Author's Note: Trying to update more often now. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.

Spectra woke up early the next morning to talk to Prince Hydron via computer. He had told Alice that she would be able to get into the tower and even though he was the leader of the Vexos, he still kept his promises.

He got up and went to his desk where Helios was. Spectra was still tired from his last battle with Dan and Drago but nonetheless had other things to do. The Pyrus Brawler noticed that his Bakugan was awfully quiet so he decided not to bother him so much. Helios must also still be bothered by the fact he that was beaten by Drago…again.

"Don't worry, Helios. Victory will be ours soon enough." Spectra whispered to Helios who didn't say anything in return. After realizing that Helios was definitely not in the mood to talk, Spectra left his bakugan alone in the room and made his way to the control room.

Once Spectra stepped into the control room, he noticed all of the other Vexos were already there. Gus went forward and did a quick bow while the others just looked at their leader.

"Hey Spectra! Where were you last night?" Shadow asked while grinning. "I checked the computer and noticed that the teleportation device was activated last night."

"None of your business." Spectra said.

"Do you and Helios have secret meetings with the brawlers or something? Or maybe you guys go scouting for more bakugan to battle." Shadow started to laugh.

Spectra glared at his teammate which was enough to shut Shadow Prove up.

Mylene sighed. "You know just because you're the leader of this group doesn't mean you should do something and not tell us. But it doesn't matter now; I'm sure there will be consequences for your actions."

"You're not a psychic, Mylene so I don't really care." Spectra said. "Anyways, enough with that nonsense. Lync, establish a connection with Vestal Palace. I need to speak to our dear Prince."

Lync rolled his eyes. "Yeah ok whatever."

"Why do you need to talk to the prince?" Gus asked.

Spectra was now in front of the monitor where Prince Hydron's face would soon appear. "Our guest has requested to go to the tower where her bakugan is being held. I told her it was useless but she really wants to go."

"And you think the Prince will be able to help? Yeah right!" Volt exclaimed from behind.

The Vexos leader smirked. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Soon, Prince Hydron's image appeared on the monitor. The prince was there but something was wrong; he had dark circles around his eyes and he was yawning a lot. He didn't even bother to twirl his hair like he usually did.

"Good morning, Vexos. Why exactly did you call? I was sleeping." Prince Hydron said then yawned right after.

"I'm sorry about that." Spectra said rather coldly.

Prince Hydron, either too tired to care or simply not noticing the tone of Spectra's voice, continued. "Get on with it."

"All right then. You see, Alice Gehabich wants to see her bakugan. I told her that it is impossible but she thinks that an airship like this should be able to attack the Vestal Palace where her bakugan is being kept."

Prince Hydron did his best to stay awake and to comprehend everything Spectra was saying. "I see. So she's just as stubborn as the Resistance." The Prince paused for a while before continuing. "Very well. Wake her up and I shall talk to her. And take your time. I still need my sleep." And with that, the connection ended.

"Seems to me like we woke up Sleeping Beauty!" Shadow Prove laughed.

"Will you shut up!" Mylene exclaimed.

"Nope. Not gonna happen." Shadow replied.

Before Mylene had the chance to hit the Darkus brawler, Spectra called their attention.

"Ok then. I shall go and wake up Alice. The rest of you, there is work to be done and I don't think it'll be done if you continue to argue. Get moving!"

Mylene and Shadow ceased their argument and followed orders. Spectra was by the door when Mylene approached him.

"Hey, give this to Alice." Mylene handed Spectra a big bag.

Spectra took it and examined it. "What is this?" he asked.

"Clothes for the girl. You don't really expect her to wear the same outfit for the rest of the time she's here? Besides, I never even used those clothes. Not my style, really."

Spectra smirked. "That's very generous of you, Mylene. I must say I'm surprised. Very well then, I shall give it to her. Now get to work."

Mylene glared at him as he left the control room and made his way to Alice.

"Alice, wake up."

Alice blinked a few times then opened her eyes. She waited for her vision to clear then saw Spectra's face. The Pyrus brawler was staring at her intently. Alice sat up and was about to smile and greet him good morning but then she remembered that he had lied to her and that he was actually a bad guy.

"Why are you here?" she asked calmly.

Spectra stood up straight and chuckled. "It's pretty obvious. I came to wake you up. And now, before I take you to the control room, we must talk about, well…" he trailed off.

Alice tilted her head. "Talk about what?"

Spectra sighed before continuing. "Now that you know the truth, you're still going to have to play along, all right? If word gets out that you know about our little act, you might not be able to see Hydranoid, the Prince will want to use you to get to the Resistance and if that happens, Helios and I might not get the chance to battle Dan and Drago again. So we both lose." Spectra explained.

Alice stood up then faced the Vexos leader. "All right. I understand. I'll play along… for now, anyway."

Spectra smiled. "Good. I don't expect you to keep it up, though. I'm sure you have your own plans just as I have mine. Like I said, I don't exactly care about the prince or the other Vexos. I have more important things to do."

"You know my secret and I know yours. I guess we're even." Alice maintained a calm expression.

The Pyrus brawler shook his head. "I don't think so. If I were to get caught, I'll be able to protect myself from the other Vexos. You on the other hand, don't even have a Bakugan so you best be prepared."

Alice frowned. "…oh, right. I didn't think about that." Then she thought of something and narrowed her eyes at the Pyrus brawler. "Wait, it was you who took Hydranoid in the first place! So it's your fault why I don't have a Bakugan now."

Spectra shrugged. "Had to do it; Prince's orders."

Alice folded her arms. "Then I want to have a word with Prince Hydron."

"So do I. And you just might get your chance. You'll be talking to him in the control room."

Alice widened her eyes. "What? You mean the prince is here?"

"No, the prince is not here but you'll be talking to him via computer. And it's about you wanting to go to the tower. I'll explain the details on the way."

"You mean, right now?"

Spectra sighed, irritated. "You know, you're asking a lot of questions lately."

"That's because I want to be sure you're telling me the truth this time. I still don't trust you, you know." Alice said while glaring at him.

Spectra simply smirked. "Fair enough. And to answer your question, no, I don't mean right now. I thought maybe you'd like to…" Spectra looked her up and down. "…clean yourself up first."

Alice softened her gaze then went to look at herself in the mirror by her dresser and saw that her hair was an absolute mess, her dress was covered in dust and she had also realized that she'd been wearing the same outfit for a while now.

She turned to Spectra and as much as she didn't want to, she smiled at him. "Uhm, you wouldn't happen to have any clean clothes, would you?"

The Vexos leader crossed his arms. "About time you realized you've worn that outfit for days now. Don't worry though, Mylene offered some of her clothes and she said that you could have it since it's not really her style. She also told me that it's all brand new." Spectra then placed the bag Mylene gave him on the bed. He then made his way out but stopped by the door.

"I'll give you time to get dressed. Just meet me in the control room. You know your way around by now, right?" the Pyrus brawler asked.

Alice nodded her head. "Yes. I guess I should thank you."

Spectra didn't say anything and left her alone in her room. Once he was gone, Alice opened the bag and saw everything that she would need. Thankfully, the style Mylene didn't like was the style the Alice liked. There were all sorts of dresses which made her wonder why Mylene had them in the first place even though didn't like them. Once she picked an outfit, she went into the bathroom and decided that she really needed a nice shower.

Spectra made his way to the control room and saw Gus on the way. As usual, the Subterra brawler bowed before Spectra, greeted him then walked by his leader's side.

"How is Miss Alice?" Gus asked.

"She's in her room. I told her to meet me in the control room once she's ready." Spectra replied, looking straight ahead.

"You think the Prince wants to use her as leverage now? I mean, it seems like the perfect time now that the brawlers have destroyed one of the Dimension Controllers."

"The Prince is a lot of things, but he's not stupid." Spectra paused. "Ok, he's a little stupid but I'm guessing he'll wait until the brawlers come to him and that's when he'll use Alice. No doubt the Prince will want to take their Bakugan in exchange for the girl." Spectra explained.

Gus nodded his head. Spectra seemed to get everything right and that theory of his seemed very logical. "That sounds just about right. But you have a plan too, don't you? I know you wouldn't want the Prince to get his hands on Drago."

Spectra chuckled. "Gus, I always have a plan. Now then, where are the others?"

"I believe Mylene and Shadow Prove have gone out to battle the Resistance. Lync and Volt are in Beta City now making necessary preparations for when the Resistance comes." Gus said.

"Very well. Once the meeting with Prince Hydron is over, Helios and I will continue training."

"And what of Miss Alice?" Gus asked.

Spectra paused before answering. "Something tells me the Prince will want to see her in person which means she shall be teleported to the tower. But then again, i could be wrong."

"But in case you are right; should I go with her? It doesn't seem right to leave her in the tower. Especially since her bakugan is there and well…frozen. What if she sees him?"

"We'll just see what the Prince has to say and decide what to do when the time comes."

Gus nodded his head. "All right. So, I'm guessing you want me to stay in the airship and keep watch in case I am not needed?"

Spectra smirked. "Yes. Until the others come back. I don't think Mylene and Shadow Prove will have any success in their battle with the Resistance. So when they return, why don't you battle the brawlers? See how strong they are and you might just be able to get one of their Bakugan."

Gus smiled. "Thank you for the opportunity, Master Spectra. I won't let you down."

Spectra and Gus were now right outside the control room. Before they went in, they heard footsteps behind them. They turned around, expecting it to be one of the other Vexos but instead it was Alice who was all cleaned up and was wearing a new dress. It was white and she was wearing a lavender jacket that looked identical to her old one. And she also had her gauntlet with her.

Alice stopped in front of them and smiled. "Good morning Gus. Where are the others?"

"Good morning, Miss Alice. The others aren't around." Gus replied.

"Oh ok then." She turned to face Spectra. "Wait, I haven't seen Helios yet. Where is he?"

"He's resting." Spectra simply said.

Alice didn't need any more explanation. She knew that Helios was still mad over his loss against Drago. The Pyrus bakugan was probably sulking or waiting to get out and blow something up.

Alice nodded her head. "All right. So? Are we going into the control room yet?"

"Yes. Let's go." Spectra went into the control room first followed by Gus then Alice.

The Vexos leader faced Gus. "Gus, contact Prince Hydron."

"Of course." Gus then typed on the keyboard and after a while, Prince Hydron's image appeared on the monitor.

Spectra, Alice, and Gus stood in front of the monitor and the Prince smiled. He was now freshened up and didn't look sleepy at all. "Hello there, Alice. I'll get right to it, Spectra has told me that you wish to visit the tower where your Bakugan is being held."

"I would. That is, if it's all right with you." Alice replied.

"Well you see, Alice, it is impossible to get into the Vestal Palace." Hydron said.

"I know but-"

"I'll get right to the point." Hydron's tone seemed to change. He seemed irritated but he still smiled. Alice stayed quiet and waited for the prince to continue.

"Even if you wanted to go to Vestal Palace and succeed, you wouldn't be able to free your bakugan."

Alice tilted her head. "Why not?"

Hydron twirled his hair. "I suppose you have heard about the Dimension controllers." Alice nodded her head and the prince continued. "There are three of them. They must be destroyed first then you can free the bakugan being held her- I mean, in the Vestal Palace." Hydron said the last part quickly.

It didn't matter to Alice if he made a mistake, she already knew about Prince Hydron being in the Palace where the bakugan were being held anyway. Both sides were simply lying to each other.

"I understand. So that's why Dan and the others are going around and destroying these Dimension Controllers." Alice said.

"Yes, that and so that they are able to free the other bakugan from their ball forms."

"Ok. So I guess I'm staying here then."

"I'm sorry Alice. Maybe some other time." Prince Hydron's image then disappeared.

Spectra approached her. "Alice, you heard him."

Alice nodded her head. "Yeah. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. That just means we have to destroy those dimension controllers."

"But we can't. Only the Resistance can." Gus said.

Alice looked at the Subterra brawler then back to Spectra.

"Don't worry. Gus is the only one I trust on this airship. I told him everything." Spectra explained.

Alice felt better. At least that was one less person to lie to.

"So where are they now? I mean, Dan and the others?" Alice asked.

"They should be headed to Beta City since that's where the next Dimension Controller is." Gus said.

"And I'm guessing the other Vexos are there to try and stop them." Alice added.

Spectra smirked. "Yes, they can only try."

"Ok then. If you'll excuse me, I need some time alone." With that, Alice simply left the control room.

"Is she all right?" Gus asked.

"She's just disappointed. But the sooner the brawlers destroy the Dimension Controller, she'll be fine." Spectra then exited the control room.

"Where are you going, Master Spectra? Out to train with Helios?"

"I need to do something first." That was Spectra's reply as he left the Subterra brawler alone.

"Why does everyone here seem emo all of a sudden?" Gus asked no one in particular. Then Vulcan appeared on his shoulder.

"Maybe they didn't sleep well or something. Now come on! I need to battle or I'll go stir crazy! We haven't battled for a long time now."

Gus smiled at his partner. "Ok Vulcan. Maybe some fresh air will do us some good. Master Spectra wouldn't mind." Then the two teleported away.

Alice was staring out the big window. It was morning and all she saw was a vast desert. She knew somewhere there were bakugan in their ball form hiding from the Vexos and acting scared as the airship flew above them. It made her wonder how Hydranoid reacted when the Vestals and the Vexos first came. He must have fought against them. He wouldn't have acted scared, he never did.

"Alice."

Alice turned around and saw Spectra. She immediately turned back to see the view outside.

"What? Are you mad at me? It's not my fault the prince won't let you get into the palace."

"Did you battle him?"

Alice's question surprised him. Who was she talking about?

"What?" Spectra asked as he stood next to her, also seeing the view.

"Hydranoid. Was it you who battled him?"

"…Yes. He fought alongside Ace, the Darkus brawler of the Resistance."

"And?"

It seemed Alice's questions would never end.

"And what?"

"How was the battle?"

Spectra sighed. "To be honest with you, Hydranoid was a tough bakugan to defeat. It seemed that his skill matched even Drago's. Even Helios admitted that he had a difficult time battling Hydranoid."

Alice smiled weakly. "If he was so hard to defeat, why did he still lose?"

"Helios was simply better." Spectra replied, smirking. Then he noticed Alice frown. "…that, and he wasn't with the right partner."

Alice turned to look at the Vexos leader. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that even though Ace specializes in Darkus bakugan, he didn't connect with Hydranoid. Which was why he seemed to struggle with which abilities to use when Helios and I battled them."

Alice nodded her head. She understood him. "So you're saying that if it was me who was with Hydranoid, we would have won against you?"

Spectra chuckled. "I'm not sure about that."

Alice giggled. Spectra didn't seem to hear her giggle like that before. It was...nice.

"When I get Hydranoid back, I want to battle you and Helios. Deal?" Alice asked and offered him a handshake.

Spectra smirked then shook her hand. "Deal."

As he looked at Alice, he couldn't believe how determined she was to get into the palace just so she could get her bakugan back. Spectra was actually excited to battle Alice once Hydranoid was back. If their connection was this strong even if they aren't together, how much stronger would it be once Alice and Hydranoid saw each other?

"Spectra, you can let go of my hand now." Alice's voice snapped Spectra out of his thoughts.

Spectra let go of her hand. "Oh, right. Well, I'll go get Helios now."

"You're going to go out and train with him, right?" Alice asked.

"Yes. As for you, I want you to remain in the airship."

"No way."

Spectra sighed. "Why not?"

Alice crossed her arms. "I'm gonna go with you and Helios. If you can't bring me to the Vestal Palace, you can at least take me out of the airship once in a while." Alice didn't want to stay in some airship. She was in New Vestroia! She should at least get out and see some more bakugan. And even though she didn't like Spectra that much, she was going to need him.

"Fine. But don't expect me to help you out if a bakugan decides to attack you."

Alice hesitated but answered anyway. "All right."

"Come with me. Let's go get Helios."

The two then walked towards Spectra's room.

"How is Helios?" Alice asked.

"Last I saw him, he wouldn't even talk to me. I need him to talk to me so I'll know what kind of training he needs." Spectra replied.

"Oh… can I try talking to him?"

Spectra chuckled. "You can try but I doubt you can do anything. Lync tried once but Helios got so mad that Lync started crying." Spectra continued chuckling after remembering that event. Helios said something about how Lync would never get taller and that his voice was high enough to scare bakugan away.

Once they entered, Helios was still on top of the desk. He didn't even move. Spectra motioned for Alice to go forward and talk to Helios.

Alice gulped then approached the Pyrus bakugan.

Author's Note: Ok, veeeerry long chapter XD in the next chapter, we'll get to hear from the brawlers and finally, Runo and Julie! Ok, until then!