Episode 11: At Least You Tried

[Noland Hardy]

Drago did not flinch from having his own technique's impact affect him instead. He was already used to those type of hits, so it didn't bother him as much. He did growl a little, showing he was not very pleased to know that his opponent was exploiting some sort of power trick to get the better of him. "That's how she did it...that's how Hydranoid and Skystar lost..." he realized.

"The only difference being that I found out about Yita's strategy very early in the battle by not using too much power so early," Noland analyzed. "This one's going to be tough to handle..."

Knowing what he was going to be in for, Noland chose to brawl sparingly to keep a lookout for Yita's tricks. He didn't want to end up in the same position his teammates were in the past. "Ability activate! Oppressive Air!" Drago released heat from his body to make the battlefield his own personal battleground, complete with a volcanic atmosphere that's prime to incapacitate foes within seconds via intolerable heat and poisonous gas emissions from below, and the progressive melting of the gate card.

[Allen Silva]

" C'mon Noland! Knock her out into next week!" Allen cheered for his friend as loud as he could, slowky making his voice horse in the process. After the whole Damian and Jamal fiasco earlier, this was almost like sweet redemption. He was living vicariously through Nolands battle, but he didnt care. After Noland negated Yita's ability, Allen raised his fist into the air." Nothing like that is going to take down Master Blaze. Is that the best you got?!"

After his outburst of cheering, he noticed that Alana stayed mostly quiet." Gorem, whats wrong with her?" He asked the floating subterra bakugan by his shoulder.

"Beats me." Gorem instantly replied." I dont know whats up with her, but its not nothing."

Allen turned to Alana and Hydranoid." Dont worry. Nolands gonna beat her no problem. Then hopefully this thing with her is over with, and we chalk it up to one for the group."

" or are you jealous that your man is battling another girl?" Gorem poked fun at her, possibly negating anything Allen.had done with his words." Its ok, no need to be shy about it."

[Alana Cortese]

Alana was primarily focused on how Noland and Drago were going to work around Yita's strategy. It was an undeniable fact that Neri was frail - especially when Yita openly admits it on the battlefield - as Hydranoid and Drago's lightest attacks nearly put her out of commission, but that's what she wants them all to think. Underneath all of that is a sly trickster that can make the most powerful opponents seem like nothing, almost like she's a match for any brawler out there. She didn't care how Yita was put down, but as long as it happened, that was all she needed. Until then, she remained on edge, eagerly awaiting for something to happen.

Allen's comment did make her smile a little. It was nice to hear him make attempts to keep her confidence up. It was Gorem's comments that made all of that go away again. "Just when you almost had her, Gorem just had to open his mouth," Hydranoid blurted out.

"You should know about that, shouldn't you?"

"....You're not wrong about that one either..."

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

"Hehe, just keep on doing what you're doing Noland dearie," Yita giggle to herself quietly, her blue yes scanning the battlefield which has essentially become some molten lava-like area.

"You're treading on thin ice Yita." Neri huffs as she watches the surroundings become a fire field. The effects of it weren't bugging the cat all too much, after all her brawler did anticipate something like this within her gazillion scenarios. Slowly she felt her energy seeping away due to the eminence heat lapping against her fur in the most unpleasant manner.

The said partner chimes a response, "I'm well aware of that Neri!~" She draws yet another card and looks at the printed side, scanning it's contents for a moment. "This one will do, ability activate, BCD Boot!"

With this ability called out, Neri's form was covered in a soft light of red hue. The unpleasant heat feeling had been canceled out with the soft light, even with the battle ground still up in flames. "That's better." Neri mutters to herself, placing her paws the right way before the hearing ground got to her paw pads. "Go on Drago, I'm waiting."

[Noland Hardy]

Drago wasn't all that concerned about Neri's attempt to goad him into an attack. He was going to do it anyway, but what he got from that was, "Hey. You're not really making me try here." Noland must have gotten that same reaction. The first and only hit they've taken was very fierce and unexpected. He knew that he'd have the same obstacle to overcome that Alana and Tracy could not adapt to: Yita's unpredictability.

"Try this. Ability activate! Pyre Might!" Drago's eyes lit up as he increased the intensity of the area's flames, making it more difficult to withstand and also upping the increase it gives to his power level. Not knowing if the aid Yita gave Neri was going to become ineffective by this increase, Drago declared another attack where he can take advantage of the effects his ability gives him. He tried it once and it would have knocked Gorem out. That can only mean Neri would have a much more gruesome fate if the attack collides with her. He had to try something to see where she was at strength-wise, both physical and strategic-wise.

"Then here you go," Drago fired back. "Novia Charge!" Drago's horn flourished with the amount of heat power available in the area, giving it its nice translucent red color with more of a ripple-effect. A tornado-like stream of energy surrounded him, the focal point being the tip of the spear. He took off like a comet with hopes that this hit will be the hit that ended it all.

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

"Yita, I hope you know what you're doing..." Neri huffs as she watches Drago charge towards her. She could describe him to be a dragon bullet of sorts. Her current condition wasn't the best with her being in such a hostile setting, although it was better than what she had been put through back at home.

The said partner grins in response, holding up two cards. "I already know what to do Neri, don't worry. Two abilities! Power off!"

"Roger." The cat quickly darts around the field with her signature chains coming out of the tail ring. The chains stays in place until Neri stops after the 6th lap, that's when it snapped together around Drago. "Ready for that next one."

The tethering ability would have worn off due to the fire blazing around the opponent, but Yita calls out the next ability just in time to avoid that. "Mkay, and its partner in crime, Resonating data." Neri swipes her tail on the ground, a tear on the floor appearing filled with a red hue alongside 1s and 0s. She tips the tip of her tail in to change the hue color to a blue-white and seals the tear the same way she hold opened it.

Now the abilities that Noland and Drago had played were canceled to prevent any further damage to Neri, and now in effect against him at double power. The red flames that Drago attacked with were now a light blue as Neri took control of them, adding her own data to the attack to make sure that the flames would harm the dragon and not help him.

[Noland Hardy]

There it was. That ability Yita must have been playing towards: Power Off. If Hydranoid's condition was any indication on how this ability works, Drago should be in trouble. Not being able to activate any abilities should be rough on him. He tried to breath some fire just to see if it would work, but it was definitely true; all that came out of his mouth was smoke.

"You must think you're really something, huh?" Drago wondered. Others might believe he's backed into a corner with his abilities shut down and the battlefield being covered in hostile energy, but it wasn't a problem. He had his own trump card too: Noland.

He lit his left hand in rainbow energy, giving Drago the same coloration. Now he was ready to go. "Sorry, Yita, but this is where this brawl ends. That trick doesn't work on me. Never has, and never will." He got a rainbow-colored ability card on his BrawlX and swiped it. "Ability activate! Advanced Supremacy!"

A new ability in his arsenal, Advanced Supremacy gives Drago a new, more powerful form. He was literally on fire from this powerful energy. Everything about him became so much better, especially in the areas of strength and fortitude. He was completely resistant to the environment being turned against him, and, with a loud roar, every ability active on Neri's side was completely obliterated. The sheer strength of it all knocked Neri back a couple of steps.

"Go, Drago!" Noland commanded while pointing at Neri. Like a bullet, Drago charged at Neri, delivering a jaw-shattering punch to the face.

[Allen Silva]

Allen reacted as though he got punched. That ability made it all but Nolands brawl." She might as well give up. Cause that was check." Allen commented on the current situation of the brawl. He was pumped up to see his best friend finally five Earth one on the scoreboard. Not to eay anyone is really keeping a tally, but that thought made him feel better about this ordeal.

" im well aware of what my partner did. And hes sorry about that."

" just trying to lighten the mood." Gor e m pouted. He really did have the best of intentions." Obviously it was too soon on that one."

" you can say that again. Now lets watch as master blaze finishes this Spartan."

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

The feline huffs, annoyed that the abilities that once backed her up weren’t in play anymore. She then closes her eyes and braces herself for the incoming impact from Drago himself which came as soon as she anticipated. The contact made her flip back a few times, lying on her stomach in a batted up condition beside her love-obsessed partner. “Hey Neri, ya there?” Yita asks in an unconcerned tone as she browses through her self-made deck of ability cards for the said bakugan. “Because I’m waiting, you gotta do a little better. One more blow.” Yita pulls out a card from the desk as Neri sighs, slowly getting back up. “Ability activate, Regini.”

“That’s a tad bit better.” Neri says as she lets out a roar, much similar to the one that Drago did not too long ago which negated her active abilities. Now it was her turn to repay the favor, her roar negating all of her opponent’s abilities and playing the most recent one back, Neri’s version. “Here’s your attack back Drago.” The cat says her form flashed into what can be interpreted as her evolved form for a split second with her aura cloaking her before charging into the dragon with the same force he did to her.

[Noland Hardy]

"Heh. You weren't wrong about that. It will only take one more blow," Noland agreed. Drago nodded in agreement with that as well. He didn't need to move from where he was when Neri was coming towards him. Drago intentionally took the hit from Neri just to show what he meant.

"You would have made me blink if that was just a tad bit stronger." Drago's heightened form completely tanked the damage. He absorbed it like Gorem would for most attacks. "Physical battles aren't your specialty. Don't embarrass yourself anymore by trying to do what I do."

Drago grabbed Neri's face with his left hand, which was big enough to completely smother her. It was clear that Noland and Drago saw all they needed to see to defeat her.

"Ability activate! Crimson Bonding!" As this evolution's iteration of the Chained Severing and Infernal Bind attack, this was undoubtedly lethal at what it does. Drago's body excreted rainbow-colored electricity that scattered across the field. Since Neri was already well within striking distance, it bonded with her body, delivering the paralysis and burning effects coupled within the technique's effects. While this would be enough to incapacitate Neri in the present battle conditions, Drago refused to loosen his grip.

"Count yourself lucky that there's incompetent officers roaming the streets today. This would've been a more violent encounter if I saw you in the past." Drago amplified his right hand with a bright light of sorts.

"I don't like being followed. You know about who I've fought against. You understand," Noland suggested. He didn't want to be as harsh as Drago was. Yita wasn't all that bad in his eyes.

"Havoc Ignition!" Drago employed the same strategy Gorem indirectly taught him during the battle against Helios and Vulcan. He had to detonate an energy source though. The target was definitely obvious: Neri's cloak, the one she 'stole' from Drago's Supremacy form.

"If you creep around me, you get destroyed. If you stop doing that, however..." Drago pressed his hand on Neri's skin, detonating her cloak, and, by extension, blowing her up in close quarters. "...we'll get along just fine." Drago's cloak distorted a bit by the close-range explosion, but Neri was on the ground next to him, in flames of course.

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

"Hmph, I suppose I do understand." Yita kept her upbeat and bubbly mask on as her inner self responds back to what Noland was saying mentally. "Correction: I was never creeping to begin with but more so watching out for you, and making sure you stay okay." Once finishing mentally responding, the spartan goes back to watching the battle, indifferent about how Neri was holding up at this point.

The power of Drago's ability wore Neri out completely and sent her back into her little toy ball form. "Aw phooey, I thought we could have lasted a bit longer." Yita pouts as she crosses her arms. She then walks over to Neri and picks up her bakugan, examining her now tattered features. "You managed to dislocate her jaw pretty well, along with a few other bones. Not to mention you really messed up her fur. Congratz." The girls hums as she pats her partner with her index finger before placing her into her pocket where she would recharge and fix herself up. It would be a good half and hour most likely, judging from the state that Neri was now in. Yita's gaze locks onto the pocket were her partner was resting, her usual bright blue eyes turning a dark blue with the shadow that drops by once again with her lowering her head."I suppose I'll need to make a few modifications to you."

With one last huff, Yita halts her thoughts on Neri and spins around to look at Noland. "Well at least I have a strong and powerful man to watch over me!~" The girl hums out as she skips over to the said male with the intent of glomping him.

[Noland Hardy]

Drago canceled his form upon realizing that he'd won the brawl. As per the usual tradition, Drago released a loud victory roar. He then returned to ball form, landing on Noland's left shoulder when going back. He immediately opened his ball form soon afterwards in an attempt to comment on the situation. "Do you think she understands now?" he wondered.

Noland did smile a little when he heard Yita acknowledge that she was getting the message. "After all that time we spent here talking and battling, I'm not too bothered by her anymore," he responded.

"Um...what?"

"The stalking is definitely wrong, but I don't sense any ill intentions by it. She's alright."

"...I'm guessing the answer's no then?"

Both of them saw Yita approaching very quickly with a joyful expression on her face. She was about to glomp him. "Of course." Noland offered no resistances, probably because there was no point in delaying the inevitable. He looked over to Alana and gave her a wink, probably to make sure she didn't kill him afterwards.

[Noland Hardy]