Episode 27: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

[Noland Hardy]

After Gargulion was incapacitated by Excedra, Apollonir elected to bring him back. Rather than combating Excedra personally, Apollonir called on one more person who he felt was worthy of a chance to prove themselves. Markus had already passed his test, so there was only one Darkus brawler that remained who needed to pass hers.

Alana had actually left the Silver Knight Headquarters after the altercation with Allen. She went back home, tired and frustrated. She would occasionally have people bombard her with questions about Noland, which she refused to answer. She used Hydranoid to scare them off, something only her "alter ego," Karen, would consider doing. Some of them even came down to her defeating them in battle personally. Some were fearful of Hydranoid returning to form. Little did they know, that's what Hydranoid wanted to do, but not in the same way as he was. He believed he became softer under Alana's control and became weaker as a result, and the upsetting loss to Neri in the past only aggravated that issue. He asked himself if being evil was the only way to keep his power level up. He wondered if Alana was holding him back somehow. 

He'd never present those feelings to Alana in any way though. He stayed quiet throughout the proceedings and only offered his opinion when they received word that both Noland and Allen had vanished from the headquarters so suddenly. She was very insubordinate throughout the plenty of times he told her to go back there. Hydranoid eventually left by himself to speak with another Hydranoid in the area, Maria's Zero Hydranoid. He wondered if it was just in his head that he was stronger while he was evil. Zero Hydranoid confirmed that their species has a tendency to feed off of dark power to make themselves stronger. She only thinks it makes him less aggressive, which he probably isn't used to yet. She prophesied that he'll later become like her in the sense that it won't matter what feelings they feed on.

He returns to Alana back at her house to tell her what happened to the Resistors. Alana apologized to Hydranoid for her behavior. She realizes that she's a shadow of her former self in the eyes of everyone. She has a hard time believing that her exclusion from the group wouldn't do everyone else some good since she seems to be a liability. Being brutally honest, Hydranoid said that she was to him - refusing to mention the dark power as being the reason why - and everyone else because she spoke it into her life and allows the situation to tell her who she is. Apollonir agreed with Hydranoid and said that it's going to take more than a few words to get her to walk a separate path from her friends. Alana knew Hydranoid didn't say that and guessed that he was responsible for everyone else disappearing. Apollonir said she was partially correct. He brought them over to the Darkus Dimension without delay.

(Boss Theme)

[Vince Hardy]

"Yes, you should've known better than to trust a Hydranoid like me to be...nice," Excedra agreed. "Apollonir, I am the only one that supported your firing of the Bakugan Termination System aside from it being the right thing to do tactically. Be that as it may, I am furious at you for summoning one of my kind to defeat me. You may think that our genetic ability may bolster this Hydranoid's power enough to survive my onslaught, but I will show you that my isolation has allowed my power to build past those weaknesses."

Apollonir faded away and returned to his position alongside Noland and Vince, leaving Alana and Hydranoid as his opponents. Excedra kept his full battle form active. Above all else, he didn't want to sugarcoat the differences in power between the two. It was a dominance reason; Hydranoid should understand.

"I have watched you for a while, Hydranoid. I was extremely pleased with your development. Your hunger was befitting of our species, and it still is. You're on track to evolving into another Excedra, but you and Alana must grow together just like you are now: cold, ruthless, and vengeful, just like I am." Excedra was poised to launch an attack. "Graviton Wizard!"

Excedra's eye expelled a few pulses just like last time. Instead of using an attractive force to pull Hydranoid inward, he was going to use a repulsive force to send Hydranoid flying and inflict considerable damage.

[Alana Cortese]

When Alana and Hydranoid arrived at the dimension, they never recognized that Markus and Gargulion were there. All they saw was a giant Hydranoid and that Hydranoid automatically shifted to his monster form without warning. Hydranoid wasn't very happy to see Excedra.

"Oh my...we died," Hydranoid confessed, almost like he recognized who he was up against.

"It isn't like you to be scared, Hydranoid," Alana reminded him.

"Do you have any idea on who and what that is? That's an Excedra, the one Hydranoid you never want to encounter above every other one." Excedra's attack put him on edge, but Alana was intent on making sure they made it through this. Alana was never one to be intimidated by an opponent, and she wasn't going to start now.

"Ability activate! Infernal Bastion!" A fiery-veil surrounded Hydranoid's being that acted as an absorbing shield to incoming attacks. This made it so that Hydranoid could absorb the impact of what he takes and use it to fuel his power. This was how he emerged from Excedra's ability unscathed; it also prevented him from being repelled all that much, settling for skidding on his feet for thirty meters.

"Okay. Now that that's taken care of, you mind filling me in on what's going on here?"

[Markus Hederick]

"Alana...what a surprise..." Markus was on the ground in disbelief that he was unable to stop Excedra. Alana's arrival came at a great surprise since he thought Apollonir was going to deal with Excedra. He didn't know if Alana's strength was enough to overcome their opponent. That scared him a little.

"Since you're here, I guess we've all been summoned by the Legendary Soldiers to battle them for testing purposes. I've battled some demons while fighting this guy, and honestly..." He took a quick glance at Gargulion's petrified form before concluding, "I think I might've gotten an L. If you're going to win against him, you need to make sure you either cancel that form change or don't get your powers taken. You don't want to end up like Gargulion..."

He returned to his feet after coming to terms with the current situation and stood by Alana. She was their last hope, so he had no choice, not that he would ever object to that. "By the way, it's good to see you. How have you been?"

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid scoffed at Markus's concerns because he already knew what Excedra was equipped with and he didn't want to be reminded that he was up against a legend. "I know I don't," he sarcastically replied.

"Terrible, but Markus...I'm more worried about you right now. Poor Gargulion..."

"A Demon Wizard must have done him in. With that in mind, he can now use Final Wizard to destroy us all in one shot. This really doesn't look good for us right now..."

"Can we stop it?"

"It can be interrupted, so I don't see him casting it while I'm still healthy because we both know how it's done. Still...I don't like that weighing on my thoughts as I battle. Knowing that I can be obliterated right now isn't a good thing. It's like you said, this isn't like me to be scared of an opponent, but an Excedra is the only exception. That is the highest evolution a Hydranoid can attain, and only a select few are able to evolve into that because of genetics. Anyone who evolves into an Excedra automatically becomes the leader of the entire species, and it looks like one of them is a Legendary Soldier and is out to use his power on us."

"But you're strong, Hydranoid. You even told me not to let the situation tell me what to do. Only you can do that, remember?"

Hydranoid gulped that his advice was now being used against him. She got him on that one, so now he had to lead by example. That meant facing the one opponent he feared the most. "Of course I was going to still fight him. That's what we do. Speaking of which...I'm powerful enough to say that the only way I'm going to lose is by getting destroyed by Final Wizard."

[Vince Hardy]

"So you're strong enough to handle me, eh?" Excedra could tell just by measuring Hydranoid's power level that there was some slight bluffing in what was being said. Hydranoid was strong, but to Excedra, he wasn't that strong.

"I'll just bring an end to this right now. Final Wizard!" Literally the one ability Hydranoid just said would destroy all of them in one shot, Final Wizard was the most powerful Darkus ability alongside Demon Wizard. The two worked together nicely. One absorbs, and the other destroys. It was a perfect combo in his eyes.

The attack's power would mean there should be a charge time for the attack to commence, but that wasn't necessarily the case for Final Wizard. Thanks to the power he already absorbed, the casting time was reduced significantly and would only take four seconds at maximum to reach full strength. If this attack was launched, that'll be all that their lives would be worth: a measly four seconds.

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid instantly appeared to the left of Excedra the moment he began charging that attack. He refused to let that go through regardless of their evolutionary differences.

"Silly bastard." Hydranoid geared up for a powerful barrage.

"Double ability activate! Phantom Transmission plus Alpha Buster!" Phantom Transmission allowed him to teleport, which was how he got next to Excedra so fast. His darkness rose up from his body and engulfed him entirely, tripling his effectiveness in combat across all spectrums. He delivered a multitude of heavy hitters from his fists straight into Excedra's hips on both sides - teleporting back and forth between the sides to hammer him down. This proved to be strong enough to prevent Final Wizard from finishing.

"I don't care what you are, Excedra. You're dealing with me now, and I'm not going to be like your other opponents," Alana promised him. Hydranoid lifted Excedra off of the ground easily with an uppercut.

[Karen Valentine]

Even when Excedra was pummeled and sent flying for a brief moment, he still had the leisurely time he wanted to respond to his foes sassy comments.

"Silly girl. You're right that you're not like my other opponents, but I'm not dealing with you. You're not even the real you," he replied. He hit the ground with a loud thud. He struggled to get his old bones back on his feet, but he still got there. That was all that mattered.

He initiated another summon. This was an identical process to what summoned Amir, Markus's late cousin. The particles of energy assembled and created another object of Alana's thoughts, the only time where she was someone who she wasn't and has inevitably carried her into her memories: Karen Valentine.

"THIS is you." Excedra was planning on having her presence cause a great disturbance with the enemy. In conjunction with how he planned on using his own power to overwhelm Hydranoid, he'd rout those two before they ever figure out what's going on.

[Alana Cortese]

Alana was speechless in disbelief that Karen was brought back in front of her. Hydranoid could sense her grief over it, so just as she was about to feel the need to say something, he said, "Only do what'll lead to his end, not his pleasure."

She gasped as Hydranoid snapped her back in line. She understood that she would be manipulated by Excedra from this point forward and there was nothing she could say that'll stop it. Whatever purpose Excedra is gunning for by summoning Karen remains to be seen, but if it's to serve as a distraction from cementing his defeat, then the very least he can say is that it almost worked.

"Okay, Hydranoid. I'm with you." Alana swiped another ability card. "Ability activate! Death Trident!" Hydranoid charged three individual blasts in each respective head. Once the building up was complete, he shot them consecutively at Excedra, hoping to dish out some massive damage.

[Karen Valentine]

A hint of laughter was heard from Karen when they attacked again, ignoring what Excedra just did completely. "I don't remember you being that nice to me, Hydranoid. I'm jealous," Karen expressed. She looked up at Excedra who was getting ready to receive some of Hydranoid's attacks. "I'm not quite sure how no one has killed her yet. All anyone has for her instead of hate is a sweet spot for her. As to why...I have no idea. At least I deserved attention better than you do."

Her BrawlX, the same one that was present prior to her unmasking as Alana, materialized on her left arm. She swiped an ability for Excedra to use. He was her partner now. "Ability activate! Alternate Wizard!" Excedra gave up on using Gargulion's power for offensive capabilities, for now. This allowed him to transfer that strength into a defensive coating around Excedra's body, making him nearly impervious to most attacks. The explosions that occurred from Death Trident's impacts bounced off of his body.

"You know, I'm not too surprised that you're this much weaker than I am. Hydranoid even said it himself. He's gotten weaker because I'm not there to spice up his power. You're just a curse to everyone you're around, including the Hydranoid who can't even hold up his own weight to a Haos Bakugan weaker than Skystar. Shame."

[Alana Cortese]

"Dang...you didn't have to put me down like that. That was cold..." Hydranoid commented in his head.

"Ability activate! Merge Shield!" The power that Excedra put on his body was now being carried across the field in a smoky trail. The entire thing went into Hydranoid's mouth, securing that energy for himself and leaving Excedra without a defense. This was nowhere near enough to cancel Excedra's full form, but it was good enough for the occasion.

"At least you know why no one liked you while you were here." Hydranoid countered. "Don't think that because I can't formally kill you now means that you can be bold with me. I'm still Hydranoid, the one and only, and once I get my hands on you, you will see how unmatched you really are as a brawler. Alana WILL ALWAYS be better than you, wannabe. No amount of disillusioned talk will change that."

Alana was stuck on the part where Hydranoid could suddenly become weaker due to the change in the owner's attitude. Hydranoid was very dominant when it faced that mechanical Bakugan before. What seemed to be the problem?

"Hydranoid...?"

"Trident of Doom!" Hydranoid activated by himself. A variation of Death Trident, Trident of Doom allows for the combination of all three blasts from the heads that would be shot upwards to merge into a big blob, then they'd rain countless pellets down as it travels on its crash course towards the enemy. It was only going to get worse for Excedra since Gargulion's energy was amplifying his attacks.

"Plus Indigo Nightmare!" Taking a page from Drago's book, Hydranoid discharged three energy beams towards his own attack so he could supercharge it even further, making it a highly lethal attack for Excedra to take in his condition.

"Hydranoid!"

"Huh? What?"

"Did you really say that...? Have you gotten weaker...?"

[Karen Valentine]

Karen's smile got wider when she got a reaction from Alana for saying that. Excedra did the honors by explaining what really happens while taking care of Hydranoid's deadly attack with flying colors.

"Don't flatter yourself, Hydranoid. You're nothing special. I've been there and done that," Excedra told him. "Demon Wizard!" Excedra used this ability again, being the first time it's used on Hydranoid. His eye emitted a dark light that captured Hydranoid's entire offensive and ate it up like it was nothing. It then looked at Hydranoid and flashed the light in his eyes in preparation of absorbing his powers as well.

"What your Hydranoid speaks of is a genetic trait we all share. Emotions are our greatest weapon aside from our bodies. Our true potential is unleashed when powerful feelings are expressed in the form of negative energy. Being that you're sweet and caring as you've poorly attempted to portray, you have become merciful in battle, thereby limiting Hydranoid's overall power and is why he will never reach my level of strength for the remaining bits of his miserable life regardless of how much he boasts and roars."

"Straight from the horse's mouth," Karen cosigned. "I could only imagine how disappointing that is. This is someone who was wanted back in the real world so badly only to make everyone's job even harder. Maybe Noland should've let you die earlier..."

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid roared in disgust after Karen said that about Alana, but there was barely anything he could to since he was caught in Demon Wizard. Luckily, his Merge Shield ability slowed down the process of absorption significantly, giving him the potential to survive one of the two most powerful Darkus abilities.

"A-ability activate. Survival Shield." Alana stuttered as she tried to save Hydranoid. She deviated from what Hydranoid said to her. The memories of everything surrounding her return flooded back into her own memory without anything obstructing it, and it was too much for her to handle.

The important thing was that she got the ability off so Hydranoid can save himself. This hadn't seen use since his important battle with Drago at nationals, and now he can have it used to its fullest capabilities. Hydranoid's scales blackened as something was awakened in him: the drive to survive against all threats and push them back through any means necessary. He dug deep to amass the strength needed to pull himself out of Excedra's gaze, and that he did. A spectral silhouette of Gargulion's energy split from Hydranoid's body, repulsing him backwards.

The forced removal placed some strain on his body that prevented him from reacting immediately. He knew that Final Wizard was unlocked again and that he had to stop that from being used, but Alana just got hit hard. What was he going to do? What were THEY going to do?

"I understand why someone would say that...I really do..." Hydranoid's right head turned to look at Alana when she commented, the other two heads paying close attention to Excedra. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. I know I'm a good person at heart, but...why take my word for it? It's what I've done that matters. I hurt Noland more times than I could ever forgive myself for, I wished bad things on Allen, I made Hydranoid, the strongest Bakugan I've ever had...weak, and...I killed her..."

"Of course I'm the strongest, but in all seriousness...this is not the Bakugan you want to have those thoughts with..."

[Karen Valentine]

"Indeed, Hydranoid, for I can feed off of that sorrow and turn it into pure anguish just as you can." Excedra began the amassing of large quantities of energy towards his pupil, signalling the activation of his Final Wizard ability, the other strongest Darkus ability and the one intended to erase Hydranoid forever. "The only difference between us now other than our hierarchy is that I'm the one with the power. You are now powerless before your superior. There is nothing more you can do to save your skin now. Your disgracefulness shall be amended with the sound of your destruction."

Karen was cued to activate the ability on her BrawlX. The same circular pattern, outfitted with all six attribute symbols, appeared on the card. "It's my turn to kill you now, Alana. Ability activate! Final Wizard!"

Excedra's signature ability was essentially a one-hit kill in most instances. The only time this didn't kill someone was against that Helios way back in the day when the Hurranians were very relevant, but that was neither here nor there. This Hydranoid was highly vulnerable, so he was confident it would work. Without anything to interrupt the casting time for this technique, Excedra confidently released an outpouring of his evil desires in the form of a large, fiery beam of death and despair. The ground wanted no part in this, so it kindly moved to the side and sunk way lower just to avoid getting caught in its fatal grasp.

"Careful, ladies and gentlemen. This may kill you," Karen warned her opponents, giving them a deceitful wink to boot.

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid was very accepting of the great possibility, or even a guarantee, that he was going to die from this attack.

"Alana...if this is my final battle, then I'll just say this." Sounding like he had conceded defeat, Hydranoid addressed Alana's concerns as that was the only important thing now. "I have no room to talk about how you should be good or how you were supposed to be. I was born into a race that craves darkness above anything else. It's hard for me to accept anything but that to fuel my power, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. If it counts for anything, lowering my strength based on how you are should prove who you really are."

As Excedra's attack neared, Hydranoid reminisced on the memories he recovered from watching himself commit one atrocity after another based on video footage of his actions in the wild. He may still be as sinister as he was before, but to a lesser degree. For him, it was okay. "I'm just a foul-mouthed, insensitive Bakugan most of the time, and I've killed a lot of people, but if it was too late for me to change for the better, than I would've died either on Judgment Day or at nationals. At least now...I figured that I'd be content with knowing that you helped soften me up a bit, and regardless of what effect it has, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's because of you that I'm not bound to what is decreed anymore..."

As soon as Hydranoid was struck by Final Wizard, Alana's life gauge plummeted straight to zero.

Alana's Life Gauge: 0