Episode 8: Finding the Right Words

[Tracy White]

In the Doom Dimension...

A large slab of ruinous wilderness was the scene of a battle between beings with monstrous power. There was the occasional burn marks on the ground and debris scattered all over, but there were disturbing sights: the combatants, four of them to be exact. One was standing: Betadron, the fiendish Bakugan who had attempted to escape his confinements earlier. The other three were...Alana...Allen...and Noland...and all three were on the ground in pools of blood. Betadron walked right over them and got to their respective Bakugan. He prepared some form of claw attack where an appendage stretched from his body and went to go impale all three of them.

Tracy woke up in a panic before that could happen.

She was breathing heavily from the ordeal. She was a good actor at behaving as if she was actually there. That's how it felt to her though. It felt real... It felt too real...

"You too?" Skystar asked from the floor in a sleeping bag.

"Skystar...I can't do this... I just can't... I feel tainted... I can't even sleep anymore..." Tracy surrendered.

"You know better than to talk like that," Skystar reprimanded her. "The condition of our bodies have been improving, so it's unlikely that we're still getting punked by black magic. This could be something different entirely. There is someone who is Earth's foremost expert on dreams, so maybe we should consult that person."

[Niko Adrian Nyx]

"I am not an expert, and I've never seen anyone on Earth," Niko corrected Skystar when she came to Earth around the morning hours. "I do appreciate the flattery though...but why do we always have to come to Earth? You all should come visit us sometimes... It has been a while..."

Niko was examining Tracy in her room that she conveniently had all to herself. That must be nice... She doesn't have an annoying sister or person taking up space...

"Dasia told me about your problem with insidious magic before I got here, but she said that curse was erased. Now, you're having issues with nightmares...a very specific one at that. You said you had it three times in a row now," Niko went through to make sure she was up to speed. "I'll keep it nice and simple for us both. I'll put you two to sleep, I'll monitor your dream, and then we'll go from there. Three, two, and you're asleep."

Donovan put Tracy and Skystar to sleep rather quickly, definitely not ahead of Niko's count again. Niko placed Tracy on her bed and Skystar back in her sleeping bag. She bummed around for about an hour before waking them up. Fortunately, this would feel like eight hours for them instead of one. Niko and Donovan were messing around in the dream world Tracy and Skystar were in.

"Good news and bad news," Niko informed the Resistor. "Whatever it is that you saw has nothing to do with your dreams. That's the good news. The bad news is that you owe me $1000 for my services. Cash or credit?"

[Tracy White]

"Well, that was a waste," Tracy regretted while walking on campus.

"Waste of money, yes, but we now know that there's something odd going on here," Skystar summed up. Coincidentally, both Tracy and Skystar glowed in a buzzing aura of light. They found themselves getting dropped out of a portal into a chrome-covered chamber.

"Good morning," Queen Serena greeted.

"...Did you just summon us?" Tracy asked in shock.

"Maybe," Serena playfully answered. "I apologize for summoning you without your consent, but I thought it was time to tell you something according to the instructions I was given by Lars Lion."

"...W-what did she say?" Skystar wondered.

"For starters, I've been watching what has been happening on Earth ever since you went back to make sure you were doing okay. It seems the Tribunal is on the move again," Serena sighed. "Anything involving them right now is nowhere near good. Coincidentally, your divination abilities are subconsciously developing as you continue to develop your magic power because of that tome of yours. That's what is keeping you up at night. It wasn't a dream; it was a vision of the future, something I can only dream to do right now."

"Are you saying that Noland, Allen, and Alana are going to be killed by Betadron?" Skystar asked her.

"That's what you two saw," Serena shrugged.

"Couldn't you have just summoned me before I wasted $1000?" Tracy pouted.

"Well...I had to know if it was a dream first. I wasn't so sure myself," Serena laughed off. "Anyway, Lars Lion told me that this was the time to grant you access to the Haos Archives. There, you would be able to obtain the knowledge you need to avert what you saw. Would you be interested in that?"

"Of course," Tracy accepted without thinking.

"Right this way," Serena signaled as she started to walk out of the chamber.

[Tracy White]

An invisible barrier was breached by Queen Serena, Tracy, and Skystar upon entering. The location and methods to accessing this place were so confidential that unauthorized access by any means would cause one to be burned out of existence. Serena made sure to lead Tracy and Skystar to a very private location before bringing them here.

(Archive's Entrance)

The party was standing on a cloud when they arrived. The cloud itself recognized their presence and glowed in a golden color. Teal steps materialized in front of them to lead them higher into the bright Haos sky.

"I know how unbelievable it must be to see a Neathian have the capability to summon entities as powerful as yourselves when you're on another planet far away from ours, or for a Neathian or any human-like entity to have access to a Bakugan Archive. It's ridiculous, isn't it?" Serena talked. "As you're going through this, just remember one crucial thing: just because Bakugan are bigger and stronger in physical terms doesn't mean that humanity is weaker as a whole. The Tribunal will show you how and why very soon...but, in my case, believing in the impossible is a power itself, and I used it to get this far without trying to claim something I was never meant to have...unlike the Tribunal."

When the party reached another cloud, the stairs disappeared. They all found themselves in a shiny, pristine library. It was like it appeared out of thin air. The magical prowess of the constructors of this place made this possible.

(Inside of the Archives)

"Did all Neathian queens have access?" Tracy wondered as she started looking around.

"Most of them did," Serena answered. "Your magic ability must be at a certain level to ever enter this place. The power threshold was scaled to a Bakugan, so...for someone like me to be here, I must hold power on par with a Bakugan...or better."

"I know you said something about believing in the impossible, but...how is that possible?"

"I'd like to say the exact reason, but I'm not at liberty to say...for now," Serena vaguely answered. "Just be aware that the people who will contribute to your friends' demise... Terrifyingly powerful, but...all human beings with their own skillsets... Bigger isn't always better. Keep that in mind."

[Tracy White]

Before any of them could step forward, a mysterious energy bound the party. A message appeared out of thin air in front of them that they could read:

"Welcome, Haos Legendary Soldier. We're glad that you've made it here. Lars Lion held you in high regard and completed your membership in advance. All of the magical arts that exist currently can be found here. Access the contents of this archive at your leisure, but tell no one of this place unless we assess their capabilities beforehand. The power one could gain from this sacred place is tremendous, and so it must remain with morally-sound individuals."

"Even now...I can hardly believe that Lars Lion saw that much in us..." Tracy reflected. "I mean...we had no idea what we were doing with our magic...and we still kinda don't..."

"There's a gift certain people have, to be able to see what others can become even if they're not showing it at that time," Serena believed. "We often only see the prodigious ones in a bright light and keep anyone else in the dark corner. Lars Lion knew that you'd be a great Legendary Soldier, even if you yourself didn't see it in you."

"I don't know if I'd say all that right now though..." Tracy groaned. 

"Then let's learn together," Serena proposed. "White Arts." A white cloud appeared around the party and carried them through the archives until they reached the section where all of the information regarding that area of magic was located. All of the relevant sources were glowing to show them that what they were looking for was there. "You can say what you want to see out loud, and you'll be taken where you need to be. There's literally too much information here for one being to be able to digest, let alone to look through."

"Makes sense. Sky, what should we look at then? It's your power we're talking about here," Tracy asked. 

"I don't know to be honest," Skystar admitted. "Did the Holy Providence come from here?"

"Lars Lion wrote that herself," Serena clarified. "At least, that's what my grandmother claimed. It was a tome that reminded Lars Lion of the basics. She believed that anyone worth their mana would always practice the basics."

"Hm...so I can improve beyond where I'm already at..." Skystar was humming as she floated up and down the bookcases to see what she wanted to see. "Is there some form of checkout process?"

"Just take what you need," Serena shrugged. "If it's gone for a certain period of time, it'll get sent back here. You'll also be notified if someone else wants to see what you have, not that you have to give it to them, but it's encouraged to be reasonable."

"Fair enough. I'll take this...this...and that..." Skystar started taking a couple of books off of the shelves. "Dark Arts." The party were then transported to the section involving dark magic. "And I'll take these..."

"Your Highness, what magic do you practice, if you don't mind me asking?" Tracy wondered.

"Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Transmutation, and - a magic I personally created - Unity Magic."

"You created your own magic? That's so cool!" Tracy expressed.

"Oh, it's nothing much really," Serena laughed off. 

"Someone else is here..." Skystar mentioned randomly. Indeed, a powerful presence came floating down the corridor.

[Tracy White]

There was a pristine-looking female Bakugan who was floating towards the party. It appeared that she had no need for cloud transport. She looked like she knew exactly where she was going. But, most importantly, she looked just like:

"Kuzuha...?" Skystar recognized.

"Yes?" the Kuzuha replied.

"Oh...I'm going to guess you're not the Kuzuha I've met before," Skystar guessed.

"Oh, her? No, I'm not that one. Totally different Kuzuha, but we know each other," the Kuzuha claimed. "In fact, we're both Silver Knights."

"Really?" Skystar gasped. No one has mentioned anything about this Kuzuha before...

"My existence is highly classified information. You'd do well to pretend you don't know who I am outside of here. I'm sure the higher-ups will not approve of us meeting," the Kuzuha suggested. "That'll be difficult for me though... I kinda want a fellow intellectual peer to associate with. I feel a little lonely. I was hoping for Lars Lion to notice my presence when she was on Earth, but we never got the chance to meet..."

"You're an Angelic Kuzuha, aren't you?" Queen Serena recognized.

"Yes," Kuzuha answered without going in-depth on what that really meant. "My official name is Arch Priestess Kuzuha. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Kuzuha then pulled one book containing information on the application of Dark Arts magic to her existing skill set. "I have an assignment to do back at the headquarters, so I will take my leave. I do hope we can meet again. If not on Earth, perhaps even here? I'd love to learn from you and vice versa if you wish." Arch Priestess Kuzuha then floated away.

"Wow...that's interesting..." Tracy thought. "There's a Silver Knight who has access to these Archives...? What else don't we know?"

"I don't know, but...I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to grant her wishes of companionship," Skystar shrugged. "Of course, we'll need to be careful since she's a Silver Knight, at least until we know what she's all about."

"Mhm..." Tracy agreed.

[Noland Hardy]

While Tracy and Skystar were at Hogwarts, Noland and Allen were at a dojo of sorts. They were there training in Krav Maga with law enforcement officials. Nero was even in on this one too, so it was likely that either him or Montai had something to do with getting Noland and Allen in there. Either way, the boys were sparring with officers, and it was pretty rough.

"I hate to say it, but...if this is what Alana has been doing for two years...I'd rather not piss her off with my powers deactivated..." Noland shuddered. "Those Juggernaut and Armored Lasermen outside must be putting Drago and Gorem through hell..."

[Allen Silva]

Allen was wiping sweat from his forehead just at the thought of having to go back to where he and Noland just were to continue the smackdown they were getting. He tried not to think about it too much though. He knew that they needed the whooping to get even stronger...

"If only we bet against against Webster in his match with Treeko..." Allen regretted. It sounded like both of them were here because they lost a bet with someone... Definitely wouldn't be Alana. Of course not.

"We only got one more round... One more... If we lasted this long, then it can't get worse than this..." Allen said, but would later regret, because, ten minutes later...

[Andrew Bullock]

Noland and Allen were laid out on the floor next to an healthy Andrew. Andrew sat right next to them with a satisfied look on his face. He gave them three claps for their efforts.

"You two together would probably be the greatest investigators of all time," Andrew believed. "But, then you'd have to go through this over and over again to make sure you're all tuned up and ready to go. That'd be great, wouldn't it? Getting your asses kicked over and over and over again until you finally get the hang of things, and then you'll get beat down some more. Favorite pastime of mine and even Vince's. Imagine that."

"You can heal up now though. The fighting's over. I'll see you both back here VERY soon."

[Allen Silva]

Allen and Noland got far away from that dojo as quickly as they could. They ended up at Noland's place. Kendrick and Darius were off doing their own thing like brothers. He and Noland were slumped on the couch like old men.

"Nero could've said something before about us fighting him in front of the whole class...and then losing..." Allen sighed. "Alana set us up man... She went back to her old pranks again..."

"I'd say this was one of those good pranks this time. Now, we can get some official training instead of just using street knowledge," Gorem spoke up from the next room.

"Eh. That's fair. We can only get so far just using our fame and fortune as Resistors who saved the world a bunch of times," Allen shrugged. "I remember Petra putting it that way... Speaking of which - and I know this is a sensitive topic - but what ever happened after the curse situation?"

[Noland Hardy]

"Just about what you'd expect when you get caught grabbing another girl's boob," Noland shrugged. "Well...it's not just 'another girl' this time. I feel bad for Petra honestly. She hears what we're saying about us not being together, but what she sees paints a different picture. Now that I've gone and basically confirmed it in her eyes, I don't know where I could go from here, especially when the Angels won't stop."

After saying that, Noland was reminded of the conversation between Allen, Alana, and Tank in the hospital. He knew that Allen brought it up so he could talk to him about her. A conversation like this must be hard...

"Allen...question for you...and I don't care how honest you are with this. I never would," Noland began to ask. "What are you thinking about this?"

[Allen Silva]

"..." Here was the question of all questions. Allen has A LOT he wants to say, but he only has so much time in the episode to say it. He has to keep it brief before he gets put somewhere else.

"I think that if you're with someone, you shouldn't feel threatened about where you stand with them," Allen started. "I also think that a relationship is no one else's business unless something illegal is going on. You shouldn't feel like being around one another is a cause for concern either because someone's watching or that they're going to nag you for something you're telling them isn't happening."

"I don't know too much about where you are with your situation nor am I asking you to tell me, but I will tell you this. I'm the guy who doesn't want to worry about anything. As unrealistic as that sounds, I at least want to try not to worry about something and not have my significant other making that more difficult. We live on edge as Resistors already. The other person should be my escape from all of that, not an invitation for more suffering."

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland was receptive to everything Allen was saying. He knew where Allen was going with this. Allen wasn't making any direct accusations, but he was also trying to speak to what he knows Noland is thinking about at the same time.

"...You're right..." Noland accepted. "I guess my problem is I'm being too patient with all of this... I want to believe that things are going to get better. She's not a bad person..."

[Allen Silva]

"I'm sure she's not, but even if she was, it wouldn't change anything in my eyes," Allen believed. "All that would matter to me is if something's happening. That's really all there is to it. People don't have to be bad for you to cut your losses and say, 'Enough is enough.' When it's time to go, it's time to go. No hard feelings, but I gotta do what makes me happy, and this might not be it."

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland lightly nodded to what he presumed would have to happen. He couldn't live in denial anymore. Besides, Petra is probably considering doing the same. Who wouldn't if you strongly believed that you were being cheated on?

"...Makes sense," Noland accepted. "It's easier to decide now that I understand this... I know what I have to do. I'm a little afraid about how this is all gonna go down, but...I have to do it. I can't deal with it anymore."

"Thank you," Drago kept to himself. "And I'm going to make sure you keep your word too."

"So...enough about that. What's going on with Jenna?"