"Dad, what's going on?" Ginga asked. Ginga, Kyoya, Madoka, Kenta, Benkei, Yuu, Tsubasa, and (wonder of wonders) Ryuga were standing together in the doorway of the WBBA director's office, looking at a worried Ryo and Hikaru. Fifteen minutes ago, they had all been talking in the basement of the B-Pit when Hikaru had called Madoka, telling her that they were all to come to Ryo's office immediately.
"This is what's going on." Hikaru answered for Ryo, pressing a button. Instantly, a video appeared on the wall behind them. The video showed an undecorated, plain room. Standing in front of the screen, was Doji. "Greetings, Ginga." The man sipped from his glass, which was filled with something orange. Yuu had told them it was orange juice, but no one was quite sure whether or not this was true.
"Doji." Ginga growled. "What do you want?"
"So straightforward." The dark haired man shook shook his head disapprovingly. "But, since you insist, I'll get right to the point. I have a challenge for you, Ginga."
"Oh, right, sure, like he's going to accept a challenge from you!" Madoka said hotly.
Doji scowled. "I thought you might react this way." He reached out, and the camera turned to reveal a small girl tied to a chair. Her hair was down, and her tangled mess of brown hair prevented them from seeing her face. "This girl might not mean much to you, Ginga, but she's certainly valuable to your friend there." The group turned to look at each other, wondering who Doji was talking about. The answer was obvious when they noticed Kyoya's expression, though. Fists clenched, lip pulled back in a silent snarl, showing his fangs. Doji laughed at the expression on his face. "Don't worry, the damage to her has been kept to a minimum, and the same can be said for her bey. However, refuse my invitation, and that may become a lie."
Ginga glance quickly at his friends before saying, "We'll do it."
Doji smiled cruelly before ending the connection. Ryo glanced at his assistant. "Hikaru, go with them." Hikaru instantly went pale. She had only recently begun to use her bey again, and though her skills were as sharp as ever, she doubted she had the strength to face Doji. "It'll be good for you." The older Hagane added, reassuring her.
"I-if you say so, director." The blue haired teenager stammered, quickly exiting the room, only to reappear a minute later, dresses in the same outfit she wore two years ago in Battle Bladers. "Well, let's go!" It was almost as if the change in appearance had boosted her confidence. The little band of friends quickly followed her out of the WBBA headquarters.
"Hey, Hikaru, where are we going?" Kenta asked, as the helicopter they were in took off.
"The older Dark Nebula headquarters," the girl replied. "We never did anything with it, you know, just left it as it was, meaning that all the old defences are still there." The group nodded.
"So, Yo-Yo, was that your girlfriend?" Yuu asked, swinging his legs. The green-haired teen growled, not lifting his head. Hikaru frowned slightly at the idea. Not that she'd ever admit it, even to herself, but she had a crush on the lion blader. In her mind, relationships made you weak, and if you were weak, you couldn't win. The rest of the ride was quiet, each occupied by their own thoughts. When the helicopter landed on the roof of the Dark Nebula, they were greeted by a large group of people, all dressed in black uniforms.
Tsubasa smirked. "Eager to battle, huh?"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Let it rip!"
Who started the chant no one knew. Each assumed it was someone else and simply joined in. In a moment, a hundred beys were attacking the eight belonging to Ginga and his friends. Easily defeating the Dark Nebula bladers, the group began their decent through the building. After making their way through several more challenges, they arrived at a wall. Not a spinning wall into a secret room or a wall out of which shot a bey- just a plain, metal wall.
"This wasn't here before..." Tsubasa mused, placing his hand on the wall.
"So that girl must be in there!" Yuu cried joyfully.
"Mizuko."
"What?" Everyone turned to look at Kyoya. "Her name is Mizuko." He repeated. "Well whatever her name is, we're still gonna help her!" Benkei shouted. "Let's go, Bull! RED HORN UPPERCUT!" He yelled as he released his bey. The small top smashed through the wall. Revealed inside was the brown haired girl, wrists and ankles tied as she lay there on the flor, whimpering as Doji kicked her relentlessly. The man turned around and smiled as the friends crashed through the wall. "Ah, our guests have at last arrived."
Kyoya lunged forward, only to be pulled back by Tsubasa. "Don't." The eagle blader hissed.
Doji smirked. "It pains you, doesn't it, my lion-loving friend? To see your little sister, who you've cared for for eight long years, in such a helpless, weak state." Kyoya growled at him as his friends gasped.
"LITTLE SISTER?" Kenta shouted.
"You mean he didn't tell you?" Doji smirked evilly, looking down at them from above his glasses. "He never told you about his sister, whom he's taken care of since he was eight? How he always made sure she got food and clothing, and had a place to sleep? How he taught her to battle?"
Kyoya's eyes flashed dangerously, and he shouted something at Doji in another language.
"Reverting back to old habits now, are we?"
"Old habits?" Ryuga spoke. The others glanced at him, surprised. The controller of L-Drago did not often speak.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Doji asked, his voice mocking as pressed a button on a small remote. Chairs shot up from the floor, and straps secured the bladers to them. "Perhaps you'd all like a bit of insight on your friends. However, I believe we will start with Hikaru." Doji pressed another button, and the wall behind him suddenly showed a variety of newspaper articles, both pictures from physical newspapers, as well as clips from online. "Hikaru Hasama. Blader of Storm Aquario. Participant in Battle Bladers. Assistant to the WBBA director. Daughter of Suzume Hasama. Also known as The Water Maiden."
The blue haired teenager glared at him as he continued. "You made quite a name for yourself, didn't you? You'd go into the dirtiest places and challenge the strongest blader there for money. You never spoke to anybody except to challenge them, and never looked at anybody except to intimidate them. Of course, until you began to lose. You owned people money, money you couldn't pay, so you ran. Ran off to Metal City."
Her friends stared at her with big eyes, but Doji simply continued. "What about you, Madoka? The sweet little mechanic who's father left in charge of his shop while he left to go start another in a different city when she was only ten? Who attempted suicide three times before meeting Ginga?
"Or Yuu, the sweet little boy with no father, only a mother who didn't care about him.
"And Tsubasa, the little boy with no home at all? And of course, we can't forget Kyoya." The screen changed again, having changed each time to articled and TV broadcasts referring to the mentioned bladers. "You were practically a prince, weren't you? Rich, kind, loving parents who gave you every thing you ever wanted? Famous, handsome, and rich. You had a fanclub when you were only six years old. Heir to the richest family in Japan. But all that changed, didn't it? When your house so mysteriously caught on fire, and you and your little sister were left orphans. Rich orphans, but you couldn't exactly claim your inheritance, could you? Not when you were both believed to be dead. You became a strong blader. Leader of the Face Hunters. You stole, you beat people up, you didn't care who got hurt or what you did so long as your little sister was safe. And then you became famous again. And people remembered you. Especially those who now controlled your father's business, hmm?"
"STOP IT!" Kyoya yelled, unable to take anymore. However, the cruel man refused to cease. "You can speak fluently in three languages, haltingly in another, and know just enough to get by in a fifth. What were they again? Ah, yes. Japanese, English, and Spanish the fluent ones, Russian is halting, and you know a bit of French. Remarkable, really."
"ENOUGH!" Ginga shouted. "I though you wanted to challenge me!"
"But I have," Doji smirked. "I've collected new data on all of you which can be used to defeat you!" He spun on his heel and walked toward a wall. He pressed another button on his remote and a door opened. Just as it shut behind him, the straps released the bladers and the chairs disappeared. Steel walls slid down from the ceiling, much stronger than the wall they had broken to get in here.
Kyoya dashed over to his sister, who had been crying silently the entire time. He quickly untied her bonds and pulled her close to him, and the gang was shocked to see him stroke her her hair and begin to him quietly. Shaking themselves out of their state of shock, they decided it was better to focus on their escape instead.
Clarifications:
1) This is after Metal Fury.
2) I am quite aware that I basically skipped the battles and challenges. There are two reasons for this:
|. I'm terrible at describing them.
||. This story is supposed to be a family/friendship story. The battles really are not relevant.
3) Don't ask how Doji came back, cause I really don't know. He just is
. 4) If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, I blame the tablet I'm writing this on.
5) This story will only be two chapters long, maybe three if necessary. Okay, maybe four if my imagination insists.