A/N: Sorry this took so long... Single only fan or two. From here on out, no more short six-pagers like last time. Let me know if this was worth the wait.
"And so, our Big Bang Bladers run started big in the battle between Teams Freaky Fabulous and Monster High Pride," Frankie narrated.
Chapter Two: Strong and Strike:
Frankie Stein, backed by her team of close friends- the youthful and energetic Draculara (call her Ula-D); the fiercely stylish Clawdeen Wolf; and the easy-going but level-headed Lagoona Blue- stood with anticipation as she looked around the gym with excitement.
Because Monster High was a large school with an even bigger student body, the tournament needed to be divided into two divisions: an A-Block and a B-Block. Even with this divide, the Preliminaries needed to spread the competition across four locations in turn to quickly settle the first round battles in a single day. As more and more students for the first half of A-Block entered the gym, the ever-charged up Frankie took her place with her teammates by the bleachers.
Soon enough, the gym was filled and the bladers divided into eight small gatherings- all participating teams. The clock struck three and the PA system came alive with a fiery whinny, silencing the entire campus. After a small eternity passed, Headless Headmistress Bloodgood finally spoke up:
"Greetings to all participating Monster High students. I thank you all for partaking in our latest progressive venture and wish each of you the best in your battles today and through the rest of your tourney run. Please direct your attention to the arrangement of Attack-Type Beystadiumsstationed near the center of each meeting point."
In the gym, all of the bladers redirected their attention to a line of four bowl like stadiums- complete with side walls, making note of how each arena center was clearly and respectively marked A, B, C, and D.
"To easily and more efficiently dispense with the first round, each team has been numbered from one to sixteen. You and your teams will be summoned up to a designated stadium and face off team against team in best of three matches," droned the head of the campus.
As if on cue, two distinct footsteps were heard at the entrance, catching the attention of the present teams.
"As I speak, two of our school's teachers are en route to your meeting spots to referee the battles and continue explanations on the tournament rules. Best of luck to all of you fine blazers out there," Bloodgood cut off her announcement with finality.
Everyone's attention was quickly redirected to the presence of the stout and eccentric and the depressingly unenthused Counselor D'eath. Ever eager to hear the sounds of monster melee and clashing metal, Hackington began, "All right, ya sorry lot. We're here to start something amazing!"
"The leaders of each team must now come up to formally select the order of their team members' participation in battle," growled the undead faculty member with his trademark sigh.
The two remarkable opposites each took ahold of four clipboards and walked their own ways, stopping between two stadiums.
Suppressing his need to cough... And sigh... And crack his knuckles... And dwell on his many regrets..., D'eath straightened his tie and called, "For battle A, I will need Team One- Freaky Fabulous- and Team Two- Monster High Pride- to come up to collect a clipboard for their battle orders."
While the introverted skeleton continued on with his summons for the B-battle participants, every monster's favorite ghouls found themselves at an impasse. Looking blankly between one another, the four friends realized their lack of forethought in selecting a leader.
"So," Draculara broke the awkward silence, "Who is leading?"
"Safe to say that you ghouls can rule me and Lala out," Clawdeen interjected. "Up to it, Frankie?"
"I'd rather not. I'm more of a mediator. Besides I haven't lived unlife enough to see myself as a leader," Frankie declined.
"I can take the reigns if you want, gils," Lagoona volunteered. It'll be like playing SKRM together all over again."
"That settles that. Go get 'em, ghoul!," the fashionable werewolf motioned.
"I'm on it, gils," Lagoona declared as she marched off.
Heading off to represent her team, the salt water swimmer turns to find the icy Abbey Bominable waiting for her.
"Took a little long. Ready for Prelims?," the yeti greeted.
"Of course, mate," Lagoona smiled.
"Best of luck. Avoid cold feet," joked Abbey with a surprising radiant smile.
Thee two tomboys completed their exchange with a (relatively speaking) warm fist bump. Each with their own air of confidence, Abbey and Lagoona marched on to meet D'eath.
As the two close friends approached, the two took notice to another familiar face nodding her head in agreement with the school's undead counselor. As the two rival blazers reach the stadium, Robecca Steam- primus iter pares of the Ghoulfriends team- glided away with her clipboard, skating back to her close friends Venus McFlytrap and Rochelle Goyle. Grabbing their respective boards, the yeti and the sea monster parted ways.
Returning to her group, Abbey, in her usual straightforward approach, declared with pride, "Gather close, friends. I have our plan laid out."
The four-monster squadron huddled close to discuss their battle order.
Lagoona, meanwhile, rejoins her team presenting her clipboard from the start.
"Okay, gils. This is our battle order. Draculara, do you mind sitting out the Prelims?"
"Not a problem. Just be sure to knock 'em undead for me," conceded the enthusiastic vampire.
"OMGhoul. I am sparking with excitement over here," Frankie beamed, neck bolts lighting up.
"No complaints here, ghoul. Let's make this start to the tourney beast!," Clawdeen consented with a hair flip.
"All set. I'll. Be right back, mates," Lagoona ran back to D'eath as the last ghoul with her team's battle order.
The gym quieted down as the battle orders were submitted and the first four match-up set up with little fanfare, D'eath staying between stadiums A and B while Hackington did the same by C and D.
Approaching the stadium in her anticipation, Frankie looked up to see who she would need to face. Despite her anxiousness about opening for her team, the patchwork beauty felt a shock when faced with her first opponent: HooDude Voodoo. Shaking off their mutual surprise, the two sides awkwardly waved to one another. While this transpired, Rochelle took her place for Match B.
HooDude turned to his best friend, Scarah Screams, before steeling his resolve. Watching her closest companion and only confidant in turn back to his stitched-together creator, Scarahtouched her finger to her forehead to telepathically talk with Frankie. 'Don't hold back, Frankie. HooDude and I want your best,'
Hearing the Irish-accented request in her mind, Frankie smiled back, thinking, 'I wouldn't dream of holding back. This is going to an electric first match.'
Looking over to her only friend and then to the nicest girl on campus, Scarah whispered to herself, "You can do it, HooDude."
"Bring victory to us," Abbey called out.
"Go get her, HooDude," cheered Howleen Wolf.
As both sides pulled out their beys and readied launchers, Frankie steadied her nerves by looking back at her friends, who were rooting with enthusiasm.
"Do your best, mate," said the newly-christened leading Lagoona.
"Tear him apart, ghoulfriend!," a certain fashionista shouted out... with a bit too much enthusiasm.
"Go Frankie, go!," cheered the perky vegan vampire.
Once all eight starting blazers were poised to launch, Hackington signaled, "All set!"
D'eath, with a sigh, continued with "Ready?"
"3!," shouted a certain portly scientist.
"2...," murmured the sighing skeleton.
"1!," chimed in the entire gym.
"Let it rip!"
That was the battle cry that preceded an overwhelming symphony of clashing metal.
"Go, Poison Virgo!"
"You can do it, Ray Unicorno!"
As the four starting matches shook the entire gym, Frankie's green Unicorno and HooDude'syellow Virgo clashed head-on the center of Stadium A. As their clash raged on, the yellow defender leaned forward as the deflective blades of its Poison ring glowed. The shift in balance offset the normally superior might of Unicorno, knocking the voltaic attacker aside with its next move.
Sharing his creator's shock at this development, HooDude shook off his surprise and has Virgo take center stage. Frankie, meanwhile circles the stadium by moving in smaller circle, making a flowery pattern. Winding up one large rotation motion, Unicorno made a decisive dash towards Virgo.
The walking voodoo doll remained undaunted by the incoming attack. Despite his lack of cohesive thought, HooDude knew to lean his bey forward once more so that Virgo's patented multi-sided counterattack could knock the green attacker off balance.
"Voltage!," came a cheerful declaration.
Right at the moment of impact, the green attacker vanished disappeared in a brilliant display of emerald light.
Before Virgo could right itself, Unicorno re-emerged behind the tilted blades and charged in at full-power against the yellow defender's exposed underside. The multi-sided attacker was sent flying into the oncoming stadium wall, grinding into it before landing back in the stadium proper to avoid a stadium out. Unfortunately, Virgo was left unable to straighten itself from the bey-to-wall collision.
"Oh no!," panicked the living dummy.
"Sorry about that, HooDude," Frankie spoke up. "You're an electric kind of blader and tour bey is really good for keeping enemies off balance but your Poison ring isn't good for concentrated assaults or hitting solid structures like that wall. Well, that and your Virgo is a bit on the wobbly side."
"Oh man. I should've listened to Scarah about that Midnight energy ring when I had the chance," complained the living mass of cloth.
"It was a good battle, really. But here's where it ends. Move in, Unicorno!" As her bey rode up the curved arena for the finishing blow, Frankie spoke up once more, "I hope you had fun too,HooDude."
"I did. And I still am!," the creation of a creation announced as he looked up. "This is far from over."
The electric bey didn't know what hit it when its weakened opponent, acting from higher ground, slammed down upon the incoming assault, smashing Unicorno into the stadium floor. Finally recovered from its shaky state of disarray, Virgo glowed brightly as it dislodged its opponent from the ground with another downward slam. Preying on the opportunity, HooDude's double-edged defender ensnared its opponent, grinding into it from all sides. As the vicious comeback continued, Unicorno was driven ever closer to the the stadium edge.
However, when the moment of truth came, the golden glow of Virgo was outshined by a new emerald radiance as the finishing blow was stopped cold.
"H- how did you stop my finisher?," stammer the befuddled ragdoll.
"It's actually the same thing you did against me when the round started," began the young conglomerate. "The Coat Sharp performance tip on my Unicorno maximizes my power by using winding motions to build momentum. When coupled with my attack-specialized Ray ring, I come out with voltage levels of applied force. I just needed the right opening to build up the force to cancel out your attack."
As Virgo was left wobbling from the extended grinding, Unicorno knocked aside the recovering bey. The multi-bladed bey rushed back to its blader's corner while the emerald striker returned to Frankie in another flash if light. As both opponents righted themselves, the two opposing beysshined brighter than ever before.
Putting on the most serious expression possible for a comical doll, HooDude spoke up, "Frankie. No more games. We settle this with one final attack," the tired rag doll proposed.
Panting, the green-skinned patchwork nodded in solemn agreement.
Shining brightly, HooDude's Virgo unleashed its constellation beast,.. which took the form of a scary cute normie girl in oriental wear. Radiating majesty, the glowing mistress pulled out two swords.
From across the arena, a brilliant emerald flash matched Virgo's glow intensity as Unicorno manifested as an adult horse, basked in its own majesty. The horn on its head soon began glowing a bright yellow, overflowing with purple electricity.
"Get ready, Unicorno!,"
"No mercy, Virgo!,"
The two sewn-together monsters flashed their own prideful smiles as their radiating beys charged at high speeds.
The ends of Virgo's Poison blades glowed a golden tint as the prideful tackling dummy shouted out, "Special Move: Fierce Lady Flash!" The constellation woman repositioned her curved swords and lunged forth.
As the two beys went on their collision course, Frankie closed her eyes with only one thought in mind. 'Focus!' The patchwork girl focused her energy upon one single point on her Unicorno'sfusion wheel as the electric power continued to surge within in its beast's horn. The two sides drew close as everyone's favorite fearleader cheered, "Lightning Sword Flash!"
The Virgo constellation continued her charge, swords crossed before her face. At the very moment of impact, Unicorno quickly stops to duck its head down as its foe runs herself right into the finishing blow. Taking an electrified jab to the stomach, Virgo's manifestation dropped her blades, fading away in its pain- dispersing as golden particles.
"Say what?," protested an exasperated HooDude.
With masterful timing, Unicorno struck into Virgo's energy ring, sending an mighty electric charge between two of the bey's assorted blades, sending the defeated flying away into HooDude's hand. Catching his bey, the walking rag doll remained oblivious the electric current running through his bey... Or the painful sting felt by the hands of each male student in the gym.
HooDude, letting his defeat sink in, went limp as he fell to his knees, calling to the heavens, "WHY?" As the living Voodoo doll tried to get up, he fell into the stadium face first. Every boy in the gym definitely felt their noses bending.
Thankfully, Frankie and Scarah wasted no time going into the stadium to recover their fallen friend. Walking back up, the two green-skinned beauties couldn't help but notice wet spots near HooDude's button eyes.
Once the living Voodoo doll regained his ability to walk, he parted from his closest friend and then turned to Frankie, staring intently into her eyes. As the two matching sets of eyes looked into one another, HooDude finally broke the silence, "I had fun with this battle. I want to face you again soon."
"I look forward to it," Frankie accepted with her warm smile.
The two shared a hug before parting ways. Scarah took after HooDude before taking her friend by the wrist and walked him out of the gym.
As the two passed Abbey and Howleen on the way out, the telepathic banshee spoke into their minds, 'We're going out for a bit. Good luck out there.'
"Nice job out there, HooDude. We got it from here," the pink-haired Wolf sister shouted after them.
"We will hold fort here," the statuesque yeti followed up.
The banshee girl and the doll boy crossed the hall, soon slowing to talk.
"HooDude, can I ask a question?," the life long friend finally asked.
Facing his banshee companion with a smile, HooDude responded, "Sure. What's on your mind, Scarah?"
"I noticed your tears after the battle. Can I ask why?," the blank-eyed beauty inquired.
"Oh that? Don't worry. These are actually tears of joy," the ragdoll answered with pride.
"This isn't about Frankie or losing the battle?," Scarah wondered, perplexed.
"Kinda," HooDude started. "I'm past the pain of coping with her rejection. Believe me. Thing is that I kinda needed an excuse to oppose Frankie."
"Care to be a clearer with that? I can't work through your thoughts like with anyone else," Scarah asked, more clear on what went through her friend's mind.
"Well, Frankie is clearly the nicest ghoul here. She didn't mean any harm when she made me, only to dump me. But this battle made wonder if I could ever disagree with her," the Voodoo doll explained. "This beybattle was a test to see if I could ever oppose Frankie. No wavering. No regrets."
"Now I get it," Scarah started in her Irish accent. "Since you faced Frankie without holding back, you can relax about being able to confront her."
Grabbing her only true companion by the wrist again, the telepathic banshee took off. "Come on. My treat at the creepateria."
Back at the gym, Rochelle Goyle finally finished her bout in the B-Match.
"Nice job out there, Rochelle. You rocked it in your match," congratulated Venus McFlytrap.
"Really, it was nothing," assured the humble hall monitor. "The protective nature of a gargoyle is just well suited to being a righteous and magnifique defender."
"Be sure to keep up your game for the next round," interjected Robecca Steam. "We will need all the strength we can muster to strike down Draculara's team, if Frankie was any indication."
"We're not exactly out of the woods for this round either," noted their environmentalist friend.
"Worry not. I will be sure to elevate us to the next round," encouraged the rising SKRM robot.
"Oy, the second battles are about to start! Come up to avoid disqualification!," called Hackington's familiar cockney accent.
"Bonne chance, Robecca," offered the trio's gargoyle mistress.
"Merci, Rochelle. I will give my best," Robecca assured as she skated off, fists clenched in excitement.
"She's totally going to topple the next guy like a tree in a normie forest," Venus declared, assured of their win.
Rochelle opted to simply look ahead to watch the matches.
Meanwhile, the A-stadium was filled with a silent tension as Clawdeen and Howleen each took their places for the battle, all the taunts and well wishes dispensed back at home.
Finally able to stand at eye-level with her older sister, Howleen- hair now long and pink while her skin was darkened by long days of soccer- was ready to battle and stand out on her own.
"Your run will end, sis," proclaimed the pink-haired glory seeker.
Clawdeen only responded with a haughty chuckle. Nothing else needed to be said as all at this point.
The radiant fashionista then realized that Clawd was in the tournament as well. However, her curiosities on the matter had to wait. Underestimating Howleen whenever she's competitive is never a good idea.
Then again, Clawdeen was very much the same. Neither would ever go down easily, so the battle ahead would prove to be intense. Putting out their best game faces, the Wolf sisters readied their beys and steadied their launchers.
"3!," announces Hackington.
"2...," sighed D'eath once again.
"1!," chanted the rest of the gym.
"Let it rip!"
A purple flash and a crimson blur flew into the A-stadium at breakneck speeds, passing by one another. Impacting opposite ends of the stadium, the two bets covered their arena in smoke that obscure the view of their owners. The next minute was, regardless, filled with sounds of metal hitting metal back and forth.
Each blessed with keen eyesight and a killer sense of smell, the two Wolf girls were not deterred by the blanketing smoke. Soon enough, however, the clashes ceased.
With a vicious growl, Howleen commanded, "Get a move on, Thermal Lacerta!"
Not one to turn a challenge down, Clawdeen responded in kind, proclaiming, "Leave a mark, Earth Aquila!"
As the smoke cleared began to thin out, two faint lights- one purple; the other red- could be made out. The two aura instantaneously vanished as a collision impacted the stadium center, blowing away the remaining smoke. The smoke only gave way to a grand flurry of sparks as the two beys shined brighter and brighter.
As Aquila's glow overtook Lacerta's, Clawdeen taunted, "Is this really all you got for me? Bit of a letdown, Howleen." Gritting her teeth, the stylish werewolf concentrated as her bey overtook its opponent more and more.
And then, all at once, Lacerta stopped being pushed back. Celebrating this minor victory, Howleen couldn't help jumping for joy. With an awkward pause, the excitable teen recomposed herself.
"Care to explain why your Lacerta is almost as stubborn as Cleo during a big sale?," Clawdeen finally managed to snark.
"Check out my Lacerta and how's it's slinking down a bit," Howleen began gloating. "That's the beauty of my Hole Flat performance tip."
"I get it now. The extended grinding is adding friction to you the bottom of your bey," the fashionable beast realized. "Since most Flat tips are made for building speed and power, all I'm really doing is making Lacerta stronger."
"Yup!," admitted the not-so-mature werewolf with pride.
"You've got worse impulse control than Heath," Clawdeen shrugged. "What's the point in constructing something clawsome if you just give away every important detail?"
As her Aquila broke off its assault, Clawdeen declared with a passion, "There are a few big flaws in your plan, and one of them is a certain pecking order." Aquila soon turned around from its retreat, charging in at high speeds. "Aquila! Counter Stance!"
Glowing once more, Clawdeen's bey projected its manifestation as an eagle with a radiant purple glow and a lusterous sheen. Bellowing a loud 'caw,' the fashionista's bey and beast flew toward its target.
"You won't beat me by just being older," Howleen grunted as her bey retaliated by summoning a massive crimson lizard beast. In a burst of speed, Lacerta ran towards Aquila's beast, turning swiftly as it swung its massive tail.
"Finish her!," the pink-haired ghoul called with a stubborn pride. Aquila was sent flying away with the sheer force of Lacerta's tail; Howleen's aggressive attacker soon moved in to deal the finishing blow. Upon hitting the ground top side first, Aquila shifted to the side by grinding along the curved stadium edge.
Circling around the attack, Clawdeen's purple bey took the center of the stadium for itself.
"Phew. Cut it a bit too close. You almost had me," sighed the fashion-oriented werewolf in relief.
"Had? Almost? I still have you where I want you: tired and cornered," Howleen boasted.
"No biggie, sis," with a hair flip, Clawdeen challenged her younger sister's claim by tilting her bey down, and swiftly rising Aquila back up with a strong rotation cycle, creating a small aura of wind to steady itself.
Meanwhile, in the B-stadium, a bey is sent flying in the wake of the Wolf sister battle.
A certain copper-plated superstar reclaimed her bey as it seemed to levitate back into her hand.
"Exhilarating battle that was. Try not to get distracted by other matches next time," offered a departing Robecca.
As the century old robotic beauty returned to her teammates, she looked over to the Wolf sisters now silent but tension-filled battle. The mechanical stuntwoman saw the next round shaping up to be intense.
"You're not safe yet, Clawdeen. Move out, Lacerta!," ordered Howleen as her crimson striker, glow faded circled the stadium edge.
Clawdeen eyed the distance between both Balance beys, ready for whatever came next.
Or so she thought.
"Ha."
In the blink of an eye, Aquila's upper half slammed harshly into the hard stadium floor.
Mortalfied by the sight of her unstable pride and joy, sighed in relief when she could still right the wrongs of her bey.
Looking on, the elder Wolf sister noticed that her Aquila got slapped by an invisible force with each half a lap, Lacerta made around the arena.
"Now I get it," the losing sister declared with a realization. "Fancy spin track you got there. Makes a nice 'woosh' noise when it goes off."
"Figured me out already?," Howleen with a sour indifference.
"These cute ears along with these fierce eyes aren't made for show. First, you build momentum by circling the stadium a bit," began the proud fashionista. "Then you slow down by slamming pressure unto your HF bottom. With the sudden shifts in speed, your spin track and its wing pieces shift with them, sending out precision-guided air currents."
"Big deal. You figured out the play-by-play. I'm still able to score this goal for my team," taunted Howleen.
"Think so?," Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "Neither of us have really gotten started."
"Right. Lacerta!," Howleen retorted.
The bright red Beyblade circled the arena twice over before making a sudden stop with precise timing. In that instance, Clawdeen spotted two swift blurs came from her rival's bey.
"Make your move, Aquila!"
The purple defender wasted no time in slamming itself wheel-first in to the floor, bouncing away from the dual air currents. Circling the stadium, Aquila shot at its aggressor with new life.
"How?," stammered the disbelieving Howleen.
"I'll explain in a bit. Swear on my unlife," swore the would-be fashion mogul. Her Aquila slammed into Lacerta with feral might, sending its opponent flying. The next minute in its entirety could only be described as a series of interceptions as Clawdeen slammed her bey intoHowleen's from its blind spots with such regularity and fervor that Lacerta could no longer build its speed or power.
Ceasing its assault, Aquila sped toward the closet stadium wall at an angle. With the swift impact, Clawdeen's graceful flyer rocketed into the air.
"Bet ya can't hit this high up with an air steam, Howleen," goaded the elder sister. Looking up, her bey slowed its ascent as it radiated in its glowing purple sheen- howling at the faux image of a purple moon. "This is where it ends!"
Finally old enough to howl in response, Howleen followed suited as her bey glowed in its crimson luster and planted itself in the arena center.
"I won't need the skies to ground your Eagle," the darker-skinned soccer star announced in defiance.
"Aquila, bring the house down. Metal Wing Smash!"
"Lacerta, on your guard. Counter with Tempestuous Whirlwind Sword!"
The crimson attacker shifted and fired off one last air bullet, rocketing itself toward its descending adversary. The red constellation lizard made its presence known once again, charging in tail first.
The purple eagle, meanwhile, retaliated in kind by falling fast, in a spiral pattern, catching its larger foe by the base of its tail using its talons. Shifting its weight, Aquila takes Lacerta off balance as it slams its adversary face first into the stadium floor. The lizard beast seized up and collapse as it dispersed; the Lacerta bey having stopped spinning before Howleen's feet.
Picking up her bey, Howleen was met with a familiar set of claws extended out. "Great match out there. It was scary close," greeted the victorious sister.
"Too close," the younger sister panted. "How'd you pull out the win though? I had every advantage after the smoke cleared up."
"Sure thing, sis," conceded the younger fashionista as she walked off. "Come on. I'm beat."
Once the two sisters found seats in the bleachers, Howleen continued her inquiry.
"If we're done being tired here, I wanna know how all of my hard work came up short this time."
"There's actually three scary vital things that netted me the win. Just one would've been enough to finish you," explained Clawdeen as she looked through her compact.
"Three? No way," said the disbelieving werewolf.
"The first thing is actually how our beys were built," responded Clawdeen as she passed her over.
Accepting the chance to check her make-up, Howleen could only wonder, "I don't get it. We both use Balance-type beys."
"That's the thing. Balance beys are like your sense of fashion from last year," started the older Wolf at her sister's expense. "Balance-types are really just an extended experiment of mixing and matching parts that are suited to the other three types: Attack, Defense, and Balance. Your Lacerta has an HF tip and its Spin Track is made for cutting down shorter beys like a stray hair, making for beast offense. The large size of Lacerta in general also makes for good defense as a bonus. Contrast my Aquila, which has both an Earth ring and a Wide Defense tip, making it a dead ringer for a Defense-type. The build of my bey also keeps it reserved in combat, letting it store its energy like a typical Stamina-type," Clawdeen further exposited.
"Okay, I follow," nodded Howleen. "Say, does this tie into that pecking order you mentioned earlier?"
"It does, actually," replied the elder Wolf. "There's a small cycle between the three normal bey types: Attack beats out Stamina; Stamina chips apart Defense; and Defense shuts out Attack. The system isn't perfect but it really helps determine the odds.
"So, my parts make Lacerta part-Attack, part-Defense while yours has the edge with Defense and Stamina?," complained the younger sister.
Nodding, Clawdeen continued on, "That's about it. But there's actually more to it than just our beys and their buil-"
"Before you continue, I gotta ask," Howleen started with wide-eyed curiosity, "how do you know so much about beys?"
"Easy. I'm out to be the next big fashion mogul some day. Knowing all the little things has to be second nature to me or else my designs fall apart and my business operations would crumble," the ambitious werewolf exposited. "I have to keep my senses on their A-game if I wanna be my beast out there in the world."
"Can we pick this back up at home? I need to meet up with Abbey soon than later," yawned Howleen.
"Just one thing. Any idea where all of your other friends are?," asked Clawdeen.
Out in the courtyard, the second match-ups if the B-Block's second half just concluded as a fair-skinned, portly monster stood panting but victorious over his opponent, a short-haired girl with eyes on top of her head. The slug ghoul's eyes drooped dejectedly as her opponent bid her a good match and walked away; Lothar, oblivious to her crush, left without knowing her feelings.
Meanwhile, Lothar, the de facto leader of team Bring It On returned to his only other teammate.
"Impressive victory, Lothar," congratulated Twyla.
"I cut it a bit close though," reflected the introspective teen. "Any word on where our team ace got off to?"
"No idea, sadly. We already knew who we were dealing with when we agreed to let her name the team," answered the aqua-haired dream eater.
"Too bad she isn't a team player," thought the curly-haired out loud. "Actually, I was so busy fretting the match, I completely forgot about Howleen. Think she's holding up well?"
"We'll find out soon enough. But if the two of us could pull out a consecutive two wins, I'm pretty sure our good friend is doing just fine," assured the level-headed ghoul. "You're going to need to concentrate on our battles, and soon. It only gets harder from here."
"Thanks, Twyla. I can tell that we'll make it far in this tourney," declared Lothar with pride. "We can't let our guard down yet, though."
Once Clawdeen finally rejoined her team, her ultimate BMFF, Draculara moved in with a big hug.
"That battle was off the fang! I think I felt my heart beat a few times."
"Tell me about it. I still can't believe I won," panted a tired Clawdeen.
"At least we've secured a spot in the Quarter-Finals," contributed an incoming Frankie. "Also, here's your purse, Economics book, and earrings..."
"Don't forget your laptop, phone, or make-up bag, mate," interjected Lagoona.
Releasing her hug, Draculara extended her arms out, "Oh right. I've been wearing all of your bracelets."
"I am SO over this first round," groaned Clawdeen.
Once all of the beybattles concluded, Hackington took his leave while D'eath stepped up to make an announcement.
"Okay, students," he began, of course, with a cough. "Our half of the A-Block has concluded because...," he trailed off, triple-checking his listings.
Clearing his throat, D'eath resumed, "You are all free to your own devices as all four of today's matches have ended with one side winning two matches in a row. If any teams seek to continue your third match, you are entitled. If not, feel free to enjoy a provided at our creepateria."
To pretty much nobody's surprise, all of the losing teams (and a few of the winners) took their leave. Within a minute, everyone except D'eath, and the Freaky Fabulous and Ghoulfriends teams cleared out.
The two circles of friends converged with smiles and excitement abound.
"It's great to see that your team has made it into the next round," greeted Robecca.
"Congrats on doing the same. I saw you toss your opponent out like last century's fashions, Robecca," congratulated Draculara.
"You did make those fashions look amazing," the robotic stuntwoman complimented.
"Don't be so modest. You looked SO off the fang when we first met. I still can't say sorry enough for that goblin jerk who..."
As the two old friends reminisced on how they first met, their teammates stepped aside and resumed their own conversation.
"You girls amped for tomorrow?," engaged Frankie as her neck bolts sparked.
"I cannot express my own excitement, mon amie," responded Rochelle.
"Today was already beast. I know facing your team will be clawsome," intruded Clawdeen.
While the two other conversations went on, Lagoona and Venus took a seat by the stadiums.
"You excited for tomorrow's battle, gil?," began the ace swimmer.
"Of course. I'm more pumped about being outside again, though. The sun is shouting my ears to be with it," the plant girl began agonizing.
"I hear ya, mate. I have some new custom boards from back Down Under the Sea to break out," Lagoona sympathized. "How goes your environmental campaign?"
"Better actually. I've been much better about my spores," Venus began with enthusiasm. "This tourney is actually a good chance to draw attention to the cause!"
"Am begging your pardon," interjected a deeper, accented voice.
The two environmentalists looked up to see the glistening figure of Abbey Bominable standing above them.
"Hey Abbey. Wanna take a seat with us?," greeted the salt-water sweetheart.
"No thank you," declined the cool-headed yeti.
"That's a bummer. Anyways, your team did really well out there?," Lagoona congratulated.
"Thank you. Is actually why am here," Abbey stated, arm extended. "I would like to have our battle, leader-to-leader."
"Finish the battle, no regrets?," Lagoona inquired, her competitive side piquing.
Abbey nodded, smiling.
"Want to watch?," Abbey offered, facing Venus.
"Can't. I have plans. Thanks though," explained the artistic environmentalist. Sadly, her leave was cut short by the sound of snapping twigs.
Recovering from the cringe-worthy noise, the trio turn to find D'eath standing over them, cracking his knuckles.
"If you two are ready, Miss Blue, Miss Bominable, the battle can start immediately.
"Are the bladers set?," confirmed the introverted counselor as the sound of marbles in a trash disposal passed his clearing throat.
"Yes," nodded Abbey, now flanked by all three teammates.
"Aye," confirmed Lagoona, who was similarly backed up.
"Ready...," D'eath initiated.
"3," HooDude and Howleen (but not Scarah) called in response.
"2," Frankie, Clawdeen, and Draculara followed up.
"1," the tomboyish leaders continued in their ready positions.
"Let it rip!"
"Ride the waves of victory, Galaxy Pegasis," summoned one Aussie accent.
"Bring us a crushing win, Rock Giraffe," roused a stern dialect.
The raw speed of Lagoona's blue attacker and the stubborn might of Abbey's yellow defender created a collision that reiterated the classic clash between an unstoppable force and an unmovable object, sending visible shockwaves that shot into the ceiling- nearly knocking everyone except the two leaders off their feet.
Through the intensity of its vibrations and the sheer attack power held in its frame, Pegasis overtook Giraffe's defense. Slowly at first, the blue wings that crossed the heavens pushed their foe back more and more from the center.
Lagoona felt suspicions rise high as the ever adamant Abbey allowed her bey to be pushed around with brute force alone. The yeti's complete lack of reaction forced the sea monster to reconsider her tactics as her intuition nagged louder and louder.
Taking no chances against the fishy circumstances, Lagoona broke off her assault while Abbey, like HooDude and Howleen before her, took residency in the arena center.
On its third pass, Pegasis sped into the next incoming wall, ricocheting off the surface and into Giraffe. While Abbey's rubber-coated solitude was bounced out of its safety area, Lagoona's rubber-tipped berserker was spring-boarded into the adjacent wall and used the impact to reach the air, slamming down ferociously unto Giraffe's side.
Flying from one side of the stadium to the other, Pegasis launched itself off the third and final wall, smashing into the flailing Giraffe's exposed underside. As Abbey's bey was left to helplessly grind into the stadium floor, both teams appeared assured of how the battle would end... Until a soft, uncharacteristically sinister chuckle passed the fangs of the losing yeti.
"Am finally finished examining battle situation," Abbey finally said with finality. "Real battle begins now!" The Himalayan bruiser's seemed to flash with this mid-fight declaration while her face and expression each took a competitive tone.
At that very moment, Giraffe's performance tip shifted as it slammed into the now-stationary Pegasis. As the two beys continued to grind, the golden defender righted itself straighter and stauncher while its opponent began losing its trademark might. Pulling away, the sky-colored attacker wound up another assault and charged in at full speed.
"Solid Iron Wall!"
Giraffe spun unflinchingly against Pegasis' onslaught. Shifting its performance tip, the yellow defender glowed a gold luster and knocked its blue foe away. Pegasis was shot into the wall with enough force shatter it, narrowly avoiding a stadium out.
"Crikey!," exclaimed the surprised Lagoona.
"You like? Is rubber wings on Spin Track. Made to absorb and redirect kinetic energy- or blunt impacts, if you prefer. Was hoping for easy stadium earlier," as Abbey explained Giraffe demolished the nearest wall with a high-speed collision. "We fight hard way, now."
"This battle is far from over, gil," Lagoona retorted, recovering from her awed stupor.
Pegasis smashed into its well-protected rival with enough of an impact to shake the room and knock its foe off-balance. Giraffe, adjusting itself, hit back even harder.
"Woah!," recoiled Lagoona.
"That was Wide Ball performance tip. Makes beys more aggressive when shifted," the yeti elaborated. "You hit me, I hit back harder."
Lagoona's bey swiftly bounced back with a barrage attack. Each hit connected on point but the assault was futile as Abbey's fierce fighter was completely unphased.
"Strong Arm Barrage."
Shifting its tip once more, Giraffe copied the barrage move-for-move. With the last hit, Pegasis flew into the last wall, collapsing it.
"No more horseplay, Lagoona," Abbey quipped, cracking her knuckles. "Pegasis is low in power as stamina drains. My Giraffe remains strong as Defense bey wears down Attack types."
Glowing a radiant golden brown, Giraffe's constellation beast manifested as a quadpedal beast of majesty with a neck wreathed in flames and burningred eyes.
"Win it. Giraffe, Storm Surge!," commanded the Himalayan beauty.
Giraffe's face, revealed to be feline in shape and reptilian in appearance, emerged from from the shadows, breathing fire as it roared. Abbey's ironically fiery bey collided head-on with Lagoona's, sending it flying with enough force to leave hairline cracks along the stadium floor.
Pumping her fist into the air, the icy competitor declared with finality, "Am winner."
"Not quite yet, mate," Lagoona smiled confidently. "Don't count me out. Pegasis hasn't ridden the big one yet."
Flying up just short of the ceiling, the red and blue bey stopped as a radiant blue glow lit the entire gym up. Soon a majestic horse with feathery wings and a brilliant sky-colored luster took to the skies.
"Get ready to wipe out, Abbey!," announced the amphibious surfer. "Go now, Pegasis! StarGazer Attack!"
As Pegasis' grew brighter and nearly blinded all who saw it, the gym was filled with the sounds of mighty whinny. Disappearing into its own brilliance, Pegasis flew back down at breakneck speeds, headbutting Giraffe as its wings flapped faster and faster- as it hit the ground,Lagoona's bey nicked Abbey's at its side, sending her golden bey flying backwards. The explosive impact of Pegasis's narrow miss sent vibrations that shook even beyond the gym while the blue glow ultimately overtook the entire area.
When the light and the volatile energy that came with it faded, both Pegasis and Giraffe remained spinning at opposite edges of their battle ground, which was left so thoroughly cracked apart, none could recognize it as a bey stadium.
Panting heavily, Lagoona looked up and asked, "Wow. How are you still in the dish, Abbey?"
The equally overheated yeti formed snow around herself as she answered, "Is simple. WB tip is good for fighting force with force, allowing Giraffe to stay in stadium. Solid Iron Wall was also good for keeping rooted to ground against bright blizzard."
Finished catching her breath, Abbey shook the ground with a heavy stomp that shook the gym yet again. "Now, battle ends!"
Giraffe pressed down hard as it regained its glow, turning redder with each passing second
"Crushing Blast!"
Giraffe raced straight across the stadium at its highest speeds to finish the wobbling Pegasis... Only to fall into a dip in the ruined stadium, sinking down in between five tracks. Abbey could only flinch in the face of this embarrassing oversight.
"Game over, brah. Here's a lesson on grinding rails," Lagoona beamed with excitement.
Pegasis pressed down and bounced up, stabilizing itself as it nested its performance tip between a crack. Riding between the cracks with perfect balance, the blue bey accelerated as it reached its quarry. Glowing blue, Pegasis hit the defenseless Giraffe into the hands of its snow-haired owner.
"Phew. That match was seriously aggro," Lagoona sighed, accent slipping.
Blinking confusedly at this brief change in dialect, Abbey could only say, "Was good match."
The two close friends walked close friends walked to one another, beys in hand- meeting halfway to shake hands as proud competitors. Their friends follow suit.
Meanwhile, down below in the catacombs, the Preliminaries were wrapping up at the SKRM maze. Everything was normal except for two details. First was that there were only two stadiums available. Secondly, only one stadium was in use.
On one end, a grey werewolf with stylish brown hair and two vampire- one tall in own right with blonde hair while the other was shorter with purple-streaked black hair- sat bored. Sitting across from the unlikely trio was a human-looking teen sporting a grey hood and a pair of sunglasses. As the sounds if metal clashing died down, both sides knew the battle across from them was nearing its end, which would close the A-Block out.
Unable to contain his anxiousness, Deuce Gorgon stood and faced his opponents. "I have a deal for you dudes. Wanna hear me out?"
"All ears, man," Romulus called back.
"Make it dude," Gory warned, crossing her arms.
"Since I beat Rom and we had to forfeit the second round, I'd like to take on your side's remaining bladers back-to-back. Last monster standing wins," offered the gorgon.
"Okay," interjected Bram as he stood up. "One stipulation though. Both Gory and I face you at once to speed things along."
"Fine," accepted the snake-haired teen.
The four present bladers turned their heads to the side. In a folding chair sat a large, portly hunchback in a white shirt, black shorts, and a red cap. Making certain that the nearby Coach Igor was asleep, the Gorgon and the vampire couple took their positions in front the stadium.
Recalling how his own Storm Northern Cross, Romulus walked up to his unlikely friends. "Careful. Handicap or otherwise, Deuce still managed to overpower me earlier."
"Leave it to the tag-team experts," assured the confident Bram.
"We'll have snake boy down and out before you can even scratch your ears," gloated Gory.
"Good luck," insisted the werewolf alpha.
"Won't need it," snickered Gory.
The three bladers were poised to strike, beys and launcers drawn.
"3," Romulus counted off.
"2!" chanted the vampire couple in unison.
"1...," grunted Deuce.
"Let it Rip!"
"Take the center stage, Gravity Perseus!"
"Go, Rock Vamp."
Fired in, the three beys hit their marks as a black bey took hold of the arena's center while, in perfect synchronization, its blue and yellow opponent circled each other at opposite ends of the arena.
"Take position, Vamp," Bram ordered to his blue Wolf bey.
"Move in!," commanded Gory to her own near-identical yellow bey.
The two attackers charged in from opposite sides, curving in a crescent motion to cut off conventional escape.
Deuce tugged at his sunglasses and, in the blink of an eye, the twin beys crashed into each other.
Before the couple could overcome their bafflement of their unavoidable strike being avoided, the duo's concentration was cut by the battle cry of, "Perseus. Clip their wings!"
The black bey suddenly reappeared at its opponents' blind spot, smashing in head first.
"Keep it up!," the gorgon cheered on.
With another collision, the tag-team was split apart once more. Perseus quickly circles counterclockwise to intercept the yellow Vamp and smacks it back into its partner. Rushing into the duo once more, the armored defender returned to the middle of the stadium.
"Ugh! How'd he even do all that?," nearly screamed the reeling Gory.
"I get it now," realized Bram. "He's a reverse rotation user."
"Right on, dude," Deuce confirmed. "They're a rare find but having a revere-rotating bey, let alone one that can go either way comes in handy."
"Can someone tell me what's going on and why his bey is acting different from before?," demanded the diva with glasses.
"Long story short, his bey has the ability to either circle the stadium like any other bey or go the opposite way to throw off its enemy," interjected Romulus.
"If you're now caught up, I'd like to use our OTHER formation," Bram hinted.
Soon enough, the two attacker resumed their previous attack cycle as they closed in on their black-plated enemy. Perseus moves to dodge but is intercepted by the now-stopped blue Vamp.
"Oh no!," Deuce recoiled.
Pushed back, Bram's bey charged into the stunned Perseus, throwing it towards its yellow partner. As Gory's yellow Vamp grinded into the black bey, Bram's own bey moved in with a barrage. With one final pinch, the partners sent Deuce's Perseus flying away.
"Time to go big, Perseus," Deuce called out.
The black bey turned upside-down and glowed a sickly purple, charging up its power.
"Make noise with Gravity Brave!"
As the emerald-eyed athlete smiled, a series of purple energy arrows shot down while Perseus flipped back up to land. Soon, the arrows hit across the stadium at blinding speeds, filling the area with smoke.
Through the smoke, a faint red glow could be seen, growing brighter and brighter. Once the obstruction cleared, all sides saw that the stadium now filled with smooth craters, Perseus spinning comfortably in the largest indent in the arena center.
"Time to step things up," Deuce announced.
The armored bey circled its crater before rocketing towards Gory's yellow. Squinting at his opponent's bey, Deuce couldn't help noticing his opponent's Semi-Flat tip.
Gory grew understandably aggregated as her bey was assaulted with a flurry of left-sided jabs that kept it from building speed or momentum to fight back.
"Nothing says mismatch like fighting a Defense bey with an Attack type. Try keeping your power up if you can't move to build friction," surmised the confident gorgon.
The black-armored bouncer was swiftly swatted aside by a blue streak.
"I'd like to see that trick work on a Ball performance tip," challenged Bram.
The duo smashed into Perseus, knocking it aside. The defensive Vamp quickly gave chase. Deuce's bey regained its footing, bouncing harmlessly off of Bram's and into one of the smaller craters in the stadium.
"Bad move," the bleach blonde vampire laughed.
Bram's blue bey rushed after the fallen Perseus, expecting to secure victory. Unfortunately, Rock Vamp's imminent descent was met and intercepted by a rising uppercut to its exposed underside as the shape of a gigantic human with black gladiatorial armor sent its attacker flying into the adjacent stadium wall. Surrounded by dips in the terrain, Bram's bey couldn't charge in to retaliate.
The three beys soon righted themselves and held position before their owners. The gorgon sighed in relief, smirking over the battle's favorable outcome while the opposing red-eyed couple eyed one another nervously.
The two Rock Vamp beys moved in unison once more, jumping down into the center of the center crater. Deuce only stared curiously through his shades as his opponents had their beys encircle one another at high speeds. Ready to strike, the bladers from Belfrey Prep rush out of the massive imprint and into the air. The two beys glowed, manifesting as two brightly-colored bats.
"Joint Special Move," Bram initiated
"Flying Wing Crusher!," Gory continued.
The two partners descended, closing in on the black bey with a purple aura.
The overhead bats soon split into vast swarms of themselves as they reconvened and merged together. A massive bat-winged creature wreathed in shadow extended its massive claws, reaching to crush its target.
A large purple wave of power quickly overtook the massive grey claws as the constellation of Deuce's Perseus formed once again, armed with a sword worthy of gods.
"Perseus, Black Excalibur!," shouted the snake-haired blader with finality.
As the two sides clashed in the air, both sides were clearly pushing their limits.
"Do you really think you can take us both?," Gory taunted.
"Don't need to. Perseus, Defense Mode!," Deuce retorted.
Just as the gigantic flying beast swung its second set of claws, the mighty knight facing it drew its shield. With a flash from the warrior's red eyes, the fearsome human disappeared from sight. As this happened, the black bey of legend covered its eyes as it suddenly dropped out of the clash of power. Following a great explosion, the two Rock Vamps fly past the stadium while Gravity Perseus stays in bounds, barely able to spin.
Victorious, Deuce retrieves his Perseus and walks over to the rival team, careful to the horde of zombies out to recover the losing beys. Upon reaching the unlikely trio, the gorgon extended his hand for a friendly handshake.
"Great match. Thought I'd lose out there."
Gory, ever the diva storms off in a huff, Bram following. "Likewise. See ya," the dedicated boyfriend congratulated as he ran off.
"Congrats on beating all three of us," interjected Romulus.
"Thanks, dude," panted Deuce.
"Go and find your I'll tell Coach Igor that our team surrendered," the werewolf assured.
Nodded, Deuce rushed off toward the exit as he dodged Bram and Gory's returning supporting along the way.
Pulling out his iCoffin on his trek, the now-panicking son of Medusa makes a call.
"Slo-Mo, you find the others yet?"
Hearing an extended groan from the zombie on the other end. Deuce suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Got it. You're a life saver, man! I'll be right over," the aspiring chef sighed in relief. Hanging up, the snake-haired monster turned around and ran towards the nearest set of stairs.
Once out of the catacombs and into the hallway, Deuce put his years of footwork to good use as he sprinted to the front door.
Stopping outside the school building, Deuce sees three thin figures down below. Jumping down for a closer look, the worrying gorgon was down the steps within a few not-so-small hops.
Once a ground, Deuce saw approached by his beloved ghoulfriend sweetheart, Cleo flanked by Slo-Mo and Ghoulia- the latter similarly wet but adorned in her boyfriend's trademark jacket- who shuffled over to their teammates.
Time would soon come for explanations.
Next Time on MFB MH:
Robecca: I am excited for the upcoming Quarter Final battle. The matches promises to be moreexhilerating than my old days as a SKRM all star.
Venus: The path ahead is blossoming with awesome battles. We are going to rock out there for our time in the limelight. The Ghoulfriends are ready to shine.
Rochelle: Intrigue. Majesty. Conflict. All this and more in the next magnifique chapter. Join my friends and myself in battle next time on: "Battle Between Great"
All three: See you there!
A/N: Phew. This was a pain. A labor of love, really. This chapter was easily fifty pages on paper. Regardless, I want to know what you each think of how. If you don't like long, dull explanations feel free to skip everything past the paragraph that starts with "Firstly..."
Anyways, there are three matters I want to discuss:
Firstly, I want to ask you- what little audience I have- what you want out of these ending Author's Notes. Comparisons between the actual series and this fic? Parts of my thought process? Relevant matters from the show that apply to the chapter at hand- like characters and plot? Let me know in a review.
Nextly, since I don't feel like covering this topic later, I'm going to explain the other two reasons why Howleen lost her match, both of which were actually covered in the manga. The first is actually a particular side-effect of Lacerta's Wing Attack. The wind current, while able to unbalance and cripple other beys leave behind a similar current on the opponent that temporearily boosts their raw attack power. The other reason is the basic laws based around mass, momentum, and gravity. In a nutshell, the height of Aquila and Pegasis toward the end of their fights results in their natural power doubling on the way down, with their special moves compounding the damage they can do. Same for Deuce's Gravity Perseus when they used Gravity Brave.
And thirdly, in case I fail to make it that far, I want to tell my fanfic plans. In a nutshell, I'm out to create a series of seven fics that are basically "what if X characters hadBeyblades" and "how would fights from the series actually go in real life" rolled into one.
The basic gist of it is, by series:
1999 (manga) - Hasbro Animated Universe (Inhumanoids, Jem, Transformers (G1, season three), and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero)
V-Force (anime) - Transformers
G-Revolution (manga) - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Metal Fusion (manga) - Barbie
Metal Masters (anime) - Monster High (you're reading it)
Metal Fury (manga) - Hot Wheels (both AcceleRacers and Battle Force 5)
So, yeah. If I DO manage to go all in, it will be the most intensive labor of love ever. At least, this fic is the toughest if the bunch. Just don't expect my next chapter to be fast.
Anyways, I hope you've all enjoyed reading this. Feel free to leave feedback.
