Episode 3: Reunion...?

[Rashad]

Noland's portal opened around the same location he was at when he left before. It was the same battle arena Kendrick was entertaining the Neathian and Gundalian at. The Emperor knew where they would show up, because as soon as the visitors appeared on the planet, he was already walking towards them.

"Welcome back," he greeted. "I know you're short on time, so I'll spend as little of it as possible. Please, follow me."

(Gundalia)

The Emperor led the party into the main castle. The hallways were barely lit compared to everywhere else in the universe. There was the occasional green light here and there, but that was it. The occasional patrol squads passed them by as they went about their business. Each time they passed, they nodded their heads in the direction of the Emperor as a sign of respect. The Emperor didn't seem to care about this though. He was focused on making sure Noland and Kendrick knew about what he just found out as much as possible, so he made it his mission to do just that.

"Just so I won't bore you all with my family history, I'll get straight to the points I want you to know," the Emperor prefaced. "All of the Emperors in history have been male as opposed to the Queens on Neathia obviously being female. Unlike their Queens, the majority of the Emperors have been corrupt. In my father's case, he is the only Emperor known to have abused women."

"Why is this important? I recently found out that the person I thought was my mom actually wasn't. The Empress - the one you fought when you took my father down - could not have children. In order to make sure the Barodius line continued, he sought out women to give him a son. As you'd might expect from a character like himself, this wasn't a voluntary transaction according to a certain victim who happens to be my actual mother."

"As for the person who happens to be my actual mother...I believe...that she's yours as well..."

[Noland Hardy]

"..." The way the Emperor presented this information pointed to one very important thing. There is still so much that Noland doesn't know...

Did his dad know about this? From how he told his side of the story, this relationship was consensual. Did he kill Noland's mother out of a misunderstanding? Did he really kill her at all? Was this relationship actually consensual and not forced? Who is telling the truth at this point?

Drago stayed absolutely silent. He only knew as much as what Vince told him. "I really hope I'm not put on the chopping block for this...I wasn't there..." Drago said to himself.

"So, if all of this is true, then you are our half-brother then?" Noland deduced. "Alright... What's next? She's still alive?"

[Rashad]

The Emperor had a smirk on his face when he heard Noland's last comment. It sounded like all of this was a surprise to him, definitely more than it should be. His interpretation of the past events may be getting challenged. It looked very obvious to him.

"You ask that like you were told that she died," the Emperor chuckled before telling him what actually happened. "Your mother - well, OUR mother - was the Empress' cousin, so the two were pretty close at the time. I eavesdropped on a conversation they had about your father getting suspicious about her heritage due to her accidentally overloading the electrical power that flowed through their house. What she didn't know was that the Empress was more corrupt than my father, because she supported our mother being raped despite them being family. She took advantage of our mother's loyalty to Gundalia by recalling her back to the planet at an inopportune moment; that was the Empress' specialty: summoning certain people she had a close relationship with. That's how your father figured out that something was up."

"Knowing what had happened, our mother confronted your father, but before she could explain everything to him, there were people from Earth that traced the coordinates of the portal the Empress opened and showed up here. That was a setup. Kazarina, who I'm sure you know of, took control of their minds and enslaved them. She only allowed one human to go free, but she warped the woman's mind so she could relay exactly what the Empress wanted your father to know. Our mother attempted to return to Earth to correct this villainy, but my father attempted to use force to stop her. By some miracle, she escaped him and went to Earth. Unfortunately, your father was not enthusiastic about her return, so he and a couple of others formed a firing squad and shot her up on sight."

"What they didn't know was that our mother had one of the most dangerous powers in history. Her power was to exchange the condition of her body to someone else. By doing this, she was able to fake her death by choosing one of your father's best friends at the time. She returned here in an attempt to exact revenge upon you know who, but by the time she was ready to do so, you had taken care of it. She has been my secretary ever since then."

[Andrew Bullock]

"...Wow..." Andrew gasped. Even for him, that was a lot to take in. He remembers when all of that drama was going down, so knowing what actually happened brought some closure to him. After all, Tanya was pretty chill, so it was really bad when things fell apart.

"So, that would imply that she's here right now," Andrew concluded. "I'd love to ask her why she decided to kill Reggie when she could've easily used that power on anyone else that wasn't significant to Vince's life. It's kinda weird to hear that she was vengeful when it wasn't really Vince's fault that things happened the way it did. She was a really sweet person and made everyone around her happy. It pisses me off to think that she endured so much..."

"Nero caring about someone else? You think you know someone..." Krakix clowned.

"Hades' dimensional equipment is fried, but his weapons aren't. I'd watch your mouth if I were you," Andrew threatened.

[Kendrick Hardy]

"...I don't recall remembering Mom at all..." Kendrick muttered. His only interactions with her would be when he was very young, so he doesn't remember anything specific from back then.

Noland DOES though, so he might be taking this news a lot harder than him right now. He still hasn't made a single comment about her. Kendrick looked at him to see what he was thinking, but it wasn't very clear...

"So...I'm guessing we can see her right now?" Siege wondered. "I mean...that is if everyone wants to see her. I thought it was going in that direction, so..."

"No, you're right. I want to," Kendrick spoke up. "That is, if we're able."

[Rashad]

"It should be okay to do so now that you know the truth. She was very concerned about how much you knew and didn't want any of you attacking her. We're still unaware of how Earth perceives Gundalians, and she knew that your father would raise you both to think along those lines," the Emperor stated.

"Earth hates you guys," Krakix answered to the dismay of both Noland and Kendrick. "What? I wasn't supposed to say that?"

"It is what it is, but I think it's more important that we all understand who did what in this situation and how some people's actions resulted in very drastic changes in our lives," the Emperor asserted.

He then turned around to look at Noland to see what his input was. "So...brother...what do you think? Would you like to see your mother?"

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland's mind was the equivalent of a game developer getting exposed for releasing a broken game and lying about features that were supposed to be in the game...like Hello Games and Treyarch.

His mom is still alive and he now has a half-brother who is a Gundalian Emperor. He didn't know whether to be happy or pissed. Did she ever attempt to communicate with him and Kendrick following that incredible disaster? Were they too young to understand? He just doesn't know, and that's what disturbs him...

"...Yeah...sure thing..." Noland reluctantly answered. "Just...make this quick..."

"..." Drago hummed loudly after hearing how Noland said that. "Might as well get some important questions out of the way now..."

[Rashad]

"Alright," the Emperor accepted. "She's waiting near my throne right now, so we'll be going there. Before you see her, be aware that she will be in her Gundalian form at first, but I did request that she assumes her human disguise so that her identity isn't mysterious to you."

The Emperor led the party into the throne room as he said. When they got there, their mother was nowhere to be found, but the Emperor could clearly sense where she was. He looked at Noland briefly and could tell by his body language that he could feel the same thing.

"As you can see, it wasn't a joke. Your sons are all here in one place, and I've told them everything," the Emperor admitted. "They will not attack you. They're just here to see you and possibly talk about some things. Nothing more and nothing less."

[Tonya Hardy]

There was a woman clung to the wall above the entrance to the throne room. She eyed Noland and Kendrick in particular. The sight of them brought a worried look to her face. Seeing them after so many years was frightening. Do they think less of her for staying away for so long? Will she get a lecture for not attempting to come back to avoid being attacked by Vince? Would they understand that she only did it to make sure her children wouldn't have to watch situations like that unfold?

...Would they be happy to see her?

Her anxiety about these thoughtful questions nearly caused her to flee, but she knew she'd look really bad if she tried to.

She silently crawled out of the throne room to change into her human form. She walked back inside so they could lay eyes on her in the same form they remember her by. She wore a trench coat, so her figure was obscure for the most part. She did look very fit though.

"...Boys...I'm sorry..." she nervously muttered. "...Everything you heard is true... If you think any less of me...I understand..."

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland was nearly paralyzed by the sound of her voice. He knew it was her. He also knew that if he turned around, it might be difficult to keep his emotions in check. He proceeded to do so anyway.

The moment his eyes saw her, memories started flooding through his mind. He remembered his mom being the emotional support for everyone while his dad was always the teacher. The most memorable of her role in Noland's life was around the time the first 9/11 happened. Noland's 4-year-old self thought all of the chaos the Gundalians were causing would make for a cool battle for him to fight in so he could be a hero.

Of course, his mom would never approve of him going out there, so she decided to play "pretend" with him. Without Vince's knowledge, she had already hacked into his gauntlet, so she was able to pull up a display of what Vince was seeing during the whole fight. This allowed Noland to act like he was the one fighting, which kept him excited and oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. Keeping him unaware of the dire circumstances proved to be a wise decision considering how Noland ended up when he got older. He obviously found out about what really happened later on, but her allowing him to have fun and to stay safe was something he really enjoyed.

Another memory Noland was fond of was when she bought a cool mist humidifier and allowed him to use it whenever he got sick. The air it blew in his direction was so soothing that his mom would find him taking a nap next to it. Strangely, he ended up naming the humidifier "Tommy." The name belonged to his uncle, who happened to be his mom's brother. Whenever Uncle Tom visited, he used to tell Noland awesome stories. Sometimes, Noland's best behavior was when he was around his uncle for some reason; however, there came a point where Noland never saw him again. Tonya told him that he was in the army and was being a hero to the United States, which was only a half-truth. He was apart of the Gundalian Army, but he ended up getting executed by Emperor Barodius for treason via the electric chiar. Uncle Tom did have a son, but he didn't live very long. The rigorous training under the Gundalian regime proved to be too much for him. As far as Noland knew, it was due to getting sick.

The son's name...was Kendrick. That's how Kendrick got his name.

These two memories counteracted the sadness Noland was feeling about her not coming back. Just like with his dad, Noland understands why things happened the way it did. He slowly approached his mother and gave her a big hug after so many years of being separated.

[Kendrick Hardy]

Kendrick was a little...indifferent? His face said it all. He showed no emotion on his face at seeing his mother. Judging by how he sounded prior to entering this room, anyone would've guessed that he would've been ecstatic; however...Kendrick has his own version of "ecstatic" that he would love to share right about...now.

"Good, so, we can skip the hugs and get straight to answering some much-needed questions then," Kendrick shot.

"Um...so...that's the only parent you have left... Can't we just..." Siege tried to suggest, but...

"Shut up," Kendrick rudely responded. "You, what were you doing on Earth? Why did you keep this all a secret from Dad? And, last but not least, did anyone not report on the fact that Barodius sent him to the Doom Dimension, and - if so - why didn't you come back?"

[Tonya Hardy]

Tonya was just as indifferent to Kendrick's frustration as he was to her presence. This was only because she knew all of the reasons why Kendrick was acting this way. It didn't upset her one bit, but it did make her sad to know that certain problems that were out of her control hurt her son, or sons for that matter.

"Only parent...and he was sent to the Doom Dimension... Hmmmmm..." Tonya muttered as she released Noland from the hug.

"No, I didn't know about that," she answered. "The throne was usurped shortly after that took place, so...no reports were made on what happened to anyone else aside from Gundalians. But, to answer what I can answer, I came to Earth as a spy when I was 18. I was to look for any Dragonoid or Dharaknoid so that we could inflate our military power with them at our side. The Barodius you all know of had a father who had discovered many things that he feared in his life. One of the major ones was a descendant of the original Bakugan. I was to make sure if there were any beings like that on Earth and report back."

"I had discovered Drago some time before that 9/11 incident, but he attacked me when I got too close to his territory. I told Barodius that he was there, and then...9/11 happened. I figured telling your father that I was a Gundalian would be like telling him to snap my neck, so...I stayed quiet."

[Kendrick Hardy]

"...Oh...so that's why you looked familiar..." Drago confirmed with a nervous-sounding voice. He obviously knew it wasn't the time to try to be funny or anything, but...he honestly didn't know what else to think or say. Tonya just admitted to being partially responsible for one of the worst things to ever happen to the United States. "...You were right though..."

"Okay. That makes sense," Kendrick conceded. "Being on a mission and making babies with the 'enemy' was definitely a great idea. I mean, Noland and I are here, so I'm not going to complain all that much, but what the fuck? That decision basically made a chain reaction that led us all the way here. Do you have any idea of all the shit we had to go through? The Pack, the Hurranians, Dad sacrificing himself to save us, and now to hear that all of that could've been prevented if you had just kept your mouth shut?"

[Tonya Hardy]

"...I don't know what else I can say aside from 'sorry'," Tonya responded with a shrug. "It was just the way things were here. If you were told to do something, you did it. I had no idea that what I said would cause all of that... Drago and Vince hadn't met yet, so... I thought it was okay to do. I didn't mean for everyone to suffer... Honest..."

"And...I know that falling in love, getting married, and all that was a really bad idea at the time, but...your father was just THAT GOOD of a man. I know this doesn't make up for it, but after 9/11 happened, I did persuade some people who were sick of Barodius to come to Earth and get captured on purpose so they could tell them all they needed to know about what was going to happen next. Of course...that ended up backfiring too since some people ended up coming over to Gundalia..."

"It sounds like you ended up causing more harm the more you tried to do something good," Drago deduced.

"Yeah...you can say that..." Tonya accepted. "I'm really sorry... I know I'm saying that word a lot, but I am..."

[Rashad]

The Emperor looked straight at Kendrick after Tonya was done telling what was essentially classified information to anyone else. His focus was like that of a teacher trying to tell a student that it wasn't worth the trouble.

"A lot of our actions were questionable during my father's rule. Whenever people chose to do what made them happy, they did it. That's why you both are here now," he spoke up. "I don't want to cross any boundaries if there are any, but I do want you to know that this was a unique situation that not too many people can deal with. No, her relationship with your father wasn't smart, and he would've been put at risk with that alone even if the Dragonoid hadn't shown up."

"With that being said, I'd like to ask you to consider her situation at the time. I'm hurt myself, because I found all of this out after you left the first time, but this is what we have to work with. I heard from your Siege that she is your only surviving parent. If that's the case, I think that we all just need to soak all of this in for a bit, then you can decide if she's worth having in your life or not. Does that sound fair?"