Ruby's Awakening
Chapter 1
World Championships...and Torture

Two Years Later

"Hey, who's this, Grandpa?" Max asked as he and his friends walk into the dojo to see a light-brown-haired boy with blue eyes sitting at the kitchen table.

"This is Rose; he's a friend of Tyson's. He'll be staying here for awhile," Grandpa Granger told the newly formed Mourning Bladebreakers.

"Wait, friend of Tyson? Do you know where he is?" Kai demanded.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I am not legally allowed to tell you," Rose said regretfully.

"Why not? How could it be legal?"

"If I tell you, Silver-Strike will eat me alive," Rose explained, "and the Bitbeast's words are law."

"If you say so," Daichi said doubtfully.

"Yes, I do."

"Guys, guess what? A sword-fighting competition is on! Come watch!" Max exclaimed as he glanced at the clock.

Ray sighed. "It's not like we have anything better to do," he mumbled.

Everyone but Kai and Rose went to the sitting room to watch the competition. Once they had left the room, Rose looked to Kai.

"I'm not watching it!" Kai stated with a bored tone.

"Oh, yes, you are!" insisted Rose.

"No, I'm not."

Rose growled, grabbed Kai's arm, and dragged him into the sitting room. There, he pushed Kai onto the ground and sat on his lap.

"There, now you have to watch," Rose smirked.

"Up next is Ruby, the Dragoon Master, fighting World Champion Jade Lenard," the announcer said.

"Dragoon? You don't think..." Ray began to say.

"I highly doubt it," said Kenny, "he hated kendo with Gramps."

Back with the tournament, Ruby and Jade had just entered the ring and had begun to fight.

Jade was holding her sword to the side, pacing around Ruby, who was standing still with his sword diagonally across his body, ready to defend. Both were waiting for their opponent to make the first move.

Finally, Jade gave up waiting and attacked Ruby, who parried perfectly. For several minutes, that's all that occurred; Jade attacking and Ruby defending. That is, until Ruby finally found an opening and flung Jade's sword away from her, signaling the end of the fight.

The crowd cheered as Jade and Ruby bowed, shook hands, and left the arena.

"Next is..."

An hour later, the competition was over, and Ruby declared the winner. A reporter came on, and a boy with dark blue hair worn in tiny braids with clear beads on the ends of them and electric blue eyes.

"I'm standing here with Ruby, also known as the Dragoon Master. His win declared him as the new World Champion. So, how does it feel?"

"It feels great," Ruby replied politely, "I've been working on this for a long time."

"Well, there you have it. And now, it's time for your local news."

Max turned off the TV, and turned around to see Rose and Kai, Rose still pinning the Phoenix Blader down.

"What's this about, Kai? Becoming a softie?"

Kai growled. "No, he dragged me in here and now he won't move!"

"Then push him!" chirped Daichi.

"I can't!" Kai raged, and his friends laughed. "It's not funny! He pinched the blasted nerve in my hip!"

To say the least, Kai was not pleased when his friends just laughed harder.

"You know, it's not nice to laugh at your friends. If he could've, Kai would have gotten up awhile ago," Rose stated solemnly, covering up his lie.

"So? It's still funny," said Daichi.

"Grr!" Rose growled, jumped up, and pinned Daichi to the ground, now pinching the nerve in his hip.

"How do you like that, Daichi?" Rose asked in a sweet, annoying, and creepy voice.

"Ah, Rose is flirting with Daichi!" Max and Ray said in unison.

Rose turned to them, and tortured them in the same way he had tortured the others before dancing around cheerfully.

"I'm the only sane person around here, aren't I?" Kenny mumbled to himself.

"I think so," Dizzy responded.

A girl identical to Rose walked in and saw the destruction that Rose had caused.

"Rose! Stop torturing those poor, stupid, un-in-formed Bey-Bla-Ders!" she yelled as she hit him on the head with each syllable.