Episode 40: Meltdown of the Resistors

[Markus Hederick]

"Hm...Tank wasn't joking after all. You're barely recognizable when I compare you to how you were before," Markus finally said. Tracy was surprisingly strong. This gave Markus permission to end the battle quickly before it becomes a drawn-out mess, which might mean he'd be the loser. She had too many checks and balances for him to deal with in a timely manner. He was concerned about the Hurranians coming over there to ambush them during their fight too.

So he pressed the button on his BrawlX to initiate the DNA Stimulus...

"Let's not get this confused with what happened before we fought the Spartans. Don't expect any mercy for me. If you die from this, then...too bad," Markus prefaced since the DNA Stimulus and Catalyst were primarily made to kill. A purple star emanated from his BrawlX, and Gargulion was as well. Pieces of stone revolved around his downed body until a muscle overlord appeared. The Ventus and Subterra attributes appeared on his left and right arm respectively.

[Tracy White]

Skystar's shoulder discs returned to her body. She had to take a few steps back. Gargulion's power increase was absurd just like Gladion's, but she did not think Markus would go to that extreme. He didn't sound like he had any care about what kind of lethal application a form like that would bring to Tracy.

"Unbelievable, Markus. Truly unbelievable..." Tracy commented on Markus' intent. "But if that's what you want..."

Tracy wasn't going to wait around to give Skystar an upgrade. She needed to if she wanted to compete with Markus any further. "Ability activate! Mode Change: Seraph Form!"

Skystar's shoulder discs moved a bit further down her back. When they reached the center of her back, they stopped. A pair of angelic wings spread out from them. A spectral clone of Skystar appeared next to her. It was smaller, but possibly even more threatening than Skystar is herself.

"Don't worry... The feeling is mutual, the moment you made that decision," Skystar replied.

[Markus Hederick]

"Thank you for that. I appreciate it, even though I wasn't the one who said that," Gargulion sarcastically praised. He knew he was going to have to bear the full force of what Markus was doing. He did have the choice to back down, but a part of him makes him eager to fight.

"I don't really want to kill her, but...in Markus' rage, I understand what he's going through. The inner turmoil has driven him mad. He'll do anything for vengeance now, even if it means going against our comrades," Gargulion thought. "With that being said, I wonder...if this is really necessary. Isn't this...what the Hurranians ultimately want us to do?"

Markus was now starting to crack down on Tracy. He wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating her again.

"Ability activate! Frame Creation!" Gargulion generated two beams of light from his palms and clasped them together. What emerged from this phenomenon was a shiny variant of Gargulion's bat body that he refers to as his Magnet Frame. This would prove to be extremely lethal in its application in battle. Not only was it a nearly impenetrable defense, but its offensive capabilities were obscene. To demonstrate, the magnet Gargulion flew away from the actual Gargulion, and then activated its powers. Skystar and her scepter were drawn towards it instantly.

Pair this with Gargulion's speed with the DNA Stimulus, and the situation will not look good for Skystar at all. Gargulion had an easy time getting in Skystar's face when she was attracted towards him. He did a crushing bear hug to inflict serious damage to her body, and then backhanded her back to the ground. She was pulled off of the ground very quickly due to the Magnet Frame's continued interference. This pummeling is likely to continue as long as it does what it's doing.

[Tracy White]

Tracy grimaced a little when Markus pulled that move. She knew he was crafty, but this was something new to her. He wasn't joking at all when he implied that she might get killed by this form. Skystar wasn't kidding around either. She will show them why.

"Ability activate! Raider Stance!" The spirit companion accompanying Skystar changed its appearance to Ahio, Seiki's guardian. Her wind power was desperately needed here.

First, the scepter attached itself to Skystar's right arm. It converted into a gauntlet. The appearance of the weapon was very similar to one of Ahio's talons. The savage intensity of Ahio's claws was fully replicated with this bodily attachment.

Skystar would not be able to show how sharp it can be since her movement was heavily restricted from the magnetic force, and she did not want to be easily countered. She was forced to contend with the sudden blast of wind that can erupt from the claw at any time she pleases. Gargulion already had a body that was drawing it in. With him constantly getting in the way of his other body, Skystar had no problem blasting him into the magnetic body.

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion being blown backwards wasn't the greatest concern. It was the speed that he was traveling towards the Magnet Frame. Collision between the bodies at that rate of speed would surely result in the Magnet Frame being destroyed. It was too soon for that to be allowed.

"Very original," Markus replied in a snarky manner in reference to Tracy and Skystar 'stealing' the abilities from the Resistors. "Gargulion."

"Yeah." The Magnet Frame ended the magnetic pull on Skystar and directed it towards Gargulion himself. This curved Gargulion to it's right and Gargulion's left. The frame continued to follow Gargulion so it could direct him back towards Skystar where he delivered a monumental punch to her temple.

"Ability activate! Armed Vessel!" The blow knocked Skystar on her back like a ragdoll. All Gargulion would have to do now is assimilate her energy so he can convert her body into a Gargulion shell.

[Tracy White]

Things were starting to look grim for Tracy, but this brawl was not out of her league just yet. Markus' offensive just gave her an idea.

"Tsk...how about this? Double ability activate! Soul Cleanse..." The first one in line was the emergency tool Tracy keeps in reserve in the most dire situations. It dawns a bright light over Skystar's body that restores her back to full health instantly. It also eradicates any hostile influences that were upon her body. In this case, the transmogrification process was completely nullified and she was lifted out of unconsciousness.

"Plus...Burst Effect!" The Ahio spirit possessed Skystar's talon attachment. While in Skystar's body, the Ahio amassed a full swarm of scale-covered blades. When she flapped her wings to send the salvo out, a volley of blades exited the gauntlet. The wind power backing these blades increased their speed and their cutting power. Gargulion would be lucky to survive being hit by this in close quarters.

[Markus Hederick]

Tracy was beginning to piss Markus off. Her persistence was something to be desired. She reminded Markus of himself when he was brawling in high school. Stubbornness is a key virtue, but only when it's him being stubborn. Who would want anyone else to act the same way?

The blades did their job against Gargulion. His body was cracked by the blades battering his solid skin. These cracks were a clear sign that Markus may be reaching the breaking point in his patience. He could not rely on simple assassination techniques to win him the battle now. He had to go to the extreme.

To do this, Markus allowed both bodies to be struck by this amazing force. They both laid back on the ground, appearing to be unconscious from their ordeal. To make this even more apparent, the light that their spirit forms exhibit had been extinguished. Markus began to back away from the scene.

[Tracy White]

Skystar carefully returned to her feet. She saw that both Gargulion had been struck down from how they looked. Gargulion's light does not normally go away. Perhaps she had taken things a bit too far, because she wouldn't have wanted to kill Gargulion despite what was said earlier.

"I'm sorry...but you left me no other choice! I tried to reason with you, but you only pushed me away!" Tracy exclaimed to Markus. She swiped an ability on her BrawlX to ensure that Markus did not have the means to do what he wanted to do. At the worst, Lydia can resurrect him and Gargulion later. "Ability activate! Eradication Effect!"

The talon attachment broke off from Skystar to reform its appearance as a scepter. The Ahio spirit left Skystar's body and reformed into Alpha Hydranoid. What it will do is fly into its victim(s), absorb their power, and then collapse on them with the power that it took. The Hydranoid spirit was aimed at Markus as well. Skystar figured this was the most preferred way to deal with him.

[Markus Hederick]

When Skystar casted her spell, the light in both Gargulion lit up. This was it; this was where Skystar was going to meet her end.

"Right back at you," Markus responded. Gargulion emerged from his body in his spirit form while the Magnet Frame stayed where it was. Its primary purpose now was to defend Markus from the Hydranoid spirit. Gargulion would handle the caster with extreme prejudice.

"Ability activate! Infiltration Spirit!" This was the same technique he used to destroy Diablo, but its application against Skystar would be more lethal. It can even be considered overkill.

All Gargulion had to do was touch Skystar to begin the process; however, he would not touch her once. He would make contact multiple times. Gargulion repeatedly jabbed her across her body. Doing this would make multiple Gargulion grow inside of her body. The stress this placed on Skystar's power levels would make her unable to deal with this technique. Her life was near the edge.

"It's over for you," Markus declared.

[Tracy White]

If Skystar was not occupied with telepathically controlling the Hydranoid spirit, she would have been able to stop Gargulion's attempt to kill her. This was due to the technique requiring her to divert a bit of her power towards the control of the spirit. Due to Gargulion stressing her body, she was unable to respond to this death trap.

"No...you didn't..." Tracy looked in disbelief that a lethal ability had struck Skystar. She tried to get Skystar out of this sentence by swiping an ability, but the BrawlX rejected any input from her. Skystar could not use any more abilities in her condition. "S-Skystar! NO!!!!!"

Skystar was choking on the mass amount of power within her body. She glowed in a bright light as the power was increasing to her maximum. She then exploded in a glamorous field of sparkling light. The explosion's power blew Tracy backwards. A lamppost was in her way. She struck it and was immediately knocked unconscious.

Numerous Gargulion spirits emerged from Skystar's destruction. Tracy could not see them looking down on her even if she was awake. She was face-down on the pavement, bruised and defeated.

[Markus Hederick]

"Yes...I did..." Markus walked towards the downed Tracy with a non-emotional look on his face. The horrified onlookers stepped in his way to stop his approach, but Markus just walked through them, in a literal sense. He phased through their bodies.

He knelt down to check Tracy's vitals. Once he confirmed that she was still alive, he turned her to her right side. He didn't bother having her die now since she was powerless to stop him. That's all Markus was trying to achieve. Her death would be an unnecessary casualty.

"The Andersen lady, Lars Lion, or Gladion will resurrect Skystar in the very near future," Markus theorized to the unconscious Resistor. He laid one hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath. "I won't forgive them for what they did... I can never let them get away with this. Now you know how important it is for me to track the ones responsible down and make them pay an appropriate price. Hopefully, this encourages you to stay out of my way next time..."

[Tank Stryker]

A time distortion covered the heinous scene of battle that was upon them all. The events of Markus and Gargulion killing Skystar was reversed. Time did not resume normally until the scene stopped right before Gargulion dealt the killing blow. That's when a blue light surged past the spirit Gargulion and tackled Skystar, getting her out of the way before she was struck.

The identity of the one who interfered with their battle was Gladion, and he was the caster of the time reversal via the Scythe of Kronos, which was fastened on his back. People could see the radiance of this weapon as Gladion rolled over the ground continuously with Skystar in his arms. He quickly got back to his feet with his right palm facing Gargulion's direction, signaling him to cease what he is doing at once.

"I don't know what you call yourself doing, but this is wrong on so many levels. Preserve the dignity you have left and leave her alone. You won, okay? Is that good enough for you? You need a medal to say, 'Congratulations on killing an ally's Bakugan?'" Gladion stated to Gargulion in the form of criticism.

Tank was beyond horrified that Markus would resort to this. He stood a couple of yards behind Markus. He stood there, motionless and speechless. He was waiting for Markus to turn around and notice that he wants some answers.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus noticed the time distortion. This was because he still had the memory of what occurred prior to the turning back of time. The Magnet Frame had to redirect the Hydranoid spirit away from Markus to avoid it touching him. Gargulion was now stepping away from Skystar. Markus looked over his shoulder to notice an imposing presence coming from the person who is obviously the battling partner of Gladion: Tank.

"Speak of the devil," Markus said in response to Tank's appearance as he was just talking about how Gladion would appear to bring Skystar back.

"Shut up. You weren't even here when this entire argument started. You don't have the right to comment on my honor, especially when I was attacked first," Gargulion retorted.

"Hmph...I'm not going to make you ask. This is exactly what it looks like," Markus confirmed. "You should be thanking me for sparing Tracy herself. As far as I'm concerned, she deserved what Skystar got, and more."

[Tank Stryker]

"I'm not accepting that..." Tank looked at Markus like he just stuttered. His statements were so outlandish that Tank couldn't tell if this was the actual Markus or a Hurranian-controlled version of him. There's no way Markus would resort to killing someone he was cordial with.

Tank shouldn't be surprised by him saying this, because he just rewinded the scenario where Gargulion did kill Skystar and severely injured Tracy. He wanted to think that there was some mistake, like Markus being infected by the Hurranians. That would have been much better than seeing the actual person doing this...

Gladion put his hand down and assumed a battle stance. He was prepared to fight Gargulion at that point. He sounded very confrontational, not willing to defuse the situation.

"Markus..." Tank slowly approached Markus, because he did not want to alarm the Magnet Frame into attacking him too. "What happened? What did she do?"

[Markus Hederick]

"What did she do? I have a better question. What did YOU do?" Markus turned completely around to face Tank after asking that question. "The point of contention is your blood, after all..."

Gargulion started reforming his body while the brawlers were talking. He did not take his eyes off of Gladion who seemed just as eager to throw punches. Truth be told, Gladion was pushing his luck. This can also be treated as him defending someone who is defending the killers of his family, which Markus should be bringing right about now.

"Tracy conveniently dropped my parents and my sister off at Eden where they used your blood to devise an emergency vaccine for the Hurranian infection in their bodies," Markus went on to explain. "I don't care about the reason why your blood was there. It was there for them to use regardless of what your reasons were. I only want the names and the location of the people responsible. That's all I want. You give me that, and I will spare this secretive bitch over there."