Episode 45: Plan To Eradicate the Bakugan

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion had to act fast now, because Diablo 2 breaking out of its stone prison was the least of his worries. Drago was apparently in distress, and if Gargulion doesn't get out quick, he might end up in the same situation.

"Drago, a few more seconds. We're almost out," Gargulion told him. Gargulion flew Drago's body near Noland. This was done on purpose. If Diablo 2 attempted to shoot, it would have to shoot through Dasia. Knowing that Diablo 2 would never do that, it was the perfect defense.

That was the case until Diablo 2 came into close quarters with an Atom Burst, attempting to blow Drago's internal energy up and leave a smoking carcass. Gargulion purposely attempted to act like he was about to meet Diablo 2's punch, but then he phased right through the mechanical via Shade Winger. The soldier then came up to spit a venomous, yellow substance in its face, hopefully blocking some of its sensors from tracking them.

Drago then materialized a black orb in his hands and shot it above Diablo 2. It dispersed, blanketing the area in an ominous setting. Gargulion then flapped Drago's wings to push both Noland and Dasia through the dimensional gate. Drago quickly followed in pursuit of them.

[Dasia Turano]

When the venom turned into rainbow-colored particles and withered away, Diablo 2 saw a Gargulion-possessed Gargulion in front of him. Not knowing that the actual Gargulion casted Shrouded Obscurity beforehand, Diablo 2 engaged this mock Gargulion, who was actually the Royal Guard he possessed earlier.

This Gargulion did not try to fight Diablo 2 too much. All it did was be as much of an annoyance as possible, considering that the ability can boost whatever attribute he wants while he's within this bubble of darkness. The attribute he boosted was speed, so he could naturally and reasonably hold his ground by dodging. Eventually, this Gargulion was destroyed by Diablo 2, but by that time, Markus had already done his damage. When the shroud cleared, Diablo 2 realized that Dasia was gone...

Speaking of Dasia, the area that Markus set the teleportation to was rather...unorthodox. The sight was the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. By this point, Noland was keeping her immobilized through continuous use of his Gundalian electricity and his dark power boosting him far beyond Dasia's level of strength.

"A...volcano...?" Dasia wondered. "That's your way of killing me...assassin?" She had no choice but to call Markus an assassin now. This Resistor was a killer beyond his wildest dreams. She bets he doesn't even know that he's doing this...

[Markus Hederick]

"Nah. Too simple to kill just you," Markus rejected, speaking through Noland again. "This volcano's for your lackeys." As Markus said that, Dasia's helpers arrived on schedule. Diablo 2, the Fifth Paladin, Necro Hydranoid, Zero Hydranoid, and even one of the heavy hitters in Dasia's arsenal, Richard and Lauren Turano, using a Nemus and Wilda respectively. Taking them head-on was not a good idea, so Markus had an even better one.

"Join us inside. It's pretty warm down there, almost hot enough to distract us from the cold atmosphere of the death and destruction you caused." Noland took Dasia and jumped inside of the active volcano. Drago followed suit. Dasia was progressively melting away as she was in such a super-heated environment. Too bad for her. Noland wasn't even sweating yet.

"It's a shame Noland didn't die from your standpoint. You could've used the immunity. Luckily for me, I get to reap the benefits of it without killing a hero. It never really is your time to shine," Markus continued to clown. "Now you know what happens when you get on my radar."

All of the Hurranian Bakugan overlooking the situation started making their move against Noland and Drago. While they won't really survive in this environment, it was a last ditch effort to preserve Dasia's life. Markus almost felt sorry for them, as they'll be joining her.

"See ya," Markus dismissed. Drago's power started rising within the volcano, amplifying it even further to the point where he forced the volcano to erupt. This annihilated everyone, except for the Resistor quartet that was present.

Noland and Drago quickly left the volcano and watched the results of the eruption they just caused. Before Markus left Noland's body, he messed with Noland's BrawlX to send the recording of everything they heard to the cloud and to his own BrawlX. He then stepped out to the side, separating himself from Noland's body completely. Gargulion did the same with Drago. He came out in the Aquos frame. He breathed a frigid blast of air across the horizon to harden all of the lava pouring out, sparing anyone else from being caught in the trouble.

"Not too messy," Gargulion commented on what they had just done. "Try not to let the Silver Knights or Eden see what we're doing. As far as I'm concerned, I was never an assassin."

Markus turned to his side to look at the turned Noland. That dark feeling was there. Markus didn't know whether to be afraid or to fight him to snap him out of it, if that was even possible. Something was telling him that things were not quite right between the two of them...

"Noland, we are still friends, right?" Markus wondered.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland took a while to answer. That was due to him attempting to fight off this forbidden energy. It was overtaking him, more than it ever had. He didn't have the power to suppress it any longer. His "alter-ego" had fully taken over. Who knows what kind of destruction this Noland would cause to the brawling world.

"You would like that, wouldn't you? It sounds like you're concerned about your own safety now that my anger is finally free," Noland responded. "I can sense how tense your muscles are around me. I'm wondering whether or not you consider me an ally right now, Markus. How can we be friends if you're ready to attack me? That sounds like an enemy to me. I think you know what I like to do to my enemies."

Noland turned to look at Markus directly. His eyes shined purple briefly, then he did the unthinkable... "Drago, light him up!"

Drago roared loudly, the sheer weight of it all propelling both Markus and Gargulion away from them. Noland started laughing as he walked Markus down. He was about to show him the other end of assassination that he wasn't quite aware of yet.

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion kept his guard up as Drago's roar was pushing him back. It was like a raging windstorm that was impossible to keep your eyes open in.

"Markus, they're attacking us!" Gargulion yelled, as if Markus would have a hard time seeing that one coming. Noland was approaching him with a killer's mindset. Markus could tell that Noland wasn't playing any games. The look on his face said it all. If he didn't move, that was it.

"So that's what you were complaining about earlier, huh?" Markus didn't pay too much attention to it at the time, because he was focused on trying to get out of Vestal alive. It all made sense now. That dark sensation that Noland and Drago felt before was truly their forbidden energy. They must have lost all control over their powers that cut open the restraints placed on it.

"Noland, try to calm down, man," Markus said to attempt to ease the growing tension. He was carefully stepping backwards as Noland continued to approach him. Gargulion was doing the same as Drago started to walk him down too. "I'm sorry for being tense. I just noticed the change in you. That's all. We're on your side. I just want to make sure you're okay to meet back up with the others. They're probably worried sick about you."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland grinned when he heard Markus essentially begging for mercy. It was pitiful, almost as if he was conceding to him. Markus had to have known that Noland cannot be reasoned with any longer.

"Are you really this blind, that you can't see the irony of this situation?" Noland asked him. He started laughing uncontrollably at the thought that Markus was essentially looking in a giant-sized mirror. "This should be familiar territory to you. Now, you're Tank, and I'm you. Funny how things work in reverse sometimes."

Potent zaps of power were coming from where Drago was standing. His power level was rising steadily. At any moment now, Gargulion would be obliterated in the blink of an eye, just like he did to Skystar not too long ago, before it was reversed of course.

"Why are you backing away from me? You're not afraid, are you?" Drago asked Gargulion. "I can tell the difference between strategy and fear. Try to show a little bit more of the first option for me. You're embarrassing yourself."

[Markus Hederick]

A faint grunt could be heard coming from Gargulion when Drago mentioned fear. "There is fear," he admitted, "that there's nothing that can be done to snap you out of this. I was there when you felt that sudden rise in dark power. I felt that too... I couldn't attempt to keep that in."

Understanding Drago's dilemma wasn't going to prevent Gargulion from being attacked, so they had to do something quick, or risk being destroyed in under five seconds, because the amount of power that Noland and Drago had right now surpassed anything they had ever felt. One slip up may be all it takes.

"Alright. Enough talk," Markus insisted. Gargulion disappeared into Markus' shadow to evade Drago's advance. He then popped out of it to declare an attack. He acted like he was about to charge in for a close-quarters attack, even forming an energy blade on his right arm. He did something else instead. "Ability activate! Gargoyle's Revenge!"

A shotgun-style blast came out of Gargulion's mouth, striking both Noland and Drago in their faces. Markus was trying to suffocate them instantly. It won't be long now until he sees if that works or not.

[Noland Hardy]

Markus finally decided to attack Noland after being all non-confrontational. Too bad that stunt wasn't enough to do him or Drago in; however, no one was really going to know about that until they feel like letting the cat out of the bag.

Noland and Drago exaggerated their movements as if they were truly struggling to breath. Eventually, both of them dropped to the ground, still struggling to get that encasing off of their heads. They did for quite some time before ceasing movement altogether, implying that they had run their course.

The dark power that was around Noland and Drago's bodies did disappear though. That could be considered good news on Markus' part, but how good was it going to be for HIM, or was it really supposed to be good news for him and not for Noland and Drago? They'll have to wait to find out.

"Wait...didn't he do something like this against Tracy?" Noland faintly remembered. "He can't be that stupid to fall for this..."

"Never overestimate anyone. You never know," Drago told him.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus looked puzzled when he saw Noland and Drago drop after just one ability. Either Markus was just that much stronger than Noland - VERY unlikely - or this was being done on purpose to put both him and Gargulion in a bind. There are only two things he could do, and none of those choices has him coming out of it the winner.

"So...what do we do now?" Gargulion confusingly asked.

"I-I don't...know. I didn't think he would do this... This is Noland at his best for you," Markus admitted. This had to be a fake. Either Markus runs and gets shot in the back, or he attempts to either constrict or kill Noland and Drago, and they burst out of their confinements and catch him off guard.

"Gargulion, watch them," Markus ordered. He steadily reached over to his BrawlX to press a button that was on the screen. It was obvious what this was for: the DNA Stimulus, the safest option for Markus to use to cover his ass from getting nuked by the Hex Code.

[Noland Hardy]

"Ability activate! Novia Blade!" Noland also said this out loud, but it was masked by the gibberish that never made it out of his rock-covered head. Still, his BrawlX lit up in response to this activation. Markus had to have seen it, but it wasn't going to make that much of a difference when they are in the process of initiating a transformation.

The rock covering Drago's head immediately shattered when his horn produced a concussive force of dark power. The initial reaction was an extending halo-like sphere expanding outward from the tip of the horn; however, this was masking the true intent of the attack. A foul blade of darkness extended all the way to Gargulion in a flash, similar to how the Switch Code-variation did during his fight against Zero Hydranoid. Once it stabbed Gargulion, pillars of light started glowing all over Gargulion's body. They violently burst, smothering him in the foul aura of the Hex Code.

Drago tapped Noland's rock-covered head with his nail, easily breaking it apart. Noland stood right back up, smiling over what he had just done to Gargulion. He now WANTED Markus to continue with what he was doing, just so he can see the results of his attack come to full fruition.

"I was expecting a transformation before that happened. You can still do that, right?" Noland trolled. "I'll wait for you to bring it out if you're having difficulties, but don't take too long. You're already a waste of my time as it is."

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was now backed into a corner, and Gargulion was going to tell him why. The Hex Code-boosted Novia Blade was destructive in nature, hence the reason why there's a distinction between what the Switch Code does and what the Hex Code does.

"I-I'm sorry," Gargulion apologized when his broken frame knelt on the ground in agony. "He struck my life force with some form of poison. The more I do, the more it goes away. If I transform, that's it."

"Hmm...so we're still not quite there yet, huh?" Markus remarked on his progress from nationals all the way up until now. Maybe it wasn't fair to say that due to the special circumstance they're in, but...Noland was still superior to him.

"I'm impressed. I won't take too long to transform, but just to pass the time, I have a question for you," Markus proposed. "Whose side are you on?"

[Noland Hardy]

Knowing that Markus may have a trick or two up his sleeve if they weren't careful, Noland and Drago did not make any rash attempts to put the assassin out of his misery, despite the fact that the blow they dealt can't be healed under normal circumstances.

"Wonderful question. I'll gladly answer that," Noland accepted. "I'm obviously not with the Hurranians, Kyuki, or whatever terrorists are roaming around here. Too many of them have popped up recently, so I don't pay attention to them anymore. I have a VERY STRONG hatred for the people of Earth, so...that rules out being allied with the Silver Knights, Eden, Spartans, and even the Resistors, as I'm already aware of your low tolerance for me showing them the way to their graves, so..."

Noland charged a bolt of Gundalian electricity in his hands, preparing to strike down Markus with it. "I suppose you could say that I'm against everyone..."

[Markus Hederick]

When the bolt came, Gargulion stepped in front of Markus to take the punishment in his stead. He didn't want to activate any abilities until it was absolutely necessary, seeing as though Drago had already placed a severe stipulation upon him. He knew he was being toyed with at this point. Surprising to Gargulion, he felt a lot of staggering pain coming from Noland's attack, as even the powers of the Gundalians are enough to combat Bakugan if necessary.

"I'm beating a dead horse with this one, but...hear me out first," Markus pleaded. "It was to my understanding that the Resistors as a whole were always criticized for defying the laws of the federal and local government. Them thinking you're this crazed, kill-whoring monster shouldn't get you to this point. You've made your point already when you killed so many people before. You're only feeding into your own hatred even more. The more you kill, the more people that are going to think of you as this monster, and the more amplified this belief will become. There's no end to your madness. Think about it!"

"We can relate to each other in this regard. We're not monsters. We responded the way that we did, because no one else was going to have our backs. You know this," Gargulion shared. "If you could name anyone that could have your back, it would be the Resistors, because despite everything we've been through, we know what it's like to stare death in the face and have no way out."

[Noland Hardy]

Hearing Markus and Gargulion share their "testimonies" caused Noland to pop up in a state of calmness. He ceased the torturing of the Darkus Resistor completely. Something Markus said made him realize something very important, but not what they have in mind. Noland was thinking of something completely different...

"Oh yeah... The Resistors..." Noland repeated in awe. There was a slow transition to a wicked smile, complimentary of a wicked thought. "Right... It all makes sense. Your death might be a mistake in the long run. Your skillset is too valuable in this situation. You infiltrated a Hurranian meeting after all..."

"That's assuming you don't get killed before you get the chance to do anything else..." Drago added, thinking of Tank and Tracy possibly holding a grudge. It was very likely.

"Whatever the case may be...you have some work to do for me. You and the other Resistors are going to target the Hurranians, right? I can do that and destroy some menacing humans along the way. This is going to be a GREAT time," Noland insisted. "Stay alive, 'assassin.' And remember, know your place. Never challenge me again."

A dust of smoke was brought up from Noland and Drago dashing out of there in a flash. Burn marks were seen coming from their previous position in addition to the small flames left from their sudden departure. It would be a perfect symbol of Noland's waning allegiance to the Resistors, but only if those flames were rainbow-colored; nevertheless, a flame was a flame, and the ones belonging to the original carriers was about to go out.

[Markus Hederick]

A strong look of disappointment covered Markus' face. It was from both the battle and the direction Noland was now going. It didn't look good regardless of how one looks at it. Trouble was looming over the horizon, and there was nothing he could do to stop it within the parameters of keeping everyone safe.

"Gargulion, that one's on me," Markus took the blame.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Your injury. Had I taken this more seriously, we could've fared a lot better than this."

"You and I made that same mistake here. No worries. This isn't permanent, so I'll be fine. There's bigger things to worry about now."

"Yeah...I know." Markus walked over to where Noland and Drago were just standing. He knelt down on the ground with his head down. This was usually a gesture of respect to someone that has passed, but now, Markus was using it for what would inevitably have to come when dealing with an enemy like this one.

"Noland was right... I fully understand how Tank must have felt when we fought," he realized. "The Pack...the Hurranians...and even Dr. Kyuki are terrible enemies, but...none of them are worse than...your own friends. His strength aside...I don't think any of us are prepared to deal with that."

"We know two organizations who might be...and a man with the six most powerful Bakugan here..."

"...We need to let Vince and the Admirals know about this. I can at least get to Maria, as our familiars' energy signature is still imprinted on them. May God help Noland and Drago..."