Episode 13: Make the Most of It

[Alex Andersen]

"Yeah, he is one." Alex confirmed. 

Dante, in his pure white orb form rolled on the kitchen table closer so he could listen in on the conversation. Thanks to his newfound passive power he can shield himself and Alex from any detection as well as attempts to learn any information from them they are not willing to provide. Thanks to that Alex can freely speak of things without fear of Knights or Eden spying on him.

"Maria told us about him and one of our Six Generals. According to Lydia Maste might be one as well- that would explain her terrifying abilities after just one evolution. According to Maria Achron are one race never to underestimate- apparently, they are in pact with gods so there is no power we can assume is out of their reach. Warring against them would be a suicide. Though I do not know much about them; I am merely one of many successful 'experiments'. If you want to know more about them I'd suggest giving Maria a call. Doubt Ares would tell you anything. Maste might, but I can't say for sure. This General, Ran... I do not know anything about him, unfortunately." Alex explained everything he remembered about Ares, aside his insane powers and ability to wield weapons created by gods. 

"Regarding Mavericks- according to miss Maria theories say they were formed during the Old War. Achron Sage told her Mavericks were born from residue which came to existence in mutual destruction in war. Residue which has gone sentient. However, these are merely theories..." Dante spoke of what he knew about Mavericks. Their story, however, might be only known by old races. 

"So what is your next move? You could always try starting a war between Chrono Elite and this Tribunal if nothing else is left." Alex questioned.

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was secretly surprised that Alex answered that question. He expected a little pushback from that one, but it worked out nicely.

"I want to find out everything the Tribunal is connected to. Death is making me believe that the Tribunal are and always have been capable of defeating Achron. I want to know how and why. That's where I'll start," Markus answered to the best of his ability. "If Maria really would answer those type of questions, I'd appreciate a way of contacting her. This is all good information. Really."

"But, um...before I get out of your way, I just have to ask... How's everyone else doing? Petra, Sydney, Lydia, Daniel?"

[Alex Andersen]

"Nothing is impossible. Though Achron and their allies would put up a fight. Maria made it very clear. Even Silver Knights are 'registered' as Achron's allies- believe it or not." Alex responded to that. Judging by everything he had seen and kinds of people he had met he had every right to believe Achron could be defeat. Nothing is absolute. After all, Kyuki cracked the forbidden code in Achron technology even if it was useful for only few minutes. His true identity is that of a Devil so if his knowledge could be used to advance such research someone might be able to do what Kyuki did not manage in time- grant someone Achron power. Unless it is genuine that power will simply kill the host like it was doing to Kyuki.

"Petra is fine. She calmed down and I believe she will be joining our cause." Alex replied. He was feeling a little bad for her. She had to endure so much because of whatever some individuals in Eden were trying to accomplish. "Sydney has been asleep for some time now. She seems unnaturally exhausted- Maste is keeping a check on her." He had to get Sydney out of harm's way as soon as possible, but there was yet no ground to base a start on. If he rushes in recklessly many people could feel consequences of it- even Sydney. 

"It has been a month or so, but Daniel mastered another part of his power. First time I witnessed it he killed Elite member and 'invaded' the corpse somehow. It appears to grant him dead one's memories as well as their capabilities. Reminds me of Hurranians in a sense. Also, he appears to be able to force Mavericks to do what he wants- though to what extend I have no clue. I would like to believe he is in good health." Alex was hoping Daniel was alright of course, but it was not like Daniel would say if anything was bothering him. That guy is just about work, work, work and more work. Asuka has been sending him to take out members of the Elite as well as any other immediate threats. Hopefully she has no intention of sending him after Resistors; hopefully he only follows orders within reason.

"You can imagine Lydia's stress and workload. Balance between aiding those in need and keeping herself safe in Eden's environment. She and Maste believe they might have worked out who is pulling the strings there... They observed a very unusual situation there." Alex said. His body obviously became more tense. Lydia already told him what she knew and Maste's information did not make it any easier. It was questionable if any of them could defeat the foe over there; even Ares might not be able to.

[Markus Hederick]

"Hm... 'Your cause' and an 'unusual situation', huh? Sounds dangerous," Markus thought about out loud. He could see what they could be planning to do, but he didn't know for sure. It sounds like they're not standing for whatever's going on anymore. Noland may be glad to hear that, but he won't be hearing about it. Not from him anyway.

"I think I've been in other people's business enough for one day, so I'll get out of your way," Markus declared. "If I find out anything else about Andrea, I'll clue you in. Hopefully, we can stop whatever the Tribunal is using her for, and all of you can stay employed AND alive by the end of whatever you're doing."

Markus extended his hand for a handshake. He thought he'd try it. No harm done if Alex refuses.

[Alex Andersen]

Alex accepted Markus's handshake.

He looked him straight in the eyes. "Good luck out there. Stay alive out there." Despite what happened between them Alex was not giving out that air of tension like before. Whatever happened that might have let Dante evolve into that magnificent form might have had also had something to do with Alex's change in behavior. Perhaps it was acceptance of the situation. Dante flew up to Alex's shoulder, his voice resonating through the room. "Take a good care of miss Tracy. Do not let this work take all of your time." He advised. 

[Markus Hederick]

"You do the same, and I will," Markus responded with a little smile. Markus saw himself out the door, but only for a little bit. As soon as he got out of the unit, he sunk into the floor via Gargulion's powers. He'd leave the same way he got there: out of sight and out of mind.

"I didn't expect to get that much information," Gargulion said with some surprise. "We can't tell the others about their intentions, especially Noland and Drago."

"I agree...as far as I'm concerned, he never told me that," Markus chalked up. "But the rest... We can do more than work with all of that."

[Fabia Sheen]

On the outside, the Dharaknoid was doing a good job keeping the public company. He was doing such a good job that the police were there to ask him questions.

'Is there a reason why you're in monster form?' an officer asked him.

"I'm...always like this?" Dharak responded with a confused tone.

'Are you evil?'

"You really don't know who I am?"

'No...no we don't...'

"You remember a big Dragonoid that saved your species from extinction? That's my good-for-nothing brother. He creates. I destroy. Any questions?"

'...Is that why you're here?'

"Strong possibility."

'...I'm sorry we bothered you. We'll be going now...'

"Maybe you should."

[Fabia Sheen]

Fabia heard the conversation by watching all of the coverage on the tv in her room. She didn't look all that surprised. There was a sense of familiarity there, like she knows about him. She did seem concerned though. Why was the Dharaknoid waiting in one place like that? What's he looking for...?

'Ms. Fabia?' a nurse called out on her way inside of the room. 'How are we feeling?'

"Irritated. Can I leave now?" answered an agitated Fabia who was tired of the hospital.

'Under one condition.'

"Hm?" The nurse handed her a sheet of paper with typed instructions on it.

'I'll be right back.' When the nurse left, Fabia looked at the letter to see what was so important.

I washed your clothes. The nurse should be getting them for you now.


Your sister said she will summon you back to Neathia. I wasn't told when for security reasons.

Before she could read everything else, she was forcibly summoned to Serena's quarters by Serena herself. She slowly looked around and caught Tracy, one of the people she recognizes from the Betadron battle, meditating on the floor. 

"...Put me back...I have to get my clothes..." Fabia sighed. 

"Oh...sorry..." Serena apologized. She put Fabia back as she 'requested'. Fabia continued to read the letter. 

I am also giving you a burner phone. Call me to let me know you've left so I don't have to worry. The number is already dialed on the phone.

If you need anything else from us, only contact myself or the Resistors. DO NOT contact anyone else.

Director Wolfe

'Alright. Here you go,' the nurse said as she came back to drop off Fabia's clothes and the burner phone. 'Hope you enjoy the rest of the day.' 

"..." Fabia quickly got up to change back into her clothes. Her call to Montai was almost twice as fast.

[Fabia Sheen]

"Princess? This is you, right?" Montai checked.

"Yep," Fabia informally responded. "I'm letting you know I'm leaving, just like you asked me to. But...I also want to tell you about something..."

"I'm listening."

"Would you, the special agent who was in the mall, and the Resistors join us for a small ceremony? It's just our way of saying thanks in this kind of situation. It won't be too long."

"Hm... Keep us in the loop about that. I'd love to participate, but I'll have to check with the others to confirm their availability."

"I understand, and we will. Also, tell the one who saved me I said thanks...I want to do something very special for him."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that. Please, get some rest, and stay safe."

"You too." The call ended, and Fabia was forced back to Neathia again. This time, Serena glomped Fabia without giving her a chance to respond.

"Uh...Serena..."

"I just need a minute..." Serena excused herself.

"...Oh..."

[Darius Hardy]

Drago took Darius on a field trip across the different locations of important battles. They were standing outside of the abandoned building where Daniel use to run his operation out of. It was nostalgic, but now, it's used for drug trade.

"It all started here, huh?" Vladitor observed.

"Yeah...for Noland anyway. We'll get to my origin location later," Drago answered. Darius - in his middle-aged man appearance - looked around in awe as people were out there getting high. "You probably shouldn't be looking at them..."

"Not sure what I expected, but... Taking on actual domestic terrorists as ten year-olds seems...reckless."

"Of course it is, but no one else would do it. You couldn't even go to school and be free from this stuff. It's everywhere. These guys are much more preferable than what was going on back then. Human trafficking and senseless killings every single day. It makes you question whether law enforcement or vigilantes are better at dealing with these folk. I know The Wire convinced me to root for Omar in this case though, so...I wasn't really sure how to feel for it until I became Noland's guardian."

"You ever get involved in any of that?"

"I was the guardian of the CIA Director at the time. Everyone else got involved in my place."

"Ah."

"Krakix could tell you all about it. He was really awesome back then. I still couldn't ever pay him back from saving me from the Doom Dimension. He says he wants to become as strong as I am, but...I feel like that's not enough. I want to do something better than that, but I don't know what."

"Noland won, right?" Darius asked about this particular battle.

"I don't know how, but yeah. A bunch of kids created their own army to bring down a domestic terrorist ring. Once in a lifetime story. If all of them joined the military, I can't see the US losing any battle."

"He's really awesome..." Darius began to realize even more. "How come he never talks about this? These are some really good stories..."

"...Right this way..."

[Darius Hardy]

Drago took him all the way up to New York. This time, they were at the 9/11 Memorial. Darius was a little unnerved about the city life though. There were too many people.

"I have to admit... I've never seen anything like this..." Vladitor quickly observed. "I see a lot of names here... This is a memorial site."

"Mhm," Drago confirmed. "The situation here was so bad, EVERY American knows about this. Noland's dad, Vince, happened to be here when things went bad. The Gundalian Emperor at the time tipped a terrorist organization about the optimal time and location to attack, and so they did. I defeated the leader, but the damage was already done. I believe that the way Vince and Nero, the special agent you've seen with Montai, handled this situation contributed to them becoming CIA Directors when they transitioned to the feds."

"If that's the case, this happened before what you just showed us."

"Right. Drago then took them to No Mans Land, the area that was still a barren wasteland. "The leader came back on the same date, but a different year. Noland and crew thought they were good enough to finally help his old man fight. They helped a lot; they even saved us from the Fifth Paladin. This time, he somehow got the better of us. I almost got sent to the Doom Dimension for losing, but Krakix traded places with me. Vince wasn't so lucky though. That's when I first discovered my Ultimate Warrior Gene, even though I had no idea what it was at the time."

"...Is that how Grandpa died?" Darius suddenly asked. "That's why Noland never talked about him. He saw his Dad get taken right in front of him."

"...Twice..."

"Twice?"

"Right this way..." Drago made the final jump to the memorial in Africa. This is where it ended... "Vince came back with the Legendary Soldiers to stop these sentient machines that tried to assimilate the universe. We were trying to defy death as best as we all could... Him and the prior Legendary Soldiers sacrificed themselves so that we could live... One of them was my Dad too..." Darius looked at the statue of Vince that was placed here sometime after those events...

"...I use to cry a lot about what happened to Dad..." Darius revealed. "...I never wanted to talk about him either... It made me so sad that I almost objected to Cousin Markus seeing my memories. Seeing how great Grandpa and everyone else are makes me feel better about it though. They're true heroes...and that makes me happy enough to make it through this."

"You really mean that?" Vladitor wondered.

"Yeah! I know we all lost people, but we knew people who did really good things. I find that amazing even if they're gone. I want to be as amazing as them when I finally become a grown-up! Then other people will see how awesome they are by extension!"

"Huh... What a way to bring up the mood, kid."

"Inspiring as well. It motivates me to want to do better. I CAN do better."

"..." Drago began thinking back to the Second Universal War when Apollonir was sending Drago off to another world. It was a little similar to Darius' circumstance, except the father had control of the situation. He remembered Apollonir saying this to him:

"This is no place for a young one like you. I'm sorry I didn't do a better job in containing this," Apollonir relayed to him. "No matter where you are or whose side you take, make the most of it, whatever you have. You never know when it's time when it comes to Bakugan like us."

Drago was very quiet after thinking about that. He wasn't sure what to feel now...

[Markus Hederick]

Markus went back to his house after the meetup with Alex. When he got there, he growled in disgust. He heard a lot of music being played in his man cave. "Can't believe I'm dealing with him..." he said under his breath. He goes downstairs and sees Maurice and Sprayzer bumming around. No homework or nothing. The tv was basically stuck on a brawling-related network. He wouldn't turn from it.

"Yo, you heard Calvin is coming back to the circuit?" Maurice excitedly asked.

"Seriously?" a surprised Markus responded.

"Yeah. His agent is letting him compete again. This is about to get very interesting for you guys. It's coming back on now."

'Welcome back. Now, if you weren't with us before the break, brace yourselves for this bombshell. A source close to Calvin Kuro reported that the legend himself will be returning to competition starting with the upcoming Showcase! Isn't that amazing!?' the lady on the screen fan-girled.

'You're hearing this right, folks. The LA Dynasty superstar is coming back after a two year hiatus. His agent suggested for him to pull out of all competition due to the growing concern for Hurranian cheaters. As you know, Calvin has NEVER been defeated, so a lot of eyes were on him the moment we saw the horrific Tank vs Blade matchup we'll never forget about,' a male reporter added in.

'There are a lot of people clamoring for a Calvin vs Resistor matchup before the young man even officially announces his return. It's trending at #1 even. If he wasn't thinking about coming back, I wonder if this will change his mind.'

'The president also weighed in on that possibility. Imagine that. We've had a lot of moments here where we've been overwhelmed by the influx of support from the community, but this one... This one's special here. It reminds me of the good old days. It's good to have a return to form.'

'It seems like the recent changes made by Chairman Keene and his dedicated staff have turned things around attention and ratings wise. What about safety? With the amount of extremely powerful competition that will be in attendance, I am hoping that the barriers can hold through all of this. I think that's the biggest worry on everyone's minds right now.'

Markus scoffed when he heard that last line. He heard enough from there. Now onto the important details. "We need to talk," he quickly said.

"What's going on?" Maurice asked with some concern.

"I've gone through everything you'll need where you're going. I calculated the amount of money you'll need to live off of for the rest of high school. I also know where you need to be to escape the reach of this gang. I'm getting you out of here tonight."

"...I didn't ask you to do all of that."

"I can't just let you die here."

"Does it matter what I think then? You're just going to make these decisions for me?"

"Damn right. You're lucky to be alive. If they find out, they'll be coming to finish the job. You can't be here. You know that. We're strong, but we're not professional bodyguards. We've got things to do too. You have to fend for yourself, but...you're not strong enough to do that yet."

"...I'm well aware of that...but I don't need any of you relocating me. I'm fine."

"How?"

"I knew what I was getting into, man. This is how the game goes. If it's my time, then it's my time. I can't be living in fear. Their network is vast. Someone's gonna know who I am somewhere, and I'll be dead anyway. What's the point?"

"So why won't you snitch then if you're gonna die anyway like you're saying?"

"...They got something on me..."

"Go on..."

"...I killed someone...a cop..."

[Markus Hederick]

"...I'm sure it was self-defense though," Markus scoffed.

"Nah. He didn't do anything to me," Maurice plainly responded. Little did Markus know, it was sarcastic.

"...Are you okay...?"

"Things got out of hand. I was with the boys, we got pulled over for being black, blah blah blah, they started shooting, so...yeah. I'm not that bad to just shoot a cop for no reason, dude. Come on."

"And you're not locked up right now because?

"Someone ate the charge and held it over my head."

"Figures...where's the murder weapon?"

"...They have it..."

"...Oh my goodness... Good luck with that then."

"Wait...what?"

"You'll be dealing with that where I'm dropping you off at."

Maurice threw a temper tantrum and grabbed onto Sprayzer. He pointed Sprayzer's ball form at Markus like he was going to fight him.

"Fighting over this is a waste of time. It's already decided regardless of what you do," Markus shrugged.

"I don't care about any of that. I told you that me being here is okay. I'm not letting them run me out of town."

"You have the chance very little gangbangers could ever dream to have, and you're fighting against it. You don't think you're tough enough to make it on your own."

"No! I don't!" Maurice sighed loudly and slowly lowered Sprayzer. He almost didn't want to look anyone in the face while he was saying this. "I've lost the only chance I had of getting into a decent school or making it to the pros. Those were the only ways I would be able to take care of myself and my siblings. My brawling resume is shot, and the gang just wants me dead. I have nothing. Me getting killed is not a big deal. Just let me make the most of whatever I got left. I got an invite to the Showcase. I'll just have one last battle there and that's that."

[Markus Hederick]

"Markus, tell me something," Makoto spoke out from within Gargulion's ball form. "Why don't you just throw him out into the wild and let him die? He obviously wants to. He's about to piss his pants because you're trying to save what's left of his life. He's a fucking idiot."

"No...he's smart," Markus defended. "Lydia told me what you did, Maurice. You helped her systematically remove Undergrounds across the country. The revenue for these black markets and gangs dropped by 60%. You'd have practically bankrupted every criminal enterprise in the country if it wasn't for drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking. If there's anything you do have, it's potential. Forget about what's going on in brawls. If something falls short, fine. There's nothing stopping you from having other interests."

"Time, Markus," Maurice reminded him. "I don't have time. You know that. If you truly know my situation on a personal level, then you have to know."

"He's absolutely right. Toss him," Makoto insisted.

"I know a lot about that. You're talking about enjoying the time you have left. You're not doing shit. They're already in your head. You talk about not wanting to live in fear. You're too scared to fend for yourself. You'd rather fight me than to allow yourself to have any inch of control over your situation. You've already given up. You may as well jump into a Southeast alley and announce your presence."

"..."

"...No...I...shouldn't be criticizing you right now. It's your life, not mine. I'm just begging for you to choose differently is all. If you don't, you're gonna at least learn and live like you're a professional. I'm bringing you with me to training."

"...You'll really do that? I can..."

"I'm leaving in a half hour. Do whatever you need to do."

Maurice's demeanor changed significantly after hearing the invitation. Not many people can say they were in a 'day in the life' in real time. It was reassuring too. Markus knew of his aspirations and wishes, and he'll let Maurice get a taste of what it's like. He's not so bad after all.

[Allen Silva]

Allen had just woken up from his long slumber. He had to get hit on the head by a rather rude Subterra Bakugan to finally get up. He didn't look like he wanted to be woken up either. He looked fed up with life. He still had his head rested on his pillow. He wasn't going to get up either.

"It's 1 in the afternoon..." Gorem reminded Allen.

"Cool," Allen acknowledged.

"...Get up already. Alana and Jenna blew up your phone."

"That's standard for Alana, but Jenna...?"

"By the way...she's going to be around, shouldn't we at least try to get Alana and Jenna on speaking terms? We still haven't dealt with that situation yet."

"Right...I almost forgot about that. So, what did I miss?"

"Calvin's back." This announcement was the one thing that got Allen hopping out of his bed. He booted up his desktop and checked out everything having to do with Calvin Kuro. "Big deal I'm guessing?"

"More than a big deal. This guy's next level. People always said he was invincible. For once, I think they know what they're talking about."

"Really? That's interesting... I wonder how we'd do against someone like that."

"I'd love to find out. Not to sound arrogant, but one of us may have to face him. That's if we get chosen over the college brawlers other than Tracy."

"Sounds nerve-wracking. In an exciting way of course. Bet you Noland and Drago get it."

"Alana and Hydranoid."

"Is that a bet?"

"If I win, you can't wake me up unless it's an emergency, and by that, I mean if one of us is about to die."

"And if I win, you'll have to tell your parents what you were really doing when we got warped to Equilibria."

"...This doesn't seem fair at all...but I'm in anyway..."