Episode 52: The Battle Heard Around the World

[Kendrick Hardy]

Kendrick's eyes widened with fear when he heard the first line that came from Krakix during that exchange. He looked ahead of the alliance and saw Noland's back. Ahead of Noland, there was Drago, but he looked different, VERY DIFFERENT.

"He...evolved again..." Kendrick concluded that Noland was responsible for the amount of destruction here, and for Dasia's defeat. Apollonir was the strongest mortal Bakugan as far as everyone was concerned. Why wasn't it him who dealt the finishing blow? Kendrick felt like he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Noland or Drago first.

He sprinted forward, leaving Sandra behind. She wanted to know too, but her legs didn't work like they used to. Still, the possibility that Vince might have died gave her the strength to run after Kendrick. When she got to Noland, she reached for his shoulders, but stopped when she noticed how tense his body was. Something had definitely happened...

"Noland...is it true...?" Kendrick asked him.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland was a little hesitant in delivering the news, but there was no need. They saw enough to form their own story of what happened. He may as well tell the truth.

"..." Noland turned his head to look his brother in the eye before he told him. "...The answer is pointing to yes, but...I can't tell you that yet... They helped me... They called her here..." Noland pointed to Wavern to clarify that it was through Vince and the Legendary Soldiers that Wavern was summoned.

"Drago," Sandra sternly called, seeing as how Noland wasn't giving a definitive yes or no answer to the question.

"When those two are finished taking care of business, I'll answer," Drago replied, seeing as how these ARE the God and Angel of Creation respectively.

[Xavier Turano]

Xavier moved past Genesis Dragonoid and Wavern with his blade drawn. It was evident in his approach that he had enough of his sister terrorizing the universe.

"That is unnecessary. Please stop," Wavern warned him.

"Aren't you going to kill her anyway?" Xavier inquired.

"No," Genesis Dragonoid answered.

"Yes," Wavern disagreed.

"Okay, yes and no, but can it wait until I give a formal proceeding? There's a certain process here. I'm sure you'd change your mind once I'm done."

"Nope! My mind is made up!" Xavier reached down for Dasia, grabbing her by the throat. He had his blade ready to end her existence. Before he could do it, his arm involuntary froze in place. It seems Wavern didn't like his impatience. "Damn it! She destroyed our planet! Why are you stopping me!?"

"Because your anger is causing you not to listen. You may turn that blade on yourself if you continue to be disobedient."

"Tsk...you've got to be kidding me. Alright then, 'sister'! What do you have to say for yourself?"

[Dasia Turano]

"I have a lot to say, X," Dasia replied, "but I'll shorten it in case you do end up killing yourself, which would be a blessing in disguise honestly."

"I have no idea what these two are planning to do to me, but I know it can't be pleasant. Before they do, I have to say that the Hurranians will offer zero apologies for what we've done. This is what we were made to do. The Bakugan and all terrestrial entities were flawed, so we were made to provide structured order. The first Hurranian, Hydron, was to replace who King Zenoheld thought of as a failure of a son. We were to replace the failure of the civilizations we waged war against."

"Just imagine what it would've been like in a Hurranian-dominated universe. There would've been no senseless wars, no new ridiculous ages of thought that progressively tries to change established principles and foundations, no crippling diseases that you struggle with now, and the list goes on. Zero differences between a human, Vestal, Gundalian, or any 'race.'"

"I say that not to make you feel sorry for us or having any regrets about fighting against us. I say that to tell you what our ultimate goal was, and how it will never be achieved."

[Vince Hardy]

"Yeah...I have to admit. Those things you listed...I have a problem with those..." Genesis Dragonoid admitted.

"Is it because you and your brother couldn't-" Wavern was about to ask, before getting cut off.

"Ah, let's not say anything we're not supposed to... Anyway, your punishment. Honestly, I'm beyond sickened by what I'm hearing, so much so that I want to summon my brother here so he can erase everything, and then I'll start from scratch; however, since I obviously can't do that for...reasons, we're going to meet each other in the middle. Bakugan and terrestrials, do better, and Hurranians, you can die. In fact, I'm going to wipe you out right now."

By an act of God, the BT System hovered over to where Genesis Dragonoid was standing. It was forced to go back online, something that was completely unheard of. "Thanks to you providing the sample that we needed while one of you Hurrnians-"

"Hurranians."

"That's what I said. Hurrnicians."

"...We'll just go with it."

"Yeah, while one of you were attached to my descendant's back, Wavern got a nice sample that we can put into this thingamajig here. It registers your DNA, I press a button, and bye-bye."

[Dasia Turano]

"Before that happens, I have one last request to ask of you first, Queen Turano," Wavern asked.

"What could you possibly want me to do now?"

"For those in your network that are not out here and come from the present day, bring them here, please."

"Oh, I see what you're doing. You want me to bring Roxy and Katherine out in the open so you can retrieve them?"

"That would be nice."

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Your network is so vast. The amount of data in there exceeds the rate at which I can think, believe it or not. You would attempt to infect me if I tried it myself."

"Then it clearly wasn't meant to be."

"I guess not."

Genesis Dragonoid was sorrowful that they could not usurp control over those women, but if it couldn't be helped, so be it. Before activating the BT System, he pointed towards the ground behind him. A hologram of a planet was seen there.

"That's Vestal...!"

"Correct," Genesis Dragonoid. "I'm bringing it back in the state it was in before you destroyed it."

"What!?"

"Had you complied with Wavern's request and not have disrespected me earlier, you might have gotten away with that."

"No!!!!"

"Why are you saying no? That means your race can flee to Vestal before I press the button. Well, you would love for that to be true, except I'm making this pulse include the whole universe. Sucks to be you."

"No...you didn't!!!" Dasia half-expected that there would be a place for the Hurranians to run, but if Genesis Dragonoid wasn't bluffing, this was it.

"Bye!!!!!"

"NO!!!!!!!" Genesis Dragonoid activated the BT System. Harmful pulses were scattered all over the universe. The destruction of machines rang the ears of all who were nearby the Hurranians' extinction. All of the infected survived the pulse, but the Hurranians that operated them were gone. The Hurranians were no more. It was finished.

[Xavier Turano]

Xavier released Dasia and allowed her to gently touch the ground. He knew what happened. Genesis Dragonoid's answer to his earlier question meant that he was killing the Hurranian Dasia, not the actual Dasia.

"...I'm sorry...for my earlier behavior..." Xavier apologized to Wavern and Genesis Dragonoid. "You were right... I change my mind..."

"As you should," Genesis Dragonoid answered. "My work here is almost finished. I need to address this alliance about...certain things."

"Will you heal the Helios and his brawler?" Wavern questioned.

"I didn't do that already?"

"You clearly forgot."

"Well, that'll boost my credibility as a...well, god. There. We spoke it into existence. We good?" Just saying it caused Damian and Helios to have their conditions stable again. They were in need of it, since Tracy was getting sick of having to watch them after she induced hypothermia using Skystar's power and instructions from Lydia.

"Hey...Dasia..." Xavier checked for signs of life on his sister. Indeed, she had a pulse, but her eyes weren't open.

[Dasia Turano]

"..." Dasia sighed when she realized she was finally free after so many years. "Please...finish what you were about to do to me before Wavern stopped you... Kill me now..."

"All of those lives...all of that pain and suffering...they're all tied to this body..." Dasia was correct. Despite her not being evil, none of that would matter when she is seen by those her Hurranian side has wronged. She will suffer all of the consequences that comes with those actions.

"You were always smart, X... I can still be your sister as an artificial intelligence, but not like this..."

[Xavier Turano]

"You ARE still my sister," Xavier assured her. "I know you're hurting right now. I know there's people out there just like you who were just liberated... Someone will understand your pain and will be able to help you... Someone must..."

"Alright, everyone. Let's bring this to a close," Genesis Dragonoid announced. "I know you're already aware of what just happened, but I'm going to explain it anyway. The Hurranians will NEVER bother you again, and the Vestals have their home again. My reasoning behind these actions was based on what is best for these civilizations to grow and flourish. My role is to not necessary fix EVERYTHING that the Hurranians did."

"...You finally said their names right."

"As I have been the whole time. Now, Resistors, come forward. All of you." Genesis Dragonoid waited until all of them did as he asked. "I need to talk to you about the loss of six Bakugan and a human... This one's important..."

[Noland Hardy]

"I'm well aware that they played pivotal roles in all of this, and if it were up to you, you would bring them back without question. I'm also aware that a few of you have girlfriends that were lost when I fired the pulse. Some were even family members, ones that you can never replace. I have the power and authority to resurrect them all right now."

"...But you won't..." Drago concluded. Why else would Genesis Dragonoid go through the effort of explaining what happened to them if he wasn't going to just do it?

"...What are you trying to say...? Are you implying that we are better off...without them...? Really...?" Noland sounded angry here...and for good reason.

"No, I didn't say such a thing. What I said was that decisions were influenced by what will help you grow and flourish. For some of you, it's an opportunity to become stronger. For others, it's atonement."

"..."

"Becoming strong isn't always a happy place, but it's a part of your lives, whether or not you want to go through such things. I am happy to intervene in situations that require my assistance, but I will not alter the natural order unnecessarily. Would I be correct in saying that at least four of you here have already experienced death, but still stand in front of me now?"

"...Yes..."

"That is a luxury you embellish in, but rarely feel the consequences of not being able to do such a thing. You enjoy your experiences with folk with the time that you have. When time is up, time is up. That is the way the cycle of life is intended to be. It is why Vestal was brought back the way that it was. It is necessary for life in this sector to continue on without hindrance."

"What about the Legendary Soldiers? Surely, they MUST exist as well, right? Fury is still out there."

"What do you mean, young man? The Legendary Soldiers aren't gone. I'm looking at them right now!"

[Vince Hardy]

This statement took all of the Resistors by surprise. Genesis Dragonoid just declared them as the new Legendary Soldiers.

"You resembled them right from the beginning," he noticed. "I assure you, that even though their untimely losses brings us great sadness, their departure was not in vain, for now there's an opportunity for a resurgence, one that may even surpass the very high bar they've set."

For the final time, Noland saw these "visitations": his father and the Legendary Soldiers. All of the Resistors saw it this time. Apollonir was seen inhabiting Drago already, so he walked out. The Soldiers walked to their respective students and blessed them, causing all of the Bakugan - aside from Drago since he already experienced it - to evolve.

Apollonir bestowed upon Drago the Apollo's Hand, the weapon that he turned into when he activated Dragon Proudia. It showed up in Drago's hands out of thin air. He gave a nod when his son received it, as it was now in better hands.

Skystar received Lars Lion's tome, the Holy Providence. These were the only noteworthy exchanges of weapons the Legendary Soldiers personally wielded. Gorem may or may not have received Clayf's Pandemonium's Purge. The reason why no one knew is because Gorem already had a specific style, so whether or not he received it remains to be seen.

"Vestroia will know of this great victory. You have done us proud. Now, my mission is complete. This planet will return to normal in a few minutes, but society will take days, maybe even weeks to resume business as usual. This desert will only be restored in areas where it should, but the mark this battle left will remain here, just like this, so that those who come and go will be reminded of the history behind this moment."

"Now, I must go. I will remove all artifacts that contain my energy from the universe. They will not be here indefinitely. If I MUST be summoned again, contact Wavern."

"My summoning chant is now etched into your minds, but it is up to me if the situation requires my intervention," Wavern clarified.

"Fare thee well. May the light of Vestroia guide your way." Both Genesis Dragonoid and Wavern faded out of their existence, and so did Vince and the Legendary Soldiers.

[Noland Hardy]

One week later...

(Gone, But Not Forgotten)

World leaders gather here in the sands of Africa. A large memorial was crafted here. It was an attribute circle. Just as with the 911 memorial, the names of all of the known victims from the Hurranian attacks were etched onto this monument. There was a large audience here to pay their respects.

"...Lord have mercy...I am about to get very popular on YouTube...probably for the wrong reason..." The U.S. president was very distraught before he took the microphone. Having learned of everything that transpired here - including things he wasn't aware of such as Katherine, who became a very popular civilian, getting killed - he had a very...informal way of speaking for a leader of a country.

"I know...that I am supposed to say certain things, but...if you will excuse me for just a couple of minutes... I have some things I want to say, because - truthfully - I will never run for office again if I go another day without saying it," the president spoke through the mic. "I apologize for this...informal tone, but...for the first time ever in this presidency, I truly wanted someone to assassinate me for what I've done." The crowd gasped at his words, but they were warranted for a specific reason. "I have failed my country, and a lot of people lost their lives over something I could have done more to stop, but chose not to for the sake of preserving my credibility, trying to boost my approval rating when it wasn't deserved. In our country, there is a poison that even the god of all Bakugan wanted to destroy us for."

"It is no secret that we have confirmed Gundalians living among us right now. Our country - more than any other - realized the threat Emperor Barodius represented and have equated that threat to the entirety of that ethnicity...just as some of you have done towards the minorities. Even now...one week after he lost so much trying to finish this fight...you heathens still call for his imprisonment and execution. I heard and read things that I am too disgusted to acknowledge on camera, but I am going to make something very clear to those individuals who have the audacity to discriminate against ANYONE that lives among us. You are the reason why we should have LOST."

"You have no idea how difficult it was to say to Vince's face that I kept all of this to myself, because I was in front of some damn cameras! He was a brother to me! Not just a brother, a hero! I looked up to this guy, and the best I could say to him was that I did not do the right thing because I was on camera!? You people did not even bother to consider the circumstances these children were in, and your best response is to give them the chair!? This world and its damn social justice warriors! You all should be ashamed! Ashamed!"

"There are only two appropriate responses that I can give up here without being prosecuted! Noland and Kendrick Hardy? You remember those two names? Well, guess what? They're getting amnesty! Both of them! Those of you in the executive branch who littered my breathing air with this racist filth of yours can kiss my ass! And some of you here can join 'em! Now, you can prepare your guns and your Bakugan all you want now. It makes no difference to me. Did you take a look at whose name is in the center? Guess what? He died to preserve your pitiful existences! Why don't you show him some respect? He didn't know you, but he still fought for you, as did his son. Why do you insist on making an enemy out of him? Leave him alone. Enough is enough."

The crowd erupted into cheers and praises. Whether or not they were doing this because they were going to get millions of views off of this outburst was to be determined. One thing was for sure. The President meant EVERY word he said through that microphone. Regardless of what happens to him now, he did Vince one last favor. That's all he cared about.  

[Noland Hardy]

On the same day as the president's outburst, the Silver Knights have organized a gathering to celebrate the destruction of the Hurranians.

They invited the Resistors for obvious reasons. Expected guests were people who have contributed in some way to the cause, so Montai and a few CIA agents, Eden's Seven Angels and Lydia, and even Andrew was invited. Yes, despite his background, Andrew was invited to this event, seeing as he contributed to the campaign and didn't show any signs of darkness as he did in the past.

The most surprising of these guests were the Spartans. In an effort to improve relations - just as Genesis Dragonoid and Wavern suggested that they do - the Silver Knights wanted to make allies out of them, especially after what they've done. Xavier and Dasia were also invited.

Everyone showed up at an undisclosed location. There was a feast featuring Earth's best dishes. Since they're basically within the boundaries of Maryland, they couldn't go without crabs.

While the food was being enjoyed, there was one person who wasn't quite enjoying...anything. Noland was present at the location, but he was nowhere to be found within the dinner table. He was standing outside, gazing at the night sky. His body was frozen in that position, like it didn't want to move to do anything at all.

(Victory...?)

[Maria Zenovia]

Celebration was a wonderful event for Maria- it was a good excuse for burying her face in all of the exotic foods she did not have opportunity to taste before. Though she felt a little uncomfortable among all those people- she was not used to big crowds and there sure was one. She would have felt a bit better if Asuka was by her side, but knowing that peculiar redhead she was probably buried in paperwork and other various activities without giving herself a minute of relaxation. "Need to remember to bring her some cake." Maria thought to herself while she colored her face in brown with chocolate. "Maria, manners." Hydra sat on Maria's shoulder in her orb form and made a silent comment on Maria's 'appreciation' for the food. "Buth thiff if fo tafty..." Maria replied with her mouth full. Hydra wanted to facepalm, but she did not quite have the hands at that moment. After a couple of minutes of joy Maria had to leave her table and all the goodies on it because certain Spartan who seemed very persistent to stay in her company and give her compliments and hint her he wanted to go out with her. Maria's 'pet', Keto, created a distraction so Maria could stealthily and successfully make her escape and go outside. 

"Ahhh... Fresh air." Maria said as she walked outside of the room. She found herself on one of many balconies- the one that was on canteen level. It was her favorite one for stretching her legs and enjoying the view. This time there was someone over there already- it was no puzzle to try and recognize the savior himself. It was unusual that he did not join everyone else in the celebration- perhaps he was not enjoying himself. It was understandable considering how everything unfolded- it would not be a surprise if many others were not in a mood to celebrate either; especially Tank and Markus considering their losses. Maria approached Noland and moved to his left- she gave him a pleasant gaze and a greeting. "Good evening, my little Gundalian. Not a fan of crowds either?" She inquired. 

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland knew who it was before a word was said. He irritably moved away from Maria, but only a couple of steps. He did all of this without making eye contact, which comes off very rude; however, this wasn't intentional.

"Three days after that battle...sensory overload..." Noland kept short. "Too strong...body can't handle it..." Noland's adverse reaction to Maria's presence backs up this claim in addition to his self-exile. As he began to talk, his speaking began to improve, so he was able to say a longer sentence on his next one.

"I've been sick for days...and Drago is unresponsive. I can feel and hear EVERYTHING around me... It makes me...angry...I chased Alana away from what I'm hearing...and even Allen has his doubts about my sanity after my outbursts with this...ailment..."