Episode 21: Truth Be Told

[Xavier Turano]

When Damian made a suggestion on who was at fault for Hades ending up in hostile hands, the Royal Guard all turned their heads to look at Xavier. He wasn't pleased by that at all. He'll take the blame for Dasia getting hurt, but he absolutely refused to be blamed for the masked person getting in there and doing what he did.

"No, no, no," he sternly said to them. "Don't look at me. I'm not the one being paid to watch our backs. That's your job!"

He wanted to say more, but he had to stop himself. Going any further would have gotten him emotional. Everyone died except for himself and the head scientist, so the thought that their negligence led to an event like this made him angrier beyond belief that they would put their eyes on him to shift the blame elsewhere. It made him very sick to his stomach that these were the people employed to protect them.

[Dasia Turano]

"On that note, here's one thing we'll all agree on," Dasia said in observance of the poor behavior of the Royal Guard. "The window of opportunity to be proactive in stopping him has ceased, and we know who is to blame for that."

She looked directly at the Royal Guard when addressing their failures. "You were told plenty of times to run him down. Neither of you did that. The only thing you came back to me with was a load of excuses. You are called the Royal GUARD for a reason, so if either one of us gets hurt like we are now, then the only direction blame should be getting sent towards is in yours. The condition we're in right now is unacceptable on both Earth and Gundalia, and I'm not about to accept that shit from you. Get it together, or get the fuck out."

"As for you, Damian and Helios, my decision stands. If you wanted to stop him so bad, then you should have been here while he was here. It's a shame you weren't.

There was nothing left to be said after that. They all got their orders and knew what needed to be fixed. If they didn't know now, then they die. Plain and simple. "I'm done talking with you all. Get out of here."

[Damian Knight]

Damian nodded, but it was secretly used as a hint of disapproval. "Sure thing, Dasia." Calling her by her first name was a very bad idea. Everyone in the room was completely silent and awaited what was going to be done about it.

Damian didn't give them time to think that one through though. Him and Helios were completely serious about her telling them where the masked person was so he can be killed. The thought of just sitting in there and dying wasn't something he did, and he wasn't going to start it now. If the others were too incompetent to resolve the situation, then he'd do it himself.

"I've spent four years of my life letting you order me around while you watched from that chair of yours. While you're sitting back and relaxing while I pull the weight, here's a tip for you before you get all pissy about someone's performance or existence in general. And who knows? You might be a little bit better than my parents on this one since you're too uptight for men around here." Damian opened a dimensional portal using his BakuMeter from within the throne room. "Don't ask us to do anything you aren't willing to do yourself."

He walked straight through the portal and went to Earth, completely defying Dasia's order right in front her.

[Jamal Armstrong]

"I can't say I'm surprised..."

Jamal knew that was coming. He was confident that Dasia knew what she was doing by ordering a complete defense around her while Hades was in the possession of the enemy, but could it really be that simple? What was the ultimate plan here? Their destruction by their own power was very likely given what took place in Gamma City. If that was an indication on what happens when they wait, then waiting was a bad idea. On the other side of the coin, they only know that the masked man went to Earth. They don't know where he could be now, so if they're a man down when he suddenly comes back and blows everything up, then there's the billion dollar problem.

Tec looked around at everyone's faces, and then looked at Jamal for an answer. "So...now what?"

Jamal looked Dasia in the eyes before making a move. He didn't give her a look that said where he stood in the situation. He just had to do what he had to do.

"Whatever happens happens." He opened a portal in the same way Damian did, and went on his way.

[Xavier Turano]

Xavier wasn't very surprised to see Damian disrespect and disobey someone in authority once again. The huge shocker was Jamal doing the same. He was the most respected member of the Spartans, and for the first time in his career, he defied an order from Dasia. It didn't seem like it was hostile like Damian's though. Maybe Jamal wouldn't receive any penalties for leaving, but no one knew for sure what was going through Dasia's mind right now.

The Royal Guard's embarrassing behavior made him not want to leave with them. The Spartans left the room first, followed by the Royal Guard next. That just left him with Dasia.

"Hey...um...I know you probably don't want to see me right now, but..." Xavier stepped up to her throne, miserable as ever from the recent events. "I'm...sorry..."

[Dasia Turano]

Dasia was unperturbed by the display Damian and Jamal put forward in front of everyone. They were an afterthought for now. She had come to accept that they cannot be relied upon any longer.

Once everyone else left, Xavier came up to her to apologize.

"Pick yourself up, X. We're not finished yet," she assured him. "What I've just witnessed today has tarnished the trust I had left for them. That's the last time they're going to hear from me about the situation. If they're not capable of doing what I ask of them, then forget them. I will do it myself."

She eyed Xavier specifically after mentioning her intentions. "If Hades is any indication of what you have in store, then we need to see more of it. They'll act as a buffer to our forces in case things get dicey again. Two of them will be reserved for you and I. From the moment your co-worker gets out of the hospital, I'll re-assign you both here in the palace so they can be worked on. Does that sound okay to you?"

[Xavier Turano]

Now Dasia was serious - way more serious than she has ever been. When they first started out, she was more laid back, playful, kinder, and even sweeter with her choice of words. She has definitely developed the attitude fit for a ruler - authoritative, not afraid to say what needs to be said, holds people accountable, and knows what's at stake. Xavier remembers telling her that she needed to do that, and she did it, surpassing his own expectations for her. He wouldn't admit that he misses Dasia's old attitude; it was almost infectious, but in a good way.

"Sounds like a good plan," he said, lifting his attitude a bit. "I will make diagrams on their design while we wait. I have plenty of combinations that will suit us and the planet as a whole. We'll have every area covered by the time they're made."

"Just one question though..." Xavier needed a starting point. "Do you want me to prioritize ours or the ones I plan to use for security?"

[Dasia Turano]

Dasia was happy to hear the enthusiasm in Xavier's voice. It was a good feeling to see that he can get out of his rut with the talk of an area of passion. These had the potential to be the most powerful Bakugan. It was an opportunity she wouldn't allow anyone to ruin, especially when they can be used to deal maximum damage against all adversaries, even Earth if it comes to it due to the masked man's presence.

"I don't want you to overload yourself with too much work, so handle as many as you think you can take," she suggested. "These need to be made correctly with as many flaws absent as possible. Time is of the essence, but I want quality put above everything else. If it's not right, then don't show it to me."

"Since everyone else is still on payroll, make ours first. We'll get what we can out of them all, then we'll let your creations take their jobs."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland and Drago were skidding back a few feet from a powerful force. Looking ahead of them, one could see the multitude of mock Dragonoid that have surfaced from the volcanic regions of this deep space they were in.

"This...is the thirtieth wave..." Drago gasped, exhausted beyond belief. "He wasn't joking when he said this was going to be tough..."

"And we still haven't gotten the symbol we're supposed to get," Noland noted. "All we've seen is darkness, over and over again." He started thinking about the idea of the Switch Code and decided to give this form a new name. "I'm going to start calling it the Hex Code now just to make it easier to refer to..."

As the mock Dragonoid were calling, Noland started to concentrate his synergy with Drago, attempting to recreate the energy needed to produce the Switch Code transformation. They could both feel the energy amassing into them. Would this finally be the time they produce it?

[Vince Hardy]

Vince was on the sidelines watching Noland and Drago go through their training. He jumped into action whenever they used the Hex Code as opposed to the Switch Code. With Apollonir's help, they were able to cancel their bloody rampages thirty times. They failed a total of thirty times...

"They're persistent," Apollonir gladly observed. "I'm happy to see that. You?"

Vince nodded in agreement. "It's making me a bit nostalgic. I haven't seem him work this hard since he was just starting out with Allen. Words cannot describe how prideful I feel about him."

"You and me both. I haven't been this close to one of Drago's fights since the Second Universal War. His growth is on the right track, slightly ahead of the curve even. He may just become stronger than me."

"That's the same thing I said about Noland when I saw his first brawl."

The fathers were looking proud and excited until Noland and Drago started to power up again. They stood by until they figured out the true extent of what they were summoning. It turned out to be the Hex Code, so Vince and Apollonir intervened just like the past thirty times.

"Okay. Here we go." Vince swiped a card on his BrawlX. "Ability activate! Saiam Low! Do it now!"

Apollonir excreted scarlet-red energy from his body that merged with Drago upon swift contact. Drago's energy was steadily being drained, thereby cancelling the transformation.

"Noland and Drago, remember what I said before. You need to be in sync with each other for this to work. That synchronization can't just be planned; it needs to be developed, absent of all other things except for what your gut is telling you to do."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland and Drago felt a little bit different from the previous outbursts. Unlike the previous transformations, this Hex Code didn't make either of them go crazy. They were very composed, almost like they were beginning to grasp the concepts behind their power. Both the brawler and partner looked each other in the eyes and nodded as if that was their intended result. They had a mutual understanding of each other's feelings. That's why they re-activated the Hex Code form instantaneously after being denied.

"We understand what you're asking us to do,"

"but we can't fulfill that request right now."

Both of them threw in the towel after the thirty-first time. It has come to their attention that doing this over and over again wasn't going to produce any results. It probably worked for Apollonir, but it wasn't clicking with them.

"If you're telling me to go by instinct, then instinct tells me we're going to need more than a horde battle to awaken this power. We fought the masses and still don't feel any different. I'm going to have to see some things before we can get this right, so I'd suggest pushing that test back to our battle against you. You said yourself that the synchro can't be planned, so that must mean it can't be forced either."

[Vince Hardy]

"It took me one-hundred waves for me to realize that. I'm impressed." When Noland and Drago realized what was going on, Apollonir waved his hand to disperse all of the mock Dragonoid that were being used for Drago's test. "You passed half of your test."

"I was thinking they were going to get it this way too... Oh well."

Slightly disappointed that the exercise did not result in his expectations, Vince understood that it was what Apollonir must have expected, so he couldn't let his pride get in the way of that.

"You'll have plenty of time to recover. Use it wisely," Vince recommended to them.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland and Drago cancelled their transformation upon hearing that they passed. They weren't too happy about failing to recognize the important detail behind Vince and Apollonir's words until they fought thirty rounds. It was better late than never. All they could hope for was for something to work down the line.

"You're really making this hard for us by not telling me that sooner, huh...?" He guessed it was necessary for them to learn through experience rather than talk. They could talk all they wanted to, but it was only through feeling that they were going to get something accomplished.

"I guess the other test is getting that Code to work then," Drago assumed. "So the two remaining things to look forward to are what the other Soldiers have planned and our battle."

"Hey...um, Dad...I know this is a bit off-topic to what's going on here, but there's something I'd like to know," Noland interrupted. "That 'lifelong friend' of yours succeeded you and got whatever you left before our fight with Barodius. What was in there?"

[Vince Hardy]

"You know about Andrew?"

"Oh..." Apollonir hadn't gotten to that point with Vince to tell him that just yet. "Yeah...they do. He's the one that resurrected Dharak and had him commit global genocide in the name of revenge. The death of his loved one made him more sick than anyone."

"..." Vince was very upset to hear about this, but he was also disheartened that it may have been his fault. "Your own godfather didn't do a great job of caring for you, did he? I'm not really surprised if this is what I'm hearing...what a shame."

This was one question that Vince really didn't want to answer since it made him uncomfortable, but he did it anyway just for the sake of not trying to hide anything if he really wasn't guilty of any wrongdoing.

"What I wrote were instructions in case either Drago or Dharak died in the upcoming battle," Vince explained. "I suggested that someone should experiment with either Bakugan's Ultimate Warrior Gene to see if they could add to the strength of Bakugan. Of course, that was playing with fire, and a lot of people got burned because of it."

[Noland Hardy]

"Nero's my...godfather...? No way..."

Noland listened closely to what Vince said. Everything was starting to get pieced together. Vince didn't directly give permission for the Pack to be created, but he was trying to get others stronger to deal with the powerful enemies that were attacking them in case he could no longer do it himself.

"That decision must have been made before we found out what a Doom Card was," Drago pointed out. "That's a perfect way of showing that any type of power can be used for evil if you allow it."

"The battle suits didn't make them that much stronger anyway. I'd doubt your genetics would have made a difference," Noland added.