Episode 40: Meltdown of the Resistors

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion ducked his head when the rocks were flung above his head. He expected them to crash on top of him sometime soon, way before Gladion would connect with his axe. Markus had a way to combat that though.

"Ability activate! Shade Winger!" Gargulion had no choice since Gladion was so fast. He displaced himself into the shadows, and sunk into the ground. Avoiding the axe getting lodged into his figurative brain was a cinch from then on.

"Weird. Don't you usually get me with that kind of approach?" Markus curiously asked, knowing that he was just trying to get a reaction out of Tank. He was also implying that what worked on him before wasn't going to work on him, at least not in the same way. Markus was ready this time, and if Tank doesn't know that, he's doomed.

"I wager that hiding from you isn't going to work? You can still see Gargulion, can't you?" Markus wondered.

[Tank Stryker]

"Awww. You managed to dodge my first attack. I'm in so much trouble," Tank sarcastically interpreted. He was quick to dismiss Markus' attempt at making himself look good. This was the only the beginning.

Gladion picked his axe up off of the ground. He became wary of his surroundings on a heightened level. Gargulion could jump out at him at any time, so it was only natural that Gladion prepares himself to act at any time as well. He knew that Gargulion couldn't hit him while he was in the shadows, so it was a good trade-off for not being able to hit him.

"Gladion, scare him out of hiding!" Tank commanded. Gladion's interpretation of what this meant didn't quite match what someone might expect. Gladion turned his back to Markus and feigned being wary of Gargulion's presence. In a quick and fluid motion, Gladion swung his left harm backwards and released the axe. It was heading straight for Markus.

"Oops. My bad," Gladion erroneously apologized.

[Markus Hederick]

Wide-eyed and concerned for Markus' safety, Gargulion assumed his physical form to push Markus out of the way. As a consequence, Gargulion's hip was brushed by this axe, causing a bit of damage. Had Markus remained where he was, he would have found an axe lodged in his chest.

"You think that's funny? This is how you're going to fight?" Gargulion confronted. "I can do that better than you can."

Markus hopped to his feet and activated an ability, one that was meant to target Tank. "Remember, you started that," he reminded Tank. "Ability activate! Photon Spear!"

Gargulion's left hand glowed. A plethora of bladed constructs appeared above his head. With a hand thrust, the blades were sent towards Gladion and Tank like a ravaging storm.

[Tank Stryker]

Gladion front-flipped to Tank's position. He turned around to face Gargulion's incoming onslaught. He knew where those blades were going. They'd be going right into his trusty shield, as soon as it gets called on. Judging by the nod Tank gave Gladion when they made eye contact, this was the plan of action.

"Ability activate! Weapons Cache - Aegis!" A portal opened up above Gladion to drop the legendary shield off to him. Its gaze penetrated the fabric of the blades' formation, petrifying them as they flurried towards him. They shattered when they made contact with the shield.

"You? Doing something better than me? Please," Gladion taunted. He slammed the bottom of his shield on the ground to send the grounded axe into the air. Pointing Medusa's gaze at Gargulion now, Gladion managed to stun his foe. This opened the opportunity to rush towards him and send him reeling with an uppercut swing from his axe. Gargulion conveniently landed on the airborne axe on his way down.

"You threatened me, asshole. You get what you get," Tank retorted. "If you thought bullying your way through ME was ever going to work, then your inflated ego may not be the only thing that's wrong with you. You're falling flat on your face with all of that new power you have and you don't even know it."

[Markus Hederick]

It looked like Tank wasn't trying too hard to inflict critical damage. He had already set it up nicely with this tactic, and now Markus was left figuring out how to respond to get back in the running. Gargulion rolled over to his side, the pain from the bludgeoning weighing on his body from both the front and the back.

"Get in all the talk you need. You won't be doing it anymore very soon," Gargulion eerily suggested. An arm from Gargulion in his spirit form reached out from his back and removed the axe manually. The weapon was placed in his left hand. He got back on his feet, ready to get back in the fight.

"We don't truly know any of those things until the endgame, right? You've always been the one to base your assumptions of how the brawl will go based on the beginning. I guess Blade didn't scare you enough. Allow me," Markus stated with a smirk. "Double Ability activate! Void Ripper plus Touch of Stone!"

Gargulion enhanced the edge of Gladion's axe. A purple line was seen running through it, indicating a substantial increase in cutting potential. The added stipulation that getting hit by it for any reason would result in instant petrification was a boon for Gargulion who, at this point, could use some help in close quarters. Gargulion shot straight at Gladion from a variety of angles, swinging for his chance to score an instant kill.

[Tank Stryker]

Gladion was extremely careful in his fighting stance now. He knew what the cost of being careless was. That thought was easily seen on his face. He didn't look concerned. He looked like any battle-hardened warrior would look: deadly focused with a small glint of ruthlessness.

"Ability activate! Weapon Thief!" Tank knew he had to get that empowered axe in Gladion's hands, or he could wave Gladion goodbye.

Despite Gargulion's considerable skill in other areas, weapon usage was not one of them, at least in the eyes of a weapon master like Gladion. They could not hope to put a dent in Gladion's armor using his own weapons, because only he knows how to use them, which also means he knows how to perfectly counter them.

Gladion anticipated where Gargulion would swing before moving the right part of his body out of the way. He bashed his shield in Gargulion's face to set up the ability. He lodged his own axe in Gargulion's left arm, stunning him a bit before beginning the swap. He kicked Gargulion in his left heel, causing Gargulion to topple to his right. This led to Gargulion's left arm being severed from his body.

"Take your own advice," Gladion repelled, clearly unimpressed by this dominating performance of his. Gladion took his own axe and threw it at Gargulion's neck, pinning him. He then lifted his right foot back so he could kick Gargulion's severed arm so it could get in front of him. He then took the empowered axe from Gargulion's grip and prepared to strike Gargulion down without prejudice.

"If you never sucked major ass at the beginning stages of a brawl, then I wouldn't even have to think it," Tank responded, giving Markus an equal smirk.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was not worried, despite the current circumstances. It looked as if he was planning this scenario all along. His next ability lends credibility to this theory.

"Ability activate! Frame Pulse!" With his remaining hand, Gargulion swung to create a blast of force. It struck Gladion in his face hard, but that wasn't the primary goal. His intentions were to knock the axe out of his hand, sending it airborne and in good shape for Gargulion's next trick.

"How's this for not being good?" Markus snapped his fingers. As if it were some command, Gargulion's spirit form seeped out of the Darkus Frame and assumed a humanoid form. He lunged at Gladion, clinging to his upper body. He made sure to spread his feet apart to keep Gladion's arms out. He caught the airborne axe, flipped over to Gladion's back, and lodged it into the back of his head.

"What advice do you have for me now, bigshot? You mind telling me how to not get yourself killed so early in the fight?" Markus questioned. Indeed, the hit Gladion endured just now is a fatal blow. Gargulion rolled over to his side before returning to his feet and jumping back to his side of the field to readjust.

[Tank Stryker]

Tank couldn't hide it. That hit had him concerned. Not only was that hit a mortal blow, but it would also petrify him, depriving him of any chances to save himself or to respond to any further attacks. If there was one thing about Markus that made him even more dangerous, it was the fact that his fighting style was no longer about acting prissy in battle. He was more violent than ever.

"Double ability activate!" Tank called out in a panic. "Art of Battle - Legion plus Weapons Cache - Caduceus!" Two blue orbs emerged from Tank's pocket and made their way to the field. At the same time, a portal opened up above Gladion's head to drop off a fabled staff: the Caduceus.

Legionoid and Nemeoid - a warrior resembling Gladion in appearance and a lion respectively - landed next to Gladion. Legionoid took the Caduceus and activated its power. The staff shone in a golden light. All Legionoid had to do was touch Gladion with this staff and all would be returned to normal. That's exactly what he did. The axe in Gladion's skull was surrounded in a golden light before vanishing entirely.

"So the pussy has finally become a man, huh?" Gladion recognized. Him and his comrades lined up in a formation to get ready for Gargulion's next move. He had his shield up and ready, just so he wouldn't be surprised.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus chuckled when Gladion asked him and Gargulion that question. He didn't believe that the question was directed at the right person, based on what he just witnessed.

"I'd be more concerned with Tank about who the real man is. It sounded like he was about to cry just now," Markus clowned. "Consider that a warning, as if I didn't already tell you that I would kill you. I don't want to fight you like this, but I can already tell that you're going to become very annoying, coming at me over and over again over this disagreement of where I'm headed."

Markus swiped a card on his BrawlX in a calm motion. His eyes were fixated on the trio of opponents he had to contend with now. "Ability activate! Aquos Frame!"

Gargulion raised his arms to amass the discarded body and the pieces broken off by Gladion. They revolved around him rapidly. A body was formed that would have the same fluid motion as the calmness of the waters. The humanoid figure he sported resembled the Darkus Frame in appearance, but with blades protruding from the arms and the legs.

[Tank Stryker]

Tank's only response to Markus' jabs was a scowl. It said all he wanted to say. He couldn't allow himself to become fixated on what he says, especially since he saw firsthand that Markus may not be all talk. Gargulion just proved that he could be a menace. Tank favors control, but Markus prefers the opportunity. Tank knew that if he let his guard down for even a second, Markus would take advantage of that and ruin the momentum that Gladion has built up.

"Gladion," Tank called out, sounding very serious. "I don't care what you do. Let's focus! Find whatever you need inside yourselves to take this fucker down."

"Yes, sir," Gladion acknowledged. Tank swiped two abilities that were sure to give the squad an edge.

"Double ability activate! Arena Trap - Bear Trap plus Weapon of the Gods - Trident of Poseidon!"

Two portals appeared underground from where Gargulion was standing. A bear trap came out of each of them and clamped down on Gargulion's feet. Nemeoid was prime for the hunt and lunged at its constricted prey, clamping down on Gargulion's face with its powerful bite. Legionoid hovered over the remains of Gargulion's previous body. He picked up the leftover handaxe, flanked around to Gargulion's back, and aimed for his arms and legs. Gladion slammed his trident on the ground to produce a miniature geyser of high-pressured water from underneath Gargulion. He did this repeatedly, beating Gargulion into submission with no way to move.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus clenched both of his fists from that move. It looked like Tank was upping the intensity of his attacks. That meant that Markus had to do the same, or he'd get left behind like so many times in the past.

"I can do that too," Markus scoffed. "Ability activate! Nightmare Fleet!" Gargulion was figuratively trapped in this combo attack, so the best thing to do was to get someone else to dig him out of the grave rather than waste any of his own resources.

Two shadows split from Gargulion. They quickly formed into Bakugan from Markus' arsenal. One was a spider called Arocobra, and the other was a walking volcano called Volcanic Bolcanon. The latter Bakugan was special, because he was the one that would primarily get Gargulion out of this mess. By having magma spill from his shoulders, he was able to coat the ground in a superheated substance that melted Gargulion's bindings and suppressed the overall power of Gladion's trident. This attack seemed to discriminate against certain Bakugan, as Gargulion did not show any signs of being harmed.

With Legionoid and Gladion being unable to harm Gargulion any further with the present conditions, it was Arocobra's turn. It leaped for Gargulion's body and stuck to him. It crawled all around him and Nemeoid, wrapping them in a webbing that was highly caustic in nature; however, this blight was only harmful to Nemeoid, as this attack also seemed to pick and choose who gets affected.

"Go ahead and attack. Gargulion doesn't need that body to survive, but I bet yours does," Markus dared.

[Tank Stryker]

Legionoid tip-toed his way off of the superheated surface and went back to Gladion's side. There was nothing more he could do over there than to escape and live to fight with another ability.

"That's why none of them have to switch bodies to be strong. They're strong enough with what they have," Tank spat. "Gladion, you know what to do!"

"You got it," Gladion understood. "Releasing the Kraken!" Gladion twirled the trident before stabbing it into the ground. Blue ripples of energy surged throughout the field, signalling the beast's entrance.

"Ability activate! Conquest of the Kraken!" It seemed uncharacteristic for Tank to bring out the big boy out of his arsenal, but it was for a good cause. Markus would need to scrape for something powerful to sneak his way through this one.

The ground had a wavy texture to it. A loud roar could be heard underneath. A tentacle popped out of the ground shortly, paving the way for other monstrous tentacles to sprout and begin their takeover. Aracobra and Volcanic Bolcanon were snatched by two of them. They were squeezed into submission, sending them out of the battle in shame.

Gladion pointed the trident to the sky. As if he activated a command, the weather started to destabilize. A torrential downpour rained down on the battlefield, obscuring Markus and Gargulion's vision. The Kraken then whipped Gargulion in the back, the force of which destroyed part of the webbing. Nemeoid was able to use its hind legs to leap off of Gargulion's face and back to the comfortable side that Gladion was on. Each of the tentacles swarmed to pressure Gargulion.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus grimaced. He knew that Tank had this monster, but he never wanted it to be called out on him. That's how he knew that Tank was getting even more serious.

"You call on weapons that somehow come out of an alternate dimension. You're not any better," Markus countered. "Ability activate! Set in Stone!"

Calling on an AOE type of attack, Gargulion gathered energy within his chest, which eventually spread out to his arms. He had to carefully evade every tentacle the Kraken launched at him. He zig-zagged in the sky to keep them guessing. The minimal vision he received from Gladion's interference wasn't that much of a problem due to the Aquos Frame that allowed him to adapt to this kind of environment.

He found a split opening in the Kraken's attack pattern, so he zipped straight down and struck the ground with a ground pound. A white wave spread out across the field. It petrified everything in its range. This wasn't as strong of a petrification as some of Gargulion's other abilities - like Petrify and Touch of Stone - but it was strong enough to put the Kraken at Gargulion's mercy.

"Funny how that monster of yours always gets turned to stone," Gargulion teased before gearing up for his next attack.

"Ability activate! Stalker Gargoyle!" The Aquos Frame gifted Gargulion with masterful swimming skills. He would make good use of this, because this ability made it possible for him to have an extended Dive Mirage that made the ground his own swimming pool.

He descends into this "water" and lurks around for a brief moment. He surfaces very quickly to spray a very concentrated jet-stream. He turned 180 degrees while he shot this, then he went back down into the deep. This cut the petrified tentacles loose and made them fall right on top of Gladion and his party.

[Tank Stryker]

Gladion pulled Legionoid and Nemeoid's heads down so they could all avoid getting torn by the jet-stream. The overbearing presence of the Kraken's petrified tentacles soon started to weigh down their consciousness. They were coming down fast. At this rate, neither one of them would have the time to ask for a solution and be able to implement it.

"Ability activate! Earthshaker!" Tank called out. "Gladion, move to high ground!"

"Understood," Gladion accepted. He plunged his trident into the ground. This caused the area around him to erupt, sending slabs of the Earth into the sky. Gladion, Legionoid, and Nemeoid all utilized these platforms, jumping onto them separate from each other to avoid the collapsing structures. Gargulion's underwater travel was also interrupted by this, because his body was seen heading straight into the sky via a slab he was attached to.

"You're in denial," Tank responded to Markus' comments with a snarky smile on his face. "If Gargulion kept that pathetic body of his, the only thing you'd be trying to kill right now is your career full of second place finishes."

[Markus Hederick]

Annoyed with Tank talking down on him, Markus fired back. "There's nothing wrong with being shy of first place as long as you don't regress in your progress," he said. "That's what gives me the edge. You're not used to this feeling, so once I give you a taste of what last place feels like, you'll never have the power to stand at the top again."

Markus swiped a card, one that was from Gargulion's Darkus Frame. Tank was going to eat his own words by thinking that Gargulion couldn't do anything else in that base body. "Ability activate! Gargoyle's Grudge!"

The name was fitting for this situation, as it should be. Gargulion covered himself in a dark-red aura that pumped the power output of his body. He shot straight up to confront all three of Tank's Bakugan personally. Every inch of solid ground was destroyed upon Gargulion grazing them with the energy field the aura excreted. Gargulion mainly targeted Gladion with his upcoming shoulder charge. The aura was powerful enough to send Legionoid and Nemeoid back to their cells just by him brushing past them.