Episode 14: The Greatest There Ever Was

[Alana Cortese]

Knowing that Noland was right about her need to calm down, Alana took a long, deep breath. "You're right...I'm sorry..." she admitted. "Thank you... I hope I didn't burden you in any way."

"...But...I basically said what he just said..." Hydranoid complained.

"Happens to you too?" Drago sympathized.

"Man...I can't understand how this relationship works. It's mind-boggling, I tell you."

"...We can hear you..." Alana stated the obvious. Noland presumably went back to the stands after this interaction. Yuji and Miko were more than ready to get Alana on the field. But first:

"Folks, we got a short update on the Benjamin meltdown. He was suspended indefinitely pending a full investigation, and the school may get fined if they knew about Benjamin's motivations before the battle," Yuji kept short. "Now, onto the matter at hand. We got a battle that's about to begin. From the red corner, we have...the Division 2 champion... Hold on a minute. Ya'll put Alaska Anchorage? I thought she signed with Arizona already."

"She did, but her sources forgot to mention that it was a conditional offer. The Ancients are waiting to see how she performs when her competition is fresh. For those of you who don't know, this young lady is a controversial figure in Division 2. Her Bakugan is capable of weakening the competition over time. Some even consider it cheating."

"Okay...that makes sense. My mistake, everyone. So, with all of that being said, here's a fact for all of you: all of the brawlers are not scattered all over the arena just to keep the upcoming battles as a surprise; it's done as a precaution against her. She's the only brawler here that's forcing rule adjustments to be made. Regardless of how you feel about that, that's a unique resume to have. So, let's give a warm, civilized welcome to the most feared brawler in the NCAA across all divisions: Jadyn Bell!"

Yuji's request must've fallen on deaf ears. When the blonde beauty walked out, she was showered with an equal amount of praise and boos. This was likely due to the divide of how she became the champion. Jadyn didn't seem to care.

"...Not very civilized..." Miko commented.

"Jadyn's opponent is a female Resistor," Yuji confirmed again. "She's the most feared female brawler in high school history. She reinforced that truth in the way she savagely beat our rising star from earlier: Jenna Tinsley. Nowadays, you can't discuss the top brawlers in high school without hearing her name at least several times... Here's Alana Cortese!"

The reaction to Alana's presence was a lot better than Jadyn's. In fact, this was on the level of praise that Markus got. Were people finally starting to like the Resistors? Who knows. Like Jadyn, Alana couldn't care less about the audience. She just looked forward. She stepped up to her platform, and was brought to the middle to meet Jadyn.

"..."

"..."

The two ladies didn't say anything to each other for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, they embraced.

"I never expected I'd run into you on the battlefield, cousin," Jadyn sighed.

"Cousin!?" Hydranoid shrieked.

"Yes, Hydranoid. We're family; however, we haven't seen each other since we were little since I'm all the way in Alaska," Jadyn confirmed. "Anywho, I thought for sure you'd be set for any team you wanted. Why are you here?"

"To be all honest, I haven't really competed before - as myself I mean. You know..." Alana glossed over. "Trying to figure out what I really want to do has been hard. I never thought it'd be this hard trying to regroup after so much lost time. Brawling seems to be the right direction, but...I do have my doubts."

"As you should. You know, people like you who are outrageously strong are expected to be in the pros. They just think you're good for that and nothing more. I say you just ride it out and see where it takes you. You don't have to decide what you want right away," Jadyn believed. "However, if you DO want to be where I want to go, then I hope you still enjoy the arena once you lose. I wouldn't want your future aspirations to be ruined because of me."

"I'll do my best to make you look good for the Ancients, but that's about it. You're reaching if you're hoping for any better," Alana scoffed.

The referee came and did the same song and dance. Both Alana and Jadyn shook hands, which earned some claps from the audience after the previous battlers refused to do so.

"A lot of you on Twitter are vastly underestimating Alana if you think the Rattleoid's venom will be enough," Yuji warned the commenters before the battle starts. "Don't forget. Her power was enough to help save the world. It's not just because they were at the right place at the right time. These are some extraordinary individuals here. Keep an open mind... You just might be surprised."

(Division 2 Champion)

[Alana Cortese]

"Bakugan brawl! Stand, Morgana!" Jadyn declared. She tossed a Darkus orb onto the field. It stood into a very long snake Bakugan: a Rattleoid. Morgana must have been the name Jadyn gave to it. It was like this specimen was her pet. How this species was able to survive in Alaska was anyone's guess. Maybe being a Bakugan had something to do with it. It could be another reason entirely. DeAngelo had a Scorpion with special powers, so it wouldn't be unheard of if this Rattleoid ended up being souped up as well. Her scales seemed to reflect this. It had a plain, black coloration, but it started glowing in a dark purple color when its attention was drawn to Alana.

"A Rattleoid...? You don't see that at all..." Alana remarked about its appearance. "Don't get too cocky about this, Hydranoid. You saw DeAngelo and his Scorpion..."

"Sorry, Princess, but being humble is not in my nature," Hydranoid dismissed. "Besides..." Hydranoid jumped onto the battlefield in his robed form. He pointed towards the massive serpent as he double-downed on his viewpoint. "What is that thing supposed to do anyway? Those guys are lunch meat to Hydranoid."

"Seems Hydranoid is talking trash down there," Yuji noticed. "I hope for his sake that doesn't come back to bite him. This Rattleoid is hyper lethal."

Hydranoid got out of his robed form and stood tall in monster form. Jadyn chose to attack while she still had a clear opening.

"Ability activate! Rattle Melody!" This was Jadyn's most used ability, and for good reason. For one, it couldn't be negated outright due to its special properties. The said special properties: it has five different functions and - as an integral part of Serpenoid's biology - it is easily spammable without wasting stamina.

Hydranoid saw and listened to the Rattleoid do her magic with her rattle. In doing so, Hydranoid's senses were dulled. He became dizzy at first, but he soon found himself kneeling with his fists lodged in the ground. "...Hypnosis... I didn't think those myths were true..." Hydranoid hissed as he put up as strong of a resistance as he could.

"So you're not a complete idiot like the rest of your kind? Sucks for you... That means hypnosis will work just fine," Morgana gleefully stated.

"Ability activate! Venomous Assault!" Jadyn activated. Morgana charged a pulse of Darkus energy in her mouth. She fired it upon Hydranoid. It appeared as a concussive beam of destruction. Its destructive power was capable of craterizing the ground, but the real damage came in the form of a neurotoxin. Yes, somehow, this Rattleoid could produce neurotoxin. It was potent enough to neurologically suppress special capabilities of the victim. In the case of Hydranoid, being affected by this substance means he cannot improve via the battle energy.

So, Hydranoid took a powerful attack uncontested, and he was now stripped of one of his defining attributes. All in the first ten seconds of the battle. Hydranoid wasn't noticeably damaged, but he was crippled in a way. Hydranoid's reaction when he felt the neurotoxin taking effect showed that something was off. Still... "Huh...I'm impressed... You guys evolved that much to combat us? I never would've guessed," Hydranoid commented. "You think that's good enough to stop me?"

"Your ability to improve was the only thing you had over me. You won't become an Excedra here, and you won't reach me. You're through once I really get started," Morgana asserted.

"...Why is it always women talking down to me? This is ridiculous..." Hydranoid defiantly stood up and hissed loudly. He wasn't taking this anymore.

[Alana Cortese]

Jadyn looked on with some concern. Alana showed no care towards what was going on. That was an alarming sign at this level. If they aren't disturbed, then what you did didn't work.

"Ability activate! Chaos Hyper Sting!" A spin on an old favorite, this ability wasn't just for firing laser beams anymore; Hydranoid was much better than that now. They could be used for support as well, specifically as it pertains to taking the fall for Hydranoid instead. Several miniature heads seeped down his wingspan. He just had to pick one to bite him so the neurotoxin could be absorbed into it. Now, the particular munchkin that just did that now suffers from the neurotoxin. Hydranoid was free.

"Watch out!" Hydranoid yelled out before having the miniature heads blast Morgana with laser rounds. These were much stronger than the previous evolution. One impact was enough to generate Earth-rocking explosions. Take several of them into account, and you have Jadyn scrambling to defend herself.

"Ability activate! Enhanced Armor!" Jadyn hastily responded. Morgana coiled as the explosions rocked her. In the midst of it all, she was reinforced with obsidian-like scales. This didn't hold though. The ability took more damage than it could handle, and Morgana took the damage that wasn't stopped. The only saving grace was Morgana shedding the armor. When she did, she could return to her base condition, which she did. She managed to make it out unscathed, but the heads were still ready to fire.

"You're strong, Alana, but that won't do me in!" Jadyn complimented her cousin. "Ability activate! Attribute Pulse!" This ability uses attributed energy based on environmental factors such as the sun or a body of water. She opted for a Haos treatment. Morgana's rattle glowed in a Haos coloration; her eyes did as well. The sun's rays were amplified to cause significant blinding and repeated damage from exposure. Unfortunately, none of this came to light for anyone to see, because...

"Did I forget to tell you that I can negate anything?" Hydranoid reminded Morgana in case the fear of a Hydranoid wasn't in her. The miniature heads sucked in the ability like it was nothing. It went in their mouths like a trail of smoke, like it would if Hydranoid used Merge Shield.

"Only because you're family, and I like you, I'll tell you this. Energy-based attacks are useless against my ability," Alana warned Jadyn. "Oh, and they grow too." Indeed, the devilish creatures became larger in size. They were about the size of a normal-sized townhouse.

"Huh...good to know... Ability activate! Rattle Melody!" Morgana played a different tune this time. Hydranoid began to wince and twitch from trying to resist what Morgana was doing. The little mongrels weren't so lucky. They turned on Hydranoid. They scattered across the battlefield, and got ready to fire upon him. Hydranoid defiantly roared. His eyes shined bright red. The same was then shown on the little rascals. They then obeyed Hydranoid without question and returned to his side. "How in the world...?"

"The old geezer showed me, and I experimented. Turns out Excedra royalty like me can control lesser Hydranoid being," Hydranoid vaguely explained.

"I miss him a lot, but...his power lives on through us!" Alana declared.

"I'm getting a little concerned for Jadyn here. Her strategy seems to be falling apart, and Hydranoid has the definite advantage when it comes to range," Miko noticed.

"That's right," Yuji agreed. "Neither one of them is willing to get close to each other for obvious reasons. If this is a ranged game, Hydranoid wins without question. Jadyn is gonna have to change her strategy soon, or this is gonna get ugly."

[Alana Cortese]

Jadyn disappointingly sighed. She expected better of herself at this point in the battle. Having to resort to using her full power when Alana wasn't even trying yet was hurtful. It'd be more hurtful if she lost this early. She had to suck it up.

"I really didn't want to use this, but...here goes something else they'll say I'm cheating with. Ability activate! Rise of the Dragon God!" Jadyn played. Morgana's being shifted into a large, cylindrical orb of energy. The miniature heads continued to shoot at Morgana, but - to Hydranoid's shock - the blasts were corroded and disappeared.

"I like you too, so I'll tell you this. Energy-based attacks are useless against my TRANSFORMATION," Jadyn countered.

"Transformation? Ridiculous! Rattleoid can't transform," Hydranoid dismissed. He was in denial. He knew there was a possibility since Morgana's species is prey. Once the energy orb was dispersed, his jaw dropped. "...Uh oh..."

Morgana now sported a naga-like appearance. Her lower body consisted of a giant tail with her rattle at the end. Her upper body was more humanoid. She had arms, a normal face, breasts, lipstick, and a bald head.

"Ummm...she can do that?" Yuji inquired. This must be the first time Jadyn used this ability on camera.

The miniature heads continued to shoot at Morgana. She slipped through all of the blasts though. She slithered around the arena and targeted her attackers. She punched, clawed, bit, and tail-smacked every single one until they were out of commission. Right after defeating the last one, Morgana lunged at Hydranoid.

"Ability activate! Omega Lashing!" Alana initiated. Hydranoid generated an aura that acted as a buzz saw. Hydranoid stuck his middle head out on purpose to take the bite. In doing so, the aura saw counteracted Morgana's fangs. Sparks were flying from the apparent collision. Fortunately, since Morgana's fangs couldn't reach Hydranoid's flesh this way, she couldn't inject venom into his body. Knowing the advantageous scenario he was now in, Hydranoid attempted to press his palms on Morgana's sides to sandwhich her in the aura.

"Ability activate! Serpentine!" Jadyn responded. A unique ability within the snake species of Bakugan, Serpentine can be linked to other snake-like Bakugan to summon them on-demand. Jadyn doesn't need to have them on hand either. So, before Hydranoid could grab her, a void opened behind Hydranoid. A huge serpent jumped out of it. It was a Subterra Boanoid, a boa constrictor. It was much larger than any combatant on the field. Its weight made sure that Hydranoid is subjected to the deadliest of squeezes. It was one that immediately overpowered Hydranoid's ability and robbed him of it.

Before the squeezing could become unbearable and prevent his usage of abilities, Hydranoid had one more surprise for Morgana: Phantom Transmission. He disappeared in a puff of smoke and ended up behind her. "Sorry, toots. Not good enough," Hydranoid taunted. He grabbed her tail and swung her around violently. He made sure that he crashed Morgana's head into the Boanoid's. The titanic serpent collapsed on the arena, as did Morgana.

"I'm really trying my hardest to prolong this. I really am, but...I'm getting tired of this..." Hydranoid said out loud. "I say we wrap this up on the next post so we can watch some more Bakugan get humiliated. Definitely better than seeing me beat up on someone so weak!"

[Alana Cortese]

"This isn't looking good for Jadyn at all. It doesn't appear that Morgana's transformation is making a huge difference," Miko noticed.

"And to make things worse, Hydranoid can get stronger as the battle goes on. It's questionable whether or not Morgana's venom can affect Hydranoid, but she must do something right now or it's over," Yuji reported.

Morgana didn't have time to right now. The collision with Boanoid stunned her greatly. Hydranoid was bewildered at the whole thing. He's still expecting more, but not seeing it was unnerving.

"You're not done, are you? This only the beginning?" Alana inquired.

"...I can't deny that you're totally above me when it comes to strength," Jadyn admitted. "Still...I owe it to myself to not give in even when it looks really bad. I worked too hard and cried so much. If I can just...weaken you somehow, everyone will see that I'm not a cheater...and that I can really do this..."

"..." Alana was not happy that Jadyn felt this way. She felt like she was an enemy to Jadyn, one that could ruin her career. Her left hand involuntarily shook. Seems there were some emotions flaring up; however, Alana balled her fist, because - if this was just for manipulation - she wasn't going to fall for it. "You've poisoned your competition for so long... You're out of practice in fighting someone straight-up..." Alana believed.

"Ability activate! Rattle Aria!" Jadyn activated. This was the 'evolved' version of Rattle Melody. It came with its own collection of highly dangerous abilities. One was instantly affecting victims who have been hit by one of her attacks. So, with Hydranoid having been previously affected by neurotoxin, he now had the substance reappear in his body.

"...Dammit..." Hydranoid cursed. He was shaking as he tried to resist the effects of it. He was slowly being brought to his knees. This was Jadyn's opportune moment.

"Now, ability activate! Toxic Fang!" As Morgana's trademark ability, she lunged at Hydranoid and sunk her fangs into his lower neck region. Originally, Morgana's venom as a Rattleoid was potent enough to lower base performance considerably. As a naga, Morgana's venom was at least twice as potent. It could now lower someone's basic attributes down an evolutionary level. So, at the very least, it is fair to assume that Hydranoid was now as powerful as he was as Alpha Hydranoid. This gave Morgana a fighting chance.

"Is this good enough for you now?" Morgana questioned the stunned hydra.

"This is what Jadyn needed," Yuji noted as the crowd realized it too and began cheering.

"Will it be enough?" Miko wondered.

"Ability activate! Dragon God's Breath!" Jadyn double-downed. This allows Morgana to breath a toxic smog over the arena. This one is very special. It interacts with already existing venom, and doubles their potency. If Hydranoid breaths this in continuously, then - at the very least - he could be looking to be as powerful as he was as Dual Hydranoid. Dual Hydranoid was definitely a threat back then, but now... Good luck carrying that power onto the battlefield.

Boanoid sprung high into the air so it could body slam Hydranoid. Hopefully, they could end this in one go. Unfortunately...

"Almost," Hydranoid announced. Alana even cracked a smile. She was proud of Jadyn for this move. Still, it wasn't going to work.

"Ability activate! Raze!" Alana used. This was the alternate version of Ravager, the one that lets Hydranoid eat buffs so they become apart of his base capabilities. Instead of keeping anything, Hydranoid just gets rid of it. So, he effectively erased all of the status changes made to him. The only visual cue to show this was a burst of Darkus energy from Hydranoid's body. Now that he was back at his original power, he saw fit to end this.

"Ability activate! Gravity Well!" A jacked-up version of the old fan favorite, Gravity Chamber, this one allowed Hydranoid to fire an arcing ball of dark smoke towards the arena's center. It became a surging pillar of dark smoke that produced gravitational force. Suddenly, Boanoid found itself being yanked out of the sky and pulled towards this energy. Its face cracked the ground and shattered any hope of Jadyn winning. Morgana tried to cling to the battlefield. She did an impressive job being able to stop herself from moving all that much. Then multiple orbs erupted from the top of the attack that produced their own gravitational energy.

"Thanks for playing," Hydranoid saluted.

"Curse you!" Morgana shouted before succumbing to the ability. The orbs and the pillar of dark smoke exploded with great force. It was enough to severely crack the barriers containing the battle. The only reason why it didn't shatter was because Hydranoid didn't care to break everything. Nevertheless, a gray Bakugan ball was lodged into a very deep crater on the battlefield. That was all that mattered.

"Well, now that it's over, I guess I'll give you some respect. You're not that weak," Hydranoid shrugged. "Still, that's what you get for thinking you're higher in the food chain. Nothing's higher than me. NOTHING."

[Alana Cortese]

Hydranoid's victory had Jadyn's haters ecstatic. They made sure their hateful comments and cheers for Alana were louder than everyone else's non-hateful celebrations. All Jadyn could do was sigh. Even when their platforms were brought close together, she looked highly disappointed in herself. Hydranoid's flexing towards the audience didn't make it any better. He was going around the arena to make sure everyone saw him. How annoying.

"You could've won there, you know," Alana admitted to Jadyn. "If I couldn't get rid of the poison, that could've been Hydranoid in that crater. You're really strong to be able to do that..."

"...Will the Ancients see that though?" Jadyn wondered.

"You can get a lot of free hits in due to your abilities, and Morgana's venom is strong enough to get Hydranoid within kill range. I'd hope they see how dangerous you are," Alana expressed. "If not, I'm sure everyone in D2 will be even more afraid of you now. Win another championship and prove your haters wrong. Just never prove haters right and you'll be just fine."

"...Right..." Jadyn finally agreed. She offered to hug Alana, which the latter accepted. "You wanna hang out while I'm in the area? We have a lot of catching up to do, and I'm curious how you managed to tame that thing."

"'Thing'!?" Hydranoid gasped as if he heard the most racist comment ever. He quickly returned to robed form so he could see Jadyn up close. "I'm not a 'thing', lady!"

"It's a long story," Alana laughed off.

"You're not even gonna defend me? Wow..." Hydranoid said in disbelief.

"He's really a big softy around me. He likes to act tough around everyone, but, you know," Alana started to explain.

"...Women..." Hydranoid sighed.

When Alana returned to the stadium hallway, she got an awful feeling of someone waiting for her at the entrance. She tried not to show her disgust on her face, but...it was nigh impossible. There was a decent-looking guy waiting at the entrance with flowers in hand. Alana stopped a couple of feet in front of him. She crossed her arms and watched where his eyes went. He looked her up and down. From his point of view, the way her body looked in a purple top and black leggings sent him into a frenzy.

"Those for me?" Alana asked him.

"What happened last time was more than weird. I'm a weirdo apparently. I got too excited. I said what was on my mind. It shouldn't have been on my mind. I fucked up. I deeply regret it. I'm sorry. Here's a peace offering," the guy presented.

"Why not wait to give me these until school?" Alana wondered.

"You're probably thinking I'm a creep for coming up here," he figured.

"Maybe?" Alana trailed off.

"I couldn't wait. It'd feel awkward to do around other people at school with how much they talk. Also, I don't want it to look like I'm peer pressured into making amends for what I said. I embarrassed you, and I embarrassed myself. I couldn't walk past you in the hallway knowing that I was here to support Lian, but couldn't muster up the courage to apologize to you."

"...You like me, don't you?"

"..."

"Well?"

"...Since you came back...when you disappeared... Yeah..."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I thought you were with Noland... Only when I realized that Noland was dating that girl he battled in DC did I think I stood a chance... I'm nowhere near as strong as he is, but..."

"You think I prefer him for his strength?"

"...I didn't mean to say it that way. It's just, Noland is a great guy. He's inspiring even. I didn't think I could compare to how good he is. I'm not a brawler, the star quarterback, or a point guard. I'm just some guy from the robotics team. We're social outcasts compared to the rest of you."

"You're looking at these social dynamics all wrong. I actually prefer guys like you since you don't let this fame go to your head. A lot of those guys are assholes who think they can do whatever they want."

"...R-really...?"

"There's a reason why they keep bullying underclassmen. They think they're so good that the rules don't apply to them. People like you are humble enough to actually respect others. I like that about you, BUT...please understand. I'm not interested in a relationship. I'm not saying that I don't want one WITH YOU specifically. I don't want one at all."

"...Oh..." The poor guy was hugged by Alana. He was too distraught to hug back though...

"You're a good guy, Trey. Just be patient. You're a lot better than you think," Alana left with him before going about her business.

[Father Tinsley]

Kendrick thought it was a good idea for a bathroom break after Alana's victory. Strangely, this seemed to be the perfect place for a 'meeting' for Tinsley, because he went in there. Unfortunately, no one else was in there except for himself and Kendrick. Ken himself was nervous, because he knew what Noland thought about Tinsley. Tinsley spotted this in the mirror. He saw Kendrick keeping eyes on him like he was a creeper. Kendrick had no idea what he was about to experience.

"You seem...nervous," Tinsley noticed. Kendrick didn't bother to answer. He washed his hands, and then attempted to exit the bathroom. He was horrified to discover that the door wouldn't budge. He then tried to send an SOS signal to the Resistors so they know what's happening, but it wasn't even on. It wouldn't turn on either. Then he thought using Krakix or Siege would suffice. Their ball forms were grayed out...

"Relax, Mr. Hardy. I will let you go after I say what I have to say," Tinsley promised.

"You're doing this!?" Kendrick inquired.

"Correct. I have powers."

"So Noland's right then!? You're the Father of Earth!"

"Also correct. And before you say anything about your brother's abilities, know that he cannot hear what we're saying. He doesn't even know we're here. I attached a curse on the door: the Presence of the Supernatural. You contracted this curse the moment you made contact with the door. Think of how preachers allege to be hearing God instruct them. In this situation, we're both voices of God; we don't really exist. Make sense?"

"..."

"I'll take silence as a yes. Now then, here's a question for you. Why is Darius living in your household? I've been aware of his presence since the battle between Alana and Jenna."

"..."

"...It's okay. You can talk."

"..."

"Staying silent? Okay then. If you want to be difficult, then I'll have to make your life difficult in return." Tinsley released a ghostly being from his hands. The being embedded itself into Kendrick's body. "Tribunal children call this the 'Tattletale' curse. It's not a very sinister-sounding name, but oh well. It's branded on those who like to snitch. It causes instant death the moment you even attempt to inform others of what transpired between us. Even hinting towards it kills you. Scary, isn't it?"

"So? You're going to be found out eventually. I couldn't care less what you do to me. You're not using me to get anything you want, so you may as well stop. How about you just go out there, confront the Resistors personally, lose, and we can actually live in peace without fuckboys like you trying to ruin everything."

"Interesting thought, but no. The battle power of the Legendary Soldiers is irrelevant. I don't ever have to meet any of them on the battlefield to achieve my goal. I already have the advantage by the simple fact that you all are of this era. Devaluing a life because their skin color is different, preferring large payouts of money over acting by your own morals, caring about a seat of power above all lives you're in charge over - these are a few of the many downfalls of your society. Causing the said society to collapse onto you is a stronger ability card than any of you could use against me."

"So, what? You're just above it all now?"

"Not now, always have been. I'm a god, after all. But, our discussion has to be cut short. I need to get back to work. So, to be transparent, the pro league's champion, Calvin Kuro, is an Achron descendant. Much like your Andersen pals. I'm gonna gut him like an animal tonight, and Maurice joined me."

"...What!?"

"I said what I said. Now, you could try to clue someone in on it to save them, thereby sacrificing yourself in the process. Or, you let what happens to them happen while you could've prevented it. Guess I sentenced you to become just like your environment. How ironic. In time, you and the Legendary Soldiers will have to ask yourselves: are you willing to die for a society that will never fix itself or will never care for you as you naively believe you do for them? Have a good rest of the day, Mr. Hardy."

With the conversation concluded, Tinsley exited the bathroom. He also dispelled the earlier curse that kept the interaction secret. Kendrick was frozen in shock. Krakix and Siege then popped up on the sink to inquire about what just happened.

"Yo! What just happened? Everything went black all of a sudden," Siege reported.

"Everything good, Ken? Did something happen?" Krakix wished to know.

"...No...I'm good. Sorry..." Kendrick lied.

"...Right..." Krakix was very suspicious about this. This didn't seem right to him at all...

[Calvin Kuro (World's Collide)]

The alleged future victim of Tinsley was watching the battles from a super-secret location: the shielded, close and personal seating close to where the referees were stationed. Calvin had a perfect view of the action in a living room-style seat. His wife and kid were enjoying the view as well. They were the only ones in the area. There's a good reason for that.

"You sure this is fine?" Calvin asked Rumiko.

"You've asked me five times already..." Rumiko sighed.

"...I just feel bad that you can't sit where you want without being bombarded by my fans. I can't stop thinking about it," Calvin expressed.

"You don't usually make this big a deal out of it. Still having those thoughts?"

"Yeah... I guess that's why I keep asking. This popularity was part of the reason why the 'other me' disappeared. There was this huge brawling center people from all over the universe flocked to. They called...World Championship..."

"The same one you made?"

"It wasn't a website though. It was the actual thing. Everything you can do on the website, they actually did it in real life. It was amazing. I - the 'other me' actually - was the figurehead of it like I seem to be with the PBL. Everything was fine...but he was attacked by something. Some dark monster I think. What if this is all a sign of things that could happen to me?"

His daughter looked up at him with a hint of fear. She seemed to understand everything he was saying. Her eyes began to tear up at the thought of losing her father.

"Awww. Don't cry. Daddy's gonna be okay," Rumiko attempted to comfort.

"...I should probably change the subject..."

"Good idea. What do you think about the competition so far?"

"The brawlers are getting stronger overall. I still can't believe Dee lost. I wonder how Jenna became as resourceful as she showed today, especially for someone so new at the sport. Maurice is starting to become a monster himself, but I worry about his mental toughness. The Resistors though... I don't think people are taking them as seriously as they should be. I get holding people like Dee and I in high regard, but they don't give them any credit at all... Why...?"

"People did the same to you and Dee though... Remember? Neither of you became revered overnight. They were still talking about how invincible Royal was before Dee embarrassed him. It's just what people do. We can't expect rationale from the vocal majority. Very few people actually see what's going on."

"We're apart of the 'few', right?" Miko interrupted as her and Yuji came in to hang out.

"Oh my gosh! Hey!" Rumi shrieked. Her and Miko embraced like they were sisters. Yuji and Calvin had their own special handshake.

"Real quick before we enjoy our break. Miko was complaining about 'another her' being killed like it was real. She also says that 'she' knew who you were. And she's an alien. Know anything about that?" Yuji inquired.

"It's happening to her too?" Calvin gasped.

"You too?" Miko also gasped.

"Man...this day just keeps getting more interesting by the minute. I expect to hear all about that tonight at the party. Now, I kinda wanna spoil who you're fighting," Yuji wished to do.

"Please don't," Calvin rejected.

"I MUST tell you that you're going last though. You're kinda out of the way unlike the others. So, once you see Jimmy on the field, you're on deck."

"Got it," Calvin accepted. "I'm actually about to walk around myself. Ya'll coming?"

"Only if you don't worry too much," Rumi conditionally accepted.

[Rashad]

People in the stadium started hollering and screaming at the sight of Calvin. This was a great distraction for the Emperor to arrive at the site from a portal without alerting anyone. Well, anyone aside from the Dharaknoid. The god got in the Emperor's face as soon as Dharak stepped onto U.S. soil.

"Oh...it's a descendant..." the Dharaknoid noticed.

"You could sound a little more excited to see one of me," Dharak pointed out.

"I've seen a bunch of you already. Nothing to really get excited over," the god dismissed.

"What's going on over here?" the Emperor inquired.

"There's a Showcase," he explained. Loud cheering was then heard from inside of the stadium. "Someone just won. Isn't that exciting?"

"I'll change the question. Why are you here?"

"The better question is, why are YOU here?"

"Can you answer the question, please?"

"I don't feel like answering. Now, answer me."

"Seems fair. And I assume you're going to destroy me if I flick you off and tell you to fuck yourself?"

"I should destroy you for saying that at all."

"Okay, okay. Let's just take it easy here... We're just here to talk with the Legendary Soldiers. That's all."

"About resurrecting that Gundalian?"

"...Uh oh..."

"Relax. I couldn't care less about that. That's Kane's problem. Listening to him ramble on about how bad Gargulion is for his administration was the most boring thing ever. I almost want to resurrect the poor sap myself. Maybe then, I can figure out which one of these assholes restarted the Collision."

"What if I told you that the man responsible for Killian's death could be linked to the being who did that?"

"Then I'd deal with Kane myself."

"Please?"

"Another situation, and another promise. Great; however, if I catch him myself before then, the deal's off, and you're on your own. See ya." The god opened a portal that sucked both the Emperor and Dharak into it, and spat them back out on Gundalia.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" the Emperor cursed. "Why did he send us back!?"

"Probably because you pissed him off," Dharak figured. "Next time, I talk with the gods alone. You're going to get us both killed."

"Whatever."

[Tracy White]

After allowing lesser-known announcers to get some time in, Yuji and Miko returned to the helm. Yuji looked quite content with himself. Miko was eager to find out why her brother was so happy.

"You seem happy," Miko noticed.

"Yep. There's nothing like seeing certain fans on social media cry after their favorite brawler loses," Yuji admitted without shame. "Sorry to the normal crowd who's sad, but - I tell ya - you can't make some of this stuff up. Ya'll remember before the Alana and Jadyn battle when people were like, 'Jadyn takes this mid difficulty. Alana can't do anything to the poison, and she's weak without mid-battle improvements. Once that's gone, she's toast.' We just saw Alana prove them horribly wrong - as usual whenever the Resistors take to the field - and now they're like, 'Okay. She's still not good though.' This is grade-A material right here! When we go back to our show, we don't need to have anything happen for weeks. We got all of our talking material from this event alone!"

"Some contestants just can't win with the crowd, can they? I'd like to think Tank and Markus are immune from that rhetoric, but even they get it sometimes. Tank still gets flak for the Blade encounter despite the fact that the latter was heavily pumped with Hurranians. Speaking of Blade..."

"Reavers fans, you can rejoice. Blade had his day in court just now. He can now look forward to sentencing for willfully possessing and distributing Hurranian organisms. He beat the attempted murder charge though. Still, he's going away for a very long time. And Axostriker's still dead. Probably shouldn't be saying that with a happy tone on tv...but I said it anyway."

"We'll keep you updated on his situation since a lot of you want him under the prison. Now, as for the most recent battle, I'm very curious about Lian's development. I didn't have any expectations for her since she went dark for a while. She has to be the strongest thrower I've ever seen. She almost knocked out Lucy's Traygodius with one throw."

"Lucy is the second-ranked defensive brawler in the pro league, so that's definitely not a small feat. Lucy really had to work for that victory over the star softball pitcher. With a performance like that, she can definitely be a star in the making now. I hope she considers it though. Things are going more than well for her on the diamond."

"I certainly hope so. She brings such a unique style. I'd hate for this to be the last time we see it."

Lian was twiddling her thumbs after talking with recruiters. Her back was against the wall long enough for the next contestant to pass her by. She was wearing a gold top with purple leggings. The top had 'LSU' printed on it. That woke Lian up from her trance.

"Hey, Tracy!" Lian called out.

"Hm?" Tracy turned around to see it was her. "Oh, hey! Nice job down there, by the way."

"Thanks! But...um...I know you have to battle, but I wanted to ask. Do you know of anyone on your team that plays another sport?"

"No, but since we always get the talk about it pre-season, I know of some football players who brawled. You don't see anyone from spring sports brawling though..."

"Oh..."

"Are you trying to choose one over the other?"

"They said I had too... Softball interferes with the schedule..."

"Well, try to come in the middle of what you're best at and what you like the most. Sometimes, what you like more may not be the best career path if you're looking for money. Enjoyment is also very important too. So, whatever you choose to do, be honest with yourself: do you want to just have fun, do you want a career, or do you want both? That's how I look at it anyway."

"...That makes sense..."

"I gotta get down there for the battle. We can talk about it more later, if you want. See ya!" Tracy headed off towards where she was supposed to go. Lian now had more questions than answers. This time, she would have to answer the questions.

[Tracy White]

"I'm telling you the truth. You guys have to see this. So, I'm going to say the name of one brawler and hint towards his/her opponent. Look at Twitter and tell me what you see," Yuji said to one of the cameramen. "For those of you at home, one of them is Tracy. The other person has an ability called Nuclear Power."

"What if people intentionally put Tracy down just because you said that?" Miko wondered.

"Tracy is the most doubted collegiate champion if we're not counting Jadyn for obvious reasons. If we go by that, then that means more people believe in the division 3 champion's abilities over division 1 and 2. That's insane, not because of division 3 being bad, but this is the only sport that has ever happened in. It's like people don't want the Resistors to be good, or doesn't believe them to be. I can understand the former, but the latter? Come on, people. Get real. These are the strongest civilians in history."

They already got a couple of suckers to take the bait. Yuji was listening to what the cameramen were saying. He just burst out laughing on camera. He was in tears.

"...I'm usually more open-minded, but... That was painful to listen to..." Miko admitted. She pulled out her tablet to read some of the posts herself. "So, Skystar is only good at ranged engagements. Since the arena confines her into a cramped space with an extremely large Drazardon, all it will take is a couple of hits at best. She doesn't have the arsenal or the defense to deal with hyper aggressors like Drazardon and Drago. Did I summarize those posts pretty well?"

"But, how do they know what Skystar can do if no one ever pressured her in competition?" Yuji asked in between laughs. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing at opinions. That's wrong of me, but you should've heard what he said. 'Tracy is only good at casting spells from afar. If Drazardon is in Skystar's face the whole time, what can she do? Her spells won't do that much damage to Drazardon, so she'll have to face him in close quarters. Drake doesn't even have to try with this one.' You see how many likes that post is getting? Shoot, they just might be doing it to get a reaction out of me. Ya'll did a good job."

"Anywho, we were stalling since the referees were switching out. We're good to go now. We'll spare you from our commentary and introduce who you already know is down there. Out of the red corner, we have the Queen of the NCAA and the Resistors' star healer. It's the NCAA Division 1 champion from LSU, Tracy White!"

"And out of the blue corner, he's your favorite to win. It's the Tennessee Duelist, Drake Kyudai!"

Both contestants stepped onto their platforms and met each other in the center, as usual.

"Hey, so... I know this is weird to ask down here of all places, but I'm getting weird dreams. They're about me supposedly being evil and wanting to kill my brother. I thought if anyone could fix it, it'd be you, Markus, or Tank," Drake sorta laughed off.

"That's strange... I could ask Markus to probe you after this, but that's way out of my league," Tracy admitted.

"Right... I'd appreciate that. Thank you," Drake expressed. "You'd still be friendly to me after you lose horribly, right?"

"Tell me. How could you beat me?" Tracy wondered. "Would it be what helped you win against Jimmy?"

"You got me there, but I learned from that loss. I can't let the little brother outshine me. I love him, but I gotta show that it was a fluke. And - don't tell him this - but it was. You'll be an example to him the next time he crosses me."

"Good luck with that," Tracy shrugged. The usual sportsmanlike behavior took place before both of them went back to their respective sides. It was time to brawl.

(vs Drake)

[Tracy White]

"Bakugan brawl! Stand, Drazardon!" Drake initiated. Drazardon's ball form was beefy, so Drake obviously needed healthy muscles to throw him. Considering his muscular stature and how his arms nearly bulged out of his gray shirt, he was more than qualified. More importantly, he has a reward for not letting a lady go first. A giant monstrosity landed in the center of the field. He took up a lot of space too.

Like Akane's Torahu, Drazardon can utilize blue flames. As a Darkus and Pyrus Bakugan, Drazardon's flames are not really hot. They're cold. Yes, his fire is cold as a lifeless body. As a nice bonus, Drazardon also has a passive ability called Well of Power, an ability it shares with Baalenoid. The bigger the Bakugan is, the more power it can work with. How does this apply in battle? Think of the difference between a full cup of water and a full gallon of water. This doesn't discount Skystar in any way though. Quality is better than quantity in this case. If Skystar's quality is as good as Drazardon's quantity, then the advantage is moot. if not, well then...

"Ability activate! Arcane Focus!" Tracy activated. Just like with Seiki, Skystar would enter the battle in ball form. The longer she's in it, the more health and mana she'll start with at her base. Skystar shone brightly to attempt to blind Drazardon. Tracy then faked throwing in Skystar around Draz. This caused Draz to flinch, because he was trying to pounce on Skystar as soon as she opened. Tracy then quickly launched Skystar into the air. Skystar aligned her arc within the gaze of the sun for a more blinding experience for Draz.

Draz flew upwards and swiped wildly. Skystar's small size allowed her to slip through. She opened underneath Draz and swung her bident across his chest. He let out a painful scream and was hunched over. She then pointed the bident at the affected area to release a crackling orb of Haos energy. This was Majestic Purge, an ability she had in her previous evolution, except it could be used on-demand now through the bident. The attack burst into many harmful rays of energy. Draz was sent hurtling towards the ground.

"Wow...that's skill right there..." Yuji commented.

"We've been seeing some amazing strategy from brawlers when it comes to throw ins. That was a really nice try from Drake though. If Tracy is capable of tactics like that from a throw-in, then it may not be as easy as boxing Skystar inside of a cramped space," Miko added on.

"You got us there," Drake commended. "Enjoy the breathing room you got. You're not getting us like that again.

[Tracy White]

"Ability activate! Craze Turmoil!" Drake activated. Drazardon roared to initiate the building up of energy from below the arena. In about three seconds, a seemingly endless flurry of lasers erupted from the ground. This lasts for about fifteen seconds. That's a long time in a battle.

"Ability activate! Magic Barrier!" Tracy countered. A sky blue sphere encased Skystar to shield her from the blasts. It held up surprisingly well.

"There goes her defense," Miko pointed out.

"Ability activate! Continuous Giga Bash!" Drake initiated. Skystar couldn't risk coming out of the barrier, or she'll be vulnerable to the blasts. Drazardon moved slightly closer to Skystar's position. He began throwing straight punches at her. In doing so, a slightly visible aura of force surrounded his arms and were pushed forward from his fists' momentum.

"Ability activate! Damage Conversion!" Tracy responded. Skystar's barrier was being cracked by the overwhelming force, but it didn't disturb what it was protecting; therefore, Skystar could cast this spell without hindrance. She pointed her bident at Draz while he was attacking. A light beam left it and struck Draz very quickly. Now, any damage he dishes out will be magic based. This was a nasty debuff, because the victim's power doesn't just translate into good magic power. If they do not have a grasp on this practice, then they basically deal zero damage. This can be explained simply: a pro basketball player who has never golfed before cannot suddenly switch to golf and be on the same level. With this in mind, Draz stopped dealing damage to Skystar's barrier. He was now the smallest being on the field, figuratively.

"Draz, fall back, now!" Drake ordered once he realized Draz's attacks were useless. Draz planted a foot on the ground and jumped backwards. He didn't want Skystar landing anything else that jeopardizes his chances of winning. This would give Skystar the opportunity to do anything she wanted, but it was better than Draz getting knocked out so early.

"Drake just told Drazardon to retreat... This is the first time someone repelled Drazardon without using brute force," Miko acknowledged.

"But Tracy can't do anything if Drazardon is in Skystar's face the whole time," Yuji sarcastically stated in mockery of the online comments. "Drake is the top-ranked offensive brawler in the pro league because of Drazardon's massive size, attack power, and aggression. For all of the Resistor fans out there, he's - in many ways - worse than Baalenoid. Look at what Tracy is doing to him right now. Even Calvin wasn't able to make it look this easy." Drake's fans in the stadium were rallying behind him, hoping he'd be able to produce something. Tracy's fans were more than satisfied with her performance though.

"Ability activate! Nuclear Power!" Drake played. A well of energy appeared underneath Draz. It continuously supplied him with a dangerous amount of energy. It is high enough in quantity that normal Bakugan could self-destruct if they were to absorb it. Somehow, this energy absorption cleansed Draz, lifting him from the debilitating effects of Skystar's ability.

"...Here it comes..." Tracy was sorta dreading. "Ability activate! Ventus Elemental!" In the amount of time it took Draz to power-up, Skystar called for assistance. Her eyes lit up in a light green color. A heavenly-sounding voice sang as a green pillar of light dropped off a green golem-like humanoid: a Ventus Elemental. It was slightly taller than Skystar herself. It had gauntlets that housed a plethora of blades used for cutting. That played second fiddle to the real benefit of having it there: constant regeneration of mana for the owner. It was not like Skystar needed that, but it would be helpful if she has to cast mana-taxing abilities in quick succession.

"Ability activate! Dark Tornado!" Drake played. Now souped up on dangerous levels of power, Draz unleashed a giant twister from his mouth that covered the entire battlefield. Yes, the attack covered so much ground that it was utterly impossible to dodge unless Skystar was next to Draz on either side. To Drake's surprise, the Ventus Elemental unleashed a twister of the same gigantic proportions. The resulting clash was a beautiful spectacle, especially when it was a stalemate. That should be very concerning for Drake's side after Draz powered up like he did. Being stalemated by a spirit who may or may not be within Skystar's level of power... It was a scary sight.

"Ability activate! Inferno Megablazer!" Drake doubled down. While still firing the tornado, Draz added a gigantic blue stream of fire in it. The tornado made the flames even more powerful. It threatened to spread everywhere. Drake was shocked again when it still didn't surpass the Ventus Elemental's power. The Elemental's tornado became more ferocious though as it added more power to its attack. Drake should still be content though. The flames still spread all over the place, even though it wasn't as much as he hoped.

"Wow..." Yuji commented on the breathtaking display of force from the brawlers.

[Tracy White]

A thought entered Tracy's head. What if she plays Elemental Catalyst? She trained to control her power output after the brawl with Seiki. Surely, nothing could go wrong here, right? She wasn't too sure. Unfortunately for her, a certain someone sensed her doubt and chose to take control of the battle from there. Tracy's hair turned black, and she sported purple lipstick as well.

"Hm...I had no idea your body looked this good, Tracy. Your butt really pops out with these leggings. You should really wear clothes like this more often," the dark Tracy said about her hosts' body.

"Tracy! Stop it!" Skystar demanded.

"Now, now, Sky. We're fine. I won't use any dark magic this time. I don't see anyone worthy enough to use it against," Tracy assured her. "What I will do is stop you from toying with poor Drake over there. It won't get him anywhere if you're all cutesy with him."

"What?" Drake said in astonishment. Tracy doesn't usually talk this way, so he was startled for sure.

"I'm shocked my other half hasn't gone pro to end your careers yet. She's way too nice letting you all have the spotlight, Tank and Markus included. I guess she loves Markus too much to bring him down. Ah well. Too bad the same can't be said for you," Tracy expressed. "Ability activate! Elemental Catalyst!"

Skystar initially refused to cast this spell, but Tracy's dark power took hold and forced it out of her. A clear light left Skystar's body. It became a raging flame that became boosted by the Elemental's and Drazardon's attacks. The respective tornadoes overboosted this attack's power. A banging explosion occurred that engulfed the entire arena. It was so powerful that - for the first time in this event - the barriers were shattered. They were regenerated quickly though, so safety wasn't an issue - if you weren't Drazardon. He was laid out on his stomach and was scorched all over. It was so apparent that Drake lost that his life gauge meter didn't bother gradually depleting; it just instantly set itself to zero.

"...What just happened...?" Yuji asked while stunned at the immediate outcome.

"And that's that," Tracy chimed. Her dark persona faded. Everything went back to normal, except for the lipstick that stayed. Tracy had one hand on her hip and whistled. She could only hope she doesn't get disqualified for malicious behavior. She wasn't sure what her dark half did to Draz. All she knew was that everything was scorched and the referee ended up calling medics to check on Draz. This was because he didn't return to ball form after being defeated. Drake was too stunned by that display of power to say anything.

The referee ended up ordering Tracy to leave the arena, which was standard protocol when something like this happens. Skystar returned to robe form and departed with Tracy immediately. This shocked the whole stadium...

"...I'm not even sure what to say... I never considered that could happen to Drake of all people... What do you think is going to happen?" Miko asked Yuji.

"So, Bakugan tend to go back to ball form when they lose. Some even gray their ball forms when their injuries are severe. When they don't return to ball form after losing, then that Bakugan is in real trouble," Yuji kept short. "I do want to stress this. It's protocol for the winner to be ordered out of the arena while they assess the situation. They'll be reviewing the footage to see if this was malicious or accidental. If it was malicious, then Tracy will be disqualified; however, unlike other sports, a disqualification doesn't mean the other side wins. Drake won't get anything out of this assuming Tracy's disqualified. We'll see what happens shortly."

[Markus Hederick]

Markus was quick to go down there to see what was going on with Tracy. As soon as Tracy left the arena hallway, Markus was there. The look on her face told Markus that he needed to be careful. She was very irritated.

"This could either go really well for you or put you in the doghouse forever," Gargulion warned him. "You better not fuck this up. I have to pay for whatever you do. Skystar makes sure of it."

"I'm fine," Markus kept short. Just hearing that irritated him, like he wasn't trusted to be a good boyfriend in times like these. Addressing anyone in this situation was super difficult though.

"..." Markus gulped. He hasn't seen Tracy this mad in a long time. Thanks to Gargulion, Markus' heart started beating very fast. If he says the wrong thing - and it can be many things that are wrong for this situation - then he's done. "Is it okay to talk about it?" That was probably the safest thing to ask knowing how Tracy is. At least he's putting her feelings first.