Episode 24: Showdown

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was a bit shocked that Noland was able to cancel attacks made from three Bakugan with just one attack. He knew this was going to be more difficult of a battle than with Tank since Noland is the strongest brawler they have on their team, but this display of power was hardly what he had anticipated. Devising this plan on the fly was done with the impression that Tank and Tracy were not going to have the necessary power to knock all three of their Bakugan out of the battle, which would have been the case since Gladion was not ready to handle both Elico and Gorem nor was Tracy able to handle Elico on his lonesome. The only person who had the best chance to combat all three of them was the Master Blaze himself, but after stalemating with Allen, Markus was sure that Noland wouldn't be able to handle all three of them either. Was he wrong?

"This isn't good..." Markus said to himself following the stunning of all three Bakugan and then being threatened by a triple node ability being sent in their direction. Without delay, he went on the defense. "Did you forget that we have two Bakugan with the best defense on the field alongside a Bakugan that can reinforce their power? You haven't broken any ground yet, Noland. Ability activate! Touch of Stone!" Gorem used Goliath Fortress to summon a large golem of earth from the ground to defend agains the attack. Elico then changed to Subterra and used his Hydro Booster to harden the golem with a batch of mud. Gargulion finished the combo with his ability by placing his hands on the monstrosity, transforming it into stone to make it even more durable. The golem placed its hands outwards to attempt to push against Noland's Triple Threat. The attack connected, and the golem was now locked in a clash that was sapping Gargulion's, Elico's, and Gorem's energy just to hold it back. They were progressively taking a few steps forward against the attack, but the amount of power it took was taking a toll on them.

[Noland Hardy]

"I haven't broken any ground yet? Markus, are you in denial?" Noland asked when he saw all three of his opponents struggling with the attack he launched. It was fortunate that the stun from Oppressive Air gave him enough time to use an attack like that to swiftly turn the tide of this battle. "The reason why you keep losing to Tank isn't because of him being stronger than you. You overestimate your abilities far too often. Did you really think forcing a three-on-one situation with someone who has been winning battles with unfair odds was a good idea? I've already practiced how to do this with the most recent practice being what I did to make up for all that lost time, which was brawling both Tank and Tracy at the same time consecutively. It seems like all of that training is paying off right now, and our decision to do that will win us this championship." Noland pulled out two abilities to use in response to Markus' defense, and he was hoping this would be the end of it as indicated by his demeanor when activating the cards.

"Ability activate! Power Bomb!" Drago amassed a large amount of energy towards the center of his chest, creating a giant, red orb that pulsated with energy. Once its formation was complete, Drago flapped his wings in his foe's direction, which sent the energy ball hurtling towards the golem; however, Drago did not aim directly for the golem itself, but directed it towards the attack they were already pushing back. His intention was to collide Power Bomb into Triple Threat in order to detonate it. To ensure the job to be finished, Noland and Drago powered up one more time and said in unison, "Eternal Gazer!" Triple Threat became even larger and packed more of a punch than it did when it was originally launched, making it more difficult for the three Bakugan to contain it. Power Bomb also received a nice boost in power as well. It turned from a red-colored orb into a rainbow-colored one, and its appearance looked more explosive than it ever has. Once it collided into Triple Threat, the resulting explosion was a power that not even Noland could see the result of.

[Markus Hederick]

"I overestimate myself? Really?" Markus asked himself in disbelief. He found it hard to believe that he was overestimating himself in this situation considering he brought three Bakugan out on the field at once just to make sure that they are in the best possible position to win the tournament. What Noland was referring to might have simply been the thought that none of them would be able to handle all three of them with just one Bakugan, which might have been a costly mistake on his part since he was sure that neither of his opponents could have possibly stood a chance in this situation. "You just tied with Allen, and now you're handling three Bakugan all at once, including Gorem? How is this even possible...?"

Markus' concern for his side was growing once they were receiving a lot of stress from holding back Triple Threat, which could have easily knocked all of them out. Their fates were sealed once Noland detonated the blast after increasing the strength of the blast he was sending plus the blast they were already having trouble coping with. Once the explosion occurred, it was all over. The blast completely obliterated their side of the battlefield and left Gorem, Elico, and Gargulion smoking in a large crater. Markus couldn't believe what he saw. As parts of Gorem's Goliath Fortress ability started to hit the ground, he constantly shook his head in disappointment that his power combined with Allen and Karen's was not enough to beat the Master Blaze. This marked the most humbling defeat that he has ever suffered. "I hate to say this, but you're a more worthy adversary than Tank. You've earned your spot at the top. You win," Markus conceded.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland had a sly grin on his face after seeing all three of his opponent's Bakugan defeated at once in this manner. Drago planted his feet on the ground and made a loud victory roar that was soon surpassed by the crowd's uproar. The championship battle between both teams was very close, but when the tie breaker occurred, it was clear where the difference in power was. Noland's training was late after his accident, but the methods he utilized with Tank and Tracy saved them in the end as he would not have been able to beat Markus without it. He was tempted to say this broke the stalemate with Allen after Gorem was included in that blast, but he told himself it didn't count since Allen wasn't his opponent. One Bakugan he was very delighted to see included in that defeat was Elico for obvious reasons. It wasn't one-on-one, but he took what he could get. After accepting his defeat, Markus made his final remarks to Noland, and he responded, "You're a strong Darkus brawler, Markus. Calling your teammates to battle was definitely the biggest surprise of this tournament. You would have won that battle if this situation wasn't included in my training regiment. You're truly on Tank's level of skill. You just don't see it that way yet."

With that said, Noland turned around to his teammates only to be given a death hug by Tracy for winning the decisive battle. Tank approached him and jokingly downplayed his own victories over Markus by telling him the way he beat Markus in the tie breaker was the most embarrassing defeat he had ever witnessed, but it was also the greatest victory in his eyes knowing what he was brawling against. He gladly shook Noland's hand and congratulated him on this very important accomplishment. Noland thanked both of his teammates for their support directly before he saw their biggest supporters come onto the battlefield. Tank was embraced by Katherine for their victory, and Steve followed through with his promise of standing by him when they win. Tracy's parents were extremely proud of their daughter's power rising to this level and made them even more proud of Skystar's evolution. Noland's grandmother was astonished that he was able to win the battle despite Markus sending those three Bakugan at him, and noted he is definitely Vince's son for handling Drago in that manner. Kendrick was envious of his older brother's talent and jokingly asked him if he was going to teach him how to do that too. Alana's parents also made a surprising appearance and told him that Alana would be very proud of him, which tempted Noland to shed a tear of joy.

Allen's parents approached him and congratulated their son for the role he played in getting his team to this level, but they wished they would see him do more of this rather than what he is actually doing with more serious matters such as terrorism. They became convinced of their son's power and lifted the restrictions, which made Allen joyful despite being on the losing end. Markus's parents were proud that he was still placing relatively well, but told him to take what Noland said to him seriously since they believed that was the best advice anyone has ever given him. In the midst of their conversations, Karen was approached by a mysterious man that revealed himself to be Nero. She rudely asked him what he wanted, and he said that he just wanted to be there for her to support her. She rudely rejected his support after he revealed her identity to the Resistors. Nero reminds her that she wasn't supposed to form a relationship with them anyway and said that it was only for the best that they are now her enemies.

The awards ceremony took place following the conclusion of the climactic battle. Noland, Tank, and Tracy received first place with Karen, Allen, and Markus coming in at second. Noland received the best offensive brawler award and the MVP award for not only having an undefeated record alongside Tank and Allen, but winning what should have been an impossible battle during the tie-breaker. Allen received the award for the best defensive brawler and for the year's best rookie for his consistent victories over top ranked brawlers such as Lian Fennika and Lico Dettachi, whom he defeated during the third round of the tournament. The most improved award went to Tracy. She started off as an underwhelming rookie who later became the most dominant Haos brawler in the state. Tank and Markus received the Masters award, an extremely rare honor which recognizes their talent across the many years they served on their teams and automatically considers them to be eligible for their entrance into the pro league. Finally, the announcer announced that all of the brawlers who battled in the championship battle have qualified for nationals. Noland, Tank, and Tracy were then given a huge trophy, and they took a photo next to it alongside their coach to commemorate this exciting moment.

[Noland Hardy]