Episode 23: The Greatest Rivals

[Noland Hardy]

The conclusion of Tracy and Karen's battle was a fantastic display of what was expected in a championship battle. Before the announcer called the next match, he allowed both teams a small break to talk with each other about what they were going to do. Tank was definitely aware that both him and Noland were going to have extremely tough fights to deal with considering that Allen and Markus were their remaining opponents. He informed Noland on everything he needed to know about Gargulion if he were to fight Markus. Likewise, Noland revealed what he knew about Gorem's evolved form in case Tank were to face Allen; surprisingly to Drago, Noland told him that Tank was possibly the only other person who he knew would have a fighting chance against Allen. Likewise, Markus told Allen everything he knows about Gladion while Allen revealed what he knew about the Dragonoid; unlike Noland, Allen didn't really think Markus would be a match for Noland if he was forced to fight him since his fighting style is one of the ones that is ineffective against an opponent like Drago. Time eventually expired for their break, so they returned their attention to the announcer to figure out what was going to happen for the second battle. Although they didn't admit this to each other, all four of the remaining brawlers were feeling tense about what was going to come next, which was something Seiki noticed when looking at them. After watching the first battle, she became very interested in how the later battles would play out much to Ahio's surprise.



The announcer calls the second match to be played. Once he received the results of their randomizer, even she became shocked and a little bit afraid about what was going to happen. She announced that the next battle was going to be Noland vs Allen, which made the audience very ecstatic to see the brawl take place as numerous people began shouting their monikers, Master Blaze and Iron Juggernaut. Kendrick was one of the few who was aware that Drago and Gorem had already evolved, and wondered which one of the evolutions were going to stronger than the other. Katherine was also informed about the evolutions from Tank and was curious to see which legendary brawler was the stronger one. Both brawlers took their place on the battlefield with them appearing to be excited about the opportunity to face each other in battle once again. This would mark the first time they will battle ever since the entire crisis started as the last time they fought was during their middle school years back at the community center. Both sides knew how important this battle was in shaping the direction the championship would go, so they were very serious in making sure that neither of them messes up at any time. They definitely weren't going to continue the long-standing tradition of them having a draw every time they battle; both of them wanted a victory and nothing else.



(Boss Theme)

[Noland Hardy]

Noland looked across the battlefield at his long-time rival with a sense of excitement. The excitement didn't come from their vow to meet like this in the championship, but it was the competitive feeling that became familiar to him again just as it did some time ago. Despite knowing that the battle would have stress-filled moments due to how resilient Gorem is, Noland was awaiting the opportunity to finally break the longest streak of draws between rivals that anyone has ever seen, and he wanted it to end in his favor more than anything at this point. None of his excitement could compare to the audience's eagerness to see the battle unfold as the amount of noise was louder than any battle that has taken place in there so far. "Master Blaze versus Iron Juggernaut, huh? I feel like whoever is 'randomizing' these matches must have called this one on purpose just so they could watch whatever dream brawl lineups they come up with," Noland thought to himself. "It doesn't matter. I'll shatter any wall regardless of how sturdy it is."

Noland looked at Drago with a serious look on his face as he was starting to get his mind focused on the battle. He realized that this would mark the first time he will fight Allen without Krakix being his guardian, which made him think of nostalgic moments with the samurai before blocking them out with the potential damage he can cause with his ownership of Drago. He gripped the Bakugan and threw him onto the field with a sense of urgency, wanting to get this battle done here and now. "Alright, Allen. Here we come! Bakugan brawl! Pyrus Bane Dragonoid stand!" The dragonoid was launched onto the stadium ground and stood with a wall of flames surrounding him upon entry, which soon became dispersed in an impressive display of sheer power by the Dragonoid's wingspan. "You better hope you prepared yourself well, Gorem. You won't see any mercy from me," Drago warned.

[Allen Silva]

Allen was all grins from the time this battle was announced. Here it was, the culmination of all the work he put in. All of the training he did was just across the battle field. Now he just had to take hold of it. Allen tossed out his own bakugan." Lets rock. Stand Force Gorem!" He shouted as the bakugan ball rolled onto the field, eventually stopping and oppening.

Gorem rose up in his real form, bashing the ground to pump himself up." I don't expect this to be a breeze. Heck, I wanna see if I've become stronger." Gorem relayed to Drago. He was kind of offended that Drago woul even mention going easy. It's not like either of them walloped on the other during thier brawls. " Allen, lets get this party started."

" right. Here comes dual ability Rave Wrecker and Alloy Transmutation." Allen said, placing two consecutive abilities in his gauntlet. The first ability, Rave Wrecker, utilized the boosters that Force Gorem gained in order to accelerate him towords Drago, in a enhanced version of Rush Wrecker. During the charge though, Alloy Transmutation took effect, changing Gorems armor pieces to a harder version of its metal." Chew on that Noland."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland was planning to be extremely careful when combating Gorem since he is still unaware of his foe's arsenal. The first two abilities that Gorem used reinforces Noland's idea of fighting against him in the most cautious way. "Just by combining those two abilities together, Allen made attacking him head-on close to impossible," Noland observed. "I can't allow Drago to physically clash with Gorem with those abilities active since he'll more than likely emerge from it unscathed. I could at least wear down the armor, but the only problem this presents is how powerful his charge actually is with those boosters." While quickly thinking of his attack option towards Gorem's incoming attack, he uploaded an ability on his BrawlX to quickly respond.

"Ability activate! Novia Shredder!" Noland declared. Drago pointed his tail at Gorem, detached it from his body, and shot it like a ballistic projectile as he quickly grew it back. A red aura was surrounding the entire tail starting from the tip of the pitchfork, increasing its penetrative power. It collided with Gorem and began grinding into him as sparks were seen coming from the clash at his armor, continually breaking it down as parts of his armor began to come off. "I wonder if attacking like that causes any pain at all to Drago since he's basically taking off one of his body parts," Noland thought to himself. In unison with his thoughts, Drago said to himself, "He does know that detaching my tail is a painful maneuver, doesn't he?"

[Allen Silva]

Drago's nova shredder tore into Gorem's armor. Noland was a tactician through and through. He wanted to wear down Gorem's defense to a paper bag. Gorem was doing his best to hold off the tail attack, but it was obviously doing serious damage." I need a new ability. Use one of my Barrier abilities." The subterra golem suggested his own move.

Allen pulled a ability and placed it into his gauntlet. The gauntlet glew with brown light." Ability activate! Here comes Bound Barrier!" Allen revealed the ability that was just activated. It was a new defensive ability. Honestly Allen had no idea what was going to happen, but he wasnt going to lose. Him and Noland had many devastating battles, none of them ending in any definitive outcome. So whatever it was, it was a barrier. Gorem's natural defense should take care of the rest.

The ability made Gorem build up energy in the pores of his body. The energy created a small bubbly shield that bounced back Drago's tail trident. Now Gorem had begun to do what made the iron juggernaut who he was. He planted his feet firmly in the ground, almost begging Drago to attack him close range." And now we play the waiting game. C'Mon buddy, you know that once I get set, its almost certainly game over." Gorem taunted the lack of tenacity in the dragonoid. The ultimate rival brawl was now in full gear." Hit me with your best shot."

[Noland Hardy]

Gorem's Bound Barrier ability enabled him to resist the damaging effects of Novia Shredder and caused the tail to be repelled. The tail that had once acted as a drill was reduced to a useless cosmetic as it squirmed along the ground until it died. Drago, who was now aware of just how frightening Gorem's defenses are, began contemplating his next action. "There was a little thought I had in my head about Noland slightly exaggerating the defensive capabilities since he spoke of it as the best thing he has ever witnessed. It's safe to say that all of that credit was well-deserved," Drago acknowledged in his mind. He didn't know what to expect when fighting against him since this is the first time Drago has had to fight Gorem. Realizing that he needs to be careful in his approach, Drago opted to disregard Gorem's taunt and decided to use his brain rather than rely on brawn at the moment.

Noland's thought process was the same as well. He knew that Allen had solidified his Bakugan's defense and wanted him to get in close quarters so that Gorem can utilize what makes Subterra Bakugan so strong, which was their unrivaled strength. He didn't find it necessary to play into his opponent's hands, so he opted for another technique to use while Gorem is still stationary. While he was ready to activate the ability, Drago chided his opponent's attempt to spur him into aggressive action at his request and stated, "That type of strategy is counterproductive when facing a dragonoid. The biggest mistake you can make when against a species like mine is staying still." With that said, Noland swiped the ability on his BrawlX and declared, "Ability activate! Oppressive Air!" The ability's effects was as the name described, and was also an upgraded variation of his pre-evolution ability named Eradication Shift. A scorching wave of heat was unleashed throughout that section of the battlefield. The ground began to have smoke erupt from it in a violent manner that, if the opponent should be exposed to it, could rapidly accelerate the increase in temperatures from the damaging heat that is already present. It was as if the arena had become a volcanic area with numerous poisonous gasses and intolerable atmospheric conditions.

[Allen Silva]

Nolands Oppresive Air was obviously a set up for a bigger trick. Noland wasnt one to chip away at anything, so the fact that this ability created some sort of smoke field was a dead giveaway." What are you trying to do here, give me the sniffles? Cause thats all this playtime stuffs gonna do." Gorem mocked the evolved dragonoids seemingly lack of effort." Hit it Allen."

Allen pulled another ability from his arsenal, placing it into hos gauntlet." You got to know better than to think i cant beat that." Allen called Nolan out on his ability choice. He seemed to forget about Gorems Bound Barrier." Ability activate. Chew on my Purging Equilibrium."

Gorem charged energy into the palmsof his hand, being weary that too much might have a adverse effect on the environment. He then placed both palms against the ground, distributing his energy throughout the field. This particular time, unlike any others, the energy was white. The white energy cleansed the arena of the smoke." Looks to me like you underestimated the reach of my defenses. Your move Drago."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland was aware that the ability wasn't going to do much damage in its current state due to Gorem's Bound Barrier, so it wasn't surprising to him that it was resisted so well. He was shocked in the manner in which Oppressive Air was nullified. He considered it a ridiculous boost in power to see Gorem capable of negating abilities that way now. It was fortunate that he only used the card to test the waters before acting on his desired goal; otherwise, he would have felt pretty stupid about the whole ordeal. "I would be more concerned about why I chose to use an attack I knew you would resist," Noland stated as his hand started to glow in a rainbow-colored energy, signalling his activation of Drago's special energy. Drago began briefly turning into his rainbow color scheme to use this next ability. "Looks can be deceiving," Drago countered as he powered up.

Noland started off with one of his powerful attacks. "Ability activate! Infernal Bash!" Drago surrounded himself in a fierce flame and launched himself towards Gorem to cause an explosive collision. While he was on that intended flight path, Noland then input another ability on his BrawlX before Drago came within reach of his opponent. "Let's see how you take Eternal Gazer!" Drago's energy intensified upon activation of the ability. Eternal Gazer was an ability unique to his power upgrade that allows him to triple his power and amplify the effects of his attacks using the diamond on his forehead by allowing it to be powered up 3 times over. He chose to increase the power of Infernal Bash to the point where the power increase was leagues above Gorem's. In addition to that, the card also enabled Drago to nullify all of his opponents abilities, causing the heat wave earlier to return, but in a more treacherous state when it was targeted by Eternal Gazer shortly after its return. The temperature it was at now was just enough to completely incinerate most of its victims. Drago thrived in this environment as he also seemed to receive a power increase from it as well.

"Oppressive Air isn't just an offensive ability," Noland informed his rival. "It does cause considerable impairments to my opponents, but it increases Drago's power each time he uses an ability. One could only imagine how much damage that's going to do in an amplified state in addition to the increases that I'll receive." He then started to smirk a little after stepping up his game so suddenly as if his opponents were expecting any less of him from his prior attack. "You didn't think I was just going to throw an ability away this early in the battle, did you?

[Allen Silva]

Everything was going as Allen expected. Noland was a master strategist, so he was likely going to make one of those traps at some point. What Allen didnt expect was for Drago to come face to face with Gorems emense strentgh. But once Noland explained it, the strategy hit like a wrecking ball. With that power boost, Gorem would be taken out in one hit. Allen loaded up a ability as Drago charged at Gorem." Dual ability activate. Goliath Fortress plus Vicious Counter."

Goliath Fortress took effect first. The abilities power created a large shell of earth around Gorem, in his own image. The ringer of the combo though was Vicious Counter. This ability caused Gorem, and in return the shell, to become coated in the same magnitude of energy as Drago. They both then dodged the initial charge, and tried to use that as a oppening for a counterattack." You see Noland, Gorems defense and counter abilities have also been beefed up. We're giving the crowd the show of a lifetime here, dont you think?"

[Kendrick Hardy]

Kendrick was just as rowdy about the battle just as everyone else was. Watching how a battle should be carried out as opposed to what he normally sees and hears from his older brother was a refreshing sight in his eyes and he didn't want to miss a second of it. Grandma was the more relaxed out of the two and was completely shocked to see how powerful Noland had actually become when she compared the young man to her own son, and she was surprised to figure out that Noland was definitely a superior product of everything Vince was capable of doing at the age of 14. She had a feeling this was partly because of his acquisition of the Dragonoid, but Noland had already had a notorious reputation with Krakix prior to that event. "I sometimes wonder if it would be any different if he still had Krakix with him. Drago seems...different than the others," she thought. "I'm sure he would have came out alright regardless of the Bakugan he owned though. He was taught by our best. He's a product of all of that hard work those ladies and gentlemen put in. I never really understood it at first, but I see why he's known in such a way that everyone is either envious or fearful of his might. Allen has definitely come a long way to get to this level as well. It's great for their growth that they can completely match each other in power. There isn't anyone else I'd completely trust to have my grandson's back."

Once Noland slipped a powerful offensive into the battle in an attempt to knock him out, Kendrick was almost stagnant as he stared at the Bakugan to see what was going to happen. Once Gorem cleverly avoided the attack and formed a counterattack at the same time, Kendrick's excitement of the battle ending in Noland's favor disappeared along with the possibility of this battle ending quietly. "They both use offense and defense in a way that is very unusual for anyone else to replicate. So that's why they can't ever win against each other. They really are equally strong," Kendrick realized. "Noland's overwhelming power and Allen's unbreakable guard basically cancels each other out. This battle is basically at a standstill and they know it, but they somehow still make it a spectacle to see. I wonder if this battle will finally be the one to determine which brawler is the better one."

He then turned to Grandma and presented a rather interesting question to her about Vince that he was curious about knowing the answer to. "Grandma, what did dad do for a living? Did he ever battle like this or was he always fighting to save the world?" Kendrick asked. She was alarmed that Kendrick would ask a question like this considering Vince's occupation involved a lot of things that the CIA probably shouldn't be doing as she has seen growing up, but she avoided having to answer the specific question about that information and opted to tell him about his status as a brawler. "Kendrick, I'm not really supposed to tell you about his occupation. What I can tell you is how he became a brawler and how he developed into the hero that he was. Would you like to hear it?" Kendrick was still focused on the battle, but he responded by saying, "Yeah. I want to know everything. I want to be like him some day just like Noland."

[Noland Hardy]

As Gorem and his newly spawned familiar were able to prevent themselves from being hit by Drago's attack. Knowing that his opponents would likely try to hit him in the back after passing them, Drago did not end the attack even though he missed and continued to soar through the air in the same direction he was going while still being surrounded in the same amount of power that he began the charge with. In his mind, he knew that he was going to have to make a u-turn to see if he could hit them with the attack he already declared. He already decided that he wasn't going to waste the energy that he had expended just to use this attack, so regardless of whether Gorem or his spawn was hit, something was going to be hit by it to justify the attack being declared in the first place. "One wall seemed to be enough for me. Two is a bit overkill," Drago acknowledged.

Noland quickly played an ability for Drago to use before Gorem would successfully hit him in the back. "We always do, Allen. We always do," Noland responded with a smile on his face. "Ability activate! Faultless Guard!" Drago performed a u-turn and faced Gorem and his spawn. He covered his body with his three sets of wings in order to use them as a shield. Using the diamond on his forehead, Drago was able to transfer a considerable portion of the power he was already using to his wingspan to use as extra fortification. While covered, he spun quick enough to cause a flame pillar to surround him in his entirety, which was achieved thanks to all of the power the Eternal Gazer combo gave him. As a spinning shield and a spinning pillar, Drago intended to clash with Gorem who was seemingly just as eager to land a decisive blow.

[Allen Silva]

Noland unleashed another powerful ability. This one turned Drago into a spinning torrent of flame, prepared to defeat Gorem in a singular blow. Allen was racking his brain for a counter to the combo staring him in the face. He then decided he needed to do his own combo to get the job done. Allen placed two abilities into his gauntlet, quickly activating the effects of the abilities." Dual ability activate! Rockslide entombment, plus Fusion ability Vesuvious encasment."

Gorem clasped his hands, charging a enormous amount of his energy between them. He then slammed the ground, causing the top layer to create a dome, intending to hold Drago's power within it. The fusion ability forms a more powerful wall between Gorem and Drago. This was attained by Gorem adding more energy to the ground, creating a mountain like structure small enough to fit inside the arena." Allen, were going to need a offensive move as well." Gorem's voice clearly showed desperation for winning the battle. He needed to show his power, and this would be the perfect way to end the rivalry.

Allen loaded up another ability, this one meant to deal damage to his opponent." Ability activate, graviton Balistae." Gorem charged a slightly darker energy into his hands, using just enough to create the attack. He then expelled the attack in a balista/ arrow shape at the mountain created by his last combination." That should do it."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland clenched his fists once Allen stopped yet another attack that he made against him. By now, he was wondering if there was anything he could do to pierce his defenses in addition to being able to avoid being damaged by Gorem's abilities this far into the battle. "I know we usually go back and forth with our attacks...but this is getting ridiculous. It's obvious that his defensive abilities are likely on the same level as my offensive ones. How do I combat that?" Noland asked himself. At that point, he considered himself being on the losing end of the battle once Gorem stopped the revolving Dragonoid in his tracks and launched an attack that he most likely would not see coming. Once Gorem's projectile hit its mark, a giant explosion was caused as the mountain collapsed on top of the Dragonoid, causing a moment of silence in the arena in anticipation of a knockout. As this happened, Noland closed his eyes, thinking of a possible way to remedy the situation he was in.

"You rely so much on your Bakugan's physical strength that you forget the biggest component of battle: strategy," Tank once said to him. Noland understood that his current way of fighting Allen was not going to win him the battle, and he knew that the team could not afford to lose the battle. "I think I might have fallen into that habit a little bit after the Eternal Gazer plan didn't work. I need to change tactics before this becomes a serious issue. If Allen thinks he's going to win by me constantly rushing him, then I'm going to make him come to me instead." Noland activated a double ability on his BrawlX to recover the Dragonoid. "Double ability activate! Rage Fire plus Dauntless Spirit!" Drago erupted in a fit of rage as he slammed the ground with his right fist, destroying all of the debris around him in an instant and emerging from the rubble slightly damaged. This was achieved due to Dauntless Spirit that changed his color scheme to a darker shade of red as well as surrounding his body in a fiery aura, hinting that this was an upgrade to Evo Igniter as it protected him from damage.

"You almost had me," Drago remarked as his power began to rapidly increase as well as adding to the strength of his attacks. He then punched the ground again to activate Rage Fire. The ground beneath Gorem began to crumble and soon revealed a large, blazing pillar that traveled upwards. It soon came out of the ground and engulfed his opponent entirely, sending Drago's opponent a quick and painful response to the damage that he had inflicted prior to the attack. "Drago, we're fighting Elico," Noland stated. Confused, Drago responded, "You're making me think you were the one who just got hit by that attack...unless...nevermind. You're right." Drago then stayed back and watched his opponent carefully to look for key openings.

[Allen Silva]

Drago took the combo, and yet was still fighting back. That was to be expected though, since Noland was Master Blaze, Allen already expected a drag out brawl. Drago unleashed a ability much like his old Evo Igniter. This one allowed him to reactivate his Rage Fire. Allen had to come up with a quick counter to the attack. So Allen loaded another ability into his gauntlet. The gauntlet shined as the ability was taking effect." Ability activate, Avalanche Vulcan."

This ability was like a evolved version of the Gravel Roam. Gorem reached down and grabbed a large handful of rocks. But unlike Gravel Roam, this time he fired them out rapid fire. The first broke through the flame wall created by Raging Fire. The remainder were to deal some serious damage to Drago. While this attack was continuing along, Allen was planning his next move. We can't keep playing this game. If we stay at range, Drago can easily overpower our limited arsenal. But if we get in his face, then our best abilities become available. So the next ability to play is.... Yes. Now all we have to do is wait for the right moment to strike. He had found a strategy that he believed could give him the win.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland stuck to his guns and had Drago stay as far away from Gorem as possible due to a direct offensive proving counter-productive to their overall ability to fight him off. In an attempt to cause some damage, Gorem used a projectile type of attack to deal with Rage Fire, but he also attempted to pummel Drago with them. Fortunately, it was beneficial that Drago was not within range to be hit by any of his opponent's high-powered abilities. He knew he would be able to handle what was just unleashed against him without much thought. "He's playing right into my hands. He knows just as well as I do that he does not have many viable options in long-range combat. The moment he decides to charge me is when I'll attempt to knock him out. Waiting it out won't be an issue for me at all," Noland said to himself as he continued to think.

He placed an ability on his BrawlX as a countermeasure to Avalanche Vulcan. "Ability activate! Nova Dragon!" Drago's energy spiked for a brief second as he released a snake-like dragon avatar from his body. He revolved around the dragonoid continuously, shielding the user from being damaged by their opponent by absorbing the rocks into his body. It then rushed past Gorem a few times and battered him consecutively before retreating. The stolen energy then allowed Drago to have the avatar move high into the air to oversee the entire arena. It then began to launch an armada of fiery versions of the rocks that Gorem attempted to harm Drago with, pelting the arena with a never-ending rain of pain.