Well, I posted the first chapter of this to Ao3 and , and there seems to be some interest in it, which makes me smile. While I enjoy writing, that joy is made greater when I see that others also like it.

Also, for the thing about Lelouch very much not being a Darkus brawler, part of the reason was the fact that was a bit…expected, the Black Knight leader, the guy who dresses in black with a morally flexible compass and checkered past and present going for the element of darkness.

Chapter 03: League Battles

"Power loss detected. Victory goes to Alban Ganymede." Lelouch's opponent, who had been so cocky in the beginning, fell to his knees just like everyone else before. This loss was made worse by the fact that Alban had finished the match with a power difference of more than 500 Gs, claiming his foe's 2 Pryus Bakugan for his own.

Much like his first battle, this one had an audience, the largest one yet, as this opponent had been someone who held the 564th spot. "I can't believe it, that's another victory."

"I haven't seen him lose a single battle." Someone noted as Alban had collected his newly won Bakugan, a Pryus Freezer, and Goblinball.

"I don't think he has lost a single one. That's his 13th victory." The spectators continued to stand in awe, praising his skills and win streak against brawlers that were all ranked, though all that only got on Lelouch's nerves.

'They talk like that's some grand achievement. All these brats are so amateurish, it's embarrassing that they call themselves brawlers.' He thought as that brawl had been so much like the rest, it was a chore to continue them. All his foes believed in just increasing their power, with little strategy to be found. He wondered if that was part of the charm, as one hardly had to think and yet, they could end up ranked.

"That's it for the day. I don't have any patience for another duel." Alban dismissed his opponent, who yelled at him to get back. He wasn't the first, and he wouldn't be the last. And just like those before and those that will come after, he ignored them as he left the field.

"We're making great process. That's another 2 Bakugan freed…well, as free as they can be." Juggernoid spoke up.

"This puts the number we've rescued at 7, these being the first 2 Pyrus Bakugan," Clawcer added, eyeing the two Bakugan he held. They were no doubt surprised to see their new master converse with them like this.

"And still we're no closer to finding out how they keep you in this weakened form." Lelouch reminded them that they've had 13 battles against 8 different opponents but have little to show for his mission. He couldn't even rely on the club anymore, as whatever info they can get isn't helpful.

At this point, he only stayed to keep his funds stable, barely spending them on anything essential. However, he would need to make serious moves later, and in his experience, rebel activity was expensive.

"It's only been a month since Wavern gave you this mission. These things take time." Juggernoid, the older, wiser Bakugan, reminded him, with Lelouch needing to keep his patience strong. While he worried about the time they spent, he wasn't the one reduced to a toy for the masses to force to fight.

"I know that, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The only reason I still bother with these duals is to strip my opponents of their Bakugan." He replied as he exited the arena and approached his motorcycle, one of the more sturdy models he could find when he saw that he was being followed.

He kept his cool as he continued on his bike, silently warning his Bakugan to act naturally. Midway to the vehicle, he paused and turned around, seeing the three suited men watching him. Much like himself, they wore visors that hid their eyes.

"If you have business with me, say it. Like I tell every other two-but brawler, I don't have time for foolishness." He told them, keeping his bike in the peripheral as he doubted that they were security forces, as outside gambling as a minor, he hadn't done anything wrong. That said, he wouldn't put it past a people willing to enslave another to try and arrest him on trumped-up charges.

The men, having been spotted, approached him more openly. Lelouch frowned as he looked them over and didn't see any means to confer that they were law enforcement—nothing like the police he had seen in his month in Beta City.

They stopped when they got close, but not too close; Lelouch guessed they didn't want to frighten him, which only amused him as he had dealt with much worse than some goons. "We saw your battle, and you are quite an impressive brawler. Strangely, you're not ranked, as I imagine someone with your talent would be in the 400s at least." One of them, the apparent leader, spoke up with some commendation in his voice.

Alban's frown didn't change at the attempt to butter him up. "I'm new to the sport, and besides, I haven't participated in any tournaments or League brawls yet." That was true as he learned early on that because of how competitive and popular the game was, official ranks could only change through tournament brawls or league-approved ones. One didn't need either to play, as he certainly didn't bother, but the consequence was that his rank remained unlisted.

"Our boss's daughter heard of your exploits. You might have heard of her, Shalta Maje." He asked, arrogant bleeding out every word he said.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" Alban asked, both to get under their skin and because he truly didn't know who that was—a fact that made one of the suited men angry.

"Why you?" His attempt to approach him was stopped by their leader, who seemed displeased but able to keep his anger in check.

"She's the 423rd Brawler in Beta City. A position she's quite proud of and wishes to test herself against the one that has been…rising through the ranks." He explained, though Lelouch could turn over those words, the fact he was said to be someone worthy of a ranking close to their mistress and that pause in trying to convey her intent for this.

"You mean she's insulted that nobody has been defeating ranked brawler after the ranked brawler, and she feels threatened by that?" Alban asked, to which the silent grunts shook in shock while their leader still had better control over himself. Still, the rest gave the fame away. "You already know I haven't had a league brawl yet, so why should I change that now?"

"She's willing to compensate you for it. Any amount that you desire to battle her." Alban snorted at that response.

"What? Does she bride me to lose?" He would have expected…more from a brawler, as while those he had faced had been pathetic, they at least had their pride in their skills. This faceless girl seemed to be like every noble he'd met.

The minion shook his head. "You misunderstand. She's paying for you to battle her, not to intentionally lose the fight. Of course, I doubt that you could win." Oh, there was that confidence again. They didn't think she would need to bribe him to lose because her skills would be enough.

'She clearly is someone of wealth; perhaps she would have some information of worth.' Lelouch thought to himself as, thus far, those he interacted with just saw the Bakugan as pets and toys. Mindless creatures that fought for their entertainment. The truth of the Bakugan didn't seem to be widely known, which gave him hope, as the fact that those in power didn't reveal it meant that they weren't sure that most of their citizens would approve of it.

But if this girl could afford to offer to pay him whatever he wished and have four grown men act as her message boys, she had to be part of the wealthier circles. Even if she didn't know what he wanted, he bet that she could point him in the direction of someone who did.

"If I agree to this, when will this brawl take place?" Alban asked.

"In two days' time, 4 pm, right here at the arena." The goon replied, Lelouch, recalling that he hadn't planned for anything then.

"…I'll be here, though. Tell your mistress that if she thinks she'll just walk away with the win, she's in for a rude awakening," Alban told them as he turned and continued walking towards his bike.

"We appreciate your agreement and wish you good health until the match, " the man said as Alban got onto his bike, grabbed the helmet, and strapped it on. With a flick of his thumb and a reve, he was off, speeding away from the arena towards where he made his base.

As Beta City was pre-built, just about everything had been accounted for that a city which millions would call home would need to survive and thrive, with redundancies in just about everything. However, that meant that many things were watched, so for a person who didn't exist in their records and didn't wish to leave records, to begin with, Lelouch didn't use his winnings to buy or rent anything.

Instead, he found himself by the city's port. Being a city perched on the ocean meant fishing was a major business, and tours took people out to explore the alien waters. There were homes here, but Lelouch settled for a warehouse where a bride to the manager meant he could live undisturbed and under the radar.

Pulling up to it, he turned his bike's lights off and parked it, taking his helmet off with a sigh. "Shouldn't we be worried? A ranked brawler past the 500s isn't to be messed with." Terrorclaw, one of the first Bakugon Lelouch won in a brawl, asked as he ascended up the stairs, turning the lights on to his small living space as he did.

"Considering the skills of those below the 500s mark, I doubt I have much to be concerned about," Lelouch replied, walking from the stairs to where he had a chair. The space he lived in was small, having a sleeping bag, a kitchen area with just a vestal version of a mini fridge, sink, and microwave, and a tiny bathroom, and that was that. It was cramped and noisy at times, but it was his space. The only place he had in this dimension where he could remove his visor without fear.

"Don't get cocky. Just because they were subpar brawlers doesn't mean this Shalta girl will be the same." Juggernoid warned him, with Lelouch about to dismiss it. Still, he recalled Saitama, Narita, and Port Yokosuka, even the most recent Island espadas that saw him teleport from Shikine island to God knew elsewhere.

All times when his enemies didn't act as he thought they would. All times when they managed to overcome his plans through sheer skill, power, or unpredictability. His arrogance always cost him either the lives of those under him, victory, or both.

"You…might be right, I can't afford to go into this unprepared. Those men were watching my last brawl, who's to say they haven't watched others. My opponent could be prepping a battle plan for me while I know nothing about her." Lelouch conceded, to which Juggernoid let out a pleased hum, happy that the young human wasn't so pig-headed to ignore sound advice.

"Well, why don't you look her up?" Siege spoke up. Lelouch looked to the side, where he had a table set up with spots for his Bakugan to rest. At its edge sat his Darkus Siege, another 'trophy' he had gained over the last three weeks. "If she's ranked, she's bound to have info about her out there or some highlights from her matches."

Lelouch forgot about that. He was used to needing to study his enemies through encounters and intelligence, but this wasn't the kind of resistance. He could just search up most stuff and get it. He let out a chuckle as he got up, grabbing the cheap laptop he bought the other day and powering it up, going to the search engine, he searched for the Bakugan brawlers' info and wasn't disappointed as like sports teams; he found a website with details on all ranked players, not just in Beta City but from Alpha as well, though strangely nothing about Gamma.

Deciding to look up stuff on other noteworthy brawlers in his area, he put in the name 'Shalta Maje', giving the system time to search; he was granted access to a plethora of info about her. The first thing he saw was her picture, the girl being relatively young in it. Her age listed her as 12, and it showed that she looked younger than Nunnally. She had dark hair similar to him but with green and blue highlights through it and typical vestal eyes, colored bright blue.

She was an Aquos with an impressive win streak, with victories since her last defeat. However, that only happened in league matches; nothing was for her true record outside such. However, her last victory wasn't too long ago, listing her having had a match around the same time as he was. "So she sent her people to watch because she was busy with a brawl, " he mused as he clicked on the link for the battle.

Immediately, he could tell that she was much different from the foes he'd manhandled before, but also she was much more ruthless. Her style of combat seemed to care little for the safety of her own Bakugan. She was also demanding, and even when her Bakugan took a heavy blow, she yelled for it to get back up. Seeing that made Lelouch's typical dismissive attitude for his foes to dislike.

"She's a real piece of work," Clawcer stated as they continued to watch her battle. Her celebration once she took victory bumped her up a couple of spots to 420 on the chart.

"She's a brat is more what she is." His Ventus Limulus pointed out, as a previous battle had her throwing a fit during a duos match, and getting into an argument with her teammate who looked to be similarly aged to her, how they managed to claim victory then seemed more like luck the skill.

"It doesn't matter what she is; she's our opponent, so she'll be treated as such." "But first, I need to eat something."

When Alban pulled up to the arena for his match, he found it wouldn't be like any of his other matches from the jump. While those had attracted some audience, it was never more than a couple dozen people.

Not today. On the jumbo screen at the front of the place, he saw that the main match of the day would be his, with hundreds of people already present, lining up to buy tickets. "Of course, she wants this to be seen." He muttered to himself as he got off his bike and walked towards the entrance. His luck being as poor as it was, he was spotted.

"There he is, the challenger!"

"He doesn't seem like much."

"Oh, he's going to get his butt kicked!"

"Damn shame too, but that's what he gets to challenging one of the best when he can't even get onto the rankings."

"They're certainly confident in our loss," Juggernoid, hidden by his jacket, whispered as they continued to listen to Shalta's fans, some even wearing shirts with her face on them. Just how popular was she? There wasn't anything about this on the Bakugan Brawlers website.

"We'll just have to show them their confidence is misplaced," Clawcer affirmed. Alban remained silent as he approached the front, where the receptionist waited. The familiar face greeted him with a nod and a hand, though not for a handshake.

Alban had a reputation for being straight to business outside duels, and these people would know that, so he handed him his gauntlet so he could enter the match. With that done, he was given his match details and authorization to venture into the brawlers' exclusive area. With the door closing with a quiet hiss, he could breathe easier as he wasn't bombarded by annoying fans.

"Why do I have a feeling she intended for that just to get to be?" He asked himself as he continued down the path, quickly finding that the area wasn't as empty as he thought. Turning a corner, he saw more of those grunts from the other day, well over twice of them.

"And what, pray tell, are you all doing here?" He asked as he approached one of them. The man was taller and bulkier than him, but if that intimidated Alban, he didn't let it show.

"Doesn't concern you, boy. Just get moving." He was dismissed by the more prominent man, though he didn't move from his spot.

"Unless you want me to call security, you'll explain why you're in a brawler-exclusive space." Alban pushed him, stepping closer to the big man.

"Oh, Mr. Ganymede. You're early. Good, the mistress doesn't like to be made to wait." Both turned to see someone approach, with Alban needing a moment to recognize him as the same one that invited him here.

He grunted as he stepped back, his head shifting as he took in the amount of security running around the place. "She also seems to enjoy the company."

The apparent leader of these men fixed his visor. "It's a consequence of her family name. You understand that the city's mayor must protect his only daughter properly."

Yes, Lelouch knew about that. Girl was spoiled in every way possible, but at least she had the skills to back it up, not relying on her father's influence and wealth to win. Still, he had a feeling that there was more happening here. "Seems excessive when a crime is such a non-issue."

"That's not the only concern, but you have a match to prepare for." He certainly had them now if he hadn't had suspicions before, but he wouldn't let them know. Without a word, he turned and left to head to his waiting room.

"Hellloooo, Beta cittttyyyyy! Are you reeaddyyyy?" The announcer hyped the crowd of thousands who cheered for the coming match.

"That's what I love to hear, as we've got another exciting Bakugan Brawl lined up!" The man pointed towards the hologram above the arena, one made from five different holo screens so everyone could see it. On it, there were pictures of the two Bakugan. Alban looked stoic and forgettable as he had reluctantly allowed them to take it. At the same time, his opponent was dynamic and filled with character, which just hyped up her fans.

"It's ranked vs unranked, water vs water, the masked menace of the unknowns vs our Hyro princess!" He added as the two took to the field, ascending onto the elevator podiums from which they'll command their Bakugan.

"She's just placed 420th on the charts and is rising rapidly. Who knows where she'll be in a year, but plenty of people see her joining the best of the best, the Vexos! Shalta Maje!" The peppy middle schooler posed for the cameras and her adoring fans, wearing the latest in Beta city trends for Brawlers; she indulged in the idea that she was an Aquos brawler regarded as royalty by her people.

"And her challenger? Word on the street is that he's an up-and-comer in the unranked crowd. Well, who knows what he can do, but it'll have to be a miracle to stand with the big brawlers, Alban Ganymede!" In contrast, Alban wore average clothing like most people there. Outside his visor, there was nothing special about him, which fed into the idea that he was just a nobody, one who got lucky.

"A princess?" Alban repeated, to which his opponent flashed him a confident smirk, performing for her fans to enjoy.

"Yup! I hope you won't chicken out after all these people came to see you lose!" She called back to him.

"Not at all," Alban held back the smile he wished to show and kept himself at a minor smirk as he put on his gauntlet. I just have an…interesting history with royals." Lelouch considered it petty, but fighting someone styling themselves as royalty, he just had to defeat her; otherwise, how could he call himself Zero?

"Pretty confident, I like that. It'll make this win all the sweeter." Shalta smiled as she matched his action. Her gauntlet slapped onto her forearm, and both pulled out their power cards and slotted them in.

"Gauntlet Power Strike!" With that, the battle started.

"Gate card, set!" Alban started things, throwing his card onto the field. That done, he pulled out his first Bakugan. "Bakugan, brawl! Aquos Griffon!" He sent out his Bakugan, which transformed into a massive blue and white chimera with a lion's forebody, the hind legs of a goat covered in scales, a snake for a tail, and a pair of large bat-like wings.

"A kitty? That's adorable." Shalta smirked as she whipped out her chosen Bakugan and threw it onto the field. "Bakugan, brawl! Show them you mean business, Aquos Verias!" In a flash of light and water, a giant blue and white monkey appeared, hearing a golden headband and twirling around a staff before posing, the crowd going wild at it.

'It's one of her crowd pleasers.' Alban thought to himself a glance up showed that Griffon had a power level of 390 while Verias had a power level of 350. "Griffon, attack!" His Bakugan roared as it took the air before diving towards Verias, who tried to defend himself with his staff and avoid its blows. Still, after one dodge, Griffon's snake tail whipped around and bit the monkey's arm, the Bakugan roaring in pain and anger. This distraction allowed Griffon to swipe at it with its paw, sending it flying.

"Abiliity activate, Water slap!" Shalta card out. As Griffon went in for the finishing blow, Verias body was doused in water, forming around its staff, the boast seeing its power level jump up 100 Gs, which it used to strike Griffon right in the gut, turning the battle on its head as it was tossed back, landing with a wine.

"And just like that, Shalta turns the battle back in her favor!" The announcer's voice carried over the cheering crowds as Shalta soaked it all in, smirking as she kept her gaze on her opponent, who kept his cool even as Verias started to gain ground, keeping Griffon on the defensive.

"As if I'll just let things stand, Ability card activate, Deep Sea vortex!" He slotted an ability card into his gauntlet and held it up. Around Griffon, a vortex of water formed, shooting out across the field, mist from it even hitting the two brawlers. The effect was immediate, as Shalta's ability card was negated, with her Verias about to strike a now stronger opponent.

But where his other opponents would panic, she kept her calm. "Impressive, but that won't beat me! Double Ability Activate! Water Refrain plus Overflow!" Verias' body let out a pulse of blue energy while its staff started to glow a bright blue. Its power jumped 120G right as it brought it down on Griffon's head, and his Bakugan went down with a crash.

Alban frowned at that, as that was…new. Shalta jumped for joy when her Bakugo returned to her in victory, the round ending with her opponent down to a fraction of his life gauge of 110.

"Were you able to keep up there? It must be hard when you're new to the big leagues." Shalta taunted him as Alban frowned.

"You're certainly stronger than the riff-raft I've battled in the past, but this battle isn't over yet." He told her as she threw a gate card down and sent out a new Bakugan, Aquos Abis Omega.

Alban and the crowd watched as the slithering serpent took to the field. Much like other Bakugans of its attribute type, it was two-toned but with diamonds along its sides.

"Bakugan, brawl! Rise Aquos Juggernoid!" Alban threw his second Bakugan onto the field, not wasting a second as once it manifested, he pulled out two ability cards. "Double ability activate! Depth Tornado and Dive Mirage!" The battlefield turned into a deep lake, into which Juggernoid dived; Abis Omega followed suit, swimming against the current created by Juggernoid's Depth Tornado that was trying to pull it in, a dangerous situation for the serpent with their power at 430 to Abis Omega's 350.

"Nice trick, taking out my Gate card, but I have plenty of tricks in my book, ability activate! Water Refrain!" Shalta activated, with her serpent letting out a pulse of blue which canceled out both of Alban's abilities, dropping its power back to 330, lower than Abis Omega, which the snake took full advantage of as it whipped at Juggernoid, sending it tumbling out of the water, back to the surface that returned to solid ground.

Juggernoid's landing wasn't soft, as the Bakugan let out a pained groan, which made Alban frown, both at being countered and the pain that his Bakugan was going through because of it. Shalta laughter wasn't making things easier for him.

"This is the best that you can do? I was expecting more. My bad. I should have known better. Gate card, open! Land Pressure!" Shalta commanded, with the ground beneath Juggernoid transforming into a bright, blue void where a gravity well sat. That well pulled on the massive turtle, slamming it into the ground with a thud that could be felt across the arena. Alban saw that it wasn't just immobilized but that its power level dropped by 200G.

"That's not good," Alban muttered as his opponent started their attack; Juggernoid retreated into its shell, but the blows hit like boulders. "Dammit…" He couldn't use abilities for another 10 seconds.

"Come on, you big snake! Finish them all ready!" Shalta yelled as her Bakugan let out a loud hiss as it wrapped around Juggernoid's shell, squeezing it. The Bakugan within felt it as it continued to let out pained groans.

"Hang in there, Juggernoid! Don't let them win!" Alban called out, encouraging the old Bakugan to keep in the fight. In their situation, he couldn't reply with words, but its groan seemed to speak enough, even as its opponent increased the pressure on it.

"It's useless; you lost when you accepted this battle." Shalta dismissed them, but Alban saw that the effects of Water Refrain had mercifully ended.

"As long as we can fight, it's not over! Double ability activate! Waterspout and Breach Breaker!" He held up his gauntlet, letting the duel light of the two ability cards shine as Juggernoid gained 150Gs while Abis Omega dropped 100 Gs, leaving the power difference between them 30 points in Juggernoid's favor. The weakened Abis Omega screeched as it tried to squeeze Juggernoid but found it didn't have the power for it anymore.

Shalta's smirk faltered, turning into a confused and angry-looking frown as Alban was hanging on; that wasn't meant to happen. "So what? Your stupid Bakugan still can't move." She called out, as so what if her Bakugan couldn't land the finishing blow, it would only take-

"Who said that was the only thing? Double ability activate! Hydro Arbiter and Power Drainage!" Alban didn't give her the time to try and counter him, piling on another double ability, which saw a swirl of water form around Juggernoid, which let out a determined growl as the swirl turned into spears of water that crashed into the gravity well, destroying it. In contrast, water shot out from its body, encasing it in a stream, increasing its attack power as it retreated into its shell and launched at Abis Omega.

The opposing Bakugan wasn't fast enough to evade the blow, which knocked the wind off it, the body of Juggernoid carrying it towards the stand that Shalta stood on, smashing it into it. Shalta let out an undignified squeal as she fell on her butt from the force of the impact. When Juggernoid pulled back, the serpent fell on its belly, letting out a pained hiss as Juggernoid sadly looked at his opponent, hating that he had to do this, but that was all he could.

"What are you doing? Get up and fight!" Shalta yelled as she scrambled up, looking furious that she had even been knocked over to begin with. Her Bakugan tried to respond to her orders, but Juggernoid sat on it, pinning it to the ground. It was finally defeated and sent back to its owner, who looked on in shock as her life gauge dropped by half.

"What is this? Shalta has taken a defeat? What a shake-up! Maybe this mysterious Alban has some teeth to his rep!" The announcer seemed stunned to see Shalta take a loss, with the crowds being the same, with her most loyal fans crying out that it was only minor and that Alban would soon regret not just laying down and letting her step on them…

Alban decided to ignore that last part for the sake of his sanity.

"I told you, this battle isn't over. Or were you expecting to just claim victory without any damage?" Alban asked her, grasping his returned Juggernoid as he looked her over, seeing that her carefully made mask was already cracking. "What a child!"

"What did you say, you old coot!" Shalta yelled at him, stomping her foot like the child she was. Alban kept his cool, smirking as if, with one victory, he could start hitting her other weaknesses. She might know his battle style, but he knew she was short-tempered and prone to outbursts.

"If I'm old, you're middle-aged." He retorted, which only made her angrier as she glared at him. Alban did not need to read her mind to know she seriously considered calling it quits and having her goons attack him. But she kept that urge at bay because she valued how her city viewed her too much to try such.

"Who are you calling middle-aged, you visor-wearing moron?!" That didn't mean she regained that smugness from before.

"Gate card, set." Alban didn't even respond to her, infuriating her even more. Instead, he pulled out one of his Bakugan and got ready to throw it, speaking softly so as not to be heard. "I'm counting on you, Griffon."

"I'm ready to teach this brat a lesson, Alban," Griffon replied softly, eager to get payback for her defeat.

"Bakugan brawl, Let's end this, Aquos Griffon!" Alban declared as his Bakugan formed on the field, roaring out in the challenge.

Shalta's temper got the best of her as she decided that this punk needed to be taught a lesson, no one and she meant NO-ONE could just waltz up into brawling and disrespect it, or her! "I'll show you what it means to mess with me!" She shipped out new Bakugan, a smile forming on her face, filled with rage.

"I just got this one from Daddy and was saving it for the tournament, but let's see you handle it! Bakugan brawl, Claim victory for your princess, Aquos Sirenoid!" She threw the Bakugan onto the field, where a pillar of water formed, stretching high enough into the air that one could see it even over the stadium walls. A hand reached out from it, moving the water out of the way like it was little more than a curtain, presenting themselves to the arena.

What floated before them was a mermaid wielding a lyre staff. Her long, aquamarine-like hair fell over her shoulders and back like a smooth waterfall, and a pale gold-like crown crest adorned her forehead, directly above her pupilless orange eyes.

"Wow…" Alban couldn't find another word to respond, as he was just…taken by this Bakugan. He had met many noble, powerful, and majestic Bakugan in his short time in New Vestoria, Wavern being one that popped out as one that could be described by all three of those words. But this one, this Sirenoid, could very well match up with 2.

Shatla took his silence and let out a arrogant huff, a smirk returning to her face. "Stunned silent? I can't blame you. It's a rare Bakugan you're facing off against."

"It?" Alban repeated, knocked back into reality as he looked at his foe, frowning at her word choice. "Is that all the Bakugan are to you? 'Its'?"

Shalta waved off his question, irritation blooming on her face. "What are you, sentimental? They're mindless beasts, animals. Oh, don't tell me, you're one of those people that dress them up and post about it?" Lelouch didn't know that, the idea of Bakugan being paraded about like toys or dolls made his frown turn into a scowl, which his foe took to mean she was right and started laughing.

"Oh, you are! That's adorable. What are you? 10?" She laughed. Now she knew why he wore that stupid visor no matter where he went. He didn't want people to think that his bad-ass persona was into such stupid stuff. Alban's hand closed into a fist as he breathed to keep cool.

Having had some good chuckle at her opponent's expense, she decided to end things. "Well, let's finish this so you can get back to playing dress-up! Double ability, activate! Anthemusa and Forcing Wave!" Sirenoid's body emitted a hum, her power level rising from 400 to 500. At the same time, she started to string at her lyre, playing a soft, alluring melody that had the entire arena feeling relaxed and happy as around her, a maelstrom form, the ground vanishing beneath the frothing white waves.

Griffon roared but fell silent as the melody calmed her battle hunger and even desire to fight as she started walking towards her. Griffon shook her head and ground her teeth as she fought against Sirenoid's allure. However, despite all her strength and will, her body was still slowly but surely moving toward her.

"It's over for you, once your Bakugan hears its deadly song, there's no escape." Shalta bragged, though Lelouch barely heard her as he felt he needed to move towards Sirenoid.

'What's…happening.' He asked himself, feeling his geass activate on its own, glowing so bright he worried his visor couldn't hide it. Looking at Sirenoid, he had to bite his tongue, letting the pain and taste of copper ground him even as he continued to hear her soft, soothing melody, but now that he could focus, he could hear things that others couldn't, hear what only a Bakugan could. 'It…I can hear her…it'…its…'

"From golden days, I tread now in shadow,

Where once freedom's song rang, now silence sighs,

Hope wanes like a flickering lamp fading to night."

"Miserable, what sort of melody is that?" he asked himself, as it wasn't just her lyrics but her voice, which perhaps would have sounded like the sun rays on the skin, was filled with utter dejection and sorrow. It was the voice of someone who had given up on escaping the life they had, the cruel fate that had unfairly been given to them.

It was just like how C.C. sounded that day at Narita.

'No.' He promised C.C. that he would give her new memories. He swore that he would free the Bakugan, and right here and now, he will break the chains of fate on this Bakugan; he will because he is the man who bears the name Zero because his heart refused to bow in the face of evil.

"I refuse to stand by and allow fate to have its way, the future and our destinies are to be shaped by us, through our free will." He declared, his geass pulsating, responding to his desire and resolve.

His opponent wondered what he was blabbering on about but couldn't ask as he made his move. "Gate card, open! Positive Delta!" The field explodes in the bright, multi-colored light of the 6 attitudes.

"What the-what's Positive Delta?" Shalta yelled. The light was so bright she couldn't see the field anymore, whereas Alban, with his visor, could see clear as day.

"A gate card that subtracts 200Gs from any opposing Bakugan of the Pyrus, Aquos, or Haos attributes, however, if it were to be used against a Bakugan of the Ventus, Subterra, or Darkus attributes, it would have been my Bakugan to lose 200Gs." He explained as the light died down, allowing the audience to see that Sirenoid's power level had dropped from 500 to just 300, well below Griffon's, the Bakugan now growling at the mermaid as it stopped fighting and lunged at her, forcing her to dodge the attack, but the chimera was persistent.

"Like that will help you! Ability card, activate! Dive Mirage!" Shalta called out, with Sirenoid evading an attack by diving into the nearly created water of the battlefield, her power level returning to normal to the highs it had just reached.

Griffon didn't dare follow her in, sparing only a glance towards her brawler, who lifted his gauntlet, two cards already slotted in. "I won't let you escape; you stepped into the waters, so now let them take you; double ability activate! Water Refrain plus Depth Tornado."

Around Sirenoid, the effects of the dive mirage started rapidly fading, forcing her back to the surface where Giffon was waiting. The chimera struck with a powerful swipe of her paw, sending the mermaid back. Sirenoid landed with a crash and a cry of pain.

'It's not enough; I can't just win; I need a complete victory, or else I can't free her.' Lelouch thought, as he had used just about every booster he had, and even then, the difference of power between them was only 90.

His hand started to glow, drawing his attention as, out of thin air, a card started to form out of red light, the symbol of geass forming its crest. Everyone saw it and wondered what it meant, though few realized just what the implications were for a brawler to be able to gain a card when their Bakugan hadn't evolved.

'Wavern…is this you…or my geass responding to my desire?' Lelouch didn't know the question, but upon seeing the card, he smirked and decided it was time to gamble.

"What the heck was that about? How come you can do that, that's cheating!" Shalta yelled at him.

"Cheating? I don't recall that being in the rules, but I can't expect much from a brat." Alban replied.

"What?" She screeched as he didn't give his card a second look. He would trust in his skills, but more importantly, he would trust in Griffon to get this done.

"Double fusion ability activate! Waterspout and Absolute Primordial Seas!" he proclaimed, and the entire arena went silent as he performed his first fusion ability. As if that wasn't impressive enough, he managed to perfectly synchronize it with his regular ability card.

Just like the first time he used it, Waterspout created a tornado of water around Griffon, one that spread out across the arena, dousing everything, leaving Griffon with an extra 100Gs while her foe, Sirenoid, suffered a power loss of 100Gs. Shalta was left worried, as with Water Refrain still active for another 8 seconds, she couldn't counter, and the field was already far from her favor. Griffon stood with 590Gs while Sirenoid only had 300Gs.

However, that was merely half her trouble as the fusion ability kicked it, the arena once more changed into water, but its surface was calm; even when Griffon landed, there was no disturbance, but the depths were so dark that one couldn't see even a fraction of a way down. From those depths, a body formed, a colossal avatar of the sea, wearing a crown made from ice and eyes that glowed a familiar pink.

"With this…victory is mine." Alban declared as Griffon and Sirenoid were engulfed in columns of water, with Alban's Bakugan's power level increased by 200Gs. At the same time, Sirenoid's dropped a further 100Gs.

"Wait-!" Shala begged. They just needed another two seconds, just two seconds, and she could fight; she could try to counter.

But she didn't get that as Griffon pounced on the weakened Sirenoid, her giant paw crashing into Sirenoid's chest and driving her into the ocean below with the impact of a meteorite, generating enormous waves that buffeted against the battier, licks of water reaching over it and hitting the first few rows of spectators who let out yelps, cries, and shouts.

"Power loss detected. Victory goes to Alban Ganymede."

The automated voice cut through frustration and irritation like a scissor through cloth, and the entire arena turned to see that Alban remained standing, and so too his Bakugan, as the field returned to normal, whereas Sirenoid lay defeated at their feet. Above it all, the holo-screens displayed that Shalta had nothing left in her life gauge while her opponent still had 110 points.

"No…I lost…?" Shalta asked, tearing up as their… Bakugan returned to their ball forms. Instead of Sirenoid returning to her, she, along with Griffon, returned to Alban, who caught both.

"Give her back…you give her back right now!" Shalta started crying as she yelled at him, unwilling to accept that she had lost, that she had lost Sirenoid to some unranked nobody!

"I refuse." Alban's response silenced her and drove a blade of ice through the hearts of all those who listened. He looked average; he dressed average. He wasn't even a ranked brawler; before this match, no one knew who he was.

But now, all of Beta City knew him. And they saw that he stood a king as he glared at his opponent in disgust. "You were the one that challenged me, little girl. This was merely the result of that."

That said, he turned and left, the arena still silent as he vanished into the shadows.

The next chapter will be out on Jaunaury 23rd.

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