The beastly roar echoed through the city, terrifying anyone that heard it.

"What was that?" A young boy asked, as his Bakugan partner listened. Another roar followed, sounding louder and more monstrous. It made the Bakugan shiver, as he had a feeling he knew what it was. And he pitied the poor soul that was suffering.

"That, my friends, is a Bakugan in turmoil. I don't know what happened to it, but a sound like that does not occur without a great amount of pain and hardship behind it." The child frowned, also feeling sorry for the Bakugan. They could only wonder what could be happening to the poor creature, to make it unleash such a sound.

Back in the warehouse district, Flash and everyone was in absolute shock.

Leonidas had finally been unleashed, but he wasn't the Leonidas they knew. He was now a sickly gray in place of white, the rest of his colours being much paler. Whatever Cursor had done to him had also robed him of any sense of reason, the dragon appearing worse than any Bakugan that they had ever seen brawl.

"What have they done to you?" Flash asked, his legs shaking.

"It can't be," Twilight cried, the others just staring at him in shock.

Meanwhile, Cursor just laughed as Leonidas spread his wings and let out another roar. "What's the matter. "Don't you recognise your old friend, Leonidas?"

Dragonia stared at her son and frowned. "I can't believe it. The dark energy the Rugenga use to control their Bakugan, was even able to affect Leonidas."

Thalia and the other Rugenga smirked. "Leonidas isn't like any other Bakugan," she told them. "We've heard the stories of his origins. How he originated within the Doom Dimension. For all you know, this is Leonidas' true being. Finally brought to the surface."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sunset cried. "There's no way Leo could be anything like this."

"No," Flash shook his head. "Leonidas started out angry and spiteful. It was only thanks to my friends and I, that he was able to step out of the darkness."

"Yes," Dragonia agreed. "Without you, this could have been what he would have become. And now, Cursor has caused him to regress into this mindless beast."

"Then you've gotta get him back," Mira cried. "Maybe beating him will snap him out of it."

"Maybe," Cursor chuckled. "But I'm not going to let that happen." He pointed at Dragonia. "Leonidas. Rip those fools apart!" Leonidas roared and charged forward, claws at the ready as he tried to attack Dragonia. As he did, Flash checked his Baku-Bracer and nodded.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 500Gs

Sure enough, Dragonia caught him before he could attack and threw him to the ground. "I'll smack some sense into you." She pinned him down and Leonidas roared, Flash hating the pained sound he was feeling. But he knew this was the only way to save him.

"Don't think you've got this fight won." Cursor took out a card. "Don't forget how this ended last time." Flash's eyes widened, as Cursor swiped the card. "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed and so did Leonidas, "Haos Flux!"

Leonidas roared again, as the light grew brighter and his body became surrounded in veins. "LEO!" Flash cried, seeing this and realising something unnatural was happening to him. And when he checked his Baku-Bracer, he frowned.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 700Gs

Leonidas' new strength allowed him to push Dragonia off of him, the Haos Guardian staggering back before crashing into the wall. This caused the place to shake, as more of it started falling down. "Everyone out!" Spectra cried, the others nodding and breaking for the exit.

The Rugenga also took the hint and when part of the wall broke apart, they all leapt through the hole and raced out of the warehouse.

Leonidas leapt into the air and as Dragonia picked herself up, Cursor swiped another card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas' mouth filled with energy. "Neo Phaser!"

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs

He let out another roar and the light exploded out of his mouth, shooting down towards the building as Dragonia saw it coming. "Look out!" Flash cried, as she crossed her arms and braced herself.

The beam struck her and exploded, destroying the rest of the building as she was sent staggering out of it. "Gaaah!" Her body smoked, but she refused to let herself be beaten. "Is that the best you've got!?"

Cursor chuckled. "Maybe if you showed me something impressive, I'd be willing to give this battle more effort." Flash glared at him and took out a pair of cards.

"You want impressive? Try this!" He swiped them. "Double Ability, Activate!" Dragonia's mouth and the gem on her chest glowed. "Shining Dragonia, plus Mega Burst!" The beam exploded out of the gem and hit Leonidas, draining away some of his power as her rose.

Dragonia: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs

She then let out a feminine roar, as the laser exploded out of her mouth and slammed into Leonidas.

It exploded and he roared in pain, falling towards the ground and almost crashing. As he did, Flash smirked at Cursor. "How's that? Impressive enough for you?"

Cursor chuckled. "Not bad. However..." Leonidas suddenly glowed, "not good enough." Leonidas fired another laser and Dragonia did the same, the two attacks slamming into one another and appearing even in strength as they faded out. Flash then checked his Baku-Bracer and his eyes widened.

Dragonia: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 1100Gs

"What? How?"

"Ability, Activate!" Cursor swiped a card and Leonidas charged forward. "Power Brawl!"

Dragonia: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 1300Gs

He reached Dragonia and started punching and kicking at her, Dragonia crying out as Flash swiped his own card.

"Ability, Activate!" Dragonia's chest gem glowed and unleashed a radiant pulse of energy, which glittered as it surrounded her. "Glimmer Shield!" Leonidas punched the energy barrier and couldn't break through.

Dragonia: 1200Gs
Leonidas: 1100Gs

He kept punching at the shield, appearing to do nothing. But Cursor didn't worry, as he suddenly glowed again. Flash and Dragonia saw this, as it seemed his punches got stronger.

Dragonia: 1200Gs
Leonidas: 1200Gs

"What's going on?" Flash asked, as the energy field seemed to start cracking. "How is Leonidas getting stronger without using any Abilities?" But then, Mira realised what was happening.

"It's that card." The others turned to her. "Haos Flux. It must give Leonidas the power to increase his strength, in order to match that of an opponent."

Cursor chuckled. "That's right. With Haos Flux, Leonidas' power will rise to that of the strongest Bakugan on the field. Which means no matter what you do, you'll always be playing catch up." Flash glared at him, believing that an Ability like that was just too strong.

"There's gotta be a way to stop it," Flash growled.

"Maybe. But by the time you figure it out, this match will be long over." He took out another card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas pulled away from the shield and created a ball of energy. "Photon Force!"

Dragonia: 1200Gs
Leonidas: 1400Gs

He threw it forward and it smashed into the shield, the cracked energy exploding as it forced its way through it and smashed into Dragonia. "GYAAAAAAAH!" She was blown backwards and smashed into another building, everyone running away to avoid the debris.

Dragonia fell out of the building, as Leonidas flew down and tried to attack her. But before he could, Flash pointed towards the ground. "Gate Card, Open!" The ground glowed, the light hitting both Bakugan. "Reset!" The pair felt their energies completely drain, as their power was reverted back to its base level.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 500Gs

This also seemed to negate Haos Flux, allowing Dragonia to rush forward after picking herself up and slam her fist right into him. "I'm sorry!" She cried, as Leonidas was thrown backwards.

He roared as he hit the ground, whilst Dragonia prepared to fire another laser. But Cursor swiped a card first. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas's body bulged again, a light forming around him. "Blistering Radiance!" He roared and the light exploded off of him, being so bright nobody could see a thing.

Dragonia was also blinded, the light also burning her as Leonidas picked himself up. Flash checked his bracer and his eyes widened.

Dragonia: 400Gs
Leonidas: 800Gs

"A three hundred point energy transfer. That shouldn't be possible without being a Fusion Ability." Leo charged at Dragonia and clawed at her, Dragonia roaring in pain as Flash pulled out a card. "Ability, Activate!" She managed to push Leonidas away, as her tail moved around in front of her. "Star Heart!"

Before Leonidas could stop her, the gem on her chest and tail unleashed the light that created the energy barrier around the Bakugan. Leonidas roared, as he felt his power drain whilst Dragonia's rose.

Dragonia: 800Gs
Leonidas: 500Gs

Cursor growled, as Dragonia began to charge up another laser. "Ability, Activate!" He swiped his card and Leonidas turned into a blur, "Speed Burst!"

Dragonia: 800Gs
Leonidas: 700Gs

Leonidas started flying around at super speed, zipping from side to side before attempting to hit Dragonia head on. Had he been in his right mind, he would have tried to attack from a different angle. But having been reduced to a mindless fighting machine, all he could do was attack straight on.

This meant that when he slammed into Dragonia, she was able to grab him before he could pull back. "Big mistake!" With that, she fired her laser point blank and blasted the dragonoid backwards. He let out a roar as he fell backwards, reverting back to ball form and slamming into the ground at Cursor's feet.

Flash: 100%
Cursor: 50%

"No," he growled as Dragonia returned to Flash's grasp. "You think you're winning, but I'm still holding all the trump cards." He picked Leonidas back up. "Don't forget, you can't have Leonidas back, unless your power level is at least five hundred more than mine."

Flash frowned, knowing he was right. And the longer this match went on, the more danger Leonidas was put in. "We've gotta do it in the next round," he told Dragonia.

"We will. Cursor might have those prototype super abilities, but I have a few tricks up my sleeves that even you haven't seen before." Flash raised an eyebrow, as Draken flew up.

"Pathetic. Leonidas didn't do any better than I did." He turned back to Cursor, "let me finish this battle. I can turn this match around.

"No. I think it's time we pushed Leonidas to his true potential. And with it, we'll gain the power we need to help you achieve perfection." Draken looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Cursor didn't reply, instead taking out a card and throwing it towards the ground.

"Gate Card...SET!" It exploded and as soon as he did, he threw Leonidas in. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Flash watched as his best friends hit the ground and started spinning. "Bakugan...STAND! Rise, Haos Novus Leonidas!" The tornado exploded upwards and Leonidas broke through it, the mindless roar escaping his mouth once again.

Flash frowned and clutched Dragonia. "Leo...I'M COMING FOR YOU! Bakugan," he threw Dragonia, "BRAWL!" She flew forward and opened up before even hitting the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" A light exploded out of her, "HAOS DRAGONIA!"

The former White One flew out of the light and let out her song-like roar, she and Leonidas glaring at one another whilst hovering in the air.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 500Gs

Dragonia flew forward, but Cursor swiped a card before she could reach Leonidas. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed and his veins pulsed, "Haos Flux!" He roared again, as his power rose and he slammed into Dragonia.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 700Gs

"Not again!" Moondancer cried, the others glaring at Cursor for using that Ability. Flash frowned, as he took out a card. But before he swiped it, he realised it was a big mistake.

"If I use Dragonia's abilities, Leo's power will rise to match it." He growled, "I've gotta find a way to undo Haos Flux before I power her up."

"Not gonna happen," Cursor chuckled. "You don't have your Gate Card to cancel it out again. And there's more Haos Flux can do, after analysing the data from our last battle." Flash frowned, he and the others not liking the sound of that. "It's time, Leonidas. Time to awaken to full power you can wield."

"What's he talking about?" Mira asked, turning to Sunset and Moondancer. But those two had no idea what he meant by that.

Suddenly, Leonidas pushed Dragonia back and roared. The light surrounding him then exploded off of him, fly up into the air. Everyone saw this and flinched at how bright it was, as the light hit the sky and seemed to stop before opening a portal of some kind. It wasn't a big portal, but it was noticeable to everyone in the city.

"What is that?" Joe cried, as the Bakugan suddenly sensed something coming out of it.

"It's Vestroia," Flarenix cried in shock. "I can feel it. That portal leads to Vestroia." Everyone gasped, having no idea Leonidas had that kind of power.

Flash then remembered what had happened during his last battle against Cursor. "Leo managed to open a portal before and tap into Vestroia's power. Is that what he's planning on doing again?"

"No," Dragonia stated. "It's not the same." She watched as the portal unleashed a burst of energy, which flew down the light pillar and into Leonidas. As it did, Leonidas' body started glowing multiple colours. "Leonidas is being forced to summon the power of Vestroia." She could feel the energy coming off him and knew this wasn't good. "This is way more power than Leonidas tapped into before."

"How much?" Flash asked, as Leonidas suddenly roared and unleashed a wave of energy that cracked every building around them and almost knocked them all off their feet.

"Too much power!" Dragonia cried, doing her best to shield everyone.

"I don't understand," Mira frowned. "How is Leonidas able to channel Vestroia's energy anyway?"

"Leonidas became Vestroia," Twilight explained. "His old body was used to create a new version of the planet, whilst his spirit was left wandering until Dragonia found it. Because Vestroia was made from his old body, he has a connection to it. So he can tap into its power."

"Yes," Dragonia nodded. "But this is way too much. And it's not just Vestroia's Haos Energy."

Cursor chuckled. "That's right. Before, he was only summoning the power of the light element. But now, his full power will be unleashed. Power enough to rival those he had before his body became the new Vestroia." It was then that he took out a card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas started glowing red. "Blazing Vestroia!"

Leonidas let out another beastly roar, as he suddenly unleashed a powerful blast of fire from his mouth.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 1200Gs

The flames slammed into Dragonia and made her scream, as she was blown backwards and crashed into the ground. "What?" Flash asked. "Leonidas just used a Pyrus Ability?"

"How?" Twilight asked, as Cursor swiped another card.

"Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed purple. "Shrouding Vestroia!" As Dragonia picked herself up, Leonidas flew forward before his body exploded into a cloud of purple smoke.

Dragonia: 700Gs
Leonidas: 1700Gs

The cloud began to swirl around Dragonia, making her gasp as she felt like she was breathing acid. "Gaaah!" She clutched her neck, as she fell to her knees. Flash gasped and checked his Baku-Bracer, shocked by what he saw.

Dragonia: 400Gs
Leonidas: 2000Gs

Spectra frowned, as the cloud flew away from Dragonia and reformed into Leonidas. "This time it was a Darkus Ability."

"How is this happening?" Joe asked, as Leonidas spun around and slammed his tail into her. They all gasped, as she was blown away and smashed through another building.

As she was buried, Leonidas roared whilst his body started becoming bulkier and more veins covered his body. Dragonia then pulled herself free of the rubble, but did not look good. "It's Cursor. He's forcing Leonidas to channel the attribute energies of Vestroia." She pushed herself up to her feet, but looked unsteady. "His connection to Vestroia, gives him the power to access any of the Attribute Energies that were used to remake it. the Attribute Energies that were once a part of him."

"I had no idea Leo had that much power," Flash stated. But then he saw how strained and in pain his partner was. "But he can't handle something like that."

"Indeed. Were Leonidas still the Ultimate Bakugan that defeated Lucifer, he would be able to access these abilities with ease. But..."

"He's not anymore," Twilight caught on. "So what will happen if Leo keeps using those abilities?"

"Let's find out!" Cursor laughed as he swiped a card. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed blue, "Tidal Vestroia!" Suddenly, his body turned into water that seemed to triple in volume. It shot forward, morphing into a massive wave that threatened to wash them all away.

Dragonia: 400Gs
Leonidas: 2500Gs

Dragonia forced herself over to the others and raised her arms, slamming them into the wave as the tsunami smashed into her. She roared, the force of the water feeling like a meteor was slamming into her.

The water finally receded and she fell to her knees, as Leonidas reformed and Cursor swiped another card. "Ability, Activate!" He glowed orange. "Quaking Vestroia!" Leonidas flew down and slammed his feet into the ground, causing it to shake.

Everyone was almost thrown off their feet, as Dragonia suddenly found a bunch of stone spikes exploding out of the ground and stabbing into her. "GYAH!"

Dragonia: 200Gs
Leonidas: 3000Gs

"This is insane!" Flash cried. "Leo's power level is going off the charts." He watched as Leonidas' body became more and more muscular, as more and more energy was being sent into him. Energy he couldn't handle.

"This is bad." Dragonia broke out of the stone spikes. "When Celestia and I remade his body, we used my own as a base the same way I did the first time. He inherited my Haos energy. Even though he's able to summon the Attribute Energies of Vestroia, his new body wasn't built to handle all that power."

"What does that mean?" Moondancer asked, as Cursor swiped a card.

"Ability, Activate!" Leonidas glowed green. "Gale Force Vestroia!" A tornado appeared around him and with a beat of his wings, it exploded into multiple blades of air that quickly smashed into Dragonia and cut her up as she screamed.

Dragonia: 200Gs
Leonidas: 3500Gs

Dragonia moaned and fell to the ground, Flash gasping as he took out his Ability Cards. "I'll use Star Heart."

"No," Dragonia moaned. "It won't work. This isn't Leonidas' natural power. The energy from Vestroia won't be so easily defused." She pushed herself up, as Flash tried to think of another way to save him. But he couldn't.

"There has to be something we can do!" Flash cried, as he looked up at Leonidas. And when he did, his eyes widened when he saw Leo's eyes beginning to tear up. "Leo...he's crying." The others saw this and realised he was right. "Cursor...you're tearing him apart!"

"What's happening to him?" Sunset asked.

"It's like I said," Dragonia stood up. "All that energy wasn't meant for Leonidas. His body wasn't designed to handle that many Attributes. It's like putting gasoline in a diesel engine. Even if the engine can use it, it'll destroy itself in the process."

Everyone began to panic, fearing Leonidas wouldn't survive. "Stop this, Cursor!" Flash turned to him, "haven't you done enough?"

Cursor laughed. "If he can't handle it, then that's not my problem. Leonidas is the key to unlocking the energy I need to achieve my destiny." He took out another card, "and nothing is going to stop me. Ability, Activate!" He swiped the card and Leonidas' body glowed even brighter, with multiple colours surrounding him. "Vestroia Unlimited!"

Everyone watched, as the light around him grew brighter and brighter. And as Flash checked his Baku-Bracer, his eyes widened.

Dragonia: 200Gs
Leonidas: 7000Gs

Leonidas roared and unleashed a super powered laser, which struck Dragonia and made her scream in agony. All the while, the veins on Leonidas bulged so much it looked like they were about to burst. "NO!" Flash cried, as the laser finally faded and Dragonia fell to her knees once again.

As she did, Flash heard another beep and checked, his eyes widening.

Dragonia: 199Gs
Leonidas: 7000Gs

Dragonia: 198Gs
Leonidas: 7000Gs

Dragonia: 197Gs
Leonidas: 7000Gs

"No way," Flash cried. "It's draining Dragonia's power."

Cursor laughed. "Once it hits zero, your precious Dragonia will be destroyed. That will be sure to break any will you had left to resist me." They all glared at him, as Leonidas unleashed another laser that slammed into Dragonia.

"GYAH!"

Dragonia: 144Gs
Leonidas: 7000Gs

"Dragonia!" Flash gasped, as she fell to the ground. "No. This can't be happening. There's gotta be something we can do."

The others began to worry as well. Spectra looked ready to throw Helios into the battle, but even he wasn't sure there was anything they could do to help Leonidas at this point. He seemed to be in too bad a state to help.

But then, Dragonia pushed himself up. "There...there is a way." She turned to Flash. "But it's risky."

"Risky?" Flash didn't like the sound of that, as his card holder suddenly opened and unleashed a light. One that almost blinded everyone. "What's this?" He reached in and took out the source of the light. A card. "Power Dimittis?"

"That ability will allow me to revert us both to base form and grant me an extra hundred Gs for every Ability Leo's used. But there is a risk. Once you activate it, you will need to keep me connected to Leonidas until the process is complete."

"Is that it?" Flash smirked. "Alright."

"No. Once I start, losing contact for even a second will result in the energy I'm removing going out of control. Leonidas is already on the verge of overloading. This could accelerate the process. If you fail to hold on, you could be the one to end up taking his life."

Flash's eyes widened. "I...I can't risk that." As he said that, Leonidas unleashed an extra powerful laser. It hit the ground and exploded, unleashing a shockwave that almost blew everyone back. All the while, Leonidas' eyes kept crying. "LEO!"

"Flash!" Spectra cried, "you might not have a choice. At this rate, I don't think Leonidas will last much longer. You either do it and risk losing him, or don't and definitely lose him." Flash realised he was right, as Leonidas prepared to fire another blast.

He checked his Baku-Bracer and saw he didn't have much time left.

Dragonia: 50Gs
Leonidas: 7000Gs

"Alright," Flash stood tall and held up the card. "LET'S DO THIS!" Dragonia let out a roar and pushed herself up, as Leonidas unleashed the attack again. "Ability, Activate!" He swiped the card and it glowed, shooting towards Dragonia and slamming into her back. "Power Dimittis!"

She gasped at this, as the laser almost hit her. But a forcefield appeared around her and whilst it struggled to hold the power back, he gave Dragonia the time she needed.

Suddenly, she transformed into a bright light that flew towards Flash. And as if on instinct, Flash threw his right fist forward and punched it. Doing so caused the light to spread around his hand and arm, morphing into a shining white gauntlet that looked like a dragon with Flash's hand coming out of the mouth. The eyes were bright yellow, whilst the white glove over Flash's hand was covered by white metal plates.

Everyone was amazed by this, as Flash clenched his fist. "Leonidas..." He ran forward, "I'M COMMING FOR YOU!" They all gasped, as Cursor and the Rugenga looked shocked.

"Is he insane!?" Thalia cried, Cursor pointing at him.

"Leonidas. BLOW HIM AWAY!" Leonidas unleashed another laser, which flew straight at Flash. Everyone was terrified Flash would be blown up, but Flash leapt forward to avoid the attack. It struck the ground behind him and the following shockwave almost blew him off his feet.

"Gaaah!" He staggered, but he kept going and turned to a nearby building.

Said building had a chain hanging from the roof for some reason. A chain that Flash ran forward and grabbed before running as fast as he could.

The chain went taut and Flash was able to use it to help pull himself up the side of the building, allowing him to get up to Leonidas' arm height.

"LEO!" Flash leapt forward and grabbed his arm, the dragon seeing this and roaring as he tried to swing him off of him. But Flash held on tight, with Leonidas attempting to claw at him. Flash barely managed to pull himself out of the way, the claw missing him with Flash leaping forward and grabbing onto it as it pulled back.

Now on Leo's arm, Flash panted whilst the dragon roared at him.

He was almost thrown off the dragon, but he held on as tight as he could. And when Leonidas tried to swallow him, terrifying everyone, Flash leapt straight up.

"LET'S GO!" Flash fell down and landed on Leonidas' snout, sliding down it and landing within the Bakugan's horn. he then thrust his gauntleted hand onto his head and unleashed a brilliant light. "LEO!"

The dragon roared, as the light caused his power to explode out of him. All the energy he had called upon in Vestroia, was being sucked out of him into the gauntlet. It then exploded out the eyes of the gauntlet and shot back into the portal, returning it back to the source of its power.

He started swinging his head around, violently trying to throw Flash off of him.

The teen gasped, as he felt his hand slide around on Leonidas' head. The hand stayed connected to him, whilst Flash was rocked around. He held onto the horn as best he could, doing everything he could to not be flung off him. "I'm not letting go!" Flash cried. "Do you hear me, Leonidas!? I'm not letting go!"

"He's insane!" Hayate cried, as Leonidas' claws reached up to try and get him. "If he's not careful, the energy he's unleashing will burn him to a crisp."

"Some people are just too foolish to see when they should give up."

"This isn't foolishness." They all turned to Spectra, who smirked as he was watching Flash hold on. "That is friendship. Something I would have thought you'd understand, given who you all seem to be connected to. What you're seeing, is what a true friend would do for the one they care about. It's something I had to learn from Dan Kuso. And something these two share and know naturally."

"That's right," Sunset told them. "If it was Flarenix, I would do anything to save him."

"And Sorcerell," Moondancer stated. "I don't care how impossible and dangerous it seems. Nothing would stop me from saving her." The others nodded, believing the exact same thing.

Flash grunted, as he felt more and more power being drained out of Leonidas. But as he did, the dragon flew over to a building and smashed his head into it. "Gyah!" He gasped, feeling himself being jostled around. Parts of the building broke apart and hit him, Flash flinching in pain but still not giving up. "I...won't...quit!" He pressed his armored hand into his head even harder.

More energy exploded out of him, blinding Flash who refused to let this be the end.

Everyone watched, as Leonidas kept thrashing about. But Flash kept holding on. "Don't fight me, Leonidas!" The dragon gauntlet exclaimed. Then, slowly, something started happening.

Leonidas' body started becoming less bulky. His muscles started to deflate, whilst the veins covering him disappeared. He kept roaring, but it became less strained as more and more power was being drained away.

"What's happening?" Cursor asked, as he checked his Baku-Bracer and saw that Leonidas and Dragonia's power levels were changing. Dragonia's had stopped depleting when she had less than five points left before rising back up, whilst Leonidas' was going way down.

"Recalculating power levels."

"I don't believe it!" Cursor cried out. "They're actually able to undo the power of our prototype super Abilities. Impossible." Leonidas was still roaring, attempting to throw Flash off. But the teen knew he couldn't give up now. Not when he was so close.

"Almost there!" Dragonia told him. "Just a little longer." Flash nodded, as Leonidas began to fall onto all fours and smash his head into the ground.

Everyone gasped, But Flash had been able to position his body so that he was crushed by the impact. His hand had almost been removed, but he managed to keep his hold on him.

Then, as Leonidas lifted his head up again, something happened that Flash hadn't been expecting. The light coming out of his gauntlet surrounded him and his was forced to close his eyes. And when he opened them again, he wasn't in the battlefield.

Instead, he was in a black void.

Images surrounded him, floating in the air like pictures on a wall. When he saw them, he realised they were all moments of Leonidas' life. His memories. "Leonidas?" He looked around, but couldn't see any sign of him. "Leo, you in here? Say something!" Then, he saw a light right below him.

Looking down, a sphere of darkness was shown with something inside it. Something Flash realised was Leonidas, the dragon curled up with is wings and tail wrapped around him.

"Leo!" He found himself beginning to float downwards. "Hang on! I'm coming!" And eventually, he reached out and touched the orb. "Leo...wake up!" As soon as he said that, the light within the dark sphere began to grow brighter. And slowly, the sphere began to crack and Flash could feel Leonidas' true power being awakened. "LEO!"

It was then that the sphere shattered, blasting Flash back as Leonidas let out a roar that wasn't the beastly one Flash had been hearing. It was Leonidas' roar. One filled with very soul. and as the orb shattered, Flash saw him uncurling himself. He was free.

Flash suddenly blinked and when he did, he was back in the battle. He was still holding onto Leonidas' head, the gauntlet still drawing the energy out of him.

Cursor had had enough of this. "LEONIDAS! I order you to get rid of that pest once and for all!" Leonidas didn't seem to be listening, Cursor growling. "Did you not hear me. GET RID OF HIM!"

Then, suddenly, something happened. Leonidas just froze as the last of the energy flew out of him and returned to Vestroia. "Flash!" Dragonia cried, "do it now!" Flash let go of Leonidas as the dragon threw his head up, causing him to be thrown into the air.

Everyone watched and gasped, as Cursor checked his Baku-Bracer and couldn't believe it.

"Power exchange, complete."

Dragonia: 1400Gs
Leonidas: 500Gs

"Impossible!" He cried, taking out a bunch of cards he was ready to use. But before he could, Flash began to fall towards Leonidas.

"LEO!" He yelled, "it's time to come home!" With that, he thrust his fist forward as the gauntlet unleashed all the extra energy it had absorbed. It struck Leonidas right in the head, making him roar as it spread across his entire body and he suddenly found himself getting blown backwards.

Everyone watched in shock, as Leonidas fell to the ground and suddenly reverted back to ball form. And as Flash fell, the gauntlet around his arm transformed into light that surrounded him and Leonidas.

Flash: 100% (Winner)
Cursor: 0%

"He did it," Twilight gasped. Flash and Leonidas were slowly lowered to the ground, the light disappearing as soon as they landed and transforming back into Dragonia's ball form.

They all ran over to them, Spectra keeping an eye on Cursor and the other Rugenga. "We're getting out of here," their leader stated. Hayate stepped forward and as Spectra was about to go for them, he threw something to the ground and a bunch of smoke filled the air.

Spectra ran over to them, but the smoke faded and they were all gone. "I can't believe it!" He growled. "They got away."

Helios flew up and looked around, trying to see if they had leapt onto the nearby rooftops. But they were nowhere in sight. "Slippy little fools, aren't they." He flew back down and the pair headed over to the others, who were all circling around Flash and Leonidas.

The teen appeared unconscious, likely overwhelmed by the effort he had put in to save Leonidas.

But slowly, be started to come around and open his eyes. He moaned and sat himself up, the others being sure he was good. "Don't push yourself," Twilight told him. "Be careful." Flash took several deep breaths, the teen being exhausted after everything that had happened.

But then he remembered what he had been doing all that exhaustive work for and looked around. "Leo? Where's Leonidas?" But then, Sunset held something out to him. His Bakugan. "Leo!" He took him into his hand and held him close, waiting for him to answer. "Leo. Are you okay?" When Leonidas didn't answer, Flash feared he had lost the ability to speak. He remembered when Twilight and the other Rainbooms had lost their partners. When they got them back, none of them could speak.

But before he could state this fear, Leonidas started spinning and opened up. Once completely open, he looked up at Flash. "Yes," he nodded, "I'm fine." Flash was close to tears at this, as he hugged his partner close.

"Leo, I'm sorry I let you get taken."

"It wasn't your fault Flash. I'm sorry I couldn't resist the Rugenga's power. I can't remember what happened..." He looked around and saw all the damage done to the surrounding area. "But I'm guessing it wasn't good. I'm sorry."

Flash smiled at him. "If losing you wasn't my fault, then all of this isn't your fault. Cursor did this." He looked worried. "Please tell me you're okay. Cursor used some weird cards on you. They made you really strong, but they could have killed you."

"He's right," Spectra agreed. "We need to get him back to the base, so we can start doing tests on him. There's no telling what side effects those cards could have had on him." They nodded, Twilight helping him stand up as Leonidas looked around.

"So what happened? How were you able to save me?" At that moment, Dragonia flew up and landed on Joe's shoulder.

"It wasn't easy," she told him. "You put up quite the fight." Leonidas nodded, only to then notice she was there.

"Dragonia? How are you here?"

Dragonia laughed. "I came to bring you all back." She jumped off Joe's shoulder and flew around them. "Things have not been good since you all left. The Rugenga have overthrown Equestria." That statement brought a look of horror to their faces, Sunset and Moondancer looking sick.

"But...Soarin," Flash told him. "Lyra...Braeburn."

"Defeated," Dragonia looked down. "They tried, but the Rugenga were just too much for them. They and the princesses were all captured by the Rugenga. Celestia was able to warp myself and the rest of the Guardians away. She sacrificed herself in order to give us a chance to bring you all back."

"No way," Flash whispered. Moondancer and Sunset looked ready to start crying.

"This is all my fault," Twilight stated. "If I hadn't tried to go to Vestroia, none of us would have been brought here. The Rugenga wouldn't have been able to overwhelm them." She clutched her arms, squeezing them as the pain felt like the only way to make her feel better.

"Don't say that," Sunset told her. "You weren't the one that made the Rugenga attack Equestria. This isn't your fault. And we're gonna find a way to save everypony there." Twilight smiled, as Dragonia floated forward.

"Indeed. But the longer the Rugenga have control over Equestria, the more damage they can do."

"How the heck are they controlling an entire kingdom?" Moondancer asked. "Even if they were able to capture the princesses, there's no way three people can take over an entire country. Ponies must be trying to fight back."

"They are," Dragonia nodded. "But the Rugenga have discovered a way to make Bakugan return to their true forms without being in a dimensional area. Canterlot...Manehatten...The Crystal Empire. They all have Bakugan roaming the streets, keeping the ponies from being able to fight back. If anyone tries, they'll be attacked by the Bakugan and forced to retreat."

Flash's body shook in rage. "Those jerks."

"And it gets worse. The more the Rugenga have control over Equestria, the more Bakugan are captured. They have ships flying all over the place, searching for Bakugan that are hiding. Whenever they find one, they suck them up like they did when they first arrived in Vestroia."

"This is bad," Mira frowned at this. "Whatever they're using the Bakugan for, it can't be any good. We need to do something and fast."

"We will," Dragonia nodded. "Like I said, I came here to bring Leonidas and his friends back."

"Well it won't just be them," Joe told her. "I'm going with you. I can't just sit around and do nothing, whilst the Bakugan and an entire other world is in trouble."

"I'm going too," Mira stated before turning to her brother.

Spectra frowned. "We should make a plan. Let's not forget, there are still three Rugenga here. With Dan and the others away, someone has to make sure Bakugan City is safe. If we all leave, that'll make this place a sitting duck for them."

"You're right," Joe nodded. "But there are plenty of friends we can call upon to protect this city. I'll contact them as soon as we get back. If they can get here in time, they can keep the city safe whilst we head to Vestroia."

"I'll be sending you all to Equestria," Dragonia told them. "Our first task will be helping free it from the Rugenga's grip. Once that's taken care of, we can work on freeing Vestroia once and for all. But I'll need to rest before I can send us there. The battle with Leonidas has seriously drained me. But I should be able to open a portal by this time tomorrow."

"Alright," Spectra nodded. "That gives us twenty-four hours to prepare. We need to make sure the city remains safe, pack everything we might need to help once we get there and also make sure Leonidas hasn't suffered any ill effects from the proto-abilities." Everyone nodded, knowing that was a lot to do in a relatively short amount of time.

Flash and the Equestrians all turned to the sky, imagining the world they had left behind and the friends they hadn't been able to save. "We're coming, guys. And the Rugenga are gonna pay for what they've done."

In an alley several miles away, the Rugenga were all hiding from sight.

Thalia had managed to grab the laptop before the warehouse came crashing down and was once again connecting it to the internet, whilst Hayate was leaning against a wall thinking about what had just happened. Meanwhile, Cursor just sat there next to a large dumpster.

He was doing something with his Baku-Bracer, whilst Draken sat on the ground next to him. "Well," he stated, "that was a waste. We finally had Leonidas and we lost him before we could get any serious use out of him." But then he heard Cursor laugh. "What?"

"Oh, we got some use out of him." The others turned to him, as he showed them a bunch of data on his Bracer. "That brawl gave me a wealth of energy. You and Dragonia, Dragonia and Leonidas. And that final round more than anything. Dragonia might have forced Leonidas to release the energy from the proto-abilities, but the excess power was all loaded into my Bracer."

"Is that so?" Draken leapt onto his Bracer, as the front slid forward. "Then what are we waiting for." He landed within the device's Bakugan slot and the energy was channelled into him. "Oh yes!" He glowed, as more and more power flew through him. "That feels good."

Cursor smirked. "I'm sure of it. With this, you'll be able to access the next level of your power. We just need to get to Vestroia." The others nodded, though they were unsure how they could possibly do that.

But then, Hayate's Baku-Bracer beeped. He raised it and answered the call, his eyes going wide. "Beck?" The others rushed to his side and saw the Aquos Rugenga staring back at them.

"Finally got through. Something kept opening a portal in Vestroia and when I tracked it back to the source, I located your Baku-Bracer signals. Where are you? What's been happening there?"

Cursor chuckled, "it's a long story."

Back at the HQ, Leonidas was inside a device that was scanning him six ways to Sunday.

Flash, Twilight and Mira were also there, Mira operating the device as they waited to see the results of the scan. Flash waited, attempting to look calm but feeling like a nervous wreck. He turned to Mira, who was analysing the data with a stoic expression. "Well?"

Mira finished the scan, Leonidas jumping out of the machine as soon as it was done. "He's fine. Whatever Dragonia did seems to have cancelled out the negative effects of the proto-abilities. A good night's rest and Leonidas should be fit and ready for battle by tomorrow."

Everyone sighed at this, Flash turning to smile at Leonidas. "That's great. I'm glad you're gonna be okay."

"Same here," Leonidas nodded. "But we should still be careful the next time we battle. There's no telling what could happen." Flash nodded, as Spectra stepped into the room carrying Flash's Baku-Bracer.

"Thanks for letting me check the data." He handed it to Flash, who quickly strapped it back on whilst Twilight spoke up.

"So what were you looking for?"

"I was analysing the data Flash's bracer acquired during the battle. Using those proto-abilities might have put Leonidas in danger, but it's also given me a bunch of answers when it comes to those cards. We never fully tested them, because we couldn't find a way to do so without putting the Bakugan at risk."

"Guess something good came out of this," Leonidas stated. "What did you find?"

"Is there a way to make those proto-abilities safe?" Twilight asked. "As horrible as it was to watch, Leonidas was extremely powerful when he used them. If we could make them safe to use, they could be a valuable weapon against the Rugenga."

"My thoughts exactly. But whilst I could lessen the strain on the Bakugan, I don't think I could make them entirely safe to use." They all frowned at this. "At least without some form of protection."

"What do you mean?" Flash asked, as Spectra stepped over to the computer.

"I'm talking about equipping the Bakugan with a device that could take some of the strain of the abilities. Armor designed to protect the Bakugan from the overload of energy feedback. That combined with more refined versions of these abilities, might be just what we need to make them work."

"Awesome," Flash smirked. "How long will it take to make that armor?"

"That's the bad part. It could take a long while before a working form of this armor could be made available. Months, even." They didn't like the sound of that.

"We don't have months," Flash sighed. "Looks like we'll have to shelve that idea." The others nodded, as Spectra stared at the data he managed to retrieve. "We'll just have to rely on our own skills to beat the Rugenga. With the rest of you helping, those guys won't stand a chance." They all smiled, hoping he was right.

They didn't know what was awaiting them in Equestria, but they knew they could handle it. No matter what those psychos threw at them. As long as they were together, nothing could stop them.

In her room, Sunset lay on her bed thinking about her home.

She could only imagine the horrors going on in Equestria, fear overflowing her at the thought of Celestia and the others in terrible danger. And she could do nothing to help them. "Flash...Twilight...Spectra. They're all so much better than me. When we return to Equestria, they'll be the ones leading the charge. And I'll..." She sighed, as she felt relegated once again. "All I can do is help, whilst real heroes save my home. I'm pathetic."

Author's Note

Yikes. That was a close call. But Flash managed to get his partner back and now, they can all return to Equestria. But how will things turn out when they get there? Only time will tell.