Episode 1: A Long Way From Earth

[Rashad]

"Then we'll make this quick," a nearby voice assured them. It was the Emperor walking in on the scene of the battle. He looked at the Resistor, and at first glance, he could tell who this was. The Dragonoid was a clear giveaway as to who he was.

"I will speak to you under one condition. Whoever that is hiding within your consciousness needs to show himself immediately," he ordered. He casually tossed his own Bakugan onto the arena for assurance that he may end up attacking if there was no compliance. What stood was a dark dragon that everyone already knew about: a Dharak.

He stood out from the rest though. His skin was green instead of the usual black, and his scales were black instead of the usual purple. Despite this oddity, he was a Darkus Bakugan.

Dharak looked in Noland and Drago's direction and nodded, which was the nice way of saying that they'd better do it or risk being considered adversaries.

[Markus Hederick]

"...That doesn't happen..." Markus commented on the Emperor's ability to sense his presence. Not wanting an unnecessary confrontation, Markus willingly complied with the order and separated from Noland's body. Gargulion did the same from Drago's body.

"I apologize for that. We had no ill intentions. We were just making sure Kendrick was safe and you all weren't...well...what we experienced in the past," Gargulion started to explain.

"..." Markus truly wanted to say something about the current state of affairs that wasn't as friendly. It was written on his face. Zapping these people into submission and then throwing them in cells was hardly something he'd do for protocol, especially when there were other ways the problem could've been solved without a hint of violence. The Gundalians were more capable of that than humans due to their array of powers.

"I'm just going to say this as nicely as possible, Emperor," Markus started. "We're on a foreign world just trying to save our own. While you have the right to zap us or whatever you do if we bypassed your border wall, we also have the right to use what we've got to bring our friends home. I'd remember that the next time you decide to threaten us for doing just that."

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland knew Markus was going to say it. Truthfully, Noland was thinking along the same lines. The summoning of Dharak was to be expected based off of what Markus already told him earlier. He was just hoping the Emperor was better than that... Guess not.

"Hey...so, the guy with the knight... He's Neathian... Thought you should know..." Krakix spoke up. He could feel the tension in the air, so he thought he should get that out before anything else is said.

"I just wanted to see who was responsible for taking my brother in for myself. Thanks for that. Whoever that was did great shooting him in the back without any provocation," Noland remarked. It was unknown if he was being sarcastic or serious; although, people that know Noland could easily tell he was being very sarcastic. "More importantly, I didn't want it to be a sign of disrespect if I just took him off of the planet without at least telling you I was doing it first. I suppose I should've chose differently now that I've seen this."

With that said, Noland looked at Rafe to inquire about a possible transport to Neathia with the same technique Markus used on him. "Mister, if you would be so kind, could we have your consent to use your soul as the means of us getting to Neathia? As you've heard me say before, we're looking for our friends, and...we're trying to get off of this planet. We could take you back too, if you wish."

[Sir Rafe]

Rafe was looking back and forth between Noland, his friend, and the Emperor in shock. No one except for the high-ranking Neathians such as himself could get away with talking like that to the Gundalian Emperor; yet, these two were still standing... They must be hella strong then, because if it was anyone else, Dharak would've pounced for sure.

"...Yeah...I would like that...Consent granted," Rafe replied. "Let's go now, actually... If you would."

"Definitely getting out of here," Wolfurio happily joined. "See ya'll later."

"Ms. Kianna, Emperor Barodius," Rafe addressed and bowed to briefly before dismissing himself. "I cannot guarantee that the Queen will not be furious when she hears about the specifics of my capture, so... She will be calling later... Yeah..."

[Rashad]

"I'll be waiting for her call then. Safe travels," the Emperor stated. He waved his hand and departed without acknowledging what the Resistors had to say about his methods. While aggressive, they were effective. That was all he had to care about as the emperor.

"..." Dharak didn't offer any words regarding what he listened to. There was no law that said he wasn't allowed to make a comment, but it would be best if he just kept his mouth shut for now. Tensions are obviously high, and if the conversation dragged on any longer, it could get even worse.

"Dragonoid..." Dharak addressed personally. "...You have my thanks...for putting those bastards into the ground... I am sure the Emperor feels the same. I hope you find who you're looking for." With that said, Dharak walked off to follow behind the Emperor. There was still much to do...

[Kianna]

Kianna sighed loudly as the situation unfolded. She certainly had a few things to say herself, but that'll wait until her and the Emperor are by themselves. In the meantime...

"I guess there's no picture then...?" Kianna guessed, trying to push the request just a little bit. She could tell that it was going nowhere though, so she didn't try anymore.

"Alright then... Well, I guess I'll be off now. Again...I'm sorry about all of this. We're just doing our jobs here..." she apologized. "But, Kendrick, please do come back to see us. And you as well, 'Redeemer.' There is something about that he really wanted to tell you both about. I could tell it was something serious based on how he felt when he said it..."

By that wording, it was clear Kianna had some dealings with the way people felt. Perhaps...this could be her power..?

"But, I understand if you won't return. Please stay safe, no matter what." With that being said, she took her leave. She had to attend to some matters as well, and they definitely involved the Emperor's diplomacy...

[Kendrick Hardy]

"..." Kendrick watched as the Gundalians walked away. He felt kinda bad. The Emperor wasn't so bad once things calm down. He could only assume that there was a certain bias Noland and Markus still had towards them due to what has happened before. This bias was only aggravated by watching the Emperor at work.

"If what the Emperor said in front of me was true, then... He had his share of villains as well," Kendrick commented on the Emperor's overall demeanor. "He's not a bad guy... He just seems...afraid..."

"He seems pretty chill underneath that tough exterior... Kinda like you, Noland," Krakix thought out loud. "...Dunno how or why I came up with that, but it just seems like it is..."

"We are coming back to hear whatever it is about that battle we don't know about yet...right?" Kendrick looked to Noland for an answer.

[Noland Hardy]

Noland nodded in thought of what Kendrick was proposing. Sure, it sounds interesting, but that's all it came down to. To him, everything just looked...wrong...

"He and his Dharak have the Ultimate Warrior Gene..." Noland revealed to Krakix who seemed to have made a coincidental observation about his and the Emperor's similarities.

"...Just like us..." Drago added on. "I could feel our consciousness resonating with theirs somehow. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was almost like...we already know each other...?"

"..." Noland patted his brother on the shoulder and gave him a smile. "We'll be back if that's the kind of stuff you want to hear," he promised. "For now... Let's worry about making sure the multiverse doesn't implode on itself."

With that said, Markus began to communicate with Rafe's soul, which allowed him to open a portal that led to the Castle Knight's home planet: Neathia. The newly formed party started walking into it in a single-file line. Before Noland stepped in, he looked back with a concerned look on his face, and then moved on.

[Kianna]

Both the Emperor and Kianna retreated to an office within the same building they were housing all of their 'inmates' from the multiverse. From the looks of it, Kianna was less than happy about the Emperor's recent cavalier moves against other people. It was time to say something...

"You didn't have to be so aggressive towards the 'Redeemer' like that, you know," Kianna began criticizing. "A lot of people are starting to chit chat about these confrontations. This is not doing any service to the most diplomatic Gundalian Emperor since ancient times... And Uncle Nurzak theorizes that you're even below those Emperors right now... You weren't like this before... What happened?"

As she asked that question, she must have realized what could be at play here. She was already aware the Emperor was traumatized from the dealings with Gallagher and what he took from him. Out of all of the villains he has ever come across, no one has ever broken the Emperor by this much.

Kianna rested her palm on the Emperor's forehead. Her pupils slowly turned red. She gasped, and then stopped touching him. It was clear what she felt: pure anger and frustration...

"Hey... You don't have to let that be a burden to you right now... We've lost some people, but... You did what you could..."

[Rashad]

"It wasn't enough," the Emperor plainly said. "My goal upon taking back the throne was not to meet or surpass the bar my predecessors set. My only focus was to make sure that what happened before NEVER happens again. It still is. That is why I am the Emperor and they are not."

"I have always questioned what Mother and Father were doing when they weren't plotting something evil, but now I clearly understand that certain decisions must be made without a moral compass. You saw and heard about the atrocities this Skull Shinigami character is responsible for from another universe. He is just one of the many examples of the people that would've repeated history here if we chose to shoot them later on. I prefer not giving them that opportunity."

"The assassin residing within the Dragonoid is capable of serious damage. Would you prefer for me to risk having a presence that disturbing run amok all because a few pansies want to suck some dick every once in a while?"

[Kianna]

"Being 'nice' does not have to equate to 'that'," Kianna scoffed. "It is HOW you do things. Simply saying, 'Would the assassin residing in the Dragonoid please show themselves' would've been a warmer approach than tossing out Dharak and being like, 'Come out or die.' You know what I mean, Rashad."

Kianna is one of the only ones who can get away with calling the Emperor by his first name. The only reason why she did it was so he could see that she was serious.

"Look, I can't tell you how to be an Emperor, but, as your friend, I just don't want you to treat this job as a curse, you know?" she expressed. "Yes, you always will have difficult decisions to make, but... Please just do things because they HAVE to go down that way, not because of the past making you afraid to branch out and try new methods, alright? All of us that fought alongside you came with you here... You can always tell us anything... Remember that."

With that said, she hugged the Emperor and went about her business. She had her own work to attend to, so that was about all of the lollygagging she could afford to do for now.

[Rashad]

"..." The Emperor simply growled at the thought of his actions affecting his personnel so much. While he doesn't care much about the opinions of others, he does hold Kianna's opinion in high regard, so maybe she's right. Maybe he could learn how to have alternative ways of handling situations...

"...Alright then...I'll try..." he sighed. After making his thoughts known to the world, Dharak jumped on top of the desk to change the conversation to something more interesting.

"Hey...that Dragonoid from earlier... You felt that?" Dharak asked him.

"That pulling sensation, yes," the Emperor answered. "Considering what we know about their glowing mechanic from back then, I have a good guess about why that happened. We have some form of...'connection' to each other that goes deeper than our similar powers. Killian's Rubanoid has mutated Dragonoid DNA; yet, we do not experience this feeling with them. This 'Redeemer' is a lot different though..."

"You noticed that he was Gundalian as well?"

"I did see that...and it's making me nauseous." As for the reason why, they were about to find out.

The Emperor got up and yawned loudly. He started walking towards the office exit, but not without giving some orders. "The DNA results should be ready. Do you mind accompanying me back to the castle?"

"Goodness gracious... I know we have the best in the universe, but that was crazy fast for a maternity test... Alright. Whenever you're ready."

[Rashad]

(Castle)

In Gundalia's castle...

The Emperor took a seat on his throne and awaited the requested visitor: his Secretary. As mentioned, the Emperor had her take a DNA test, and with the assistance of the Gundalian's latent abilities, they were able to produce the results in a blistering time. Now, all that was left to do was to go over what they found. Apparently, this subject matter was important enough that they were the ONLY people in the room at the time. There were no guards.

A lady presented herself to the Emperor, but her face wasn't shown. Her figure would suggest that she was physically fit, but that was all anyone would be able to gather except for the Emperor himself.

"Good evening," the Emperor greeted. "Thank you for complying on such short notice. I saw some...very interesting people that prompted me to call for this. You're not in trouble or anything, but...I would like to stress that the truth in matters like this matter to me very much. As such, that's all I want from you: the truth."

The Emperor started to open the envelope that contained the results he was after. Before he looked at them, he gave a deeper explanation as to why this was happening.

"It took me a while, but...Nurzak finally told me something very interesting about my 'mother', or the Empress if you will. She actually had a miscarriage and never attempted to have another child. It's obvious what that means for me."

"So, in an attempt to carry on his legacy, my Father decided to 'find' someone else. I use the term 'find' very carefully. I assume you know why... Mother?"

The Emperor was able to find that information out without having to look at the results to confirm it. Of course, he did open the results and look for himself. His nod afterwards concluded that he was right on the money.

"My Father did anything for an heir...even if it was to abuse women...or so you claim. No one will tell me out of fear that my dark power will resurface. What is clear is that he was being investigated for rape during his campaign on Earth, because a certain individual made that claim." The Emperor pointed to the woman as he said that.

"Now, I'm not making any judgments on whether or not that was true, because I don't know. What is evident is that you're hiding something... I know this, because there were two hybrids that arrived on the planet some time ago, and one of them... His name was Kendrick. Sound familiar? I bet it does."

"So, we're going to spend the next few minutes filling in all of the blanks and completing this interesting story. What do you have to say...Tonya?"

[Alana Cortese]

Back on Earth...

It has been a couple of hours since Noland and Alana's 'son' made himself known to the CIA. Montai still had some ties to people working in Eden, so she managed to convince them to perform a paternity and maternity test on Noland and Alana. Fortunately, Eden already had the technology to determine the DNA codes of their patients, and Lydia already had Noland's DNA structure after using it to determine if Vince had really returned when he popped up two years ago. This allowed them to produce the results quickly.

Montai had visited Alana's house to deliver the news personally. Alana was extremely nervous. The kid playing with some of Alana's old toys from when she was little was making it worse.

"These are the best in the universe, so... Here it goes... Do you really want me to read this?" Montai nervously asked.

"...Yeah...just get this over with..." Alana replied.

"When it comes to whoever this kid is, Alana, you ARE the mother!" Hydranoid clowned, which promptly got him kicked out of the house.

"Is there any other reason why you keep him around other than him being super powerful?" Horridian wondered.

"Horridian!" Montai shouted in a tone that conveyed 'How could you say that?' perfectly.

"What? That guy's a dick and you all know it. I've put up with it far longer than what's normally possible."

"The test..." Alana groaned.

"Right, right. Let's see..." Montai pulled out both Alana's and Noland's results. She looked them over with a straight face, but she couldn't hold it, because what she saw was too horrifying. "That poor girl..."

"...No..."

"...Yes..."

"Wait... Are you kidding me right now? This kid who literally pops out of nowhere...is YOUR SON!?"

"...How is that possible..."

"...Noland's results are the same too..." Montai sighed.

"..."

"...Alright...listen. We've known each other for a while now. You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

"But we didn't do anything!"

"Surely, there must be some explanation as to why this test says what it says!"

"Maybe beings from the Doom Dimension does something to the equipment or whatever! We never had sex! I was never pregnant!"

"You shouldn't be using that language around your child, sweetheart."

"Oh. My. God."

As for a certain someone outside...

"So I was right!?" Hydranoid excitedly exclaimed. "Yo!! I can't wait until Noland gets back so I can tease him about it!"

"See? This is what I'm talking about," Horridian spoke out against Hydranoid's teasing.

"Well...regardless of what's true or false, he is attached to you two, so you and Noland will have to be the parental figures for him until we can figure out what to do. On the bright side, he seems to be well behaved for the most part. He just might need A LOT of playtime though. Also, we need to come up with some way to lie and to keep him quiet about the parentage. We don't want Petra to know about ANY of this or Noland's a dead man. From what he told me, him and Petra have been having problems due to her making comments about how close you two are getting, so...for his sake, we need to be careful."

"...Is adoption a good answer? I mean...I'm not ready to be a parent, and the finances-"

[Darius Hardy]

"That's not a good idea, Mommy!" the kid excitedly interrupted. "Part of the reason why my people were banished is because of our Forbidden Power! Children can't control it that well, so if we get sad, we'll release all of that energy and will destroy everything! I could destroy your planet and you'll all die!"

The entire house froze. Even Hydranoid, who was having a merry good time outside, had to barge into the house and look at the kid with wide-eyes.

"That's not how we joke around, kid," Hydranoid warned him.

"But I'm telling the truth though! Honest!"

"...Can we huddle up for a second?"

"Okay!"