Episode 35: Deadlocked

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid briefly looked down at the field. He noticed that the presence underground had been purged.

"So you've nullified my abilities?" Hydranoid rolled his eyes about that. He was only scratching the surface, and Neri had to ruin it. "That's funny. I barely did anything to you."

The battle conditions were clear. Alana had the undeniable advantage, and Yita was at her mercy. Inching closer to the finish line was definitely within Hydranoid's power. The only question is if Neri could survive long enough to force stronger measures. Alana did not plan on allowing Yita to have the satisfaction of dragging this out. She wanted this Spartan dug into the ground and that was all there was to it. Payback was coming.

"Ability activate! Alpha Incinerator!" This was an extremely lethal ability that had a relatively low cost to Hydranoid's reserves. In simpler terms, this ability was overpowered. It was one that manipulated the shape and form of the battle energy scattered throughout the field for Hydranoid's nefarious purposes. Its namesake implies that it would easily burn the trash on the field - Neri - to ashes, even though this was weak by Hydranoid's new standards.

Hydranoid slammed the ground with his fists to trigger the rise of a fiery aura. Its power and size grew proportionate to the amount of battle energy created in the battle, which was plentiful due to Skystar and Neri roughing it out before. It only got worse from here. Battle energy to the Hydranoid race was simply looked at as a form of sweat. Fighting an enemy using abilities creates even more of that hypothetical sweat, which makes Hydranoid's ability even stronger than it already was. Neri could continue to squirm around all she wanted to, but she would only make the situation worse for herself as she continues to find a way to hurt Hydranoid.

"I'm about to eat good today!" Hydranoid viciously planned. This overpowered inferno engulfed Hydranoid and Skystar as well, but it did not seem to harm them. Actually, Hydranoid's eyes flashed red from within the flames before promptly disappearing again.

"What's the matter, Yita? You're not having a tough time over there, are you?" Alana questioned in a mocking manner. "I thought this was supposed to be easy for you. Things change when the people you beat while they're down get back up, don't they?"

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

YITA AILEEN NYX

Hao "Spartan"

She had nothing to say, and decided to keep quiet until the finale was reached, or she was provoked enough, whichever came first. Yita was internally panicking, trying to find a say out of this rather sticky situation. Would she have to resort to that already? It it only seemed like Hydranoid was getting started, no where near tired. Maybe if she could just play out the clock? You never know unless you try.

The girl seems to mumble something and Neri had a flash of light brown come from her form. It appears that Neri had taken on another form, but it couldn't be seen under the cover of chaos. And the two intend to keep it that way, it was a secret that should be kept under the covers. It also seems like this new form that she had taken allowed her a certain degree of immunity towards Hydranoid's attack. "Roots of despair." Yita says as Neri pulls off a full on subterra move. Her motions couldn't be seen, but black roots could be seen. They were spreading around the place, heading right for Hydrnoid's lower body.

"I'll continue to watch over my darling."

► kaigra ◄

[Alana Cortese]

Alana was extremely pleased that Yita was literally playing with fire. Neri's ability only increased the potency of Alpha Incinerator. It was only natural that fires would get worse the longer they stay ablaze. Neri adding more battle energy to the field meant that she was effectively digging her own grave. Her form change was only delaying the inevitable.

There was no better way to show that than for Neri's attack to wither away as soon as it was brought out. It wasn't going to go away in time to spare Hydranoid the annoyance of having to respond to it himself, but he could take some comfort in the fact that Neri was not going to be very mobile for that much longer.

"Ability activate! Treble Trident!" Hydranoid's tails sprung up in a form of excitement at getting to use this attack. The three of them would fire vertical lasers that, when either destroying a target or making contact with something they cannot pierce, can then split into three more lasers after the target has already been impacted. The more they split, the stronger they get.

"I should probably expect some sort of trick soon. This is so anti-climactic," Alana thought. She'd rather anticipate something from Yita rather than writing her off, just so she could be surprised in the more preferable way.

Alana had a good reason to believe that this was a cinch too. Hydranoid easily cut through the roots he targeted with his tails, then the ones that destroyed those roots multiplied and struck the others, continuously repeating the process. The fire on the battlefield grew exponentially from these events. It was almost like it was its own being, like it had a power level of its own.

"You're cutting it VERY close, Yita. One more stunt like that, and you'll be toast," Alana warned. It wasn't like she wanted Yita to put the fire out, but if she didn't, Neri may get killed by accident, definitely on purpose.

"Go ahead, Neri. Put out the fire. I'll let you do it," Hydranoid informed his opponent with a clear sign of disrespect.

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

YITA AILEEN NYX

Hao "Spartan"

It appears that they had a plan of sorts, and it seemed inevitable. Maybe it was the conditions of the field, of the new upgrades that Hydranoid had received. Yita fiddle around with a card she had hidden up her sleeves, one that she hadn't tested yet on Neri. It was dangerous considering what side effects the ability may bring, but it definitely had the potential to change up the way the brawl was going.

Of course, her brother's style of fighting was never her strong suit. Yita is born an overrider after all.

"It should only target one, and take on the effects as well." She murmurs to herself, staring at the beast she had created. "It's worth a try." She draws the card, "Double ability. Ground zero and Data exchange."

Neri does a dive towards the ground, crashing into it as she releases the spirit of her subterra form, exposing her robotic frame in its weakest state. It seemed like a dumb move, kamikaze maybe? But Neri wasn't doing anything, so a suicidal move? Probably, that seem to beter fit the move she just did. Neri wouldn't be able to withstand the current conditions for long, luckily the second ability kicked right in. Her signature tethers came from the end of Neri's tail, targeting Hydranoid. They wrapped around his being, only for a moment. It was so fast, you couldn't even tell what just happened. You could definitely feel it though.

She had exchanged their data, energy levels, and so forth. Neri had essentially gained Hydranoud's advantage over the whole battle, and her opponent was left with the scraps that Neri once had.

Yita didn't miss it though. If she didn't end this fast, Neri would essentially shatter from the sheer amount of energy she had.

"I'll continue to watch over my darling."

► kaigra ◄

[Alana Cortese]

"There it is," Alana smiled in confirmation. Yita's technique was deadly, even for Hydranoid. She only wishes that the flames actually affected the summoner, just so she could be in a more dire situation. She was very curious to see what Hydranoid's limit was. It was a shame that Neri wouldn't have to worry about the flames for a while due to acquiring a power level that high.

...Now that Alana thinks about it, Yita could probably get Maria with this ability too.

"That's not...what I had in mind...!" Hydranoid grunted from his body feeling just as scrawny as Neri looked to him. He was doing a nice job of keeping himself up, but he was a bit wobbly due to not being used to this feeling. "Why does everyone keep messing with my body like that...? Now I'm even more hungry than before...and that makes me VERY angry."

"You know, Yita...that was a good attempt, but a stupid one," Alana shamelessly insulted. "Ability activate! Merge Shield!"

The left and right head opened their mouths to create a suction effect, one that specifically targets energy from other Bakugan or attacks and draws them in. Eating the flames would more than likely propel Hydranoid beyond what was necessary, and it would make Neri comfortable. Alana didn't want that, and neither did he. For this reason, he isolated the energy suction to one target: Neri.

"I tried to tell you," Alana shrugged concerning the fire that Yita just refused to extinguished. "Eating power is a specialty of the Hydranoid, silly. Of course your ability wasn't going to work."

The powers she had accumulated rose into the air like smoke while she was in his presence. It was flowing nicely into Hydranoid's mouths. This was where Alana's wish for a climactic finish came into play. If this entire process finishes, Neri is a goner, because she put herself in a critical condition prior to the power switch.

"What else do you have, or is that really it?" Alana eagerly asked in anticipation, even laughing at the idea of Yita coming up with something even more ridiculous.

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

YITA AILEEN NYX

Hao "Spartan"

Of course, Yita went with the ridiculous. She always had something ridiculous, and this one had to be the most riskiest move she has ever pulled yet. Of course, she kept to to her own word that she wouldn't say anything until the last move was made. After all, she had a good feeling on where this was going if she had to do one of her rather drastic moves. To be fair, it is a 2 V 1 battle.

"Okay Neri, Lethal Advance!" Neri roars and leaps straight towards Hydranoid, aiming right for his middle head. Rather than attacking it, she quickly swerved and went for the left head, taking a dive towards the head. A clone on Neri popped out of the bakugan's form, aiming for the opposite head. "Digital Daggers!" The two Neris summoned a storm of blades, and made a dive into their mouths, aiming the blades right into their mouths.

"I'll continue to watch over my darling."

► kaigra ◄

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid's central head was far from amused. If she was just going to dodge it, why bother even going for it? It wasn't like he was easily intimidated, especially by someone of her stature. He wouldn't have blinked even if she hissed.

"Pussy," Hydranoid insulted. "Let me teach you something about confrontation."

Alana had just the technique for that. This was beyond what was necessary, at least in a normal scenario. When it is against someone who believes making others depressed is a game in a giant toy box, anything that can be used to show them what you're working with is on the table.

"Ability activate! Nebulous Rain!" The powers of an Excedra was lurking upon Hydranoid's reserves. It allowed him to tap into the powers of his genetics. This was nothing to scoff at, especially when someone as violent as Hydranoid is involved.

"You can have this back," Hydranoid spoke with his mouth full of energy. He reversed the suction back at Neri, but in return, it took on the form of a dark, tarry smoke. They broke into bits and pieces, almost like they were pellets compounded together to form a deluge of energy. They tore through Neri and her projectiles, then curved into the sky directly above their heads. In a flash of lightning, mayhem rained down upon them all.

The full flood of energy surged through the entire field. Purple smoke rose from Neri each time an individual pellet struck her backside. It had to account for several thousands of hits based on the massive number of pellets contained in the attack.

[Tracy White]

This...was going way too far. While Skystar was kept relatively safe from Hydranoid's other attacks, this one did not look like it was discriminating against friend or foe.

"Oh my..." Skystar looked up at how fast the attack was coming down. If she didn't move fast enough, she'd be obliterated.

"Ability activate! Life Guide!" Skystar has to use her scepter to send a ball of light into Hydranoid's being. The ability would do the rest.

Being touched by this ability effectively links the caster to the target. She can make two choices from there. She can make Skystar the dominant factor in that link so that whatever happens to her would happen to Hydranoid. On the flip side, whatever Hydranoid gets, she gets. The latter option sounded much better since Hydranoid was not going to be hurt by the stunt he just pulled; he was going to get benefited from the ability since the power he gets hit by soaks into his body.

"Whew...close one...." Tracy sighed. The same could not be said for Neri. Her Bakugan form was battered and bruised. The wear and tear became visible for everyone to see as she lied in a curling position on the ruined ground. She didn't look like she would be getting back up to make any snide remarks any time soon.

"Awwww. How fitting," Tracy commented, "for the scum that you are."

[Yita Aileen Nyx]

YITA AILEEN NYX

Hao "Spartan"

Playing with power was certainly a dangerous thing to do, as seen with Neri. She was just about placed out of commission. She wasn't even able to change back to a less attention-attracting form. Yup. She was that damaged. Yita didn't have anything much to work with now, all Neri was essentially was a hunk of metal with a spirit barely clinging to the metallic structure. Yita simple glares at the two girls, no words had to be exchanged for Yita. She wasn't going to further allow them to rejoice in their glory. After all, if she snaps back with a snarky comment, she would be giving into their wishes. Yita would know, she was often in that kind of position.

She pulls out a disk, kinda like a floppy disk but appears to be more high tech. A light blue light surrounds Neri's remains as the light made it's way to the disk, now engulfing it rather than what was once called Neri. The metal feline no longer appeared to be a feline after that. It was simply a hunk of metal. She would have to rebuild Neri from ground up now. It was bad, but now she knew the limitations and what to do for improvements. Yita places the disk back into her pocket as she turns around, making her way back, away from the arena from which she had finally found the feeling of loss.

Was this how Niko felt that day? The day that the rabbit vanished before her very eyes?

"I'll continue to watch over my darling."

► kaigra ◄

[Alana Cortese]

This scene was extremely pleasing to Alana. It was about time she had her vengeance. She felt like she had finally taken control by driving back someone who caused her so much grief. On top of that, Hydranoid finally redeemed himself. His victory led to him flexing in celebration.

"You see that? That's what I fucking do! I'm back, bitches!" Hydranoid exclaimed. "Someone take a picture of this girl's face. It's priceless. Now she knows who does the thrashing around here."

Alana closed her eyes and smiled as she heard the loud cheering of everyone in the stadium. It assisted with taking this weight off of her shoulders. She could finally stare down the ones who brought her down and find her way back up. This was a good feeling.

"That'll do for now," Alana said, content with just humiliating Yita for her revenge. "An apology would have been nice for all of that crap she put me through, but I wasn't expecting one. Expecting to win was nowhere near unreasonable, but expecting her to actually be sorry? Yeah...when Hydranoid actually beats Maria's Hydranoid in battle."

"H-hey!" Hydranoid stopped his celebration when Alana made that comment. All three heads had to turn around in shock of it. "It can happen...!"

"Now all that's left is..." Alana looked at Tracy for this one. "...to eat Skystar's power too."

[Tracy White]

Tracy was just about ready to celebrate with Alana until she made that declaration. That was something she forgot about during the battle. The conditions of the battle were to only have one person standing, kinda like what happens when a Third Judgment gate card is played.

"Oh...right..." she remembered. "Well, go ahead then. I'm ready."

This confidence in Tracy's voice encouraged Skystar to do the same. She turned to face Hydranoid who looked like he was ready for a second course. It was difficult not to think that he was serious on fighting her. It was a Hydranoid. What else was he going to think?

"This should be entertaining," Skystar commented. "What say you, Hydranoid? Are you ready to get this over with?"

[Alana Cortese]

Alana cheerfully laughed at Tracy's insistence on actually continuing the battle from this point. There was really no need to do that.

"I'm kidding, Tracy. We'd look ridiculous doing that up here," Alana confirmed.

"Wait...what?" Hydranoid glared at Alana. "I can't fight anymore?"

"You sound disappointed," she noticed. She waved her hand off in a motion of showing that she wasn't going to be apart of this any longer. Kyuki must have been crazy thinking that he was going to force her to do something else even more ridiculous than fighting the Spartans in a death battle.

"Ah. Well, so much for holding this one in," Hydranoid started before hoisting his middle finger all the way up to the sky, primarily targeting Kyuki with the gesture. "You can thank me later when I stick this down your throat, Kyuki."

Alana turned around to walk off of the battlefield. Her job there was done as far as she was concerned. "Hey, Noland, be a gentlemen and kick Damian's ass for us, okay?"

[Tracy White]

That was a sigh of relief for Tracy. She sounded confident, but deep down, she wasn't sure if there was any chill with Hydranoid right now. He'd probably go too far without even thinking about it. It was good to see that even he valued teammates now.

"That's that," Skystar concluded. She returned to ball form at the same time Hydranoid did just to show that she wasn't there to give Kyuki even more of a show. They fought, and Yita lost. Making the Resistors have to fight each other was just low.

"Oh, we don't have to worry about Noland. He works well under pressure," Tracy knew. "Now as long as he doesn't choke like a certain someone down here does..." She chuckled when she took that shot at Markus. It was a funny dig that she can agree with Tank on.

[Prof.Dr.Kyuki]

Watching the scenery that happened and how Yita got knocked out Kyuki nearly lets out a laugh. More like a laugh to himself than the people fighting down there. He got disappointed that he even organized the fights when it happens and ends all so quickly. He begins to doubt the project he started by collecting all their dana there to create 6 artificial Bakugans by combining 3 Bakugans in each.

“One thing is certain- this girl is an expert.” Kyuki looks at Yita. “Expert at being a disappointment as a fighter and a living being in general.” He says. After reviewing her and Tracy’s powers he comes to a conclusion that he needs neither of their powers; neither would come in handy for what he planned. He decides to use data from their fight to create some minor weapons that would serve as distractions in the future, but nothing major and very relevant. He expected Yita to be stronger than that, but her variety of powers does not impress him in the slightest.

“Because that is what you are. To Spartans, to Resistors, to Silver Knights. A distraction. Not a challenge. Not a threat, but a mere distraction.” Kyuki heartlessly mutters about Yita’s abilities. He seems to be very picky of what he wants, but, at least, Yita’s punishment will come in handy as another distraction from the real deal. Same goes for other defeated individuals in this tourney. All they provide is their data and their punishment distract them from what Kyuki is doing elsewhere. As for Alana she is strong enough for her data to be used by Kyuki in creation of Darkus artificial Bakugan, Haxa. Kyuki then walks back to the shadows and vanishes.

[Noland Hardy]