Episode 37: Our Flame Is Greater Than Yours

[Damian Knight]

"Are you fucking kidding me...?" Damian couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Drago just took Helios' attack like he never even cared. He knew that Noland was going to find a way to go against it somehow, but the way he went about doing it just blew Damian's stack. That was absolutely unacceptable, and for the first time in a very long time, Damian feared losing.

And Helios somewhat feared taking another hit like that again. When Drago's attack made contact, it imploded on itself and spread the field in what looked like a powerful wave of force and clusters of rainbow particles. Neither him or Damian knew this, but the attack damaged him as if he were in the Second Layer; it was definitely a critical hit. Helios was hurt so bad that his scales wouldn't even reactivate. Helios hit the ground kneeling, and that position was a complete disgrace.

"Ability activate!" Damian said through his teeth. "Maximum Quasar!" Helios used his wings to repel himself backwards. He unleashed a fiery breath that encompassed a large portion of his field of view. Giant wildfires were sparked by the mere activation of the ability.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland could easily sense Damian's growing frustration. It meant that Damian was getting pushed to a point where no one has been able to push him before, and that scared him.

"You were right. You seem a lot more upset than Drago's construct was. Is that because you're all talked out?" Noland pressed on. "Or is it because your silly G-shield trick with Helios' scales doesn't work on an opponent who is just as powerful as he is? I'd say it's both. I'd also say it's a bit of an embarrassment that even Niko would have been able to see through your bullshit."

Noland discovered the mechanics behind Helios' scales and why they lit up. All he did was use what his dad had taught him by paying attention to the little things. Absolute Defense was the only ability Noland used where Damian's trick worked, because Helios was never damaged from the repulse when any other Bakugan would be. It was when his scales didn't have the flame that damage started showing up on Helios' body, meaning that the fire had to function as a short of protective barrier that nullifies any kind of damage if it's below a certain threshold of power.

"Ability activate! Novia Thunder!" Drago responded to Helios' move with an identical attack. His horn proved to be a nice conductor for the electrical - Crimson Bonding - power that needed to be included in the attack, making this attack carry the additive of a burning paralysis. Drago wasted no time developing the blast in his mouth and sending hell to meet Helios' attack.

"It's okay to admit you're washed, Damian. Certain people on this field have done it, and look how they turned out."

[Damian Knight]

The power output from the clash itself was strong enough to cause an atmospheric destabilization on its own. As for Damian, he can be content with not emerging as the loser from the exchange. Helios was powerful enough to match this glowing overlord. That was to be expected anyway.

The only downside to that was that Helios was no longer in his Third Layer when the clash ended. Helios was brought back down to the First Layer, the battlefield was pretty much rubble at this point, and there were more bruises on Helios than the ones on Markus' brawling record.

"To think...that I would be pushed this far..." Helios lamented. He didn't want to show it, but he looked like he was nearing his limits. He was breathing heavily from the ordeal, and he had the marks to prove that he went through something in this battle.

"You figure out the mechanics behind the Third Layer...and now that suddenly makes you the hotshot? Take a closer look at yourself," Damian sent back. Despite Drago's impressive showing, he wasn't in any better shape than Helios was in. His Switch Code shielding was all shed off. It wasn't even there anymore. "We're still here, and I'm not leaving until you go down. You hear me!?"

[Noland Hardy]

Damian was only half-right. Drago was back in his base form with bruises, heavy-breathing, and an equally-shared eagerness to strike the other down. Noland had already done what no one else had been able to do, and Damian was the main one talking down on others since the beginning. That was the difference between him and Noland right now.

"It must suck when it's your turn to be put up on the stake, doesn't it? You win all of these battles, talk all of that trash, and now you have nothing to say when you're in for the brawl of your life," Noland expressed. "By the way you built up your image, you're supposed to be invincible. It doesn't look like it will be that way anymore."

"And here's the funny thing about all that. I could lose this battle and still be picked up in the end by the people standing behind me, because we know what it feels like to fall in the agony of defeat. But you? You treat everyone else like crap. You'll have no one. You're only in it for yourself. Those people in the audience aren't going to be by your side when you lose. They've left my side a long time ago, but they don't matter to me right now. I got all I need to win. You do not, so guess what this means for you and Helios?"

Noland points to Helios and gives him a thumbs down. "I'm. Wiping. You. Out!"

(Boss Theme 3)

[Damian Knight]

After a bit of huffing and puffing from the current battle, Damian had to laugh at Noland's ignorance of the situation. He spoke as if he was superior by the fact that he happened to have more friends. They weren't about to help him in this fight though.

"You really don't have a clue about me, Noland. I know what it feels like to be defeated. I've been losing ever since I entered this world. I have the scars to prove it, both Helios and I do," Damian said in reference to his sham of a childhood. "I've relied on my power and my power alone throughout my lifetime. That's all that matters now between you and I. One of us is going to lose, and it's not going to be because of anyone else's say in the matter. You have your powers, and I have mine. Now we'll see which one is superior once and for all."

Damian inputted the first of his final set of abilities. He had no other choice now. It was coming down to the wire, and he wasn't going to be the one to tip over. "Ability activate! Void Stream!"

Helios did what he could to make Drago waste his energy by keeping him on his toes. This attack would do just that. Out of his mouth came a white-colored stream that was hot enough to burn away any chance of Noland winning.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland nodded in agreement with the only thing in Damian's speech that he could agree with, knowing what he knew. "Yeah. This will be it for us, but this battle...is mine!"

Drago did what was best against Helios' attack: guard or dodge. There was no point in clashing with that attack. If he was in the business of exhausting himself even further, then it would be a fantastic idea. Noland swiped a card for him, so it was up to him what he was going to do with it, not that he didn't know what Noland would want him to do with it.

"Ability activate! Hyper Igniter!" Drago partially covered himself with his left wing to shield himself from the more damaging effects of Helios' Void Stream. Drago then unleashed a fiery stream of his own, sweeping it across Helios. The attack appeared like a twister ravaging through the landscape. The spread of flames that appeared from where the attack made contact with the ground made it all the more ferocious than what Helios was going for.

[Damian Knight]

There Noland was again trying to one-up Damian again with those maneuvers of his. It was sickening to watch from Damian's point of view.

"Nice move, but it's not going to help you," Damian vainly complimented him. "Ability activate! Nova Defensor!" Helios conjured a fireball in between his palms and threw it on the ground to produce a fiery wall. This not only blocked the incoming attack, but made the surrounding area be covered in smoke thanks to their collision. This was necessary to do since he did not want Noland to attempt to detonate this attack while it was still in Helios' mouth.

"This one is going to burn! Double ability activate!" For the first time, Damian had included a fusion ability in his move, something he had not had to do before. "Meteor Quasar plus fusion ability, Omega!"

Helios carefully positioned himself a little far to the left while the smokescreen was still in effect so he could charge his attack. It didn't take him too long - it took two seconds - to develop the fireball in his mouth. He did have to account for its expansion, especially since his fusion ability amplified it on a large scale. Helios then launched the fireball at Drago that was improved in speed, size, and power; it looked like a meteorite from outer space taking on the form of a fireball. Before it would get too close to Drago, it would implode on itself, producing the same effect Drago would have if he had done it.

[Noland Hardy]

Anyone could say what they wanted about Damian, but there was no question that Damian's skill was up there with the best of them. This attack could not be dodged by Drago, and Damian cleverly set Helios up to move past the point to where Drago could have stopped it without suffering any damage. Noland wasn't so sure about the level of hurt this was going to bring down upon them now.

The safest way out of this was to slow it down and delay the inevitable.

"Stay strong, Drago! Almost there! Ability activate! Novia Edge!" Drago leaped backwards to get some distance away from the fast-approaching fireball. He pointed his tail trident towards this monstrosity and fired it. It soared through the air like a sniper bullet to make contact with the fireball. Doing so proved to be a fruitful resistance that would eventually fail due to the power difference between the two attacks; however, what Damian and Helios did not expect was for Drago's attack to pierce it and cause it to explode prematurely.

The explosion definitely created a force strong enough to propel Drago backwards into the stadium walls, but this forced miscalculation also made Helios an affected target as well.

"I'm..getting...really...tired...of this!" Drago said in between grunts. He pulled himself together and got back in the fight, but even with his improved abilities, he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to last.

"Ability activate! Crimson Bonding!" Drago's power started to rapidly rise. The appearance of his power was reflected by an electric ripple occasionally sparking around his body. Drago sent that energy into the ground so that the current could make its way to Helios. Touching this current would result in it being sent through his body, paralyzing him and burning him from the inside.

[Damian Knight]

"You stubborn, little..." Helios jumped right back out there only to encounter an attack that would surely make him lose the brawl. Damian surely wasn't having any of that. It had to be stopped.

"Ability activate! Dynamic Warrior!" This was arguably the strongest ability Helios had access to in the First Layer. The ability to wield the strength of another Layer while in this condensed form was too good of an opportunity to pass up now. It had to be exercised.

Helios took on a lesser version of the Third Layer's protective scaling, ensuring that the incoming attack from Drago would be rendered powerless thanks to it not meeting the power criteria to bypass his G-shield.

Being invulnerable to Drago's attack, Helios took off into the air. A vibrant aura surrounded his body as he moved insanely fast. He had his wits about him as he traveled though, not wanting to be caught off guard again. The resulting impact Drago was about to feel from this knockout crush would instantly win the brawl for Damian.

"It's over!" Damian authoritatively yelled.

[Noland Hardy]

"You thought it was!" Noland responded with the same volume. He revealed his new Fusion Ability that worked with two separate abilities with a similar nature, one of which has already been activated. "Fusion ability activate! Dragonic Rampage!"

If Drago's power was considered to be intimidating earlier in the fight, then no one has seen anything yet. This new fusion ability was going to showcase the kind of level Noland was on, the true firepower of the Master Blaze. One could even argue that this was his strongest ability without the influence of his genetics being present.

Drago's energy spiked to a very high level. Very briefly, his color scheme received a hint of orange. He then took off after Helios to showcase the benefits he received from the fusion. His physical parameters were increased to an unprecedented level, enough to give onlookers the impression that a giant Dragonoid head had encompassed Drago's body and tore through the landscape as he moved. He would collide with Helios using his horn, the most threatening part of his body. Prior to the collision, the Dragonoid head that others would see would open its mouth and perform a bite on impact.

[Damian Knight]

Damian was slightly taken aback by Noland's persistence in staying in the fight. Noland's fighting spirit was as ferocious as Damian's was. Neither one wanted to throw in the towel, and both of them wanted this to be over. With the resulting clash causing a super-explosion powerful enough to knock out the electricity and crack Drago's reconstruction of Metallius' barrier, there was some wonder to who would be left there to stand victorious.

To their disappointment, the dust settled, and Helios and Drago were still in their monster forms. The battle conditions were clear to even the dumbest of people in the audience. Both Helios and Drago were running on the brink of their energy, and one good attack would do the other in. This was it. Someone was about to lose this brawl.

"You're the strongest brawler I've ever fought, Noland. You've been closer to me than I've ever expected," Damian freely admitted to his opponent. "We both know what's about to happen now. One more hit like those, and we're done. So now I'm going to make sure Helios and I are the ones riding to the sunset, made of the flames of your fallen Dragonoid."

Perhaps the final ability he plays, Damian put into action. "Ability activate! Eruption Claw!" The amount of power Helios had left prevented the intended usage of this ability to go through. He had to settle for less with what he had. He covered his right claw in a fierce flame that would likely cause an eruptive explosion on impact. All he needed to make contact with now was a certain Dragonoid.

"Game over, Drago," Helios stated. 

[Noland Hardy]

This was the most dangerous part of the brawl for two offensive brawlers in the top 1%: the endgame. Noland and Damian traded all the blows that they could, but now was where one hit could end the other's run. It doesn't matter how many times one may have gotten hit before. All that mattered now was who was going to get hit and lose.

"I'm guessing I should take that as a compliment, considering you don't expect too much," Noland accurately depicted of his mortal rival. "Drago...good luck, buddy. Ability activate! Rage Flash!"

Drago coated his right hand and arm in red electricity designed to increase the force he can dish out from the select body part, effectively increasing his physical attack power. Similarly to Helios, this was not the intended use of this ability, but Noland had to put something in to give Drago the edge he needs. As long as it hits, that was enough to put this brawl away.

Drago and Helios didn't seem deterred by the fact that neither of them could take another hit. They had to have thought this through in their heads. It was to their benefit that they favored offense since sitting back was going to get one of them killed.

"In all seriousness though, you're the most dangerous opponent I've ever encountered," Noland admitted. It sounded like he placed Damian higher than any villain, even Barodius. "You're way too strong, but that's not what makes you dangerous. It's your attitude. Being the most powerful is a great achievement, but what's the point if it corrupts you like this? You can't even control your power...It controls you, and you freely do whatever it tells you to do. It's interesting how...the Resistors came into play...to stop brawlers just like you..."

Drago and Helios started taking steps towards each other. It started out with a walk, but it steadily built up into a sprint. When they got close to each other, Drago aimed to punch him, but Helios grabbed his arm before he made contact. Drago then saw a claw trying to scratch him to cause his body to erupt, but Drago also prevented that from happening by forcefully gripping his arm in mid-animation.

[Damian Knight]

Damian scoffed at Noland's judgment of him. At the end of the day, they were going to be opposites sides of the same coin, two brawlers who have the power to turn this world upside-down with two ideologies guiding their aim. It sounded as if Noland considered himself to be all about spirit while Damian favored strength. Any way one could put it was a moot attempt to change one's view.

The only thing one could give the other was defeat, and Helios would try to do just that.

"Am I really corrupt, or are you only believing that for the sake of citing me as different? I use my power the way I feel like using it, but that doesn't mean I'm evil. Go back to the drawing board and rewrite your mission statement. Try adding in a goal of accepting that all powers are not the same nor are they used in the same way."

Helios slyly kicked Drago's heel, causing him to topple over. Helios then swiped at the downed Dragonoid to finish him off.

[Noland Hardy]

Drago rolled over with a passion to avoid being clipped by Helios' claws. His tail wrapped around Helios' and pulled him inward. Drago got up to strike Helios with a backhand, but Helios managed to step back somehow and dodge it. The two dragons tried one more time to knock out the other, but they ended up stalemating each other again, back in the exact position they were in.

"A very good friend said that to me once, but - definitely a shocking twist - it turned out she was in denial," Noland countered, directly referencing Karen, Alana's "alter-ego. "Come on, man. Even you should know that the Resistors wouldn't even exist if everyone used their powers the same way. It killed my will to be a brawler anymore back then, much like you've already done today."

Drago took a gamble with this next move. He pushed Helios' right arm and then let go of it completely. With nothing stopping Helios, he tried to impale Drago with it. Drago had an unexpected counter of jumping while Helios was still holding on to him, spinning around to Helios' left just enough for his tail trident to slam Helios in the left jaw. This did cause the majority of his tail to be sliced completely off, but Drago now had the opening he needed.

"There's nothing wrong with us being different, as long as those differences do not lead to anything mischievous or malicious. So I'm going to repeat history now," Noland declared. Drago kneed Helios in the gut, landed a left hook across Helios' right jaw, and then - for the ultimate finish - deliver a physically-enhanced punch to Helios' heart. "I find your current use of power to be disgusting and toxic to the community as a whole. I want you gone, and guess what?" Drago connected the punch cleanly, the impact making Helios fall back in slow motion briefly before rocketing backwards. "That's how I feel like using my power."

Drago collapsed on the ground from his tail being cut off, despite it being regenerated. "Yeah...game over, Helios. Thanks for playing," Drago mocked.

[Damian Knight]

Helios had coughed up blood after being hit by Drago. Helios tumbled on the ground numerous times before stopping himself.

"N-no...Helios...get up! Get up!" Damian pleaded. This was something to be wrought. Helios was literally on his last legs.

"I...can't...and won't...lose to you...Drago...I can't..." Helios struggled to get himself back to his feet, but he did so. He saw Drago on the ground, tired from this ordeal. That would be the opportune moment to strike a finishing blow, but it didn't appear to be that simple. Helios' injury from Drago's hit was too severe. He could barely even walk.

"...I'm broken, Damian..." Helios silently lamented.