Night had come to Equestria and within his room, Flash lay on his bed.

The teen shifted from side to side, as he dreamed of himself in the battle he had had against Thalia. And just like in that battle, things weren't going well. "Leo!" He cried, seeing his dragon partner trying to fight Thalia. But Tigress multiplied and shot towards him, slashing at him again and again.

"GYAH!" He cried, getting cut multiple times.

"LEO!" Flash cried, as the dragon reverted back to ball form. But instead of falling to the ground, he flew over to Thalia and she caught him. "NOOOOO!" It was at that moment that Flash suddenly woke up. "AUGH!" He panted, looking around and seeing he was in his room. And when he looked over at the table, he saw Leo wasn't there. "Leonidas?"

He got out of bed and looked around, eventually looking out onto the balcony and seeing Leonidas on the banister.

"Hey, bud. You okay?"

Leo sighed. "Not really. I can't get that loss to Thalia out of my head. The others talked about how powerful the Rugenga were and only now am I seeing just how right they were. Against such a powerful opponent, what can we possibly do?"

Flash frowned, feeling the same way. "We've faced strong opponents before. We'll deal with this one the same we dealt with them. By working hard and getting stronger."

Leonidas sighed, unsure if that would be enough to win this battle.

"Ability, Activate!" Flash swiped his card and Leonidas unleashed his laser, "Neo Phaser!"

The laser flew down and almost hit Amazon, who jumped back at the last moments. "Whoa!" Amazon flipped backwards and landed behind Lyra, as she swiped a card.

"Ability, Activate!" Amazon fired his water blast, "Aquos Bomber!"

"Oh yeah!" Amazon cried, as his water blast flew towards Leonidas. But the dragon dodged it before diving down and Flash swiped another two cards.

"Double Ability, Activate!" Leonidas sped up and was in front of Amazon in the blink of an eye. "Speed Burst, plus Power Brawl!" Leonidas unleashed a bunch of attacks, which slammed into Amazon and made him cry out before he was thrown backwards. He reverted back to ball form and fell at Lyra's feet, her Life Gauge hitting zero.

Leonidas roared as he reverted back to ball form, flying back towards Flash and being caught.

"Alright," Flash turned to the other Defenders, "who's next?" Everyone frowned, unsure if they wanted to battle Flash since he and Leonidas had been training for up to three hours now.

"I think you need a break," Sunset stated. "All this training will be wasted, if you let yourself get overwhelmed. Give your bodies time to heal and adjust to the new strength." Flash frowned, but the others nodded in agreement. Flash wasn't going to be battling any of them.

As Flash headed over to get a drink, Sunset teleported over to where Twilight was in the stands.

The alicorn stared at Flash, a worried expression on her face. "What do you think?" Sunset asked. "He's been training hard ever since he lost to Thalia. Too hard."

"Yes," Twilight nodded. "He's taking this loss hard. If we can't find a way to get him over it, I'm worried he's gonna do something stupid." Sunset agreed. She just hoped that the next time a breach occurred, it wasn't Thalia who flew there. If it was, Flash would definitely try and get his own back. And she wasn't sure he was ready for that.

Within the Rugenga's base, Cursor was watching a rerun of Flash and Thalia's battle.

As he watched, the Bakugan floating next to him huffed. "Those two are nothing special. If I faced them, I would defeat them in no time at all." Cursor nodded, but had a feeling there was more to Leonidas than what was being shown here.

At that moment, Thalia stepped into the room. "Master?" She noticed the footage, "you're watching that again?"

"I am," Cursor nodded. "This Bakugan continues to peak my curiosity. I wish to see what he can truly do. And whilst your battle with him pushed him close to his limit, I believe he can still do more once he reaches that limit."

Thalia frowned. "Is that so? Then I will push him to that limit. And when he fails to show any true ability, I will take him and add him to our collection." Cursor nodded, as Thalia moved over to one of the consoles. She prayed the light-bee she had left in Equestria had remained undiscovered and that it had a strong enough signal to let her reconnect to it.

Back in Equestria, the light-bee activated.

It had been left undisturbed since deactivation and quickly flew up and followed the controller's instructions, making its way towards the castle and heading inside before anyone could notice it.

Keeping itself hidden, the machine searched until it locked onto the bracer signal that had been sent to it. And when it determined the signal was alone, the bee flew towards it.

Currently, Flash and Leonidas were taking a break from their training in order to take a bathroom break. All the while, they kept thinking about their loss to Thalia and when they might get a chance at revenge. But that chance was coming sooner than they realised.

Suddenly, a strange device suddenly flew down and stopped right in front of him. "Wow." Flash staggered back, Leo being careful not to fall off his shoulder. "What the?" Moments later, the device glowed and a figure was formed from the light. "Thalia!"

The Rugenga chuckled as she stared at him. "Flash Sentry. I challenge you to another battle. And this time, I will be taking Leonidas for myself." Flash glared back at her. "You don't have to come, of course. If you're afraid, I understand. But if you want to try and settle the score, head to these coordinates."

His Baku-Bracer beeped and Flash saw new info being uploaded.

"The light-bee will lead you to me. I await your arrival. And I understand if you're too afraid to come alone. But if you can only win when your friends are there to cheer you on, that's just sad." With that, the image vanished and Flash caught the device.

"She's trying to goad you into a trap," Leonidas pointed out.

"I know," Flash nodded. "But this might be our only shot at evening the score. So what do you think? You up for this?" Flash knew Leo was the one who had to choose this. After all, it was his freedom they were putting on the line.

Leonidas stopped for a moment, then nodded. "Let's do it! We'll take them down once and for all. But what about the others?" Flash frowned, remembering Thalia's words.

"They'd try and talk us out of this. They're not gonna be happy, but we need to do this on our own." Leonidas agreed, as Flash began to head towards the control hub.

As Flash stepped into the room, the ponies working there turned to him.

"Oh, Mr. Sentry." A mare named Rosemary stood up. "Did you need something?" Flash hoped this worked.

"Yes. Princess Celestia asked me to check out some coordinates in Vestroia. I need you guys to warp me there. That okay?" Rosemary and the others looked confused, but nodded since they had no reason to think this wasn't a request from the princess.

Flash smiled and gave them to coordinates before heading into the transporter, allowing him and Leonidas to be warped into Vestroia. And as soon as they were there, he held up the light-bee.

"Alright. Take me to her." The bee floated into the air before flying off, Flash following for several minutes before arriving at a location. That location was just like the last place they battled. A large open wasteland covered in rocks. "Thalia!" He cried, "I'm here. Let's do this!"

"Took you long enough!" He spun around and saw someone leap down off a rock. Thalia landed as moved towards him. "I was beginning to think you'd chickened out."

"Yeah, right." Flash raised his Baku-Bracer. "I'm taking you down and settling the score."

"Wrong." She raised her bracer. "I'm taking you down and taking Leonidas for myself." Flash glared at her, as they both activated their bracers and created the energy field. At the same time, power-ups appeared all over the place and their Life Gauges filled up before they called out in unison. "LET'S BRAWL!"

Flash: 100%
Thalia: 100%

Thalia took out a card and threw it towards the ground. "Gate Card...Set!" As soon as it exploded, she took out her Bakugan and threw it. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" The Haos Bakugan flew through the air and hit several power-ups before landing. "Bakugan...STAND!" Her Bakugan popped open and in a burst of light, the armored tiger appeared. "Haos Tigress!"

Tigress roared, as her power level rose and she was ready for battle.

Tigress: 750Gs

"Let's go, Leo!" Flash grabbed his partner before leaping up into the air. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" The dragonoid flew through the air and hit several power-ups before landing. "Bakugan...STAND!" He spun open and the tornado of light exploded out of him. "Haos Novus Leonidas!" The dragon ripped himself out of the tornado, roaring as his own power increased.

Tigress: 750Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs

As Leonidas dived down, Thalia took out a card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" The light appeared around Tigress' mouth and formed the crystalline jaw. "Crystal Bite!"

Tigress: 1050Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs

Tigress ran forward and leapt into the air, slashing at Leonidas and making him cry out as he was thrown back. "And now!" Thalia cried, "Gate Card, Open!" The ground lit up and unleashed a bunch of light, which flew into Tigress. "Mirage Field!" The light flew off and created a bunch of clones, which quickly surrounded Leonidas.

Tigress: 1250Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs

They charged, moving at incredible speed towards Leonidas. But Flash had already prepared an Ability Card and slashed it. "Ability, Activate!" The hexagon sphere appeared around him. "Particle Barrier!" The fakes slammed into the shield and exploded, as the crystal jaws vanished from the Tigress army.

Tigress: 950Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs

"That won't be enough to save you!" Thalia took out a card, as the real Tigress leapt at the barrier and ripped through it. "Now, Ability, Activate!" She held up two Bakugan before dropping them to the ground. "Savage Air!"

The Bakugan glowed and unleashed their light, which flew into Tigress and made her roar as her power rose

Tigress: 1350Gs
Leonidas: 850Gs

Tigress leapt forward and slashed and Leonidas, the dragon crying out as he was thrown backwards and crashed through a rock pillar.

"Leo!" Flash gasped, fearing his friend would fall back to ball form. At that power difference, he would lose him. But to his relief, Leonidas pushed himself out of the rocks and stood back up. "Phew."

"I wouldn't relax yet!" Thalia cried, as Tigress ran in for another attack. But before she could, Flash took out two cards and swiped them.

"Double Ability, Activate!" Leonidas leapt into the air, moving just as fast as Tigress and managing to get out of the way. "Speed Burst, plus Photon Force!"

Tigress: 1350Gs
Leonidas: 1250Gs

Leo created a giant sphere of energy and tossed it towards the ground, straight at Tigress. But the Haos Tiger Bakugan simply leapt up and slashed her claws forward, cutting the orb in half without getting even a sing.

"Is that all you've got!?" Thalia took out another card and slashed it. "Ability, Activate!" Tigress's body sparked, as she landed and started running around at high speed. "Lightning Whirlwind!" The tornado that formed flew up towards Leonidas and slammed into him.

"Gyah!" He cried, as his power dropped and Tigress' rose.

Tigress: 1450Gs
Leonidas: 1150Gs

Flash was almost blown over by the wind, but he managed to stay on his feet as he took out another card. "Ability, Activate!" Leo roared, as he flew towards the tornado and broke through it. "Power Brawl!"

Tigress: 1450Gs
Leonidas: 1350Gs

Leo dived down towards Tigress, but she wasn't scared as Thalia took out another card. "Ability, Activate!" She swiped it and the blades on her body glowed. "Cut In Revenger!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" With a roar, Tigress created a powerful wind that flew past her and sent the light flying off her blades. Leo gasped and tried to stop, but the light blades slammed into him and made him roar out as his power dropped.

Tigress: 1450Gs
Leonidas: 750Gs

Flash gasped, realising he was once again at risk of losing Leonidas. "Not gonna happen!" He took out his cards and slashed them. "Double Ability, Activate!" The Bakugan roared, as he fought through the energy blades and his body began to glow. "Neo Phaser, plus Fusion Ability. Neo Photon Blast!"

The light flew off his body and spiralled into an orb in front of him. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He then fired his laser into the orb and made it explode into a larger beam, which flew down towards Tigress.

Tigress: 1450Gs
Leonidas: 1550Gs

As it got closer, Thalia took out her card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" The tiger roared, as her body glowed. "Power Charge!"

Tigress: 1600Gs
Leonidas: 1550Gs

Tigress raced forward and leapt up towards the laser, thrusting her claws into it and cutting the beam in half. And as it slammed into the ground on either side of Thalia, Tigress kept going until she reached Leonidas. And in the blink of an eye, she was behind the dragon as he roared in pain.

"LEO!" Flash cried, seeing his partner suddenly revert back to ball form and fall.

Flash: 90%
Thalia: 100%

"No!" Leo hit the ground and Flash ran over to him, as Tigress reverted back to ball form and flew over to Thalia. "Leo. You okay?"

"Ahhh," Leo opened up, "I'm fine. She's just as powerful as the last time we fought. Possibly even stronger. We need to be careful."

Flash nodded and took out a card and despite her mask, he could tell she was smiling as she stepped forward. "Time to wipe that stupid smirk off her face. Gate Card...SET!" As the card hit the ground and exploded, Flash leapt into the air. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" Leo flew through the air, as Thalia leapt up as well.

"Bakugan...BRAWL!" She threw hers towards some more power-ups and the two Bakugan flew through them before landing on the ground. "BAKUGAN...STAND!" The two opened up, Leonidas spinning and forming a tornado before the pair appeared in their true form.

They both roared, as their power rose.

Tigress: 700Gs
Leonidas: 800Gs

"Let's go!" Flash pointed towards the ground. "Gate Card, Open!" The ground glowed and sent the light flying into Leonidas, "Dragon Pulse!" The energy pumped him up and with a roar, Leo charged.

Tigress: 700Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs

Tigress managed to avoid his attack, leaping around and picking up speed whilst Leonidas chased after her.

As this was happening, neither the Brawlers nor Bakugan noticed someone watching them. Cursor, was staring down at them from atop a nearby rock pillar. Draken was floating beside him, not looking impressed.

"That Bakugan was once the most powerful one in existence," the armored figure stated.

Draken nodded back. "Then he gave his life to allow Vestroia to be reborn. And yet, he lives once again. How curious." Cursor nodded, eager to see exactly what kind of abilities this Bakugan had. And if they were worth him taking him for himself.

"Show me," he stated. "Show me your true power."

Leonidas tried to strike Tigress with his tail, but the tiger leapt into the air to avoid it.

Thalia was about to activate an Ability. But Flash took something out and acted first. "Come, Bakugan Trap!" He threw the wheel-shaped Bakugan into the air. "Haos Lindwhirl!" The Bakugan unfolded and burst into light, which flew behind Tigress and hit the ground before taking his true form.

Tigress: 700Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1350Gs

Leonidas tried to claw at Tigress, but the Bakugan leapt to the side using her incredible speed. She then leapt into the air, to avoid Lindwhirl as he rolled towards her in wheel form. And as she did, Thalia swiped a card.

"Ability, Activate!" The gemstone jaw once again appeared around Tigress, as she landed and dug her fangs into the ground. "Crystal Bite!"

The Gate Card suddenly shattered into pieces, lowering Leonidas' power as Tigress' rose up. But it was still higher than Tigress', allowing Leo to dive down and deal a kick to her. "Gyah!"

Tigress: 1000Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1150Gs

Tigress was knocked backwards, as Lindwhirl flew towards her. "It's my turn to take you down!" Flash took out two cards and swiped them. "Double Ability, activate!" The spikes on Lindwhirl's back began to glow, whilst Leonidas began to build power in his mouth. "Radiant Stampede, plus Neo Phaser!"

Tigress: 1000Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1600Gs

Lindwhirl flew towards Tigress and before she could escape, he slammed into her and knocked her backwards. She screamed, as she was thrown flying whilst Leonidas unleashed a laser from his mouth.

"Tigress!" Thalia cried, as Tigress began to pick herself up. "Hold on!" She took out an Ability Card and swiped it. "Ability Activate!" She took out the other two Bakugan and dropped them. "Savage Air!"

The Bakugan glowed and and sent their energy towards Tigress, seconds before the laser struck her.

Tigress: 1400Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1600Gs

"GYAH!" The explosion knocked her flying backwards, but she was able to hold on thanks to her fellow Bakugan giving her more power.

She managed to flip through the air and land, as Lindwhirl flew towards her again. But before he could strike, Thalia swiped another card. "Ability, Activate!" Tigress' armor sparked and she managed to dodge the attack, "Lightning Whirlwind!"

Tigress started running around and formed a super-charged tornado, which flew towards both Lindwhirl and Leonidas before either could try and dodge it.

"Gyah!" Leonidas cried, Lindwhirl howling as they were zapped

Tigress: 1500Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1400Gs

"Hang on guys!" Flash took out another card, as Lindwhirl curled up and spun through the tornado. "Ability Activate!" He shot towards Tigress and uncurled, his claws glowing. "Raging Slash!"

With a swipe, he clawed against Tigress and made her cry out in pain.

Tigress: 1400Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1400Gs

As Lindwhirl leapt back, Leonidas flew forward ready to take her down. But Thalia was quicker and swiped a card. "Ability, Activate!" The blades on Tigress glowed and Flash realised what was coming. "Cut In Revenger!" The beast roared as the wind flew past her and caused the light to fly off.

But as they approached the two, Flash took out two 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.

The energy blades bounced off the glowing spiral, disappearing as Leonidas flew over it and Flash swiped the other card.

"Plus, Power Brawl!" He dived down, as his muscles flexed.

Tigress: 1400Gs
Leonidas+Lindwhirl: 1600Gs

"Raaaaah!" He punched her with everything he had, knocking Tigress back and reverting her back to ball form. As she fell towards Thalia's feet, the woman growled.

"Don't get cocky..." She stated as the Bakugan reverted back to ball form and her Life Gauge dropped.

Flash: 90%
Thalia: 60%

"Two on one would be tough for anyone to beat."

"Maybe," Flash smirked. "But a win's still a win. Not my fault you didn't send out your Bakugan Trap." Though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was scowling. But before either of them could say anything else, someone suddenly leapt down behind her. "Who's that?"

Thalia looked around and saw Cursor moving towards them. "Master?"

Cursor stepped up next to her and took out a Gate Card. "I've decided to see how powerful this Brawler truly is."

"What?" Flash asked. "Hey, you can't just walk into our battle uninvited. Ever hear of common courtesy? Who the heck even are you?"

"Hold your tongue!" Thalia told him. "You are talking to Cursor. Leader of the Rugenga." This put Flash and his Bakugan on edge.

"So he's the one in charge," Leonidas stated.

"Who cares," Flash stated. "I'll take him down and deal with Thalia once and for all."

"I don't think so," Cursor stated. "Gate Card...SET!" He threw the card and as soon as it exploded, he took out a Bakugan other than the one resting on his shoulder. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" The Bakugan flew through the air and hit the ground, Cursor not even bothering with the power-ups. "Bakugan...STAND!" The Bakugan flew open and exploded into flames, which flew up and formed a fireball. "Pyrus Chance Dragonoid!"

Flash watched as the fireball exploded, revealing a humanoid Bakugan.

It was red, with green armor on its neck, chest, waist and on each of its four arms. It had two pairs of wings, a spear head on its tail, a unicorn horn on its forehead and two devil horn-like spikes sticking out of its head. The Bakugan flew upwards and let out a roar as it did so, showing just how strong it was.

Chance: 500Gs

"Now," Cursor smiled, "are you going to fight? Or are you going to run away?"

Flash growled as he held up his Bakugan. "You ready, Leo?"

"Let's show this guy what a big mistake he just made." Flash nodded and flipped him up, catching him as he leapt into the air.

"Bakugan...BRAWL!" Leo flew through the air and hit several power-ups before landing, the Bakugan rolling several feet before spinning open. "Bakugan...STAND!" The tornado of light exploded out of him. "Let's go, LEO!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared, as his power increased.

Leonidas: 700Gs
Chance: 500Gs

Before Flash could do anything, Cursor pointed to the ground. "Gate Card, OPEN!" Suddenly, the ground burst into flames and the fire flew up into Chance Dragonoid. "Pyrus Reactor!"

Leonidas: 700Gs
Chance: 700Gs

The two dragons flew towards one another and started clashing, Leo needing to be careful with the other Bakugan's four arms. But after dodging several strikes, he managed to land a kick straight to its chest.

"Hahaa!" Flash cheered, only for Cursor to take out a card and swipe it.

"Ability, Activate!" Chance Dragonoid's hands burst into flames, those flames beginning to take shape. "Burst Gauntlet!" The flames extinguished to reveal red metal gloves on each hand, each having L-shaped blades sticking out of them.

Leonidas: 700Gs
Chance: 900Gs

The Dragonoid started slashing at Leonidas, who dodged and evaded as best he could. But eventually, he was slashed and flinched in pain. "Augh!"

Over in Equestria, the Defenders were all searching for Flash after he had disappeared.

They, Twilight and Celestia arrived at the control hub, wondering if he had gone there to monitor what was happening in Vestroia. But they couldn't find him anywhere. "Rosemary," Celestia spoke up.

"Yes, your majesty?" The mare stood up from the console.

"Have you seen Flash and Leonidas?" The mare looked confused by this. "Is something wrong?"

"Princess. Mr. Sentry is in Vestroia." This shocked everyone, who turned to the transporter wondering what Flash was thinking. "He said you had ordered him to check out an area of Vestroia. Was that not the case?"

"No," Celestia looked annoyed, "it was not. Where did you send him?" Rosemary used her monitor to focus on an area of the planet, the others seeing it was nowhere special. "So why would Flash go there?" But as she said that, the monitor beeped.

"Your highness. Locking onto that area allowed our systems to pick up an energy signal. Dimensional Field energy. The same kind used to create a battlefield."

"A battlefield?" Twilight looked worried. "So Flash is battling someone there?"

"I hope it's not Thalia," Lyra gulped. "We should get going." The others nodded, with Rosemary trying to lock onto that area. But she frowned.

"I can't get a lock. The battlefield must be interfering with it. But I can transport you to just outside of it." The others nodded and all ran into the transporter, praying they could get there before anything bad happened to Flash.

Cursor continued to watch, as Leonidas and Chance Dragonoid ducked it out. But so far, he wasn't impressed.

"So far, his abilities appear to be completely average. Nothing any other Bakugan couldn't do with training and a competent partner. Maybe the legends about him aren't true after all." But at that moment, he heard Flash call out.

"Double Ability, Activate!" He swiped a pair of cards and Leonidas burst into action. "Speed Burst, plus Power Brawl!"

Leonidas: 1100Gs
Chance: 900Gs

Leonidas dodged Chance's slashes and managed to deal several quick punches to the dragonoid's side. He was moving so fast, Chance couldn't keep up with him. But as Leo came in for another attack, Cursor swiped a card.

"Ability, Activate!" Chance spun around, as his eyes began to glow. "Inferno Leer!" The light shot out of his eyes and hit Leonidas, who flinched as he felt his power drop.

Leonidas: 900Gs
Chance: 900Gs

"It'll take more than that to beat us!" Flash yelled, only to see Cursor hold something up.

"Then it's a good thing I have more. Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw another Bakugan onto the field, also ignoring the power-ups. "Bakugan...STAND!" The Bakugan opened up and burst into flames, which flew up towards the other two. "Pyrus Quake Dragonoid!"

The flames extinguished to reveal a red dragon Bakugan who was covered in red armor, with cracks running along it that gave the impression of cracked ground. It had gauntlets around its arms that had blue lines on them, a small green gem on its chest and three backwards pointing horns on its head that were three times as long as its head.

Leonidas: 900Gs
Chance+Quake: 1400Gs

The next thing Leonidas knew, he was being double-teamed by the two dragons. As he dodged Chance's claws, Quake flew up and body-checked him. "Gyah!" He spun around, but managed to stay in control. "Cheap trick!"

"Seriously?" Flash asked, "you're ganging up on me now?"

"I'm just giving you an incentive," Cursor stated. "Show me everything you have, or lose Leonidas."

"You asked for it!" Flash took out three cards and slashed them. "Triple Ability, activate!" Leo dodged another attack, as his body began to glow. "Neo Phaser, plus Photon Force! And don't forget. Fusion Ability, Neo Photon Blast!"

"What?" Cursor cried, "a Triple Ability?" He watched, as Leonidas created the orb in front of him before firing a laser into it. The laser exploded the orb into a large beam, which flew down and almost struck both Bakugan.

Leonidas: 1900Gs
Chance+Quake: 1400Gs

"Take him down!" Flash yelled, ready to beat Cursor in a single move. But Thalia wouldn't have that.

"Bakugan...BRAWL!" She quickly threw her Bakugan into the battle. "Bakugan...STAND!" Tigress hit the ground and popped open, the Bakugan appearing in a brilliant burst of light. "Haos Tigress!" Flash panicked, realising he was now fighting three on one.

Leonidas: 1900Gs
Chance+Quake+Tigress: 1900Gs

"Double Ability, Activate!" Thalia swiped her cards, as she took out her Bakugan and dropped them. "Savage Air, plus Cut In Revenger!" As the Bakugan fell, Tigress absorbed their power before unleashing a wind that sent it flying up towards Leonidas.

The dragon was shocked, as the wind slammed into him and the energy blades slashed at his body. "GYAH!"

Leonidas: 1300Gs
Chance+Quake+Tigress: 2300Gs

Flash gasped, realising the difference in their power level was way over five hundred. "I'm gonna lose Leo!" He thought about sending out Lindwhirl. But that wouldn't be enough. And as the dragonoids prepared to attack, Flash feared the worse.

But in that moment, a bright flash of green light suddenly filled the air above them. "What?" Thalia asked, as a pair of Bakugan appeared within that light.

"Oh, great. Now who's attacking me?" But Flash's statement was soon proven false, when one of the Bakugan flew out of the light and struck Chance Dragonoid.

It was a Ventus Bakugan, who appeared like a winged woman in armor. Her skin was a shade of green so dark it bordered on black, whilst her hair was a light green colour.

She was wearing a light blue bodysuit that covered everything except her neck and head, with green armor covering her chest, shoulders, forearms, waist and upper legs. She was wearing a green metal helmet that her hair was sticking out the back of that covered everything except her face, which had a pair of light green metal wings on the side. Her hands, lower legs and feet were the same dark green as her face and her knees were surrounded by feathers. The armor around her arms had a hole just above the wrist, which looked like something fired out of them, whilst her wings were a shade of green so light they were almost white in colour.

The Bakugan had stomped Chance away from Leonidas before turning to Quake, who roared and tried to attack her. But another Bakugan flew past and struck it with its wing.

This one was a green bird-like Bakugan. Its body was organic, but it appeared to have mechanical wings.

Its organic sections were a light green colour, Rarity would call it chartreuse, but its chest, back, upper legs and the back of its neck was covered in a green metal armor that its wings were connected to. From out of the armor on its rear came two long metal points that formed a U-shape. And between that shape was some kind of yellow energy that gave it the appearance of having a tail.

The same energy came off the wings, creating feather patterns that it used to fly around. Its talons were also yellow. And standing atop this Bakugan was someone Flash recognised. "No way."

At this moment, Sunset and the others had arrived and spotted the newcomers as well. And Lyra also recognised the new Brawler. "It's Soarin!"

Soarin Skies, dressed a black shirt, dark blue pants and a green open jacket, stood atop his Bakugan with a Baku-Bracer on his arm. And as Flash checked his own Baku-Bracer, he smiled seeing the new score.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2150Gs
Chance+Quake+Tigress: 2300Gs

Soarin took out a card and slashed it. "Ability, Activate!" He leapt off the bird Bakugan, "Aerial Assault!" The Bakugan dived down towards the two dragonoids, as wind swirled around it.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2350Gs
Chance+Quake+Tigress: 2300Gs

It slammed into the pair and knocked them down, as the other Ventus Bakugan flew down towards Tigress.

"Ability, Activate!" He swiped another card, as she brought her hands together. "Aero Shot!" A ball of wind swirled between her hands and she shot it towards Tigress.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2650Gs
Chance+Quake+Tigress: 2300Gs

The tiger tried to dodge, but she wasn't fast enough and the air blast slammed into her. She roared in pain, as she was knocked backwards and forced back into Ball Form.

"What?" Thalia cried, as Tigress landed down in front of her. "One hit?"

Flash: 90%
Thalia: 0%
Soarin: 100%
Cursor: 100%

Soarin chose this moment to land next to Flash, the pair smirking at one another as their opponents lost serious G Power.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2650Gs
Chance+Quake: 1900Gs

"Sup, Flash." Soarin asked him, "how it's going?"

"Not bad," Flash replied. "Thanks for the save. Now we can take these guys down once and for all."

"You got it," Soarin nodded.

Thalia picked up her Bakugan and turned to Cursor. "Master. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Cursor shook his head. "This match might actually be more fun than I had originally believed. Especially if that Bakugan can handle using Triple Abilities." He smiled, as the Bakugan on his shoulders jumped off. "Are you ready, Draken?"

"I am," the Bakugan replied before folding up.

Cursor then grabbed him before throwing him into the battle. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" The Bakugan flew towards the ground and when it struck, it started spinning open. "Bakugan...STAND!" Flames exploded out of it and started forming a flaming tornado, which caught everyone's attention. "Rise...PRYUS DRAKENOID!"

As it did, the Bakugan could feel a power that only one of them recognised. "Oh no," Sorcerell stated. "He's coming!"

"Who's coming?" Lyra asked, as the flames exploded off of the Bakugan. This revealed a large black, red, orange, white and yellow dragonoid Bakugan.

Its head and the back of its long neck was black, whilst the front of its neck, its chest, waist, stomach and the underside of its tail were orange. Black armor ran from the back of his neck, down his back and all the way to the tip of his tail, with yellow spikes sticking out of it the whole way. His arms were red and he had legs that were a mix of black and red with black armoring over his upper legs. His sides were red, with white sections between it and his orange front.

On his arms were a pair of strange looking blades, which suddenly unfolded to reveal black wings with a red membrane and yellow dots. On his head were a trio of horns, two sticking backwards over his eyes and one on the end of his snout. And on his chest was a glowing purple gem.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" His roar shook the ground around him, everyone covering their ears as Leonidas felt the intense power coming off him.

"What is that thing?" Flash asked.

"I don't know," Leonidas replied. "But this one is powerful."

Moondancer gulped, "that's Drakenoid." The others began to panic, remembering what she had said about him. But someone also had a reaction to this Bakugan. Amazon.

As he stared at the dragonoid, something about him seemed vaguely familiar. "I've...seen that Bakugan before. Or something like it."

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2650Gs
Drakenoid+Chance+Quake: 2500Gs

Cursor quickly swiped two cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Chance and Quake Dragonoid began to glow. "Phantom Chance, plus Phantom Quake!" The light flowed out of them and into Draken.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2650Gs
Drakenoid+Chance+Quake: 2700Gs

Draken charged forward and shot towards Valkyria and Skyblink, Chance and Quake flying at them as well. But before they could reach them, Soarin took out two cards.

"Double Ability, Activate!" He swiped them, as Valkyria started spinning. "Blade Wing Dance, plus Shearing Winds!" Valkyria was surrounded by wind and when she stopped spinning, she beat her wings and caused the wind to be sent flying towards the Bakugan.

Skyblink also beat his wings, the air it unleashed joining with the other attack.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 3050Gs
Drakenoid+Chance+Quake: 2700Gs

Draken saw this coming and managed to dodge the wind attacks, leaving Chance and Quake to be struck by them. Both dragons roared in pain before they returned to Ball Form, the two falling towards the ground whilst Cursor smirked.

Flash: 90%
Thalia: 0%
Soarin: 100%
Cursor: 40%

"Yeah!" Flash cheered, as he looked down at his Baku-Bracer. But when he saw the score, his eyes went wide.

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 3050Gs
Drakenoid: 2500Gs

"What?" Flash asked, "why'd his power level only drop by five hundred?"

Cursor chuckled. "Phantom Chance and Quake transferred all their power to Draken, then added a hundred Gs onto himself. With that, Draken is now the most powerful Bakugan on the board." Flash and Soarin frowned, as Cursor took out two cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" He swiped the card, as Draken's body burst into flames. "Blazing Dragon, plus Blazing Tornado!"

Leonidas+Valkyria+Skyblink: 2850Gs
Drakenoid: 3000Gs

The Bakugan tried to fly out of the way, as Draken morphed into a massive drill of fire. But Skyblink wasn't fast enough. The bird Bakugan was struck by the flames and with a squawk, he was forced back into his smaller form. Said form was a cube shape, which fell down and landed at Soarin's feet.

Flash: 90%
Thalia: 0%
Soarin: 70%
Cursor: 40%

"Skyblink!" Valkyria cried, as the tornado exploded to reveal a still flaming Draken.

Leonidas+Valkyria: 2500Gs
Drakenoid: 3000Gs

The dragon then turned its attention towards Valkyria and charged in, his still burning body ready to take her down.

But before he could, Soarin swiped a card. "Ability, Activate!" Valkyria beat her wings and sent a bunch of green energy blades flying towards Draken. "Feather Darts!"

The blades slammed into Draken and caused the flames around him to disappear, but he kept going and didn't seem the least bit damaged by the impact. And before Valkyria or Leo could do anything, he slammed into the Ventus Bakugan.

Leonidas+Valkyria: 2500Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

"Gyah!" Valkyria was knocked back and forced back into Ball Form, the Bakugan falling to the ground as Soarin's Life Gauge dropped.

Flash: 90%
Thalia: 0%
Soarin: 30%
Cursor: 40%

Leonidas gasped, seeing he was now all on his own. And as Draken hovered in the air, the pair glared at one another as the new scores were calculated.

Leonidas: 2000Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

"Ability," Flash swiped his card, "Activate!" Leonidas created a sphere of energy, "Photon Force!"

Leonidas: 2200Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

He threw the orb, but Cursor swiped his own two cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Draken unleashed a bunch of fire from his mouth, which formed a wall that countered the Photon Force. "Burst Shield, plus Flame Protector!"

He beat his wings and the flames flew towards Leonidas, destroying his attack before slamming into him. "Gyah!"

Leonidas: 1800Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

The dragonoid charged at him, ready to take him down, but Flash was quicker. "Ability, Activate!" He swiped it and the hexagon orb formed around Leonidas. "Particle Barrier!"

Leonidas: 2000Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

Drakenoid reached the barrier and spun around, slamming his tail into it and shattering the hexagon. "What?" Leonidas cried, as Draken reached out and grabbed him by the neck. "Augh!"

"Leo!" Flash gasped, as Draken forced Leonidas into the ground.

"To think. You were once the most powerful Bakugan alive. And now, you're no better than that Spikenoid I crushed." Hearing this, Leonidas' eyes went wide.

"What?" He glared at him. "You were the one who defeated Spike?"

"I was. And he was pathetic. Barely worth my time. Now you'll-" He stopped when Leonidas suddenly started glowing, causing Draken's hand to burn. "Gyah!" He let him go, "what?" He staggered back, as Leonidas pushed himself up and the light grew brighter.

"I am going to make you pay for that. Do you hear me!?" He roared and suddenly, the ground around him started glowing as well.

"What's happenin'?" Braeburn asked, the light growing brighter and brighter.

"Leo?" Flash cried, as his card box suddenly opened. "What?" A light was coming out of it and when he reached in, he felt a new card in there. "Where'd this come from?" He drew the card and saw it was different from the others.

"It's Leonidas!" Flarenix cried. "He's drawing power from Vestroia itself."

"Of course!" Lyra laughed. "Vestroia was created using Leonidas' old body. He's connected to it and can wield its power. Do it, FLASH!"

Flash nodded and swiped the card. "Neo Ability, Activate!" The light flew out of the ground and began to spiral around Leonidas, shocking everyone as they felt the incredible power coming off him. "SHINING VESTROIA!"

Leonidas: 2700Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

Cursor couldn't believe what he was seeing. "He increased his power by that much?"

"Not just that much!" Flash cried, as Leonidas let out another roar and his power increased even more so.

Leonidas: 3000Gs
Drakenoid: 2700Gs

Cursor's eyes widened in shock, as Leonidas let out another powerful roar. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!" With that, the light exploded out of him and flew towards Drakenoid. The dragonoid tried to fight against it, but the power was just too great.

"No!" He yelled, as it slammed into him and he was thrown backward. "AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!" He fell towards Cursor, but was reverted back to ball form before he could crush him. And as he hit the ground, Cursor stared at him in shock.

"We lost?"

Flash: 90% (Winner)
Thalia: 0%
Soarin: 30% (Winner)
Cursor: 0%

Flash panted, as Leonidas reverted back to ball form and flew back to him. And when he caught him, Flash hissed. "Ahh!" He threw him into the air, Leonidas opening up and flying as he remained hot. "Geez. That new attack packs some punch."

"Yeah," Leonidas nodded, "I'm feeling seriously drained." They turned to see Cursor pick Draken up, as their transport flew into view.

"Well, this has certainly been an interesting bout." They leapt up and landed atop the machine. "But don't think your victory here means anything. Now that I've seen what you can do, I will find a way to bring you crashing to your knees." With that, the transport closed and flew off, as the others watched them disappear.

As Thalia piloted, Cursor and Draken thought about the Brawl.

'Now that I've seen the kind of power he possesses, I must make Leonidas mine. Only then, will Draken and I obtain our full power.'

As soon as the battle was over, the Defenders all returned to Equestria.

To say Soarin was amazed by the humanoid ponies was an understatement. And after Flash's chewing out for going off on his own, they all focused on him. "So what happened?" Flash asked. "How'd you get to Vestroia?"

Soarin frowned. "I'm not really sure. One minute, I was on a run preparing myself for a big soccer game. And the next thing I knew, a massive portal formed in front of me and sucked me in."

"I see," Dragonia stated. "It must have been an aftereffect of us attempting to send Leonidas to your world. You being the one to fall through it was either an amazing accident, or fate at work."

Soarin nodded. "It wasn't long after that, I met Valkyria." They all turned to the Bakugan on his shoulder, as Soarin explained everything.

On Vestroia, a Rugenga ship was flying overhead searching for Bakugan left behind by the Guardians.

One such Bakugan was Valkyria, who suddenly found herself being lifted into the air. "What...hey!" She tried to fight the tractor beam, but couldn't. She was almost captured, until someone leapt up and grabbed her before pulling her out of the beam. That someone was Soarin, who quickly hid behind a boulder. "Oh, thank you."

"Don't mention it," Soarin nodded.

"Are you one of the Rugenga?"

"Rugenga? Never heard of them. My name's Soarin." That statement got a gasp from Valkyria.

"You mean Soarin Skies. The human partner of the great Storm Garuda?" Soarin was amazed his partner was so well known, but nodded. "It's an honour to meet you. I am Valkyria."

"Valkyria told me everything," Soarin explained. "And since then, we've been working to figure out where the Rugenga were hiding so we could free the Bakugan they captured."

Lyra stepped forward. "Are you the one who saved me from Beck?"

"Yeah," Soarin nodded. "Sorry I didn't stick around. I was hoping I could follow Beck. But their transport was way too fast. So I had to wait until I ran into you guys again."

Celestia smiled. "Well, we're happy to have you here. With your on our team, the Defenders will be stronger than ever."

"And we're gonna need that strength," Sunset stated as she activated her Baku-Bracer and showed everyone the image she had taken of Drakenoid. "Against this Bakugan, we're gonna need all the help we can get." They all stared at the image, those who hadn't seen it before shivering at how menacing it looked.

But one person saw it and gasped. "It can't be!" Everyone turned to Dragonia, who stared at the image in absolute shock. "It looks...but the colour...no, it is him. But not."

"What are you talking about?" Flash asked her.

"Dragonia," Leonidas cried, "do you know this Bakugan?"

"In a way. Leonidas. Do you remember the story I told you, about my former life?" Leonidas nodded, the others who knew that story listening intently. "The Bakugan who saved Vestroia and became its new core, only to be restored to his Bakugan form years later. The Bakugan who fought in many battles, to protect Vestroia and many other worlds. Pyrus Dragonoid. Or Drago, as I knew him."

"What does this have to do with Draken?" Flash asked.

"Draken looks just like Drago," Dragonia explained. "There are differences in his colour, but that's definitely him. That was the form he became after being reborn from the Perfect Core. Neo Dragonoid. But how is that possible?"

The others wondered the same thing. It was clear the Rugenga were more than just invaders. Who were they? And what could they really be after.

But as they thought about it, Amazon's mind kept repeating the name. "Pyrus Dragonoid. Neo Dragonoid." He thought about Draken and suddenly, he was staring at a differently coloured Draken. More red than black, this dragon appeared in his mind. And then, he was joined by other images of a red Draken. But they weren't dragon. "Ti...ti...Titanium Dragonoid!" The others glanced over at him. "And...Fusion Dragonoid."

"Amazon?" Lyra frowned, "what's wrong? Are you remembering something?"

Amazon was. As soon as the image of Dragonoid was in his head, it seemed to make an explosion of memories flow through his mind. Amazon remembered who he was. Where he had come from. And how he had gotten there. "I remember everything now. My master. My friends. Everything."

This put everyone on edge, all of them curious about Amazon's secret. And if it might reveal anything about who the Rugenga were.

Cursor made his way through the cave, Draken floating beside him.

Eventually, he reached the hole in the floor of the cave and looked down into it. And when he did, he smiled at what he was seeing. A strange purple ooze, which was the cause of the light coming out of the hole.

Multiple Bakugan were half buried in this ooze, with tendrils wrapped around them. Their energy was being drained from it and being absorbed into the ooze. But it wasn't just Bakugan in there.

Along them were six individuals, all appearing to be around twenty years or older. Three of them were male, a brown haired individual in red, a black haired man in black and green and a short blonde man with glasses in blue. There were also three women, a blue haired one with hair in pigtails wearing yellow and white, a dark skinned woman with white hair who was wearing pink and a ginger haired woman wearing a purple coat over a yellow dress.

They were all unconscious, half sunk into the ooze with tendrils wrapped around them. Like the Bakugan, they were also having their energy drained out of them.

As Cursor stared down at the six individuals and the Bakugan around them, he thought about Leonidas and chuckled. "Once we add you to it, our power will grow even stronger. Strong enough to awaken all our partners and become the beings we were always meant to be."

Author's Note

Yikes. That was a tough match. But now the team are all together and they seem to have discovered some interesting facts about the Rugenga. But what is the story behind them? Only time will tell.

For those wondering about the Bakugan in this episode. Drakenoid is basically Vexos Dragonoid in Ball Form and Bakugan Form.

For Valkyria, look up Jessica's season two form from Gormiti. The colours are different and she's wearing a helmet, but other than that it's the same. Her Ball Form is the same as Flash Ingram. Meanwhile, Skyblink is Talan from Geogan Rising.