Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.
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I have more plushies for you, reviewers! This time it's Phoenix plushies (the 14 y.o. Phoenix, you'll see how she looks like in this chapter). *hands out plushies* Welcome to "Legend of Apocalypse"... enjoy!
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Unanswered reviews for "Crystallis":-
Blue Winged Angel: I kinda felt that "Phoenix" was a weird name as well... but what the heck. Oh well, enjoy this fic!
sakura blossoms4: Here's more!
Platinum Rei; Yup, Kai'll be back alright. Though you'll have to wait a bit. And Rei'll be 36 in this fic... not *that* old, but not young either. I had to have such a long break because Phoenix will have a part in this fic...
LoneWolfStar7: Sigh, poor hikaris... oh well, I'm not them either! Here, enjoy the sequel!
Rumi-chan: Yeah, finally we have more females in the main cast. Personally I think that boys may speak tough, act tough and all that, but when it comes to downright viciousness the girls come out champs. Oh, ignore my ranting... enjoy!
SoulSister: Yeah, 'Zhu Fu' is a really nice song. You might wanna get your hands on it. Well, do enjoy this sequel!
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Note from Trueangel: I know I said that Legend of Apocalypse would be at aff.net. However, at the last minute I decided this fic will be fully PG-13... so that means no explicit lemons, all you hentai freaks. All potential scenes will be either wrapped up in 10 layers of blankets, or shoved into the closet altogether, so this fic will be totally safe for your consumption. Now that that's out of the way... enjoy!
Leon: Ooh, finally, the sequel is here!
Trueangel: Yup, it's finally here.
Leon: I thought you'd forgotten the fic forever...
Trueangel: *mock-gasps* How could I ever do that?
Leon: Err... right.
Trueangel: Oh yeah, I've finally found my hikari side!
Leon: You mean A-chan's been a yami all along?
Trueangel: Yeah... my hikari's name is Val Kyren!
V.K.: *waves*
Leon: V.K. looks suspiciously like A-chan.
V.K.: Well, duh. I am Trueangel's hikari.
Leon: Whatever... let's get on with the fic!
Trueangel: Hey, that was supposed to be my line! *tackles Leon*
V.K.: Uh... yeah. Get on with the fic.
~~~
Chapter 1 The Nekojin Beyblader
Carrying a lit candle in one hand, the angel ascended the steps to the library. Intutively, his other hand went up to brush back a few blue locks that were covering his eyes. About 20 years after becoming an angel, he still looked exactly the same as he had when he arrived. It probably had something to do with the rate of growth of an angel. Angels lived for 2500 years, so 20 years was like a few months' worth of human growth, which wasn't much.
Slowly, his mind wandered to the issues that were bothering him. Lately, Heaven had come under attack by the devils. For most angels, the fact that it was devils who were attacking was enough for them to fight back. Most angels hated devils. But during his time as a human, he had learnt much and knew better. He knew that there were devils who could turn good. There were angels and devils alike who questioned the meaning of their fighting, who refused to accept that it was just because. He was one, as was his previous master before he disappeared. Some saw no point in the fighting and decided to relinquish their angel or devil status. Others like himself were still searching for the answer.
The angel reached the large wooden door to the library and reached inside his pocket for the key. Ever since he became the Phoenix Guard, his previous master's position, he had much more freedom to access the vast tomes of knowledge Heaven contained, facilitating his quest for answers. Nevertheless, he felt uneasy about usurping his master's position. While the rest of Heaven had assumed that his master had died, he didn't think so. He had seen his master's strength, and believed that he would return one day.
The angel stepped inside the library, and used his candle to light the torches around the main chamber. He them carried his torch into one of the aisles. His crimson eyes quickly scanned the shelves, looking for the book that he was after. He had chanced across it many years ago while he was here with his master, but he hadn't thought much of it then. But right now, that book was his only clue to solve the mystery of the sudden attack.
He quickly found the book and returned to the main chamber. Placing his candle on one of the large wooden tables, he sat down to read.
An ancient angel legend believes that the world exists in cycles, with the end of each cycle marked by an event known as Apocalypse. This Apocalypse is not the end of the entire world, where everything is destroyed, but rather is the death of a previous person, idea, or anything that had been symbolic of the previous cycle. Characters closely associated with the legend are the Destroyer, the Creator, and the four guards of Apocalypse.
The Destroyer, in certain versions of the legend, is the actual being who brings about the destruction of the previous cycle. Other versions say that the Destroyer is merely a catalyst for destruction. The Destroyer is not necessarily an evil being, and might even be motivated by positive ideals, such as justice. This is especially so when the previous cycle was born out of evil intents. Nevertheless, the Destroyer, either directly or indirectly, ends the previous cycle.
The Creator, on the other hand, is the being that shall bring about the creation of a new cycle. Again, there are conflicting beliefs: some believe the Creator directly brings about the new cycle, while others say the Creator is just a catalyst. The Creator, like the Destroyer, is not necessarily good; a cycle can be created out of evil ideas. Also, the Creator and Destroyer do not have to be in conflict. They might be one single being, or they might be two totally unrelated people.
Of greater intrigue is the role of the guards of Apocalypse. There are 4 guards: Metal, Dragon, Phoenix, and Tiger. There are numerous ideas about their roles. Some versions believe the guards are merely ceremonial and have no impact on Apocalypse. Other legends believe that the four guards are to defeat the Destroyer and pave the way for the Creator to do his job. One more common version, however, has this saying: 'Metal is the corrupted and the corruptor, who disrupts the cycle of life. Dragon with its unmatched might, shall end the cycle past. Phoenix shall rise from the flames, renewed, renewing the world. Tiger, lord of beasts, shall bring forth new life again.' One problem with this belief, then, is the overlapping roles of the Destroyer, Metal Guard, and Dragon Guard, and the Creator, Phoenix Guard, and Tiger Guard. Some believe that there might be less than 6 people, meaning that some beings will play two or more roles, while others insist that there are 6 separate beings.
Kai closed the book. For the first time in many years, his worry was clearly etched on his face. He quickly sent out a telepathic message to his apprentice, Wyatt. Within a few minutes, Wyatt was at the door.
"You called, Lord Kai?"
"Yes. Send a message to my old friend Dreamer. I wish to speak with him as soon as possible."
"Is that all, Lord?"
"Call me Lord one more time and i'll make your life he... I'll make your life ten times as hard."
"Er... yes, L- Master."
"You may go."
Rei woke up to the scent of delicious food wafting into his room. he smiled. There was only one place to find Phoenix in the morning: the kitchen. That girl had been glued to the kitchen ever since Rei taught her how to cook. And she was pretty good; Phoenix could whip up a sumptous meal in about an hour, and something less heavy but just as deliucious in just a few minutes. Rei quickly got out of bed and tied his raven hair in a short ponytail. He threw on a few clean clothes and walked out of his room in his house in Japan.
Rei walked into the kitchen to check out his breakfast for the day. His grin grew even wider when he saw what Phoenix had cooked: pancakes. His favorite.
"Mmm, something smells good."
Phoenix turned around. One hand went up to brush back her shoulder-length flaming red hair as she noticed Rei through her navy blue eyes. She wore a plain white shirt that ended above her waist, and a pair of light blue jeans. Rei's red bandana was tied around her right arm, while an Ace of Hearts card in a plastic frame hung around her neck.
"You're awake, Dad. I prepared pancakes."
"Is it any special occasion?"
"Nope. I just felt like it."
"Are you sure?"
"Dad, why do you have to suspect everything I do?" asked Phoenix jokingly.
"Fine, I believe you. Oh yeah, have you found a fourth member for your team yet?"
"Dad, our team doesn't need a fourth member. Three people are more than enough."
"Maybe, but the tournament rules-"
"Yeah, don't worry, I know the rules. I've already got one of my classmates to join the team."
"Is your classmate really that good?"
"Definitely. I've beybladed with him before. I can bring him home after school to let you test out his skill."
"Is this an excuse to bring your boyfriend home?" Rei asked jokingly.
"OF COURSE NOT! Xaleon's just a friend. Well, I'll be going to school now."
Phoenix picked up her bag and quickly left the house, leaving Rei alone as he ate his breakfast.
"Oh well, to think a random guess would be that accurate..." mused Rei to himself after a while.
"Class is dismissed," the teacher said over the sound of the ringing bell.
Phoenix quickly threw her stuff into her bag. As she lifted one hand to push back her hair, she looked up to find Xaleon. She realized that he was almost out of the classroom and hurriedly picked up her bag as she ran after her friend. She finally caught up with him in the corridor.
"Xaleon!"
Xaleon turned around.
"Oh, it's you, Phoenix."
Xaleon slowed down so that Phoenix could catch up.
"Um... are you free this afternoon?" Phoenix asked.
"Phoenix... are you trying to date me or something?"
"NO! Why do you think just like my dad?"
"Well, sorry. Yeah, I'm free. Why?"
"I was wondering if you could come over to my house. My dad wants to see how good your beyblading skills are."
"Sure."
"Really?"
"Of course. I am free, after all. And I really want to meet your dad."
"Why? My dad is the coach of the team, so you'll meet him soon enough."
"You mean you don't know who your dad is?"
"Nope. Is he that famous?"
"Oh, of course you wouldn't know... it was before we were born. It's a little hobby of mine, knowing about beyblade history."
"So why is my dad so famous? All I know is that he knows a lot about beyblading."
"You should ask him yourself. You'll be surprised."
Phoenix and Xaleon continued talking about many things as they walked. Before long, they were standing in front of Phoenix's house. Phoenix pushed the gate open and led Xaleon through the door.
"Dad, I'm home."
Rei emerged from his room, and immediately noticed Xaleon.
"Dad, this is my friend, Xaleon Yami. Xaleon, this is my dad."
Rei looked at Xaleon. He had ice blue hair and a pair of blood red eyes. Xaleon wore a white sleeveless vest with the Japanese kanji 'yami' at the front in black. Under the vest was a black sleeveless T-shirt. He wore light blue pants that looked rather like what Rei had wore about two decades ago, along with a black belt with a silver buckle that bore the letter 'X'. Xaleon also had a pair of dark brown gloves, but his most noticable feature was the pair of cat ears on his head.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kon," said Xaleon as he smiled. Rei could barely see the tip of a pair of fangs.
"You can just call me Rei. You're a nekojin?"
"Err, yeah. I don't know why. I think it's a birth defect."
"Don't worry, it's okay. I'm a nekojin myself. Well, Phoenix told me that she asked you to join the team."
"Yeah."
"Why don't the two of you have a battle? It'll be great chance for the two of you to train, and for me to see how good you are at the same time."
"Sure," said Xaleon.
"Okay," agreed Phoenix. "We'll go to the dish at the backyard."
The two teens ran ahead to the dish, and Rei followed behind. When he reached the backyard, Xaleon and Phoenix were already standing at opposite ends of the dish, ready to begin.
"3, 2, 1," Phoenix shouted, "LET IT RIP!"
Phoenix's red beyblade and Xaleon's light blue one flew into the dish.
"Go, Trinity!" yelled Phoenix.
"Go, Ice Dranzer!" Xaleon shouted.
The two beyblades circled each other in the dish, ready to attack.
"Trinity, use your Golden Trinity attack!"
The red beyblade disappeared and reappeared at various points on the dish, forming a triangle which slowly closed in on Xaleon's beyblade. Rei had seen this move many times, and it was a move Phoenix was proud of. If the opponent tried to escape the triangle, Trinity would immediately appear at that point to knock the beyblade back into the middle of the triangle.
"Ice Dranzer, Force Shield!"
The blue beyblade's spin speed increased greatly, and the large wings on the attack ring created a circle around Ice Dranzer that shielded off all attacks. Trinity was immediately thrown back by the shield.
"Now, Ice Dranzer, Icicle Spikes!"
Rei noticed a freely-spinning ring of small round knobs around Ice Dranzer's base. Ice Dranzer tilted to one side as it headed towards Trinity, ready to use that ring to attack. However, the red beyblade quickly avoided the attack.
"Trinity, use Golden Trinity again!"
"Alright, come out, Ice Dranzer!"
Rei saw Xaleon's eyes glow pale blue, like his bit chip. A beam of light shot out from Xaleon's beyblade and Ice Dranzer materialized in the air. Rei immediately shivered from the cold aura emantating from the bit beast. Ice Dranzer looked like a crystallized version of Dranzer. It had countless ice shards in place of feathers, which were sharp and deadly. The shards at the tip of its wings were colored red, but the rest of its body was a glassy blue color.
"Trinity, quickly pull back!"
"Ice Dranzer, Frost Circle!"
Rei didn't see anything happen, all he could feel was the air getting colder. However, he saw Trinity's spin speed slow down. Suddenly, he realized what had happened. Ice Dranzer had used its power to cool the air. Based on Rei's knowledge of science, this meant that the air molecules had slowed down, ultimately causing the air itself to slow down. Trinity was no longer only fighting only Ice Dranzer, but the air itself as well. Unable to slice the air as effectively as before, trinity naturally slowed down. Eventually, it was too slow to keep its balance, and tipped to one side.
"That was impressive," Rei commented. "So, your bit beast is Ice Dranzer?"
"Yeah," said Xaleon as he picked up his beyblade.
"You know, I once knew the wielder of the original Dranzer..."
"His name was Kai Hiwatari, right? Captain of the Bladebreakers. You were part of his team too."
"You know about the Bladebreakers?"
"Yeah. Beyblade history is one of my interests."
Just then, Phoenix joined them.
"What were you guys talking about?"
"Nothing much," replied Xaleon.
"Xaleon, do you mind if I test you myself?" asked Rei.
"Dad, you mean you want to fight him?"
"Yeah. i haven't beybladed for so many years. It's time I took my Driger out of retirement. So what do you say, Xaleon?"
"Of course. It'll be a good experience to fight someone as skilled as you."
"You flatter me. Well, I'll go and get my beyblade. The two of you might wanna talk for a while."
Rei went back into the house and entered his room. He pulled open a drawer just beside his bed. There, in a glass case, lay four beyblades. There was the white Dragoon that belonged to Tyson. Rei could feel his emotions welling up as he thought about Tyson. Tyson had left it on the dish in China after his very last battle with Kai, just before he saw Max, and... Rei pushed those thoughts out of his mind. There were also the pieces of Max's Draciel. Even the Chief had said that it was beyond repair. He had offered to create a new beyblade for Max, but seeing as Max no longer wanted to beyblade, there was no point. Nevertheless, Rei kept the pieces as a memory of the days they had toured the world, beyblading together. Then there was Kai's Dranzer... Hui had found it when he went to save Kai from Volten so many years ago, and passed it to Rei after Kai left. It was in a worse state than Draciel, but Rei couldn't bear to throw it away. Last was his own Driger. Rei picked it up, put the other beyblades back and hurried out to the backyard.
Rei and Xaleon stood at opposite ends of the dish, ready to beyblade. Phoenix watched from one side.
"I won't be going easy on you, Xaleon."
"Don't worry, neither will I."
"Good."
"Get ready!" Phoenix shouted. "3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"
"Driger, go!"
"Go for it, Ice Dranzer!"
Rei's grey Driger and Xaleon's blue Ice Dranzer both entered the dish.
"Driger, do a direct attack!"
The grey beyblade flew straight at Ice Dranzer.
"Force Shield!"
"Driger, pull back!"
A shield was again created by Ice Dranzer's wings, but Driger avoided crashing into it.
"Alright, Driger, let's see if I still know how to do this..."
Rei closed his eyes and concentrated on the familiar power of the white tiger. Slowly, he could feel the power fill him again like it did so many years ago. Rei accepted that power into his body, and channeled it into his beyblade.
"Go, DRIGER!"
A beam of green light burst out of Rei's beyblade. The white tiger rose up in the beam of light and let out a powerful roar. It looked as magnificent as it had been the first time Rei ever saw it.
Now, Driger, Tiger Roar!"
The white tiger let out a deafening roar, and both Phoenix and Xaleon instinctively flinched. The ground shook slightly, and Ice Dranzer wobbled a bit, its defense weakened.
"Ok, Driger, move in for a Tiger Claw!"
"Ice Dranzer, evade!"
The tiger flew towards the blue beyblade at top speed, but Ice Dranzer managed to move out of the way at the last moment.
"Ice Dranzer, come out!"
The ice bird emerged from its beyblade like it had just minutes ago, screeching.
"Frost Circle!"
"Driger, quickly use your Tiger Roar!"
Phoenix and Xaleon quickly covered their ears as Driger roared again. The attack again sook Ice Dranzer, disrupting its concentration and causing the move to fail.
"Now, Driger, Tiger Claw!"
Ice Dranzer tried to move away again, but this time Driger's attack hit, and Ice Dranzer was sent flying out of the dish. Xaleon walked over to pick up his beyblade.
"That was a great battle," said Xaleon.
"Thanks. You weren't too bad yourself. Well, I think I'll leave you and Phoenix to train."
Rei looked out of a window into the backyard. It was already dark, but Xaleon and Phoenix were still training outside. The had only stopped for a while for dinner, but immediately continued after eating. Rei decided to talk to them.
"Xaleon, shouldn't you be going home? It's pretty late."
"Err... actually, I was going to ask you if I could stay over for the night."
"Hmm... are you sure you and Phoenix aren't a couple?"
Despite it being dark, Rei could still clearly see the deep red color on both of their faces.
"Just kidding. It's okay, if your parents are agreeable."
"Um..."
"Xaleon lives alone. He doesn't have any parents or relatives," explained Phoenix.
"Oh dear... in that case, it's perfectly fine for you to stay over. We have a guest room you can stay in."
"Thanks," said Xaleon.
"It's okay. Just don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Don't worry, dad, we'll be fine."
Rei smiled at his daughter and Xaleon, then returned back into the house.
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Leon: Hmm, the name 'Xaleon' sounds suspiciously familiar...
V.K.: Am I sensing the beginning of a het couple? Oh good, finally something normal.
Leon: WAA!!! I don't wanna be paired up with Phoenix, I want my A-chan!
Trueangel: Calm down, Leon... *glares at V.K.* Why did you have to make the het pairing clear to Leon?!
V.K.: I thought it already was!
Trueangel: *glares at V.K.* It's okay Leon... I'll still be around at the beginning and the end of the fic.
Leon: Oh well, I guess it isn't that bad... well, do review!