Episode 26: Mistakes Can Be Fixed

[Noland Hardy]

Inside the Silver Knights Headquarters, Markus confronts his family in the quarantine confinement. They exchange greetings and his family also gives their worries for their impending doom from Hurranian infection. Markus trusts that Eden's doctors will come to a solution soon. He reveals that he knows nothing of over half of the Resistors disappearing into thin air, but no one is really revealing anything about it until they figure out more. Until then, he and Tank were placed on watch by both organizations to see if there was a saboteur at work. He heard some banter that some people were accusing a lunatic named Dr. Kyuki for it, but no one believed that he had access to supernatural powers that took the rest away.

Maya, his little sister, asked him if he was going to get taken away too. Markus shot those chances down to make her feel better, but he wasn't sure what was going to happen. He asked if her boyfriend was okay, tempting her to wish she breached the barrier to slap him. Since Kendrick was brought up, the father had his doubts on whether Maya would be safe around Ken any longer due to his transformation and what he did when his powers were unlocked. 

This made Markus tick. He knew Kendrick wasn't a bad person because he rescued his sister, and he has Noland as a role model, a good one at that. He didn't believe Maya was in danger because Kendrick made a mistake. He expressed those thoughts to his parents as calmly as possible. Maya hinted at being afraid of Kendrick and wondered if Markus's thoughts about his girlfriend made him overlook those things. Markus gasped, not because of her bringing that up, but because it wasn't Maya's voice that said it. It was a very sinister-sounding tone.

That same tone was in his mother's voice, and she asked him if the "mistake" of a number of deaths could be remedied. Markus didn't have a comment for the question while Gargulion was busy trying to figure out what was going on; he also questioned if this presence had anything to do with the other Resistors disappearing. Ignoring Gargulion's questions, the father chastised Markus for not believing in anything he just said about Kendrick because he can't find himself forgivable for what was done to Roxy. Markus dismissed the accusation and strongly suggested that whoever it was didn't know anything about him. Maya suggested that Markus was all figured out, and he was going to be shown that in three...two...one...

Boom. Right in the deepest corridor of the Darkus Dimension in Vestroia lied a creature of gargantuan size curled up in a slumber, awakening at the arrival of the Resistor.

(Boss Theme)

[Vince Hardy]

The Darkus Dimension was nearly a carbon copy of the Doom Dimension itself. The only difference between the two was that this one contained promise. Across the blackened grounds and the black, storm-ridden sky were numerous cracks, craters, and dried-up blood. They showed signs of a great struggle, and this Bakugan who summoned Markus made its residence in the middle of it all, possibly to always remember what era he came from and why he is who he is.

A loud yawn was heard from it until it chose to speak. "Keep your wits about you, human. This is sacred ground. The ghosts of Vestroia like to annoy me here as I rest. The ones whose powers I've fed off of to annihilate our oppressors are around me all the time telling me to get off my lazy butt and do something in a time when I have nothing to do, except bully you for a little while it seems."

He uncurled himself to reveal his full form: a large, eight-headed hydra with an intimidating face in the center of his chest, its mouth closed for power-conservation reasons. "I am the natural darkness of the Legendary Soldiers, Excedra, the all-powerful. I am either the reason why you won't sleep at night or the reason why you'll be asleep for eternity."

Excedra got himself up and started to move towards Markus and Gargulion who was forced into monster form somehow. "You posses something that irritates me. You have something called...care. I hate care. It makes me woozy inside and messes with my heads. You're letting a certain girl have control over your emotions when your emotions are supposed to be yours. That means you've become tainted, enough to be considered a virus in my presence. You must be exterminated."

With that in mind, Excedra got poised for combat.

[Markus Hederick]

Excedra's power was staggering when he awakened. He was the most powerful Darkus Bakugan he had ever seen, and that's if he didn't just flat out say the most powerful Bakugan in general.

"Um...Gargulion...I'm scared," Markus accidentally revealed.

"You really had to tell me that? I'm the one who has to fight..."

Gargulion stepped in front of Markus and sized up Excedra as he was approaching. He could tell just by being a Darkus Bakugan that this was Excedra's concealed battle form. The best chance they had was to not allow Excedra to get comfortable.

"Time," Gargulion announced. He took flight and awaited the strategies that Markus would come up with, if any of them could work.

"Okay. Ability activate! Gargoyle's Beam!" Gargulion unleashed a green stream of energy from his mouth that he chose to swipe across Excedra's necks. Using this maneuver slice all of his heads clean off of his body. He then went for a forceful downward kick to Excedra's jaw.

[Vince Hardy]

Having his heads cut off like that was to be expected. It happens all the time.

"Of course you'd do that. That's been happening to us Hydranoids for centuries. Unlike the rest of them though...I have one more face. See?" Excedra moved his actual mouth a little bit to acknowledge that it was there and that he could see what Gargulion was trying to do to him. "Grand Down!"

Excedra was powerful enough on his own that he didn't have to move to execute this technique, unlike Alana's Hydranoid of course. All he did was build up some energy in his pores before releasing it outward in a grand spiral wave, repelling Gargulion easily and wreaking havoc on the ground he stood on. This gave his heads time to regenerate.

"Ultimate Trident!" Excedra's heads each fired their own laser beam down range. Some were aimed at the ground to eventually be brought up to where they needed to be, in the air where Gargulion was located. As the attack's aftermath showed, the ground looked like life couldn't even be supported on that surface.

[Markus Hederick]

"So he can use that ability too, huh?" Markus had to come to terms with Excedra being a Hydranoid, meaning that what he was used to with the one he knows needs to be brought to a higher expectation. This one was certainly not someone who plays around with power.

"Ability activate! Mirror Shot!" Gargulion recovered on his positioning and paid close attention to what Excedra was firing off. He hardened his body so that he had enough of a push to not only contain the attacks, but stabilize them into a more controlled attack. This proved to be a difficult task for Gargulion to complete for a very odd reason. His body's life force was draining the longer he held the attack in, meaning that Excedra's ability was not only devastating from a destructive standpoint, but that it was a more immediate threat of poison in a way. He still released what he caught back at Excedra to score a hit, but the damage was definitely there.

"We're going to pretend like that didn't happen for our sake in the battle..." Gargulion declared, knowing that the attack affected more than just his body.

[Vince Hardy]

Excedra tanked his own shots nicely. There was the debilitating effect that it had on his body thanks to his own power, but that was the benefit of being Excedra. He simply ate those scars away - not literally for obvious reasons. He opened his actual mouth briefly to absorb the mark off of his body, and then closed it.

"You already know that attack doesn't allow measly shields or bodies to prevent the real target from suffering. The spirit being that you are has been damaged rather than your construction. I have affected you on the inside," Excedra explained. "I do not require a sacrifice from your brawler in an identical manner. It has already been done to him, and who did it has a far greater influence than I ever will. Even then, your fate will be no different when you are safely between my teeth."

Excedra lit his eyes as he activated his next ability. "Nebulous Hammer!" A dark vortex formed in the sky above. It began to crackle with lightning. With a thunderous embrace, it called forth a tarry smoke that formed a fist. It targeted Gargulion and let him have it.

[Markus Hederick]

"What the-" Markus was a bit flustered when he saw Excedra cast that ability. Now he had to worry about random occurrences appearing out of that vortex in addition to an insanely powerful Hydranoid who wants to feast on his bones. This wasn't looking too good for him so far, and he felt like the battle hasn't even started yet.

"Ability activate! Soul Eater!" Gargulion was quick to use one of his favorites. He glowed as he became a siphon, which he used to handily sap away the dark energy coming from the smoke. The punch never made its way through regulation.

"You didn't summon us here to tell us what we know, so you may as well spill it while you still have teeth," Gargulion threatened.

"Go, Gargulion! Ability activate! Gargoyle's Grudge!" Gargulion surrounded himself in a dense, dark-red aura that greatly boosted his offensive and defensive capabilities. He rushed towards Excedra with killing intent on his mind.

"I'm not sure why you'd ever worry about what's going on with me. You have more problems than your eyes could ever see," Markus fired back.

[Vince Hardy]

"Don't we all?" Excedra countered. "Let's not worry about me though. This is your test, not mine."

Excedra coiled his tail in preparation to strike. "Armored Death!" He coated his body in a visible wall of Darkus energy, definitely more potent than usually seen. Contact with the said energy changed the coloring of Excedra's coloration so that it'd appear darker. He waited until Gargulion was close before ripping his tail across the horizon, smacking his opponent hard enough to knock out the power enhancement automatically and send them reeling.

"While I still have these teeth, I will shame you with this," Excedra promised. He summoned someone else to the scene. The figure materialized amidst purple particles. It didn't take too long for the opposing side to recognize who this person was and the control he/she has over him now.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus scowled when Gargulion was knocked back again. He thought he was countering Excedra's blows nicely just to be reminded how wide the power gap is. This was too ridiculous to be real. Then a certain person was summoned that made Markus wish this was a nightmare...

"...Too far..." Markus angrily stated.

"Oh man..." Gargulion was knocked to the ground from Excedra's blow. Only when he got back up did he see what Markus was talking about. "Who's that?" That didn't mean he knew who it was.

"Amir Jones, the Vampire, Terrorist Leader...the one who...did it..."

Markus remembered him as the lead perpetrator behind that madness years ago when the incident took place. If there was ever a disturbing reason to do right, Amir would be the perfect example of who you don't want to be come.

"He was second-in-command alongside Daniel back when Allen beat him. Although he and his Harpus died when that prison collapsed, his memory continues to live in the evil that he did." Markus clenched his fists as he looked across from him. Whatever Excedra was planning didn't matter. Just because he brought this abomination back was enough of a reason to have him exterminated along with Amir.

"Unfortunately for you, I have a Bakugan to kill you with this time around, so you won't be violating anyone else's innocence anymore. And even if you're brought back dozens of times after this, I will take great pleasure in killing you over and over again. I'm never going to stop. Ability activate! Ventus Frame!"

Gargulion deconstructed his body to reveal his true orb-like form, which was a bit darker in color due to being hit by Excedra's earlier ability. As he constructed his new one, he focused on a few things he needed to excel against Excedra: greater speed to get in and out of battle, more forceful blows, and a more powerful attitude. This made him form his usual bat-like body he grew accustomed to from his past evolution. The modifications he made that differentiated them from the Pyrus and Subterra Frames were the sharper spikes along his body and sleeker wings to better aid him in cutting through the wind.

"Here we go. Ability activate! Aero Gargoyle!" Similar to Soul Eater in the way that it works, Gargulion's body became a mobile activator for a torrential windstorm that was powerful enough to blow targets away if they got within a certain range and could be potent enough to cut opponents on contact. He blew some air towards the ground to spread a powerful wind gust across the horizon, easily knocking Excedra off of his feet. Using the spikes along his body, Gargulion generated some electricity and fired it off in his direction.

[Vince Hardy]

Amir laughed maniacally at Markus's promise. He didn't realize that the answers to his own problems were contained in what he just said to him.

"G-Splitter!" This ability made each of Excedra's heads elongate, making them appear like they were snakes. As the technique's name implies, this can cut power levels every time a single tooth touches something, and should it be touched by more than one bite, it becomes useless. This is one of his weaker attacks, but it gets the job done very nicely.

Two heads sprung out to latch onto Gargulion's spikes, which ate into his power enough to erase the trail of electricity he sent to destroy him. Once he was held down, Excedra progressively clamped onto Gargulion with all of his heads, hoping to erase enough of his power that he'd never stand again. This cleared the scene to where Excedra could land safely back on the ground without any hassle.

"I never got the chance to tell you this, but deep down, I think you were the best errand boy I could've ever asked for. That Roxy chick you bought me was the best birthday present anyone had ever given the boys and I. I was so proud of you for that."

[Markus Hederick]

Markus glared at Amir after he said that. If there was one way to get him angry enough to kill someone, it would be to talk about Roxy in that manner. There was nothing that could calm him down now. He could be called anything, but to celebrate that was not only disgusting, but unforgivable.

"Oh really? No wonder why we're always looked at as the sexual predators. It's people like you that think sexual assault and human trafficking are excellent contenders for the greatest gifts we ever get. I've got a question for you, 'cousin.' If it was such a great gift, how come it didn't last?"

Gargulion looked like he was on his way to the next life after being struck so many times. He seemed to be in sync with Markus though. When Markus looked determined to win, so did he. Regardless of the ailments upon him now, he wasn't going to fall. The four abilities Markus intended on swiping was definitely a clear representation of what they were about to go for.

"Quadruple ability activate! Gargoyle's Revenge!" Gargulion used what was left remaining of his strength to shoot a shotgun-style blast at each of Excedra's heads. This blast composed of the same material used to mold Gargulion's bodies. What this meant for Excedra was that each of his heads were now encased in cement and bonded together, making the soldier unable to move them. He did the same for Excedra's actual mouth too, ensuring that he didn't use whatever hidden power he had.

"Plus Power Neutralizer!" Gargulion's body glowed purple as his power returned to his body, specifically to match that of Excedra's power level before becoming more powerful than that marker.

"Plus Shade Winger!" Gargulion phased through Excedra's immobilized heads by shifting his form to a shadow. This was done so that he didn't break Excedra's heads because if he did that, they would be regenerated and he'd lose the advantage he just built up. Doing this made sure that he wouldn't be struck by any surprising attacks, if any were left.

"Plus fusion ability, Penumbra Chain!" Gargulion's fusion abilities have different variations depending on the body he's in. Because the Ventus Frame was active, this technique would travel faster and have long staying power. Fusing with Shade Winger, this ability split Gargulion's shadow into five. Each of them mimicked a certain action performed by Gargulion in recent memory. In this case, it was five abilities: Mirror Shot, Gargoyle's Beam, Soul Eater, Gargoyle's Grudge, and Aero Gargoyle. They each fused into Gargulion's shadow to bestow their respective techniques. All Gargulion had to do now was gather them in his hands, and the combination attack would flow straight through. A large beam that traveled very fast, had incredible penetration power, would only get stronger if foreign attacks struck it, absorbs enemy power just by them being in the immediate vicinity, and has its power boosted to straining levels was ready to meet with Excedra face to face.

[Vince Hardy]

"It didn't last because...it should've been a wake-up call. That's why I'm proud of it now that I realize what I should've done," Amir replied - a very unexpected one at that.

"Graviton Wizard!" Excedra activated. Although his voice was barely audible because of the blockage, that's what he said. This forced his mouth to open and unleash his actual base form, seeing that his condensed form wasn't going to get him out of this one while holding back. What lied in the center of his mouth was an eye. It has been said that anyone who is looked at a certain way by this eye dies. It trembled while pulses were being shot at Gargulion's devastating attack. These expanded all across the battlefield so Excedra could get a feel for how much it would take before he proceeds to the next phase. The next step was a gravitational pull that was drawing all Bakugan and attacks toward it. Regardless of what enhancements Gargulion gave its attack, it was swallowed without trouble.

"You and I used to be very close when we were younger until we drifted apart. I started hanging out with the wrong people, and then it rubbed off on you. We didn't even realize what was going on at the time because we thought what was being done was cool and that it made us tough. What it really did was make us weak. You were still a kid then. You had no idea that we were criminals; you probably didn't care. You were led to believe that what I had you do and how much you were paid meant that you were impressing me and living life how it was supposed to be lived. I deceived you into bringing Roxy to me because you thought that I genuinely wanted to meet this friend of yours, but what I really wanted to do was have her passed around between all of us. That's not on you, Markus; that's on me."

The part where Markus allegedly watched this happen had to be addressed as well per Excedra's terms of being brought back temporarily. "You even said yourself that you'd kill me now that you have Gargulion, but you didn't have anyone to fight for you back then. You knew there was a reason why I was called the Vampire. I only needed Harpus to bite you once and you'd be immobilized there for as long as I wanted you to be there. That's almost what happened since you were stronger than I thought you were. You used the last bit of your strength to run away from there while she was calling your name. It took me to ally myself with Daniel Andersen to realize why she wants you executed right now. We'd never expect our fodder to run away from any of the Resistors even though we were all aware they had a high chance of losing against them individually. If they did, they were considered traitors. That's how Roxy looks at you now. She trusted you to have her back. Even if you were going to be defeated, she would've settled for the fact that you tried rather than running."

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was very close to deeming this brawl a lost cause once his attack was eaten like it was nothing. What should've happened as a consolation was for Excedra to struggle with it, but he didn't. He'd have been hard-pressed to believe anything different from how Excedra described himself. If he had implied he was the most powerful Bakugan, he would've believed him.

Now what Markus and Gargulion feared had come to pass. Excedra's mouth was open. That in itself could've cost them the brawl completely. They didn't know the full extent of Excedra's power in his completeness. If he was strong enough to keep his composure against Gargulion with his power intentionally conserved, then what hope is there? The only thing he could do now is what he didn't do when Roxy was in trouble: fight until the end, even if the situation looked like it a victory wasn't close to being possible.

"She did, didn't she?" Markus took one last swipe to save this battle. He wasn't sure if it was going to work, and he didn't care either. "Withdrawing from battle is permissible when you'd lose more participating than you would if you didn't. These feelings that I have make me realize...I lost more running than I did fighting."

"Markus..."

"Double ability activate! Venom Shot!" Gargulion was caught in Excedra's pull and was gradually going towards him to be destroyed. To get a good chance to stop this, Gargulion shot a yellowy glob of toxins towards the eye. "Plus...Photon Spear!" A gathering of spectral blades appeared above his head. He fired them all towards Excedra's eye at the same time to reinforce what he had already done.

[Vince Hardy]

Amir was proud of his little cousin when he continued to resist. He watched as Excedra's eye became irritated from the toxic substance Gargulion shot at him. It interrupted the pull - forcing him to close his eye momentarily, and to make it even worse, the blades would've damaged the eye enough to take it offline. Fortunately for Excedra, he had his tail to place in front of his face to prevent the blades from striking his eye. He'd rather be stabbed in the back than the front.

"Do you feel that sense of hopelessness? Do you remember how afraid you were of your uselessness while those you cared about were taken over? How does it feel right now?" Excedra uncovered his eye to open it again. When he did, it was very red from what Gargulion did to it, but it didn't stop Excedra from using his next ability. "Demon Wizard!"

The eye shone a dark purple light with its gaze. It took hold on Gargulion. Catching him with this spelled the figurative end for Gargulion since his power was being transferred to Excedra for his own gain - ALL of it. He wasn't going to stop until Gargulion became fossilized.

"You might have been able to regain your lost sight a moment ago, but now, it is too late for you."

"I doubt that," Amir interrupted. "Markus, don't listen to him. You listen to me. It's not too late to fix this. The only one here who doesn't have a chance to fix their mistakes is me; that's why I'm here like this - dead, alone, and regretful."

[Markus Hederick]

"Heh. Guess it wouldn't be if we made it out of this alive." Gargulion recalled the time he forced Aquarius into battle back when the Hurranians jumped them. He would've done it here only if they were within reach of help, or if he had enough power level to do that. Excedra just took it all.

Markus decided to use the ability anyway. If it fails, they at least did something.

"Ability activate! Nightmare Fleet!" Gargulion's eyes glowed in an attempt to summon help, wherever it may be. Surprisingly, he found a suitable target that was on the same level as Excedra, so he summoned whoever it was. This brought Apollonir out of hiding and onto the battlegrounds before Gargulion ironically turned to stone and collapsed on the ground.

Apollonir was surprised that this happened, so it took him a while to accept that he was just pulled from where he was so suddenly. That by itself was enough to look at Gargulion differently on the power scale. That wasn't the issue though. The real problem lied with Excedra who has blatantly declared a lethal attack on one of the Resistors that appears to be working. Luckily, Gargulion can survive the destruction of his body, because if he couldn't, he'd have to fight Excedra himself to get him back. The question was...what was he going to do about it?

"I should've known better than to trust you right now. This battle isn't over, not yet," Apollonir promised as he faces Excedra.