Episode 14: The Greatest There Ever Was

[Jenna Tinsley]

Seeing Noland pop up out of nowhere left Jenna awestruck. She heard that Noland was able to do that, but it was hard to believe. How's he able to do that..? More importantly, Jenna felt compelled to say something first. She knew things ended on a sour note last time. Before she could, her necklace lit up, and Geos took the lead on this.

"Ms. Alana and Hydranoid, I apologize for what happened before. I had no malicious intent, but my actions didn't reflect that. You're right to be angry with me," Geos expressed.

"I'm sorry too," Jenna also apologized. "I should've been a lot more careful...and I still need to honestly. I'm hoping you can forgive me..."

[Alana Cortese]

"I get the feeling they're only sorry because they lost. No one would've had a problem if my guts were splattered all over the place," Hydranoid thought to himself. Even though Jenna can be considered a decent person, he did have a point. There was a double standard here. "Now I'm gonna be the asshole for seeing the obvious. These humans and Achron folk make me sick..."

Hydranoid continued to be bitter and offered zero comments. If anyone asked him to make a comment, he'll continue to say nothing. Alana would make up for it by letting it be:

"Water under the bridge," Alana concluded. She offered to shake on it. "Hoping we can start over. It'd suck for that battle to leave a lasting impression on both of us."

[Jenna Tinsley]

Jenna's heart was at ease. She shook Alana's hand without a second thought. With that weight off of everyone's shoulders, it was less awkward to act friendly around each other now.

"I'm so glad," Jenna expressed. "And yes, I'd like that."

With Jenna and Alana distracted, Lian decided to have some fun for herself. She sneaked up on Allen and got in his ear. "I see what you're doing now... You want to come back to brawling just so she can see how cool you are, right?"

[Allen Silva]

Allen wasted no time in getting back in Lian's ear and responding, "I have no clue what you're talking about." He quickly changed the subject to something different before Lian had the chance to ask something else.

"Looks like it's almost time to hit the road," Allen noticed as he looked at the time on his BrawlX.

"Did everyone eat before coming here?" Sandra suddenly asked. Someone's stomach started growling after that was said. Then another one followed.

"I heard Noland wanted to treat us at Cracker Barrel," Allen volunteered.

[Alana Cortese]

Since Allen started it, Alana may as well support it. It sounded like a great idea too. "I heard that too, Allen," Alana cheerfully concurred.

"...I don't think Noland ever said such a thing...but..." Hydranoid proceeded to think in his head before saying out loud, "It's true. I can attest to that."

"...You've got to be kidding me..." Drago sighed.

Alana looked into Noland's eyes and gave him a special look. It was a look that would convince any man to do what the woman wants. Even 'Barodius', who was really Darius, was all smiles about it.

[Noland Hardy]

"..." Noland knew it would be awkward if he just denied ever saying that. He really didn't, but this was their way of saying, 'Do it anyway.' This is all because they know he's stacked; he has Vince's money as well as the money from the settlement with the police department.

"...Well...we're only going to do this once..." Noland shrugged. "...Alright. My treat." Noland then looked at Allen specifically. He lightly smiled and nodded at him. He'll have his vengeance on Allen soon enough. Watching Allen and Alana high-five each other motivated Noland to get him back with something good.

[Calvin Kuro (World's Collide)]

At about the same time - albeit three hours behind - Calvin was getting his mind right for this competition. He was in a meditation session in his commons. Another man was with him. This character wore a beige t-shirt with shorts on, but there was a beige suit on the couch. This gray-haired man was none other than Calvin's agent and best friend: Alexander Fushichou.

"...Not gonna lie, Cal. I knew you were high-stakes material, but...this is unprecedented. The amount of people outside your door... How can you put up with that?" Alex wondered.

"You learn to accept it," Calvin claimed. "It makes me happy in a way, seeing all the differences between us disappear when it comes to one person or thing. Not that I care all too much about being that particular person."

"Sure beats being a nobody, huh?"

"Being a nobody doesn't sound too bad. You're not expected to do anything. You surprise everyone when you do something. You surprise even yourself. No greater feeling."

"Huh..."

"And you have some peace and quiet at night."

"You'd say the same thing if you were a nobody?"

"You kidding? I'd be wishing for attention then." The two shared a laugh over that statement. Seems Calvin couldn't fit somewhere in the middle where he has the attention, but not too much of it.

"You could sneak out the back. They won't even know you're gone until you are," Alex proposed.

"Someone leaked my comeback. They'll know," Calvin jokingly scoffed. "But then, it reminds me. Why me and not Tank or Markus? They're heroes. I'm..."

"A nobody?"

"...Only when compared to them. I doubt I'd make much of a difference compared to them."

"You're better than them though. You've united a community all on your own. The Resistors could never do that. They're too divisive. You're the true hero here."

"...We'll agree to disagree on that one."

[Calvin Kuro (World's Collide)]

Calvin donned his iconic purple jacket so he could head on out. This jacket had an illustrious crown on the back. This was probably the logo for the LA Dynasty. When Alex saw Calvin put that on, he was reminded of something. He was reminded of what Calvin thought about the Resistors as a whole. Maybe he was out of line?

"I'm sorry... I know how you really feel about that... I shouldn't have said it," Alex apologized.

"No reason to be sorry. That's just how you feel. You're right in a way," Calvin replied with his back turned to Alex. He crept closer to the back door, but not before leaving Alex with this: "Not all heroes are popular, well-liked, or even 'somebodies'. They just do what they think is right. You know what? Let's not worry about who is what. No labels. Let's just enjoy this life. Enjoy each other's time. Have a couple of drinks. Have some awesome brawls. Spoil your daughter. That's what I think."

"..."

"Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. I'm out of here. Make sure the ladies get there safely, and...don't tell the people outside that I left." With that said, Calvin walked outside. He revealed a Darkus Bakugan in his hands that eventually transformed itself into...the Alternative...?

"...You're funny," Alex summed up. Why would Calvin request for his departure to be a secret, and then summon the Alternative?

"I haven't left, remember?" Calvin reminded him. A green light shone over Calvin to beam him into the ship. It then jetted off towards the Spire Institute. Alex shrugged and walked back inside.

"...No labels, huh...? Then...what are we really? Labels are all we have..." Alex pondered out loud.

[Noland Hardy]

Resistors and friends arrived at the Spire Institute via Noland's Hyper Motion. They got there just in time too. Calvin's 'plane' hovered over the horizon. Everyone was in awe, including Noland himself.

"...That looks familiar..." Noland dreaded.

"Right you are, Mr. Hardy," a reporter confirmed. Her and a cameraman got to them before they could breath. It was like they knew where they'd appear. It was creepy. Noland nearly walked away without giving them the time of day. "I can tell you don't like us very much."

Noland scoffed at that assumption. If she knew that, why bother approaching? "You're the same reporter who encouraged Damian to burn me off the face of the Earth. I also read your article about how dangerous Gundalians are to society," Noland clearly remembered. "Interesting topic. Too bad it was too personal. At least with some other ones, they tried to be as objective as possible."

"...Wow..."

"Unless you're here to apologize in front of everyone, you can go."

[Alana Cortese]

"...Okay then..." the reporter accepted. "Can I take anyone else's -"

"Not to speak for everyone here, but a lot of us read your 'amazing' article. Unless you accept our friend here as a citizen like everyone else, then you can leave," Alana laid down.

"..." The reporter looked at everyone else. Almost all of them had the same uninterested look on their faces. The only two outliers were Jenna and Lian.

"Wow... You're that kind of person," Lian noticed with a lot of disgust. "Guess I have nothing to say either. I wouldn't want to say anything on camera I may regret later."

[Jenna Tinsley]

Jenna was close to nervously sweating. Answering some questions shouldn't be too hard; however, will she earn the Resistors' vitriol for doing so? She just got in their good graces. Why risk ruining that now? These could be the first worthwhile friends she's ever had.

"Sorry, but I'm not very good on camera yet," Jenna respectfully declined. "Maybe some other time."

The reporter walked away without getting anything. Some bystanders were being nosy, but nothing came of it. They shrugged and went back to what they were doing. The necklace lit up again now that it seemed appropriate for Geos to comment.

"She seemed like the type of person who likes to stir the pot. It wouldn't surprise me if she wanted something controversial to happen, maybe to further her point," Geos guessed. "Hmm...odd. This political drama hits me on a personal level. It's almost like something like this has happened to me. Maybe I'm starting to remember how I got here..."

[Markus Hederick]

(Showcase Grounds)

There was certainly a buzz factor that wasn't present since the Hurranian controversy. Everyone was really excited. There were a lot of food trucks getting ready to go for the lunch rush. There were also some military recruitment stands setting up as well. It was like the Penn Relays of the brawling world. For anyone who pays attention to high-level brawling, this was a return to form.

Sporting his NY Revolution-issued jacket with the Liberty-inspired logo on both shoulders, Markus stood out from the crowd further in. Everyone saw him looking up at the sky.

"This guy's full of it... Summoning the Alternative... Way too much, man..." Markus critiqued. "...Just like old times." Markus lightly smiled at the thought of having someone to hate in the pro scene.

[Tank Stryker]

Tank wasn't all that riled up about seeing the Alternative. Sure, it brought up some bad memories and made Tank want to fight someone, but he kept that to himself. This is supposed to be the day he unwinds a little. Nothing depressing. Just a good, old-fashioned throwdown in the greatest sport there is. ...In this multiverse anyway.

In fact, just before Tank could snap himself back into reality, the reported Noland sent away bumped into him. It seems like a tree off the beaten path wasn't enough to keep anyone from coming to him.

"Let me guess. No comment either? You're all the fucking same," the reporter sternly stated.

"...Huh?" Tank asked in confusion.

"Gundalians are a menace to society whether you all like it or not. I'm not gonna retract the truth just because you're all high and mighty heroes who are too powerful to be regulated by the government!"

"...Since when did I get involved with all of that?"

"...You're right... I'm sorry... You, Markus, and Tracy are the only sensible ones in the group. Can I have a moment of your time so I don't get fired?"

"I guess, but only if you say sorry for ranting to me about stuff I don't care about."

"Right...I'm really sorry, Tank. It won't happen again."

"Great. I'm ready whenever you are."

"..." She signaled for her camera boy to start rolling, but he stopped when he saw Tank coughing. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah. I'm fine. I just forgot to tell you. I have no comment either. You're terrible. You should look for another job."

"..."

"..." Tank whistled as he walked away from that crazy lady. It was about time to get ready for battle. She was just a waste of everyone's time.

[Houston Keene]

News coverage for the event started some time after everyone got registered and the seats were filled. Two newbies were at the helm for announcing. They weren't all that new though. 1 or 2 years at the most. The brawling community liked them so much that anyone and everyone else pales in comparison. They knew what they were talking about too. That was a nice bonus. There was a nice background of the stadium arena as well.

(Showcase Intermission)

"Ladies and gentlemen of this fine country, welcome to the revival of the greatest sport in the world! I'm Yuji Hagane!" the well-dressed and well-groomed male said.

"And I'm Miko Hagane!" the female said who was also well-dressed.

"We want to start off by saying that we appreciate every single one of you. All of you who tune in to watch us monologue about your favorite brawlers, and those of you who campaigned for us to be here, you're all important. Doesn't matter what your nationality or place of birth is."

"It seems that a reporter on the Spire campus can't get that through her thick skull. Seems she has been fired from what my sources are telling me. A bit concerning that it took this event to finally get her out though... We've been asking for that for years."

"More like demanding, but anyways, to the stuff you want to hear about the most. Our expert scouts have searched high and low for the greatest brawlers in the nation. We've got all 'em all here! High school, all NCAA divisions, NAIA, NJCAA, and more! They're either going to show the pros up or get shown why they don't belong in the big leagues!"

"At least, that was the original plan. For the sake of transparency, there were some last minute disciplinary issues that prevented certain people from being here. I'm sure you've read them all. The Reavers, Warmasters, Peacekeepers, Sovereigns, Riptide, Saviors all had top prospects that are still being hampered by their organization's punishments. As a result, some people may have to make do with facing the top collegiate competition instead of the professionals."

"The fallout from the Hurranians is still here, but don't worry! We've got plenty of competition to go around! Everyone here - especially the pros - have to worry about their stock with the professional circuit, so everyone will have to bring their A-game if they want to survive past this preseason. Some of these amateurs could make some professionals unemployed! Some brawlers could lose scholarship opportunities! That'd be something to see!"

"Of course, we hope no one loses anything, but in the big leagues, you have to value everything, especially your time. We're back, folks, and hopefully, we're here to stay! This is the Bakugan Brawling Network!"

[Jenna Tinsley]

Following the playing of the national anthem, the layout of the entire event was presented through the Hagane siblings:

"For all the folks at home, all battles except for the first one will take place ten minutes after the previous brawl's conclusion. As for the first one, we should be getting started in a few minutes."

"To prevent the brawls from being leaked, WE are the ones who decided the matchups!"

"That's right. The brawlers have no idea what fate we sentenced them to, and it feels GREAT. To make it even worse for them, we've scattered them all throughout the stands. They'll be called at random just to confuse them a little."

"We also had a generous donation of Noland Hardy's power that reinforced the barriers. Now, there's absolutely no excuse for brawlers to fall short for not being able to use their full potential. In case it does break down, do not panic; his energy will regenerate the barriers."

"Your obligatory 'they've got it covered' announcement for all of the people who are showing great concern for our audience."

"And it looks like we have our first victims - I mean contestants!"

In a hallway leading towards the battlefield, someone was making slow steps towards the light. This someone was Jenna. Having been chosen first, she felt an odd nervousness. This was her first time in something this big. It's only her third brawl ever. Would she go out there and mess up? Will Geos somehow malfunction on her? She couldn't help but worry...

"You're more nervous than I am," Geos noticed. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I...think so... This is so different..." Jenna sighed. Geos shot a ball of light out of the necklace. It formed into it, but at human height. It pulled Jenna close and hugged her. "If either of us will achieve our goal, we must support each other," it believed. "I will not say our teamwork will be perfected so soon, especially since I am not familiar with the brawler-fighter relationship. If there's any concern that what happened before will happen again-"

Jenna hugged it back. "It won't... I can trust you...as long as you can trust me..." she responded.

"Huh...so this is what trust feels like... Fascinating..." Geos went back into the necklace after the embrace. "You're kind, Jenna. I will do my best to make up for last time. I'm ready."

Jenna nodded in acceptance. She marched forward, into the light.