Episode 5: Pros Before Lows

[Roxy Grimm]

Roy wasn't happy at what she saw and neither was her Bakugan Aquarius. She soon let that known as she began to shout at no her opponents but her own partner Niko. "You useless blind Idiot! I thought you were meant to be good and your bakugan goes out like that! Why the hell are you here! Get out of my way!" Roxy shouted before pushing Niko away before facing he two resistors again. "I will win this myself" She then said coldly still to Niko as Aquarius stood not giving up yet. "At least I can take a hit" Aquarius said rolling her eyes at Niko's Bakugan Partner that was now in Baugan form. "If i knew they were a weakling I would of defeated them myself" Aquarius said shaking her head in disapointed that Niko was on thier side with that much ability.

[Niko Adrian Nyx]

With a final blow from the opponent, Donovan got knocked back very forcefully and reverted back into his smaller form. A few plastic clicks were clearly heard by Niko's sensitive ears, small clicking vibrations coming her way. The crowd gives a roar and Roxy shoots some hateful comments at her, like everyone always would. The darkus spartan places her hands over her ears in attempts to block the ear piercing noise along with the words that cut and falls to her knees.

"Donovan..." She mumbles with her slightly trembling form while the ball of the said bakugan dissolves into a dark mist. With a final sharp gasp of air Niko collapsed to the the ground with a 'thud'. The dark mist circles her form a few times before it rested on her right eye and faded onto her skin. On the right side of her face now laid a small swirl pattern as Niko's breathing went from labored to a calm pace, the sound of her life gauge going to zero in the background.

[Tank Stryker]

Tank smiled as he saw the first opponent go down. These Spartans weren't so tough after all. Tank grabbed another card out of his arsenal, but decided he needed to showboat a bit more to get the crowd really into it (not that his fraternity brothers needed it; they were going crazy as usual).

"Alright, Gladion!" Tank yelled, pumping his arms up and down to get the crowd pumped up again, "One down, one to go! Let's finish these suckers off and go party!" Tank's brothers cheered loudly at the word party.

Taking the card and swiping it through his BrawlX, Tank held up his wrist.

"Ability, activate!" he screamed as Gladion began charging at the opponent, warhammer raised, "Burning Cold!"

Gladion's hands began to glow an icy blue and a fiery orange, the two energies flowing up the handle of his warhammer and imbuing it with the powers of both Pyrus and Aquos. While at full speed, Gladion brought his arm back, and swung hard into Aquarius' skull. The scorpion bakugan flew back fast into the wall before being burned severely in a column of fire. Gladion took a defensive stance as he watched the now smoldering, blackened bakugan was incased in permafrost, sealing it in place.

[Markus Hederick]

"Well...that wasn't very nice, even if they're Spartans who already showed they don't care about us." Tank most likely didn't care about what was just said on the other side. The win was the important thing here, and Markus knew that. It seemed...very off-putting, but eerily familiar just as he realized before the brawl when he looked at her.

He couldn't let that bother him lest Roxy is somehow capable of following through with her declaration and the people end up blaming him and Gargulion for the loss. This was probably their usual routine of throwing them off their game. Roxy wasn't as strong as she claimed to be, and it clearly showed throughout the battle. The world finally saw what happens when the Spartans have nothing to bag the Resistors for. They couldn't hide from the truth anymore.

"Blind or not, she provoked a better reaction out of me than you did, missy," Gargulion scolded out loud for everyone to hear. "You can't even prevent yourself from being hit. There's more than one way to fight if you hadn't noticed."

"Defense sounds like a good idea, not that it'll matter at this point. You're washed," Markus suggested out of pity. He swiped an ability on his BrawlX, and firmly held it up with his arm across his body. "Ability activate! Nightmare Fleet!"

Two unstable apparitions of Gargulion emerged from his body. They descended to the ground below, and once they touched down, it dispersed, revealing two Bakugan in their respective places: Aracobra and Volcanic Bolcanon, the venomous spider and walking volcano that aided Gargulion in various transformations and combinations in the past.

"See, talking trash doesn't take too much skill now, does it? Anyone can do that." Aracobra started covered what was left exposed of the progressively encasing Aquarius with toxic webbing. A loud bang was heard as Bolcanon erupted. Numerous bursts of fire were shot straight into the air and was descending to the Aquarius's area like a meteor shower. "The pro scene is very different. Tank and I aren't here because we talked our way into this; we fought to be here. Being on this level takes way more skill than turning friends against each other and beating the depressed when they're down."

[Roxy Grimm]

"If they can't handle you guys then i don't need them to beat you !" Roxy shouted before getting out multiple cards. "Double and Special Abilities Activate! Water Foe plus Natural Shine plus Final Stand!" Roxy shouted as she activated the cards one by one. Aquarius got ready and was surronded in a glow of multiple colours due to the two normal abilities which got brighter thanks to Final Stand. This card was to increase the chance to the other two cards succeding. However Aquarius was strugling but refused to lose like this. Not when she and her Partner tried so hard. "Come on Aquarius you do this!" Roxy shouted as she clenched both of her fists. These two boys were annoying her and wanted to defeat them now more then before.

[Tank Stryker]

Tank began to laugh at Roxy's pathetic attempt at a counter. She sounded so naive, so young, when she activated her abilities; like a freshly snowed field untouched by man. Now Tank was going to stomp all over that field and write his name in the snow with his piss.

"Are you SERIOUSLY the best the 'Spartans' have to offer us?" Tank taunted, using the word "seriously" like a dart to pierce Roxy's heart, "My girlfriend brawls better than you, and she's only been in one brawl!"

The Legion crowd laughed at Tank's joke, save Katherine, who sunk into her seat, blushing. Tank had brought up her brawling ability during his matches before as an insult, which she didn't really mind, more found embarrassing and pride building. Her bakugan, Pyrus Cerberoid, formerly belonged to Tank's dead best friend, John, and was eager to battle Gladion in his new form. Katherine had been more than willing to fill in for John, and, after one big battle, she realized her natural brawling ability. Still, she wasn't that good, but she still thought herself as a better brawler than Roxy.

"Kick that bakugan's ass, Gladion!" Steve yelled from the sidelines as his and Tank's fraternity brothers cheered and chanted "Stryker" loudly. The brothers pulled out their phones to record Tank's victory as Tank himself pulled out two of his cards and turned to Markus.

"Watch my back," Tank commanded Markus, his voice serious, "I think I can finish her off, but just in case." Tank then swiped the two cards through his BrawlX, holding the device high in the air as the jumbotron lit up brightly.

"Double ability, activate!" Tank yelled, with a big smile on his face as he stared down Roxy, "Special Ability, Remnants of the Titans - Scythe of Kronos plus Weapon of the Gods - Claymore of Zeus!"

Time seemed to stop for the arena as a portal opened in front of Gladion, who reached in to grab the powerful Scythe of Kronos with his left hand. Slashing the Scythe resumed time as thunderclouds gathered above the arena and began raining down lightning onto the field. Bolt after bolt struck Aquarius as Gladion grabbed the Claymore with his right. Gladion then took of running, slashing the air to create a wormhole for him to travel through, appearing behind the now-electricuted Aquarius with his sword raised. With one gigantic slash, Gladion ripped through Aquarius, sending the scorpion bakugan down hard to the ground. Swinging the sword around, Gladion pointed the blade at the center of Aquarius' torso, then turned his head to Tank. Tank looked at him with a fist firmly outstretched in front of him. The crowd cheering loudly at Tank's signature move, Tank gave a hard thumbs down, signaling Gladion to end the battle.

Gladion threw the Scythe to the side into an open portal, and grasped the Claymore with both of his hands. Looking Aquarius in the eyes, Gladion's voice was as smooth as a rose's petal, but as sharp as its thorns, "You and your friends will never be true warriors."

With that, Gladion thrust hard into the center of Aquarius' chest. The scorpion writhed and struggled, but was ultimately futile. Gladion had made Aquarius look like a bug in someone's collection. Aquarius turned into a bright blue light, then reverted to ball form, falling at Roxy's feet. Gladion let out a roar as he grabbed the Claymore again, his red cape flapping in the wind.

The whole crowd exploded into cheers as Tank basked in their love. Katherine was on her feet clapping with the rest of his brothers behind her, screaming and chanting his name. The Legion side turned into a chant for Tank while the Revolution side began to give it up for Markus. Gladion reverted back into ball form and flew into Tank's outstretched hand. Tank's eyes flashed blue for a split second before going back to normal.

"Better luck next time," Tank said as he turned his microphone on, "Looks like you couldn't handle either of us!" Tank did an about-face and began walking towards the competitors' entrance they came in. Tank stopped as he passed Markus and turned to him, turning his microphone off.

"Don't let your feelings for the enemy get in your way during battle," Tank advised Markus, "That was always your biggest flaw when facing me."

Tank then continued out to the locker room with Steve following exclaiming how great Tank's performance was before going out to meet Katherine and his brothers in the waiting area. Still, even with the extra pay, this battle seemed very out of the ordinary. Tank began to wonder why it had happened, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion extinguished its Pyrus Frame ability to become his original form once Gladion initiated the flashy finishing move that sent the crowd out of their seats. He began to boast; after hoisting his arms over his shoulders and opening his hands, he turned his body to his left and right, clearly exhibiting a gesture that means "praise me." "Waste of time, but a good source of income," he insulted prior to returning to ball form and into Markus's hands, leaving everything that needed to be proven on the battlefield where nothing anyone did could erase what happened.

There was always one thing about him that always seems to interfere with his thought process. Tank didn't waste any time pointing it out to him. "There's always something, huh?" He observed Roxy literally dragging Niko out of the arena rather than carry her, which hints that she could get antsy when she loses. "Well, the battle's already over. There's nothing saying I can't let it distract me now."

He acted according to what he was thinking about before and after the brawl. Before paying Tank his final dues before he departed with the Revolution, he followed a very attention-gathering roar coming from the lady's locker room after the Spartans were seemingly driven out of there due to their incompetence on the battlefield, which even Markus thought was a bit overboard since it is him and Tank they were facing, making it only natural for it to happen. The overconfident ego he had was well-deserved considering the opposing side had plenty to say to the Resistors as a whole, so it was about time they were humbled and their mouths were shut.

So he follows the noise he had no trouble hearing to appear behind Roxy while she was still dragging Niko on the floor. "There are more reasons why you lost than just her abilities alone," he called out, halting her motion completely. "How about we try picking her up instead of leaving her down there like your other 'friends' seem to do to us? You can handle that on your own as well, can't you?"

[Roxy Grimm]

Roxy was annoyed at losing and picked up the Bakugan before dragging Niko away. Sadly for Roxy though Marcus followed her some how and was trying to give her advise. "And why would ever listen to a man that keep staring and following me?!" Roxy shouted as she dropped niko, turned round and pushed marcus. "I don't need your advise Resistor! If did I would've asked!" Roxy continued as she turned back round and walked away dragging niko again. "The only reason i lost was because this girl here can't support me against two strong opponents!I promise you i'll be more of a challenge when i have no one holding me back or i have to keep afloat!" Roxy called out before a portal appeared in front of her. She then threw niko in and walked in herself  before it closed behind her.

[Noland Hardy]

Markus wasn't too surprised at the reaction he got from Roxy in a verbal sense since he expected that. The pushing was a bit startling. He found it sickening that she went out of her way to drop Niko just do that, and to defiantly drag her away anyway despite Markus telling her to stop. He couldn't think of anything to say to explain to himself what just happened. There was nothing he needed to say.

The confusion made Markus unaware that his wallet dropped out of his back pocket. He wouldn't know about this until Tank came over to commend Markus for surprisingly keeping up with him throughout the battle, in a joking manner of course. The other reason for saying this was his concern of Markus's behavior towards Roxy at the battle's beginning as a sign of him not being focused. Tank spotted Markus's wallet on the floor, and what came out of it was a picture. He looked at it with curiosity to see a photo of a younger Markus with a girl right beside him in a house. Tank smiled as if he discovered one of Markus's secrets and casually remarked that he never knew Markus could get a girlfriend.

Obviously embarrassed, Markus took his wallet and picture back from Tank. He looked at the picture for himself to see who Tank was talking about. Tank found it weird that Markus had to look that closely when it seemed like he had the picture for a long time. Markus theorized that he never really paid too much attention to it since it just laid there in the same spot as usual and he only went in there for money or identification. Upon closer inspection, Markus drew the lines and figured out who was in that picture with him.

Markus stood there shocked for a moment, unresponsive to Tank's attempts to get him to spit out the information. He finally admitted that the person in that picture was Roxy when she was younger. Thinking that he was lying, Tank snatched the picture away in disbelief to see for himself. He saw the similarities in appearance and couldn't deny it even after seeing the display of attitude Roxy showed them. Tank asked again if he actually dated a person way worse than Karen. Noticing that Markus became depressed as soon as he asked, Tank wondered if there was something Markus went through with her that's causing this reaction. Markus opted to avoid talking about it since the thought of her resurfacing brought a slew of terrible memories about his past.

Gladion silently mentioned how Markus actually has something interesting going on now, which Gargulion heard and nearly jumped out of ball form just to silence him. Tank had to bid him farewell since he was going out with his friends, but he warned him not to do anything stupid with Roxy if she's brave enough to show her face after the beating they gave her in battle. Once he was gone, Gargulion asked Markus about the situation since even he was unaware of what was being talked about in relation to Roxy. Markus refused to answer the question truthfully, but he hinted that there was something that happened that he wishes to be forgiven for.

[Noland Hardy]