sullenly.
"Tyler do you even own Pyrus bakugan? Wait do you even own bakugan?!"
"Of course I have bakugan!" Tyler said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a round device and held it up to her. "See!"
Meredith took one look at the object in his hand and hastily stepped back. "Tyler that's a grenade." She said eyes wide.
Tyler blinked and looked down. "Whoops." He said hastily shoving that in his pocket. "Forgot that was in there."
Meredith's eyebrows raised and she looked at him incredulously. "You forgot you had a grenade in your pocket." She repeated. "Why do you even- you know what whatever." She said throwing up her hands. "I'm not going to ask, but do you have at least one subterra bakugan on you?" She asked.
"Of course I do! Or I should…" Tyler said fishing around in his pockets. "ah ha!" Meredith kept her distance as Tyler pulled out another object. She waited a moment to study the object finding that it was thankfully a small brown sphere with orange markings.
"My prized subterra rattloid!" Tyler said before pulling it back close to his chest, cupping it in one hand and stroking the ball with the other. "My precious." He said in a weird voice rubbing his cheek against the ball.
Meredith sighed. "Well now that we have a subterra bakugan lets see if my hunch is right." She said stopping at the point where the ground fell away.
"What hunch, whoa!" Tyler yelped as he took a step just beyond the point where Meredith had stopped. Arms windmilling losing his grip on his rattloid as his foot met only air the bakugan ball flying upwards. Meredith immediately snagged one of his arms and yanked him back.
"Watch it! That's a cliff!" Meredith said nodding to where the ground suddenly ended into a sharp slope downwards.
"That it is." Tyler said blinking. "What's a cliff doing in Illinois?" He asked. "I mean that's a cliff that looks like it should belong in like Colorado or somewhere mountainous. Not you know, flat as a board Illinois."
"That phrase doesn't even work, and I'm hoping that's your stupidity talking rather than something else." Meredith said folding her arms across her chest. "And it's a quarry, where they mine limestone." Tyler turned to her opening his mouth to say something but Meredith was beginning to lose her patience. "Enough, just hold Rattloid over the edge and see if the area reacts."
Tyler nodded and held the hand that had been holding Rattloid over the edge only to realize. "Uh." He said frowning when his hand came up empty. "I think my Rattloid disappeared." Then his eyes widened and he dropped to his knees in the snow. "NO! My precious!" He wailed throwing his hands to the air.
Meredith groaned as she raised a hand to massage her temples. How in the world did Jessica and her friends put up with Tyler, ever since the boy had learned that his friends were no longer at risk of being dead or gone he'd become insufferable. Its just, when his friends were in danger of being dead, then its like he's got to be all serious. But when it came to his personal safety, the kid was dumb as bricks, and then some.
"Meredith," Superior spoke up floating out of her pocket and floating up by her head on the side where Tyler couldn't see him. Meredith turned her head about to rebuke him for coming out where Tyler could easily see him when something dropped past her vision, something that was just beginning to glow orange.
Meredith's eyes widened, Tyler continuing to wail at the loss of his rattloid as said bakugan dropped slowly to earth the glow it gave off growing brighter and brighter.
"Tyler!" Meredith said nudging him the boy jumping.
"what? Can't you see I'm lamenting the loss of my prized bakugan!" Tyler said looking at her, to which Meredith responded by just pointing towards the glowing orange ball that was slowly falling to Earth. "My rattloid?" He said blinking.
"Its reacting." Meredith said eyes widening as the ball continued to fall before the light expanded and began to shift, a shape beginning to take form. Both Tyler and Meredith watched in shock as the glowing shape took on a canine like appearance.
"What's happening?" Tyler said his voice sounding awed and confused.
"Its your guardian." Meredith said simply as the wolf's ears pricked towards them. "He's going to open the gateway to the other world." She said.
The wolf tilted its head back and howled up at them making Tyler's eyes widen.
"My guardian?" Tyler said before jumping up. "Whoa! That's so cool-whoa!" He cried as the ground crumble underneath his foot and sent him falling forwards.
"Tyler!" Meredith cried his name for the millionth time reaching out to grab a hold on him. She managed to grab onto him, but instead of drag him back like she'd planned the boy had fallen too far forwards and his weight dragged her over as well.
"AHHH!" Tyler cried as he and Meredith were sent tumbling towards the glowing wolf.
The wolf let out a bark of alarm as the two kids began tumbling towards it. It dissolved into a rippling portal of orange energy. The two continued to scream as they tumbled into the portal.
Tyler had his eyes clenched shut as he could feel his stomach flipping with the feeling of falling. However once he hit what he assumed was the portal it felt like he was on one of the giant drop rides, where it released you at the top and let you drop down only for the machine to brake near the end to slow your descent so you came to a stop safely on the unloading platform. Then just as his descent was slowed greatly he landed on the ground with a soft thump.
He waited all of a moment to make sure he didn't have further to go before he slowly opened his eyes.
Instead of the snowy white landscape that had become Illinois, he found himself lying on a grassy hill with a good view of the city before him. Wardington City.
"Holy crap!" Tyler said jumping to his feet as he gaped at Wardington City. "It's real! IT's really real." He said.
"Of course its real, I thought we established this by the time you decided to dive off the end of a cliff." Tyler blinked and turned his head to look at the new wolf bakugan perched on his shoulder. "Which by the way I must advise that we refrain from doing that again. Even if it is, kind of fun."
Tyler blinked again and took the bakugan off his shoulder and looked at him critically. The bakugan shifted slightly as if uncomfortable by the scrutinizing gaze. "Uh, is something the matter pal?" The bakugan asked.
Tyler continued to look at him before his face broke out into a huge grin and he whooped spinning around holding the wolf bakugan high in the air. "A talking bakugan! I have a freaking talking bakugan! WOOHOO!" Tyler cheered startling some of the birds that were in a few nearby trees.
"Uh yeah, that's great, uh would you mind stopping the spinning, I think I'm going to be sick." The bakugan protested.
Tyler stopped after one last resolution before looking at his new bakugan again. "Oh this is so awesome. You know that… Hmm you need a name, or do you have one?"
"Yeah I've got one, I'm Subterra Carniverus, and you Tyler Gyron, are my partner." Carniverus said. Tyler gaped at him a goofy grin beginning to appear on his face. When Tyler didn't say anything Carniverus hesitantly spoke up again. "Uh, Tyler?"
"He knows my name, this is freaking destiny!" Tyler cheered.
Carniverus was silent for a moment before coughing slightly. "Er, yes I do believe it is destiny. Anyways, your friend who accompanied you into my portal, she'll be joining us shortly, Chiveria just wants a word with her." He said.
"Oh, okay." Tyler said nodding Carniverus eyeing him.
"You're not going to ask me who Chiveria is?"
"I assume she's going to be Meredith's bakugan too?" Tyler said.
"ER no, Meredith is a darkus user." Carniverus said. "Much like her sisters," He said "She has a different guardian."
Tyler tilted his head to the side. "Well that's interesting man it really is, but we need to go meet up with Mike, the world is apparently ending or something like that and he needs my help!" He said then he squinted as he eyed wardington city. "Hmm, I could go in with a plan to scope out the city, and figure out all possible points where Mike could be." He said in a serious tone of voice. Then his expression lightened as he let out a laugh.
"Nah! I'll just run around WArdington and wait till I bump into him! That's bound to work right?" He said.
Carniverus winced. "The-the plan sounded better."
"No time for planning!" Tyler declared as he began to run down the hill. "This calls for action, this calls for whoa!" The boy cried as he tripped and was sent tumbling down the hill Carniverus hastily leaping clear and watching in shock as the boy tumbled down the hill before landing in the bushes at the bottom.
"I'm okay!" Tyler shouted after several moments.
Carniverus sighed. "This is going to be interesting." He muttered before he floated after Tyler.
/-/
Meredith frowned as she looked around at the elegant temple like space.
"You weren't supposed to interfere." A sharp crisp female voice boomed making Meredith turn. Standing beside a golden replica of herself, and golden statues of Skylord, Fireblick, Carniverus, Hydrogator, and a winged lion bakugan, was a regal female knight dressed in silver armor with white garments underneath it. Her helmet was raised revealing the sharp green eyes underneath. "That was part of the agreement you had."
"Things change." Meredith said. "I can help,"
"You know too much." The knight retorted. "I will send you back." She said advancing forwards reaching for the sword at her side.
"What's the point, sending her back would take too much energy." Meredith smiled softly at the booming voice of her partner. She merely turned her head and inclined it upwards to gaze at the mighty mechanical bakugan that stood behind her.
Superior was massive, he was at least a good foot or two taller than Helios, he had glowing purple optics, massive silver plated wings, a broad metal chest, two viciously strong looking arms and claws and a powerful tail. Although lacking any horns on his head or a multitude of spikes. Superior made up for it in his massive size and the powerful strength his servos possessed.
The knight took an uncertain step back. "Superior, I, I figured you too would be wise enough to know it'd be better if you two had waited rather than get involved."
"Jessica is my sister," Meredith said. "The instant you involved her, you brought me in."
Superior nodded. "And where Meredith goes, I go. Its as simple as that." He narrowed his optics. "IF anyone should be questioning why the other is here, it should be us asking why you are still here Chiveria, why aren't you with Aidan?" He asked.
Chiveria winced and looked away rubbing her arm. "He's-He's been taken over by Naga. I can't reach him like this, so I've been forced to wait for an opportunity."
Superior sighed. "I figured as much, and you wish to send away potential help?" He said.
"Heaven knows that the bakugan world would appreciate our presence considering that shortly there will be a great shortage in brawlers very very soon." Meredith said.
Chiveria raised an eyebrow at this. "You aren't going to prevent them from taking the boy you like away from you?"
Meredith narrowed her eyes as she flushed. "First off, he hasn't met me yet, to him this'd be the first time we've met, which is not meant to be. Second of all, its part of the timeline, I prevent it I could cause a big shift in events which could endanger my little sister's life. Third of all, time travel is bad enough, I have no intention in courting with the destruction of time any more than I have to." She folded her arms across her chest. "Satisfied yet? OR do I need to give you MORE reasons." Meredith said scowling slightly as Superior grumbled in agreement.
Chiveria sighed. "I suppose I can let you go through, as long as you keep to your word." She said.
Meredith nodded. "I will, also Chiveria, do you want to come with us?"
Chiveria narrowed her eyes. "You know I am meant to work with Aidan Baxter, and though I'm flattered by the offer I must-"
"I wasn't asking to make a contract written in blood with you or anything," Meredith said with a roll of her eyes. "I was offering to take you with us and then break Aidan out of whatever mind control he's under and make it easier for you to be with him." She said. Then grinned as she glanced around. "Unless of course you like the silent empty temple with the golden statues of the brawlers' and Neo Brawlers' bakugan." Meredith said.
Chiveria frowned. "I see your logic." She said as the temple began to grow brighter around them. "Very well, let us be off."
Superior sighed. "Finally, maybe I can get a fight after waiting for two freaking years." He said as he was whited out Meredith closing her eyes against the light.
"I just hope everyone's still okay for the most part." Meredith murmured as she was consumed by the light as well.
/-/
Back in the hospital, alone in his room as his family had left to grab a bite, and his friends were crashed in the reception room at the moment. Dan stirred in his bed.
"Ugh," He said as he opened his eyes and stared blankly at the hospital ceiling, frowning slightly.
'This doesn't look like my bedroom, where-' Dan's thoughts were cut off as footsteps sounded near his side and Dan jerked his head in their direction eyes widening when he saw his worst enemy standing at his bedside smirking down at him.
"Miss me Daniel?" Masquerade asked with a sneer his mask reflecting Dan's shocked face back at him. Dan's jaw worked as he struggled to speak and Masquerade laughed. "Surprised to see me? Well you shouldn't be really, I mean that birdbrain beating me? What were you thinking? But anyways, you and I." He reached forwards and grabbed Dan's neck gripping it tightly making Dan choke slightly as he just slightly restricted Dan's air supply. Masquerade chuckled as Dan choked for a moment as he leaned in. "Have a bit of unfinished business."
/-/
A/N: AND we end there.
Yeah initially I planned on having Mike and Shun go over the scene and have Antex's character show up with the whole warnings about Docorrus and all that. But that's still to come.
As of right now we're on the one way road to doom. How long will it take us to get there? Dunno. Hopefully not too long, I want to give my epic reveal that will flip everything you knew about Masky on its head and make it rotate backwards.
Meredith: You have a fondness for saying that.
JetravenEx: I find it kinda brilliant. And I like it! Stop judging me.
Meredith: *rolls eyes* ugh whatever.
Season Finale (or Story finale) Trailer!
He left a warning.
"Aww didn't you hear Danny-boy? Jet crashed and burned, and now its time for me to start picking you brawlers off," Masquerade said grinning as Vanessa advanced towards Dan. "One by one."
It was already foretold
"How amusing, you don't seem all that surprised." Spectra mused as he faced off against Shun.
"No, not really, if there's one thing Masquerade's taught me it's that trouble always comes in the forms of masked menaces." He said pulling out his field card.
"And I knew anyone who'd kill that many birds for that coat could be nothing but bad news!" Skyress added
But it was never.
"I've come to warn you." The mysterious man said to Shun and Mike his golden eyes narrowed slightly and lips pulled in a grim slash.
"Of what?" Shun asked narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Of the end of your friend's life." The silver haired man with spiky hair said
Ever.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't avenge you Billy," Julie sniffed as she, Runo and Marucho were blown back into the doom dimension with the force of Masquerade's attacks.
Supposed to be like this.
"We fight until we can't fight anymore!" Mike shouted clenching his fists as Hydrogator roaring as Carniverus howled at his side.
Across from them Aidan laughed.
"Friendships speeches and pep talks won't save you this time! Its high time I buried you two idiots in the doom dimension where you belong!" The blond declared
As the brawlers head down.
The mechanical beast roared as it rose above the winged lion Alica's eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as she took in the massive mechanical behemoth Meredith had unleashed.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" Superior snarled as the winged lion crouched snarling at the beast in turn.
The road to doom
"I have won!" Masquerade laughed. "There is no one left to stand against me! No one! I am the greatest! AHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed maniacally as the hospital burned behind him smoke curling high into the sky.