Episode 26: Gaining Control

[Noland Hardy]

Nero took all three members of the Pack away from the Terrorists in battle and used them to narrowly defeat them after their Bakugan evolved unexpectedly. After injuring them considerably, Nero had a phone call with the President to inform him on his progress and revealed that he was going to go against the plan by using the Pack in an aggressive method rather than a means of self-defense, which was ironic considering the Terrorists also went against his plan and he was now doing the same thing. He stressed that the humans have already paid the price for far too long for the Bakugan's actions and will see to it that no one else has to suffer because of them. He also criticized the laws that were currently in place that punished humans for crimes that some of them may not have done, but were instead blamed for what a Bakugan did, and he also made a fair comparison of their current gun laws versus the laws concerning the ownership of Bakugan. He threatened that the President would soon regret cutting funding off from the law enforcement to fund this secret project they were working on before ending the call, returning his attention back to the incapacitated Terrorists. He opted not to do either of the two options he had in mind, which was to either kill them or force them to fight on his side. He believed their deaths would not be a suitable punishment for them nor did he have the necessary resources to invest in taking control of them. He chose to force them to watch what they tried to stop him from doing, and wished that they would feel the same pain that their victims have felt. He then allowed Hydranoid to take them to their destination.

Meanwhile, Noland was out in the streets of D.C. observing his surroundings in hopes of finding possible clues to the location of Nero's hideout as he was fully focused on getting rid of him as soon as possible. He became impatient and wondered why he was doing this when it was the law enforcement's job to do what the Resistors are doing better. Drago could not think of anything to say on the matter and kept his mouth shut until he saw Tracy calling Noland on his phone, which made him assume there was more going on than what he was being told. Noland admitted that there were possible hints of liking her, but noted that he was not prepared for any relationships after what had happened with Karen and would rather focus on dealing with Nero before anything like that could take place. While he was conversing with Drago, citizens shrieked and scattered as something sharp impaled one of the Subterra Saurus' that was busy fixing the damage that the ongoing civil war has caused. The identity of the assassin was soon seen to be Belphenoid. Once the Saurus had been killed, Asmodeus tossed the body aside carelessly and left a highly shocked look on Noland's face. Noland became even more disturbed when the Pack began killing the rest of the workers and slowly killing them for their own satisfaction. Not knowing what to do, Noland was motionless as Nero revealed himself along with the captured Terrorists. Daniel noted that he was more concerned with Nero being dealt with than Noland, and apologized to the teenager for failing to beat him. He urged Noland to beat Nero in a painful way as the Pack summoned their armies and scattered them across the area to begin their invasion.

(Mini-Boss Theme)

[Noland Hardy]

"I guess you and the Terrorists had a falling out, huh?" Noland asked while truly unaware of what was going on. In a way, it was fortunate that Nero revealed himself in front of him since he was already searching for him; however, it wasn't good that Nero began killing Bakugan senselessly and spreading his forces to other parts of the area. All of the wards would definitely be caught off guard by the sudden attack, and Noland was the only person at the moment who has direct contact with their leader. What complicated the situation even more was seeing the Terrorists imprisoned in this manner. Noland recalls Nero telling him he was going to do something to the them once he got his hands on them. He was expecting Nero to kill them as he said he would, but they're standing in front of him alive with noticeable signs of damage. Now Daniel was telling him to take Nero down. For once, Noland couldn't figure out a way to disagree with him.

"Daniel, I'll be very honest with you. If Nero hadn't done what he just did, I would have left him alone just because he has you in chains," Noland stated to his dark rival. He activated his BrawlX, gripped Drago in his hands, and immediately threw him into battle without delay. "Bakugan brawl! Drago stand! Obliterate the enemy!" Noland threw him onto the pavement with a strong throw. Drago stood in his monster form in battle-ready condition; although, he wasn't sure how to prioritize his targets considering there were so many of them to choose from at the moment. "So I guess I'll be wasting my time if I asked you what the hell you think you're doing right now, right?" Noland asked, directing his attention to Nero. "Those Saurus were busy repairing the damage your slaves have caused. What did they do to deserve what you just did to them?" Drago took a few steps towards the Pack while saying, "There is no greater shame to a Bakugan than to be seen doing that to your own brothers. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves."

[Nero Bullock]

Nero gazed upon the corpses of the Bakugan the Pack have slain for his own satisfaction. The look he gave made it seem like he was overjoyed with excitement of their deaths, which was partially true; however, his actual reaction to it was the fulfillment of getting revenge. In his mind, this was the start of something that had to be done for every century the humans have suffered grief over co-existing with these massive creatures. When he heard Noland ask him what he thought he was doing, his fun was interrupted with the feeling of annoyance that someone he thought was smart enough to understand everything he has said to him so far could not comprehend what was happening at the moment. "If you didn't understand anything I've said to you from our previous encounters, then you truly have wasted your time," Nero answered. "Today is Judgment Day. You'll probably ask me what that means, but I'll let you think about all of the details I've given you in the past and the information you'll gather from a front-row seat to what I'm doing now for you to come up with the conclusion about what that means for all of you. In the meantime..."

Nero pulled out two ability cards and activated them in quick succession on his BrawlX. "Lets save the bulk of the conversation we usually enjoy with each other and deal with the more prominent threat of the group: your Bane Dragonoid. I don't really have time to debate with children anyway. Double ability activate! Berserk Thunder plus Reinforcing Explosion!" Asmodeus used his own power in conjunction with the army he deployed to have dark thunder clouds loom over the horizon. Lightning bolts began to strike across numerous locations, destroying everything they touched and tore through any flesh it grazed. The most powerful of the strikes was saved for Noland and Drago, which came crashing down with the deadliest appearance of all. In the process of doing so, Abbadon jumped into the air briefly, ignited his entire body with a fierce flame, and hit the ground with a smash, sending a wave of fire in multiple directions. The properties of the attack enhanced the Berserk Thunder ability's power, making it stronger than previously mentioned.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland looked up as the area darkened due to Asmodeus summoning thunder clouds to the area. He grieved in what could be potential tragedies due to the lightning striking numerous locations at the same time. He wasn't sure who or what was going to be caught in the path of that, but he knew that Nero was more serious about this attack than he ever was. Suddenly, a lightning bolt then came for him, Drago, and presumably anyone else near their location that could be impacted by the attack. To make matters worse, Abbadon amplified the attack by causing a fire wave to be emitted in nearly every direction. Noland hastily activated an ability on his Brawl X by saying, "You always have to play the mystery man, don't you? Ability activate! Nova Dragon!" A snake-like dragon avatar appeared from Drago's body and was prepared to serve him on demand. As this was done, Drago looked up at the lightning coming towards him and said, "It won't be that easy."

The lightning made contact with the avatar and briefly clashed with it while Drago was doing his best to siphon its power away from it. As this happened, the surrounding area began to become slightly damaged by the outpouring of power used in the attacks that even caused Noland, who is usually unfazed by the power shown around him, to brace himself to move at a moment's notice. Fortunately, the ability was successful in absorbing the thunderbolt. Once this happened, the now-electrified dragon avatar zipped past all three members of the Pack and delivered multiple blows of what could have happened to their intended targets, flew into the air, and crashed into them to cause a fiery and electrified explosion. Noland then glared at Nero once more and stated, "You're a really nasty person to kill someone and then tell your intended target to look back at previous details for why you're about to kill them when you don't even give them enough time to do so when launching another death blow. Lets try this again. What is your purpose?"

[Nero Bullock]

Noland's quick defense was a surprise to Nero considering a powerful blow like Berserk Thunder was dealt with rather quickly before ultimately being used to power their next offensive. It quickly penetrated the Pack's guard and massively damaged them with an explosive attack that visibly damaged them in ways that can potentially hinder their mobility in the long run. This was rather quick in Nero's eyes, but he wasn't too concerned about it yet since the Pack's tolerance to pain is naturally quite high. While they were getting back up, Nero began to respond to Noland's comments with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "Oh. I see. I forgot that you were caught up in your recent activities that involved you doing your own Bakugan injustice by beating up other beings of his race and assaulting my daughter with one. Now you expect me to come to you with answers and you haven't even bothered to tell me why you did that to her? Shame on me, right?"

Nero pulled out two more abilities to use that should hopefully get him some leverage over the more powerful Dragonoid. "Double ability activate! Shadow Burner plus Sol Cannon!" Abbadon raised his head into the air and began accumulating energy that gathered near his open mouth in the form of a massive orb. As this happened, Belphenoid poured his energy into the blast to combine his power with it. Once completed, Abbadon released the dark red blast towards Drago at blinding speeds. The impact would not only create a powerful explosion, but it would also spread dark flames throughout the area that will continuously punish the enemy. Regardless if his opponent was either hit by it or attempted to clash with the attack, Nero knew that Noland was going to have a difficult time finding a way around his double-edged sword.

[Noland Hardy]

"When you kidnap my little brother, tamper with his conscience, and nearly kill me, you'd better expect something to happen to your sickening daughter to only give you a glimmer of what is about to come your way," Noland countered with a highly irritated tone in his voice. "In fact, what you should have done was include her in the circus you've gathered right beside you. It would have been a fitting setting for someone who belongs in a cage." As he said this, Nero launched another attack towards him that was approaching way too fast to be dodged properly. The only two options were to either nullify it or reflect it, and it would be a while before he could do the latter option after using some of that strength to avert the danger from Berserk Thunder. Noland decided to cancel the attack, so he activated the ability that was going to accomplish that.

"Ability activate! Molten Surge!" Noland commanded. Drago reeled his neck back briefly before firing an incinerating energy beam of fire towards the energy ball. It slammed against the opposing attack hard and stopped it in its tracks. Drago's attack pushed back and forth with the Pack's attack until the energy ball exploded. Unfortunately, the result of the clash was not within Noland's expectations. When the attack collapsed, a new one formed to take its place. A black flame was dispersed upon the energy ball's destruction, and it was destroying everything that it touched. It's spreading happened very quickly that it even took its hold on Drago while he was attempting to fly out of range of the attack. "Dammit!" Drago cursed. The flames made its home on the Dragonoid's body and was tormenting him without a hint of an ending. "Those three demons seem more coordinated than ever before..." Noland noticed silently while trying to find a remedy for Drago's condition.

[Nero Bullock]

Nero's sarcasm was quickly shifted into anger once Noland made that remark. To see hatred for someone that was once close to them develop to this level was a sad sight to see. It almost made him sad that he was going to have to kill the young boy now. "It's a shame that you have so much hate for her now. At one point, I would have had no problem with you being around her," Nero stated as the black flames began to spread. "You two could have been perfect for each other if you had understood our resolve to get the better of the Bakugan for all of the years of pain and suffering we've had to endure due to their actions. You are a perfect example of what that pain produces, and it was such a missed opportunity that you have decided to side with them anyway. I don't know why you're forcing me to destroy you, but one life lost compared to millions saved doesn't seem like a huge sacrifice to me."

Nero then gathered the Pack back into formation before playing his next card. "Ability activate! Fusion Cutter!" The Pack's claws began to glow in their respective attribute's colors. They each ran around the area at high speeds while cutting the burning Dragonoid with their claws without offering a chance to be met with a counterattack. Once they've had enough fun battering the Dragonoid, they simultaneously pounced on him to slam him into the ground. Once they've done that, they leaped back into their formation across the field to regroup and organize their next attack. "This is your final warning, Noland. Forsake the Dragonoid and preserve your life or I will be forced to take it from you. What's your pleasure?" Nero asked for the final time.

[Noland Hardy]

"I don't believe this..." Noland silently said to himself as he was starting to get dominated in the battle. As he previously stated, the Pack was never able to fight like this alongside each other. It made it seem like there was a heavy mismatch here with Noland on the weaker end of the spectrum, and he was able to at least fight on equal footing with the Pack in Drago's pre-evolved form. There was something new about them that made Noland think about his chances of actually winning. "Their fighting style is just too organized for one Bakugan to fight safely even for Drago and I. That's not even counting their ability to spawn other Bakugan into the area at will. I might be in trouble..." Noland looked on with concern as Drago attempted to return to his feet; although, he did show noticeable signs of weakness in his stance, which shows that the Pack's power was not something to be shrugged off so easily.

"Why are you acting so superior all of a sudden, Nero?" Drago questioned. "I've knocked the Pack down once, and they've gotten me down once as well. We're even. This fight is far from over, so believing you're actually going to end my life in this battle is laughable at best as of right now." Noland couldn't manage to hold a conversation over the phone with the battle going on, so he took a picture of what was going on around him and sent it to the other members of the Resistors with the subject being the word help in all capital letters followed by a row of exclamation points. Once he did this, he prepared himself to continue fighting against Nero and the Pack by valiantly holding up his BrawlX arm and stating, "You can try, but you won't succeed. That's a promise."

[Allen Silva]

Allen begun to hold back the bakugan army. They're was a massive army, unlike any he had ever seen before. Force Gorem is built for this, but the volume might have been too much for him." Allen, ability now!" Gorem shouted with urgency.

" Everybody, you need to get out. The large golem will hold back the army, but you need to hurry." Allen begun to alert the citizens of the urgency of the situation. He looked back and noticed Gorem was starting to lose power.Allen loaded up a ability to try and get a step up on the bakugan. Maybe it will allow his partner to beat them before he became compleately drained." Lets go, Alloy Transmutation. Bash em hard man."

Gorem's body became coated in a Titanium like armor. He begun to club and knockout bakugan in a straight line, making a path for the citizens to follow. After making said path, Gorem continued to fight the bakugan who got in the way of the evacuation." Allen, I think its time for us to complete the ability combo." Gorem hinted towords his suggestion on thier next move. After using this as a dual ability, the combo was one of Gorem's favorite things to do. Allen was happy to comply, activating the ability Rave Wrecker, silently. Gorem's metallic body became surrounded in brown energy, and he started to dart around much faster, blasting out as many bakugan as he could.

Allen sent a message over to Noland. " We are covering evac here. Once everyone has escaped, we will join the fight. Can you hold him off till then?"

[Tracy White]

Tracy was really stressed after Nero's army began to disperse. They had discussed splitting up and searching for Nero as soon as possible since the law enforcement have not been able to track him down yet, and Karen's threat during the championship battle had all of them disturbed. They did not stay too far away from each other and still had each other's help by walking distance, but the army's attack pattern made it seem like help was too far away. In her evolved form, Skystar did the best she could do to hold back the massive group, but she could not prevent any innocent bystanders from being included in the fatality list. "What is the purpose of these random attacks!?" Skystar shouted as she was being pushed back after guarding against the blasts the opposing team sent her way. Tracy replied, "This one seems different from the average attack the Terrorists would throw at us. In fact, this one is too large and organized to be from those three..."

She pulled out two abilities to use that would hopefully get her out of this sticky situation. The attack caught them off guard and placed them on the losing end of the battle due to their numbers. As she did this, she constantly looked around her and saw how many Bakugan were laid out on the pavement either dead or injured. She knew she couldn't just leave them the way they were if they were still able to live, so she opted to help them out as well even if it might give her a slight disadvantage for not focusing on the army completely. "These Bakugan didn't deserve this. Regardless of who is behind this attack, they won't get the satisfaction of adding a few extra members to their death toll. Ability activate! Divine Protection!" Skystar's belt shifted to the Pyrus symbol. Using her staff, she activated a spell that bestowed a phoenix avatar over her head to continuously heal her injuries as well as covering her with a shield to render her opponents' attacks useless. Per Tracy's plea, Skystar also extended the spell to the injured and gave them the strength to stand and fight alongside her. As this happened, Tracy received a message from Noland that was too dramatic to ever be seen coming from him. She also saw Nero's face in the picture as well, which angered her even further. Tracy replied to it by also snapping a picture of what was happening and said, "I wish I could, but I'm kinda busy over here right now."

[Tank Stryker]

Tank and Gladion had split off from the rest of the group to run reconnaissance of the surrounding area since he had the most battle experience. It was during this that the duo was ambushed by an angry Hydranoid, who immediately attacked. Luckily, Tank was able to throw a Gate down in time before launching Gladion into the battle, who stood in his new Praetor form. A swift combination of abilities from Tank gave Gladion his trusty gladius and Aegis shield, which, with his new prowess, gave him a quick upper hand that Hydranoid could barely do anything against.

"Gate Card, open!" Tank yelled, pointing to the ground, "Poseidon's Colosseum!"

The ground shook as rain and lightning filled the skies. From the earth arose the great columns and walls from an ancient battleground, while rain poured and filled the arena, leaving only two patches of actual land left inside. Lightning began to strike Hydranoid as Gladion dove underwater, emerging once to knock the Darkus bakugan into the water and drag him under.

Under the water, Gladion's attacks grew in power, and the frequency increased with each passing second. The kicks and slashes from him were enough to incapacitate several bakugan, and this was all being focused on one.

"Keep it up, Gladion!" Tank yelled, "We've got him!"

[Nero Bullock]

Per Nero's request, Hydranoid separated himself from the Pack to enjoy his own eventual path of destruction since he did not have to be monitored like the other three. He walked along the city streets without a care in the world of who saw him. As soon as he saw the armies of Nero scatter, Hydranoid struck. He mercilessly blasted multiple innocent Bakugan into oblivion and continued to do so until the Aquos Resistor interfered. Upon seeing Gladion in his newly evolved form, Hydranoid tossed aside the Bakugan he had just finished killing using his powerful jaws and stood ready to fight. The brawl began with the two Bakugan trading consecutive blows until Gladion equipped his weapons, which caused Hydranoid to contemplate how he was going to damage the warrior when having his attacks countered. Tank then activated a gate card to change the setting to a Colosseum that was soon flooded. The storm proved to be treacherous to anyone but Gladion. When the lighting stunned Hydranoid, Gladion took the opportunity to push him underwater.

"I might have underestimated this one a little. It seems he knows what he's doing," Hydranoid thought to himself about the current national champion. As he was being taken under, he received countless strikes from Gladion that seemed to increase in power with every successful hit. Hydranoid was placed in a situation where he could potentially lose, which was not something he wanted to admit to any other Bakugan except for the Dragonoid. Due to this, he did his best to ignore the pain, which was very difficult to do. "Demonic Gravity!" As he was being attacked, Hydranoid's body released a sinister energy that gathered in the sky to summon portions of Nero's army into the area on demand. Once they entered the area, they sent numerous blasts towards the gate card in order to nullify it, which released the area from the effects of it.

"Gravity Chamber!" Hydranoid snorted as the waters began to recede. A large purple orb began to spin around him rapidly. He started sucking in everything in his surroundings including the water, the remains of the structure, and Gladion himself. "You THOUGHT you had me, human. It is never that easy." Hydranoid's power was strong enough to pull in a couple of buildings towards the center, but the strength of Hydranoid's grip was noticeably weaker. In fact, while this was happening, Hydranoid's body began to shake uncontrollably. This happened for a couple of seconds while the ability's power was starting to weaken until a sudden, violent shockwave was sent throughout the area when Gravity Chamber was released, repelling every object affected back a considerable distance and revealing Hydranoid in a changed form.

"How does it feel to be on the opposite side of an evolution?" Hydranoid asked. His new body featured a bulkier build that allowed him to stand on his own two feet rather than the usual all fours approach. The powerful tail he enjoyed smacking other Bakugan with not only became stronger, but he gained another one. The two most distinct features of his new body compared to his old one was the addition of a metal saw in the center of his chest that he can use to grind his enemies, but most importantly, he gained a second head. The spines that ran across his back have now extended to other parts of his body and are now sharper and longer. He is now considered to be Dual Hydranoid, a Bakugan more terrifying than the last. "At least you tried, human. At least you tried." Hydranoid declared as he roared loudly, activating his saws in the process to cause even more of a disturbance. The army he summoned stood in the background awaiting his next command.

[Tank Stryker]

"Gladion!" Tank yelled, as he reached for another card, "Ability activate! Weapon of the Gods - Claymore of Zeus!"

As if Zeus himself was waiting for his cue, a bolt of lightning struck down and cracked the gravity sphere, releasing Gladion, who was now adorned with his Haos/Aquos armor and wielding the legendary King of the Gods' sword. Thunder boomed as Gladion cut the air with the gigantic sword, warming up his arms with a few swings.

"Well, Hydranoid," Gladion said, the platinum blade shimmering with electricity, "It seems you have FINALLY evolved. Let's see if you can really stand up to me."

With that, Gladion launched himself at Hydranoid, his sword swinging. A few hits landed on Hydranoid's new body, but the Darkus bakugan was still supercharged from his evolution and was able to keep up with the slashes. Blow after blow was deflected by Hydranoid's hard, scaly skin. It seemed like the two were evenly matched. That is, until Hydranoid swiped his tail at Gladion, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Gladion grunted as he hit the tree, toppling it. The gladiator bakugan got up slowly in his famous fashion, and cracked his neck before staring down the bakugan in front of him. "You're going to pay for that," he said as he rushed towards Hydranoid.

As Gladion fought Hydranoid, Tank dialed Noland on his BrawlX. He knew that Gladion couldn't take this foe alone and needed backup.

"Hardy!" Tank yelled into his BrawlX, "Hydranoid's here! He's mean, he's angry, and he's supercharged from his new evolution. Yes, he did evolve, and no I'm not seeing anything. I didn't eat any of Steve's brownies. I'm downtown, near Georgetown University. Everyone's evacuating, but if I don't get some backup soon, there are going to be a lot of red spots on the sidewalk!"

[Markus Hederick]

As Gladion continued to assault Hydranoid as best as he could, the massive army that was called in continued to tower over them. In a flash, they threatened to coordinate a combined attack on Gladion while Hydranoid fended him off rather easily due to his new power. Each member of the army gathered together to charge a powerful blast that was intended to knock the Aquos Bakugan out in one blow. Even in the midst of an impending end, a light still shined at the end of the tunnel; all of their power mysteriously faded in a matter of seconds, shrinking the blast they were developing steadily. "Awww. I'm sorry. Did you need that?" A Darkus Bakugan had flanked them while they were distracted and took his position behind enemy lines while using his Soul Eater ability to absorb the powers of all enemy Bakugan in his vicinity without even making physical contact with them. Suddenly, he activated Void Ripper. He drew his claws and said, "The only spots that'll be on this sidewalk is the blood of these demons!" Gargulion sliced through the entire opposition, destroying the entire force in an instant.

Markus then appeared next to Tank after sprinting there as soon as he heard the call. He was gasping while saying, "I'm here...sorry for the delay. The Smithsonian was really...crowded... I'm really out of shape." As soon as he said this, a picture of the situation there appeared where a bunch of stone slabs were left shattered, scattered across the once-amazing scenery that led to the White House. They appeared to be the remains of Bakugan, which is hinted to be Markus and Gargulion's doing since they implied being attacked prior to coming here. "You pissed him off that fast, huh? That Hydranoid is really something fierce..." Markus unleashed his BrawlX and played an ability card that would hopefully even the playing field. "Ability activate! Shared Strength!" Upon activation, Gargulion released a gray wave across the battlefield. Once it reached Gladion, it began pouring power into him. This ability allowed Gargulion to give Gladion a portion of the excess power he took from the army he destroyed in order to raise him to his level in hopes of having enough to damage Hydranoid. "So...does anyone else see the saw in his chest?" Gargulion mentioned as he began attacking Hydranoid alongside Gladion.

[Allen Silva]

Just as Gorem was finishing off the last bakugan in his area, He saw that Tank had sent out a distress signal." Hey Gorem, Tank needs backup, so that's where we are headed next." Allen was really worried. These bakugan are pushovers, and the Pack is with Drago and Noland, so what could possibly be pummeling on Gladion's new form. Dread fell on his face as he realized exactly the answer he was looking for." Dude, we need to go now! The only thing that could he walloping on Gladion is Hydranoid. And if he is over there, then that's our main target."

Allen climbed onto Gorem's shoulder, and they went as fast as possible to rendevous with Tank and lend him some more than likely needed backup. What he saw there was his worst nightmare. Hydranoid was there, but he looked different. He had two heads instead of just the one, a saw on his chest, and other changes that Allen felt weren't simply cosmetic changes. What he saw could only mean one thing. Hydranoid had evolved. Allen quickly loaded up two abilities, determined to get the surprise factor in the fight. " Dual ability activate! Rockslide entombment plus Gravitron Balistae!"

Gorem clasped his hands together, charging energy into them to power what he hoped would be Hydranoid's tomb. After he slammed his hands into the ground, the ground around Hydranoid started to shift, creating a dome around the twin headed bakugan. After the dome was finished, Gorem begun preparing for his own attack. He charged energy into his hand, then after charging a substantial amount of it, he tossed the attack in Hydranoid's direction, looking to blast the darkus monstrosity with everything he had.