The seven of them sprinted through the burning orange sky. They raced up a tall, jagged green hill, sharp rocks jutting out like nature's own spikes. The whole place looked like a mountain's wild cousin, shadowed by swirling dark clouds ready to burst.
They bolted across that steep slope at breakneck speed—honestly, probably none of them knew exactly where they were headed.
Above, alien Uragas screeched and squawked, their cannon-tipped wings slicing through the air like flying war machines.
"THE CELESTIANITE PRINCESS?!" Olsen shouted, eyes locked on Starla.
Her hair whipped wildly as she dashed, shaking her head. "Don't worry I'll explain later just RUN!"
So they did, chasing her higher up the mountain as the sun crept over the horizon. The sky was crowded with alien birds, black as scattered olives, buzzing with deadly intent.
Suddenly, Starla stopped, hearing a piercing growl echo from the distance. The group froze, eyes darting left and right.
Over the hill, a Lunaranite appeared—not a soldier, but one of those wild, summoned dragons fueled by the Power Gems, completely mindless and dangerous.
Nearby was a jagged stone—Starla's command was quick: "Behind that rock."
They pressed backs to the cold stone, some crouching, some standing, silence locked with fingers pressed to lips. The growls multiplied—one, two, then a whole chorus.
Prince whispered, "There's more?"
Olsen rolled his eyes, deadpan, "NO SHIT THERE'S MORE! WE'RE IN AN APOCALYPSE!"
Archie raised an eyebrow. "Why—IN THE LIVING FIREBALLS—is the sexiest princess with us?"
Starla glared at Archie, and before she could answer, Demaurion's temper flared at the growls, but Ella calmed him just in time.
Then, the sharp sound of a talon scraping the ground approached.
Their hearts pounded like bass drums.
A Lunaranite's head slowly peeked around the rock, scanning—anywhere but at them.
Quiet breaths held tight.
Just as the beast turned to leave—
"SUCK ON THIS EXPLOSION!" Archie roared, launching himself forward.
His fists ignited in bright flames, slamming into the beast's face and sending it flying backward with a fiery explosion.
Smoke curled from his fists as he casually blew it off, hands on hips.
"Wasn't that bad, where were you guys while I was carrying?"
"IDIOT! DO YOU NOT SEE THAT FLOCK?!" Ella snapped, glaring up the hill.
Archie's eyes flicked to the thirty or so Lunaranites armed with spears, claws ready.
"Oh, shit."
A roar erupted, and they charged.
Archie tackled by one, tumbling and trading blows as they rolled down the hill like wild tumbleweeds.
Above, the others leapt into battle.
Olsen swung his hammer, sending one Lunaranite flying before spinning to knock another out cold.
Demaurion whipped his trident, slashing through the enemy with fierce precision.
Ella fired sandballs, exploding into choking dust clouds that suffocated the beasts.
From the sky, yellow and cyan radiant stars rained down—Starla herself.
Meanwhile, Archie slammed his opponent into the ground with a massive body slam, causing a boom that ended that Lunaranite.
Explosions, elemental powers, and flashes lit the thunderous battlefield.
More Lunaranites surged—claws, slashes, and tail-whips coming fast.
They struggled—until Archie shot up, soaring 50 feet high.
"PAY ATTENTION TO THIS GUYS!" he yelled.
He formed a fiery orange bomb, hurling it toward the enemies.
The bomb rolled like a flaming cylinder, beeping ominously.
Smiles spread among the fighters—but then the bomb veered toward the hill's edge.
It bounced off a rock, launched skyward, and smacked Archie's head before tumbling toward the heroes.
The beep sped up.
Olsen smashed at it with his hammer—only to burn himself.
"AH! AH! IT BURNS! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"
Ella frantically clawed it—making it beep faster. "IT WON'T STOP! ARCHIE!"
Archie's heroic grin flipped to a deadpan frown.
"Ah, fu—" BOOOOOOM!
The fiery explosion sent them all sprawling, weapons and pride dropped.
Olsen groaned, shaking his head.
"Archie…. sometimes I wonder if you're just chaotically in need of a Special Ed class."
Silent Eli just stared.
Demaurion, marked with burns, stabbed his trident into the ground, glaring up.
"I can beat your ass once and I. WILL. DO. IT. AGAIN!"
"Sorry gang, but hey I mean we almost got 'em," Archie muttered sheepishly.
Prince brushed off ashes as his burns faded. "And you almost de-saturated us."
"Oh great, now my cat ears are dusty," Ella grumbled as her ears wilted.
"My wings!!" Starla flapped hers back to normal.
Archie landed, ruffling his hair.
"Still hot tho."
He invited a slap from Starla.
They looked around—the battlefield littered with fallen beasts, blood soaking the grass red.
Starla's eyes scanned beyond the hill.
Musicia—the once vibrant city of golden and pink towers and the slender castle of Queen Soundzwave—was a war zone.
Alien Uragas fired relentlessly, toppling buildings, screams echoing.
Lunaranites tore through streets, dark flames consuming all.
Alien birds blasted architecture with cannons, reducing the city to ruins beneath swirling shadow clouds.
Buildings crumbled with a deafening crash.
Starla blinked, then looked up at the castle's tippy top.
A golden bridge stretched skyward, piercing the storm with crackling lightning.
"We've got to do something," she whispered.
"Princess girl, what are we really about to do?" Prince asked, standing beside her.
Starla stared, entranced, then shook her head as the vision vanished.
"Because someone's activated the Celestial Pillars. The Power Gems are on their way."
"If we don't act fast, Celestia—and all of Avangard—could be lost."
"It could be Incarceration, Dark Don, Dreadixz, or some other villain."
She squared her shoulders.
"I'm Starla, Celestianite Princess, and I'm stopping the battle on Celestia. We have to get there before the Power Gems reach the Pillars. And I know exactly how."
***
Flames roared from wreckage to wreckage, louder than armies clashing across Celestia. Smoke churned thick and gray, swallowing shards of light, curling around broken towers and shattered streets.
Dark Don's fists clenched, grin wicked. Jaylen's eyes blazed cyan and yellow, jaw tight, brows furrowed, energy coiling around him like lightning.
A collision of sparks—silver, cyan, yellow—ripped the air into jagged streaks. The world twisted, buildings tilting, the ground folding as their energies struck.
"You flip quick when things heat up…" Dark Don murmured, voice low, sinister.
Jaylen rolled his eyes. "Things are about to flip."
They slammed together.
A burst of silver, cyan, and yellow flared outward, scattering debris in arcs that stretched across the battlefield. Jaylen blinked behind Dark Don, knee snapping into lunar armor. Don twisted mid-air, cocooned in a sphere of lunar light, plummeting like a blazing meteor—impact splitting the cracked streets into molten shards.
Jaylen streaked across rubble, comet of cyan-yellow fire, flipping over toppled debris. Dropkick met lunar chest; buildings behind shuddered and exploded, debris spinning in arcs of gold, silver, and smoke. The world seemed to stretch, pull apart, then snap back into place as they moved.
Dark Don skidded to a halt, lunar energy spiraling. Gut strike, hook, jab, backhand—Jaylen tumbled through clouds of smoke and dust, silver and cyan streaking around him like shattered glass.
"You're fast," Dark Don growled mid-air. "But quick enough?"
Jaylen didn't answer. Dream Weaver pulsed cyan and yellow, slicing arcs through the smoke. Sparks scattered like jagged light, each one sharper than the last. Dark Don blocked, fists igniting jagged flashes across the horizon.
He lunged—chest slammed, Jaylen tumbled, rolled, sprang up, blade sparking behind him.
"You're gonna have to do better!" he yelled, slicing relentlessly—one, two, three arcs, each leaving ribbons of brilliance in the air. Flip behind mid-air—glowing fist slammed into Dark Don's back, knocking him spinning.
Crash—stone and dust erupted, buildings skewing as though the city itself twisted around the impact. Dark Don swung wildly—Jaylen ducked, Dream Weaver slicing forearm in cyan-yellow streaks.
"VICIOUS LUNAR!" Dark Don roared, smashing Jaylen into cracked ground. The streets trembled, debris and energy orbiting violently, angles flipping with each strike.
Fists, knees, kicks—a rapid torrent too fast to track. Jaylen blocked, teeth gritted, energy arcing along the blade. Dark Don spun, fist aimed for a Lunar Punch—Jaylen met it, sparks scattering like fragmented lightning.
"Few tricks left," Jaylen muttered, eyes white-hot. Teleport—he blinked behind Dark Don, backhand mid-air flipping him. Jaylen shot skyward, glowing fist poised.
"DREAM'S DESCEND!" Cyan and silver slammed, sending Dark Don crashing, shockwave rippling outward, streets contorting around the force.
Teleport again—palm outstretched. "BRIGHTENING HEAVENS!" Swirling beam erupted, illuminating smoke-choked skyline. Dark Don slammed both fists—energies collided mid-air, colossal burst rippling clouds, twisting them into warped rings.
Both rose, breathing hard. Dream Weaver hummed, pulsing with Jaylen's power. Dark Don stomped; rocks and energy spiraled violently, the battlefield bending around their orbit.
They lunged like living bullets. Fists collided—BOOM! Reality cracked. Buildings tilted, skies flashed black and white, debris orbiting mid-air.
Mid-air, they spun, exchanged strikes at blinding speed. Dream Weaver slashed arcs of cyan and gold, then fired a blade-infused blast, shoving Dark Don back.
Dark Don lunged, punches raining on face, chest, gut. Jaylen swept upward—slash cleaved lunar aura like mist.
Grab. Spin. Hurl across city. Mid-fall, Jaylen twisted, eyes locking on glowing form above. Kick slammed him down—shockwaves shredded streets. Blood. Pain. Punch. Twist. Uppercut. Overhand.
Dark Don spun like a lunar Beyblade, hurling Jaylen at the last standing building. Crash—split concrete and steel raining in blurred streaks. Jaylen tumbled, bouncing across streets. Massive Celestianite truck loomed—collision, explosion, flames spiraling, glass shearing into streaks.
He skidded, rolling like a broken toy. Dream Weaver clattered from his hand.
Jaylen landed on his side—bloodied, battered, barely conscious. Silence fell.
Then his hand twitched. Cyan-yellow flicker pulsed along Dream Weaver, calling him back into the fight.