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He stood erect on the platform. Every muscle strained to hold his upright position. Slowly, painfully, he heaved a heavy muscular arm into the air and held his fragile blade high. The crowd's tumultuous roar shook the stadium air. Bathed in the sweltering white glare of the arena spotlights, his impassive face disclosed nothing. His eyes were narrowed against the blinding brilliance, conveying what his countenance did not; amethyst pools reflecting mixed emotions nobody could quite place. They took in everything; his team whooping for sheer joy, Brooklyn's frozen form on the platform opposite him staring unseeing into space, the BEGA bladers' disbelief and distress at his loss, Hiro looking tight-lipped and sombre, Boris yelling in outrage and frustration.
A rush of satisfaction and pleasure. Experience and devotion had triumphed over natural ability and arrogance. Brooklyn was not as unbeatable as he considered himself to be nor did Hiro know better than him, even though before he had so smugly and snidely pointed out that he had. The BEGA team's boasts about their team-mate were groundless, as were Boris' aspirations to conquer the Beyblading world. His astounding victory over the orange-haired genius had shattered BEGA's morale just as it had done to his own only a few days before. But he had recovered quickly and mastered the Hard Metal System in a matter of minutes; a feat that would have taken any other Blader weeks, even months, to accomplish.
Kai turned on his heel and began slowly descending the stairs leading off his platform. It felt like he was walking down a steep mountain slope; one foot wrong and he would fall to the floor below. He was inwardly relieved when he reached the bottom without losing his balance. All that was left to do was to leave before anybody realised the true extent of his injuries. He broke into a steady pace to meet the rest of the G-revolutions as they rushed toward him, laughing out loud and overjoyed at his win.
"Kai - yeah!" they cheered.
It happened so fast. One moment he was walking toward them with barely a metre to go. The next his legs had betrayed him, buckling in mid-step. His vision lost focus and he toppled forward, unable to stay on his feet. A slight, barely audible groan escaped his lips. He dimly heard Tyson's shocked gasp before the floor rushed up to meet him.
But the impact never came. His body struck something warm and soft. Material brushed against his face. Strong arms supported him. A person. Someone had caught him before he had hit the ground. He vaguely heard the frantic voices of his team-mates as they gathered around him.
"Kai! What's the matter?" Tyson asked.
"Yeah, Kai - are you okay?" Ray wanted to know.
"He's exhausted," observed Max.
"Should we call a doctor?" Daichi suggested.
Kai moaned quietly as weakness overcame him. He slumped against Tyson and the navy-haired teen had to support his weight completely.
"I think we'd better take him to the doctors!" Tyson exclaimed urgently.
Kai opened his eyes and raised his head from his friend's shoulder. "No way…I'm okay," he replied, silently cursing how faint his voice sounded. He carefully returned to an upright position, Tyson's arms reluctantly releasing him.
"Kai, take it easy. We'll walk out of here together," Tyson told him kindly.
"I'm fine, Tyson - I don't need your help," Kai assured him. "You just worry about your upcoming battle, okay?"
His confident demeanour seemed to reassure his friends and their concern faded to smiles as Tyson began talking about how he would win the next match easily and how he wanted Kai and himself to have another battle once it was all over. Kai let slip the tiniest smirk. Typical Tyson. He bid the team a brief farewell and continued walking toward the corridor that would lead to the BEGA building's lobby, raising his right arm in agreement to Tyson's promise that they would meet each other in the Beystadium after BEGA was stopped.
He entered the gloomy hallway. It was dimly lit with strip lamps lining the ceiling. He was glad nobody could see the toll the battle was taking on him. The last thing the team needed was to worry about him - they had more important things to do like winning the next battle. The crowd's deafening cheers gradually faded to an incoherent murmur as he trudged down the corridor, his footfalls resounding in the quietness. His feet dragged along the floor; every step was a great effort, every breath agony. His muscles screamed with every movement he made. The pain of his many injuries heightened. Some reopened and others worsened. But he still carried on. He could not rest yet, not until he had told Tala of his victory and how he had been wrong to abandon him and the other Beybladers that had fought so hard to bring down Boris' league.
His vision went in and of focus and then blurred entirely. His legs gave way beneath him. He fell to his knees with a small groan, leaning heavily against the wall. His panting breaths came out fast and shallow. Kai smiled slightly. "Yeah…it was all worth it," he whispered, half to himself, half to his Bit Beast. "I risked everything but if I inspired my friends then I'm glad." My days of Blading are over. His Dranzer MS blade clattered to floor as he lost his grip on it. Dranzer, it's done. You can go.
Cracks spread over the blue Hard Metal Beyblade, beginning at the edges of the attack ring and finishing on the spin shaft. Last to crack was the Bit Chip that held his beloved phoenix. The blade shattered. Tiny fragments scattered across the floor. Dranzer's screech of sorrow and farewell rang out in his mind. Thank you, my friend. Kai let his eyes fall shut, finally succumbing to the darkness that had been threatening to engulf him since the end of the battle.
Hilary stared up at the platform Kai had stood on. She could not help but worry about the silver-haired teen even though he had told them he was fine. It had been very evident that he was not okay; the way he had collapsed and Tyson only just managed to catch him, the frightening faintness of his voice when he had spoken, his bad injuries and exhaustion from battling Brooklyn. I'll go and see if I can help him, she decided. He might endanger himself further! In that condition, he shouldn't be moving around.
"Hilary?" Ray's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Oh…sorry," she responded ruefully. "I was just spacing out."
"That's okay. We're going to the cafeteria for a snack and a drink or two before we prepare for the next battle," Max told her. "Are you coming?"
She shook her head. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Okay," Max grinned. He and the other began making their way of the arena, with Ray staying behind.
The raven-haired teen's golden eyes searched her ruby ones. "Are you alright, Hilary?"
"I guess. I'm worried about Kai," she admitted.
"He'll be fine - he can handle anything," Ray reassured her. "Trust me. He can look after himself."
Hilary smiled with a confidence she did not feel. "I'm sure he will. You're right. Thanks, Ray."
Her team-mate returned the smile. "No problem. I'll see you in the locker room for the next match."
"Yeah. See you later."
She watched him follow the rest of the team out of the stadium until they were out of sight, then turned to gaze at the corridor Kai had disappeared down. No matter what anyone said, she knew he was badly hurt and needed medical attention. She was determined to find how bad his injuries really were, the extent of his condition. Hilary strode resolutely into the dreary passageway.
The brunette walked down the dim corridor, her footstep echoing in the silence. The din from the stadium had become a dull roar in the background. It felt like she was cut off from everything else; it all seemed distant somehow, so far away. She winced slightly when her foot trod on something sharp, halting in mid-step. She lifted her brown trainer and picked up what had hurt her foot. A jagged piece of dark blue plastic with metal rimming the outside. Her ruby eyes widened. No. It can't be…
She stared at the floor. Her eyes gradually adjusted to the gloom. A gasp of horror escaped her. Thousands of tiny metal and plastic fragments littered the floor. The remains of Dranzer Metal Spiral. Amidst them, slumped against the wall, was the still form of Kai.