Episode 31: Final Moment of Peace

[Vince Hardy]

"That's...disturbing..." Excedra commented on the Doom Card. It was already taboo to own one. The idea of them being handed out as a form of insurance was sickening to hear.

"That's a thought-provoking theory, certainly gets the mind juggling. There is one thing I would like to advise you to do though," Vince started. "I'd get yourselves checked for Hurranian infection if I were you. There's no evidence of the Hurranians being able to access the Doom Dimension just yet, but that can easily change if they get their hands on you. It would be wise to take precaution against any weapon used by the Hurranians or Kyuki. I wouldn't put it past them to withhold any biological weapons." Vince was only making sure that someone as dangerously equipped as Maria doesn't end up on the wrong side if she isn't careful. With the Hurranians present, that can change in the snap of a finger.

"Ah...yes...I remember who this Hydranoid is now, where she comes from.." Excedra's voice sounded more sinister than usual, like he was agitated. "I've always wondered when I would encounter another one again after I've eradicated so many. Here's a warning to both of you. If you battle any Hydranoid of my kind again, I'll destroy you myself."

"Whoah...um...can we pretend like he didn't say that?" Frosch asked for the sake of the conversation remaining peaceful.

[Maria Zenovia]

"I would ask of you not be such child. This is exactly why my kind separated from yours." Hydra brushes Excedra off in an annoyed tone. "If you expect me to oblige to that you might as well attempt your dumb destruction right now... you just need an excuse to satisfy that hotheaded nature of yours." She adds not very motivated to enter a fight that old bastard started all of a sudden because of few minor facts that contradict his beliefs and understanding.
If he wanted a war against someone this strong he would have to deal with being blown away along with the rest of the planet once Misfortune 13 kicks in with Forbidden abilities.

"If you have finished..." Maria interrupts the argument. She sees Excedra not much different than Alana's Hydranoid; another hot-headed Hydranoid who just needs an excuse to throw around his blasts and wreck things. Last thing they need is an argument and unnecessary fights when there is evil force waiting out there and rolling on the ground in tears of laughter as it watches the good force fighting among itself instead of fighting what they are supposed to fight. "We have taken all possible precautions before entering. We realize that Doom Dimension is not a child's playground." Maria replies slightly annoyed that they think it is necessary to explain it to someone on her position; it should be implied.

"I am not a human myself; I was taught differently. And Knights taught me differently; if something is unknown I should study it and not fear it. If my actions have disturbed or offended you I apologize, but that is how we do our work. We do not intend to force you into working with us; you can simply turn your back on us and walk away and fight Hurranians and Kyuki by yourself if it suits you. Since you claim to have a lot of power I assume you would have no issue in defeating them all by yourself... would you now, Solider?" Maria says after getting tired from listening all that crap about fighting and destruction. One enemy is threatening to destroy everything there is and fighting among one another is the last thing everyone should be doing. Maria personally has no issue if Excedra wants to walk away and fight alone; she never forced anyone into anything and will not attempt to.

"Maybe I should terminate this alliance if it will cause such uproar." She thinks.

[Vince Hardy]

Excedra chuckled when this Hydranoid dared him to do it. He could almost taste her power level. He felt like lunging right then and there, but Frosch stepped in front of him.

"Hotheaded nature? Is that what you were told about why your kind separated from ours? How mistaken you are. It's actually quite the opposite, 'deary'" Excedra countered. "Your bloodline birthed from a seething jealousy of the Excedra's rule and their power. Your ancestors were expunged from our territory and sought shelter in colder climates where they've achieved a dishonor worse than Fury himself. They feasted on their brothers and sisters to create a power boost greater than that of any other Bakugan. That's all your 'Misfortune' form is, the energy your ancestors have taken from killing our own and then passing their stain to you. Then your kind wants to wage war against mine so they can take over...but we're supposedly the hotheads."

"That is why you will never compare to an actual Excedra. I can eat you and your form alive in under five seconds. Regardless of what you do, you are still lower than me in the hierarchy," Excedra clarified. Zero Hydranoid could act tough if she wanted to. Excedra has already proven he can destroy her kind so easily that she would never even get a chance measure up to him. The result would not be any different even if she used it. "Now I wake up to find one of your kind battling against another Hydranoid. It will not happen again. Whether it has to be Apollonir, Lars Lion, or me that strips you of that energy to make sure you never use it again, it will be done if you try me."

Not knowing the history between the Hydranoid, Vince was undoubtedly thinking of what to do next in this situation. If he knew Excedra was going to threaten the Admiral, he would have never went in here to talk to her. He suddenly found himself at fault for being a bit irresponsible.

"I deeply apologize for this. I didn't come in here to be subjected to this," Vince said to make sure Maria understood where his stance was.

[Maria Zenovia]

"Oh, you must have been dying to show me proof of your superiority. Like a little child with a new toy. I'm glad you let it all out. Now drink your milk and go back to bed so grown-ups can have an actual important conversation." Hydra brushed off seeing how fired up Excedra got from just a few of her comments making her think even more that he is a hothead who just needs an excuse to start a fight. Hydra is actually amazed at how easily Bakugans nowadays choose violent battles as solutions to their problems; it is all about fighting and showing superiority. It disappoints her that Bakugans are lowered to this pathetic state; especially after she tasted life on Advent where everything was organized and solved peacefully. Good old times. In fact, Hydra despises living on Earth because of this difference and would love if Maria could return back to Advent... but for some odd reason she decided to be among humans... abandon perfection she had been offered with.

Maria lets out a deep sigh... "I understand." She replies to Vince not willing to listen to that argument any more; especially because it has not even been a few hours since she woke up from anesthesia. "Hydra, would you please check on Sylvia?" Maria asks of her Bakugan just as an excuse so argument between Hydra and Excedra would not continue. She knows all too well that Hydra does not intend to come back once she leaves. Hydra quickly jumps off Maria's shoulder and goes to the next room where little Sylvia sleeps.

Maria does not know much on what to talk about anymore. She remembers talking about 'dead coming back to life'. That reminds her of what she wanted to say. However, before saying it she turns to Keto who was sitting silently aside. "Would you mind buying me some Oreos from the store, dear?" She asks politely and Keto rushes out like the wind wanting to help Admiral in any way possible. Reason why Maria sent her out is because Keto might become too sensitive for the topic. "Reports confirmed it... Kyuki revived Andersens' parents again, is using powers of two demigods and apparently..." Maria sighs out painfully. "...he revived his own wife... Fina..." Words do not come to Maria's mouth anymore as she tries to think of something to say.

"She was another big genius around here... bio-engineering. Except for reviving her he turned her into a psychopath. Poor woman wanted to cut Daniel into pieces in the name of her husband's greatness." Maria says almost ashamed to talk about it after hearing all Daniel told her; Fina was practically a version of Yita, but on some hard drugs. "I doubt it's love that made him do it... it's Fina's bio-engineering knowledge. Apparently, her effort let Kyuki create bio-Bakugans... mindless soldiers like mechanical ones, but these too unpredictable" Maria explains trying to give as much information as possible so none of them would get in trouble when facing something like Fina's 'Stigma' bio-Bakugan.

"Painful fact is that he implanted humans with something and they became stronger than Bakugans...nothing is impossible, but it is ridiculous. I don't know if you have ever heard of Andrew Andersen; he was supposed to become an Admiral long time ago. Now, he is alive again and can fight our elites without a Bakugan. So if I had to admit it, I'd say Kyuki and terrorists have an upper hand on us when it comes to elements of surprise." Maria reveals some knowledge behind Alex's father. She did not mention the mother because she was a member of Eden and they are usually not known because 'they are not important'. But Andrew pretty much caused Alex to be sent to a hospital; he nearly killed Alex.
If Andrew, Jennifer and Traqdrach fought Hydra together then there is a slim chance for her winning. And Marshal obviously is not going to interfere in this war.

[Vince Hardy]

Vince listened to Maria vent on those details. Before he had his say on the matter, he wanted to do one thing. "Frosch, Excedra, please excuse us," he requested.

He was essentially asking them to leave. He wasn't condemning Excedra for what he was saying since it would be understandable - from his point of view - to not allow a confrontation between Zero Hydranoid and Alana's Hydranoid. Excedra has been around for a while; he knew what was best. He really could have destroyed Zero Hydranoid in this room without saying a word, so it should count for something that he bothered to give her a warning at all.

"Before we leave, there's something I'd like to convey to you, Miss Zenovia," Frosch responded. "We may be Legendary Soldiers, but that doesn't mean we're all that special. We go through the same problems that you go through. I know this may not mean much, but if it makes you feel any better, I want you to hear this from me. I do not feel like the racism and elitism expressed in here was appropriate for what we're going through, on both sides. We're supposed to be here to help you, not take you over or talk to you however we want to. That's unacceptable behavior and you deserve better than that."

Excedra did not acknowledge the confrontational speech he was using. He meant exactly what he said and there was no way he was taking it back. He did want to help Maria though. "I have something else to say to you," Excedra prefaced, this time using a softer voice. "You asked about this god-like Bakugan earlier. I'm afraid to tell you because one of you may get bold and search for him. I'm asking you to please reconsider having anyone go back in the Doom Dimension. That is not someone you are ready to handle. If these Hurranians and Kyuki were the worst you've ever seen, you haven't seen anything yet. You will not escape if he gets his hands on you....It takes all six of us to keep him from escaping."

Saying what they had to say, the two Soldiers left the room, leaving Vince and Maria in there by themselves.

"I heard you, but I wouldn't be that concerned about his activity. There's something even worse than what he's producing. It's what war causes: internal discord. History has often documented us making fools of ourselves in this regard. We seem to start fights with each other while there's an enemy out there. Be that as it may, we still share the same common enemy. We should all work hard to point each other in the right direction when we go off course."

Vince then veered off that topic since there was nothing else that needed to be said about the situation. "I think you've done that pretty well. What you did for my son says it all. You're a special person here, and you're an integral part of this fight. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, understand?"

[Maria Zenovia]

"There are many to be saved yet. We are aware of dangers that lurk inside, but leaving so many that undeservedly ended there is not an option... It saddens me that we did not make it in time to save Krakix and Siege..." Maria admits implying that their missions inside Doom Dimension will continue. She would feel bad if all those Bakugans who ended there would be abandoned. And so would other Knights. She does not have the necessary skill to save those whose mind has been tainted by darkness, but some other Knights do and they are the only hope for salvation.

Maria lets out a silent laugh at what Vince said. "Evil tends to be smarter than the good. Our differences often divide us, but I believe we can work this out as one." After seeing all this how could she not believe. Silver Knights gaining allies from all around to fight the common enemy that has been threatening this world for long and new enemy that threatens this world's existence. If Knights are to work with Six Legendary Soldiers it would definitely end with Chrono Elite and Kyuki devastated, but collateral damage would be immense. For this reason Marshal and Six Lost Generals do not engage in battle against anyone except those classified as leaders; otherwise, it would cause more harm than good.

Hearing those words from Vince makes Maria smile. "Figures where Master Blaze picked up such good manners." She compliments. "Thank you... I think you are a good father; you remind me much of mine." She admits. After hearing so much about Vince's valor and efforts not only to save his own son, but this whole world she felt like she should say her opinion on him. People outside of the organization see Maria as a merciless and dangerous Admiral ruling with an iron fist, but only in person her true nature can be seen. She is just a young girl who sees potential, hopes and works to make this world better... dream that many leave behind as they grow older. Seeing how valiantly people like Vince fight for what is right gives her hope for the future.

[Kendrick Hardy]

"Yes...he sure is, isn't he?" There was a person at the door who made that remark after Maria's comment. It was Sandra, Noland's grandmother, and, more importantly in this case, Vince's mother.

"I heard everything from the doctors about you...I didn't think it was possible, but you...you're really back..." Sandra's disbelief could be attributed to the fact that he had been gone so long. It wasn't because she had given up hope. It was only natural for Vince's absence to be a normal thing after a while. Seeing him back like this was a total shock, almost too much of a shock for words.

But who could be happier than her in this instance, or at least rival the level of happiness she has? The only other person in Vince's household: Kendrick. He was still in his Gundalian form, but his injuries were dealt with. Much like Noland, Ken didn't like how it felt walking around like this, but he was more accepting of it than his older brother ever was. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that he really didn't care.

"D-Dad...?" Kendrick was going through the shock of finally seeing his father for the first time in several years. He took a good look at the man. This guy had the same authoritative presence he was known for, the same muscular build, the same BrawlX on his wrist, the same everything. With that being known, Kendrick lunged at Vince for a hug.

[Vince Hardy]

"It has been longer than it should have been, Mom..." Vince could clearly recognize the voice of the person speaking without having to turn to his side and look for himself. He got out of his seat anyway and made eye contact with her. It was refreshing to see her as 100% human rather than the Hurranians invading her body.

Then there was Kendrick. Vince hasn't been able to see him awake due to the nature of his injuries. Now that the family was effectively back together again, Vince gave them both a warm smile. "Come on. Bring it in, buddy," Vince encouraged. He embraced his son when he came in for the hug.

"That's the thing with peace. You never truly feel those connections you have at its peak without going through some difficulties. I'm glad I got do what I did...this feels great..." Vince kept to himself.

[Noland Hardy]