Chapter 18: Light Vs. Dark
Marucho's Airship…
"Alright, this is it!" Dan exclaimed, standing in front of the rest of the Battle Brawlers who sat in the common area of Marucho's Airship.
"The tournament finals are finally here! This is our best chance to bring down both Masquerade and Marduk!" Dan declared as Shun nodded.
"He's right. We're going to need to be as prepared as we can if we hope to bring them down." Shun agreed, crossing his arms.
"Let's not forget we don't know who will be facing them first." Shun pointed out as Marucho spoke up.
"True, the matchups have yet to be decided. We don't even know if or when Masquerade will participate." Marucho noted before turning on a nearby monitor.
"I also find the location of the finals to be rather odd," Marucho stated, gesturing to the monitor, which showed a barren land.
"Though battles can be had anywhere, Masquerade specifically wanted us to come here for some reason," Marucho revealed as Drago opened up on the center table.
"Does this area perhaps have any significance to humans?" Drago inquired, wondering if that was why the location was picked.
"Just looks like the middle of nowhere to me," Ryder commented, unable to see any significance in the area.
"Indeed it is. Which is why it's so odd to hold it here." Marucho nodded as Julie tilted her head.
"Could it be that this is a trap? What if Masquerade is leading us to the middle of nowhere while the rest of the finalists go somewhere else." Julie suggested only for Shun to shake his head.
"I doubt it. There would be no point in sending us somewhere else. He'd rather take care of us through a battle." Shun pointed out, knowing that such a strategy wasn't Masquerade's style.
"Then could it be that this place just has some significance that we don't know about? What if battling here will reveal something." Ryder suggested throwing his thought out there.
"Hmm, you might have a point, Ryder," Marucho noted, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah, maybe there's a connection to Vestroia there." Runo agreed as Dan nodded.
"Right, like that cave we found a while back!" Dan reminded as Ryder tilted his head.
"Cave?" Ryder inquired, confused at what Dan meant.
"Remember what we told you when we first met? The story about Bakugan Valley." Marucho explained as Ryder's face lit up in remembrance.
"Oh, right! Because of my vision of the Doom Dimension, you sought me out due to the events in Bakugan Valley." Ryder replied, remembering his first encounter with the rest of the Battle Brawlers.
"Exactly, so if this place is similar to Bakugan Valley, perhaps something will happen there when we battle." Marucho theorized as Julie spoke up.
"Do you think we'll be brought to Vestroia again?" Julie inquired as Marucho shrugged.
"I won't deny the possibility, but as we don't know whether or not the theory is right, we shouldn't make assumptions. Anything could happen." Marucho responded, unable to say anything for sure.
"But if it does bring us there, who knows what kind of effects it might have," Tigrerra noted as Runo looked at her partner.
"What kind of effects do you think it'll have, Tigrerra?" Runo asked, causing the Haos Bakugan to hum.
"It's hard to say since battles didn't really exist as they do here in Vestroia. So anything could happen." Tigrerra answered as Skyress opened up next to her.
"So we should be prepared for anything," Skyress noted as Tigrerra nodded.
"Well, I guess that means we have to follow the rules Masquerade set out." Dan sighed, crossing his arms.
"Why does it feel like it always ends up like that," Dan murmured as Shun spoke up.
"Because he's somehow always one step ahead of us." Shun pointed out as Dan nodded.
That statement caused Alice, who had been silent this entire time to shudder, catching Ryder's attention. The girl had been quiet for a while now, not speaking up during the entire discussion while constantly wearing a sullen expression.
Ryder noticed this behavior shortly after his battle with Klaus ended. With all the excitement done and everyone going back to their training, Alice seemed to look more and more down as if something was bothering her. But when he asked her about it, she quickly denied it.
"I hope she's okay." Ryder thought before Dan's voice took him out of his thoughts.
"Alright! Since we're entering the finals, we should be prepared for it! So let's prepare ourselves separately for anything." Dan insisted, punching his open palm.
"Shouldn't we prepare together?" Julie asked as Shun shook his head.
"No. Since we're most likely going to face one another, we shouldn't know what we're all bringing to the finals." Shun answered before standing up.
"So, if you don't mind, I'd like to get started." Shun insisted as he and Skyress walked off.
"He's in a rush. Wonder if he's nervous?" Ryder wondered, watching Sun leave.
"Well, we should do the same. So let's meet back up when we're ready." Dan smirked as he and the other Battle Brawlers began to leave.
Beginning to do the same, Ryder looked toward Alice, who quickly walked off faster than the others. He had wanted to talk to her to make sure she was okay, but it seemed that she didn't want to talk with anyone at the moment. So Ryder decided to leave her be and check up on her later as he left to find a private location.
Later…
Ryder sat on the couch in a small room he found for himself while he looked at his cards and Bakugan on the table in front of him. This was really it the finals of Masquerade's tournament. It felt like it was only setting in now that he was there. All thanks to Klaus's help Ryder just managed to gain entry.
As Shun suggested, Ryder was figuring out what cards and Bakugan, besides Leonidas, he'd use during the finals alone. Though he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't like any help. Ryder was having trouble figuring out which cards to use to counter his fellow brawlers or, more importantly, Marduk.
It was highly probable that he would battle against Marduk once more during the finals, and he needed to be prepared for that battle. He wasn't going to go in unprepared like last time. This time Ryder was determined to win and defeat his fellow Darkus User. The only question was how he would go about doing that.
"Hm…making strategies for everyone in the finals is difficult," Leonidas commented as he floated around the table.
"Tell me about it. I should just bring several sets. But even so, choosing which still isn't easy." Ryder sighed, leaning back into the couch.
"Why do I feel like I'm the only one of the Battle Brawlers who is having trouble with this?" Ryder murmured, staring at the ceiling.
"That just means we have to work that much harder to match them," Leonidas noted as he landed on Ryder's forehead.
"Good point." Ryder chuckled as the door to the room cracked open.
"Ryder?" Alice called, peeking through the door and catching Ryder off guard.
"Oh, Alice! What brings you here?" Ryder inquired, springing upright and inadvertently launching Leonidas across the room.
"Well, I didn't come to see you launch Leonidas across the room." Alice chuckled as Ryder sweatdropped.
"Sorry about that, Leo." Ryder apologized, turning toward his partner, who slowly floated up.
"It's fine…." Leo replied as Alice walked over, allowing Leonidas to land in her hands.
"You know, I don't think throwing Bakugan with your head is a good strategy." Alice teased as she walked over and sat next to Ryder.
"Yeah, I don't think we'll do that again." Ryder chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"So, what did bring you here?" Ryder asked, curious at what brought Alice here.
"Well, I was getting a little lonely with everyone preparing by themselves. That and I just wanted to see if you're feeling all better," Alice explained as Ryder gave her a smile.
"I'm actually feeling a lot better than yesterday, thanks, and sorry again for making you worry about me," Ryder replied, still feeling bad for making Alice worry.
"It's okay. I'm just glad you're okay. You too, Leonidas." Alice smiled as Leonidas jumped around in her hand.
"Thanks, Alice." Leonidas thanked as he floated up and landed on the table.
"Well, uh… feel free to stick around though it might be a little boring since all I'm doing is getting my strategy ready for the finals." Ryder insisted, hoping to talk to Alice a little more as Alice nodded.
"I don't mind, and if you want, I can help a little bit." Alice offered, which Ryder immediately jumped on.
"Of course! I mean…I'd really appreciate the help." Ryder replied, a little embarrassed that he replied so fast and loudly.
"Then let's get started." Alice smiled as the two began to formulate strategies for Ryder to use.
With Alice's help, Ryder had a far easier time than before. Alice truly was one of the best strategists in all of Bakugan, as she easily came up with plays to negate an opponent's move. It still confused him why she never played until they met.
"Thanks a lot, Alice, you're a great help." Ryder thanked as Alice nodded.
"I'm always happy to help," Alice replied as Ryder smiled while he looked at their work.
"It still feels surreal. Being in the finals." Ryder commented before leaning back on the couch.
"If you told me a few months ago that one day I'd be part of the Battle Brawlers and participating in the finals with the best brawlers in the world. I wouldn't have believed it." Ryder continued as he closed his eyes.
"Then, when Marduk beat me, and I nearly missed my chance to get here, I nearly gave up. But Klaus managed to get me back in my game and in the finals." Ryder added as he turned toward Alice.
"Plus, if you didn't find Leonidas and me in that warehouse. I don't even know what would have happened. So thanks again, Alice." Ryder thanked, causing Alice's smile to falter.
"Yeah," Alice murmured, looking down, making Ryder concerned once more.
"Alice. What's wrong?" Ryder inquired, worried that Alice wasn't as okay as she said.
"I…it's…" Alice stuttered, struggling to get the words out.
"It's okay, Alice. You can talk to me." Ryder assured as Alice took a deep breath.
"You…you wouldn't hate me if…I was suspected to be a mole, would you?" Alice asked, shocking Ryder.
"What are you talking about, Alice? You're not a mole, so I'd never hate you." Ryder replied, confused at why Alice had brought it up.
"But what if I was? Even if I didn't know it. Would you?" Alice inquired, staring at her knees, allowing her hair to hide her face from Ryder.
"Alice. What's going on?" Ryder asked, placing his hand on hers.
"I…I…" Alice stammered, tearing up a little.
"I knew where you and Leonidas were. I don't know how. But I just knew you'd be there. In that warehouse." Alice explained as Ryder looked at her, surprised.
"Something deep down was telling me that you were there and…you were." Alice continued, still hiding her face from Ryder.
"Part of me thought I was crazy. But when I got there, you were there. I was both relieved and…scared." Alice added, her body tensing up.
"I've been thinking about it for a few days now, but…what if I am a mole. But I just don't know it?" Alice wondered, turning toward Ryder with tears coming down her face.
"Lately, I've also had gaps in my memory where I forget long periods of time, or at best. It's very fuzzy. Which terrifies me." Alice added as Ryder looked at her concerned.
"I've been scared to tell the others because if they find out, I'm…afraid they'll doubt me again or…even hate me." Alice cried as Ryder took both her hands in his.
"Don't think like that! No one would ever hate you because you're not a mole. Even if you were a mole and didn't know it, no one would hate you because you didn't intentionally do it." Ryder insisted, squeezing Alice's hands.
"You've got nothing to worry about. I promise, and we'll figure out what may be causing any blackout or memory loss." Ryder stated as Alice looked at him perplexed.
"Really?" Alice inquired as Ryder nodded.
"Absolutely," Ryder assured, returning Alice's smile.
"Thank you." Alice smiled, wiping away her tears.
"You have no idea how nice it is to hear that." Alice sighed, looking at her and Ryder's interlocked hands with a faint blush.
"I'm really happy we met Ryder." Alice proclaimed as she placed her head on Ryder's shoulder, causing him to blush.
"Y-Yeah, me too," Ryder replied as the two sat in silence.
This continued for several minutes as Alice remained leaning on Ryder, and the boy didn't want to move and disturb her. Eventually, Ryder began to hear the faint sound of Alice breathing, and after a quick look, he found that she had fallen asleep.
"You must have been really stressed, weren't you, Alice?" Ryder wondered, watching Alice's sleeping face before looking away, embarrassed.
"I shouldn't stare," Ryder murmured, his blush deepening.
The room returned to silence, and Ryder could soon feel every breath Alice took as she slept. It felt a little nice feeling each of Alice's gentle breaths on him.
"Ryder, we're about to arrive, so finish getting ready and meet us at the bridge!" Dan exclaimed before hanging up.
"Guess it's time." Ryder sighed, taking some deep breaths.
Taking another look at Alice, he hated having to move and disturb her sleep as she seemed so peaceful at the moment. Part of him wanted to stay, but he needed to go. So as gently as he could, Ryder lifted Alice's head before placing her down on the couch to continue sleeping. Once he was done, he ensured Alice was still sleeping before gathering his things.
"Ready to go, Leo?" Ryder asked, turning toward his partner.
"You bet, partner!" Leo responded as they began to leave.
But before Ryder left the room, he turned back to look at Alice once more. Turning around, Ryder removed his purple hoodie and placed it over the sleeping Alice like a blanket before turning back to leave.
"Huh?" Ryder gasped, looking down at the ground.
"Is something wrong, Ryder?" Leonidas asked, still hanging by the door.
"No, it's just…" Ryder murmured as he knelt down and picked up a card that fell below the table.
"I guess I missed this one," Ryder noted as he stood up, inspecting the card.
"Might be useful later," Ryder smirked before returning to Leonidas and the door and leaving.
As soon as Ryder left, Alice's eyes shot open before shooting up and glancing at the hoodie in disgust before tossing it away. Once on her feet, her hair rose, and her clothing changed as Masquerade fully took control of Alice's body before disappearing in a flash of light.
Ship Bridge…
When Ryder arrived at the bridge, he found he was the last person to get there as the rest of the Battle Brawlers were waiting for him there. Each looked out the window watching as the ship descended toward the ground.
"Ryder, you're just in time!" Dan exclaimed, turning back to face Ryder.
"We're just about to arrive at the location of the finals, so I hope you're ready," Marucho reported as Ryder nodded.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Ryder replied as Runo looked him up and down.
"Where's your hoodie?" Runo inquired, noticing the lack of Ryder's extra clothing.
"Oh, I uh…" Ryder began remembering he put it over Alice's sleeping form.
"Just took it off. I figure this place might be too hot for it." Ryder explained, giving a reasonable-sounding answer.
"Well, it is the middle of summer, so I think it is far past the time to stop wearing it," Julie noted as Ryder deadpanned.
"Y-Yeah, that too." Ryder sighed before changing his gaze to the window.
"Wow, this place…looks way more underwhelming up close," Ryder commented, looking out the window.
"I know, right!" Julie agreed, throwing her hands in the air.
"What did you expect we saw what it would look like?" Runo questioned, reminding them that they had already seen the location.
"Well yeah, but…just looks even worse in person," Ryder murmured as Shun stepped forward.
"Looks like we weren't the first ones here," Shun pointed out, looking outside at the other brawlers already there.
Outside, several brawlers were waiting for the finals to begin. The first was Chan Lee, who sat alone on a large rock. Nearby, Julio and Komba stood near one another, looking unhappy and impatient while they waited.
"Marduk isn't here yet." Ryder thought, noticing Marduk's absence.
"Same goes with Masquerade," Ryder noted as the ship touched down.
"Well, I guess we should join them then," Marucho suggested until Julie spoke up.
"Wait, shouldn't we wait for Alice? She hasn't come up yet." Julie pointed out, reminding everyone of Alice's absence.
"Oh yeah, you're right." Dan nodded, realizing it would be rude to leave without their last teammate.
"Well, uh …Alice's sleeping," Ryder stated, gaining everyone's attention.
"I saw her before I got here, and I think it would be best to let her get some rest," Ryder explained as Runo looked at him with a raised brow before remembering his missing hoodie and smiled.
"He's right. Let Alice rest. She's been looking stressed lately." Runo agreed, keeping what she deduced to herself.
"Then let's go and get this party started! We'll bring down both Masquerade and Marduk, then take away the Silent Orb!" Dan exclaimed as everyone nodded in agreement.
"We better take these too, just in case," Marucho suggested holding up several launchers.
"Oh yeah, this will be a big help." Dan nodded, taking his launcher.
"Especially if Marduk uses his special throwing technique," Shun commented, grabbing onto his own launcher.
"If only I could've figured out how it was done before the finals." Shun thought, placing the launcher on his arm.
As Shun and Dan placed their launchers on their arms, the rest of the Battle Brawlers followed suit. When Ryder grabbed onto his, it reminded him of the first time he met his friends and how far he's come since then. With a deep breath, he placed it on his arm and followed the rest of the Battle Brawlers out.
The Battle Brawlers soon left the bridge and moved to leave the airship. Each one of them remained silent, each mentally preparing themselves for the battles they'll soon have to face and the weight these battles held.
"This time." Ryder thought as he walked off the airship.
"This time, I'll win." He determined, steeling himself for his potential rematch against Marduk.
"It's about time someone got here." Chan Lee commented, glancing at the Battle Brawlers.
"Sorry if we made you wait." Dan snickered as Shun glanced at Julio and Komba.
"Is something bugging them?" Shun inquired, noticing that the two other brawlers avoided eye contact.
"They're just still mad about being under Masquerade's control and...losing our partners." Chan Lee explained, her expression turning slightly sad before she recomposed herself.
"I'm sorry about what happened to you guys." Dan apologized, feeling bad for Chan Lee and the others.
"It's not your fault. Besides, we're here to pay Masquerade back in full." Chan Lee replied before turning her gaze toward Ryder.
"And you." Chan Lee stated, pointing at Ryder.
"You better not waste this opportunity Klaus gave you." Chan Lee insisted as Ryder nodded.
"Of course," Ryder replied as the sound of a motor caught everyone's attention.
Turning around, they saw a small cloud of dust approach them until, before long, a car came into view. Before long, it came to a stop near all the brawlers as one of the back doors opened, and Marduk exited.
"Stay here until I'm done," Marduk ordered as he shut the door.
"Whatever, kid." The Driver muttered while lighting a cigarette.
"Marduk," Ryder muttered, glaring at his fellow Darkus user, who returned the glare in full.
"It seems I'm last to arrive. Guess everyone else doesn't have a small budget." Marduk noted, looking over at the other brawlers.
"This guy." Julio hissed, glaring daggers at Marduk.
"Save it for Masquerade," Komba advised as Julio nodded.
"So where is the tournament's head organizer? I don't want to waste much time here." Marduk questioned, looking around for Masquerade.
"Glad you asked." A Disembodied Voice stated as a flash of light blinded everyone present.
"Because the finals are about to begin," Masquerade smirked, appearing at the center of the brawlers.
Each brawler there turned their attention to him with various reactions, from glares full of hatred to gazes filled with determination. But all attention was now on Masquerade, who had declared that the finals were to begin.
"So what's it going to be, Masquerade? How are the finals going to work?" Dan questioned as Masquerade turned toward him.
"Yeah, because if my math is right, won't there be an odd number of people during the second round?" Julio noted as Masquerade smirked.
"It's simple. The finals will work as such. In the first round, you'll each be matched in a one-on-one. The victors shall advance while the losers will be sent home." Masquerade began as each brawler listened intently.
"Of course, that leaves the second round with five participants. So four will be randomly selected to brawl while a lucky fifth is sent straight to the next round." Masquerade continued causing confused murmures.
"That'd be no fun if it were us," Leonidas commented before Ryder shushed him.
"Finally, in the final round, the three remaining participants and I will have it out in a battle royal! Winner takes all." Masquerade finished before disappearing from view in a flash of light.
"So let's not stand on ceremony and begin!" Masquerade's disembodied voice declared as a bright light once again covered every brawler there.
Ryder had to cover his eyes as the light engulfed him, and before he lost sight of the others, he saw that they were doing the same. As the light shone on him, Ryder began to feel a familiar sensation that he felt only a few days prior when he appeared before Marduk.
"We're being teleported away!" Ryder gasped as the light vanished, and every finalist disappeared, causing Marduk's taxi driver much confusion.
Unkown Location…
When Ryder's vision returned to him, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar location. Unlike the barren location he had been just moments prior, he was in a lush grassy field surrounded by large mountains bathed in light.
"Well, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore," Ryder commented, looking around at his surroundings.
"Not that we were there in the first place," Ryder whispered as Leonidas floated next to him.
"But why did Masquerade send us here?" Leonidas wondered as Ryder shrugged.
"No idea. It's annoying that he'd have us go so far just to put us somewhere else." Ryder muttered, tapping his foot on the ground.
"I mean, seriously, where the hell am I?!" Ryder questioned, looking around in confusion.
"That's what I was wondering." Another Voice noted as Ryder turned to see the source of the voice.
"You're Julio." Ryder gasped as his eyes laid on the older brawler.
"And you're Ryder," Julio murmured, glancing around their area, confused.
"What's going on? Why did Masquerade bring us here?" Julio wondered as Ryder shrugged.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Ryder replied, just as confused as Julio was.
"That jerk! Just wait until I finally beat you!" Julio hissed, shouting his frustration at Masquerade into the sky as Ryder noticed something.
"It's only the two of us here," Ryder noted, surprising Julio, who looked around and noticed the same.
"Then I guess that means…we're each other's opponent for the first round." Julio determined as Ryder nodded.
"It would seem so," Ryder replied, seeing no other explanation.
"That must mean the same is happening with the others, too." Ryder theorized, believing that this was Masquerade's plan.
"Well, standing here isn't going to get us anywhere, so let's do this! I have a score to settle with Masquerade after what he did to me!" Julio declared, taking out his field card.
Ryder wanted to argue as he was still confused about why Masquerade went through all the trouble bringing them to that random location to separate them, but he knew it wasn't worth mulling over.
"Alright, let's do this." Ryder nodded, bringing out his gate card.
"I've got a score to settle with Marduk anyway," Ryder added as the two brawlers held up their field cards.
"Field Open!" They shouted as time slowed to a stop and they were transported to...
"Wha-what is going on?!" Ryder gasped, looking around the field confused.
"This ain't the battlefield!" Julio commented, staring in shock at where they ended up.
Unlike what was expected, they were not transported to the normal battlefield. Instead, they were brought to what can only be called a Haos Galaxy. It was like they were thrown into space on top of a crystal body in the form of a fighting arena.
Additionally, they were surrounded by several smaller crystal bodies forming a barrier around the arena that was in front of them. Beyond that, the space seemed distorted and almost breaking apart at the seams.
"What is this place?" Ryder questioned as Leonidas floated next to him.
"This place feels…familiar…could it be Vestroia?" Leonidas wondered, looking around the space.
"This is Vestroia? Are you sure?" Ryder inquired, turning toward his partner.
"I…I am unsure. I've never been to Vestroia, so I can't say for certain. But this does feel familiar." Leonidas explained, landing on Ryder's shoulder.
"Plus, with the way Tigrerra described it, then this must be Haos Space," Leonidas added as Ryder nodded.
"But something seems off about it," Leonidas whispered, looking off into the distance, seeing what seemed to be rock and not crystal.
"It seems Julie and Runo's theory was somewhat correct then," Ryder noted, remembering what Runo and Julie had said back on the ship.
"I see," Ryder murmured before turning his attention back to Julio.
"I guess this is why Masquerade placed us in that location." Ryder theorized as Julio shrugged.
"Yeah. But it makes no difference to me!" Julio declared, taking out a gate card.
"We won't be able to advance until one of us wins or loses." Julio pointed out as Ryder nodded.
"Right. So regardless of the odd field conditions, this battle is still on!" Ryder exclaimed, grabbing onto one of his own gate cards.
"Gate Card Set!" The Two shouted, throwing their cards onto the field like normal.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Centipoid Stand!" Julio yelled, throwing his Bakugan onto Ryder's gate card.
"Haos Centipoid G power 510 Gs." The bakupod announced as Centipoid appeared onto the field.
"Haos Centipoid G power increase by 50 Gs due to Haos Galaxy. Haos Centipoid G power 560 Gs." The bakupod added, shocking both brawlers.
"Say what?" Ryder gasped, looking down at his bakupod.
"No way!" Julio muttered, also confused at this sudden development.
"That's not fair!" Ryder complained as Leonidas floated up.
"It makes things more interesting!" Leonidas exclaimed, happy with this development.
"Yeah, I guess." Ryder sighed, unclipping one of his Bakugan from his belt and loading it into his launcher.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Falconeer Stand!" Ryder shouted, launching his Bakugan onto his gate card.
"Darkus Falconeer G power 540 Gs. Darkus Falconeer G power decrease by 50 Gs due to Haos Galaxy. Darkus Falconeer G power 490 Gs." The bakupod announced, much to Ryder's shock.
"You're kidding!" Ryder cried, watching as Falconeer's power dropped.
"Hehe, I like this field!" Julio smirked as his Centipoid pounced on Ryder's weakened Bakugan.
Centipoid used its pincers to dig into Falconeer and toss it into the sky. As Falconeer fell, Centipoid grabbed it once more and slammed the Darkus Bakugan onto the ground with a resounding thud.
"Gate Card Open! Hazard!" Ryder declared as his gate card glowed in activation.
"Thanks to this card, all Bakugan on it is changed to the attribute I choose," Ryder explained, causing Julio to frown.
"So I change it to Pyrus!" Ryder stated, causing both Bakugan to change color to red.
"But that doesn't help either of us!" Julio pointed out, knowing neither would be holding cards to increase Pyrus Bakugan's G power.
"Oh, it does because it removes this field's restriction on Falconeer and lowers your Bakugan's G power back to normal!" Ryder declared, shocking Julio.
"Pyrus Centipoid G power decrease by 50 Gs. Pyrus Centipoid G power 510 Gs." The bakupod announced as the now Pyrus Bakugan was drained of power.
"Pyrus Falconeer G power increase by 50 Gs. Pyrus Falconeer G power 540 Gs." The bakupod added as Falconeer's power returned.
With the power back in Falconeer's favor, the now Pyrus Bakugan took to the sky before diving down and attacking Centipoid. Unlike before, Centipoid was unable to fight back as Falconeer flew around its attacks while delivering blows of its own before delivering the final blow.
"Ah, man, and here I had a strategy!" Julio complained, picking up his fallen Bakugan.
"Well, the battle isn't over yet." Ryder reminded as he caught Falconeer.
"Thank god Alice recommended that card." Ryder thought, placing Falconeer back on his belt.
"Alright, then, time for round two!" Julio declared, grabbing onto his second Bakugan.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Juggernoid Stand!" Julio shouted, throwing his next Bakugan onto his own gate card.
"Haos Juggernoid G power 530 Gs. Haos Juggernoid G power increase by 50 Gs due to Haos Galaxy. Haos Juggernoid G power 580 Gs." The bakupod announced as Juggernoid appeared on the field.
"This situation isn't favorable," Ryder commented, inspecting the field carefully.
"But not unwinnable," Ryder noted, turning toward Leonidas.
"You're up, Leo," Ryder smirked, surprising Leonidas.
"Really? Already?" Leonidas questioned as Ryder nodded.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to need you for this next battle," Ryder explained, holding out his right arm and allowing Leonidas to land on his launcher.
"Then let's do it!" Leonidas exclaimed, jumping up into a ball and landing into the launcher as Ryder closed it.
"With pleasure!" Ryder smirked, rearing his arm back.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Leonidas Stand!" Ryder yelled, launching Leonidas onto Julio's gate card.
"Darkus Leonidas G power 600 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power decrease by 50 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 550 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas appeared on the field.
"Let's see what you've got!" Leonidas laughed, flying high over Juggernoid, keeping out of the Haos Bakugan's reach.
"What I have is this! Gate Card Open!" Julio replied, causing his gate card to glow.
"Haos Arena!" Julio declared as Juggernoid's power grew.
"Haos Juggernoid G power increase by 150 Gs. Haos Juggernoid G power 730 Gs." The bakupod announced as Juggernoid jumped toward Leonidas.
Surprisingly the Haos Bakugan managed to jump higher than expected, and Leonidas just managed to avoid the attack with the scales on his tail. But Juggernoid wasn't done yet as it continued to jump at bite at Leonidas, who could only keep his distance.
Due to the difference in their G power, it was all he could do until Ryder made his move to counter Julio's. But Ryder wasn't making such a move. It seemed like he was waiting for something, and whatever it was, Leonidas trusted that his partner would do the right thing.
"Get him Juggernoid!" Julio insisted as Juggernoid once again jumped toward Leonidas, this time a lot higher than before.
"There!" Ryder exclaimed, catching everyone off guard.
"Ability Card Activate!" Ryder shouted, tossing the card toward Leonidas, causing the Darkus Bakugan to smirk.
"Alpha Blaster!" Leonidas roared as he fired a beam from his mouth, crashing it into an unprepared Juggernoid.
"Darkus Leonidas G power increase by 200 Gs. Darkus Leonidas G power 750 Gs." The bakupod announced as Leonidas's Alpha Blaster pushed Juggernoid to the ground.
"No, he tricked me!" Julio cried as he watched his Bakugan be blasted into the ground.
"Don't count me out yet! Ability Card Activate! Haos Shine!" Julio countered, tossing his ability card into Juggernoid.
"Haos Juggernoid G power increase by 80 Gs. Haos Juggernoid G power 810 Gs." The bakupod announced while Juggernoid began to glow.
With more power running through its body Juggernoid began to slowly rise back to its feet, pressing against Leonidas's Alpha Blaster. Leonidas attempted to fight back and pour more power into his attack but found himself unable to.
He had almost forgotten that he could not power himself up like before with negative energy since Vladitor had taken all he had. That means it was up to Ryder to turn this situation back around. Or if they could somehow bring out that other power they used against Masquerade.
Leonidas still didn't know what it was as they had only used it once. But it had saved him from being banished back to the Doom Dimension. If he could somehow harness that power again, then perhaps they could win. However, they didn't even know how to use it in the first place, and even if they did, if the look on Ryder's face was anything to go by, they didn't need it.
"Ability Card Activate! Darkus Reverse!" Ryder shouted, holding the car above his head.
"Now all that G power you've added to Juggernoid is instead deducted from its original power," Ryder explained, causing Julio to go wide-eyed.
"Oh no!" Julio gasped, watching as Juggernoid lost power.
"Haos Juggernoid G power returned to original parameters. Haos Juggernoid G power decrease by 280 Gs. Haos G power 250 Gs." The bakupod announced as Juggernoid collapsed.
Now that the power gap had increased by such a large value, Juggernoid was unable to fight back as Leonidas's Alpha Blaster dug it into the ground. No sooner did Leonidas stop his attack as Juggernoid fell at Julio's feet.
"Aw man, two in a row. I've got to up my game." Julio noted, placing Juggernoid back on his belt.
"That was excellent, Ryder! We've got this battle in the bag!" Leonidas exclaimed as Ryder smiled.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Leo. We haven't won yet." Ryder pointed out as Leonidas nodded.
"Right," Leonidas replied before jumping onto Ryder's shoulder.
"You know you're lucky. Being able to still work with your partner." Julio commented, lowering his gaze.
"Yeah." Ryder nodded, giving Julio a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry for what happened to Tentaclear." Ryder apologized as Julio shook his head.
"It's not your fault. I was too blinded by Masquerade's brainwashing that I stood no chance of saving Tentaclear." Julio replied, clenching his fists.
"That's why I have to win and get back at Masquerade!" Julio insisted, raising his gaze to look at Ryder.
"So don't count me out just yet! I still have some moves left!" Julio declared, making Ryder smirk.
"Good, I wouldn't have it any other way!" Ryder replied as he and Julio grabbed onto two new gate cards.
"Gate Card Set!" The Two shouted, throwing their next gate cards onto the field.
"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Saurus Stand!" Julio yelled, throwing his Bakugan onto his gate card.
"Haos Saurus G power 520 Gs. Haos Saurus G power increase by 50 Gs due to Haos Galaxy. Haos Saurus G power 570 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"Alright. Let's do this." Ryder murmured, grabbing onto his last Bakugan and loading it into his launcher.
"Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Seige Stand!" Ryder shouted, launching his Bakugan onto Julio's gate card.
"Darkus Seige G power 500 Gs. Darkus Seige G power decrease by 50 Gs due to Haos Galaxy. Darkus Seige G power 450 Gs." The bakupod announced.
"That Seige of yours is going to be run over by my Saurus!" Julio exclaimed as his Bakugan ran toward Seige.
The Darkus Bakugan stood firm, waiting for Saurus as it barreled toward them. Just before Saurus made contact, Seige jumped out of the way and used its lace to slice at Saurus's legs. However, it did little against the Haos Bakugan, who backhanded Seige to the ground.
"Now Gate Card Open! Haos Trigger!" Julio declared, causing the gate card to glow under the two Bakugan.
"Haos Saurus G power increase by 80 Gs. Haos Saurus G power 650 Gs." The bakupod announced.
With the added power at its disposal, Saurus threw Seige around with the Darkus Bakugan entirely at its mercy. But of course, Ryder wasn't going to just sit down and let this continue happening.
"Ability Card Activate! Rapid Darkness!" Ryder countered, grabbing onto his Falconeer.
"Go and help out Seige! Bakugan Brawl! Darkus Falconeer Stand!" Ryder insisted as he threw Falconeer onto Julio's gate card.
"Darkus Falconeer G power 540 Gs. Darkus Falconeer G power decrease by 50 Gs. Darkus Falconeer G power 490 Gs. Combined G power of Darkus Seige & Falconeer 940 Gs." The bakupod announced.
Once Falconeer appeared on the field, it shot off and knocked Saurus away from the downed Seige. With the Haos Bakugan now knocked away, Seige was able to pick itself up before charging toward Saurus.
"Not yet! I'm not going down without a fight!" Julio declared, taking out two ability cards.
"Triple Ability Activate! Haos Flash, Haos Charge, & Lightning Shield!" Julio yelled, using his last three remaining ability cards.
"Oh boy," Ryder murmured as the G power of every Bakugan changed.
"Haos Saurus G power increase by 250 Gs. Haos Saurus G power 900 Gs." The bakupod announced as Ryder's Bakugan fell to their knees.
"Darkus Falconeer & Seige combined G power decrease by 100 Gs. Combined G power 840 Gs." The bakupod added.
"Now that's more like it!" Julio exclaimed as Saurus charged toward the two Darkus Bakugan.
Saurus slammed through them, knocking them down before turning around and grabbing onto Falconeer's leg and throwing it into its fellow Darkus Bakugan. The Haos Bakugan then ran them over once more before spinning around to finish them off.
"Sorry, Julio, but I'm afraid I will go for the hat trick!" Ryder stated, causing Julio to sweat.
"Ability Card Activate! Darkus Surge!" Ryder shouted, tossing the card at his fallen Bakugan.
"Darkus Falconeer & Seige G power increase by 100 Gs. Combined G power 940 Gs." The bakupod announced, much to Julio's dismay as he fell to his knees.
"No!" Julio cried as he watched Saurus charge toward the two Darkus Bakugan.
But the Haos Bakugan was unprepared as the Darkus Bakugan's power increased, allowing them to shoot back at Saurus. The two Darkus Bakugan slammed into Saurus, throwing it far from Julio's gate card in defeat, returning both brawlers to the real world.
"Aw, man, even with a field advantage, I couldn't do a thing!" Julio complained, punching the ground.
"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. You played really well." Ryder complimented, walking up to Julio.
"Yeah, I guess. But you played way better especially compared to when we battled for the first time." Julio replied, getting back to his feet.
"Thanks." Ryder thanked as they shook hands.
"Well, since I won't be going any further in the finals, give Masquerade a run for his money for me if you see him." Julio requested as Ryder nodded.
"With pleasure," Ryder smirked as the two were bathed in light and disappeared from the area.
Elsewhere…
Masquerade looked at the results of Ryder's battle in annoyance. He had purposely set Ryder up against a disadvantageous setting, but that didn't help. It seemed that the cards Alice had recommended to Ryder helped him more than he had thought.
Though that being said, since Alice helped Ryder choose which cards and Bakugan to use, he knew each and every card that Ryder had on his person. So even if he were to somehow make it to the final round, he'd know how to counter each of his moves.
"For now, I'll just need to set him up for his next match. Someone who's better than Julio." Masquerade smirked as an odd sound could be heard behind him.
"Masquerade!" Hal-G called, having morphed the ground to take on his shape.
"What is it?" Masquerade questioned, annoyed by Hal-G's uninvited presence.
"Naga demands your presence. Immediately." Hal-G stated before disappearing.
"Tsk." Masquerade hissed in annoyance before he teleported away.
Center of Vestroia…
When Masquerade reappeared, he found both Hal-G and Naga before him, with the latter still trapped within the confines of the Silent Core. However, Masquerade noted that it was far smaller than before, most likely because Naga was adapting and absorbing its power.
"So what does the mighty Naga need of me?" Masquerade inquired, appearing before the Silent Core.
"Watch yourself, boy. I can feel the sarcasm dripping through your voice." Naga threatened, sending out a small shockwave of energy pushing Masquerade back.
"My apologies. What do you need of me?" Masquerade replied, this time more docile.
"Tell me, how goes the tournament?" Naga questioned as Masquerade smiled.
"It goes well. We should pinpoint the best area for you to arrive at Earth should the need arise." Masquerade reported bowing before Naga.
"But what of the Infinity Core? Has the growing link to Vestroia attracted it?" Hal-G inquired, making Masquerade frown.
"No. Unfortunately, it hasn't shown any sign of itself." Masquerade reported much to Naga's annoyance.
"Then I very well may have to go to Earth myself and find it!" Naga hissed his anger causing the Silent Core to exert a strong burst of energy.
"Calm down, Master Naga. You've yet to assimilate the Silent Core fully, so you shouldn't rush." Hal-G reminded, calming Naga down.
"Yes, you're right. I just need to have patience." Naga replied, now having calmed.
"But it intrigues me how the Infinity Core could hide so effectively. Perhaps someone is hiding it from me…" Naga murmured before his eyes went wide.
"It couldn't be…" Naga muttered, his anger growing.
"Wavern…" Naga growled before turning back to Masquerade.
"Continue the tournament. Once it's done, I have a new task for you." Naga ordered as Masquerade nodded and turned to leave.
"Before you go," Hal-G called, catching Masquerade's attention.
"Since your plan with Ryder Shade failed, will you be prepared if he were to make it to the final round?" Hal-G inquired as Masquerade remained silent.
"After all, we don't want Alice suddenly taking back control of your body." Hal-G pointed out as Masquerade turned to face him fully.
"I have no doubt. Even if Leonidas or Vladitor were to try and absorb the negative energy that makes up my existence, I have the Silent Orb to keep that in check." Masquerade stated, holding out the small orb of energy.
"And once this tournament is over, and those brawlers defeated. I'll give the orb to Hydranoid and make him into the Ultimate Bakugan." Masquerade added as Hal-G hardened his gaze.
"Why risk it? Just use it now!" Hal-G insisted only for Masquerade to turn away.
"I don't need that power right now. Besides, this battle will only make Hydranoid stronger." Masquerade stated before disappearing from view.
"Overconfidence leads to failure, Masquerade," Hal-G muttered, turning back to face his master.
"Should I stop him?" Hal-G questioned as Naga shook his head.
"Let him be. I'm interested to see what happens." Naga insisted, causing Hal-G to sigh in defeat.
"If you insist," Hal-G replied, resigning himself.
Next Time the finals continue as Dan and Chan Lee duke it out in a firey field shrouded by a sky of darkness. But while the battle is fierce, Drago is distracted by the state of Vestroia, causing trouble for himself and Dan.
Meanwhile, Marucho and Julie have a battle of their own in a field flooded with water. While the two are hesitant to battle one another, they are forced to put that aside in order to advance into the next round.
Next Time on Bakugan Doom World: Only One Can Advance.
Author's Note:
Finally got this chapter done! Honestly, I had a hard time deciding on how I'd write the finals as I at first thought of just writing Ryder's view/battles, but I realized how much character interaction and story beats I could miss, so I decided against that.
Which meant I had to rewrite some scenes to better fit that decision. It was definitely the best decision though now I'm probably going to do two battles per chapter for the next few chapters because if I don't, the word count would be too low for a chapter.
So look forward to those chapters when I get to them, lol. Overall though, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially when I implemented the new battlefield. Not going to lie. That was a last-minute addition because I thought about how the video game it had different arenas to battle in and how I could add them in here that fit the narrative.
I think I did a good job with that when I connected it back to Bakugan Valley, which had a connection to Vestroia. I would explain it further, but Masquerade is going to do that in a future chapter, so I'm going to leave it until then for the full explanation.
But I'm going to have a lot of fun with the upcoming battles with this system. Especially since this is probably going to be a one-time thing because I can't think of a way this would happen again later on in the series. Especially once I get into New Vestroia.
Still, it's just another fun nod to the video game. Though my favorite scene to write in this chapter would be Ryder and Alice's talk. Honestly, looking back on the series, you've got to wonder why Alice never noticed gaps in her memory or blacking out when Masquerade took control.
I mean, I guess technically, you could say Masquerade just made false memories or just manipulated her into not thinking about it but still. Of course, in this story, his control is slowly slipping, so it's not hard to imagine that she will notice even if he tried to make her forget.
It made a nice scene of her confessing to Ryder about her worries, as the thoughts of what happened before when everyone suspected her of being the mole left some trauma, which was probably why she was so quick to run away when it was revealed that she was Masquerade.
A scene I just cannot wait to write :). But of course, I'm still a little ways away from that scene as I still need to get the tournament done before I get back on canon events. Anyway, let's get to the reviews.
RokuxNami3 – Thanks. I'm glad you like my story! It makes me happy to hear you like how I'm mixing the game's story and the anime though I really need to use special throws more often, even though, at the moment, Marduk is the only one who can use one, lol.
Trust me, when it is revealed that Alice is Masquerade, it's going to be an…event. As for the other Battle Brawler's evolutions, well, they'll be mostly the same, but I'm going to change their little arcs they have as it'll help explain the other powerups they get.
Still can't wait to write about Leonidas's evolution in this story, as it will be different than in the game. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
LEGOBRICK13 – Yeah, they only really showed up at the end of New Vestroia, and I can't think of what they did after the few battles they had. I honestly don't know why a bunch of the main characters we saw during the first few seasons just never show up again. It made no sense to me.
Of course, I never watched the later seasons, but I know that the characters just never showed up again. I get a few of the side characters, but I really don't get why Alice, who was a main character, just disappeared. Maybe I should watch the later seasons, lol.
Now that I think about it, I wonder how Sirenoid and the other Doom Beings Bakugan got out of New Vestroia to assist. It's been a while since I watched season two, so I'm going to have to remind myself of that XD. But I definitely got some plans for them.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Mr. Haziq – Happy to hear you liked how Ryder and Leonidas got back on their feet! As for the ability and gate cards, I have various sources. For ability cards, I found some random Amino source where some godsend posted each ability used in the show (That I know of, I didn't double-check).
Unfortunately, there wasn't a wiki for anime ability cards which is why that was a really good find for me. As for gate cards, they thankfully have a full wiki of gate cards used in each and every season of the anime, which I use constantly. Of course, that amount is really, really small and lacking in variety which is why I made up ones of my own to fill the gaps and make battles more interesting.
Still haven't found anything listing all the ability cards for season two, though, which sucks.
DarkFangs3 – Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
HunterHQ – Good question because every time he did take it off, he was just giving back control to Alice. I wonder if his face would just be Alice's face or if that changes too. Glad you liked how Ryder developed too!
Though I never said Leonidas can't absorb negative energy anymore. He still can. It's just all the negative energy he's stored up until that point was stolen by Vladitor. He will still grow stronger, of course, without it.
As for his evolution, it will be very different from the game, as I want it to have more narrative significance to it than it just happening because Leonidas needs a power-up, so the rest of the Bakugan give him power.
Not saying that was bad, but I feel like it could have been better when compared to the evolutions in the anime. Yep, Marduk and Vladitor are definitely getting closer. I mean, it's only natural. I hope to show more of their development soon too :).
You know, I never thought about that. I mean, I want to say if Alice had a broken leg, then so would Masquerade, but I wouldn't put it against him to use some power to push past it and walk anyway to avoid suspicion. Really make you think, lol.
Garrus Skywalker – True ball form is definitely better to handle. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
NinjaFang1331 – Thanks glad you liked it.
Johannvanguard – Yeah, Ryder wasn't going to take that loss sitting down. He was going to push himself to his limits just to get back in the finals. Thankfully Klaus was already looking for him to help him do just that if he had the resolve.
Ryder had an easier time against Julio, at least in my opinion, since he swept him with a hat trick, not to say that Julio didn't put up a good fight. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Martin NG649 – Yep, it was nice of Klaus to help Ryder get back in the finals, and Ryder is not going to waste that opportunity. Hope you enjoyed.
That's all I've got for today, so I'll see you guys next time!
