Episode 25: I Will Never Be Broken

[Noland Hardy]

Having become aware of Noland and Drago's disappearance because of the mass hysteria within the higher-ups of the Silver Knights, Allen was trying to get his mind off of the recent events by training with some of their top brawlers. He wanted to see where he stood among the superpowers. 

It came with no surprise that he and Gorem were solid enough as a unit to stand firm against multiple foes, despite struggling a little with the high skill level cap in there. This caught Maria's attention, so she wanted to have a look for herself to see what he was doing. She paid him a visit and commended him on having better defenses than even Alex, which caused her to wonder why it wasn't him to fight Noland instead.

Allen admitted that he would've attempted to join the battle if he was alone. He had Alana to look after while Noland was unable to. He knew that's what Noland would've wanted, so he stuck to that plan and tried not to endanger her. Now he's left wondering if he made the decision with the right mindset. Maria was stunned by that revelation since she thought he was implying if Alana should've been out on the battlefield, but he assured her that he was more concerned with their ability to remain relevant when it comes to protecting what's important rather than their overall health. He didn't know whether he was actually protecting someone from a battle or staying back because they were too weak to do anything. That's why he was fighting against the brawlers there, just to be sure that it's not him that's the problem.

Maria asked him how someone like him could ever say that he wasn't strong enough. Allen told her that what Jamal said to him after their contest stuck out to him, mainly because what he was saying was proven to be true. He needs to pick and choose what he uses his power for instead of letting something else tell him what to do. If he breaks and someone else dies because of it, not only would he fail them and everyone else that person is attached to, but he would fail himself, because he can't expect to have his own back if he can't do the same for others. 

A mysterious voice called out to him saying that it won't be a problem in the future, considering that bringing him to his lowest points is where he'll be at his strongest, as he's proven numerous times.

Then him and Gorem disappeared from the headquarters and appeared in an expansive landscape surrounded by cliffs and mountains that a certain Bakugan there was making.

(Boss Theme)

[Noland Hardy]

Near the mountainous carvings was a golem Bakugan shaping the landscape using his axe as a building tool. He was keeping himself in the air by levitation while paying attention to every little detail. Once Allen's presence was detected, it stopped what it was doing and tapped the ground using the other end of the axe. This caused the ground underneath Allen to move towards its position. It stopped within a few inches of it to space Allen out, almost like it was setting up a place for combat to take place. Gorem was forced into monster form as well, supporting this theory nicely.

"These don't look too bad, do they? I made them myself. Each mountain here has been raised out of the ground by my hand. I just started on this five minutes ago too since I got bored, but luckily, I have you here. You and I need to rough it out a bit." It sounded like it was ready to jump straight into battle, but first, it had to introduce itself before taking a formal stance. He turned around to face Allen before addressing him any further.

"I'm Clayf, the iron fist behind the Legendary Soldiers of Vestroia, one of six," he introduced. "As you can see, I like to build things here in the Subterra Dimension. It helps pass the time. Now...I want to ask you something."

He lightly tapped the mountain he was making with his axe, making sure not to apply that much force that it would break. "When you create something or get something new, do you ever think about how they can be exploited, breached, broken into? I know I do. How else can I make these mountains correctly if I didn't know how they could topple over and break? This would be one way." Clayf tapped the rock formation with a bit more force to crack the mountain and shatter it, causing it to fall back to the ground like gravel.

"You know what the problem is with some people? They think they're all high and mighty like nothing can get past them. They think they're invincible. Guess what? They're not. All I have to do is get in their face and they're done. That's exactly what I'm about to do to you, Iron Juggernaut. I'm tired of this feeling sorry for yourself attitude that you put on display. I'm going to break you, so no one else has to." With his intentions very clear, he slowly approached Allen and Gorem and was prepared to engage them head-on.

[Allen Silva]

A legendary soldier of Vestroia stood before him. Even more terrifying was the strength he showed. Breaking a mountain with a singke touch, something not even Gorem can do.

" why is a legendary soldier here? Why did he select me to fight." Allen said under his breath. There wasnt much that Allen felt like he could do against power like Clayf's. But he was stuck here, and has to do something. Allen held up one of his most poweful abilities, looking to make a impact early." Ability activate, Titanic Tremor."

Gorem pounded the ground with his fists, looking to shake anything down that was loose. Hopefully it will overwhelm Clayf, allowing him to get some damage in." There we go Allen. If were stuck here, might as well leave a mark worthy of the Iron Juggernaut. "

[Vince Hardy]

Even though Clayf's feet weren't on the ground - since he was levitating earlier, he could still feel the power from Gorem's ability. He didn't think the boys were trying to shake some fear into him. He thought they were going for the structures that he had built as anyone with common sense knows that the most likely way to die in a quake is from another object that can't withstand its force.

In this case, it'd be the mountain he had just destroyed, which was conveniently behind him...

"I see you're a sharp youngster. I'd do that to me too." Clayf hoisted his axe upwards as he held it sideways, showing he was about to swing at something. "Great Axe!" He threw the axe backwards to allow the weapon to easily cut through the debris threatening to cave him in. It tore through every piece of rock there, leaving small little pebbles at best. It curved to the left like a boomerang, shooting straight for Gorem's hip.

"What's next for me, boss?" Clayf continued his approach, going slow on purpose to see what was going to happen next.

[Allen Silva]

" of course that didnt work. Too bad that he had such a good counter." Allen lemented at how well Clayf bested his attack. He had to quickly come up with his own counter. Something immediately popped into his mind." Ability activate, Vicious Counter. Now how do you like that you big freak."

" try not to miss me." Gorem speedily dodged Clayfs hammer, and took the opportunity to get behind the slow monster standing before him. He then wnded back for a punch, as futile as it may seem." Dont turn around."

" Why are you messing with me? Surely you could best the Hurrians yourself." Allen asked the legendary soldier. He truely had no clue why Clayf chose him. He even started to think maybe Jamal would have been a better choice.

[Vince Hardy]

Clayf wasn't bothered too much by Gorem dodging the attack and appearing behind him. The weapon not being able to return to him in time to shield against Gorem's punch wasn't a problem either. That's what the shields on his shoulders were for anyway.

"Whatever you say. I appreciate the advice. Negation Armor," Clayf acknowledged. He made sure his shoulders lined up with Gorem's fist so it can absorb the impact, which it successfully did. Clayf felt some force from the blow, but he didn't move an inch from it.

"Interestingly enough, I thought I could beat them by myself too. Just by there being an 's' behind soldiers should tell you how that didn't work out too well." Clayf caught his axe and swung at Gorem, smacking him off of his feet and sending him skidding along the ground.

"Sometimes, you just have to learn things the hard way to become disciplined in the art. There has to be someone or something that forms your drive to become better, and, more importantly, to not fail or become discouraged. You have to be tough, Subterra tough, like I am. You can't just let me push you around."

[Allen Silva]

Gorems attack was easily blocked by Clayf's Negation Armor. To make matters worse for Gorem and Allen, Clayf immediately counter attacked. With no time to counter, Gorem took the blow, and was rewarded with a trip across the battle area." Remind me to not get hit again." He weakly joked. He was trying to keep himself in good spirits, but was damaged extremely by Clayf's shot.

Allen prepared another attack, but his own spirits weren't doing as well as his partner. Gorem couldnt faze Clayf. That and all he had to do was get a couple more ax swings and it was over." If short range isnt doing it, then lets go long range. Ability activate, Gravitron Balistae."

" good idea. I would love to see him blast this back." Gorem charged up a blast of purple energy, setting up for his next attack. Once it was built up enough, he tossed the projectile, which took more of a spearhead shape as it flew." Dinner time Clayf. Todays special is defeat."

[Vince Hardy]

The attack blew up in Clayf's face. It wasn't certain whether Clayf had time to react to the sudden launch or not based on the way he was built. Getting hit was beneficial in a way since it wasn't enough to knock him out. He thought it'd be funny to see the looks on their faces that even a blow like that can't shake him.

"You have to taste that dish before you serve it," Clayf retorted. As the smoke from the impact cleared, it showed Clayf with his axe up, using its center as a shield.

"I guess mid-range is the only option you have left. Colossal Sunder!" Clayf hoisted his axe above his head - impressively using only one arm for this motion - and slammed it into the ground. This produced a great force of pressure from below the ground that traveled in a wide, straight line, sending an immeasurable number of giant rocks into the sky. Not only did this have the potential to blow an unsuspecting target off of their feet, but they could also be crushed by the giant rocks that'll fall on top of them within a very short time frame.

[Allen Silva]

Even there long range attack didnt budge the subterra soldier. That didnt leave gorem with many other option. Clayf made a joking suggestion towards mid range. Big problem was that only his own axe could fight at that range. Clayf's barrage made brandishing it impossible. Speaking of his assault, his newest ability sent stones falling after gorem, as well as shook the ground.

With only a split second to react, Allen activated his counter. The earthquake knocked Gorem off of his feet, and the rocks continued to fall. The rocks appeared to be suspended in the air momentarily, then slipped down revealing Gorems bound barrier ability." Bound barrier, never leave home without it"

After surviving Clayf's ability, he lowered his barrier. Moving himself back to his feet, Gorem prepared for the next blow." Ill take anything you give."

Allen had other plans. He pulled his next ability out of his pocket. If conventional didn't work, it was time for unconventional. " lets try this one out. Ability activate, Kinesis barrier. "

Gorem pulled his hammer from the ground, then immediately begun to swing it. The one difference was, this time he ran forward as he did it, creating a spirral of dusty air traveling at Clayf. Gorem used this to mask a swinging attack dirrected at what he believed was a blind spot.

[Vince Hardy]

Clayf burst out in laughter when he saw Allen use Kinesis Barrier the way that he did, not because he wasn't crushed under his ability like he was supposed to. It just proved to him that he was getting desperate to get something on the board by doing something completely away from the norm. At the very least, Clayf will give him a passing grade for the effort before everything starts to collapse around him.

"I like the fight in you, kid. You're moving like a young me," Clayf commended. "Unfortunately for you, I've been around for a long time. There's nothing you've done that I haven't done myself or seen before. Now I'm going to reinforce who gives and takes around here."

That statement was essentially the announcement of his signature ability, the most powerful Subterra ability. Not only that, it may as well be the best defensive technique.

"Atomic Brave!" Clayf released his legs from down under and fully extended them. He landed on the surface and awaited Gorem's blow to connect for the ability to take place. Once it did, Clayf's body held itself together automatically, showing no signs of weakness from being struck by the weapon. The reason why this was possible was because the ability was designed to augment his body's power by the absolute minimum that's necessary to completely tank an enemy's attack. This was a double-edged sword for opponents as they'd never know the full extent of Clayf's strength to know how to combat him in this battle form, which can lead to them overcompensating on their power, tiring them out easily for Clayf to win without much effort. This effectively gave Clayf near invulnerability if the opposition couldn't overpower the amount of power he can reach.

If only he could use other abilities while this one is active...

"I'll be taking that," Clayf said as he snatched Gorem's hammer out of his hands with his free hand. He was about to hit Gorem in his head with it, but he paused. "I really should hit you with this, but I won't. I want you to do me a small favor and try to hit me harder than you did. You still want to leave your mark here, don't you?" Clayf shoved the hammer back into Gorem's hands to push him out of his face, Atomic Brave still being active.

"You know the funny thing about being a wall for the Resistors or a fortress for the Spartans? When they fall down, they don't get back up."

[Allen Silva]

Gorems last ditch effort fell about as flat as every other one. Clayf momentarily took his hammer, which left Gorem absolutely defenseless. Instead of taking that opportunity to crush him, Clayf handed back the hammer, along with activating the Atomic Brave ability, made Gorems situation horrible.

As if to throw salt on the wound, the subterra warrior took the time to mention crumbling walls. That brought Allen to his last nerve." If a wall isnt enough to stop them, then maybe ill become a force field. It doesnt matter what it takes." Allen begun to respond to Clayfs shot at him. He didnt realize that he also mentioned Jamal, but he didnt care." If anything wants to make it through me, than it will have to crush every bone in my body. That is my declaration. Fusion ability activate, Kinesis Rejector."

Gorems hammer begun to radiate with energy. He swung it again, but with intentions to smash straight through the most powerful defensive ability in subterra history." Atomic brave this! My most powerful attack."

[Vince Hardy]

Clayf figured taking pity on Gorem by voluntarily handing him his hammer would be demoralizing enough to get him to stand down for a moment. He did the proper thing to never turn his back to the enemy. He accomplished that with flying colors, but that didn't mean he was off the hook.

Allen just laid out the ground rules to get him to break, so that's all that remained...

"That's a shame if that's your best," Clayf said in response to Gorem's statement. He waited for Gorem to get a little closer before he did anything substantial. Once he got within range, Clayf summoned a bit of his energy to conjure a personal barrier composed of earthen power. Gorem's hammer smashed right into it and froze there, continuously grinding against Clayf's shield until each piece of it was scattered into broken, jagged pieces on the ground.

"Boom." Clayf took a jab with his axe to strike Gorem right in the abdomen, stunning him for a briefly before delivering an overhead smash to Gorem with it. This successful action laid Gorem out on the ground completely face-first. He casually walked up to Gorem's body slowly. He takes one second to charge his legs, jumps up, and lands on top of Gorem. The landing itself produced a quake strong enough to knock Allen off of his legs, definitely less than what could've happened to Gorem.

"What you said just now stuck out to me. You're implying that changing the type of shield gives you a better chance. Guess what? That gets you and I beaten." He steps off of Gorem's back and continues to speak to Allen. "This is going to sound crazy to you, but you're going to need to hear it anyway. None of our defensive abilities are good enough, even my Atomic Brave. You only put them up so you can keep something or someone at bay. We're not like any of those techniques. What we have in common that any type of defense doesn't have is that we have the ability to move."

Clayf pointed to himself as an example. "Once you break my ability, it's gone; however, if you knock me down, I'm still here rocking and rolling. Some people out there think that a bigger or stronger shield means anything. It means nothing. Once something out there breaches it, it'll be just like every other shield that gets broken down. So what does this mean for you, you might ask?"

Clayf pushed his axe under Gorem so that he could lift him up and place him in an upright position. Shortly thereafter, he knocked him down again with a speed punch to the face. "Watch this here. You can't substitute an ability for this one. When you get knocked down, guess what happens?" Clayf did the same thing as he did before to pick Gorem off of the ground. "You get back up," Clayf pointed out. He knocked Gorem down again, and proceeded to recycle the process. "Before now, you were a poor excuse of a warrior. At least the shields protected something. You? You broke down before you got hit. Not anymore. You're broken just like them, but now, you have one advantage over them; you know what it takes to prevent yourself from ever being brought to the edge. You can improve to ensure it never happens again. As for the shields, they only had one chance, and they failed."

Clayf ended his offensive on Gorem and proposed one last question to the duo. "The question now is...will you fail?"

[Allen Silva]

There was no way he could win this battle. Clayf had shrugged off every attack by Gorem, and almost laughed at thier strength. Even after Gorem brandished his signature weapon, his opponents shield turned it into dust.

Allen continued to think about his situation. The more he did, the more the hoplessness of moving forward with the battle." I dont think you propperly heard my partner correctly." Gorems words broke Allen out of his stupor. Even though he could barely stand up, he still stood up." If a shiekd wont work, we will be a wall. if a wall wont work, a barrier. If a barrier wont work, a force field. Unless you break our bones and dust them, no one is getting past us."

Clayfs words dawned on Allen. The abilities are worthless without the strength to wield them. The strength to stand and fight once again will win the battle for him. With this revelation, his pockets shined. He pulled the new ability out and smiled." Strength can be found in many ways. Like this. Advanced Fusion ability activate, Kinesis Dominator!"

The energy from the ground beneath Gorem flowed upward into him. Rejuvinated and empowered by this new development, Gorem held his hands as though he was holding something. That something turned out to be a massive version of his axe, made entirely from energy, which slowly materialized in his hands. After it finished forming, He brought down the axe directly on top of Clafys head.

[Vince Hardy]

Clayf's eyes shrunk when he saw Gorem manifest the Advanced Fusion Ability. He was very aware of what kind of power they wielded now. This was no ordinary upgrade. That technique buffed his body up like no other ability can. His physique changed, and so did the presentation and power of his abilities. It may as well be considered an evolution, but that's just saying it to hide the bigger picture.

"Oh no, bro..." With his axe in hand, Clayf seized his opportunity to live by shoving his axe between himself and Gorem's. He was still empowered by his Atomic Brave, so he had no worries using that type of defense instead of his body. Luckily, he wasn't going for a win in that exchange. He would've lost anyway, just like he did in this one.

He was disarmed of his favorite weapon, being that it was flung backwards out of his hands from Gorem's swing. It became stuck in the ground, which was actually apart of the large crater that Clayf didn't even realize Gorem had formed. He noticed it as he was toppling backwards a bit, staggering at the sudden power increase from the other side.

"You actually hurt me with that...I'm impressed."

[Allen Silva]

The success of thier advanced fusion ability gave Allen the hope that not only could they survive this battle, they could win. Clayf was now staggered, hammerless, and surprised at thier power. Now was the time to strike. Allen pulled the ability which should get the message across." Megalith boxer, activate."

Gorem took a boxing style stance, then charged at Clayf full speed. If he got there unhindered, he was going to unleash a now amped up barrage of punches. Even if it didnt end this battle, surely Clayf would no longer question thier strength. " here comes the hurt train buddy. Next stop is your defeat."