Episode 8: Stormfront

[Noland Hardy]

Although the conversation became a little tense from his defense against the third member of Daniel's inner circle, Allen was far from concluding his entire story. Following from the recruitment process that Noland had to go through, Allen also found others who were willing to fight against this new threat. Noland asked him who they were out of curiosity, but that only extended the time they spoke with each other. There was a story by itself that existed in those two brawlers, and he seemed somewhat happy to elaborate on who they were.

Allen started off by introducing a Darkus brawler; this nearly tempted Noland to hang up the phone since he did not trust any Dark Bakugan after what has been happening lately, but he decided to at least hear what Allen had to say. This brawler is a notorious powerhouse in the brawling league with a gargoyle-type Bakugan named Gargulion. He is mostly known for his long term rivalry with Tank Stryker, and is often able to compete with him on a nearly identical level. He was prepared to return back to his home from his school's brawling arena after a rough practice when a mysterious individual walks up to him and challenges him to a battle. He accepts this battle, but he was not aware of the tricks this person had up his sleeve.

(Boss Theme)

[Markus Hederick]

Markus looks at the mysterious individual, sizing him up. He looked stronger than any of the other people here, and he couldn't say no to a good battle. "I'm in." He flicks his hair out of his eyes, now focused on his opponent. He proceeds to tap the wristwatch-like device on his wrist, activating a small touchscreen on the device. It had a mostly onyx base with an emerald outline. The touchscreen slightly illuminated his waist as he pulled out a Gate Card. He flung it between the two of them, a purple light spreading throughout the park and quickly fading. He grips his partner in hand readily. As he was about to throw his partner, he had a slight feeling of uneasiness. He finished the throw, calling out as he did. "Bakugan, brawl! Rise Darkus Gargulion!"

Gargulion landed on the Gate Card and opened up, his eyes flashing green. A purple light lit up the area as Gargulion rose into the sky, growling. "Let's show this guy what we're made of," he grunted, staring at their opponent with hostile emerald eyes. Markus looks at his opponent with a sly grin on his face as he says, "Your move."

[Makoto Nakashima]

Makoto set down the bag and cooler he had been carrying. He had a tendency to bring objects to make him comfortable if a brawl bored him. "So...Are you going to bore me, or will you actually give me a reason to be serious?" Makoto took Ahrangi from his pocket and tossed him onto the battlefield. As the Ventus Bakugan was standing, Makoto took a chair out of the bag and set it up. Ahrangi, having fully stood, turned to their opponents and (in true warrior Buddhist monk fashion) posed to them a question: "Why do you choose to fight?"

Makoto pulled two cards from his coat and held them up. "Ability Activate! Stance: Muay Thai! Fusion Ability Activate! Cobra Strike!" Ahrangi took a Muay Thai fighting stance, followed up by appearing behind Gargulion and using his two right arms to land a quick, but powerful jab into Gargulion's back. Ahrangi returned to his positon in "the ring" and resumed his stance, bouncing from foot to foot. Makoto could only chuckle and crack open a soda from his cooler that he took a sip of and then set in his chair's cup holder. "Come on now. If you can't even dodge that, how are you going to make me take this seriously?" Ahrangi spoke again "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles." Was Ahrangi trying to give Markus and Gargulion legitimate advice or just messing with their heads?

[Markus Hederick]

Markus frowned, looking at the damage they'd done to Gargulion. Even with such a quick jab, they'd done massive damage to his back, creating multiple cracks. Gargulion was usually able to dodge most attacks coming his way. Either this was a fluke, or, as Markus looked at his opponent more closely, a person stronger than he had thought. The guy's attitude didn't help his mood at all, making him feel more uneasy. Nevertheless, he refused to back down. "If that's all you've got, then you've got no chance at winning!" Pulling a card out of his pocket, he swiped it through his BrawlX. "Ability Activate! Shadow Flight! Take to the shadows Gargulion!"

Gargulion's stone body fades into the shadows, the only thing visible being his emerald green eyes. He zips behind Ahranghi, slashing his claws at the base of the Ventus Bakugan's neck. He proceeds to punch Ahranghi again, this time dealing very little damage at all. He quickly returns to his position in front of Markus, growling. "We fight for the feeling of victory! If you fight for a lesser cause, you shall fall as all of our opponents have!" Markus looked at his opponent, cool and collected. His opponent's words had dug their way into his head. What could that Bakugan possibly have meant? Not to mention he didn't entirely agree with his own Bakugan's words, but saying anything could psyche him out. Or make the opponent more sure of himself.

[Makoto Nakashima]

Makoto chuckled, "I'll admit. That was fancy. However, fancy doesn't always get you anywhere. Ability Activate! Maelstrom Toss!" Ahrangi grabbed Gargulion by the head and spun him around, following up by tossing him straight up into the air and letting Gargulion land on Ahrangi's knee in the exact spot Ahrangi punched as an opening move. Makoto just let out a sigh. "65 opponents and not one good fight yet."

Ahrangi turned to Gargulion, "Fighting for the feeling of victory is the lowest of causes." Makoto tossed a card into Ahrangi's back "Ability Activate! Aura of the Four Winds!" From the four cardinal directions came gale force winds that surrounded Ahrangi to form a twister that encased his body like armor. "Even the mightiest stone shall crumble under the force of wind." Makoto took a bamboo bō from his bag. At one end hung 4 feathers, each from a different species of bird. He stood the staff beside his chair and watched the brawl, his boredom becoming apparent.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus grimaced, realizing that this truly was no novice. He was fighting an expert, albeit one he had never seen or heard of before. He'd have to pull out the big guns. "Looks like we may need some reinforcements! Ability Activate! Endarkened Armada!" The card was swiped through the BrawlX, letting out a bright purple glow as Markus explained its effect. "It allows me to send in a Bakugan for each card you've used! Darkus Subzero Freezer, Darkus Volcanic Bolcanon, Darkus Shadow Serpenoid, Darkus Aracobra, the time is now!" As he says the final Bakugan's name, four glowing purple spheres come out of his pack, launching onto the field, all standing beside Gargulion.

"Let's show you a little more of our power! Gate Card open! Dark Plasma!" The Gate Card flashes with purple energy once, before waves of black goo erupt from the center, sloshing around the opponent. As this is done, Ahrangi is changed to the Darkus attribute. "We may have underestimated you at first, but now we know better! Allies, let us show him our true power," Gargulion challenges. Markus is already scanning his opponent, wondering what could possibly be next. Did he really have the advantage like he thought he did? Or was this all part of his opponent's plan? He shook his head, trying to clear out his thoughts. He would get them nowhere unless he was focused on winning the brawl.

[Makoto Nakashima]

Makoto looked at the "army" Ahrangi was now facing down and hopped up from his chair. "You finally seem to be taking this seriously!" Makoto cracked a smile. "Alright, basics time! Ability Activate! Gate Buster!" Ahrangi slammed his fist through the black sludge and onto the Gate. In a flash of white light, Ahrangi was back to a Ventus Attribute. However, Gargulion still had his allies. "Interesting...Your sludge weakened my blow enough to allow your allies to stay." As it was now 5 against 1, Makoto had no choice. "Ability Activate! Zen Release!" The armor of winds surrounding Ahrangi dissipated by launching themselves at Garguilon, meanwhile, Ahrangi was undergoing a change in his state of mind.

Ahrangi's true personality had come forth, a slightly insane, battle-hungry martial artist. "Whooooo! Free at last!" Without any order from Makoto, Ahrangi performed a Lariat on both Bolcanon and Freezer. Ahrangi was now standing in front of Markus, to whom he spoke, "You haven't seen anything yet. I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!"

Makoto chuckled heartily, "Ahrangi usually keeps himself in a peaceful zen state to try and confuse the opponent. However, you have decided to take us seriously. So for that, you are on of 3 who have been to see his true self." Ahrangi jumped and firmly kicked Serpenoid in the head. The 3 Bakugan he downed then each received a swift elbow to their gut, but weren't defeated. "Make your move!"

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was completely bewildered. First, a random guy who turns out to be an extremely powerful brawler. And now a multiple personality Ventus martial arts fighter as his Guardian Bakugan? Things just kept getting weirder and weirder... Not to mention that Markus's back-up was getting completely pummeled. He thought it would gain him the advantage, but it barely seemed to make a difference. He pulled out his next card, preparing to swipe it through his BrawlX. His eyes sparked with barely concealed nervousness. "Ha! If you think we're serious now, then you're in for a world of pain! Ability Card, activate! Breaking the Chains," he called out, the eyes of all his Bakugan shining with glee as they quickly gained extreme power. They were all immersed in a dark aura, seeming to gain more and more power by the second before it stopped, their eyes red with a dark aura still surrounding them. 

"Now we're talking Markus! Come, my fellow Bakugan! We shall eliminate our foe!" Gargulion flies towards Ahrangi, landing a fierce to his gut. The other Bakugan attack as well, but not nearly as strong. Serpenoid's fangs bounce off of Ahrangi, and Freezer can barely make a scratch. Gargulion slams into Ahrangi again to make his point, staring at Makoto. "You got another move Fly Boy? Or are we just gonna have to finish it here?" As if to make his point, Aracobra jumps on top of Ahrangi, attempting to pin him down. "If this is your partner's true form, then I must say, I am rather disappointed," Markus jeers, attempting to rile him up.

[Makoto Nakashima]

All Makoto could do was laugh, "You know, if you weren't making me laugh, this'd be over." Makoto looked at Ahrangi and smirked. "Are ya done?" Ahrangi looked at his partner and smirked "Makoto, you've know me long enough. You should be able to answer that." At those words, a card flew from Makoto's hand straight to Ahrangi. "Ability Activate. Perfect Storm Combo." Ahrangi turned into wind and appeared in front of his opposition. Ahrangi returned Bolcanon and Freezer to ball with another double lariat "Ichi, Ni"; he turned to Serpenoid, tossed it into the air and jumped above it, swinging his leg down onto the center of its back and sending it rocketing to the ground below, returning it to ball form "San". Ahrangi used his Cobra Strike move from earlier on Aracobra and then tossed the Darkus Bakugan into Gargulion "Yon, Go". Ahrangi was floating above the Darkus Bakugan and began to divebomb them, arms outstretched, fists clenched "Rok-". Mid-attack, Ahrangi pulled back and landed by Makoto, taking a knee. "Well...that's not pleasant..."

Makoto was surprised, "Well...you managed to cause enough of an injury to Ahrangi that he had to stop that attack. I must say...only one other has been able to do that"

[Markus Hederick]

Markus took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. This guy's words were really getting into his skull. Not to mention he had a multiple personality Bakugan with extreme fighting moves. That was also fun. He picked up his fallen Serpenoid, frowning slightly. It was one of his favorites. He pulled a card out of his pack, looking at his opponent steadily. "If you think I'm funny, I can't wait to see how hilarious this is! Ability Card Activate! Gargoyle's Breath!" Markus swipes the card through his BrawlX as Gargulion looks up, grinning.

"Now we're talking! Let's roast some chicken!" Gargulion rears his head back, his mouth seeming to light up slightly. He looks at Ahrangi, launching his mouth open, emitting grey flames to engulf his opponent. The flames surround Ahrangi before he's hit in the gut by the blast. Gargulion zips over and strikes him with a hard elbow to the gut, before sending his allies to attack the Ventus Bakugan. Gargulion looks at Makoto, tilting his head sideways as if considering whether or not to crush him. "You can laugh at us all you want, wind boy. We've yet to even reach full power!" With that, Gargulion walks towards Ahrangi, seeming prepared to end the battle.

[Nero Bullock]

Markus and Gargulion displayed their high level prowess by mounting a solid resistance against Makoto and Ahrangi. While Ahrangi was able to land decent hits on Gargulion, he was still placed into a dire situation as his injuries started to catch up with him. In one last attempt to knock Gargulion out of the game, Ahrangi attempted to finish his opponent off by an attack heavily inspired from the Primary Lotus move from a show he watched with Makoto. Markus counters this by activating Touch of Stone prior to being grabbed so that he could transform Ahrangi into stone as he is initiating the attack. The plan worked as Ahrangi was descending to the ground with a body that was rapidly turning to stone, which gave Gargulion an easy way to escape from his grip by literally breaking away from his stone-cold hands. Ahrangi crashed into the ground and was sent back into ball form partially cracked. This left Makoto's life gauge sitting a measly 200 points. Since the damage done to Ahrangi needed to be progressively repaired because of Markus's inability to control his temper, Nero provided a Bakugan for Makoto to use in place of Ahrangi: Asmodeus.



Nero briefly threatened Markus due to his actions and stated that this newcomer will do the same thing to Gargulion on a much larger scale before he excused himself from their location. Markus refused to take the disrespect and threw Gargulion back into play to challenge Asmodeus. Makoto took control of the Bakugan and staged a strong offensive using his ventus and darkus abilities, and some utilized his innate ability to use sound as a weapon of destruction on a higher level than Belphenoid was capable of. Gargulion proved to be no match for this beast despite his power being equal to the state's champion and was on the edge of defeat until Allen Silva interfered with the battle after hearing Asmodeus' noise all the way across the street; he fought Asmodeus alongside Markus. The battle continued once again with both sides unwilling to give each other any room for error. There was one attack that Shatter Gorem took from Asmodeus that he repelled into the air without any knowledge of someone coming into harms way.

[Seiki Maki]

In the sky not too far from the brawl was a bakugan and its partner, flying through the air. The sky was blue, clouds were white and fluffy, and a... strange noise? "Seiki-chan, do you hear that?" An odd looking bird in a green hue chirps, talking to the person on her back.

The said girl paid only half attention to her surroundings, the other half of attention on her music and lyric she would have to sing later on at the recording studio. "Hear what?" She replies bluntly, trying to read the words on the sheet of paper which was batting in the air, dancing with the winds that gusted by.

The bird huffs in annoyance, knowing that her partner was only half in reality at this time, "That noise..." just then a strange force was blown their way, sending the two off balance and falling down.

"GAAAH!" Seiki screeches, now free-falling, her headphones playing a soundtrack from one of her favored games, and the lyric papers clutched in her left. Her raptor friend had caught her with the three legs it had and placed the girl safely on the ground, landing beside her once she was on the floor. The female looks at her surrounding and sees what one could assume a brawl going on, her right in the middle of it, and then it all clicked together for her. "Which. One. Of. You. Did that!?"

"The ventus one." The bird chirps, looking at the ventus bakugan on field. "It's attack signature thing, it reads a ventus attributed bakugan."

"How do you- Oh yeah, you're a bakugan," she says before she whips her attention over to the ventus duo and give them a dark look. The three legged bird went back into it's toy form and the girl picked it up as she swiftly darted over beside the darkus brawler teamed up with the subterra person, the ones whom were fighting against the person who had knocked her form a peaceful flight in the sky. "You're going to really pay now, I'm on a tight timetable ya know!" She tosses her bakugan in the air and catches it before throwing it in, "Let's fly Ahio!" The bird bakugan was launched back to it's beast form, now shifted to battle mode. With that the bird screeched with its feathers ruffled up, reflecting the same emotions from its partner.

[Makoto Nakashima]

After Ahrangi suffered a shattering defeat, Makoto shifted his attitude from being playful into someone who was intending on murdering someone. His opponent had given him a reason to take this battle seriously, and Asmodeon was the perfect contender to help him accomplish what needed to be done. He was pleased with the overwhelming power this Bakugan had that helped him fight on equal grounds with two brawlers, which one happened to be a legendary brawler. An unexpected defense maneuver from Shatter Gorem had caused them to have a third member on their side. "This brawl has kept me entertained long enough," Makoto noted. "All things have to come to an end eventually. Our time is up." Makoto then commanded Asmodeon to unleash his true power.

Asmodeon fired a kinetic bolt into the air and exploded after it reached a certain point, which caused a shadowy opening to appear and expand. This phenomenon was a portal that began to drop numerous Bakugan out of it onto the battlefield that generated enough numbers to be formed into an army. The multitude consisted of muscular beasts, sky hunters, and armored warriors. The army revolved around Asmodeon in battle-ready position and were prepared to eliminate their opponents in a swift attack. "Was this on your schedule?" Makoto asked in mockery of Seiki's attitude.

[Seiki Maki]

"Well let's see," Seiki says as her bakugan tosses her a nicely bundled up paper, which could resemble a scroll you would see in the movies about the medieval times, wrapped with a green thread with a sakura petal design at the edge. The ventus brawler carefully undoes the thread which she places in her pocket, and opens up the paper to read out loud.
"I have a recording session within the next half hour, and I have yet to learn all the lyrics, after that I have to do the recording stuff for the music video that comes along with it, which can be a pain when you are forced into some skirt of dress, then supper is up next, after that I have to stay up for homework, it's a boring yet tight schedule." She then re-wraps the paper to it's original form and tosses it back to Ahio, who seemingly stashed it in her feathers. "So I suppose I could fit this in there somewhere..."
She then draws a card from her satchel she wore around herself, one with the pattern of a blossom sowed on there as she pulls out her green MP3 Player and selected a song as she threw her card lightly into the air and catching it. "Ability Activate! Senbonzakura!"
Ahio screeches as she glows a jade green color as she summoned many feathers onto the field, roughly around one thousand, which just so happened to be feather blades. "There we go, to even out the attack power on both sides..."

 

[Allen Silva]

Allen was in a pinch right from the start. This whole bakugan army thing Makoto pulled out, as well as the dark bakugan forced him into a tight spot. Not to mention adding in the appearance of the new opponent really dug him a grave. Allen doesn't want to give in, but this was a no win situation. Shatter Gorem was the first to chime in on the current situation." Yo, I know the Iron Juggernaut is supposed to be unstoppable, and its good to keep your pride with you. " Shatter Gorem began with a unusually somber tone. His fun loving attitude was replaced with a realization that this wasnt a game for winning, but surviving." If we want to win the battle against the terrorists, we got to leave now."

Allen nodded in approval of his partners suggestion. He too thought the battle was a far cry from what they needed in a power struggle with Daniel. He was a mastermind of evil and absolutely ruthless when it came to victory. That could be seen during the infamous incident that gave him his nickname." Shatter Gorem's right. We need to pull out now and live to fight another day. Now c'mon before they decide they want to pursue."