The idea for this story came from Brave Kid, so the plot belongs to him. I just did the writing. Neither of us owns Redakai: Conquer the Kairu, for if we did, then you would probably be watching this on television. Now, let's get on with the story, shall we.

Chapter 1

''You wanted to see us master?'' Zylus, the leader of Team Battacor, asked, as he, along with his two teammates: Rynoh and Bash, knelt on one knee, before Lokar. Mostly the room was dark, but the three e-teens and their master, were illuminated by a conical beam of white light, that shone down from the center of the room's high ceiling.

''Indeed,'' Lokar said, his withering gaze taking in the three e-teens, making them tremble with fear. The dark master silently congratulated himself, for how grand was he, to inspire such fear with only a glance. ''I am sensing a massive kairu-deposit of a most unusual nature, somewhere in Crete,'' Lokar said, in an even voice, ''I have chosen the three of you for this quest.''

In spite of his calm exterior, Lokar was boiling with outrage. None of his other e-teen teams were in house, all having been sent on quests of their own, and so the dark master had no choice but to entrust this quest to Zylus, and his idiotic cohorts. Lokar had often wondered whether he actually needed Team Battacor; whether the brutish e-teens were of any value to him at all.

''Go, and do not fail me,'' Lokar said, and then he added, disdain evident in his voice, ''Battacor.'' Zylus, and his two companions, bowed respectfully, then turned on their heel and hurried out of the room.

xxxxx

Ky jumped high into the air, one arm going high, then swatting down, intercepting the incoming volley-ball, sending it back over the net, the shot angled so that Boomer could not possibly intercept. But Boomer did intercept, digging his toes into the yellow sand, and with a twitch of his muscular legs, he propelled himself forward, towards the incoming ball. He fell down on one knee, hands out and clasped together, connecting with the ball, with a sudden up movement of his arms, sending it arching back over the net. Ky, who had thought victory all but assured, did not manage to intercept in time, the ball landing in the sand.

''Good one big guy, you win,'' Ky said, walking over to where the ball lay, picking it up and tucking it under his arm, ''again.'' The young man stroked his angular chin with his free hand, and leaned on one foot. ''How many matches have we played,'' he asked, ''and how many of those matches have you won?''

''We've played seven matches,'' Boomer said, then he smiled a wide and wicked smile, ''and I've won them all. Even the one where you and Maya teamed up on me.'' The stocky man looked to the side, to where Maya, wearing a blue bikini, lay in a beach-chair, bathing in the Hawaiian sun. ''Do you wanna take on the winner, My?'' Boomer asked.

''No thanks, Boom,'' Maya said, ''I'm just gonna relax in the sun.''

''Okay,'' Boomer said, ''you up for another round, Ky?''

Ky nodded, then tossed the ball high up into the air. He jumped, following the ball's ascent, one arm going high overhead, before swatting down, connecting with the ball, and sending it towards the net.

Suddenly, master Boddai's astrally-projected form appeared above the net, the old man's eyes going wide indeed, as he noticed the ball, soaring in for his face, and as abruptly as he had appeared, he was gone. The ball landed in the sand, on Boomer's side of the field, for the stocky man had not even tried to intercept it. The astral-projection reappeared then, but this time to the side, before Maya.

''Hello warriors,'' master Boddai greeted, his astrally-projected form hovering in the air, in front of Maya. ''Hey there master B,'' the young woman greeted in reply, ''what's happening.'' Ky and Boomer walked over to stand beside Maya, and greeted their teacher of kairu.

''Sorry to cut your relaxation short,'' master Boddai began, ''but I have sensed a new kairu-deposit, somewhere in Crete, and I would have you go and retrieve it as soon as possible.''

''We're on it master,'' Ky said.

''One more thing'' master Boddai said, ''you must exercise extreme caution, for I sense something very strange about this kairu-deposit.'' That said, the astral-projection disappeared.

''Looks like relaxing time is over guys,'' Maya exclaimed, as she folded her beach-chair together. Ky and Boomer took down the volley-ball net and retrieved their ball, before running towards the X-caper, which was parked atop a sand-dune, overlooking the vast, dark-blue expanse of the ocean.

A short while later, when they had all changed from their bathing suits, and into their kairu-hunting clothes, the X-caper took off into the air, blowing the loose sand about as it did, and sped away.

To be continued...