Episode 20: Message from Beyond the Brink

[Alana Cortese]

"Aaaahhhhhhh!" Siege screamed in pain as he was being burned to a crisp. Alana gasped when Noland activated it and said in her mind, "I remember this ability. He used it against Daniel's Sakura when it came down to the wire, and she couldn't resist the effects of it and was defeated almost instantly. Even Drago could barely resist its effects when Noland faced his dad for practice." Alana quickly came up with an idea to see if she could avoid the effects of the ability until she figured out a long term plan to get rid of it.

"Ability activate! Dive Mirage!" Although he was in great pain, Siege mustered enough strength to move his arm to summon a pool of water underneath him to escape from the burning. Unfortunately, the water used to create the said pool quickly evaporated due to the effects of Homura Firestorm preventing the use of her normal abilities. "Oh no..." Alana griefed. She then pulled out another ability as her second option in order to relieve Siege of this ability. "If this doesn't work, I might be finished," Alana acknowledged in her mind even though she didn't want to.

"Let's try this one! Ability activate! Divine Protection!" Siege's weapon shifted to the Haos variant, becoming a staff. The tip of it shined a bright yellow as the stormy clouds above split to reveal a light that shone down on Siege, lifting him from the burning effects of the heat wave for the time being. "That did too much damage, Alana," Siege informed her. "I don't think I could survive another hit as much as I hate to say it." Alana gulped at the sound of his words as she waited to see what Noland was about to do.

[Noland Hardy]

Krakix made his signature sound loudly to the point of intimidation as his figure was seen shining through the heat wave. He looked confident enough to think that he was about to win the battle. "Noland, we need to do this now," Krakix said with a sense of urgency in his voice as if this would be the last opportunity for this to work. He then made a comment referencing the amount of time they had left before things would start to fall apart around them saying, "Since we were occupied with all of that battling, we missed the two minute warning some time ago."

Noland heard the Bakugan loud and clear. He didn't want to think about how much time was left since it was implied their remaining time was under two minutes. He used this time to say any final words that he wanted to say one last time if this was it. "Drago...listen to me carefully," Noland began. "Regardless of how you feel, if I fail right now, then I want you to pull yourself out of here and regain your energy. Allen's a good guy. He'll continue from where I left off, so don't sacrifice yourself for my sake. That's an order. No objections."

Noland did not waste any time to activate an ability in order to get Siege out of here. "Ability activate! Argon Explosion!" Krakix shoved his fists into the ground upon activation and shifted them into cannons. He unleashed explosive blasts from both cannons that traveled along the ground, obliterating the ground that was along its path and intending to deal the final blow to his opponent.

[Alana Cortese]

"Under two minutes...?" Alana shrieked. She started making a comment in her mind about the entire ordeal, not wanting anyone else to hear it. "I wish it were possible to just throw the match so that it wouldn't have to go this far. It sucks that the fighters have to battle each other near or at their best just to make the battle energy amount to anything in this case. I guess that's the penalty for even casting that special ability in the first place. Now I see why Krakix took the fall for Drago." She was contemplating how she was going to respond to Noland's assault until he made a statement that he intended for Drago to hear.

She listened carefully to what he had to say, but soon regretted it since it was hard for her to accept what could eventually happen. "But that would mean the end of me too..." Alana mumbled. Although it was not what she wanted to hear, she agreed with what he said since Drago doesn't need to put himself in danger like what he's doing currently since both him and Noland were at risk of meeting their demise together. Noland then activated an ability that sent an explosive blast along the ground that looked like a finishing blow in her eyes. "Not close enough..." Alana informed him, possibly relating to the amount of energy they currently have.

"Ability activate! Ice Age!" Siege reverted his lance back to Aquos and regained his frozen tip. He jabbed the ground quickly before the explosions could hit him, which caused ice formations to form across the battlefield and brought arctic air into the area, countering the effects of the heat wave partially. He rose on the one that formed beneath him as the explosions shattered the ice that was forming near him. As the ability blew his platform apart, he leaped off of it to another platform on his right. "That was too close," Siege commended.

Alana immediately activated another ability to attack Krakix while he could. "Void Driver!" Siege transformed his weapon into the Darkus variant, bearing a sharp tip dipped in poison. His weapon was surrounded in a foul aura that seemed to increase his power level beyond the normal limit. He placed it in front of him and dashed towards Krakix in order to make sure this attack pierces him.

[Noland Hardy]

"How is he so elusive?" Krakix questioned while a bit disappointed that his attack was avoided in such a crafty manner. Noland shook his head in disbelief that Alana was potentially more potent in battle tactics than he was. He was very pleased that she became this well-rounded, and confirmed his earlier comment that she was a difficult brawler to face even for his standards. He realized that at this point, Alana could very well be better than him when it comes to battle. "There's no time to waste for congratulations," Noland responded. He quickly uploaded another ability when he realized Siege was approaching Krakix with a lethal ability.

"Ability activate! Infernal Bash!" Krakix charged his sword's power to its maximum level and sprinted towards Siege with similar intentions of his opponent. When Siege got within close quarters, Krakix made his signature sound and swung with all his might. The blade clashed with Siege's lance and ended up causing a stalemate as an explosion resulted from their power struggle. Both Bakugan were blown backwards and were slammed into the ground. Meanwhile, Noland started to feel fatigued as the storms above amplified to its highest level. "Krakix...you have to get up...I can't...really...move..." Noland said grimly.

[Alana Cortese]

Unaware of Noland's condition, Alana was content with the fact that her attack was able to knock Krakix over since she was definitely sure that she could seal the deal with her next ability. "Siege, you have to get up. We can finish this now! We have to!" Alana shouted at her Bakugan. Siege rose as fast he could even though it was slow. He was worn out by the battle and had enough energy to only initiate one more attack. He was hoping this was truly going to be it since him and Krakix were too evenly matched. "This next attack will be my last...and the last of this battle," Siege said while a bit out of breath. "Activate it, Alana. It's our last chance."

Alana nodded and placed the ability on her gauntlet, seemingly acknowledging that this ability may do Krakix in. "Ability activate! Tsunami Wave!" Siege rose in the air using his silk cape's power as a means of levitation, twirled his weapon using both of his hands, and then held his palm out as a giant tsunami wave was summoned. The wave towered over him as it threatened to crash down on his opponent, destroying everything in their surroundings in the process using this natural disaster. "It's done...I've won..." Alana said to herself while waiting to see what the result was, confident that it is going to be in her favor.

[Noland Hardy]

As Krakix slowly rose to his feet, he heard both Siege and Alana discussing their next ability option. He knew what Siege was equipped with, so he quietly said to himself, "Please don't use Tsunami Wave...please..." Much to his dismay, hearing Alana state the name of their next attack made him speechless to even think about what Siege's most destructive ability was going to do to him. "Figures...so you used it after all then," Krakix cringed. "This doesn't look good for us at all..."

Noland was running out of energy relatively quickly following his last move. He was barely able to see the incoming attack since he was beginning to lose consciousness when Alana declared her next attack. "So...in my final battle, I lose..." Noland said with a quiet tone as he was unable to come up with a response to the attack in his fading condition. "I'm sorry, Krakix... I'm sorry I...couldn't..." He suddenly dropped to the ground and didn't make another sound, which caused Krakix to turn his attention from what was about to finish him off to his downed battler. "Noland!?" Krakix shouted. "He's...

Krakix began contemplating about what he just saw happen. "Drago's energy isn't sufficient at this point to keep him alive..." Krakix realised. "Is he really...gone? I don't sense his energy anymore..." His eyes glowed as he looked up towards the incoming wave and made a loud roar as he was initiating his next attack by himself, tossing aside his sorrow in order to fulfill his assigned duty. "No Noland...we haven't lost. I'm still standing. I can still use abilities. I have you right here with me. That's all I need to win a battle. Everything you've done to this point will not result in a loss as long as I breathe!

Krakix placed his hand on the giant throwing star on his back. He picked it up and held it up high as a lightning bolt started crashing down onto the battlefield, signalling the impending end of their existence in about thirty seconds. "Deadly Nebulous!" He caught the lightning bolt on his star and charged it with that energy, and then prepared to launch it towards his opponent in one final effort to win. "Here!" Krakix shouted as he launched it towards Siege, piercing the wave in half as it traveled towards his opponent.

[Alana Cortese]

Alana was not aware that Noland had collapsed on the other side due to Tsunami Wave blocking her view of the opponents. As the wave started to crash onto Krakix, Siege was kneeling on the ground breathing heavily. He made it clear prior to activating the ability that it was going to be his final attack, and it was confirmed to be true due to him tiring out. "That ability costed me everything," Siege revealed. "It takes a lot of energy to maintain control over that many attributes. Tsunami Wave just took it all away. I just hope it was enough to claim victory."

Suddenly, the wave was split in half just as they thought they had nothing more to do in the battle. Alana was surprised at what she was seeing and could only respond by muttering the name of the attack by saying, "Deadly Nebulous..." Alana looked at Siege with a very annoyed look on her face. "You said that Tsunami Wave was going to be the last attack of this battle. Why is Deadly Nebulous coming straight at us then?" Alana said, tapping her foot on the ground. Siege replied, "So you weren't just saying we won right when I used it?" Alana sighed to herself that her best battle against Noland ended in a loss. "So I guess we lost then?" Siege was unable to move another muscle after depleting the majority of his energy reserves through the usage of Universal Element, which seemed to be just as strong, if not stronger, than Krakix's Bushido Seal. "Yeah...we lost..." Siege acknowledged. The throwing star made contact with Siege and grinded against his armor before causing a massive outburst of energy, blowing him backwards back into ball form while red sparks were seen coming from him.

Alana's Life Gauge :: 0 (0%)

An outpouring of rainbow-colored energy resulted from the final impact. It gathered in the center of the battlefield and shot straight into the sky in the form of an electric current. The violent storms that was plaguing the surrounding area ceased as the battle energy eliminated any traces of it to return the atmosphere to the peaceful state it was once in. Alana took this as a sign of Drago's ability actually working, so she started celebrating briefly. Her celebration was quickly interrupted once she looked across the field and saw Noland stretched across the ground motionless. Krakix was kneeling on one knee right beside him intentionally, which further contributed to Alana's eventual breakdown that caused her to run as fast as she could towards him more concerned than she had ever been without saying a word.

Alana knelt beside him and started observing him closely. "Noland...are you there...?" she asked while checking to see if he was breathing. "Please wake up...please....I've already been separated you from you once..." She checked his vital signs numerous times to make sure that she was getting the correct results before making an informed decision. On her fifth time of checking, she found out that there was currently no signs of life remaining in this version of Noland. "We had 14 seconds to spare when the sky starting clearing up, so I don't know why he's still laying there. It should have worked," Siege said. She immediately started crying while putting her head down on his chest as she mumbled something to herself that Krakix and Siege were not going to hear. "Damn you Drago...You said this was going to help him and now he's gone. Why are Bakugan so fucking useless? I lost one of the best friends I ever had because you couldn't protect him..."

[Noland Hardy]

After dropping to the ground into a lifeless state during the battle, Noland suddenly found himself into a separate section of an identical location to the one he departed from. At first glance, Noland was getting more confused as to what was going on with the current situation after hearing Krakix announce the scarcity of the remaining time they had. Looking around, Noland stayed lying on the ground as he began accepting his demise. "I suppose I should have foresaw something like this happening," Noland said out loud. "I never foresaw myself going out like this. I knew that if things like this would continue to happen, there would be that chance where my life would be in danger just as certain superheroes end up being martyrs for the ultimate survival of whoever they were saving. It's strange that I'll end up dying from my injuries inflicted by a race I tried to protect."

A dragon suddenly appeared right in front of him in holographic form, and quickly responded, "Strange? You're smarter than that, Noland. There is always one side of a conflict in a war that has one side trying to protect something they value. It is why your soldiers make it their duty to ensure the safety of others even at the ultimate cost of death. It is why there are Bakugan like myself who will pay the price to make sure that innocent people and Bakugan are not made casualties by the corrupt dreams of power-hungry fools like Daniel and Belphenoid. It's not uncommon for these things to happen. They're only shocking when they do, especially in this case since we were blindsided."

Noland managed to rise to his feet at the appearance of Drago while not being too pleased to see him at the moment due to what he saw and heard. "Apparently, there is also another conflict that exists aside from the one we already have with the Terrorists. You clearly have a vendetta against the humans since we've apparently 'disgraced' all of you. Why are you even here? Why not join the Terrorists and destroy us since we're that much of a liability to your development?" Drago understood why Noland responded that way to the discussion he had with Vince over the issue, and he tried to explain himself in a manner that would make it sound like he was just as frustrated with the situation as Noland was. "That's a very great example of the hypocrisy I've seen from humans ever since I decided to stay on this backwater planet. You're getting frustrated with me for saying something that you've been doing ever since you experienced a loss that is minuscule compared to what I've had to go through for my entire life," Drago retorted.

"All humans ever think of Bakugan as is sports equipment and a powerful alternative to nuclear warfare. It has been that way ever since you all discovered our potential. I've lost more friends and family than you ever have in your entire life because all you guys wanted to do was use us in battle. Do you think I enjoyed having to kill other Bakugan? I'd rather not even fight other Bakugan, but the only reason why I do it is because there are those of us out there who would rather see chaos than peace. That is why I helped you and Vince fight against these enemies since I'm sick of all of the casualties created by these Bakugan. Although I'm basically contributing to the problem by killing them myself, it is a better decision to do that when you think about how many lives are potentially lost with them alive versus when they are not. Drago then brought them back into a representation that Alana didn't show him on purpose. He pulled up the scene that was very familiar to Drago that almost caused him to do something he would regret. "The Anacostia River...You remember what you did here, Drago said.

"What I said to Vince that day regarding everything being better if Bakugan never came into contact with the humans is the same opinion you shared when you threw me in the river. That is what I mean by hypocrisy. You damned our race with every word that came out of your mouth referencing how we made your life miserable just as I have towards yours. We are basically the same entity towards our own people in the way we think about what has happened, yet we both have changed our views of each other slightly so we can cooperate with each other more; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to battle alongside each other with our conflicting views. Drago then began to distort himself a little in appearance, showing the effects of his waning energy. "In the midst of all of the blame that we still place on each other with how things are going, you can't deny that we are willing to die to see this dream of peace come to fruition. You made that evident in the way you 'ordered' me to stop giving you energy so that Allen may finish what you started. While it might be the smarter option to let you go, I see it an immoral action; therefore, I refuse to allow you to die regardless of what you just told me," Drago finished.

"You do realize that if I die, you're going down with me, right?" Noland asked, not wanting to waste time responding to anything else Drago said. Drago swiftly replied, "Your demise will weigh me down forever. You're the first human I've encountered that made me believe there was actually a glimmer of hope for humans and Bakugan alike to stop waging war against one another-ones that cause things like 9/11 and 9/11 2 to happen. I'd doubt I'll find anyone as dedicated as you are, so if you lose, I lose. That's just the way it has to be. I wouldn't be satisfied with the result if I did nothing to stop it from turning out to be a bad one. The distortion in his appearance ceased as his color scheme changed to a bright red color, seemingly being rejuvenated in power.

"With that said, our deaths has just been averted with only 14 seconds left on the clock. Since you know this, I'll assume you have plenty more to say to me now that you actually have the time to do so, but that'll have to wait while I go do something useful with this battle energy. This is goodbye for now," Drago said as he dismissed Noland from that sub-space. Noland's body that was left on the battlefield glowed with a bright color as life began to return to it. As Noland regained control of his body, he noticed Alana crying over him, apparently sad that she 'lost' him. "Just so we're clear, I had an 'out of body experience' there. I'm not dead. The energy worked," Noland announced.

[Noland Hardy]