In a dark cave, the Haos Rugenga known as Thalia was standing over the large pit.

A bright light was coming out of it and flowing up towards her, as she held a gray Bakugan in the palm of her hand. The light swirled into it and as it did, it pulsed yellow and Thalia smiled beneath her mask. "Yes. Come on. Just a little more. Do it."

She waited and the pulsing light grew faster, the yellow glow eventually becoming solid and remaining on it for several moments. Then, it faded and the Bakugan was revealed to still be gray. But now, it had areas of that were while and gold in colour.

Thalia stared at it and waited. "Tigress. Awaken."

With that, the ball popped open to reveal a Bakugan that had a tiger head within it. "Finally," it spoke in a female voice. "I thought it would never happen."

Thalia chuckled. "It's good to have you with me. Now that you've awakened, the Defenders won't stand a chance against us."

"Defenders?" Tigress asked. "Who're that?" Thalia chuckled again before turning to head out of the cave. Along the way, she began to explain everything that had been going on. Including Equestria and the ones who were fighting to protect their world, the Bakugan, and free Vestroia from their hold.

In the Rugenga base, the five remaining cloaked figures sat around the room staring at a monitor.

That monitor was showing images recorded by their Baku-Bracers, showing Leonidas defeating Hayate and Kiyrah's Bakugan and taking them away. It then showed how Sorcerell was able to overwhelm Azalea's Bakugan and win them for Moondancer before showing Beck, as he almost lost to Lyra and was defeated by the mysterious individual.

To say Cursor wasn't impressed was an understatement. "Defeat after defeat." He turned to them, as his Bakugan Draken floated down. "This is very concerning. It's clear, you've all been slacking."

"Come on," Azalea moaned. "That girl just got lucky, that's all."

"It's more than just that," Hayate stated. "Ever since those humans showed up, the Defenders have been getting stronger. If we don't do something soon, they may grow out of our control."

"The Brawls haven't been all bad," Beck stated. "We've managed to acquire the energy we need from them. Once we've gathered enough, we'll be able to unleash our true strength." As he said that, part of the door opened and Thalia stepped into the room.

When everyone turned to her, they spotted a Bakugan on her shoulder. "Is that..." Cursor asked, with Thalia nodding as she approached.

"That's right. My Bakugan has finally awakened. Tigress has been brought up to speed and is ready to fight, in order to claim Equestria and all the Bakugan taking refuge there." She looked up at the screen and watched Leonidas doing battle. "About time someone reminded these fools why we are to be feared."

"So you will go after the next breech to open?" Hayate asked, with Thalia nodding.

"But before that, I require more information on my opponent. Beck. How goes the attempts to open a dimension breech of our own?"

"Troublesome," Beck growled. "I can open one, but it's very small and can't last more than a few seconds."

"That's all we'll need." She moved over to one of the consoles and took out a device. "They would most likely detect the breech, wouldn't they?" They nodded, "good. If it's only a few moments long, they won't bother heading to Vestroia." She threw the device and it began to hover and emit light, which took the shape of a yellow unicorn equestrian with blue hair styled in a pair of pigtails. And as Thalia spoke, so did the equestrian. "Time to meet the famous Flash Sentry."

Over in Equestria, morning had once again come to Canterlot and the Defenders were enjoying another Celestia made breakfast.

As they did, Twilight and Sunset stepped into the room and saw Flash once again stuffing his face and moaning in joy. "Geez. In my world, eating something this good would have cost an arm and a leg at a fancy restaurant." He grabbed a large stack of pancakes with one fork and stuffed them all in his mouth.

Lyra rolled her eyes before turning to Twilight. "Out of curiosity, is this world's version of Flash as much of a glutton as mine?"

The girls laughed at this. "Not really," Twilight replied. "The Flash we know is always super serious and eats with poise. Most of the guards in Equestria are like that. Trained to look respectable and cultured."

Flash finished eating his pancakes and thought about this. "I really hope I get to meet this version of me. I bet it would just be weird."

"Maybe," Sunset nodded. "But that Flash is working security in the Crystal Empire. He was sent back after it was confirmed he couldn't Brawl. He was really excited about it until he learned he couldn't."

"Of course he was," Leo laughed. "Doesn't matter what world he's from. Flash Sentry is always a battle maniac." Flash glared at him, as Sunset stepped over to him.

"Speaking of battle. I think it's time you upgraded your arsenal. So this should help you out when you're in a tight spot." Suddenly, something floated into view whilst surrounded by Sunset's magic. It was some kind of Bakugan, but none like any Flash had ever seen.

Instead of being round, it was a thick circular shape that was on its side like a wheel or tyre. "Wow. What is it?"

"A Bakugan Trap," Sunset explained. As soon as she said that, Lyra gasped as she flashed back to when she faced Beck. He had used the one named Tentaculled and it had been serious trouble.

"Beck had one of those. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before."

"I've never heard of a Bakugan Trap," Flash stated.

"Makes sense," Dragonia nodded. "By sheer happenstance, all the Bakugan Traps were placed in the first arc that we managed to keep out of Lucifer's hands. I'm curious how Sombra would have used them if he had any."

"It's called Lindwhirl," Sunset explained as Flash took him.

"This is so cool," Flash smiled. "He's not even round." He held him close to his face, "hey there." Leonidas nodded at him.

"It is an honour to meet you, Lindwhirl." Suddenly, the wheel-shaped Bakugan opened. The whole thing just uncurled, with the sides now acting like arms. Flash couldn't be sure, but he believed it had the head of a wolf. And instead of talking, it let out several growls and dog noises.

"Trap Bakugan never evolved the ability to talk," Dragonia explained. "But they can still communicate in other ways. I'm sure having him on your team will help you a lot."

Flash smiled and stared at the Bakugan. "You wanna help us take down the Rugenga?" The Trap Bakugan nodded, letting out a howl of excitement. "Awesome. Well I've finished breakfast, so let's get to the stadium and do a little training." But as he said that, everyone's Baku-Bracer started beeping and they realised a breech had appeared.

Sunset used her magic to grab some fruit, as Twilight and Celestia teleported them all to the control hub.

There, they saw the ponies looking confused. "What's wrong?" Celestia asked, seeing them type away at the computers.

"A breech opened up. But it was only for a second. And it was tiny." Flash and Lyra frowned, whilst the others looked confused. "Breeches don't usually open and close that quickly. We don't think it was a natural forming one."

"You think the Rugenga opened it?" Moondancer asked, making them frown. "If they're working on opening their own artificial breeches, that could be an issue."

"Beck was interested in Amazon because of the energy he was soaked in," Lyra pointed out. "If he had taken him, he probably would have used it to make this one more stable."

"So what do we do?" Amazon asked.

"Where was the breech on this side?" Celestia asked, as the ponies frowned.

"Canterlot." That shocked them. "Restaurant Row." Celestia nodded and turned to the Defenders, who nodded. They would go check it out.

"I'll go with them," Twilight announced to everybody. "If something's happening down there, I'll work on getting the ponies evacuated." They nodded before she and Sunset teleported them all down to the streets. They all appeared in a bright flash, catching the attention of the ponies around them.

They all bowed when they saw Twilight and gave the Defenders court respect, whilst also staring at Flash and Lyra. Clearly, they were still getting used to having humans around them.

Using their Baku-Bracers, they searched for the breech. And as they did, Flash noticed multiple Bakugan surrounding them as well. Some were riding on top of ponies, whilst others were sitting around in groups chatting with one another or ponies.

"Wow. This is just how I hoped our world would one day be," Flash smiled.

"Maybe it will," Twilight smiled. "I'm sure in time, we'll find a way to open a breech back to your world. Then Bakugan can live there as well as here and Vestroia." Flash also hoped so, as they arrived on the street known as Restaurant Row.

"Over there," Sunset pointed towards an alleyway between two restaurants. "The breech was right there. Likely where nopony could see it."

"You sure nothing came through?" Lyra asked, as Moondancer checked the alleyway.

"It was only the size of a dinner plate," Moondancer explained. "Even if the Rugenga sent something through, how much danger could it cause?"

"We should still look around," Flash stated. "Make sure nothing's going on." The others nodded and all split up, heading in different directions as they searched for what might have come through.

As they did, they were unaware that a yellow unicorn was watching them.

"See anything?" Flash asked, ten minutes after they split up.

"Nope," Leonidas replied. "Nothing. Hopefully, the Rugenga decided the small breech was useless and shut it down." Flash nodded, thinking the same thing. But as they turned to head back the way they came, they suddenly found themselves bumping into someone. "Wow!" Leonidas fell off Flash's shoulder, only to be caught by the person they bumped into.

"Careful," she smiled as she held Leo up to Flash. "Here."

"Thanks." Flash took him and he jumped back onto his shoulder. "Sorry about that. Don't really know these streets yet."

"That's okay," she replied. "That's quite a strong looking Bakugan you have." She then noticed his Baku-Bracer and smiled. "Are you one of the Defenders?"

"That's right," Flash smirked. "And we're going to defeat the Rugenga, free Vestroia and save all the Bakugan they've captured."

"I'm sure you'll try," she nodded back. "I'm curious though. Why do you Brawl?" Flash and Leo looked at her in confusion. "Why risk your life and your Bakugan's safety, to fight against an opponent you don't stand a chance of beating?"

"What?" Flash frowned. "What are you talking about? We so stand a chance against them. Every time we've fought them, we've come out on top."

"Maybe for now, but I'm sure they'll grow stronger. Too strong for you to face. So why put everything you care about at risk?"

Flash's frown turned into a glare, "who are you?"

"Just someone who's curious why someone would choose to fight a losing battle? The Rugenga will be victorious. It'd just be simpler to let them win rather than waste your time and energy resisting them. At least that way, they might be willing to let you live."

Flash watched her turn and walk away, confused about who she was and why she had been saying such things.

"Hey, wait a minute!" He chased after her and as she turned a corner, Flash lost sight of her as he ran around the building. But he soon found himself staring at an empty street, the unicorn nowhere in sight. "Where'd she go?"

"That was weird," Leo frowned. Flash scratched his head, wondering who the heck she was and where she had disappeared to.

Back in their base, Thalia deactivated the light-bee and had it hide once it was somewhere private.

Tigress turned to her, "well? What did you learn about our opponent?" The other members of the Rugenga were keen to hear what she had learned, wondering what she had heard when she and her hologram spoke half a conversation.

"I learned that he is a fool," she replied. "Despite how obvious it is he will lose, he is determined to keep fighting. I guess some people need to be shown how inferior they are before they're willing to give up."

"Then show them," Draken replied. "And determine just how powerful this Leonidas truly is. If he really was an Ultimate Bakugan once, then he must have great power even now. We may be able to use that."

"He's right," Cursor nodded. "I'm just as curious."

"I won't let you down," Thalia promised. "As soon as a breech appears, I will head to it." The others nodded, some curious if Thalia really could defeat Flash and Leonidas.

Back at the castle, Flash and the others had returned having found nothing to indicate that the Rugenga were up to anything.

"And you're sure nothing came through?" Celestia asked, with the six nodding. "Alright. Well that's good. The last thing we need are them to cause more problems than they already have. For now, you should all relax after searching for so long. We'll need you in top form if an actual breech activates."

"Okay," Sunset nodded as she turned to the others. When she did, she noticed Flash looking upset about something. "Are you okay?"

"No," he told them. "I ran into this nuts unicorn down on the street. She was asking a bunch of really weird questions and said that the Rugenga couldn't be beaten. It was crazy." That made them all frown, as Leonidas spoke up.

"And when we tried to chase after her, she just disappeared."

"Really?" Moondancer asked, "she teleported?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Lyra asked. "Twilight, Celestia and Sunset teleport us all the time."

"They're all magical prodigies," Braeburn reminded her. "Remember. Most unicorns can only use basic magic or their personal magic. If she could teleport, she must have been somepony really powerful."

The others nodded, Celestia turning to Flash. "Who was this mare? Did she give you her name?" Flash nodded, describing how she looked. "I don't remember a unicorn like that in my school. If she could teleport, she must have been a student."

"Unless she didn't get in and learned to do it later," Sunset pointed out.

The others frowned, wondering who this mysterious Rugenga supporter was. But then, an alarm went off in the hub and everyone jumped to attention. "Level two Dimensional Breech!" The pony at the monitor announced. "Opening on the outskirts of Luna Bay."

"Is this a natural one?" Celestia asked, with the ponies nodding. "Alright. Defenders. Deploy!" They nodded and all rushed into the transporter, Celestia, Dragonia, the other Guardians and all the ponies wishing them luck as the tube closed before activating.

And in the blink of an eye, they were all transported into Vestroia.

Now they found themselves out in an open wasteland, similar to the one Flash and Lyra had first arrived in when they followed Leonidas through the portal. Large stone pillars surrounded them, looking like giant mushrooms made of rock.

They quickly spotted the breech in question, this one only being twice their height.

"How long will it be before this one closes up?" Lyra asked, still learning how the breeches worked.

Sunset stepped forward. "In my experience, they only last an hour or two. Hopefully, it'll shut before the Rugenga manage to get here." Unfortunately, the Rugenga in question was already on her way.

Everyone waited, with Flash's mind continuing to drift back to the equestrian he had met before hand. "What do I Brawl for? To help the Bakugan, of course. I love Brawling, but if they need my help that's what I'll Brawl for." Leonidas heard him and nodded, as the hour mark passed.

It was then that they heard an engine and looked up to see a transport flying towards them. "Get ready, everypony!" Sunset created a shield around the portal, as the transport reached them and started flying downwards.

When it did, the top opened up and the person inside jumped out. When she landed, the equestrians froze. "That's Thalia," Moondancer gulped.

"Be careful," Sorcerell stated. "She's a powerful Haos Brawler."

The figure approached and Flash stood ready, eager to get in on the action with another Haos Brawler. "Hello there," she stated before focusing on Flash and Leonidas. "So tell me, Flash Sentry. Have you come up with an answer to my question?"

"Question?" Flash asked. "What question?"

"I asked you why you Brawl. What drives you to fight against an enemy you stand no chance against?" This made Flash raise an eyebrow, only to connect the dots and go wide-eyed.

"That was you?"

Thalia chuckled, as her bracer projected a hologram of the Equestrian Flash had met before. "It was a hologram controlled by me."

"So that's what that small breech was for," Sunset growled. "To send the hologram through."

Flash stepped forward. "I Brawl to protect the Bakugan. I won't let you continue to do whatever you want with their world. I'll fight to see Vestroia liberated from you creeps."

"Even if it's a battle you can't win?"

"We'll win!" Leonidas stated, as Tigress jumped onto Thalia's shoulder.

"Confidence. A fool's substitute for intelligence. You might have once been the most powerful Bakugan ever, but now you've been reduced to another average Bakugan that will fall to us like all the rest."

"We'll show you who'll fall to who," Flash stated before turning to the others. "We're gonna take her down. Got it?" They nodded, as Flash turned back to Thalia. "Time for you to learn what it means to face Earth's number one Brawler!"

Thalia chuckled. "How naive." Flash glared at her.

"Time to see if you Brawl as big as you talk!" He activated his Baku-Bracer, Thalia doing the same.

"As you wish." She activated her's and formed the dimensional field, along with several power-ups that appeared. All the while, Flash's friends watched with baited breath.

"You can do this!" Lyra told him. "Just don't underestimate her!"

Sunset nodded. "Thalia isn't like the other Rugenga. Every time she Brawls, she does so in her master's name. She's obsessed with impressing Cursor, the Rugenga leader. She'll do anything to claim victory in his honour."

"Well then Cursor better be ready to be disappointed." Flash smirked, as their Life Gauges filled up. Thalia glared at him, clearly having no plans on disappointing Cursor. "LET'S BRAWL!"

Flash: 100%
Thalia: 100%

Flash took the first card out and threw it. "Gate Card...SET!" The card hit the ground and exploded, as Flash held up Leonidas. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Leo flew onto the battle field and hit several power-ups before landing and spinning open. "Bakugan...STAND!" The tornado formed and the dragon appeared from out of it. "Haos Novus Leonidas!"

Leo roared, as his power began to rise.

Leonidas: 700Gs

Thalia stared up at the dragon, appearing interested in his design. "So that's the Bakugan that once saved Vestroia." The Bakugan on her shoulder hummed.

"Doesn't look all that impressive. Let us see just how powerful he is." Thalia nodded and picked the Haos Bakugan up before leaping into the air.

"Bakugan...BRAWL!" She threw the orb and it shot through several power-ups before hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. "Bakugan...STAND!" The ball opened and unleashed a blinding light, "Haos Tigress!" The light slowly took shape and began to fade, revealing Thalia's Bakugan.

It was a tiger Bakugan, covered in armor. Its body was gray in colour, with white stripes covering it. The armor it was wearing was a mix of grey, white and yellow, with yellow claws on the ends of its paws and golden sticks sticking out of its back. A red gem was on the forehead of its helmet.

Leonidas: 700Gs
Tigress: 500Gs

"That Bakugan..." Flarenix cried, "I've never seen anything like that before."

Amazon hummed. "Something about it seems familiar. But I can't quite place it." As he said that, the tiger roared as its power rose.

Tigress: 800Gs
Leonidas: 700Gs

The two Bakugan stared one another down, as Flash made the first move. "Gate Card, Open!" The ground began to glow and the light flew up into Leonidas. "Dragon Pulse!" As it swirled around Leonidas, he roared as his power rose. "This Gate Card pumps up any Dragon Bakugan by two hundred points. That'll make things a little easier for us!"

Tigress: 800Gs
Leonidas: 900Gs

"Now, check this out!" Flash took out a pair of cards and slashed them both. "Double Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew around, as the light from his body flew off him and into his mouth. "Neo Phaser, plus Photon Force!"

Tigress: 800Gs
Leonidas: 1400Gs

As he took a deep breath, a sphere of light formed in front of his mouth. And as he roared, light exploded out of his mouth, hit the orb and made it explode into an even larger laser.

Tigress leapt out of the beams path, but the explosion that followed swept through the battlefield and the shockwave slammed into her. "Augh!" She was pushed away, but managed to dig her claws into the ground and stop herself.

At the same time, Thalia took out a card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" Light formed around Tigress' mouth and suddenly solidified into a crystal sabre-tooth mask. "Crystal Bite!" Tigress slammed the fangs down into the ground and in doing so, the Gate Card appeared before shattering into a million pieces.

"No way!" Flash cried, checking his Baku-Bracer as he did.

Tigress: 1100Gs
Leonidas: 1200Gs

Tigress then shot forward at blinding speed and leapt into the air, slashing at Leonidas as she did so. But with Leo's G power still higher, it did nothing against him. "Take this!" He spun around and slammed his tail into Tigress' side, knocking her away. But she managed to flip around and land on her feet.

As she did, Thalia took out another card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" She suddenly took out two new Bakugan, which Flash expected her to throw in. But she did, the pair instead glowing as she dropped them to the ground. "Savage Air!"

Flash watched them hit the ground and the light flew off of them and into Tigress. "What's going on?" He checked his Baku-Bracer and saw what had happened.

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas: 1200Gs

Tigress roared as she repeated her last attack, leaping into the air and slashing at Leonidas. And this time, the attack actually hurt him. "GYAH!" Leo was thrown backwards and crashed into a nearby rock pillar, smashing through it and causing the rocks to fall down atop him.

"LEO!" Flash turned back to Thalia, as Tigress did several aerial flips backwards until she landed behind her. "No way. What the heck is that ability?"

"Savage Air," Thalia laughed. "By counting them as defeated, I can transfer two hundred Gs from any other Bakugan into her."

The others frowned at this, Moondancer saying what they were all thinking. "So by giving up two Bakugan, she pumped Tigress up by four hundred Gs."

Lyra nodded. "But that means she can only use Tigress. If Flash can find a way to use that against her..." They heard movement by the rocks and watched as Leonidas pushed himself out of them, groaning as he did so.

"Leo. You okay?"

"I'm fine!" He spread his wings and leapt into the air. "Let's finish this!" Flash nodded and took out two cards

"Double Ability, Activate!" He swiped them both and Leonidas glowed, as he suddenly started moving much faster. "Speed Burst, Plus Power Brawl!"

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas: 1600Gs

"Raaaah!" Leo dived down towards Tigress and when he reached her, he started slashing, kicking and punching at her. But Tigress managed to stay ahead of Leonidas, he natural speed even with his boosted stat. But Leonidas eventually managed to finally get one hit in on her, knocking her back.

"Ability, Activate!" Thalia swiped a card, as Tigress' armor started sparking. "Lightning Whirlwind!" The tiger began to move even faster, running away from Leonidas before swerving and circling around him. She started running in a circle, moving faster and faster until a tornado started to form below Leo.

The dragon looked down and saw it growing, as the lightning coming off Tigress' armor flew into the wind.

Soon, a massive hurricane surrounded Leonidas and started zapping him. "Gyah!"

Tigress: 1600Gs
Leonidas: 1500Gs

"LEO!" Flash cried, yelling over the sound of the wind. He quickly took out a card and as Tigress leapt into the tornado, preparing to slash at his partner, he swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" At the last moment, a bunch of hexagons appeared around Leo, "Particle Barrier!"

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas: 1600Gs

The hexagons formed a sphere around him, which blocked the lightning and Tigress' claw attack. She struck the shield and leapt off it, jumping back as the tornado disappeared. But before Leonidas could attack, Thalia held out another card and swiped it.

"Ability, Activate!" Tigress' claws and the spikes on her armor began to glow, "Cut In Revenger!" With a mighty roar, Tigress created some kind of wing. It flew at her from behind and when it passed over her, the light on her blades flew off and shot towards Leonidas.

"Look out!" Flash cried, but his partner wasn't fast enough. Soon, the blades of light slammed into him and cut into his body. And with each one that struck, he roared in pain as Flash checked his Baku-Bracer.

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs

"No way!" He cried, "the difference in their power Levels is five hundred." He quickly realised what that could mean. "I might lose him!"

"Leo lost six hundred Gs?" Sunset asked. "How is it possible?"

"Cut In Revenger," Thalia stated. "An Ability that gets revenge for any of my defeated Bakugan." She pointed at the ones on the ground, everyone realising what must have happened. "For each one, you lose three hundred Gs."

"This is bad," Flash cried as he considered using his Fusion Ability to save Leonidas. But that would put him in a serious predicament.

But then, he suddenly remembered what had happened earlier that day. The teen flashed back to his breakfast and the gift Sunset had given him. "It's called Lindwhirl."

"That's it!" He reached into his pocket and took out his new Bakugan, praying it would give him the edge he needed. "Come, Trap Bakugan!" He threw it upwards and the Bakugan spun like a wheel, "Haos Lindwhirl!" The Bakugan suddenly popped open and exploded into a bright burst of golden light, which flew down between Tigress and Leonidas.

Tigress leapt back, as the light hit the ground and began to take shape.

It was a white and yellow chimera-like Bakugan, having the head of a wolf, the ears of a bat, the chest and arms of a bear and a long snake-like tail. Its fur was white, but its fur-less inner ears, neck and upper arms were yellow. Its tail was covered in white fur, but the front part of its tail was hairless and yellow. It also had sharp yellow claws, yellow horns sticking out of its head and black spikes running down its back all the way to the tip of its tail.

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1350Gs

Everyone smiled at this. "Go Lindwhirl!" Braeburn cheered, whilst Thalia didn't look impressed.

"You think a Trap Bakugan will save you? Don't make me laugh!" Tigress quickly charged forward, roaring as she prepared to take Lindwhirl down. But then, Flash took out two cards and swiped them.

"Double Ability, Activate!" Lindwhirl suddenly curled itself up, its tail wrapping around its body as it turned into a large wheel "Radiant Stampede!" The spikes on its body began to glow and as it spun forward, the light merged into a single wheel of light.

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1500Gs

Lindwhirl then shot forward and slammed into Tigress, who jumped onto her back legs and used her front claws to grab the wheel. The pair pushed against one another, attempting to overpower the other as Leonidas finally recovered from the Cut In Revenger.

"Plus, Fusion Ability! Neo Photon Blast!"

Leonidas flew up and started glowing, repeating the attack he had performed previously by summoning the orb in front of his mouth. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He fired his laser into it and caused it to fly down towards Tigress, as Lindwhirl stopped spinning and leapt away from her.

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 2000Gs

Tigress saw the attack coming and her eyes went wide, as she leapt away from the laser as it struck the ground. But once again, the explosion and shockwave that followed threatened to do some serious damage.

"My turn!" Thalia quickly swiped a card. "Fusion Ability, Activate!" Tigress started running forward, as her body sparked with energy once again. "Tempest Cyclone!" She leapt toward the explosion and started spinning, wind and lightning swirling around her as she did.

Tigress: 2000Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 2000Gs

She slammed into the explosion and drilled through it, breaking through the other side and flying towards Leonidas and Lindwhirl. And as she did, Thalia swiped another card. "Ability, Activate!" Tigress exploded out the tornado, her claws glowing as she shot forward. "Power Charge!"

Tigress: 2150Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 2000Gs

In the blink of an eye, she suddenly appeared behind Leonidas and Lindwhirl. And as she landed, both Bakugan suddenly found an explosion occurring in front of them. The pair roared in pain before reverting back to ball form and flying back towards Flash, the teen looking shocked as his Life Gauge dropped.

Flash: 70%
Thalia: 100%

"Leo!" Flash rushed over to them, as Tigress returned to Thalia. "You okay?" He picked them up, Leo moaning as he opened up.

"These two are no joke. If you hadn't summoned Lindwhirl, I'd have been a goner."

"Yeah." Flash held up his Trap Bakugan, "thanks. Sorry you had to take a beating." The Bakugan let out a noise he felt meant no problem. Flash then turned his attention to Thalia, who smiled at him as she took out her Gate Card.

"So you're the best Brawler of your world. Can't be all that impressive." Flash glared at her, as Tigress opened up on her shoulder.

"Your Bakugan have no discipline. You clearly lack the skill needed to claim victory against us."

"Why not just give up?" Thalia asked, "it'll be easier then having your Bakugan taken from you."

"Don't listen to her!" Sunset cried. "You guys know what you're up against. You can still win."

"She's right," Lyra nodded. "Show it why you guys are the best of the best." Flash smiled at them and nodded, then gave Thalia a serious expression.

"Well, I tried. Guess he'll have to learn the hard way. Gate Card, Set!" She threw the card towards the ground and when it exploded, she held up Tigress before leaping into the air. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" She threw it and hit several power-ups before the ball hit the ground and popped open. "Bakugan...STAND! Haos Tigress!"

Tigress roared, her power rising as she appeared on the battlefield.

Tigress: 750Gs

"My turn!" Flash held up both his Bakugan and threw Leonidas. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Leo flew through several power-ups before hitting the ground. "Leo, STAND!" The tornado of light flew out of him and took shape, the Dragon breaking out of it before roaring as his power level rose.

Tigress: 750Gs
Leonidas: 700Gs

"And come, Bakugan Trap!" Flash threw the other Haos Bakugan into the air. "Haos Lindwhirl!" His Bakugan unfolded and unleashed a brilliant light, which flew across the battlefield before smashing into the ground behind Tigress.

Tigress: 750Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1050Gs

As Leonidas flew down, ready to deal some damage to the tiger, Thalia quickly slashed a card. "Ability, Activate!" Light flew around Tigress' mouth and formed the crystalline jaw. "Crystal Bite!"

Tigress: 1050Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1050Gs

She leapt up and met the dragon head on, slashing at him with her claws as she tried to sink her gem-made fangs into him. But Leonidas managed to grab her front legs and keep her claws away, whilst staying out of reach of her fangs. And at the same time, Lindwhirl slithered over to them and swung his long tail around.

The next thing Tigress knew, it was wrapping around her stomach and pulling her away from Leonidas. And as she was thrown away, doing several flips, Flash took out a pair of cards and swiped them.

"Double Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew up, his mouth sparking, as Lindwhirl curled up and his spike glowed. "Neo Phase, Plus Radiant Stampede!"

Tigress: 1050Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1500Gs

"Raaaaaaaaaah!" Leo fired his laser, which Tigress managed to dodge, but then Lindwhirl flew forward whilst morphing into a wheel of light. He slammed right into the tiger, making her cry out in pain as she was knocked away.

"Gaaah!" Tigress hit the ground, as Leo and Lindwhirl prepared to attack again.

"You think that scares me!?" Thalia stated. "Let me show you what it truly means to be a Brawler!" She then took out another Bakugan. But this one was a hexagon barrel shape. "Come, Bakugan Trap!" She threw it into the air, "Haos Sky Horse!" Everyone watched as the Bakugan unfolded, the light that came out of it almost blinding everyone.

The Bakugan took shape and was soon revealed to be a giant white and yellow seahorse, with giant dragon wings on its back. Its tail ended in a V-shaped blade, as it let out a horse-like neigh and flew down to intercept Lindwhirl.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1400Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1500Gs

This distraction gave Tigress the time she needed to pick herself up, as Thalia swiped a pair of cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Tigress' body sparked and she shot off, racing around in a circle that formed a tornado. "Lightning Whirlwind, plus Shine Scream!"

As the Tornado flew towards Leonidas and Lindwhirl, Sky Horse suddenly let out a high pitched scream. Glowing soundwaves escaped its mouth, hitting the pair and making them flinch in pain. And as they did, the lightning tornado struck and zapped them both.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1100Gs

"Hold on, guys!" Flash took out a card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" Leonidas flew down to Lindwhirl, as the hexagons formed around the pair. "Particle Barrier!" The tornado died down before it was form, whilst the shield protected them from the ongoing sonic attack.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1300Gs

But as the sonic attack ended, Tigress charged forward and slashed at the shield with her claws. This caused it to shatter before she tried to claw at them both, Leo leaping back whilst Lindwhirl used his own claws to block hers. But he was quickly being overpowered.

"Flash!" Leo yelled, "do something!" Flash nodded and drew three cards.

"We got this!" He swiped them all at once. "Triple Ability, Activate!" Leonidas began to glow. "Speed Burst, plus Photon Force..." Leonidas flew around at high speed and formed the orb of energy between his hands, which grew as large as him before he threw it.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1700Gs

Lindwhirl let himself be overpowered and pushed back, allowing him to dodge the explosion that occurred when the attack struck the ground and exploded. The shockwave then struck Tigress and knocked her off balance, allowing Lindwhirl to leap forward.

"Plus, Raging Slash!" The Bakugan Trap swiped at Tigress and did some serious damage, as she fell to the ground.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1400Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1700Gs

Sky Horse flew down to try and aid her, only for Leonidas to block her. "Hello poppet!" He spun around and slammed his tail into it, knocking it down towards the ground.

Everyone cheered, seeing both Bakugan hit the ground. But Thalia wasn't scared, as Tigress and Sky Horse managed to get back up. And as the other two Bakugan prepared for another attack, she took out two cards and slashed them.

"Double Ability, Activate!" She held up two Bakugan and threw them into the air, the pair glowing before the light flew into Tigress. "Savage Air, plus Flash Blade!" As Tigress powered up, the blade of Sky Horse' tail glowed before it flew over to Leonidas and slashed at him.

"Gyah!"

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1800Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1600Gs

As Leo staggered back, Tigress began to charge at the pair with her claws beginning to glow. But before she could reach them, Lindwhirl slithered over to Leonidas as Flash took out a pair of cards.

"Double Ability, Activate!" He slashed the first card, as the tip of Lindwhirl's tail glowed before it started spinning it around. "Spiral Guardian..." The light flew off and swirled around, forming a barrier that blocked Tigress' attack and negated the effects of Sky Horse's last ability.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1800Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1700Gs

"Plus, Fusion Ability! Neo Photon Blast!" Leonidas then flew up, as his body began to glow.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 1800Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 2200Gs

The light flew off his body and formed the sphere of light, which he fired the laser into and made explode into a massive beam of energy. That energy shot towards the two Bakugan, who both braced themselves as Thalia took out two cards of her own.

"Double Ability, Activate!" She swiped them and both her Bakugan leapt into action. "Power Charge, plus Glow Gale!" Tigress' claws glowed again, along with Sky Horse's wings. And with a mighty flap, the light flew off and forced a glowing blast of wind.

Tigress+Sky Horse: 2050Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 2200Gs

The wind acted as a wall, which the Fusion Ability slammed into. But the laser quickly overpowered it and forced its way through. And whilst Tigress was able to avoid it, Sky Horse wasn't fast enough.

The laser struck the seahorse and with a neigh of pain, it reverted back to its smaller form and fell next to the other Bakugan on the ground.

Flash: 70%
Thalia: 70%

Everyone cheered, glad to see that Flash managed to get a win. And with it now being two Bakugan against one, things were looking up for him. "Go for it!" Flash yelled, checking his Baku-Bracer and seeing the power level difference.

Tigress: 1700Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 2200Gs

Leonidas roared, as he flew up before diving down to finally take Tigress down. But she was ready and Thalia quickly swiped a card. "Ability, Activate!" The blades on her body began to glow and with a roar, a wind appeared and flew past her. "Cut In Revenger!"

The wind carried the light off her body and up towards the attacking Leonidas, who gasped as he tried to stop himself and dodge.

But he wasn't fast enough and the blades slammed into him, "GYAH!" The wind also pushed him backwards until he crashed through another pillar, getting buried as his power dropped.

Tigress: 1700Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1600Gs

"LEO!" Flash cried, as Tigress raced forward with her target being Flash's Bakugan Trap. "Lindwhirl, look out!" But as the chimera-dragon tried to escape, Tigress suddenly turned into a blur that shot past him at break next speed.

The next thing the Bakugan knew, it was getting slashed at by the blur as Tigress appeared behind it. Then, an explosion flew off the Bakugan's chest and it was knocked down to the ground before reverting back to its smaller wheel form.

Flash: 50%
Thalia: 70%

"LINDWHIRL!" Flash gasped, as Leonidas pulled himself out of the rocks.

Thalia chuckled, as Tigress raced over to stand behind her. "Just be glad that Cut In Revenger doesn't count Trap Bakugan amongst it. If it had, you would have been in a much worse state." Flash glared at her, as Leonidas lost the power up from Lindwhirl.

Tigress: 1700Gs
Leonidas: 1250Gs

He pushed himself up and charged, as Flash took out his last Ability Card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" Leo leapt towards Tigress, "Power Brawl!"

Tigress: 1700Gs
Leonidas: 1450Gs

Despite the power boost, his attacks did nothing against Tigress. He attacked and attacked, but his fellow Haos Bakugan was too fast. And as she dodged his tail swipe, she spun forward and slammed her tail into his head. "Gyah!"

"Time to end this," Thalia stated as she pointed towards the ground. "Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground glowed before the light flew over to Tigress. "Mirage Field!" The light swirled around her before flying off and splitting into multiple streams, which flew down and hit the ground before morphing into multiple identical copies of Tigress.

Tigress: 1900Gs
Leonidas: 1450Gs

"What the heck?" Moondancer cried. "What are those things?"

"Holograms!" Sorcerell stated, though she didn't seem sure. "Or something similar. Hard light projections." They could only watch, as Leonidas spun around trying to figure out what to do. But then, one of the Tigress clones flew forward and slashed at him. Then another and another.

"RAAAAAH!" He cried out in pain, as he was constantly slashed over and over again. And eventually, the real one charged with her claws glowing.

"FALL!" She roared, as she leapt up and slashed her claws down Leonidas' front before piercing the ground. And as Leonidas froze, everyone stared at him in shock as he stood there. And as he did, Leonidas felt something. A dark energy, coming off Tigress. Something about her was different from any Bakugan he had faced before. But that was all he could think before he started falling backwards.

"LEO!" Flash ran to him, as the dragon began to glow before shrinking back into his ball form. It was all Flash could do to reach him in time to catch him, moments before he hit the ground.

Flash: 0%
Thalia: 70% (Winner)

"Oh no!" Lyra cried, as they began to run to him.

"Don't worry," Sunset stated. "At least Leonidas won't be taken. The power difference is too low." But they all knew Leonidas had only been fifty points away from being won by Thalia. They had gotten lucky.

Thalia chuckled, as Tigress reverted back to ball form and flew back to her. She caught her partner and picked up her other Bakugan, as the others ran over to Flash. "Now you see, the kind of power you're facing." Flash glared at her, as she turned towards the portal to Equestria. "Now, I have business in that other world." But before she could step forward, the portal sparked and glowed before it started closing up.

The others saw this and smiled, happy to see that the breech was closing. Flash had managed to hold out just long enough.

"No!" She cried, as the portal completely closed. She glared at the Defenders, who all prepared to defend themselves if she attacked. "This isn't over." She rushed over to her transport and leapt into it. "Just wait. Next time, I'm taking your Bakugan for myself."

Flash watched as she flew away, whilst the others crowded around him. He then looked down at Leonidas and Lindwhirl. "Are you guys okay?" After a few moments, the Bakugan popped open and both seemed unaffected by their loss.

"That sucked," Leo stated. Lindwhirl let out several growls and whines. Flash sighed in relief, but then let what had happened sink in. And as it did, he let out a cry of frustration.

"THIS BLOWS!" He fell back and laid on the ground, the others seeing him pouted. "I can't believe I lost like that. How can she be so strong?"

"I've never seen that Bakugan she used before," Sunset stated. "We'll have to ask Dragonia, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't on Vestroia."

Leonidas nodded. "When she attacked, I felt something. Something I've never felt before."

"What?" Flash asked, sitting up.

"I'm not sure. It was some kind of energy. It felt cold and wrong. Like something a real Bakugan shouldn't have. Whatever it is, it's clearly why Tigress was able to beat us so easily."

"So what do we do?" Amazon asked, as Sunset started typing away at her Baku-Bracer.

"For now, we head back home. Flash and his Bakugan need to rest and the breech is closed, so there's no reason to stay here. Let's head back to Equestria and prepare for our next encounter."

"Fine," Flash nodded as he turned to where the transport ship had been. "Just you wait, Thalia. The next time we Brawl, you're going down. Do you hear me? YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

Back in the Rugenga hideout, Thalia stepped into the base and found Cursor sitting in his chair.

"I have returned victorious," she announced. "The Bakugan Defenders have lost. Though I was unable to enter the breech, those fools will think twice before attempting to get in our way again."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Cursor stated. "If they're true Brawlers, one loss won't make them stop. It'll only drive them to try harder. Another loss is the only way to break their spirit. And when that happens, I expect you to take this Leonidas Bakugan and bring it to me."

"As you command, master." Thalia turned to leave, as Cursor reached up and removed the mask covering his face.

As he did, Draken floated up to him. "I had hoped this Leonidas would be a worthy opponent to face. But if he couldn't defeat Tigress, maybe he's not so special."

"Maybe. Or maybe there's more to him than meets the eye. And the only way to see it, is to push him and his partner to his very limit." Cursor chuckled, as he thought about what would happen when he faced off against this Flash Sentry character.

Author's Note

Well, that sucked. Flash and Leonidas lost, but they'll take this defeat and grow from it. But what could the Rugenga be hiding? Wait and find out.

So, yeah. I basically used my alien from the Omnitrix series as Flash's Trap Bakugan. What can I say, I like the name and the design. At least it's a different colour. Also, those of you who've seen the reboot will have likely recognised Thalia's Trap Bakugan. Yes, I did use the Geogan from that series. Most of their designs were pretty good, so I'm using them here. Hope that's okay with you all.