A/N: Yes I've started a new fic. And it's for Beyblade no less! It's an idea i've been toying with for the last couple of years but never had the courage to do it as I wasn't unsure the Beyblade fandom was still active...But recently I thought 'Whatever!' I'm gonna do it anyway!
This story...is slightly AU. It's set after the championships in G-Rev but before the BEGA arc. Also all names and places are fictional! Completely made up folks! Please enjoy!
Chapter 1 - We Welcome You
The countryside really was a beautiful place to see. Rolling green hills and fields that seem to go on for miles, lush forests that scatter the land giving an air of secrecy, crisp fresh air that carries many scents of the earth. It's a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of city life that Iris had grown to know for so many years, the cramped and noisy life that had her longing for a break somewhere far away. Somewhere new, somewhere untouched by the ever growing urbanisation that was slowly creeping into every part of the globe. Reaching over, Iris wound down the window and took in a long breath, the smell of pine and earth instantly filling up her senses as the breeze blew the tresses of her hair. There was another scent that creeped in along with it, something that brought a tiny smile to her lips once she'd realised that they were close to their destination. The mini bus rolled along the quiet road at a good pace, her companions beside her chatting casually as the views around them changed. The dense forest which had been with them for the last ten miles was now slowly filtering away, finally breaking enough for the six people in the bus to see out over the cliff edge they were currently driving over.
"Oh my god..." Iris heard a whisper of awe from beside her, watching as a young blonde woman leant over a sleeping male, eyes shining excitedly at the view, "look at that! You can see everything from up here!"
A chorus of murmurs soon followed as the rest of the small group clambered over to one side of the vehicle, all taken back by the view. Iris scooted over and rested her chin lazily on the blonde's shoulder, her smile growing bigger when the vast blue ocean flickered into view. A coastal retreat was a very nice change, that meant more fun and relaxation. Despite her eagerness to simply lay on the beach and bake away her troubles, the more sensible part of her mind reminded her that this wasn't a holiday. They had business to do. Mr Dickinson had tasked them with this job, and there was no way in hell she was going to disappoint him. Not the chairman of the infamous BBA. Not her boss.
Despite that, she couldn't fight back the nervousness that had been creeping around in her mind since she had accepted this job. She wasn't a beyblader, despite watching all matches screened during the many championships and working for the BBA itself. It was just something she wasn't good at, despite trying from a young age. She lacked the acceptable skill to blade, so she settled for other hobbies instead. Once the excitement of the moment had dispersed, Iris slid back into her seat, resting her elbow upon the window frame of the bus. From beside her, her colleague wrung her hands together gleefully, flashing the younger girl a mischievous smile.
"Man I can't wait until we get to the resort site! Then we can go and shop around the town for a while. I need a new bikini anyway."
"This isn't the time for you to just take a siesta, Jenna. We're here on business." A smooth voice spoke up from the front seat of the bus, a dark haired woman staring over at the two with a soft but authoritative gaze.
Jenna let out a deep sigh and folded her arms over her chest, muttering an 'I know I know' under her breath. Iris let out a soft laugh as the bus turned a corner, the town finally appearing in full splendour. The greenery and forestry made way to various brick buildings, the first signs of civilisation appearing after hours of solitude. The bus continued on driving through the town, the new scenery igniting a fresh new wave of excitement through the small group. The town was rustic and old fashioned, but pleasing on the eye with its obvious care for its heritage. It wasn't hard to see why Mr Dickinson had chosen this specific place for such a grand vacation. Already Iris knew that this was going to be a good break for her, despite the fact she was still technically working. She was far away from everything, far away from the troubles and stresses that had plagued her for the past couple of years. As they rolled further through the town, navigating their way through minimal traffic and narrow roads, one of her other colleagues turned in his seat and handed out various flyers to the group. Iris took hers from his hand, eyes scanning over the pictures.
"The place we're going to is called 'Cliffside Resort', it's another two mile drive after we pass through the town centre. It was only opened a few months ago so it's not had a lot of use as of yet, it's going to be a new experience for all of us." The man spoke up, casting a watchful eye over the others as they flicked through their pamphlets. Cliffside Resort huh...looking at the pictures, Iris found herself becoming giddy at the prospect of staying here. The lodgings looked big and spacious, decorated in wood that gave them a more 'homely feel'. From behind her, a low whistle sounded.
"Mr Dickinson really splashed out on this one huh? I mean look at this; training rooms? Fitness rooms? A games room? Arcade? Christ!" Another male spoke up enthusiastically.
A scoff resounded from from his left, "And this is all for...what? eight teams of beybladers to enjoy? Isn't it kind of an over kill?"
"Not really, Mi Amigo." The older woman from the front spoke up casually, "there will be other low-grade beyblading teams there too but they will be kept separate from our eight special guests. The resort is split into two parts for such a measure."
Iris frowned a little, thoughts springing to mind after hearing Isabella's words. She had questioned Mr Dickinson's motive for such an extravagant arrangement, not really understanding why several champion teams needed to be housed together for so long. He had simply laughed and gave her a knowing smile, saying that he wanted to erase the obvious tensions that had arisen in the last championships. It made some sense, Iris thought, seeing as a lot of problems threatened the event several times. Ranging from Bladers getting severely injured to cheating, a little break from reality was probably a good way to build bridges, especially after such a competitive sports event.
Still...she didn't really understand why she was going to have to babysit a few of them.
More questions followed from her colleagues, but Iris tuned out their words as she folded the pamphlet up in her hands, glancing back out the window. They passed through the town without much difficulty, Jenna's eyes sparkling excitedly when row after row of shops flickered by, whispers of awe resounding around the small space. The bus then climbed another steep incline, going over more hills and around more turns until buildings began disappearing once again, the lush green woods slowly taking over. The scents of pine and flowers greeted her nose as they continued on their journey towards the resort. It relaxed Iris somewhat, her nerves steadily easing as she willed herself to calm down.
They were just people. Most of them young adults like her. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Yeah right.
The teams were arriving tomorrow. She didn't have enough time to get her thoughts and feelings in order. All she could do was hope for the best. As they finally reached their destination, Iris watched as the large sign came into view. She took a deep breath.
'I hope I get the good teams...'
"Tyson will you please sit down for god's sake!? You're driving me crazy!"
A pout lined the boys lips as he stared deeply at his female friend, the two sharing heated glares between each other. It was lucky for him that their journey was going to end soon; he doubted he could stand anymore of Hilary's snappy comments. The feeling was mutual for the brunette. Her teammate had been as hyper as a puppy for a solid thirty minutes now and it was slowly grating on her nerves. Not that it took much to anger her anyway. Tyson simply huffed in response and stuck his tongue out childishly, turning his attention back out the window and promptly ignoring the seething Hillary.
"Don't ignore me Tyson!"
"Chill out, will ya?" He groaned softly, eyes sparkling happily when he caught sight of the ocean beyond. Excitement bubbled in his stomach as others soon joined him at the window, a chorus of 'oohs" and 'ahhs' resounding around the coach. It was short lived, however, when he felt hands clamp down on his shoulders and a heavy weight suddenly press itself on his back. He flinched when a loud whistle of happiness rang in his right ear.
"WHOA! Check that out!"
"UGH! Daichi! Get the hell off me man!" Tyson snapped in irritation, but the younger boy simply snickered in amusement, clambering further across him until he was practically on his shoulders. Tyson groaned in frustration. Between Hillary's fiery temper and Daichi's stupid antics, this wasn't what he would of called a 'perfect get away'. Still, he couldn't really complain. His brown eyes scanned over the coach, a small smile twitching on his lips as the other people conversed and relaxed with one another. So many blading teams, so many people he knew and considered friends on some level, albeit not all of them. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.
The coach rolled closer to the town, heading downwards across the various hills that littered this part of the county. The excitement within the coach grew as the forest around them changed and houses began appearing on both sides. One last turn, and they were on the straight and narrow into Hailston Port.
"Wow!" A breathy sigh resounded from Mariah as she excitedly stared out the window into the passing streets, "Mr Dickinson really did choose a nice place to go."
"I know, look at all these houses!" Kevin gawked from the seat behind her, watching as row upon row of pristine old houses passed them by. Only three words sprang into the younger boys head when he saw these; 'Rich old people'.
"It was an old fishing town, first establish in the 1700s" Hiro spoke up coolly from his seat at the front of the coach, catching the attention of several of those around him. He glanced down at the tourist brochure in his hands and continued to read, "It grew so much from the extensive amount of fish and sea food gathered from here that it was officially made a port in the early 1800s. Today it is a popular tourist spot because of its natural views as well as its food."
"Mhmm..." Hiro blinked and paused when he heard a delighted grumble across from him. Cautiously, he glanced up to see his younger brother slouching back lazily in his seat, rubbing his stomach happily. He had somehow managed to successfully pry Daichi back off him, the smaller boy staring off into the distance with a glum expression.
"I can't wait to try some good old fashioned British Fish and Chips! Man, I can already smell it!"
Hiro forced back a sigh and shook his head. Of course, that's the first thing his brother would have thought of. It made it far worse when a few others behind him actually agreed with Tyson. Having to deal with Tyson's and Daichi's frighteningly extensive hunger was more than enough for the eldest Granger to deal with, any more was just going to down right kill him. Four hours into the trip and any snacks that had been brought on board had long since gone. Even his own stash of delectable food had mysteriously disappeared at some point along the trip. He figured it was when they stopped off for their last bathroom break.
They carried on through the town without much of a problem. By this time it was already past noon, and most of the bladers were starting to get bored and a little restless. Kenny had the most difficult time during the coach ride, seeing as there had been no internet for hours. He found himself lost in a sea of awkward social interaction. Emily was in no better shape, the American girl practically shaking from withdrawal much to the amusement of her own team. Hiro simply chuckled. Mr Dickinson was a crafty one, getting all these teams together. If only they knew what was waiting for them at the resort.
The rest of the coach ride was uneventful, save for the occasional heated discussions between several teams. They exited Hailston Port and climbed the steep incline back up the cliff face towards the resort. Hiro figured it was now his cue to address the up coming schedule with the large group, seeing as the resort was now that little bit closer. Standing up from his seat, he eased himself into the aisle and looked downwards towards the bus. At the front, the BBA Revolution stopped their conversations immediately and turned to their coach expectantly, along with White Tiger X to their left. The next row sat the PPB All Starz along with The Majestics and Saint Shields, all seemingly deep in discussion about various topics. Next was the former team of Barthez Battalion with F-Dynasty, Matilda and Julia giggled loudly with one another from an apparent secret joke. And last but certainly not least, situated at the back of the coach furthest from everyone else was The Blitzkrieg Boys. They barely batted an eyelid towards Hiro, opting to keep their gazes fixed out the window instead.
'Figures'
Hiro cleared his throat loudly before signalling for them all to be quiet. Instantly the coach hushed as most eyes landed on him.
"Alright guys, Cliffside Resort is another two miles from here so we'll be arriving fairly soon. Once we arrive there will be a team of specially selected reps that will meet us, from there they'll give us a more broader picture of what to expect over the next couple of months. They'll give us a tour of the facility before showing us to our houses."
He paused momentarily to let the information sink in. Some sighed in relief at the thought of finally getting off this god forsaken bus, others pumped their fists in glee. A selected few just nodded in understanding that signalled him to continue.
"The Resort is surrounded by dense forest and, as you can all clearly see out the windows here, steep cliff faces. Please for the love of god don't go wandering off on your own. It's easy to get lost out here."
Tyson and Daichi visibly flinched when they caught the obvious stares being thrown their way. Tyson growled lowly in his throat.
"Hey! Why are you looking at me for?" He seethed, shaking his fist angrily at his older brother. Behind him, Hillary and Kenny loudly snickered between each other, earning a glare from the champion. Hiro quickly moved on from the subject, reminding them all not to forget any of their belongings once they get off. No sooner had he'd sat back down, a loud gasp of surprise sounded from behind him.
"Look! I can see it already from here!" Matilda's excited voice exclaimed, grabbing the attention of everyone. One by one, they piled to the one side of the bus, murmurs of joy and excitement spilling forth. In the distance, the resort stood out from the green foliage of the forest. But no sooner had the group caught a glimpse of it, it was gone again. But they didn't have to wait too long. Another ten minutes of none stop road and the occasional bend and they were rolling up to the gates, the words 'CLIFFSIDE RESORT' hanging high above it. A quick chat between the driver and a guard at the gate and soon they were rolling through, the resort finally coming into full view.
Tyson gawked in awe as the coach carried on driving along a specially made road. Eagerly, he pressed his face against the window when he saw waves of people happily walking around the site, chatting and laughing without a care in the world. An excited grin appeared on his face when he caught a couple of younger kids in the distance standing over a beydish. However, his grin soon disappeared when their bus turned away and headed up along another road, away from all the other people within the resort. Beside him, Daichi yawned loudly and stretched out his limbs, narrowly missing smacking his team mate in the head.
"Aw man, where are we going now?"
"Our part of the resort is just up ahead." Hiro replied nonchalantly, keeping his eyes fixed on the brochure in this hand. From behind him, Ray raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"'Our part of the resort'? What do you mean by that, Hiro?"
The question remained unanswered however, when the bus stopped in front of another gate. The silver metal gate slowly opened up for them, allowing the coach to enter a spacious parking area. A quick turn and an incredibly good parking job later, the engine finally cut out and the bus finally stopped. Hiro was the first to exit the coach after thanking the driver, holding back a groan as his legs adjusted to being on solid unmoving ground again. Taking out his note pad, he then proceeded to count and watch each member of the teams to make sure all was accounted for. First, the BBA Revolution bounded off with breakneck speed, Kenny practically squealing with glee when he realised he had an internet connection again. Hillary simply sighed and stretched her arms, grabbing her belongings and standing off to the side with the other three. Next came White Tiger X, Gary mumbling lowly that was he feeling a little nauseous. The Majestics sauntered out next, instantly eyeing up the establishment with distrust. They said nothing and grabbed their own belongings. The Saint Shields came next with F-Dynasty close behind, Julia and Mariam engaged in a conversation about brothers it seemed. Raul and Joesph simply grumbled under their breaths as they followed behind their eldest siblings. Barthez Battalion quietly got off next and proceeded to stand off to the one side, obviously still feeling a little awkward and alienated within the close group. And finally, The Blitzkrieg Boys exited last, grabbing their things without any words and standing away from the conversing group. Hiro caught a comment from Ian as he stalked past, the younger Russian groaning that this place was already boring him. He shrugged it off and proceeded to check their names off the list. That's when he heard a loud laugh from behind him followed by footsteps. Turning, he smiled over at the dapper looking gentleman.
"Well now! It's nice to see you all together again! I hope you've all had a good journey here."
"Mr Dickinson!" The large group exclaimed with happiness, watching as the chairman approached them with a smile. Behind him, six people followed his every step, standing in an almost military formation and remaining quiet as Mr Dickinson continued to speak on.
"You all must be quite hungry after such a long trip. There's a lunch buffet waiting for you in the dining hall, please follow us and then we can get right down to business hm?"
With that, he turned on his heel and proceeded to walk towards a large set of stairs. Two of the oldest reps followed along behind him, while the other four stayed behind, watching each team walk by with blank expressions. They then brought up the rear, happy there wasn't any stragglers left behind. The large group followed Mr Dickinson into a large central building, the inside decorated with a good mix of modern and rustic design. In single file, they walked down a long hallway, passing by various function rooms and other closed off areas before entering a large dining room, the smell of food instantly hitting the hungry youths like a steam truck. Inside, it was like a ballroom. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and basked the room in a white light. Various tables with expensive cutlery and silverware scattered the room, while the buffet lined the far walls in an 'L'. Fresh hot and cold food lined the buffet, making some of the more hungry members drool in anticipation. Beside the tables, a few more people stood quietly, smiling as the group filtered in one by one. Judging by their attire, it was easy to assume that these were the cooks. Mr Dickinson stopped abruptly and turned to them, chuckling to himself when he saw the eagerness in their bodies.
"Feel free to grab whatever you like! As soon as you've all settled then we can begin, I'm sure some of you are desperate to rest."
They didn't need to be told twice. Instantly, the large group swarmed the buffet like a herd of starving zombies, Tyson and Daichi practically fighting each other for the plate of chicken wings they had been eyeing since they walked in. The Reps at the chairmans side simply blinked and watched the scene unfold with awe and slight disgust. Mr Dickinson laughed again and took off his hat, reaching into the pocket of his suit and taking out several clear plastic balls. He dropped them into his hat before handing it towards the male on his left.
"Can you please hold onto this for me for a moment, Antonio?"
"Sure thing, Mr Dickinson."
"Ugh...It's like...feeding time at the zoo." Came a disgruntled grumble from one of the younger reps, a snicker of amusement coming from the blonde haired girl beside him. But as quickly as it had all began, the various bladers then started filtering away towards the tables, plates stacked with various foods and delicases. Most of them stuck with their teams, except for Tyson and his group whom had managed to get Max and Ray to sit at their table. Kai of course was no where to be seen. Mr Dickinson watched them all like a proud parent, watching as they talked and laughed together without much of a care in the world. It warmed his heart to see so many bright sparks brought together by a common love of Beyblading. But despite the smiles, there was still tension lingering in the shadows that was easy to pick up on. Of course, is was for that exact reason as to why he put together this little arrangement. These kids had been through a lot during this tourmament, and he would have been lying if he didn't admit that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown the entire time. Cheating, severe injuries, property damage and general disorganisation had left him sweating like a sinner in church. A good break away from the stresses of daily life and the scrutinising eye of the media was what they all needed.
Not just them but him too.
Once the large group had finally settled down and were happily tucking into their meals, Mr Dickinson finally took centre stage at the head of the dining hall, his reps standing around him once again. The room gradually went silent, watching the older man with curiosity as he cleared his throat to talk.
"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming here. I appreciate your time and I'm truly glad to see so many familiar faces as well as new ones. As you all know, this years tournament has been-" He paused slightly and let out a nervous laugh, "-full of surprises. As you know, I've gathered you all here today for a well deserved rest after such an explosive event, but that's not all."
That brought up some confused murmurs from various people in the room.
"As much as I'm happy to see you all together, I still feel like there are some people who feel unwelcome and alienated from the rest. While some tensions are still present with others..." He let his eyes wander over the many faces in the room, eyes lingering over Barthez Battalion and quickly over The Blitzkreig Boys before continuing on, "we all get caught up in the competitive nature of Beyblading that sometimes we do or say things we don't mean. During these next five months, you'll all be working as teams with each other, building bridges and 'burying the hatchet' if you will."
There were some groans of protest, some rolling of eyes and some quiet acceptances. A pretty mixed reaction. But he had expected this, some of these kids were too independent and stubborn.
"As such, I will be assigning two teams per house. And before you decided on who you're bunking with, I've decided that the names will be randomly pulled from a hat-" he indicated to Antonio, holding Mr Dickinson's hat in his hands "-so that way no one will be picking sides and isolating certain teams."
A collective gasp filled the room as quiet whisperes floated between the teams. Tyson blinked in confusion and turned towards his team mates, seeing both Max and Ray looking at him in confusion.
"So...there could be a one in eight chance of either of us being paired together?" Max asked, picking up his fork and eating another piece of shrimp off his plate. Ray nodded and folded his arms over his chest thoughtfully.
"And there's the chance that neither of us get partnered together at all."
Tyson dead panned, mouth slightly hanging open. He was right. As much as he would like to pair up with Max or Ray and their teams, the whole thing was left to chance. Mr Dickinson was a sly, sly dog.
'Oh geez...I wonder who we'll get partnered with?'
From the front, Mr Dickinson raised his hand and ushered for quiet. He then motioned to the reps behind him to come forward, all eyes finally landing on the mysterious six people. Each person, they noted, was wearing a bright red and black jacket, on the breast the BBA logo was embroideded boldly, with smaller writing underneath. They ranged from not only age and height but to ethnicity as well. The two oldest reps, a man and woman, took centre stage first.
"You will also be assigned a rep to each house and they will live in your accommodation along with you. They will be your guides as well as house leaders, so I would like you to treat them with respect. And before you ask, no don't think this as them babysitting you." He remarked dryly, eyebrow raised when he clocked a few rolled eyes in his direction. From the back of the room, he noticed some whispering from a certain Russian beyblading team. He carried on and motioned towards the two at his side, "I would first like to introduce you to the Head Rrepresentatives who will be taking charge of things in my place."
Of course, he wasn't going to stay. He was a busy man after all.
"Isabella Martinez-" He indicated to the slender woman on his left, who's dark black hair fell in perfect waves over her shoulders and chest. Her brown eyes twinkled in authority as she smiled warmingly to the group.
"-and Antonio Cooper" he motioned the man on his right with dirty blonde hair, still holding onto the bowler hat. With is free hand he pushed up his glasses and nodded toward the group.
"It truely is an honour to meet you all," Isabella spoke up, her thick Spanish accent drawing the attention of F-Dynasty, "Feel free to approach us with any questions or concerns you may have, we will be stationed in the main office building upstairs."
With a nod from the chairman, the four younger looking reps stepped forward. All eyes turned towards them and stared with curiosity.
"These are the ones who will be staying with you. Tobias Fischer-"
A rather tall guy with short spiky brown hair and blue crossed his arms over his chest, flashing a smile over towards certain female bladers. He locked eyes with Emily and gave the american girl a subtle wink. Emily squeaked loudly in response, covering her flushing face with her laptop. Beside her Rick and Micheal rolled their eyes in unison.
"Kenji Yamada-"
The next male gave a bow of acknowledgment to the group, his gaze soft and his composure relaxed. His light brown hair was combed to an almost perfect style.
"Jenna Stevens-"
With a beaming grin, the blonde haired girl gave them all a thumbs up before casually brushing her bobbed hair out of the way.
"and Iris Bailey."
At the sound of her name, Iris stood to attention and swallowed thickly when all eyes landed on her. Deep down, her anxiety began to slowly surface under their scrutinising gazes but she remained composed and exhaled deeply, nodding shyly in response. Beside her, Jenna flashed her a reassuring smile. After the introduction, Mr Dickinson turned to Antonio and whispered something quietly to him. Antonio then nodded before proceeding to stick his hand inside the hat, the sound of the plastics balls clanking around catching the attention of the group who all watched as he shuffled them all together.
"Now, they will each draw two team names, whoever they call will follow their reps to their respective houses. Keep in mind that the results are indefinite so don't try switching sides!"
His jovial laugh fell on deaf ears as all the blading teams watched anxiously for the results, Jenna stepping up to the mark first. Pulling out her first plastic ball, she popped it open and rolled out the paper.
"White Tiger X!" She called out loudly, flashing another thumbs up towards the Chinese team. She then reached into the hat and drew another one, opening it up with clear excitement.
"Aaaaand we have...The Majestics? Well ain't that one hell of a pairing huh?" She laughed casually and clapped her hands together, grinning wildly at both teams. While Lee and Kevin looked over towards the Majestics with uncertainty, the latter simply shrugged their shoulders. They were more worried about the bubbly American girl that was going to be living with them.
Next, Kenji took to the hat and stuck his hand in, taking a few seconds to shuffle them around again. He drew two balls at the same time and opened them at the same time.
"F-Dynasty and Barthez Battalion."
A sigh of relief escaped the two teams as they grinned at each other, Matilda shyly waving towards Julia. Romero leant back in his chair with a smug expression as Hiro walked over towards to group. Since their numbers were smaller than the others, Hiro had offered to stay with them to keep things fair.
Iris was next. Hestitantly she stepped up and placed her hand inside the hat, shuffling the remaining balls around. There wasn't many teams left, and already she could feel their eager stares burning into the back of her head. She took one out, popping it open and unfurling the paper in her fingers. She almost sighed in relief when she read the name.
"BBA Revolution."
From across the room, Daichi gave a loud hoot of approval while Tyson simply leaned back in his chair, a confident smile lining his lips. Iris felt a smile twitch onto her lips as she reached in and grabbed another ball. Ok, only three more teams to choose from. It was no big deal. Uncapping the lid, she unfurled the paper and read the name.
She blinked.
Reading the name over in her mind once again, she blinked some more and glanced up towards the three remaining teams. Nervously she bit her bottom lip, feeling their expecting gazes urging her to hurry up and carry on.
"...The Blitzkreig Boys...?"
The room went silent for a moment, the BBA revoloution team simply gawking at her in shock before casting their eyes over to the Russian team, as did the other teams. Iris saw them look up at her at the mention of their name, their expression a mixture. While Kai and Tala didn't seem all that fazed, Ian let out a groan of annoyance and folded his arms over his chest. Spencer and Bryan simply glanced at each other.
"Well, it looks like I get the PPB All Starz and Saint Shields then." Tobias grinned at the remaining two teams, before Mr Dickinson took his hat back, placing it upon his head.
"Now that's settled then I hope you all enjoy your time here! After lunch there will be a tour of the facility before you all go to your respective houses. Good luck kids!"
The quiet conversation in the room returned as the teams whispered lowly about what just happened. Iris sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her auburn hair, watching as the chairman spoke with Isabella and Antonio briefly before disappearing back out the door. A gasp escaped her lips when she felt an arm sling around her shoulder, Jenna flashing her an excited smile.
"Damn you got the good teams! Tyson AND Kai? Can we swap? Please?"
Iris groaned in response, "you can take them. The BBA Revoloution aren't too bad but The Blitzkreig Boys scare the crap outta me..."
"Why? They're hot." Jenna snorted in amusement, watching the Russian team with interest, "and they don't really seem that bad anymore."
Iris followed her gaze and watched them also, seeing them talking between each other casually, a few subtle snickers and smirks appearing. Jenna had a point. Considering their shady past, something that Mr Dickson had forewarned them all about, it was easy to feel somewhat anxious around them. They were known for being a stoic, no-nonsense team in the Beyblading world anyway so such worries were understandable. But without that control over them anymore, they were just normal people. Abiding by the rules and forming their own path.
A weary smile twitched on her lips as she continued to watch. But the moment several cold eyes turned towards her, she glanced away, heat burning her cheeks. Jenna laughed loudly and gave her a reassuring pat on the back before excusing herself so she could mingle with the two teams now under her care. She glanced over at her two male friends, only to see them doing the same, both deep in conversation with their respective teams. Gradually, Iris took a long deep breath and approached the BBA Revolution's table.
'They're just people...there's nothing to be afraid of. No one can hurt me now...not anymore...'
A/N: Well, that's the end of chapter one! What a long first chapter eh? Did you like it?
Whether or not this story will continue on from here is really down to how well it does.
Your reviews are greatly appreciated.