Episode 20: Message from Beyond the Brink

[Noland Hardy]

Noland opened his eyes slowly and grunted in pain as if he has suffered a fall. As he started to get his bearings once again, he slowly started rising to his feet while only having a few staggers in the process. "Damn...that was bad..." Noland muttered while holding his head. His vision started to become a little better as time progressed, so he was able to gain a better understanding of his surroundings. He was rather surprised at what he was seeing once he regained the ability to see clearly as if he didn't know where he was. The sky had the most beautiful appearance he had ever seen. The grass surrounding him was serene without the presence of war or anyone else. "This apparently isn't Earth...am I dead or something?" Noland questioned out loud. He checked his pockets for any Bakugan, and was surprised that even Drago was not in his possession; his BrawlX was on his arm however. He tried to check his location on the watch since it had the ability to do so. Unfortunately, all he received was "unknown". He tried to call Karen and the rest of the Resistors, but still failed to receive a response. As this happened, a random blue orb suddenly appeared in front of him and circled around him, apparently taking a liking to him as the only presence of a human there at the moment. It started to float away from him towards the plains in a playful motion. Curious as to what it was, Noland started to follow.

The orb stopped on a hill and began glowing. It released a wave throughout the area, changing the landscape into an exact replica of Noland's house when he was seven years old. "What? How are you doing this?" Noland asked, but didn't receive a response. He did catch on to the fact that this was merely a representation of the surrounding area and was not able to interact with anyone they were seeing. The scene showed Noland taking care of his younger brother before his father took them to Grandma's house so he could go to work. "Vince was always so secretive about who he was. I never really got to know him other than him being a hero," Noland said. Since Noland was never told what his father did as he was too young to understand at the time, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to find out. He ran up the stairs into his father's room and found him in business-casual clothing, ready to go down and walk out of the door. Noland decided to join them by hopping into the passenger side while his younger self and Kendrick sat in the back. After Vince dropped them off, Noland sat back comfortably while his dad drove to work. Once they reached the destination, he got out of the car and looked at the building closely. They walked in together, and Noland was suddenly hit with the realization of what his father actually did. "No wonder why I didn't know that much about him. He worked for the CIA. Of course he wouldn't tell me that," Noland realized. He allowed him to walk even further into the building and observed his activities, which allowed him to come to a conclusion. "Those people that he spoke to kept saying 'director'. Was he the head of the CIA? I wouldn't be surprised if he was."

The space around him distorted until he was in the torture chamber. He observed his father personally coordinating the operation on this mysterious lady that Noland had trouble determining who it was. "That lady has the same skin and skin color as that king and queen we killed two years ago, doesn't she?" Noland questioned himself since the woman was obviously not from this planet. There methods of torture were questionable, but understandable given who it was. She then declared that the humans were going to wish they hadn't taken the life of one of their own soon enough. "I don't know what she means, but," Noland said. "That means he must have known that the attack was going to happen in one form or another prior to it happening. Still, why would they have been angry if they're the ones that spilled blood first?" Noland than poked his head a little and thought of an alternative option as he said, "What if they didn't?"

The surroundings shifted back to the plains area just before he could listen to more interesting information. The orb flew right into a nearby cave just past the cliff-side's waterfall. Just so it couldn't get too far away out of his sight, Noland ran to keep up. He entered the cave shortly after the orb and stayed close to it since it was the only source of light he had; otherwise, he would lose his way. As they were walking, the orb shifted the surroundings to a scene where Vince and Grandma, Vince's mother, were talking shortly before September 11, 2008. The conversation was basically over custody of Noland and Kendrick. He regretfully explained that the death of their mother and the insidious threats left by the multiple aliens they've caught within the past years raised growing concerns about the safety of everyone on the planet, especially him. It was his wish that in just a short while, Noland and Kendrick would live with her from that point forward as he did not want their "sins" to affect them too. Drago also made it a point to tell them that there have been multiple cases of Bakugan and people disappearing to an unknown dimension across the planet ever since the threats were made, and it was only going to be a matter of time before they came over there to look for them. While he did the best he could with the time he had, he stated he could not continue to work with the hours he has since so much time is placed into his job, leaving little time for him to manage his household. He did not want them to be hurt by what was coming and/or hurt them any longer. "So this is what your purpose was..." Noland said while saddened that the decision had to be made. "I'm not really understanding why you're showing me this."

The orb created another shift in the atmosphere. This time, Vince and Drago were by themselves. They were having an argument not long after they broke the news to Grandma. Vince made comments referencing the destructive capabilities of the Bakugan in general, and if it was really okay to not only introduce Noland to them, but if it was safe for anyone to really have them. Drago was surprised that he came to that conclusion while continuing to listen to him spit on his race with multiple remarks regarding why the Bakugan are even here. Drago took this as his race being condemned, so he countered this with brutally honest statements since he wanted to say this for a long time. He detested the methods Bakugan were being used for and completely denounced whoever thought it was a good idea to match his brothers and sisters against one another for their entertainment. He also shamed the humans for their sinful nature and declared that things could have been a lot better if Bakugan did not come into contact with any species at all, being humans and whatever the alien race was. "Well, they're both right..." Noland noted. "I never knew Drago had a problem fighting that way."

The scene skipped to September 10, one day before this disaster took place. He was preparing a special document on his computer in secret according to the conversation Vince was currently having with his adviser. He gave her specific instructions on what to do with the document. One of those directions was to pass on that information to the person who succeeds him as Director of the CIA if he should fall in battle whenever the attack happens, or if he is still there by a certain date or if he survives the attack, they were going to commence the project that was listed within the contents of the document to preserve hope for the humans in its entirety. "He made some special document that was supposed to be passed on to his successor in the event that he could no longer perform his role as Director anymore. So because he's gone, whoever the Director of the CIA is now must have what he left that is supposed to be helping us." Noland concluded. "Should I be afraid to know what was in that document after what I was hearing him and Drago say?" 

The orb ended the memories and led Noland to the cave's exit. Upon stepping outside, Noland spotted a huge Colosseum some distance away. The orb circled around Noland once more before flying towards it with haste. He followed the orb until he reached the structure when he found a Pyrus Bakugan in ball form on the ground. He knelt to pick it up and held it in the palm of his hand. Before he could ask who it was, the Bakugan opened and said, "You don't have that confused look too often. What's troubling you?" A sign of excitement appeared on Noland's face at the sight of the Bakugan as if he knew who he was, but he was surprised at the same time. "Krakix!?" Noland exclaimed. "But...how?"

"I know what you're thinking. You're probably saying that I really shouldn't be here in front of you right now since you saw me get taken, but don't worry about that. Let's just focus on getting you what you want: some answers and getting out of here ASAP. Your questions will be answered to some extent if you go through here," Krakix said as he faced the entrance to the Colosseum. "This is why I'm here for you today. We have to prepare for what's ahead, and you're going to need my help since you apparently don't have any alternatives for a Bakugan at the moment. It'll be just like old times...except that I wish it was like old times."

"Go through here, and I can get some answers and get out of here. Got it," Noland acknowledged. Noland walked through the entrance and made his way to the heart of the Colosseum: the battlefield. He stood on one side of the arena while he saw the blue orb that led him there on the other side. "How exactly am I going to be brawling an orb? This seems out of place to me. ...Krakix, where am I?" Noland questioned.

[Alana Cortese]

The orb flashed as the sound of a chuckle was heard coming from it. It found Noland's confusion amusing despite the fact he was probably scared out of his mind. "You're just as silly as always," the orb commented. "Of course you won't be battling an orb. I just wanted to mess with you since I wasn't sure how you were going to react to seeing me. I'll just change into something you'll recognize me by." The orb moved in close proximity to Noland as it began to sparkle as it transformed into a human form. As this happened, two arms were instantly wrapped around Noland as the transformation was nearing its completion. Once the process was completed, a young lady was revealed to have taken the orb's place. It was evident that she already felt attached to him since she was hugging him while her body was materializing. The hug lasted for about twenty seconds before another word was said.

"It's good to finally see you in what feels like forever. I really missed you, Noland..." Alana said as she started to tear up. She kissed him quickly and then hurried back to her side of the field to stand in position after displaying all of the affection she was willing to show for now in an attempt to keep herself from crying over seeing him. As she did this, she began blushing in embarrassment over what she just did. "I'm sorry. I usually get really affectionate whenever I see someone I love that I haven't seen in a long time. Especially you...for obvious reasons."

With her feelings tossed aside, Alana got straight to the point and began explaining what was going on even though she really didn't want to tell him how to get out to keep him in there for as long as she wants. "You remember what you said when you got here about being dead? Of course you do. Let's just say you're only a battle away from that technically becoming reality." Alana held out her hand and displayed a hologram of what was actually happening in the real world. Noland's body was laid out on a hospital bed with the Resistors and Karen surrounding him with great concern. "You took a lot of damage from that...well...colossal fuck-up for the lack of a better word. Your actual body is laid on what could be your death bed, but I don't want that for you. It turns out that regardless of what I revealed to you in the cave, Drago doesn't either." She then showed Drago's ball form in Tracy's hand, which was currently colored gray. This meant that the Bakugan was sealed inside his ball form.

"He's the reason why you've been kept alive. He's using his energy to sustain your life, but that also means he could perish if you don't end up making it," Alana noted. "This entire thing is all in your head, so it's kinda like a dream for you with some of his memories poured into it, which I would assume he did so you could see what you saw earlier for some odd reason; although, I'm not sure why he wouldn't tell you that information sooner. I'm apart of that memory pouring too just to be clear." Her face suddenly turned very serious as she presented Noland's only remaining option. "The way we're going to get you out of here is by generating enough battle energy to revive both of you. That is why you've encountered your old partner already since Drago can't be in here himself. I'm sure you know what I have since you and Allen taught me." She activated her gauntlet immediately to get the battle done as soon as possible and declared, "Let's get this battle done so you can go back to your new friends, okay? And like the gentlemen I fell in love with, you'll let me set the gate, right? Ladies first?"

Alana took a gate card in her hand and yelled, "Gate card set!" as she threw it at the center of the field. She made an Aquos Bakugan appear in her hand from out of nowhere before she finally said, "Bakugan brawl! Aquos Gallant Siege stand!" The Bakugan stood when it reached the gate card. His monster form resembles the original Siege, but this variation is flashier in appearance as the armor and weapon are more detailed with the stylish azure coloring he has. "I have to push you to do your best to make it out, so I'm not going easy on you," Alana warned.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland's facial expression upon feeling arms around him during what appeared to be a transformation was nothing short of a disturbed and eerie feeling of something of a more powerful origin making it's presence known to him in a situation like this. "I think it's okay to feel scared now," Noland said in his mind. He listened to the words of what appeared to be a female voice and allowed the orb to finish the transformation before he made any further comments out loud. He paid close attention to what was going on a couple of seconds into the transformation when he looked to his side and saw the girl's hair. Once he laid his eyes on that, he instantly recognized who was currently hugging him and immediately hugged her back without hesitation. "Alana..." Noland was roughly speechless during this surprising encounter. He never thought anything like this would ever happen despite wishing for it at Christmas time, so this overwhelmed him with a lot of emotions, which was mostly affection despite the fact he was already with someone else at the time.

Noland allowed her to kiss him as she returned to her side of the battlefield. She apologized for her display of affection, but Noland didn't mind it at all and replied, "No need to apologize, beautiful. I'm completely fine with it." His mind quickly shifted off of his love for her still being present into more serious matters such as what was currently happening to him. "On a more serious note, what is this place? Why am I here? Why are you here?" Once he asked her this question, her face suddenly became more serious than how she looked before. This scared him a little since she usually doesn't give him that look unless something very serious was going on. "Alana...don't look at me like that. You scare me whenever you do that..."

She began explaining to him what was going on, and it awakened a fear that Noland had when he first woke up in this world. He was on the brink of death from that injury that Alana referred to in a way that made him a little bit angry. He showed complete shock that all of the Resistors were around him like that since he didn't think all of them would be in the same room at the same time without an argument starting especially when Karen made a few of them angry with her. He was surprised the most about Drago's action after what Alana showed him in that cave. Despite the fact Drago had animosity towards humans and he was being used in a manner at which he detested, he still placed himself in jeopardy just to give Noland a second chance. "I'm never throwing him into a river ever again..." Noland said in his mind, deeply regretting how he treated him over the years. He expressed skepticism over why he wasn't informed about some of this information sooner, but he was going to take care of that if he ever saw the Dragonoid again.

Alana then presented an ultimatum to him. He could either brawl her to gather enough battle energy to revive himself, or eventually succumb to his injuries once Drago's energy is depleted. She didn't bother asking if he was going to comply with her suggestion to battle since she knew he was not going to accept death, so she immediately set the gate card and threw in her guardian Bakugan, Gallant Siege. "It has been a long time since I've seen that Bakugan," Noland noted in his mind. "That's the strongest Aquos Bakugan I've ever battled with Gladion taking a close second place. I saw his potential when Allen and I trained Alana, but once she grasped that information, she truly became a very dangerous brawler that even I wasn't sure I could handle. She even beat Allen with it once. I know I could beat him with Drago, but can Krakix do it?"

Krakix opened up his ball form and looked up at Noland who was obviously thinking about what he was going to do. "You're probably thinking of that one time Gorem fell to Siege, aren't you?" Krakix asked. "Don't worry about me. I have never lost a brawl for you. Our opponent is formidable, but we are as well. You aren't the 'Master Blaze' just for show." Noland acknowledged his former partner's commitment and prepared to throw him into battle after activating his BrawlX. "Alright, Krakix. Let's do this." Noland gripped the Bakugan and threw him onto the gate card. "Bakugan brawl! Pyrus Bushido Krakix stand!" The Bakugan stood in his monster form with a fierce roar. This variation resembled the original Krakix with only a minor difference in armor configuration and color. He also carries hilts for energy swords on both hips, which gives him the ability to wield them efficiently. "En garde!" Krakix asserted as he rushed towards Siege with an energy sword, clashing with him at the center of the battlefield.

(Mini Boss Theme)

[Alana Cortese]

"Here he comes," Alana warned her Bakugan as Krakix was approaching them with an energized blade. Siege gripped his lance and rushed towards Krakix with haste, clashing with him at the center. The two Bakugan seemed pretty even in strength so far in the battle with neither side willing to give each other an inch of opportunity to land a decisive blow on one another. Their focus on each other was unlike any battle they've had before; they wanted to show each other what the other has learned and be able to claim victory with their new-found skill. Their clash was even enough to repel both competitors a considerable distance away from each other. "I think I might actually have a chance here," Alana noticed in her mind.

As they were doing this, a red lightning bolt struck the center of the battlefield. Alarmed, Alana looked upwards and noticed that there was a distortion in the sky that was there for a couple of seconds before disappearing. She pulled up her display of Noland's surroundings in the real world to observe his body. His condition seemed to get worse after that strange phenomenon in their current location, which can only mean that the distortion must have had some significance relating to Drago's power. "I guess showing him all that information took so much time then..." Alana griefed. She faced Noland before playing anything to inform him of what was going on. "Your condition just got worse, Noland. It seems like Drago's energy might run out soon." Siege then added on to that statement and replied, "His energy is starting to reach scarce numbers. It'll be enough to sustain this world for about ten minutes before it destabilizes. I don't think we need to be reminded on what's going to take place if that happens."

Alana acknowledged the fact that they had to hurry up, but it also made her stressed that they had to brawl at such a fast pace and that Noland was such a short time away from his demise. She immediately took an ability card and placed it on her gauntlet without trying to think too much about what she had to do in order to direct her focus towards helping him rather than moping over something she could prevent. "We'll save him. I promise. Ability activate! Frozen Brigade!" Siege tapped his weapon on the ground upon activation. A mysterious energy was spread throughout where he was standing. Multiple sentient ice Bakugan began spawning in front of him that resulted in him being clones up to 5 times. All of the clones sprinted towards Krakix to slash him multiple times while the original followed closely behind them with the same intentions.

[Noland Hardy]

"She got stronger...a lot stronger..." Noland remarked to himself following the clash Krakix and Siege had. He began to think about how difficult it was going to be to fight Alana when Noland hasn't used Krakix in such a long time. Before he was able to respond with an ability card, he saw a red lightning bolt strike the battlefield from above. As he looked up, he saw the distortion Alana observed. "What's going on?" Noland asked. He feared for the worst before asking that question since he was fully aware of the current circumstances. Unfortunately, his fears came true when Alana reported that he was basically dying. "What I thought was going to be a friendly match just turned into a tryhard or die type of battle. That's just wonderful," Noland responded.

He noticed the look on Alana's face when she commented on saving him prior to her ability's activation. "Don't worry about saving me," Noland stated while trying to divert her feelings away from the grim situation. "Battles are much more enjoyable when you don't think about those things like you told me before we parted ways. If this is in fact my final battle, then I'm going to battle just as I've always done against those Terrorists...as if it's my last." As he said this, he uploaded an ability on his BrawlX and prepared to activate it as every Siege began charging towards Krakix. "Ability activate! Madness Seal!"

"Excellent choice!" Krakix exclaimed as he nodded in approval. The samurai's eyes flashed in a bright red color. As the Siege clones saw this, their eyes began to match Krakix's eye color and ceased their approach. They turned their attention to the original Siege that was dashing behind them at full speed and intended to stop him. "Let's see you deal with your own creation being turned against you." Krakix remarked as each clone pointed their lances in a blockade formation so Siege can slice himself on impact.

[Alana Cortese]

Alana was surprised to hear Noland say anything about enjoying a battle after all that has happened in the past few years. From what she remembered based on her viewpoint, she hasn't seen him enjoy a battle at all after the Terrorists struck the first time. Hearing Noland even mention anything remotely close to fun battles was a thing of the past until now. "Fun...how could you even..." Alana said in her mind, and then stopping herself abruptly. "I guess now you're paying me back for how many times that happened. What I was doing then is what you're doing now."

Despite knowing that she'll sound like a hypocrite for objecting to that comment, she did so anyway just because the situation was more serious this time around. "You know me well enough to know that saying not to worry about you won't ease my pain. I'll never stop worrying about you, Noland," Alana declared. "This won't be your final battle either, and I'm going to fight this battle knowing that you still have plenty more to participate in. You've done everything in your power to save everyone through the battles you've fought. Now I'm going to return the favor and save you because you mean that much to me."

She placed an ability on her gauntlet and activated it with haste. "Ability activate! Sub-Zero Crash!" Siege charged an attack on the tip of his lance upon activation. As he continued to sprint towards the clones that were turned against him, he waited until he got close enough to where he would get creamed if he were take a couple of more steps. He put the lance's tip into the ground to spring himself over the clones, and then stabbed the ground behind them with a strong force. The impact caused an eruption of pure ice to encase the surrounding area, which sent the clones flying in the area in a frozen state. "I fell for that trick once, Krakix. You're not getting me with that again," Siege said as he leaped high into the area to kick the frozen clones towards Krakix as if they were ice missiles.

[Noland Hardy]

"Um..." Noland stopped himself from saying anything else once he realized that Alana's resolve was apparently not going to waver by anything he tells her. He understood how she feels about the current predicament and decided not to push the issue any further than that. He already knew that it wasn't going to stop her from worrying about him, but he didn't want her to feel down over it if things didn't go their way. "I just hope we succeed in doing this then...I wouldn't want the last thing I see to be a disappointed look on your face as I'm fading away..." Noland said in his mind.

Noland intended Madness Seal to prevent Siege from attacking Krakix, but he shocked to find out that Alana had a counter to it unlike when he used it in the past to win against her. "Wow...just wow..." Noland said in shock as he just got outplayed. The frozen projectiles that Siege had kicked downwards pummeled Krakix, causing him to roar in a Chewbacca-like sound his species are known for. Each projectile shattered on impact and forced him backwards with each successful strike. "You're still green," Krakix informed the descending Siege despite being damaged badly.

Noland activated an ability card on his gauntlet while saying, "Ability activate! Terra Exclamation!" Krakix glowed red as he began powering up. He sent bursts of energy along the ground until it neared Siege. It exploded as Siege neared the ground, causing significant damage to him and sending him flying backwards into the stadium walls. "Argon Cannon!" Noland followed up. Krakix pointed both of his hands towards the reeling Siege and transformed them into cannons. Small orbs were being charged inside of his cannons before he unleashed the controlled energy in a giant stream of energy to the point where the blasts combined to become even more powerful. 

[Alana Cortese]

Alana was alarmed by how aggressive Noland's attacks were and became very concerned when Siege was slammed against the stadium wall after Krakix's Terra Exclamation ability. "He can remain this calm while dying and still do that? That's ridiculously unbelievable..." Alana said in her mind. "Noland was always an aggressive battler that seems like he's reckless, but he does it in a controlled way so that he never suffers the weakness of attacking like that. How does he do it?" Suddenly, she heard Noland initiate another attack by the name of Argon Cannon, an ability she saw being used considerably against the Terrorists that would destroy its target in one blast, and it wasn't his strongest attack. "This makes me wonder how strong he is with Drago. I'd love to battle that," Alana said with a smile.

She held her arm up as she said, "Gate card, open! Change Link Force!" A mysterious light surrounded Siege as he was lodged against the stadium walls. He crossed his arms to protect against the blast regardless of the gate's effects as the attack approached him. As soon as the attack neared him, a hard-light shield surrounded Siege that protected him from receiving damage from the ability, but the part of the stadium that was behind him was completely obliterated by the blast. "That's impressive power, Krakix," Siege commended. "I suppose you wouldn't mind dealing with your creation now that it has turned against you, would you?" The attack was redirected back towards Krakix at double the power, becoming more menacing as it traveled through the air at an impressive speed.

[Noland Hardy]

"I'll lose if that hits Krakix..." Noland quickly uploaded an ability onto his BrawlX since he did not want to be hit by that ability with twice the power as he was already aware of the effects the gate card had. "Ability activate! Bushido Shield!" Krakix was endowed with an ominous dark-colored aura that began to emanate from him. He placed his hands outward as if he intended to catch something. As soon as the attack hit him, he caught it in his hands and dispelled it with ease, avoiding a potential one-shot kill if it had caused damage to him. Krakix made a loud noise after he negated the attack, and then said, "It's as if we were never apart, Noland."

Before he could initiate another attack, Noland noticed that the bright-colored scenery that he once enjoyed when waking up to this world had gone dark and dreary as numerous lightning bolts began filling the air with its treachery and causing a massive disturbance in the air. "Getting pretty close, huh?" Noland asked, knowing the reason why it took place. Krakix looked back at his former partner and responded, "Five minutes." Noland closed his eyes and looked down as he pondered on what he was going to do next. He could tell that the battle energy they were collecting was progressively getting better, but he knew he was going to perish before they reached that level at the pace they were going. "It's time we've gotten straight to it, wouldn't you agree, Alana?" Noland questioned as he uploaded another ability.

"Ability activate! Shogun Seal!" Krakix roared as he put his left foot outwards, crumbling the ground with the sheer force of his power. He reached for the sword hilts on his hips and combined one with the other to amplify the blade's power once he turned it on. Upon activation, the blade itself crackled with a lot of pulse energy that stabilized itself in just a mere second. The sword's activation powered up Krakix's own power by doubling it, increasing his threat level in battle.

[Alana Cortese]

Siege recovered and got back into the battle using the gate card's effect as a distraction. He got back in position with his lance ready as Krakix nullified his own ability that was twice the power he fired it at with ease. Alana felt another disturbing feeling as the lightning strikes grew even stronger. Hearing Noland express his knowledge of what was going on tempted her to take a look at how Noland was doing in the real world, but she couldn't bring herself to lay her eyes on him knowing that he was starting to go under. "Why did we have to meet like this?" Alana asked out loud as a tear started running down her cheek. She heard the remaining time limit and activated an ability to draw out Siege's special power just how Noland did for Krakix. "Alright. If it's full power you want, that's what you're going to get. I'll pour all of my sorrow into this!" Alana responded.

"Ability activate! Universal Element!" Siege was circled in a colorful light as his armor and weapon became infused with a rainbow-colored energy as a silhouette of a Siege from each attribute entering his consciousness. "You and Gorem are the only opponents worthy of my species' ancient power: the ability to wield all of the special abilities of my comrades that belong to different attributes," Siege informed his opponent. "It also doubled his power level just to match yours," Alana added. "Now the real battle begins..."

(Mini-Boss Theme 2)

[Noland Hardy]

Noland nodded in approval of Alana activating her most powerful ability to draw out her full power. He was concerned about his chances of beating her knowing that having control of all six attributes at once was a scary factor in a battle due to him having the ability to do similar things with Drago, but Krakix and Siege were now on a level to where they can generate battle energy at a much faster rate, which was what he cared about the most at this point rather than winning the battle itself. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know you, Alana. I really mean that," Noland said with a smile as he uploaded a ability onto his BrawlX. "Bushido Seal is a special ability that I save for the strongest of opponents. Daniel, the alien king, and now you. You've come a long way. I'm really proud of you."

He quickly activated the ability in the midst of his rambling. "Ability activate! Savage Inferno!" Krakix held out his pulse blade and charged it with even more energy, overloading it to the point where he was able to shoot unstable beams at his opponent with precise accuracy. "I wonder if Vince ever knew he raised an anti-hero," Krakix remarked to himself about Noland as he fired the beams of energy at Siege, threatening to obliterate it in only one of his shots. "I never thought I would see these two make it to this point. It's rather sad that the circumstances of our reunion had to be so grim."

[Alana Cortese]

Alana purposely ignored Noland's comment towards her since she was primarily trying to focus on the battle at this point. She knew that what he was trying to do was to get out any last words if they failed, which she desperately tried not to think about just to keep her sane. It wasn't until he said he was proud of her when she started to pay attention. "Noland..." Alana closed her eyes a bit to hold back any tears for giving any thought about failure. "I...love you..." was all she could mutter before pulling up another ability card to respond to Krakix's deadly attacks.

"Ability activate! Gaia Control!" Siege activated his Subterra variant's ace ability by shifting his weapon to the subterra counterpart, bearing a jagged tip at the point of the lance. Numerous large stones began revolving around Siege as he held his weapon upwards. He sent a few of them to block the various pulse beams that were aimed at him, shattering them completely and scattering the debris across the arena. "Take this!" Siege exclaimed as he started directing his remaining projectiles towards Krakix in an attempt to maraud him with a barrage of rocks.

[Noland Hardy]

"This brings back memories...a lot of good memories..." Noland imagined the surrounding area to be the community center that they've always had their brawls in when they were younger. He did this to take his mind off of his impending doom. The constant disturbance the lightning bolts were causing in the distorting atmosphere above only brought in more negative thoughts in his mind rather than positive ones. He would usually be the one to keep his composure in situations as vital as this, but this particular instance was completely different from anything he had to experience before. Whether it was because it was his own death or seeing someone he probably loved the most in this state was unknown to him at the time, but he was afraid nonetheless.

Before the projectiles could reach Krakix, Noland responded with yet another ability card. "Ability activate! Hellfire Slash!" he commanded. Krakix ignited his sword into a fiery spectacle that was even powerful enough to cause Noland to sweat a little despite being a considerable distance away from him. He made his signature noise as he charged straight through the incoming debris, destroying every single one as he made his way to Siege to land a solid hit on him that could burn him on contact.

[Alana Cortese]

"He's coming too fast for that to be dodged properly," Alana noticed. She immediately uploaded two abilities onto her gauntlet in hopes of being able to match the power of that blade. "Double ability activate!" she announced as she placed them both on her gauntlet. "Fire Sword plus Gustaph Blade!" Siege shifted his weapon to the Pyrus version, sporting a staff-like weapon with a flame sitting in the center of the tip. The sword was ignited with a fierce flame that was further boosted by a Ventus ability that Alana activated in conjunction with it. It appeared to be a storm within a blade as it conjured a strong tornado from the staff, sending multiple fiery tornadoes traveling across the battlefield and amplifying the power of Fire Sword.

Siege then rushed towards Krakix to clash with him once again, repelling each other every time they swung their blades. They continued doing this despite not being able to outperform one another just hoping that the other falters once. Every impact had recoil that even both brawlers could feel from where they were standing. "This is for Noland's survival," Siege announced once the tornadoes began to meet each other over Krakix's location. He jumped backwards in order to avoid being caught in the disaster that was soon to consume his opponent.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland smiled a bit hearing that Siege was trying his hardest just for him. As much as he was happy that Siege was taking this seriously, he wasn't delighted about the fact that he was truly being pushed to his limit, which is something no one has been able to do thus far. "I don't have too much time left...I hope this works..." Noland said in his mind. Krakix looked around him as the fiery tornadoes closed in on him and engulfed him entirely. Noland wasn't as concerned about the attack since Krakix was naturally a Pyrus Bakugan and could resist the high temperatures of the ability. He was concerned about it doing damage over time since Krakix could eventually fall to it when taking more than one tornado into the equation.

"Homura Firestorm," Noland said as he activated the ability on his BrawlX. The fiery power of the tornadoes that were affecting Krakix were absorbed into his body as if he wasn't affected by the attack at all, and released his energy throughout the field in the form of an energy wave. This caused the entire area to be coated in a searing heat wave that engulfed the entire battlefield. Krakix placed a protective shield over both brawlers so they wouldn't melt because of it. Siege immediately caught on fire when the wave entered the area, continuously eating away his armor until he is eventually reduced to ash. "Survive this," Krakix roared.