Episode 18: Up Your Arsenal

[Noland Hardy]

Distraught over his parents and sister being infected by the Hurranians, Markus rushed back to Maryland to get into Washington, citing a family emergency as his excuse for missing anything important at college. He knew where they were being quarantined and wanted to see if the same Noland and Lydia combo can still be used to save them, that's if it hasn't already been done. He had to get away from Princeton anyway; that new club he was sick of was riding his back more than the professors were for their final exams and projects, and it was all because of a "huge disagreement" between Noland and the public.

Along the way, he encountered Tank in the streets. Markus watched him from above considering he was traveling by flight on Gargulion's back. Tank recognized Gargulion's shadow immediately and knew that Markus was present in the area. Markus was called down to the ground before the police sniped him from the sky. The two then started to recap what has been going on for them both, on and off the field. 

[Tank Stryker]

Tank and Markus walked towards one of Tank's favorite spots on campus: Shorty's Pizza Shack. While the Hurranians had messed with him there and taunted him in front of his pledge brothers, Tank still couldn't escape the deliciousness of their Pizza Pillows. Markus seemed a bit off, as usually by now they were at each other's throats over who was the better brawler and he hadn't said a word to Tank about that yet. In fact, Markus said nothing for the entire walk to Shorty's. The two brawlers had apparently preferred to walk in silence to the spot.

The duo arrived at the sports bar and sat down on the patio outside. A professional brawling match was taking place on television between the Waco Masons and the El Paso Banditos, two Texas powerhouse teams. The waitress came over to the two brawlers, almost overly excited to be serving the two Resistors.

"Um, hi," the waitress said, her voice cracking with excitement, "M-my name is Cindy, and I'll be serving you today! Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?"

"I'll have a Shiner Bock," Tank replied, giving the waitress a wink as Gladion popped out of his pocket.

"He'll actually have a water," Gladion corrected the order.

"What are you, my mom?" Tank retorted, turning back to the waitress, Cindy, "Can you bring out a Shiner and a water please, Cindy? And my friend here will have a Shiner as well."

Cindy giggled and nodded in agreement with a peppy "Okay!" before leaving two menus and walking off to fulfill the drink orders.

"Tank, you're underaged," Gladion scolded his brawling partner, sounding very parental.

"Lighten up, Glad," Tank replied with a coy smile, "It's a very rare occurrence when we get to relax and have a beer." Tank then turned to Markus, "I hope you like dark beers, because that's what Shiner is."

The waitress brought back the beers and placed them in front of the two brawlers and Gladion. The waitress shuffled a little, gave a smile, and said, "I'll be back soon to take your order." before slipping Markus a folded napkin from her pocket. As she left, a small boy approached the two brawlers brandishing a pen and a couple of trading cards with Tank's and Markus' pictures on them. One of the many perks of being a professional brawler is having your own trading card.

"H-hi," the little boy said, "M-my n-name is S-Sammy. I think you guys are the best brawlers in the world, and I want to be just like you when I grow up! Can you sign my trading cards?"

"Sure, little guy!" Tank said, enthusiastically, taking the pen and the cards, signing his and handing it back to Sammy before handing Markus his card and the pen. Markus silently signed it and handed back to the child, who smiled a big grin, yelled "THANKS!" and ran back to his smiling father. Tank chuckled as he opened his menu and turned back to Markus.

"First of all, we need to get the formalities out of the way," Tank said with a grin, "You suck, and I will always be better than you." Tank then took a big sip of his beer, and let out a satisfied sigh, "Also, try the Pizza Pillows here; it's like a calzone but without the sauce. I get buffalo chicken, but the barbecue chicken and the meat lovers are both good. Be sure to get the marinara sauce if you get the meat lovers though, it completes everything."

Tank closed his menu, ready to order, before continuing to talk to Markus, "How is Princeton treating you?"

[Markus Hederick]

With his parents and his sister in mind the entire time, Markus felt a bit uneasy, and it showed. The only reason why he was down there in the first place was because Tank was surprisingly concerned that he was going to be shot down, and it would have been incredibly awkward if he just left without saying a word. He probably should have given the circumstances, but it wasn't like he was going to make a difference in the situation anyway. For the first time in a while, Tank made so much sense to him that he couldn't even object. Things just carried on from there, all the way to his favorite pizza place.

Still preferring not to say much, he went through the proceedings as usual, except for the slick method of giving Markus her digits on a napkin. He chuckled a little before putting it away, wanting to hide it from Tank as much as possible. Seeing the little boy come over there was probably the best thing he'd seen in months.

Then Tank had to open his big mouth about their rivalry. "You really should have beat me at nationals then," Markus responded, holding up his beer with a sly smile on his face.

"Bear in mind that I'm allowing this to happen just because it's the only thing that'll keep you from killing someone," Gargulion reminded him when he popped up on the table. He wasn't too fond of Markus drinking underage either, but after what they've been through, he couldn't see too many reasons why he shouldn't.

"How's Princeton? Hellhole, that's what." Markus put his cup down before continuing to express his frustration. "I feel like it's trouble in terrorist town up there. Every second I look up, there's always some goon trying to run me over with their Bakugan. I've had to change rooms three times before they finally gave me one all to myself; my roommates always turned out to be members of that sham of a movement they think is anti-Resistor. I couldn't even sleep some days because I'd be afraid I wouldn't wake back up."

Markus easily picked out what he wanted based on what Tank suggested, so he also closed his menu, just waiting for Cindy to come back. "You look upbeat today. I'm guessing you fared better than I have?"

[Tank Stryker]

Tank chuckled at Markus' nationals comment. "I still have the winning record," he retorted, before taking another big gulp of his beer. It was sad to hear of Markus' situation at school; more of these anti-Resistor clubs have been popping up in campuses all over the United States. They caused hell for Tank at school, causing him to miss a couple of matches and put his social life into the bad eye of the sympathizers.

"It's been far from easy," Tank said, his face turning downtrodden, "With everything that's happened to me, our friends, and Katherine, it's becoming very difficult to find something to believe in."

Tank looked down at his hands and fiddled with his fingers, something he had done when he was younger when he was sad or scared.

Or both.

Tank got serious and looked up at Markus, his eyes dead serious.

"With Katherine being sick from these... things, well, it reminds me of loss," Tank continued, "It reminds me of what, and who, I've lost before. It reminds me of John."

Tears began to well up in Tank's eyes, who, almost in beat, rubbed them away. "I don't know what I would do if I lost Katherine, or Steve. Hell, even you. My bravery, my charisma, all these things I've always seen as strengths are being turned on me. I don't know if I can overcome this; I don't want to lose what I have."

Tank straightened up as Cindy returned to the table, ready to take the two's order. Tank handed the menu back to Cindy and said, "I'll have the buffalo chicken Pizza Pillow and another Shiner, please."

[Markus Hederick]

"Guess I shouldn't have asked..."

This had to be the first time Tank has ever hinted to being emotional in front of Markus. He took that with every little bit of surprise. He was obviously going to wait until Tank was done before responding, but Cindy's return interrupted that.

"I'll take the meat lovers Pizza Pillow with marinara sauce and some water," Markus ordered once it was his turn.

"Good choice," Gargulion shamelessly commended, obviously wanting to take shots at Tank for continuing to drink. When she left, he began to address Tank's concerns.

"I get a bit more uneasy every time I hear that name," Markus revealed when Tank mentioned John by name. "Whenever I think of him, Maya, my parents, and even Noland right now, I realize, more than ever before, that it only takes someone to blink for everything to change. I can't tell whether I should feel hopeful for the future or hopeless for the present just because this is the second time the Hurranians have gotten to my family as much as I begged and prayed for it not to happen again. You just can't predict when shit happens, so we just need to try and do what we can."

He then pulled out his wallet, took the picture of himself and Roxy when they were kids, and placed it on the table to look at.

"Because we just might not get another chance to get it right..."

[Noland Hardy]

Seeing Markus depressed over Roxy for the second time, Tank wondered what was really going on with his life. He found Roxy to be arrogant, so he didn't like her very much; he didn't let Markus know this, assuming it to be obvious in the circuit. Markus reminded him of the Resistors' early battles against terrorism. Daniel Andersen's right-hand happened to be Markus' cousin, and he did something terrible to Roxy - leaving out what specifically happened. To shorten the story, Markus admitted to being present when the Terrorist leader nabbed her, and he was at fault for what transpired as a result of him bringing Roxy with him, not knowing what was going to happen.

Understanding the situation a little better now, Tank wondered what Markus' plan was. Markus had no idea what he was going to do since she's on the opposite side and has threatened death upon him should he decide to talk to her again. To Tank, that sounded like giving up, and he wouldn't allow it. He mentioned how it took him two years to convince Katherine to go out with him and that if he is able to persevere and not give up, so can Markus - even though the differences in the situation were substantial, not that it mattered to Tank. Markus conceded that it sounded like a good plan, but he was in no position to do so since his emotions were getting in the way just like Tank warned him about. Markus thought that Tank would now understand what's that like, confusing Tank a little.

Markus reminded him of how he shouldn't feel withdrawn for having been in a close call with the Baltimore Cheaters - the new name he chose to give the team. He alleges that Tank really should have lost that battle against Blade, given his attitude during the brawl when things got dicey. The fact that he pulled himself together and still won serves as motivation to those who have given up. Markus thought that Tank should be proud of that accomplishment as much as he dreads having participated in that battle. Tank laughed it off and saw that Markus had a point in him taking his own advice. In his mind, he admitted that what Damian said about feeling stronger after the win may have been true after all.

By then, Cindy returned with their food. When she did, Markus recalled having missed the scrimmage with Legion due to the Battle Suit incident and decided to challenge Tank to a brawl to show him that he has surpassed him. Tank happily accepted that challenge, much to the joy of everyone in the restaurant.

[Noland Hardy]

(Boss Theme)

It did not take them long to migrate over to the Legion's battle arena. They exchanged their usual banter that comes with their rivalry and threw in their respective Bakugan to go to blows. As Gladion and Gargulion traded hits, their brawlers began to realize that they were matching each other for the most part with neither side having the definitive advantage over the other. Tank's masterful fighting style versus Markus' unpredictable resourcefulness proved to be an even race that neither one of them expected to see. Markus started to gloat over this fact, but even he realized that the two of them know too much about the other that what they seem to do is second nature to one another. Tank denied this, alleging that he's keen on using his familiar weapons and mastering them as opposed to learning tons of different abilities - a quality that he believes gives him the edge against an arsenal enthusiast like Markus.

Markus didn't want Tank to think he didn't appreciate the effort though, so he had Gargulion use his Venom Shot on his own body after fortifying it to corrode the weaponry and projectiles Gladion would send his way. By doing that, Markus proved that he can master his own attacks as well, forcing Tank to consider bringing in the big guns to get rid of Markus' strategy. By the time Tank had amassed his cast of weapons, Markus had already reconfigured Garglulion's body to the Subterra Frame, hoping to mimic how Gladion was taken down by Gorem. Using Gargoyle's Grudge as a booster, he was able to safely attack Gladion's weapons all at once, removing most of them at the cost of his fortification. This meant that Tank theoretically had him in a corner, which was quickly pointed out.

When Tank ordered Gladion to finish Gargulion off with Zeus' claymore, Gargulion stopped him in his tracks by firing a shotgun-style blast from his mouth, encasing the legendary weapon in stone. Gargulion swiped him away, breaking the statue of a weapon with ease, bringing the two back to square one. With both brawlers reeling from each other's assaults, they were planning to deliver another; however, something popped up on their BrawlX's that alarmed them.

[Noland Hardy]

On Tank's BrawlX, a notification let him know of a program available at the ready called a "DNA Catalyst." Markus responded by sounding off the program he received, "DNA Stimulus." They stopped what they were doing and inquired on whether they should be using it and, better yet, where it came from and what they did. Markus was immediately drawn to the idea of a Hurranian infection since manipulating DNA is one of their capabilities. A voice of a man and a woman eliminated the claim of Hurranians being involved.

The man and woman introduced themselves as a representative of the Silver Knights and Eden respectively. They claimed to have figured out the secret behind the Hurranian method of DNA manipulation and have created prototypes to functions that they want their respective organizations to make use of. This was made to directly combat the Hurranian's use of this technique, on a smaller scale though. The Silver Knight method would target a strong genetic trait of a Bakugan and enhance it temporarily while the same would be done using the Eden method, except for the target being a weak trait.

Tank questioned how his and Markus' information was gathered for them to organize this, but the answer wasn't made clear. What was revealed was that they were the first two to have those programs at the request of the President who found those two trustworthy enough to wield that kind of strength to combat other brawlers like Blade who are running amok in the circuit with hyper-lethal power. They also figured that Tank and Markus were suitable candidates to test the programs against each other. Not wanting to be caught off guard by power like that ever again, both Tank and Markus agreed to activate them.

When Tank used it, Gladion's attributes were switched, making his Pyrus attribute come before Aquos this time around. The change was noted on his armor color, turning from blue to red. Tank recognized that Gladion's weapons changed in his abilities as they were now showing to be of Roman origin rather than Greek.

As for Markus' use, Gargulion's body-building technique was enhanced to gift him with the power to wield three attributes at once. To better represent this substantial increase, Gargulion's base frame was changed from a vampire to that of a muscular fiend. On one arm, he exhibited dense Subterra strength while Ventus was on the other, effectively creating a triple node.

[Noland Hardy]

Filled with excitement to try Gladion's new abilities, Tank activated the Weapon of the Gods - Spear of Mars to gift Gladion with this powerful polearm endowed with the Roman god of war's power. In addition to the huge power the weapon itself has, it vibrates when there is imminent danger, providing a form of additional awareness for what happens on the battlefield.

Markus could feel the overwhelming power coming from the polearm. He commended Tank for the endless potential he and Gladion have with their weapons, but he assured them both that he would not be defeated by them. That being said, he goaded Tank into attacking him head on. The Spear of Mars was powerful enough to send rippling waves down range with a single swing, but Gargulion was able to suppress the energy using his Subterra arm. Gargulion fired a blast of wind, designed with the amount of pressure needed to crush Gladion. Because of the latent abilities of the spear, Gladion was able to sense this and move out of the way.

Knowing Gladion to be too quick on his feet, Gargulion reconfigured his body to match that of a golem, but he took some of the parts and used it to make another Gargulion in the bat-like form he was accustomed to. That's when the Gargulion's used Calamity Blade to create a large, energy sword construct to smash down on Gladion. Tank sensed where the attack was going thanks to the spear, but the blast radius of the impact would still hit Gladion, and he couldn't afford for that to happen. He was forced to use Battle Charge to give Gladion the push to clash and hopefully overpower Gargulion, which may or may not have happened because the clash resulted in a cancellation and the breaking down of both his and Gargulion's bodies.

The arena also suffered significant damage, enough to take it offline. Gladion and Gargulion recognized that their bodies were not accustomed to that level of strength yet and they both burned out, making them unable to continue the brawl past that point. Tank knew that they were both doing too much too soon, something he learned from his days playing football. Markus laughed out loud that Tank was so accepting of this as it wasn't like him to be this content with not winning the battle. Tank thought of it as a scrimmage so that he knows what he needs to work on before he ultimately beats Markus for real out in the open. As expected, Markus challenged that notion immediately and told him for sure that Gargulion and him were stronger. The rivals still shook hands at the end, revealing their respect for one another.

The Silver Knight and Eden official who gave them that enhancement looked at the power output from Gladion and Gargulion and concluded that they would have to make some revisions as they were made too strong from the genetic manipulations. They agreed that they would hopefully get to the point where it can be controlled, looking at Noland and Drago's mysterious power as an inspiration for how it should be done.

[Noland Hardy]