I woke up the next morning following the same routine I'd been keeping lately — getting up early and going for a run.
But this time, as I was heading back home, I heard someone call out to me.
When I turned around to see who it was, I found a guy who honestly looked so plain he might as well have been wearing a sign that said "I'm an NPC."
Jokes aside, he had one of those totally forgettable faces — the kind that disappears into a crowd.
"Need something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I heard you're the number one in the world. I came here to defeat you. My name's William," he said, wearing an overly confident grin.
I was a bit confused. Nobody around here challenged me anymore. The only ones brave enough to face me were those in the top 50.
I guessed this guy had to be one of them… though I didn't remember him from the anime, so he was probably some filler character that never even appeared.
To be honest, I hadn't really paid much attention to who was in the top 50 anyway — I only remembered the top 10, especially Chan Lee, a beauty in a cheongsam who was pretty hard to forget.
But then I saw what he had strapped to his arm — a very familiar launcher. It was round, white, and anyone who'd seen the anime would recognize it instantly. It was the same kind of launcher Masquerade gave to the brawlers he hired to fight others.
"I see... so you're one of Masquerade's lapdogs, huh?" I said with a mocking smirk, watching his face turn red with anger.
"Who the hell are you calling a lapdog?! Don't get it twisted — our goals just happened to align. He paid me a lot to come here, and he gave me strong Bakugan to use if I could beat you. From my point of view, it's an easy win," he said with ridiculous confidence, as if the victory was already his.
Honestly, I kind of admired his self-esteem.
Leaving aside the fact that I'd already beaten Masquerade — who, as far as I knew, hadn't lost to anyone else since — this guy clearly hadn't done his research.
If my Bakugan were terrifying before, Leonidas was on a whole different level now. I was pretty sure even the other top players wouldn't dare face me unless they were brainwashed. Which, honestly, I was starting to suspect might be the case with this guy… either that or he was just plain stupid.
"Well then, enough useless talk. If you're so eager to lose, let's get this over with."
"Field open!"
"Field open!"
With that, the world around us froze completely and we were transported to the familiar white space.
No matter how many times it happened, it never stopped being impressive — basically spatial and temporal manipulation at work. I'd love to figure out how that even functioned someday.
"Doom Card, ready!"
He threw the familiar skull-marked card onto the field, and it merged instantly with the battlefield.
"That card again…" I heard Leonidas mutter beside me as he hovered in the air. Another thing I still didn't quite understand — sometimes they floated, sometimes they didn't. How did that even work?
"Don't worry about it. As long as we don't lose, that card might as well not exist," I said automatically, though I knew full well why that card bothered him. Even if he was born in the Doom Dimension, it wasn't something he was proud of.
"Gate Card set!"
"Gate Card set!"
We both tossed our cards, and they spread across the field, sending us to opposite ends.
Then William threw another card. "Gate Card set!" He quickly followed with, "Bakugan brawl!"
A flash of light — a Haos Bakugan, just as I expected from his launcher's color.
Nothing special — just a Robotallion.
I repeat — his overconfidence was impressive.
Sure, power levels weren't everything here, but they still mattered.
Anyway, I might as well finish this quickly and go home.
"You ready to fight, partner?" I asked Leonidas beside me.
"Hmph. These weaklings are a disgrace. But fine — I'm always ready to crush a few Bakugan," he said with his usual fierce tone before curling into a ball and flying into my hand.
Honestly, I wanted to test something new — and this guy would make the perfect guinea pig.
I took a specific stance as a dark aura surrounded me. I felt my hand burn with power — and Leonidas felt it too.
"Partner, what is this? I feel... overflowing with power."
I smiled and explained, "It's a throw I came up with. I wasn't sure it would work since it requires both of us to sync perfectly, but it seems like our connection's solid."
Then I threw him, shouting—
"Darkus Tornado!"
As Leonidas spun toward Robotallion, dark winds swirled around him, growing stronger by the second. He transformed midair while spinning rapidly, crashing straight into the gate card where Robotallion stood, unleashing a massive dark tornado across the battlefield.
"What the hell is that?!" I heard William shout, panic in his voice.
Honestly, I was just as shocked. The power was insane. When the winds finally settled, Leonidas was the only one left standing on the card, surrounded by an intimidating dark aura.
The opposing Robotallion had been blown all the way back to William's feet — and the poor guy looked pale and speechless.
Leonidas flew back to my hand as the system announced my victory.
"Partner, that was incredible! How did you do that?!"
"I agree, that was way better than I expected," I admitted.
In the game, it didn't work quite like this — it would just emit a dark aura that reduced nearby Bakugan's power while increasing our own. If you threw your Bakugan at just the right spot, you could technically knock out the opponent instantly, but it was nearly impossible. I'd only managed it once after weeks of trying.
But here? This was absurd. I'd defeated his Bakugan before the battle even began. If it worked like in the game, that dark aura might also weaken other nearby Bakugan — meaning in group battles, it could become an incredible weapon.
"How many times can we do that, partner?" Leonidas asked, curious and a little eager.
"Sorry, Leo — just once per battle," I said. It made sense.
If I could spam it endlessly, it'd be overpowered and ruin the fun of the fight. Still, it was definitely a game-changing move.
"I see. That's probably for the best," he said, not sounding disappointed. I could tell he felt the same — Leonidas loved a good battle, and crushing enemies before they even entered the field would probably bore him.
Then William started yelling again.
"What the hell was that?! That guy never said anything about this! Who the hell are you?! You're cheating, aren't you?!"
"Of course not. You've got a card that can steal my Bakugan, so even if I were cheating, you've got no right to complain. I'm still following the rules — you're the one ruining the game," I said calmly. And it was true — special throws weren't cheating. Julie used to do them all the time, and while hers didn't do damage, they were completely valid techniques.
"So, are you ready to give up now? I'm hungry and want to go home," I said casually. The fight was already over. At this point, there were only a handful of people who could actually catch my attention — and this guy definitely wasn't one of them.
"Damn it! Don't get cocky!"
He shouted, but I could tell he didn't want to keep going.
The difference in strength was ridiculous — it wasn't even a fight anymore. Still, his pride wouldn't let him quit, even though the fear was written all over his face.
For the first time, he realized why I was number one.
He'd been proud of his rank — top 30, undefeated because most people avoided him — but now, standing against me, he understood the gap.
(Are all the top 10 this monstrous?) The thought chilled him.
Those people had reached the top within the game's first week, and their positions had barely changed since. He'd thought if Masquerade could rise so quickly, maybe they weren't that special. But now… he realized how naïve he'd been.
They weren't just good — they were monsters in human form.
I sighed, knowing how this would end. Might as well finish it quickly.
---
Time skip.
We were back where we'd started, but William now looked like a hollow shell — eyes empty, soul crushed. Obviously, he'd lost. Badly.
When he realized I wasn't going to use that special throw again, he'd thought he had a chance. But once he saw Leonidas's true power, his hope shattered completely.
I didn't feel sorry for him, honestly.
All of Masquerade's followers were killers in a way — sending Bakugan to the Doom Dimension meant sending them to die. At least some of the top 10 had been brainwashed; when they were freed, they regretted it.
But this guy? He chose it willingly.
I walked over and held out my hand. "Now hand me that card," I said indifferently.
He reacted instinctively and gave it to me. I tore the Doom Card apart and let the wind carry the pieces away.
I wasn't sure if destroying them really did anything, but if it caused Masquerade trouble, that was good enough for me.
I never understood why others didn't do this — they'd just toss the cards away and let Masquerade pick them up again, despite knowing how dangerous they were.
Leaving William standing there like a broken statue, I turned and walked off.
I could feel someone's eyes watching me from the trees — I already had a good guess who it was — but I ignored it and left.
As I exited the park, I heard someone call out to me again. Feeling déjà vu, I turned, and the sight of another launcher made my head ache.
Seriously, Masquerade — it's a good thing you're in Alice's body, or I'd gladly punch you myself.
---
Meanwhile…
After Ryu left the park, a multicolored portal formed among the trees where the watcher had been hiding.
Masquerade stepped through it and entered a secret facility that looked like a warehouse.
He sat before a computer, lost in thought.
He'd already told Naga about Dan Kuso and Drago — Naga had been impressed by Drago's power to break his own limits, which was the only reason Masquerade hadn't been punished. Though Naga was furious that Drago was still alive, his focus shifted when he learned about Leonidas and Ryuzaki.
Now, Naga considered Drago a nuisance… but Leonidas?
He was a genuine threat.
Masquerade had shown him the footage — Leonidas's power was extraordinary, potentially greater than Naga's own.
He wanted to know exactly where Leonidas came from. His energy was abnormal — disturbingly similar to the one emitted by the Doom Cards.
Masquerade had already sent some fighters to test Dan, but for Ryuzaki, he sent more.
He didn't expect them to win — what he wanted was data for their rematch.
If Drago was a potential problem, Leonidas was the real danger.
What caught Masquerade's attention most was that sudden surge of power during Leonidas's battle — the enemy's Robotallion had been erased instantly, before even engaging. That shouldn't have been possible. It was almost as if Robotallion had been deleted from existence.
"Ryuzaki… you're truly interesting. How many secrets are you hiding?" he muttered with a smirk, staring at the ranking board photo of Ryu and Leonidas.
Before he could think further, he felt a familiar presence — one only a single person could produce.
From the wall itself, a wrinkled, long-eared face emerged — Hal-G.
"Masquerade, Lord Naga isn't pleased. You said you'd handle Leonidas, yet you've done nothing," Hal-G said with open disdain.
Although they worked together, Hal-G respected no one but his master, Naga, whom he worshipped as the future ruler of Vestroia.
Masquerade, by contrast, followed Naga's orders out of convenience, not devotion.
He replied in his usual calm, detached tone,
"You can't rush this, Hal-G. Ryuzaki and Leonidas aren't opponents I can underestimate. I need proper preparation before facing them. The last time I acted on impulse, it didn't end well. Don't worry — once Hydranoid evolves into the ultimate Bakugan, they won't be able to stop me."
Those were his true thoughts. No matter how powerful Leonidas was, Masquerade believed that against the Ultimate Bakugan, even he wouldn't stand a chance.
Hal-G frowned. He didn't like Masquerade's attitude, but he couldn't argue.
As long as Naga still needed him — especially for dealing with strong brawlers — he would tolerate him.
"See that you do. Lord Naga won't forgive another failure. You were already defeated once — there won't be a second chance," Hal-G warned, before melting back into the wall and vanishing.
Masquerade scowled behind his mask.
He didn't like Hal-G either, but he needed him — he was the only one who could create Doom Cards and help Hydranoid absorb power from the Bakugan trapped inside them.
Now that Ryuzaki was destroying those cards, Masquerade needed a steady new supply.
He knew sending low-ranked brawlers wouldn't yield much energy — which was why he was already forming a new plan.
In his eyes, most of the top 10 were mediocre, but they'd still serve his purpose.
All he needed was Naga's approval… and a way to gather them all in one place.
A dark idea began to form in his mind.
If he wanted the Ultimate Bakugan, he would have to move faster.
With that decision, Masquerade shut off his computer and vanished just like Hal-G had moments earlier.
The room fell into complete silence.
The villains had begun to make their move — faster than anyone expected.
The existence of Ryuzaki and Leonidas had forced their hand.
To Naga and Masquerade, Drago wasn't the real threat anymore.
Leonidas was.
And they were determined to erase him before he could destroy everything they'd built.