Waking in the morning, a young woman stretches her arms as she sat up in her bed. Feeling well rested, she sighed deeply and glanced towards her window with blue curtains pulled across the glass, giving a lovely, blue colour to the room as the light filtered through the fabric. Chuckling to herself, she glanced at the time to see it was just after six that morning, and she was pleased with herself for what time it was. She stood up from the bed and walked over to her ensuite bathroom to take a shower to get herself ready for the day.

She walked by the mirror of her room and she smiled, looking at the mirror to see her deep, green eyes looking back at her with her messy, black hair that was long enough to touch her hips, the young woman admired the image she could see. Chuckling softly, she grabbed a brush to tackle some of the knots from her hair as she walked over to the shower to turn it on. She hummed softly to herself as she removed her pyjamas and threw them into the hamper before stepping into the shower. She had a couple hours to kill before she would get ready for work.

At the age of nineteen, Saphira had been given some pretty lucky cards in her life. She has always been very talented when in came to architectural design and structural engineering since school. She had no idea that her talent would allow her to obtain a good job out of high school. She had intended on attending a university, but she was unlikely to do that due to acquiring a school-based internship for a well, renowned architectural design and engineering business, which has turned into a full-time career for her. It was unexpected, but the managers she had been reporting to had brought her designs, initiatives and excellent job ethic to the CEO of the company, and she was offered a position higher than the entry level due to that. She was extremely grateful for this big head start in her life.

Though about three years ago, Saphira held a different kind of card in her hand. She remembers she was studying for an exam by the open window of her old bedroom in her parent's house when a card landed on the textbook she had been using. It startled her as she was not expecting it, and had thought someone had thrown the card at her. But when she had looked outside, there were hundreds of strange cards falling from the sky. And it only had gotten crazier from there, as strange spheres emerged from these cards and were creatures called bakugan. And it became a hobby to Saphira at the time.

However, it wasn't long after battling with the bakugan that Saphira had begun to wonder where the creatures came from. They weren't carrying any kind of logo or country origin on them, so Saphira had suspected there was more to them than meets the eyes. And she was right when a bakugan reached out to her through one of her mirrors. She had almost destroyed her mirror at that time, but the bakugan managed to convince her to listen as the bakugan had asked her for help.

It was a Darkus Bakugan, but unlike any Darkus Bakugan Saphira has known about, as Saphira had specialized in the Darkus Bakugan. This bakugan was named Desteen, a special bakugan chosen by the six, ancient, warriors of Vestroia to be named guardian of the Doom Dimension. A role that was suited to specific bakugan with the duty of guarding the dimension itself, and ensuring that bakugan deemed unworthy of peace and rest after passing are locked away within this dimension for eternity. It was definitely something Saphira never thought possible, but Desteen explained it in great detail to Saphira.

But even though she is a Darkus Bakugan, due to her role, she lives outside the norm of all bakugan, making her somewhat of a rogue bakugan. It was how Saphira understood it at least. It does make Desteen quite powerful, but Saphira was never sure how strong Desteen was. But the main reason why Desteen even came to Saphira was due to Naga's crime of trying to take the Silent Core and Infinity Core for himself, causing the rift between the two worlds, which should not have taken place at all. But it has. Desteen told Saphira that Naga and his sister, Wavern, were bakugan without an attribute. It made them outcasts from Vestroia itself. But while Wavern was not like her brother, Naga wanted power. And doing that, would only cause further destruction.

From there, Saphira was able to become friends with several individuals. Dan, Runo, Shun, Marucho, Julie and Alice, all who were much younger than Saphira, but Saphira managed to befriend them when she was sixteen. She and Shun were the closest, mostly due to Shun being the most mature out of the six kids, and it was Shun she used to battle with often, bringing the two of them to the top of the charts as brawlers.

But that was not their goal. After learning about Naga, Saphira helped the battle brawlers fend off Naga, and the possession he somehow had over Alice and her grandfather, which resulted in the creation of Masquerade and Hal-G. Saphira was never sure if Alice and Michael Gehabich were truly free from Naga's possession after they had successfully defeated Naga and retrieved the Silent Core from him. Especially as Michael was still insanely smart and knew a lot about bakugan. But Desteen believed only a small portion had remained in them.

After Naga was defeated, Dan's Pyrus partner, Dragonoid, or Drago, had to return to Vestroia to restore it to its original state. Meaning Drago had to sacrifice his body to ensure both cores would become the Perfect Core, and brought all the bakugan back home as their world became known as New Vestroia. It was a bittersweet moment for all the brawlers, as many humans had grown attached to their bakugan. But Earth was not their home.

Even so, Desteen could still visit Saphira, only due to the fact of mirrors. Because mirrors can be two-ways, Desteen was able to use her dimensional ability to visit Saphira. This was something Saphira never told the other brawlers, knowing they had believed they would never see their bakugan again. Saphira loved it though. Especially as Desteen was her support through her studies. But when Saphira began to work more, she saw Desteen less, and that was okay. They both had their own jobs to deal with, and Desteen actually had a lot more to deal with after New Vestroia's restoration, so the added time to deal with that was good for the bakugan.

She did hear from Desteen not long ago with bad news. Saphira was shocked New Vestroia had been invaded by a humanoid species, the vestals, and they had technology that could trap all bakugan back into spheres. And the bakugan were treated nothing more as battle mascots for their arena matches, rather than as equals. In fact, it seemed they were treated worse than they were on Earth, based on what Desteen told her.

Especially when she was told that the prince of the vestals was keen on collecting the bakugan who saved New Vestroia. And he managed to collect all, but Drago. Desteen was not a target, as the vestals seemed to understand they would never reach her, but there was a desire to snag her due to her unique abilities. Saphira had considered dropping her job to help, but Desteen reassured her that Dan was recruited for help, along with Marucho and Shun. The ancient warriors were able to give Drago a new body, so Dan was now working to save another world again.

But Saphira would not be part of it, as she had responsibilities elsewhere. And while bakugan brawling will always be a memory Saphira would cherish, she was happy to hang that hat. She didn't have time like she once had anymore, and she would only go if it was absolutely necessary. Saphira was now focused on building her career. She already had a hefty nest egg, as she had finished high school two years ago.

She was proud of her success, even though she had definitely realized that she was lucky. Not many people her age could say the same thing. But Saphira was determined to be successful, and if she was lucky, retire young to travel the world. But she had to climb that career first before that could happen. And she was willing to work hard so she could achieve that, especially as she already achieved her bonuses in the first year and a half of her job.

Saphira sighed as she turned the shower off, feeling warm and refreshed as she stepped out of the shower. Grabbing as towel to dry herself, Saphira was really looking forward to getting to work today. Mainly because she had been trusted with creating designs to present to an exclusive, apartment complex builder in Tokyo later today. It made her nervous and excited, especially as she had finished the designs, but she was going to present two more designs as she had taken the time to research the company they were going to be presenting the designs to, and she knew that the extra designs will make the company happy.

After drying her body, she put on her bathrobe and grabbed her dryer to dry her hair. She hummed softly to herself as she thought about how the day would go for her, and she knew she was going to have go over everything before she would host the meeting. It was going to be a make or break for her today, since the company was counting her. But she was confident she would pull it off, even if she could not shake off her nervousness.

Once her hair was fully dry, which took some time to do, Saphira brushed and braided her hair before heading downstairs to make herself some breakfast. Saphira did not live in an apartment as she was able to afford a house. She owned a two-bedroom house with two bathrooms, and a small back and front yard that Saphira had managed to fill with vegetables, flowers and berries. It was another thing Saphira had been very proud of, as she didn't have to worry about landlords. But she still had to pay off the house.

Bayview was a beautiful place to live though. It was not a huge city, and that was a good thing. Saphira had lived here since she was ten. She loved the city, and she often took the chance to put on roller skates to skate by the river and beaches of the city. It was one of her favorite hobbies. Saphira never really left Bayview until the bakugan showed up, and she left to help Dan and the others against Naga. But now, she has remained in Bayview for her job.

Saphira hummed as she was cooking some eggs and making herself a coffee when she heard a familiar sound. It was a tap off the counter and a small hiss of something opening. She smiled and turned her head to see a familiar sphere on the counter. "This is a pleasant, morning surprise. How are you, Destiny? I thought you wouldn't come back for another few weeks. Or did something happen with Dan that I need to know about?" Destiny was the nickname Saphira had given Desteen, which Desteen really quite liked.

The bakugan's sphere was mostly black with dark pink wings, the underside of the bakugan's neck was also dark pink and bright pink eyes with a dragonic shape to her sphere and a silver crown on her head, Destiny let out a light chuckle of amusement. "No, there is nothing that bad that I needed to tell you. I just had a bit of time to drop in and see you, since things are starting to settle. But I see I might have got you at a bad time."

"No, no, I am just making some breakfast for myself and than I will get ready for work. I have a big day ahead of me, Destiny. I am hosting a meeting and presenting some apartment designs to a well-renowned apartment builder in Tokyo. They are sending representatives, and I just cannot wait!" Saphira turned to her coffee machine as it finished filling her mug and she picked it up to take a sip while checking the eggs for a moment. "But I am a little nervous."

"I have no doubt. That sounds like a very important project. You have always been very bright, Saphira, and I know you will do well. If I had realized that this was not the weekend, I would have waited to spend the day with you."

"That is okay. You can always come back on the weekend if you have time. But…" Saphira smirked at Destiny with a curious expression. "Are you sure there isn't anything that I should be concerned about? It seems strange that you only visited me recently on Sunday, for you to show up on Wednesday again."

Destiny was silent as she pondered on how to answer that. She knew Saphira was still keenly curious to know more about what was happening on New Vestroia, but there wasn't too much to tell. "There really is not anything you, yourself should be concerned about, Saphira. New Vestroia will be free from the vestals soon enough."

"Riiiight…" Saphira did not believe Destiny at all. "So why are you here? Something is fishy, Destiny. You and I have been friends for a long time."

Destiny sighed deeply. "You also have good intuition…which makes you a better battle partner than someone like Dan. If Shun was my partner, I wouldn't mind, since he's level headed like yourself…" Saphira chuckled as she couldn't disagree. "But you were the best choice from the start. I guess I am here because I have other concerns, and I came to clear my head."

"What kind of concerns?"

"Well…it doesn't really concern New Vestroia. Just…another world…" Saphira was surprised and she was immediately curious. "You might want to get the eggs out of the pan before I tell you. You might burn them from the shock you will feel from what I will tell you." That was a good idea, and the eggs were cooked to how Saphira liked them, so she plated them up and sat at the island counter to start eating them. "Alright, this may come as a shock to you, but there are bakugan on other worlds."

Saphira paused cutting into the egg white as she listened before frowning. "Kind of like what happened to Earth? Where there were cards falling from the sky and such? I think you said the vestals ended up with that too, which is how bakugan ended up on their world."

"No, actually." Saphira widened her eyes, but she said nothing as she cut a piece of the egg white to eat. "It is a strange history, but it is a little complicated for me to tell now. It would be best to tell you on a day you are free. But there are other worlds where bakugan have lived on for thousands of years, just as they had done on Vestroia."

"Okay…so why are you concerned about another world? Is it because, being the Doom Dimension guardian, you deal with them too?" Destiny nodded and Saphira hummed softly. "Interesting…I suppose it is kind of cool to know bakugan live on another world. I assume their origin will always be Vestroia, but I can wait until the weekend for you to tell me more on how they got to other worlds."

"I am concerned because the two planets near each other where bakugan have resided and adapted to each planet of the years seems to have some issues that might be arising. A recent, fallen bakugan from one of the planets, Gundalia, told me that there seems to be preparation for war."

"War? As in, using bakugan to fight battles for them, type war?" Destiny nodded and Saphira frowned in disgust. "Eh…well, I hope the bakugan get treated better there than how the vestals treat bakugan."

"Unfortunately, it seems Gundalia has been preparing for war for many years. They have been training for battle for a long time, which would put anyone new to brawling at a severe disadvantage. And especially against those who are not used to battling the way they are planning to. But I wasn't able to get more information before I sent the bakugan to rest."

"Is it something that should concern us at all?" Destiny moved her wings in a way that looked like a shrug, and Saphira understood. "Okay…but I can see why you needed to get away from that. It must anger you to be one the side lines."

"Yes and no…I have always been on the side lines when you think of it, Saphira. I am not meant to be involved with such things like that, and while I can and will fight, it is something I cannot just actively participate in. If it was something I had to do to protect all bakugan, I would do it. I've done it before, and will do it again. But the main concern about it is that Neathia, the neighbouring planet to Gundalia, holds something extremely important to bakugan." That was another surprise to Saphira, but she did not interrupt Destiny. "It is an ancient, sacred power that holds the biological, genetic coding of all bakugan. The Neathians and the bakugan residing on that planet have protect that orb for centuries, but I do believe it is on the verge of being threatened."

Saphira had thought all of that was inside the Perfect Core, but she guessed she was wrong. "Why would something containing all the biological information about bakugan not be in the Perfect Core?"

"Because the Perfect Core is comprised of the powers that give bakugan their attributes, and the harmonious balance required to keep New Vestroia whole and in piece. The biological information that is now on Neathia once was on Vestroia before it split into the six worlds you once saw. I believe when the worlds split, and the Perfect Core became the Silent Core and Infinity Core, the information of our biology was forced out by the power of the disruption, and it end up on another world. I am not sure if that information is correct though, Saphria, because I was not even born when those events happened."

"Interesting…" Saphira sipped some more of her coffee and smiled at Destiny. "You are right, it is way too much to be thinking about at this time, Destiny. All that information is going to distract me from my job."

Destiny chuckled a little as she realized. "Sorry, it is a habit. Sometimes I forget that you are an adult now, Saphira. Your life has changed a lot. While I am in the Doom Dimension watching everything unfolded through the mirrors of my world. At least there is no Naga around who will copy the ability to send bakugan to the Doom Dimension."

"That is very true." Saphira glanced at the time and smiled as she still had plenty of time. "Too bad you can't come with me, Destiny. I could use a bit of support today. It feels like it will make or break my career. Especially because of my age."

"You will be fine, Saphira. Your talent and experience prove you deserve to work there, and you will do a fine job. Besides, if I am there, I will only distract you. Especially now that I told you about another couple worlds where bakugan live on."

"I can't really deny that. But I am sure that I will think about that while at work when I am not busy. I might have stopped brawling, but I certainly haven't cut the cord when it comes to bakugan. But I do not mind at all. After all…" Saphira gently poked the right side of Destiny teasingly, making the bakugan giggle and roll away from her. "You are my best friend, and I couldn't really ask for a better friend than you."

"Same here, Saphira."

Saphira finished up her coffee and the eggs before she rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. "I better get myself ready. I have to go to the train station in about an hour and a half so I can be there on time."

"Need my help deciding what hairstyle and outfit to wear?" Destiny questioned in a teasing tone, and Saphira chuckled with a nod. "Good. I did pick out the best dress for you at your formal." Destiny flew over to Saphira's shoulder as the girl walked towards the stairs. "The many eyes that were on you that day was great."

"It was a little embarrassing though. I felt like I was overdoing it with my outfit, and I know it was an amazing style, but I still felt a little embarrassed. But you seem to be very good at style. I admit, I was going to go with something elegant and professional…" Saphira opened the door to her room and walked over to her wardrobe. "Normally, I wear black pants with a black, long sleeve shirt with a white undershirt…"

"Ugh, no!" Destiny shook her head as she immediately did not like the style choice. "No, no! You are not going to wear the same old thing for something that important. You don't want to make an impression like that."

Saphira chuckled a little as Destiny jumped off her shoulder and flew around the wardrobe to look at her outfits. "Alright…I was going to change it up for today. I was thinking…"

"Grey!"

Saphira was stunned at the bakugan's interruption and chuckled in amusement. "Grey?"

"Yes, you have a nice, grey blouse in here. You could pair that with the black pants you normally wear…ahhh…" Saphira watched Destiny land on one of the hangers and looked at the white jacket with black buttons. "You could wear this over the blouse, and make sure to use the grey belt with the silver buckle. And instead of the simple, silver studs you got in those ears, maybe change them for diamond and wear a nice necklace. That will give you a classy look."

Saphira chuckled as she grabbed the blouse, jacket and pants from the hangers. "I suppose we could see if that will look good. But I would have thought you would tell me to wear a different type of pants. I was going to go for a skirt."

"Oh!" Destiny was surprised as she thought about it. "You know what? That sounds better, with a pair of neutral pantyhose underneath. That actually sounds better than my first suggestion. But keep the blouse, jacket and belt."

Saphira nodded in agreement as she placed the blouse and jacket on her bed before putting the pants back to grab her skirt. She walked over to one of her drawers to grab out the pantyhose and a bra to put on. She hummed again as she removed her robe to put her clothes on. She was very much looking forward to the meeting, and dressing up for the occasion felt right. She definitely wanted to make the right impression.

Once she had everything on, Saphira made sure to fix up her jacket as she stood in front of her mirror. She smiled as she moved to the right. "I think this is great!"

"I think so too. But you are missing the diamond studs and a necklace." Destiny flew over to the vanity where the jewellery was kept, and Saphira walked over with a chuckle. "And only use natural make up. I know you don't need any, because you are such a beautiful girl without it, but I think it would be necessary. And no red lipstick. Unless these representatives are asking you out on a date, that won't be necessary."

Saphira chuckled as Desteen's way with words was always funny. "Relax, Destiny. I know what to do. I'll likely only put a bit of foundation, blush and eyeshadow on anyway. I don't need much on to look professional."

"Exactly!" Destiny watched as Saphira sat at the table as she began to remove the silver stud earrings from her ears and opened a drawer to grab the box containing the diamond earrings. "I haven't seen any of your necklaces, so I can't think of what might look good."

"I need something to break up the grey and white a bit. So I do have something in mind." Saphira began to put the diamond earrings into her ears. "It is a gold chain necklace with a pink, quartz pendent shaped as a teardrop. It's simple, but I don't need a huge statement necklace. I have plenty of those, but it is not necessary."

"That is a good choice." Destiny was very happy about that and she moved her wings happily. "I think you are definitely going to nail this meeting today, Saphira. Not because of how you are dress, of course, but you are taking the extra mile to make yourself feel good. And that will be important."

"And having you here is making my morning even better, Destiny." Saphira grabbed the necklace out from one of the drawers to put on and grabbed a brush as she removed the braids from her hair. "What will you do when you go back to the Doom Dimension?"

"Do what I always do, I guess. Keep watch over New Vestroia, Gundalia and Neathia, that's pretty much what I'll be doing. If a bakugan dies today, I'll be dealing with them as well. Same as always." Destiny sighed deeply. "Now that I say it out loud, it kind of makes my life sound boring unintentionally. But it is a very important job to keep things balanced as they should be. Without a guardian, all bakugan would end up in the doom dimension without something there to stand by the scales to determine who gets to rest peacefully, and who suffers in the Doom Dimension for eternity."

"Does it get to you sometimes that you have to live in the Doom Dimension?"

"Well, considering there really is no sunlight in the Doom Dimension, no plants or water, it can get to me. It never did before I met you, Saphira. Seeing Earth and New Vestroia has opened my eyes, and I only ever look through mirrors now on other worlds if I ever want to see green and sunlight. But as the warriors told me I am free to travel from the Doom Dimension now, as long as I keep to my job, I get to enjoy my short vacations with you." Destiny turned to look at the vanity mirror, knowing she would have to go back home soon. "I do not mind though. I've lived many years longer than you have, Saphira. And I will live beyond your time, so this life is something I have come to accept."

Saphira did feel bad for the bakugan. It felt like it was somewhat of a prison in itself, given that Desteen had to remain somewhere like the Doom Dimension. But it was a role she had been given, and Destiny was very proud of her job. "I am glad that I help." Saphira glanced at the time, and gasped loudly. "Shoot! I need to get going!"

Destiny looked at the time, and realized Saphira was going to run late if she didn't get moving. Saphira finished styling her hair, and she began to apply foundation. "Sorry, Saphira. I guess we got a little too distracted."

"It is okay. I always like to be at the station early. At least I only need to apply light makeup, so this will not take long." Saphira focused on making sure her face was covered properly with the foundation before she would apply some contour to her face followed by blush. "There is still time, so I am not in much of a panic."

"Good, but I still distracted you. I do feel bad doing that." Destiny knew that Saphira would still be okay with the meeting. "But don't lose your focus either today, Saphira. You know what is at stake, and I am sure you will pull through."

"I know." Saphira finished with the blush before moving onto the eye shadow to give a neutral appearance. "All I got to do is grab my lunch from the fridge and I'll be on my way. All of my designs are in my office, so that is one less thing to worry about. I just got to prepare presenting them to the representatives."

"In other words, you have this in the bag." Destiny turned the mirror just as Saphira finished with the eyeshadow and applied lip gloss to her lips, instead of lipstick. "Good choice on the lip gloss. I guess you don't have a neutral lipstick."

"Not really, but that is okay. This lip gloss is tinged with pink, so it gives more color to my lips." Saphira smacked her lips together and stood up before grabbing deodorant. "I guess I shall see you this weekend, huh? Or will you be back after I finish work?"

"I'll be back Saturday morning to join you for the usual, morning, roller skate by the river," Destiny responded enthusiastically. Saphira's smile widened immediately as that was a great idea. "I haven't done that in a while, and I know you sometimes like to show off your skills."

"Only if I get to the skate park and it isn't busy with families." Saphira grabbed out a pair of black, comfortable, wedged heel shoes to slip them on. "At least that sounds settled to me." She looked back in the mirror for a moment before she saw the mirror seemed to change like there was a visible water ripple through it. She smiled as this was how Desteen opened the portal back to the Doom Dimension. "I will tell you all about how the meeting goes when I see you next, Destiny."

"Oh, you had better. I don't want to come back to find you in tears, because that will break my heart." Saphira chuckled a little and watched the bakugan jump at the mirror. "Good luck, Saphira. And have a good day."

Saphira watched as the bakugan disappeared through the mirror, and the ripples stop. She was very glad she had Destiny as a good friend. She wasn't sure yet if she should be concerned by the new information Destiny dropped on her, but she pushed those thoughts aside as she made her way downstairs to get her lunch from the fridge so she could leave the house. She grabbed her phone, back and keys before making her way out.

She smiled as she opened the door, breathing in the fresh air of the morning and stepped outside. She closed the door behind her and she heard the vibration from her phone. Surprised, she pulled it out and saw Runo's number on the screen. She sighed and shook her head, knowing Runo was calling to complain to her about being left behind. That is all Runo could really talk about since Dan went to New Vestroia with Drago. Saphira didn't really have a lot of time though as she walked down the path and decided to send a text to Runo instead of answering the phone. She needed to get herself mentally ready for this meeting. As she walked down the path to the sidewalk and turned right after stepping out of the front yard, Saphira gasped and jumped back in surprise after she had almost walked right into someone without looking.