A/N So. . . since I can't think of anything for When Family Matters (a MCSM story), I decided to try some other category of story. . .

Not saying that I'm giving up on WFM, per say, just trying a different direction

Now, before we jump into this story, here's a bit of background info:

This story takes place 3 years after the events of Mechtanium Surge, and a lot has happened since then. The gameplay for Bakugan will be the new version that Battle Planet provides, which is the drome and the BakuCores.

This story mixes in some old elements from the legacy show and new elements from the reboot. No, this is not a crossover.

I don't own anything from Bakugan Battle Brawlers or Bakugan Battle Planet apart from some OCs and attributes (you'll see later). I'm sure I only have to say this one time, and one time only.

SPOILER ALERT! (sort of, maybe. I didn't really watch through all four seasons of this series, but I'm writing this story anyways!)

Enjoy!

"Hey, no fair!"

The kid glared at his opponent with as much force as he could muster. The other teen, Jaxon, merely laughed, delighted at the young kid's reaction.

"That's what you get for brawling against the best," he bragged, his eyes gleaming with self-satisfaction.

The kid sent one last scowl towards the teen before scooping up his Bakugan and stomping away.

The teen sneered, leaning against a lamppost as he watched his defeated opponent leaving the battlefield. "Stupid kid," he muttered, shaking his head and grinning to himself. "Who does he think he is, tryna beat the best."

"Who do you think you are?"

Jaxon jumped, whirling around to face the stranger.

The stranger's face was covered by a dark gray skull mask with a blue crescent on their forehead, horns jutting out of their temples and curling from their jawline, and blue eyehole visors that were tinted, their voice harshly filtered through the mask.

They wore a jacket that was gray with blue stripes that ran from their shoulders to the cuff of their sleeve. A logo was imprinted on the left side of their chest - something that looked almost like an attribute symbol, but not. They were wearing standard dark sweatpants and sneakers. The hilt of a sword peeked out from behind their back.

Jaxon stared, disoriented for a moment, before realizing that he shouldn't look weak. He sneered. "The name's Jaxon," he boasted, thumping a hand to his chest. "And who might you be?"

The stranger didn't respond. Instead, they withdrew a hand from their pocket. Nestled in their palm was a clear-plastic ball, highlighted with - much to Jaxon's confusion - lightning-blue with cyan highlights.

"You up for a battle?" they proposed.

"You're on!" Immediately, Jaxon produced his Pyrus Bakugan, grinning madly. This is gonna be easy.

The stranger thrust their fist into the air. "Drome up!" The iridescent dome began solidifying all around the park, leaving only the masked stranger and Jaxon within the area.

"Your move." The stranger beckoned at the teen.

"Bakugan brawl!" Jaxon cried, flinging his Pyrus bakugan into the field, deliberately aiming for a core that he knows will give him the advantage.

The red ball rolls up to a BakuCore before unlocking its ball form. Jaxon smiled to himself. Let the fun begin. "Fangzor, stand!"

There was a great flash of red light, and from the depths emerged a Bakugan that bears a resemblance to a cobra. It hissed angrily, flapping its hood wide open.

The stranger didn't seem to react at all, much to Jaxon's confusion. Most people would've either scoffed or had a look of terror (the latter the more likely of the two). But this. . . this was something he didn't expect.

Instead, the stranger took out their hand from within their cloak and flicked their wrist. A lightning-blue bakugan flew out, hitting one of the hexagonal BakuCores.

"Orenor, stand!" A Bakugan shot up into the air. At first, Jaxon thought it was some sort of ribbon-like thing; it was moving so fluidly, he could hardly see it clearly. Only when it stilled momentarily was when he could see it clearly.

Jaxon could only gap at the creature before him. It was a snake-like dragon, similar to the Chinese pictures that he's seen before. Its long, elegant snout was offset by the burning coals that were its eyes. Its claws were razor-sharp, and its horns stuck up threateningly as it hissed at Fangzor. This creature was lightning-blue with streaks of neon blue, which was nothing he's seen before.

Jaxon stumbled back, his confidence wavering. What is this? How can I beat them if I don't even know what attribute they are? He glanced towards the stranger. When he looked at them, he inadvertently thought of what their face must look like underneath that mask. Fury swept through him as he pictured their smug face.

"Fangzor, attack!" he uttered, pointing towards the oriental dragon. Fangzor responded immediately, striking forward with the speed of lightning.

But the stranger was just as quick. They drew a card at the same time and shouted, "Ability, activate! Lightning Breath!"

The Orenor inhaled deeply as Fangzor gained ground on it. The foreign Bakugan fired onto Fangzor. Lightning bolts jumped onto the snake, and Fangzor shrieked, writhing in pain, before disappearing in a flash of light back into a ball.

Jaxon gasped. "What? That's impossible." A flicker of fear ignited in his chest, but he fought it down desperately. There's no way. . .

The stranger didn't react at all, instead grabbing their Bakugan as it flew back to them. "Your move again," they simply said.

Another swath of rage washed over him as Jaxon pictured the self-satisfied expression inside the mask. "You think you're so tough, do you? Well, Bakugan brawl!"

A Pyrus bakugan, again, rolled onto a BakuCore. "Kelion, stand!"

The horse-like creature leaped up from the BakuCore. Jaxon grinned wickedly. That'll stop them for sure. He glanced over and yelped in shock, scurrying backwards.

The stranger had released their second Bakugan while Jaxon was gloating in his head. This second Bakugan was a huge hawk-like creature, its wingspan easily 50 feet long from wingtip to wingtip. Its glaring cyan eyes pierced his very core, leaving nothing but fear in his chest.

What in the - "Ability activate!" Jaxon yelled, his gaze fixed on the hydra-like creature. He wanted to look away, needed to look away, but he couldn't why couldn't he look - "Inferno cannon!"

At the same time, his opponent flung out their ability card whilst shouting, "Lightning Shield!"

Kelion breathed in deeply before opening his maw, flames shooting forth. The hawk crossed its wings in front of itself, and a wall of lightning burst to life in front of it. The fire dissipated harmlessly as soon as it touched the lightning. Meanwhile, the electrical shield seemed to glow brighter the more flames made contact.

"What…" Jaxon breathed. He glanced at the stranger, who remained impossible to read. Who is this person?

Once the stream of fire stopped, the lightning weaved around the opponent's Bakugan. The hawk threw back its head and shrieked with so much force that Jaxon clapped his hands over his ears. He watched, awed, as the creature's eyes glowed even brighter.

"Ability, activate!" came the resounding stranger's cry. "Speed Bolt!"

The Bakugan stiffened so much that it was akin to an arrow. With an almighty shriek, it dive-bombed Kelion. Jaxon watched in horror as it tore through his second Bakugan, leaving nothing but a ball in its wake.

The stranger still didn't react at all, merely receiving their Bakugan again.

Now desperate, Jaxon uttered a cry: "Bakugan brawl!" while flinging his last Bakugan into the field. "Gillator, stand!"

From a flash of light emerged a reptilian, alligator-like creature that snarled at the stranger. "You want me to tear into them, boss?" he prompted.

"Yeah, but be careful," Jaxon urged. "They have some powerful Bakugan."

"That's strange. . ."

"What?"

"The attribute your opponent is using. . . it's nothing I've ever seen before."

"What?" Dread made his stomach heavy. Jaxon glanced towards the stranger. Gillator was one of the most old Bakugan ever. If Gillator couldn't figure out what attribute this stranger was using. . .

"Forget it," he said, shaking off his own uneasiness. "We need to beat them right here, right now."

"As you wish."

"Bakugan brawl!" The stranger's voice prompted Jaxon to look up as the last Bakugan, this time clear with lightning-blue and cyan highlights. He had never seen this type of Bakugan before. "Thundrus, stand!"

There was a great flash of cyan light, and the Bakugan shot into the air. Jaxon's stomach dropped when he registered what that thing was.

It was a bird-like creature, similar to the hawk-like creature from before, except it towered over everyone. It had three pairs of wings running down its back, each pair getting smaller the closer it got to the tail. There were feathers that stuck up on its flat head, giving it a horned look. Its tail weren't tail feathers, but an actual tail that split into two as it tapered out.

"What. Is. That?"

"I don't know, but I suspect it's powerful," Gillator informed Jaxon.

"Well, we can take it!" Jaxon tried for a confident note in his voice. He suspected he failed, but it didn't matter anymore. He drew a card. "Ability activate! Lava Lash!"

Gillator opened his jaw, and a whip made of liquid fire shot out, and Gillator charged towards Thundrus, his whip twisting through the air as it wrapped around Thundrus' left ankle. The bird let out a pained shriek as it crashed to the ground.

"Hah! Go get 'em, Gillator!" Jaxon let out a whoop. Finally, I'm winning!

But his victory was short-lived. "Evolution card activated! Fulminus Titan Thundrus!"

The card was thrown, and it merged with the huge bird. The bird threw back its head and let out an almighty screech as it glowed.

"What's happening?" Jaxon threw up his arms in a feeble attempt to stave off the blinding light.

"It's. . . evolving!"

But that's impossible! Jaxon thought. No one can use a card to evolve their Bakugan!

But it just happened. Facing off against a newly-evolved Bakugan whose B-power was greater than Gillator's, Jaxon realized that there was no way he'd stand up to Thundrus.

Apparently Gillator thought so too. "Jaxon. . ." Gillator sounded resigned. "This battle is over."

It can't be! In all his years of battling, Jaxon has never lost for a very, very long time. Sure, he had lost a couple of times, but it was never as swift of a defeat as it was now.

The bird-like Thundrus dove towards Gillator, its eyes burning with determination. There was a bright flash of light, a huge roar that temporarily shut down Jaxon's ears. . . and then nothing.

Jaxon fell to the ground, staring at his hands, which nestled Gillator. He wasn't aware of anything, except for his whirling thoughts, repeating over and over again: I lost.

"You put up a good fight." Jaxon glanced up to see the masked stranger gazing down on him. Indignance surged through him, and he shot to his feet.

"Are you mocking me?" he demanded, his vision going red with anger. How dare this stranger just show up and mock me!

The stranger tilted their head. "Feisty. Not the one needed to save the universe."

"Huh?" Jaxon stared at them, puzzled. Save the universe? What - wait. . . "Are you talking about the corporation, AAANIMUS Inc.?"

The clear ball jumped onto the stranger's shoulder and unfolded, revealing a bird-like creature with four wings. Thundrus. His cold voice washed over Jaxon. "This is so much more than a mere corporation. Gillator, you've sensed the imbalance, have you not?"

Gillator opened on Jaxon's shoulder. "Yes." His voice became much graver. "Is this about New Vestroia?"

"Much worse than that." Thundrus' voice became dark. "So much worse."

"Then what is it all about?" Jaxon demanded, stepping towards the stranger. He saw his face reflecting off of their visors. He tried to appear threatening. "Tell me!"

"I would," the stranger said, not sounding the least bit intimidated at all, "except your attitude today proves that you are not fit to be in the Battle Brawlers."

"What?" Jaxon got into the stranger's face, his vision clouded with rage, and he jabbed a finger towards the stranger. "Listen here, you little punk! I'm the best Pyrus Brawler out there! Who are you to tell me if I can or can't be in the Bakugan Brawlers!"

"This outburst just proves your incompetence," the stranger pointed out, their voice sharp. "You put your need to win above even your own teammates. If you continue down this path," they concluded, turning away, "then you have spelled doom for everyone."

"Why you little -" Jaxon lunged towards the stranger. Suddenly, a blinding pain erupted all over his body. He shrieked in pain, falling to the ground and writhing. Distantly, he heard Gillator yelling out in pain too.

Jaxon glanced up at the stranger, his vision a haze of pain. "Who - who are you?"

The stranger glanced back over their shoulder. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

There was a sudden gust of wind, as well as a blinding light that forced Jaxon to lower his head in order to avoid being blinded. When he raised his head again, the stranger was gone.

"What was that all about, Gillator?" he wondered, glancing at his partner.

Gillator was silent for a moment. "I think," he began, his voice dark, "that we are all in trouble."

"What's the update on AAANIMUS?"

"As of right now?" Marucho kept his eyes glued to the screen. "I'm getting nothing."

Shun frowned, puzzled. It seemed as though the huge corporation, which for months had been advertising its use of Bakugan for its own personal gain, had suddenly vanished. Sure, there were reps that gave big speeches, but as for activity? Nothing.

"That doesn't mean there's nothing going on," Shun reminded Marucho. At age 22, Shun had grown significantly, in size as well as maturity. His long hair still hung down, a trademark that he wouldn't give up even as he grew up.

At 20, Marucho had grown, but he was still short in stature for his age. His features had matured along to fit his age, but his voice was the same trademark voice he has had.

"I know," Marucho conceded, "but unless we know what exactly is happening, there's nothing we can do."

This Shun agreed on.

Just then, a ping from Marucho's screen diverted Shun's attention. "Incoming call from Jaxon," Shun noted. A mixture of frustration and annoyance burst in his chest. Though Jaxon was a valuable member of the team, he was just as, if not more, arrogant than Dan had been. He was keen on picking a fight with anyone and everyone.

He was a good Pyrus brawler, Shun'll give him that, but he could never replace Dan.

Just thinking about his childhood friend sent a barrage of thoughts that Shun didn't want to think. They came anyways, like a tide that had been barricaded for too long.

After the tournament, Dan just up and vanished. No one knew where he was, and no one knew where he decided to go.

When Kato had brought them the news, everyone was, understandably, devastated. For weeks, they all wondered why he had left without so much as a goodbye, only a, "We'll be back in no time!"

They had all hoped. Weeks turned to months, which turned to a year, which then turned to two years. Still nothing.

Little by little, everyone adopted a normal lifestyle without Dan. There were small skirmishes that needed to be settled from Bakugan brawls, but other than that, the times were peaceful.

But Dan Kuso had ripped a hole in their team that, no matter how hard Shun tried to fix, would never be repaired.

That's why he decided to enlist Jaxon to the team. A bright, promising Pyrus brawler, he showed the skill that the best needed to be on the Battle Brawlers.

Shun shook himself out of these thoughts as Jaxon's face came into view on the screen. The first thing he noticed, with concern, were the scorch marks dotting the young boy's face. "Jaxon? What happened?"

"Something weird happened today, Shun," Jaxon reported. "I was out in the park, honing my battling skills, when this masked stranger showed up."

A shiver inadvertently went down Shun's spine.

"They challenged me to a brawl, and I lost. Can you believe that?"

Shun frowned. That's what he wanted to call about? "So? People lose all the time, Jaxon."

"Nah." Jaxon shook his head. "Not me."

A growl erupted from Shun's throat. That imbecile thinks he can just call and brag about his winning streak? "Are you done, Jaxon?"

"Actually, no," Jaxon conceded. "This new stranger used an attribute that I've never seen before."

Shun frowned, annoyance crawling up his throat. Luckily, Marucho interjected before Shun could lash out with a snark. "What do you mean, an attribute you've never seen before?" the young blond questioned. "You either have Aquos, Pyrus, Haos, Darkus, Subterra, or Ventus. Are you sure that the stranger didn't have one of those attributes?"

"They definitely didn't have any of them," Jaxon said. "And they said something weird, something I think you guys should hear."

"What is it?" Shun asked.

"They said something about 'saving the universe' and that 'there's more to it than a corporation,' " Jaxon said, using finger quotes. "Oh, and they also said something about me being unfit to be in the Battle Brawlers. Can you believe that?"

I'm beginning to believe it by the second. Shun shook that thought away. "What attribute were they using?"

Jaxon spread his arms open. "How should I know? They were using lightning to blind me all the time!"

Lightning? Meeting Marucho's gaze, Shun could see his own confusion reflected in the Aquos brawler's eyes. The closest Shun could guess as an attribute was Ventus, but not even Ventus used lightning as a primary attack.

"Alright, Jaxon, that's good enough for now," Shun said, trying to dismiss the Pyrus brawler.

Jaxon frowned. "But -"

"Also, what were you doing in the park?" Marucho questioned, frowning at the Pyrus brawler. "We didn't initiate any training."

Now it was Jaxon who was fidgeting. "I, ah. . ."

"You were battling kids again, weren't you?" Shun deadpanned. Jaxon flushed violently, which was answer enough.

Shun heaved a great big sigh, pressing his fingers to his forehead to ease the headache that had developed. "Jaxon, we've talked about this. You can't just go around battling kids and gloating over them. We're the Brawlers, not the Dominators."

Jaxon's face twisted in childish petulance. "You can't tell me what to do! You're not the boss of me, since my rank is the same as yours!"

Spirits. Jaxon was definitely more arrogant than Dan had been. Sadly, though, Jaxon had a point: he is the same rank as them: a Master.

When Dan disappeared off the face of the planet, Shun turned the Bakugan Battle Brawlers HQ into a training center for new players to join. First, they must be chosen, and, depending on their attribute, are trained under the care of a master.

With Dan gone, Jaxon had taken over as a Pyrus Master and works alongside Chan Lee; Shun himself and Komba are Ventus Masters; Marucho and Klaus are the Aquos Masters; Julio and Runo are the Haos Masters; Alice is the Darkus Master, though she doesn't usually bring out her Bakugan; and Julie and Billy are the residents' Subterra Masters.

"No, we can't," Shun acknowledged, a bitter taste in his mouth as he forced the words through. "But this is your second strike, Jaxon."

Jaxon's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"I would," Shun growled. "One more, and then you're kicked out of here."

Jaxon narrowed his eyes spitefully, but he snarled, "Fine." The display with his face on it disappeared.

Marucho was looking at Shun, concerned. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Shun?"

Shun puffed out a breath. "He gets on my nerves a lot more than Dan ever did, Marucho. He shouldn't be here. He's good, yes, but he's not Dan."

Marucho was looking distinctly uncomfortable, his eyes darting to the doorway to make sure that nobody could hear them. Ever since Dan disappeared, none of them had been the same, especially Runo. She would snap at anyone who mentioned his name before disappearing in her room for days at a time.

But to Shun. . . this felt like losing his mom all over again. He couldn't bear it, pretending that his longtime childhood friend was nonexistent. It was like pretending his mom didn't exist after she had died. That. . . that didn't sit right with him.

"But Shun. . ." Marucho's voice interjected on Shun's thoughts. "Dan's missing. We don't know where he is. What if. . . what if something happened to him? Or worse, what if. . ." Marucho swallowed hard, glancing down, but Shun thought he saw a tear make its way down his face. "What if he doesn't want to come back to us?"

That was a punch to the gut, even more so than the death of his mother. Shun stated with authority, "He's not dead. I just know it." And he does. He believes with his whole heart that Dan wouldn't just kick the bucket.

"Then why hasn't he come back?" Marucho lifted his mournful eyes to meet Shun's. Shun realized with a start that Marucho had also been mourning the disappearance of Dan, but he's kept it so well hidden that nobody had noticed. "If he was alive, then he would be here, wouldn't he? He's Dan. Nothing can stand in his way."

Shun swallowed back a painful lump in his throat. "I don't know, Marucho," he said simply. "I just don't know."

As he sat there, wondering, a vivid image popped up in his head: of Dan, in the little sailboat, headed towards the east.

East. . .

Shun stood up abruptly, startling Marucho. "Hey, Marucho, can you cover things here?" Shun asked as he began walking out the door.

"What?"

"I need to go on a little. . . trip."

"What? What trip? To where?"

Shun paused at the doorway, glancing only once back towards Marucho. "I'm gonna pay a friend of ours a little visit."

Marucho paused, comprehension dawning on his features. He gave a resigned sigh before looking at Shun. "Runo's not gonna be happy, is she?"

"No," Shun agreed, his lips twitching as he pictured the blue-haired girl. "No, she's not."