Chapter 16: Revenge
Wardington...
Ryder caught Leonidas as another battle came to an end in another victory for the pair. The two have been enjoying an extensive winning streak ever since they officially joined the Battle Brawlers, causing their confidence to soar.
"Sorry, but that isn't good enough," Ryder smirked as his opponent walked off.
"Now then, who's…." Ryder began before realizing that he and Leonidas were alone.
"Huh…normally, there are more people trying to challenge me," Ryder noted as he looked around, seeing that most other brawlers were far away and those close avoided him.
"It seems that they don't want to battle us," Leonidas commented as Ryder nodded.
"I guess news of our strength has spread." Ryder theorized, rubbing his chin as his ego grew a little.
"Well, it won't stop us from finding some matches!" Ryder laughed as he walked down the street with Leonidas floating next to him.
"Yes. Though I wish some of these brawlers gave us a challenge." Leonidas replied as Ryder nodded.
"That's true. Now that we're part of the Battle Brawlers, other brawlers don't provide much of a challenge. Well, when we get into the finals, there'll be tons of strong brawlers to battle against." Ryder reminded, giving Leonidas a thumbs up.
He was thankful that he was so close to the finals that it didn't really matter that people were avoiding him, but it made things a little boring. That being said, he didn't know what his current ranking was. A week had passed since joining the Battle Brawlers, and the finals were in a few days.
Ryder had reached Rank Twenty after joining, so he was surely closer now. But he was still a little nervous about checking his bakupod because questions such as "what if I'm just one-off and there's no time left" kept running through his head.
Taking a deep breath, Ryder calmed himself, knowing those thoughts were just his old anxiety coming forth. He had confidence that he was going to make it to the finals. After all, he had grown so much ever since he and Leonidas met.
"I've got nothing to worry about!" Ryder smirked as he checked the time.
"Oh wow, we've been battling for longer than I anticipated. We need to go!" Ryder insisted as he made his way toward Runo's family's restaurant.
"Right behind you!" Leonidas replied, following close behind.
They were going to meet up with the other Battle Brawlers there to check up on all their rankings to see if they all made it to the finals. As he made his way over, Ryder failed to realize that he was being watched by Marduk, who kept his distance.
"Shouldn't we strike now?" Vladitor inquired as he floated next to Marduk.
"No. Not yet. I want to bring him down just when he feels like he's on top." Marduk smiled as he kept to the shadows.
It didn't take Ryder long to make it to Runo's, especially as Ryder began to learn the town's layout in recent days. When he arrived, he entered the restaurant to see that Dan and Shun were already there and sitting down while Runo and Alice were working.
"Ryder over here!" Dan called as Ryder walked over and joined the two on the table.
"So, how's the brawling going?" Dan inquired as Ryder sat down.
"It's going well. I've been winning a lot. Though people are starting to avoid me now because of it." Ryder answered as Dan laughed.
"Yeah, that tends to happen. But the real cocky ones will always be around to battle." Dan smirked as Ryder nodded.
"Yeah, many who actually challenged me thought that if they beat me, they'd take my place in the Battle Brawlers." Ryder laughed as Alice chuckled.
"That definitely wouldn't work. Otherwise, most of the Battle Brawlers would have been switched up by now." Alice pointed out as Dan scratched the back of his head.
"I guess you're not wrong," Dan noted before Shun spoke up.
"Even so, one loss means nothing. Just because someone beat you doesn't mean it's the end of the world," Shun stated as Drago opened up at the table.
"You must be getting anxious from the lack of battle, Leonidas." Drago joked as Leonidas floated down next to him.
"It's not too bad. I'll take quality over quantity." Leonidas replied, making Skyress laugh.
"I don't think I've ever seen such a battle-minded Bakugan like yourself, Leonidas," Skyress noted as Julie and Marucho entered the restaurant.
"Sorry, we're late, everyone!" Julie apologized as she and Marucho joined the three at the table.
"We got a little sidetracked by a battle before coming over," Marucho explained as Preyas jumped on his shoulder.
"They wouldn't take no for an answer! Even if I begged." Preyas cried, acting as if battling was the end of the world.
"Well, you guys are just in time," Dan smirked as Runo and Alice walked up.
"Alright, now that we're all here, let's get started!" Runo insisted placing a tray of water on the table.
One by one, each of the Battle Brawlers, save Alice, who didn't brawl, and Shun, who already qualified, raised their wrists and turned on their bakupods. Julie was the first to pipe up as she jumped in excitement after seeing she was Rank Nine.
Marucho spoke second, showing that he was Rank Seven. Dan showed off he was Rank Five while Runo saw she was Rank Six. As they happily showed their ranks, Ryder just stared at his bakupod in disbelief.
"Is something wrong, Ryder?" Alice inquired, having been the first to notice his disbelief.
"Don't tell me you haven't made it yet!" Julie gasped as everyone turned toward him.
"Hey, there's no worries if you haven't gotten in yet. There's still a few days before the finals." Dan assured, believing that Ryder was depressed at his ranking.
"No, it's…it's not that," Ryder stated as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's just that…I never thought I'd ever make it so high on the leaderboard." Ryder smiled as he showed off that he was Rank Eleven, just managing to make it into the finals.
"Alright!" Everyone cheered save Shun, who gave an approving nod.
"Great job Ryder!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
"That means we're all in the finals!" Dan smirked, throwing his hands in the air.
"Now that we've confirmed that, we should talk about our plans for the finals." Shun pointed out as everyone calmed down.
"Shun's right now that we're in the finals, we need to strategize how we will defeat Masquerade and Marduk." Marucho agreed, pushing his glasses up on his face.
"We also need to figure out how Masquerade is planning to find out the location of the Infinity Core from the finals." Drago reminded as everyone nodded.
"It could be that the Infinity Core sought out a powerful Bakugan to latch onto," Skyress suggested as Drago nodded.
"That could be a possibility. After all, who knows what the exposed core would do to the Earth if it was out in the open." Drago agreed, noting how Earth would have changed significantly if the Infinity Core was in the open.
"Could that mean Masquerade expects someone in the finals to have the Infinity Core?" Runo inquired as Drago turned toward him.
"It's a possibility," Drago replied as Marucho scratched his chin.
"In any case, if the Infinity Core does show up, we have to do our best to stop Masquerade from obtaining it." Marucho pointed out with everyone in agreement.
"But how will we know what the Infinity Core looks like?" Ryder questioned, having never seen a glimpse of Vestroia before.
"Uh, that's a good point. We may have seen Vestroia, but we've never seen what the Infinity Core looks like." Julie agreed as Gorem opened up on her shoulder.
"We Bakugan should know when we are in the presence of it," Gorem noted as the other Bakugan agreed save one.
"What about me? I wasn't born in Vestroia. Would I even be able to know when it's around?" Leonidas inquired as his fellow Bakugan looked at him.
"Leonidas does make a good point. Since he never stepped forth in Vestroia, he may not know what anything from it feels like." Tigrerra said as Drago approached Leonidas.
"That may be true, but Leonidas is still a Bakugan. Perhaps he can still sense it." Drago pointed out, making Leonidas think.
"Perhaps you are right. Maybe somewhere deep down, I know what it will be like." Leonidas agreed as Ryder nodded.
"Perhaps I can feel it through you as well," Ryder noted, remembering that the two can share intense feelings or emotions through their connection.
"Oh yeah, you and Ryder can work together to make up for it," Dan smirked before turning to Drago.
"If only we had the same kind of connection." Dan laughed as Drago hummed.
"We still don't know the extent of their connection or why they even have it in the first place." Drago pointed out as Dan sighed.
"Good point," Dan replied as Shun changed the topic.
"Back on the topic, how are we going to beat Masquerade and Marduk?" Shun inquired as the table fell silent.
"There's no way to choose who goes up against either especially depending on the matchups. But we're all going to have to give it our all no matter who we go up against. Even if it's against each other." Marucho pointed out, making everyone look at one another.
"He's right. The fact is we're most likely going to be battling against one another in the tournament." Dan agreed, placing his hands on the table.
"But we can't let that get to us. This will serve as a stepping stone to get stronger!" Dan added as everyone nodded.
"He's right. Whoever makes it to the final battle will have to be the one to battle against Masquerade and Marduk, and they'll be the best of us." Shun declared, gaining everyone's attention.
"Precisely, which is why we can't hold back even against each other. We must all aim to win." Marucho stated as Preyas rolled over to him.
"But what if some of us want to stay home?" Preyas questioned, only for Marucho to ignore it.
"Then let's all do our best!" Julie exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air.
"But one thing bothers me," Ryder spoke, catching everyone's attention.
"Marduk hasn't qualified yet. In fact, it says here that he's just below me." Ryder explained, pointing at his bakupod, causing the others to look.
"He's right. Marduk hasn't qualified yet." Dan commented upon seeing Marduk at Rank Twelve.
"Maybe he's just waiting for something," Julie suggested as Shun scratched his chin.
"It could be he's waiting for a better opponent. Having battled with him myself, I know he's capable of making it to the finals." Shun stated, curious as to why Marduk was waiting.
"Well, whatever he's got planned. We'll be ready!" Dan declared as Ryder nodded.
"He may even try to battle Runo now in hopes of beating every one of the Battle Brawlers," Ryder suggested causing Runo to shiver.
"He better not try it!" Runo hissed, making Dan laugh.
"Well, we'll just need to stick in groups!" Dan pointed out before turning toward Ryder.
"And don't forget Ryder, you're a Battle Brawler now, too, so you are just as much of a target as Runo." Dan reminded, surprising Ryder.
"Oh, right. I guess I didn't think about that." Ryder laughed, forgetting that he himself might be a target.
"Then I'll stay on alert!" Ryder smiled as the Battle Brawlers decided on two groups to stay in.
The first comprised of Runo, Julie, Marucho, and Alice. While the second comprised of Dan, Shun, and Ryder. Each would stick by one another so that Marduk or Masquerade couldn't get to them without the others knowing.
As the Battle Brawlers continued to talk, Leonidas peeked out the window of the restaurant only to see Vladitor and Marduk across the street before they disappeared from sight after a car passed. Leonidas looked back and forth and questioned to himself if he had seen them at all.
"Is something wrong, Leonidas?" Skyress inquired, taking Leonidas's mind off of what he saw.
"No…just seeing things," Leonidas responded as he moved away from the window, believing that he didn't really see the pair.
Later…
Runo and Alice closed up the restaurant just as the final customer left. Their meeting with the other Battle Brawlers had ended a while ago as the others went off to prepare for the finals. Once the two were done, Runo went to prepare herself as Alice entered the bathroom.
The second she entered, her long orange hair stood straight up and turned blonde as Masquerade's mask appeared over her face. In a flash, Masquerade disappeared from the bathroom. He reappeared at the center of Vestroia, where Naga and Hal-G waited for him.
"Well, Masquerade, how goes Hydranoid's development?" Hal-G inquired as Hydranoid flew out of Masquerade's coat.
"As you can see, Hydranoid has successfully evolved, surpassing Drago in power," Masquerade answered as Hydranoid opened up.
"My power has become unmatched!" Hydranoid exclaimed as Naga chuckled.
"Don't get too cocky, Hydranoid. Once I fully assimilate the power of the Silent Core, I will be the strongest Bakugan." Naga stated as Hydranoid flew into Masquerade's coat.
"Understood," Hydranoid replied before disappearing.
"It's good to see that Hydranoid is growing stronger, but what of the Infinity Core?" Hal-G questioned as Masquerade shook his head.
"Whoever or whatever is in possession of the Infinity Core is clearly intelligent enough to avoid the tournament," Masquerade noted, making Hal-G sigh.
"Well, we figured that anyway," Hal-G replied before changing the subject.
"So, how do the finals look?" Hal-G asked as Masquerade smirked.
"Everything is looking just fine. The only one that might prove a challenge is Dan and Drago." Masquerade answered, causing Hal-G to raise a brow.
"What of the partners of Vladitor and Leonidas? Won't they prove to be a challenge?" Hal-G inquired as Masquerade shook his head.
"Now that Hydranoid has evolved, Vladitor shouldn't be a problem. As for Ryder Shade and Leonidas, the only problem they have is their influence on Alice." Masquerade began as he cracked a smile.
"But I've got a little plan to make sure they don't make it to the finals," Masquerade stated, surprising Hal-G.
The Next Day…
"So, what exactly is the plan here?" Ryder inquired as he, Shun, and Dan walked through the town.
"We're going to do some battling across town and hopefully bait out Marduk for a battle," Dan explained as Ryder and Shun stared at him.
"Are you sure that's going to work, Dan?" Shun questioned, doubtful that Marduk would attempt anything.
"It couldn't hurt to try," Dan replied as Drago opened up on Dan's shoulder.
"We should still be on guard, Dan. Let's not forget that Marduk and Vladitor are exceptionally strong. Even with my evolution, the battle will still be difficult." Drago pointed out as Shun nodded.
"He's right. We shouldn't underestimate him." Shun agreed as Ryder rubbed his chin.
He was curious about how strong Marduk could have gotten since their last battle. Sure he defeated a majority of the Battle Brawlers, but Ryder beat them all at least once, meaning they were both getting stronger.
That being said, Ryder was now a Battle Brawler himself, and he was ahead of Marduk in the rankings, so he had to be stronger right? Besides, he beat Marduk twice before, so there's still a good chance he could beat him even if he had Vladitor now.
"Ryder…Ryder!" Dan called, breaking the boy out of his thoughts.
"Oh, sorry, Dan. What were you saying?" Ryder asked, now back to reality.
"I was asking if Marduk has any specific strategies he uses?" Dan inquired as Ryder hummed.
"Well, I can't really say. I only battled him twice, only once more than you two. But from what I heard from others back home, he held power above all else." Ryder answered, remembering the stories he had heard about Marduk.
"That makes sense. In my battle, he prioritized power over everything." Shun nodded, remembering his own battle with Marduk.
"Wait, something's wrong," Skyress stated as she opened up on Shun's shoulder.
"What is it, Skyress?" Shun inquired, looking at his partner.
"Haven't you noticed? Everyone's frozen!" Skyress pointed out as the brawlers gasped and looked around them.
"No way!" Ryder gasped as he and the others noticed she was right.
Everyone and everything around them was frozen as if time itself was frozen. Almost like the start of a battle, people were stopped mid-walk as birds were held frozen in the sky. But unlike the start of a battle, it wasn't ending.
"What's going on here?" Leonidas questioned as he floated in front of Ryder.
Before anyone could say anything more, a bright light blinded the three forcing Ryder to cover his eyes. When the light died down, the world returned to normal, and time resumed. Or that is what it looked like at first, but soon Ryder realized that he was somewhere else completely.
"Where the hell am I?" Ryder wondered as instead of the streets of Wardington, he was now in a dark warehouse filled with several large wooden crates.
"Just what was that bright light?" Leonidas questioned as he flew around Ryder.
"Dan! Shun!" Ryder called, looking back and forth for his teammates who hadn't seemed to come with him.
"Well, this was unexpected." A Voice laughed from behind Ryder.
Spinning around, Ryder locked eyes with none other than Marduk, who sat on top of one of the many large crates. When their eyes met, Ryder was confident that he had something to do with this. After all, it couldn't be a coincidence that he would show up here.
"What did you do to Dan and Shun?!" Ryder questioned as Marduk shrugged.
"No idea. Honestly, I'm just as confused as you are." Marduk responded as he jumped down to the ground.
"I was just resting before I went out to find you, but it looks like someone's brought you to me," Marduk explained, having watched Ryder appear from the bright light.
"Is that so?" Ryder replied as he watched Vladitor open up next to Marduk.
"We do not have the ability to teleport ourselves or others," Vladitor stated as Marduk nodded.
"But there is someone who does." Marduk chuckled, thinking of Masquerade.
"Perhaps he wants us to battle. Well, I can't complain. I was going to get you soon anyway." Marduk stated as he took out his field card.
Taking a quick look around, Ryder had no idea where the exit could have been, and with Marduk in his way, he wasn't getting out any time soon. There was no getting out of this battle, but Ryder wasn't going to back down.
"Fine then. I'll stop you here and now!" Ryder declared as he pulled out his field card.
"Are you sure, Ryder?" Leonidas asked, turning to his partner.
"It's not like we have much of a choice. Besides, after all we've gone through and all we've accomplished. There's no way Marduk can beat us." Ryder smirked as Leonidas nodded.
"Very well!" Leonidas exclaimed as he turned toward Marduk and Vladitor.
"Good, it would have been boring if you chickened out. I'm glad to see you aren't the same scared brawler you were in New York." Marduk snickered as the two raised their cards.
"Field Open!" The Two shouted as time slowed to a stop.
Moments Earlier…
"Ryder? Ryder!" Dan shouted as he and Shun looked for their missing teammate.
"Where could he have gone?" Dan questioned as Shun jumped onto a nearby building.
"I can't see him anywhere. The light must have taken him away." Shun reported as he jumped down.
"If that light took him away, then only one person can be responsible," Drago noted as Dan nodded.
"Yeah, it has to be Masquerade! He's the only one who could have done this!" Dan agreed as Shun crossed his arms.
"If it was Masquerade, what could be his motive?" Shun wondered as Skyress flew up.
"Didn't Ryder battle him to a draw?" Skyress reminded as Dan gasped.
"That's right! When they battled, Ryder said Masquerade ran off and ended the battle prematurely!" Dan remembered as Shun turned on his bakupod.
"Contact the others. We need to find Ryder before anything bad could happen!" Shun insisted as he ran off.
"Right!" Dan nodded as he quickly followed.
Bakugan Battle Field…
"Gate Card Set!" The Two Brawlers shouted as they threw their cards onto the field.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus El Condor Stand!" Marduk yelled as he threw his Bakugan onto his own gate card.
"Darkus El Condor G power 500 Gs." The bakupod announced as El Condor appeared on the field.
"No doubt going for a power play," Ryder commented as he unclipped one of his Bakugan.
"But that won't work!" Ryder smirked as he raised his hand up.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Robotallion Stand!" Ryder shouted as he threw his Bakugan onto Marduk's gate card.
"Darkus Robotallion 520 Gs." The bakupod announced as Robotallion rose from the ground.
Once Robotallion took to the field, El Condor swooped down from above, knocking it back. It attempted to hit Robotallion again, but the Darkus Bakugan spun around and grabbed El Condor by the feet before tossing it into the ground.
"Gate Card Open! Darkus Drive!" Marduk declared as the gate card glowed beneath the two Bakugan.
"Darkus El Condor G power increase by 80 Gs. Darkus El Condor G power 580 Gs." The bakupod announced as El Condor was covered by dark energy.
Shooting off the ground, El Condor slammed into Robotallion, knocking the Darkus Bakugan off its feet. Flying back down, El Conder crashed into Robotallion's stomach, preventing it from getting back onto its feet.
"Not so fast! Ability Card Activate! Shadowscratch!" Ryder yelled as he threw his ability card into Marduk's gate card, negating it.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Ryder! Or else you might end up the same loser you were!" Marduk laughed, confusing Ryder until Marduk pulled out an ability card.
"Ability Card Activate! Ability Counter!" Marduk countered, stopping Ryder's move short.
"No!" Ryder cried as his ability broke apart, leaving his Robotallion at El Condor's mercy.
It didn't take long before El Condor finished Robotallion off, causing the defeated Bakugan to fall at Ryder's feet. Picking Robotallion back up, Ryder sighed as he put it away. But he wasn't discouraged. Sure he might have lost the first match, but the battle wasn't over.
"Is that all you've got? I thought you were supposed to have improved Mr. Battle Brawler!" Marduk jabbed, annoying Ryder, who clenched his fist.
"Now then, Gate Card Set!" Marduk shouted as he threw a new gate card onto the field.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Fear Ripper Stand!" Marduk continued as he threw his Fear Ripper onto his new Gate Card.
"Darkus Fear Ripper G power 525 Gs." The bakupod announced as Ryder looked at his current situation.
"He wants to keep the battle on his terms." Ryder realized as he rolled his next Bakugan in his hand.
"Okay. Let's go!" Ryder smirked as he raised his arm.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Laserman Stand!" Ryder shouted as he threw his Bakugan onto his own gate card.
"Darkus Laserman G power 510 Gs." The bakupod announced as Ryder grabbed onto another ability card.
"Now Ability Card Activate! Darkus Attract!" Ryder added as he held up his next ability card.
Soon a strong suction force came from Ryder's gate card, which began to pull in Marduk's Bakugan, ripping it from his gate card and placing it on Ryder's. As soon as Fear Ripper landed on the gate card, Laserman began its attack.
It fired off several rounds at Fear Ripper, who used its large claws to block the attacks. The Darkus Bakugan slowly began to push toward Laserman, enduring the shot fired upon it. But just as it was about to make contact Ryder made his move.
"Gate Card Open! Energy Merge!" Ryder declared as the gate card glowed and Fear Ripper's energy was stolen.
"Darkus Fear Ripper G power decrease by 100 Gs. Darkus Fear Ripper G power 425 Gs." The bakupod announced as Laserman's attacks grew stronger.
"Darkus Laserman G power increase by 100 Gs. Darkus Laserman G power 610 Gs." The bakupod continued as Fear Ripper was pushed back.
As Fear Ripper inched closer and closer to the edge of Ryder's gate card, Marduk made no signs of moving or doing anything to stop it. The act confused Ryder, but he wasn't going to stop now as he allowed Laserman to continue its attack until, inevitably, it defeated Fear Ripper.
"Now we're back to being even," Ryder smirked as Marduk picked up Fear Ripper.
"For now," Marduk replied, unfazed by the defeat.
"So, how's that for improvement?" Ryder laughed as he caught Laserman.
"Overconfident, isn't he?" Vladitor asked as Marduk nodded.
"Most are when someone like him tastes victory and glory for the first time." Marduk snickered as he turned to his partner.
"But that's perfect for us." Marduk pointed out with Vladitor nodding before Marduk grabbed onto him.
"Time for the main show!" Marduk declared as he reared his arm back.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Vladitor Stand!" Marduk shouted as he threw Vladitor onto his gate card.
"Darkus Vladitor G power 650 Gs." The bakupod announced as Vladitor's towering body appeared on the field.
Negative energy spilled out everywhere due to his very presence, and it was far more profound that when Leonidas used that power. Ryder felt overwhelmed by Vladitor's presence but soon calmed down and readied himself.
"So Leonidas. What do you think?" Ryder inquired as he turned to his partner.
"He's definitely strong, and it makes me excited!" Leonidas exclaimed, making Ryder smile.
"Good to hear. Because it's going to be tough beating him on his own Gate Card." Ryder replied as he grabbed onto Leonidas.
"Let's go! Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Leonidas Stand!" Ryder yelled as he threw Leonidas onto Marduk's gate card.
"Darkus Leonidas G power 600 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas took flight in front of Vladitor.
"So Vladitor, how do I compare to when you first saw me?" Leonidas questioned, remembering that Vladitor had witnessed his birth.
"I am very underwhelmed." Vladitor spat, crossing his arms.
"Then allow me to change that!" Leonidas roared as he dove down toward Vladitor.
Elsewhere…
Alice ran alongside Runo as the two searched around Wardington to find the missing Ryder. Her heart was racing with worry hoping that nothing bad had happened to her friend. She still remembered when Dan and Shun told her group what had happened.
She had just returned from going to the restroom when they received the call. The moment she heard, her heart sank, but at the same time, she felt like she knew where to go. When they were dividing up into teams, she went with Runo, who was going to search by the coastline.
It was hard to explain, but somehow she knew Ryder had been taken there. Alice hoped that she wasn't going delusional and that he was truly there. But she was also a little nervous because if Ryder was around there, then how did she know?
Alice felt certain he was there, but she didn't know why and that scared her. She hadn't told anyone yet, not even Runo, who she was searching with. Because they, too, might question how she knew and if they did that…they might once more suspect that she's a mole.
Honestly, she herself was questioning whether or not she was unconsciously leaking information about the Battle Brawlers. After all, she had connections to the enemy, namely being Hal-G, who was once her grandfather. What if she was somehow being controlled by him?
Shaking her head, Alice pushed those thoughts out of her head. None of that mattered at the moment. What mattered was finding Ryder and making sure he was safe. Once back to reality, she and Runo began to approach the docks.
Bakugan Battle Field…
Leonidas crashed into Vladitor, who threw his hands out to keep him away. Vladitor grabbed onto the horn on top of Leonidas's head and threw him over his shoulder. But Leonidas quickly recovered and bit into Vladitor's shoulder.
But his teeth only met Vladitor's armor, unable to break through as Vladitor knocked Leonidas away. Spreading his wings, Leonidas took off, keeping out of Vladitor's reach before spreading out his claws and diving down.
Keeping up his speed, Leonidas attacked Vladitor over and over, whittling away at his armor as Vladitor was unable to stop him due to his lack of speed. However, Marduk wasn't going to sit down and let this continue.
"Gate Card Open! Level Down!" Marduk declared as the gate card glowed and stole Leonidas's power.
"Gah!" Leonidas cried as he came to a sudden stop.
"Darkus Leonidas G power decrease by 100 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 500 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas fell to the ground.
With Leonidas's attack put to a sudden stop, Vladitor was free to slam his fist into the Darkus Bakugan's head, knocking him toward the edge of the gate card. Vladitor then turned and began to approach Leonidas.
"Hang in there, Leo! Ability Card Activate! Shadowscratch!" Ryder countered, only for Marduk to immediately respond.
"Come on, haven't you learned?! Ability Card Activate! Ability Counter!" Marduk laughed as he threw the ability card at Ryder, stopping him.
"Fine by me! I just needed that out of the way! Double Ability Activate! Darkus Twister and Alpha Blaster!" Ryder replied as he brought out his other two ability cards.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by 450 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 950 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas got back up and spun around, covering himself with his Alpha Blaster.
Leonidas circled Vladitor blocking his view before crashing into him from behind, knocking his fellow Darkus Bakugan to the ground. Flying back up, Leonidas ceased spinning and brought all the energy back into his maw, charging up a more traditional Alpha Blaster.
"Is that it?! Don't make me laugh!" Marduk shouted as he pulled out two Ability Cards.
"Double Ability Activate! Darkus Crusher and Dark Sphere Impact!" Marduk declared as he threw the cards into Vladitor's back.
"Darkus Vladitor G power increase by 450 Gs. Darkus Vladitor G power 1100 Gs." The bakupod announced as Vladitor created a large dark sphere above his head.
Just as Leonidas fired his Alpha Blaster, Vladitor threw his giant energy ball. The two mighty forces clashed, creating large shockwaves that threatened to send both brawlers flying. At first, the powers were at a stalemate, but soon Vladitor began to overwhelm Leonidas's own.
"Leonidas!" Ryder cried as he watched Vladitor's attack approach his partner.
"We still have one more trick up our sleeve," Ryder noted as he and Leonidas locked eyes.
"LET'S DO IT!!!" The Two shouted in unison. No sooner did Leonidas's power begin to increase, exerting negative energy while pushing Vladitor's attack back at him.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by unmeasurable parameters." The bakupod announced as Marduk looked on astonished.
"Well, well, consider me impressed, Ryder. I never thought you'd be able to use that," Marduk commented as he watched Leonidas's increase in power.
"But two can play at that game!" Marduk declared as negative energy erupted from Vladitor.
"Darkus Vladitor G power increase by unmeasurable parameters." The bakupod announced as Ryder watched in horror.
"Wait but…how?!" Ryder questioned, confused at how Marduk was able to perform the same technique as him.
"Because Vladitor can absorb negative energy and use it as his own, and from what I've heard, Leonidas can do the same," Marduk revealed, showing Ryder that Vladitor and Leonidas have the same power.
"But it seems you can't use it to its full potential," Marduk stated, confusing Ryder until the clashing powers exploded, ending the match in a draw.
"Leonidas! Are you okay?" Ryder inquired as he picked up his partner.
"Uhh…I think I will be. Vladitor is a lot tougher than I expected. But next time, we'll get him." Leonidas responded as he floated up.
"Y-Yeah." Ryder stuttered before looking at Marduk, who held Vladitor, causing him to scowl.
"What did you mean by full potential?" Ryder questioned, curious about what Marduk had said.
"You don't know or understand what that power is. But for me…." Marduk began as he took off his mask. Below was a large scar that looked as if he had partially decayed.
"After our previous battle, Masquerade cast me into the Doom Dimension." Marduk continued as he brushed his hand on his scar.
"If there is a hell, then that place is it. There was nothing alive as far as I could see, and negative energy spilled out from Vestroia, causing my body to experience extreme pain." Marduk went on as he put his mask back on.
"I felt firsthand what negative energy was, but my mistake was not accepting it. Once I did Vladitor, and I grew immeasurably stronger." Marduk stated, giving Ryder a sinister smirk.
"Now that I'm back, I'm better than ever! With Vladitor, we can battle far stronger brawlers than I could ever have alone, and we will stand at the top!" Marduk laughed as Ryder grit his teeth.
"But first, I'm going to pay you back for humiliating me and causing Masquerade to cast me off to that hell!" Marduk shouted as he took out another gate card.
"You let yourself take that in?!" Ryder muttered as he grabbed a gate card of his own.
He remembered the other Battle Brawlers and Bakugan telling him that negative energy was dark and twisted, which corrupts all those it touches. Leonidas seemed to be an exception which was why he and Ryder could use it.
Just the thought made Ryder sweat as it scared him what accepting that power inside would do. Taking a deep breath, Ryder calmed himself down. He didn't need to do such a drastic measure anyway. He was far stronger than he was before, and he'll use his new strength to beat Marduk.
"Of course. Power is everything, after all. For example, if it weren't for Leonidas, you would have never become a great brawler!" Marduk mocked, angering Ryder.
"We'll see about that!" Ryder snapped, making Marduk smile.
"Gate Card Set!" The Two Brawlers shouted as they threw new gate cards onto the field.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus El Condor Stand!" Marduk yelled, throwing his Bakugan onto his own gate card.
"Darkus El Condor G power 500 Gs." The bakupod announced as Ryder looked at the move, confused.
"You know that won't work!" Ryder pointed out as he still had Darkus Attract.
"Sure it won't." Marduk chuckled, waiting on Ryder's move.
"What's the plan?" Leonidas asked as Ryder grabbed onto Laserman.
"Take him down all at once!" Ryder stated, clearly still annoyed by Marduk's comments.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Laserman Stand!" Ryder shouted as he threw the Bakugan onto his gate card.
"Darkus Laserman G power 510 Gs." The bakupod announced as Ryder brought out his ability card.
"Ability Card Activate! Darkus Attract!" Ryder declared as he forced Marduk's El Condor onto his gate card.
"Gate Card Open! Quartet Battle!" Ryder revealed as his gate card opened up.
"Oh, ho risky move." Marduk snickered as he turned to Vladitor.
"It's time to show him his place," Marduk stated as Vladitor nodded.
"It's about time," Vladitor replied as Marduk grabbed onto him.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Vladitor Stand!" Marduk shouted as he threw Vladitor into battle.
"Darkus Vladitor G power 650 Gs. Combined G power 1150 Gs." The bakupod announced as Ryder turned to Leonidas.
"Let's take them down, Leonidas!" Ryder insisted as Leonidas flew back a little.
"Are you sure this is smart, Ryder? We don't have any other ability cards to use." Leonidas questioned as Ryder grabbed onto him.
"We don't need any! We've become one of the best brawlers in the world and have joined the Battle Brawlers! There's no way Marduk can beat us!" Ryder asserted as he reared his arm back.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Leonidas Stand!" Ryder yelled as he threw Leonidas into battle.
"Darkus Leonidas G power 600 Gs. Combined G power 1110 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas took to the field.
"Let's go!" Ryder ordered as Leonidas began to release negative energy.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by 350 Gs. Combined G power 1460 Gs." The bakupod announced, confusing Ryder as Leonidas flew up to avoid Vladitor.
The dark knight jumped after him grabbing onto Leonidas's tail and pulling the Darkus Bakugan to the ground. However, Leonidas spun around and shook Vladitor off, causing him to crash into the ground.
Meanwhile, Laserman fired its cannons at El Condor that flew through the sky to avoid the attacks. But when Vladitor hit the ground, it knocked Laserman off its feet, allowing El Condor to swoop down and attack it.
"Wha…what's going on, Leonidas?!" Ryder questioned, confused at why their technique wasn't working.
"I'm sorry, Ryder, but…I don't think we have the same feelings on this battle at the moment." Leonidas answered as he flew down toward Vladitor.
"You're allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment!" Leonidas pointed out as Ryder froze.
Those words struck him as he knew Leonidas was right. He was letting Marduk's insults and jabs get to him. His ego had grown after raising his Rank and becoming a brawler, and that clashed with his old insecurity and made him blind to his own foolishness.
"I-I…you're right, Leonidas. I'm sorry." Ryder apologized, making Marduk laugh.
"You seriously are pathetic! Did you really think you could beat me with that strategy! I told you that you couldn't use that power to its full potential!" Marduk cackled as Vladitor's power increased.
"Darkus Vladitor G power increase by unmeasurable parameters." The bakupod announced, causing Ryder to go pale.
"But I guess you really have changed, Ryder. Becoming a top-ranked brawler and one of the Battle Brawlers have made you such an easy battle for me!" Marduk spat as Vladitor grabbed onto Leonidas and threw him to the ground.
"The battle isn't over yet, Marduk!" Ryder shouted as Leonidas gained more power.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by 50 Gs. Combined G power 1510 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas attempted to get back up.
"Is my heart still wavering?" Ryder wondered as he watched Vladitor pin Leonidas to the ground by stepping on his chest as El Condor knocked Laserman off the gate card.
"Darkus Laserman eliminated. Darkus Leonidas G power 1000 Gs." The bakupod announced as Lasmerman fell at Ryder's feet.
"Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting this to be more fun but egging you on made this too easy." Marduk sighed as a new card formed in his hand.
"But you know what they say, Ryder. Pride cometh before the fall." Marduk began as he held up the card.
"AND BECAUSE OF YOUR PRIDE, I WIN!" Marduk declared as the card glowed.
"Fusion Ability Activate! Dark Thunder Burst!" Marduk shouted, shocking Ryder.
"He had that this entire time?!" Ryder gasped as dark static surrounded Vladitor.
"Darkus Vladitor G power increase by 400 Gs." The bakupod announced as the static became more concentrated.
"You should have joined us, Leonidas. But since you are against us, you will be destroyed!" Vladitor declared as he released a massive burst of energy, defeating Leonidas.
"LEONIDAS!" Ryder cried as the energy hit him, causing his entire body to sear with pain before throwing him away.
Ryder hit the ground unconscious, with Leonidas landing next to him. Just as Leonidas landed, the negative energy he had collected left his body and was absorbed by Vladitor as they returned to the real world.
"One down. One more to go." Marduk muttered as he left Ryder lying in the warehouse alone.
Later…
"Ryder! Ryder!" Alice and Runo called as they searched the docks.
"It doesn't look like he's here either." Runo sighed as Alice clutched her chest.
"He has to be near here somewhere." Alice thought before noticing a warehouse door hung open.
Looking between the other warehouses that seemed to be locked shut, it was odd that this one was the odd one out. Moving toward the door, Alice peeked inside the dark warehouse seeing a collapsed Ryder inside.
"Ryder!" Alice cried as she ran up to him.
"Did you find him?" Runo questioned as she followed Alice before gasping at the sight of Ryder.
"He's hurt! Call the others!" Alice insisted as Runo nodded.
Alice sat down next to Ryder placing his head on her lap as she waited. Looking around, she then noticed Leonidas on the ground, still closed up and unresponsive. Picking him up, Alice placed him in Ryder's hand as she held back tears.
"What happened here?" Alice wondered as Ryder's bakupod received a notification.
Lifting up Ryder's arm Alice looked at the notification, which confirmed her suspicions. It was the result of Ryder and Marduk's battle, which ended in Marduk's favor. Because of that, Ryder's Rank went down to twelve, and Marduk took his place at eleven, disqualifying Ryder from the finals.
"Ryder," Alice murmured, knowing that this news would crush the boy. But deep down, Masquerade was smiling ear to ear. His plan had worked.
Next Time Ryder awakes two days after his defeat by Marduk's hands. With the finals coming only a day away and being unable to leave the bed, Ryder has no hope of qualifying. But that doesn't stop him from sneaking out to find any kind of battle.
With the clock running out, all hope seems to be lost for Ryder until he is confronted by Klaus! Next Time on Bakugan Doom World: Why We Fall
Author's Note:
Sorry for the long wait, folks, but I finally got back around to writing this chapter, lol. Hopefully, I can get the next one out faster, but that depends on how long it takes me to write the updates on my other fics.
But we're finally here, and the battle between Marduk and Ryder was fun to write. Obviously, Ryder didn't have much of a chance, but that was on purpose. The fact is he needed to lose as the only time he's lost in this story, excluding the opening scene and losses mentioned, he only lost to Dan.
I wanted to show how winning so much would inflate Ryder's ego a little, especially after beating all the Battle Brawlers (even if it was only once). After all, he used to be a terrible player, so it's only natural for him to get high on victory.
That, combined with Marduk's jabs at Ryder's insecurity of how he used to be, really blinded him. I do hope I made it a little natural as I didn't want to uncharacteristically change Ryder here but bring it out towards the very end where he realizes that he's making a mistake.
A lesson on humility needed to be learned, and I think Ryder learned just that. Well, I guess it's not entirely over, as he still needs to deal with the aftermath. But that's for next chapter, lol.
I also liked putting in the little part with Alice having some recognition of where Ryder is because Masquerade brought him to Marduk. Masquerade didn't want Ryder there because of his influence over Alice, and obviously, it's a good idea since she can now vaguely recall things he's done, making her question herself.
That, of course, comes with insecurities for her, but that comes later. As for Vladitor taking the negative energy from Leonidas, it does, in fact, mean they can't use that power up anymore. Negative energy is supposed to be bad after all, and as Marduk stated, the true way of using it should be to take it in yourself.
Ryder isn't one to do that, as negative energy easily corrupts, as he's been told, which is why the power boost can only go so far, especially if he and Leonidas are out of sync. This means he needs to improve without that power which is exactly what I want for him :).
That being said, it won't be the last time Leonidas will use negative energy, but you'll have to wait and see what that will be. I don't have much else to say this chapter, so let's get to the reviews:
Garrus Skywalker – I mean, I guess, but I don't think he's the father type, lol. But he might get along with them.
33bruins04 – I will only be going to New Vestroia and no further. That's where I stopped watching Bakugan, and I feel like it would be a good stopping point as I'm not that knowledgeable about the other seasons.
As for Leonidas's evolutions, I'd say that he'll get two to three more evolutions beyond Omega, and that's it. Glad to hear you're enjoying the story, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Kombatant88 – Sorry if I made you wait long, lol. Hope you enjoyed.
Mr. Haziq – Yeah, it was but not anymore…for Ryder, that is.
Guest – I have no idea what a doom king form is as the way you typed it implies such a form exists but in short, no, he won't get such an evolution. The Doom Dimension will be important to his continuing story, but he won't rule it.
As for Leonidas and Drago fusing, I probably won't do that either, as I see no reason for doing so, and I feel like it would be too OP, especially if Drago has the power of the perfect core.
Reader2 – Huh, I didn't even realize that double abilities were Vestal rules. I could have sworn they used such a thing late in season 1, but I guess I was mistaken. Either way, in the game, you can activate multiple abilities at once, so oh well, my bad, lol.
Yeah, I really did put them in a corner. I needed someone to put Ryder down because he can't just have an eternal win streak (Well of shown battles anyway). At this point, I wanted Ryder to become a little full of himself a bit and have Marduk jab him enough to make foolish decisions so that Ryder could eventually continue to grow.
So yeah, Ryder and Leo were simply outclassed, and they, or rather Ryder, just couldn't see it. As for going back to change the G power, allow me to explain further. The reason I don't want to go back and change it is because it would mean I need to go back and adjust every single bit of text related to G power.
That includes redoing the match for increases and decreases, which is a pain in the ass. But from here on out, I will be a bit more careful when assigning G power to evolved Bakugan as I obviously don't want them too overpowered (Save Drago since he's supposed to be by the end of season 1).
Besides, other than Drago, not many Bakugan evolve that much. I mean, the other brawlers only got one evolution, and they change partners every season. So yeah, for future evolutions, I will make the G power increase less…drastic per se, save for the really powerful evolutions like Infinity Dragonoid.
But I do have a plan for their power to increase before and after evolutions with new abilities and power (I.E. the special throws). I'm glad you're liking my story, and I hope you continue to do so, and though Leonidas hasn't figured anything out, Alice is definitely getting suspicious.
Martin – Glad you liked the chapter, and I actually just posted the first chapter for my GX fic yesterday, which you can find on my profile.
LEGOBRICK13 – Glad you're enjoying the story, and yeah, I also am curious why the Hybrid Bakugan never made an appearance again. I mean, they didn't die, did they? Who can say? I also have plans for Marduk post Vladitor's death too :). You certainly were right that this was a fall off the high horse moment but were you thinking it was for Marduk or Ryder?
Johannvanguard – I'm glad you liked the battle, especially with Ryder and Leonidas being able to power up. Unfortunately for them, Marduk and Vladitor are able to do the same and even better than they could, which, combined with Ryder's overconfidence, made him an easy target for Marduk.
But I wasn't going to have Ryder and Leonidas keep that power for long because it's too much of a deus ex machina, and I just wanted it for this point which will help their future development. Hope you enjoyed this chapter's battle!
NinjaFang1331 – Glad you enjoyed!
HunterHQ – Things are certainly getting interesting, lol. I haven't seen geogan rising as I don't care for the reboot show, but I am curious how the realms are depicted.
That's all I have for today, so I'll see you guys next time! Also, to those interested in my Yu-Gi-Oh! GX fic I've uploaded it recently, so give it a look!