S4, E2: The Emergence of Evil

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

Welcome to the Underground, an illegal variant of World Championship that really had more interesting brawls. With more advanced technology and a feisty audience, brawls here were much more competitive. There was always one rule that everyone went by in the Underground that made things really easy for everyone. There were no rules. Just do whatever it takes to win. The brawler who stood near the lift that was going to take him up to the next battle was none other than the infamous brawler who goes by the name Blade, a Subterra brawler known for his power, skill, and aggressiveness he shows in battle. As he took the lift upwards, it wasn't easy to miss the serious look on his face, which he always showed. Eventually, he reached the arena. The audience was more far out than in World Championship to ensure that no one gets hurt and provide a better view of the arena. The field was much more advanced than any other due to the illegal funding they get, so they have a lot of money to throw around. Due to this, the arena floors were actually indestructible for those who decide to throw around their weight. As amazing as the battlefield looks, its setting was instantly changed to an ominous Darkus battlefield that had dark-colored buildings with a nice open street for the battle to take place. On Blade's shoulder was a Subterra bakugan called Axostriker, a very powerful bakugan that was feared around these parts. Since they both had deep and scary voices (Blade's voice isn't really that scary, but Axo's is), they were pretty intimidating.

"Some of these brawlers are too soft." Blade said. "I'm thinking them and their bakugan don't make the cut."

Axostriker opened on his shoulder and said, "Of course they didn't. Their bakugan were too bent on following 'rules' that they learned over on the other side. The battle energy was plentiful nonetheless, so they weren't all that useless."

"As a bakugan of your caliber," Blade said. "I wouldn't expect any less of you to completely destroy your opponent. This guy we're up against is known to have some sort of a shapeshifter, so do what you do best. And remember, don't you dare lose."

"You know I never do."Axo said as he closed, getting ready for battle.

"Gate card set!" Blade said as he tapped a gate card on his bakupad. The field let out an energy pulse to signify that a gate card has been set.

Blade then grabbed Axo from his shoulder in his right hand since he's right handed, and threw Axostriker onto the field. "Bakugan brawl! Bakugan stand! Destroy them, Subterra Axostriker!"

Axo stood in his monster form as he had a dark aura emanate from him. He was a dragonlike knight/warrior that had retractable wings, so he could take flight whenever he liked. The appearance of his armor looked like it was very sturdy. He then took his battle stance, prepared for anything his opponent throws at him.

[Jason Drake]

At the lift on the other side of the arena. Another brawler stood. He was a fairly frail looking lad who wore strange garments as if he was a priest of some sorts. If one had not known who he was, they would've have found the young man to be out of place in this arena full of thugs, criminals, and all sorts of illegal activity. In truth, his long flowing hair and even the cross hanging from his neck masked what was really beneath those robes. As the lift rose the brawler towards the field, fans recognized Jason Drake, a name that was loved and feared in this circuit. As one of the top brawlers in the Underground Circuit Jason had made quite a name for himself. Despite his peaceful appearance, Jason was known as one of the most ruthless brawlers ever to step foot into the arena. Jason Drake was a Haos brawler and his bakugan Aion, had a nasty reputation. Aion, also known as the Shape-Shifting Zodiac, was as ruthless and cunning as his master, and both of them knew what it took to win. As Jason's lift finally stopped, he looked across the Darkus field and saw his opponent. He clapped his hands in mock approval.

"Ah. So this is the new 'Rising Star' in the Underground? It's an honor to finally meet you, Blade. Let me formally introduce myself, I am Jason Drake, I go by many names, however. Some call me Master Drake, others call me the Zodiac Warrior, and some even go so far as to call me Priest. But you boy," Jason let out a sinister chuckle as he pulled out his bakupack, "You can acknowledge me as, your demise."

He gave his opponent a cunning smile as Blade set the gate card and threw out his bakugan. "Ah. You must be Axostriker. I must say you're much less formidable in person. It's the power of the media I guess. Honestly I was expecting a challenge," Jason sighed, "I guess we'll just have to crush your dreams just like all the other so-called 'Rising Stars' that they send me. Isn't that right Aion?"

"I couldn't agree more Jason," A Haos bakugan on Jason's shoulder spoke, "Let's show them what a bakugan with the power of the Zodiac can do!"

Jason Drake threw his bakugan onto the field. However, it was different than his usual throw. Instead of a classic toss onto the center of the field, Jason threw upwards and over Axostriker. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand my warrior and show them what true power means, Haos Aion!"

Aion stood behind Axostriker, he was a humanoid bakugan about the same size as Axostriker. He had gleaming white armor with yellow markings and his body seemed to glow with a crackling energy. It was almost as if the bakugan was surrounded with lightning. It was actually the magic of the Zodiac, or at least that's what Jason claimed.

"Now Jason! While I've still got his back wide open!" Aion shouted.

"Ability Activate! Horns of Ares!" Immediately, Aion's body changed. His armor became red with orange markings and his body glowed with a fiery aura that produced a tremendous amount of heat. Ram's horns grew on the bakugan's head. They were large and caught on fire the moment they were finished growing. With a loud shout, Aion rammed his body, horns first, into Axostriker's back.

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

"Hmmmmm." Blade said as he grinned. "You seem to be very sure of yourself. Axo!"

As Axostriker flew from being rammed in the back, he quickly shifted his body so he could land on the ground and began to slide on the ground.

"Ability activate!" Blade said as he tapped a card on his bakupad. "Vision Wind!"

A small tornado started to surround Axo's body as he was sliding. The tornado began to grow larger in width as he began to stop, then suddenly, it was released in a gigantic wave across the arena that was able to knock Aion of his feet.

"And that's not all either." Blade said with a smirk on his face. "Tremor Blow!"

Surprisingly, Axo was in the air above Aion flying using his wings as a result of the last ability's effect. Axo began to vibrate as numerous energy waves were released from his body in all directions. This was sure to cause major damage if the attack connects.

[Jason Drake]

Jason chuckled. "I'll hand it to you kid. You've got guts, but you won't survive with such an amateur technique." He tapped a card in his Bakupad. "Ability Activate! Blessing of Virgo!"

Aion's horns receded back into his head as he transformed back into a Haos bakugan. The crackling aura returned as a he grew two large golden wings and floated upwards, completely avoiding the Vision Wind attack. The bakugan held out his hand as the waves came at him with tremendous force. As the waves drew nearer, a glowing sphere surrounded the Haos bakugan. The attack was absorbed by the sphere and transmitted through Aion's body. The energy from Axostriker's attack was transferred to Aion's hands. The hand charged with a glowing mix of Haos and Subterra energy as Aion unleashed an attack similar to Tremor Blow.

"Ha! You're not so tough when you're facing your own devastating attack. Are you, Axostriker?"

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

"Ability activate!" Blade said as he tapped a card on his bakupad. "Sandstorm Twister!"

Axostriker unleashed a giant twister from his hands which was a similar attack to Helix Dragonoid's Spinning Wall. The twister, being filled with large amounts of rock and dirt, was able to intercept the incoming attack and block it while debris was being thrown at Aion from the twister. It also changed the atmosphere a bit due to the dirt that was in the air which could blind Aion if it gets in his eyes. Interestingly, in order to stay original with the attack being similar to Spinning Wall, the twister was actually being launched in Aion's direction.

"Your ignorance means nothing to me." Axostriker said with a serious tone. "You'll learn soon enough why we are who we are."

[Jason Drake]

"Rocks and dirt, how symbolic. Your attack represents your worth to me: nothing but useless dirt. Ability Activate! Wave of Capricorn!"

Aion's wings receded and his armor changed to brown. After his Subterra transformation, a mermaid-like tail grew from Aion's back right above his legs. Aion turned away from his opponent so that his tail was facing Axostriker. He slammed his tail against the ground and created a massive wave out of the gravel of the street. Just the sheer size of the wave blocked incoming rock and dirt. As the wave started to lose it's form, Jason uploaded another ability. "Ability Activate! Vicegrip of Cancer!"

Aion rushed towards Axostriker as the tail receded and his armor turned blue. After becoming an Aquos bakugan, Aion's hand became a massive claw. The Zodiac bakugan opened his claw wide and grasped Axostriker, intending to squeeze the life out of his Subterra opponent.

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

"How weak." Blade said as he was getting ready to tap an ability card. "You're in for a rude awakening Jason."

Axostriker then began to glow purple and began to suck in the battle energy created from those two battling, so he was getting stronger and stronger each second, and this could make his abilities even more powerful in future battles and even this one.

"Ability activate! Meteor Impact Cannon!"

Axostriker revealed all of his cannons contained inside his armor, and since his opponent decided to grab him, there was no possible way to avoid this attack. Axo then fired very powerful red blasts from his cannons at Aion in close quarters, and they exploded on impact. Due to the absorption of the battle energy, this was an extremely powerful ability, and it was sure to be very painful on Aion's side since he was too busy grabbing Axo.

"Ability activate! Grand Terror Assault!"

Axostriker immediately shined brown on the activation as he was powering up. All he did was put his right arm towards Aion, and he was instantly getting pummeled by a mysterious force. While that was going on, Axostriker then slammed both of his hands together to send a powerful blast of sheer force towards Aion.

[Jason Drake]

"Weak!? How dare you call a descendant of the Zodiac weak! I'll crush you for that!" As Aion continued squeezing he noticed Axostriker's armor change. "What the-" That's all he said before he was blasted by the cannons in the bakugan's armor. The explosion rocked Aion, but not as bad as the damage done from Grand Terror Assault. Aion's grip loosened as his claw disappeared and he was turned back to Haos.

Jason cursed under his breath then shouted at his bakugan, "Get up Aion! We can't let these fools beat us! Get up!"

Despite the damage done to him by Axostriker, Aion slowly got up and let out a low growl, "You're going to pay for that."

Jason's scowl turned into a smile. "It seems that you, Blade, are sorely mistaken. I would like to point your attention to the dormant gate card below us. Thanks to my Wave of Capricorn attack, I now have possession of the card below our feet. Now! Gate Card Open! Circle of the Zodiac!"

A magic circle appeared on the ground. The circle contained the twelve symbols of the zodiac bakugan. The circle created a powerful energy that surged through Aion. "Zodiac Bakugan, lend me your power!" In a flash of light, a large and powerful sword appeared in Jason's hand while his body was coated in fearsome armor. "Yes! Prepare to meet your doom, punk!"

Jason gave a wicked grin, "Ability Activate! Judgment of Libra!" Aion became a Darkus Bakugan. His armor and sword became black with purple markings and two ends of a scale came out of his back. The two scales glowed purple and fired on either side of Aion. Instead of attacking, the lasers morphed into two identical Darkus forms of Aion. The three knights stood, "It looks like you are the one who will experience a rude awakening, Blade!" The Darkus bakugan charged forward at full force.

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

"You don't scare me at all Aion. I could care less what you equip." Blade said. "Ability activate! Slash Screen!"

Axostriker created an invisible wall in front of him. This wall was not an ordinary wall as it contained a mysterious power that could actually cut through anyone who would attempt to cross it since so many waves of sword slashes will come out of it, which is exactly what was about to happen. Other than that, waves of slashes started to come out of it repeatedly. While all 3 of Axo's opponents were being targeted by the waves of slashes that never seemed to stop, some targeted the buildings that were on both sides of his opponents and destroyed the bases on the buildings in order to make them fall on them.

[Jason Drake]

Aion roared as he charged towards his foe. His momentum faded as the two clones ahead of him were sliced to pieces by the Slash Screen attack. In order to avoid the wall o invisible blades, Aion came to a skidding halt. Unfortunately he was unaware of the buildings that were about to fall upon him.

"Aion! Aion, you fool! Get out of there!" Jason shouted but he was too late as the steel structures crumbled on his bakugan.

The air was still as there was a long moment of silence throughout the arena. Jason's heart pounded as he waited for his bakugan to return. He couldn't believe it. How was he getting utterly destroyed by this...this punk kid? No one had ever been a challenge to Aion, and there was certainly no bakugan on this earth that could knock Aion down. How was this possible?

"Th-th-ther-there's no way..."

"You better not be giving up yet Jason!" A voice shouted from below the buildings. "I'm not going back to ball form until Axostriker is nothing more than a pebble on the roadside!"

Jason quickly regained his composure. "That's right! Listen punk! If you wanna be the best in the business, you're going to have to do lot better than that!" Jason tapped on his bakupad as the words, "Support Weapon Uploaded," appeared on the screen.

"Now you will pay! Go, Ophiuchus Cannon!" A massive cannon was attached to Aion's back. "Ability Activate! Wrath of Ophiuchus!" Aion's body become enveloped in color as he transformed into an all attributed bakugan. The circle of the Zodiac returned as the power of the Zodiac was infused with Aion. The cannon started to charge up as a massive surge of energy flowed through the Dextra bakugan. The cannon fired a massive charge that was twenty times the size of Axostriker towards the Subterra bakugan.

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

"Interesting." Blade said in his mind. "Never knew that this guy could make his bakugan have all 6 attributes at the same time. This could be a problem."

Some people in the audience that were hoping for Jason to win began to cheer for him as he laid out his signature move that everyone feared. Everyone knew that it would be really bad for the opposing player if you got all 6 attributes, so Blade was a bit concerned with this tactic. Other than ignoring the constant bad mouthing he was getting from Jason's fans that are too much for kids watching this battle, Blade was cheered on by his fans that he could really care less about. He just needed to focus on what he's going to do about the Dextra problem. But it was too late as Axo was hit by the cannon's blast. An explosion was caused by the impact of it as the smoke blinded the position of Axostriker, so it was unknown if he survived the blast or not. Suspense started to fill the arena as they thought Blade was down....as if that would happen in the Underground. That would be too hysterical. Instead, they actually like something like this to happen to someone regardless if they got hurt or not. They actually cheered for this behavior.

"Heh. I'll admit. You're different from other opponents, but...even you failed to make the cut." Blade said as he pointed directly at Axo as the smoke disappeared. Axo apparently survived the blast...barely. Protecting himself from an attack by a bakugan having all 6 of the attributes would require him to at least be Dextra himself or close to it, so he thought of decreasing the damage done to him as low as possible, so Blade came up with a plan to do just that. However, Axo will still feel pain from it, but it would be best not to show it just to avoid showing any weakness.

"See." Blade said as he pointed to his activated ability. "My ability Adamantium Gear actually infuses Axo's armor and body with adamantium, so your ability wouldn't have done so much as it would have done." Even though adamantium is really not supposed to exist, who says that it's not out there on other worlds. Vestroia, for example, has an abundance of species that are thought to be myths such as dragons, so it would make sense if adamantium could exist as well. Despite Blade not telling Jason this, the ability also increased his power over double of his. Of course, he will know soon enough about this.

"You may be able to talk tough, but in the end, you're just like the others."

[Jason Drake]

Jason cursed again, this time aloud. "How is it possible!? Aion's attack should have wiped your pathetic bakugan from the face of the earth! How is he still standing!?" His body shook with rage as he saw Axostriker still standing. There seemed to be another feeling that took control of him however. He couldn't put his finger on it, however. Even as the crowd cheered his name, even as both bakugan were damaged, there was an emergence of a new feeling that rose in his gut. Something that tied his stomach in knots and blurred his vision. It was fear.

Jason hesitantly tapped his Bakupad. "A-ability-"

*THUD!!!!!* He was stopped by the sound of Aion falling to the ground with a tremendous sound. Unfortunately for Jason, Aion had used up all of strength in that last attack, sending the once more Haos bakugan back to ball form. Jason's Bakupad spoke with a robotic voice, "Life Gauge at 10%."

"No!" Jason shouted with rage. He knew this was his final stand. One wrong move and he was done for. "This can't be! I am the strongest! I am the most powerful! I am the chosen one! The zodiac picked me to reign supreme, not some pathetic weakling! The underground is no place for kids like you! I shall reign victorious!" Jason laughed viciously as he pulled a bakugan from his bakupack. He tapped a gate card on his bakupack.

"Gate Card Set! Bakugan Brawl! Let's crush them! Stand Haos Aion and Dextra Zodiakus! Destroy Blade! Destroy him!" Aion stood with a shorter more armored Dextra knight. Both bakugan charged towards Blade, ignoring the rules of the gaming and preparing to execute the brawl.

Jason laughed wickedly "That's it. DESTROY HIM!!!!!!"

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

"You're going to regret doing that!" Axostriker said as he launched himself into the battle. He took his battle stance as he prepared for Aion and his partner to attempt to attack Blade. Judging by what just happened in the last round, Blade knew that this guy was obviously not happy about the outcome, so now he has to go up against two bakugan to his one that didn't have the power of all 6 attributes like his opponent does. The cheering against Blade was rather ironic seeing as how Axo did win that round, but nonetheless, someone was about to lose, and he was going to make sure it wasn't going to be Axostriker.

"Ability Activate!" Blade said as he tapped an ability on his bakupack. "Hard Cross Defense!"

Axo glowed with a dark brown aura as he activated the ability, and put up an invisible barrier using his sheer force and subterra energy to attempt to hold both of his opponents back. As they rushed towards him, the barrier actually became visible as something hits it, so Axo and his opponents were locked in a power struggle. Unfortunately for his opponents, Axo's ability actually had another effect in it that actually could affect the "ground" portion of the arena. Whether it was the arena floor or the gate card. No one knows...yet.

[Jason Drake]

Aion and Zodiakus pushed hard as they were locked in combat with Axostriker. Somehow, the Subterra energy was able to block Aion's fists and Zodiakus's sword. Darn it all!" Aion shouted. "We're giving it all we've got but we just can't break through! How is this possible!?"

Jason watched in astonishment as Axostriker held his own against the two bakugan. He couldn't believe it. Even with two bakugan, nothing he tried was working. His Subterra opponent was just too powerful.

Jason smirked, "Hmph, I guess I can assume that you're no pushover. I underestimated you once, but I won't do it again! Aion! Step back and let so we can give Zodiakus some reinforcements!" "You got it! Hang in there Zodiakus!" Aion stepped backwards a few paces and readied himself for an attack.

"Ability Activate! Twinstrike of Gemini!" Aion transformed into a Ventus bakugan and split into two. The two bakugan then split into several clones. "Now break that shield!!" The bakugan and his clones charged towards Axostriker and launched a series of kicks and punches with intentions to shatter the barrier.

[Ϟ Blade Ϟ]

Blade had a slight smirk on his face. "You just sealed your fate Jason." He then pointed to the gate card below him, and the edges of the card were brown. This could only mean... "You no longer have control of the gate card due to Hard Cross Defense. This means that the gate card is now mine."

Blade then held out his right hand as he prepared to open the gate card as soon as they penetrated the barrier. "Gate card open! Battle Surge!"

Lightning began coming out of the card as soon as it was activated. The gate's effect actually transferred power away from every opposing bakugan/support weapon and gave it to Axo. Thanks to Jason activating his Ventus ability, the power that Axo received was tremendous. The lightning then struck Axo, giving him the power to repel all of his attackers back. This dealt with the clones and damaged his opponents, but this was the only the beginning of a really bad day for Jason.

Blade then pulled out this small meteorite that was somehow summoned from the skull bracelet he had on his wrist. The meteorite then turned into a support weapon. This was a meteorite fragment, a new kind of support weapon. Axo's was the infamous Magna Destructor, a support weapon that was considered a forbidden weapon due to its massive power. This combined with the power gained from Battle Surge meant only one thing to Blade: destruction to its highest level.

"Meteorite Fragment, attach!"

Magna Destructor attached to Axostriker, and it gave him two cannons that attached to his back as well as giving him a double-sided axe that had an enormous amount of energy on both ends. His armor became more durable and his power received a massive increase. When this was equipped, the audience became silent as they knew just how devastating this thing really is. Even Jason's fans kept quiet as they all feared this meteorite fragment.

"Time to end this Axo. Show them what happened to the other brawlers who decided to battle us." Blade said.

Axo charged up a massive blast from his two cannons, axe, and the cannons that were revealed on his armor. He unleashed every blast towards his two opponents that would cause massive explosions on impact.

"Lights out Aion!" Axo said as he fired the blasts.