Don't you guys ever find it weird how they yell 'let it rip?' I always think of something else... O_o' Am I the only one?
"Nile, why did you enter this selection tournament?" Kyoya asks as they walk down the quiet streets of Rock City. The sun had already begun to set.
"It was my only chance, there just weren't any good bladers in my own country. Since the World Championships is run on teams, there was no other way for me to qualify for it. I knew that if I came here I could meet strong bladers. If I get into the World Championships I can battle strong ones. That's why I entered." Niles explains.
"I see..."
"So, what about you, Kyoya? You mentioned that there is an opponent you need to defeat in the World Championships."
Kyoya dodges the question. "Nile, you've got the right stuff, buddy."
"Huh?"
"Hey, you guys!" a voice calls. Nile and Kyoya whip around and pulls out their Beys thinking it to be another ambush of some sort.
Marcus pokes his head out from a covered pot hole in the road. "Ah!"
"Oh, it's you..." They lower their launchers.
"Heheh... Come down here, guys..." Marcus beckons creepily. Kyoya and Nile glance at each other before shrugging and following Marcus down the man hole. They carefully make their way down rungs attached to the side before landing in a spacious underground room.
"An underground shelter?" Kyoya asks in amazement.
"Yeah, there are several large underground shelters scattered around Rock City. It's a good thing I looked that up before coming here." Marcus waves his hand around at the stacked boxes of provisions.
"Have you been hiding here this whole time?" Nile asks in a slightly accusing tone.
"What's the point of fighting all of those goofballs? If we stay hidden in here, for the rest of the time we'll automatically get the representative positions, isn't that right?"
"I suppose so... Hey, so, Marcus..." Kyoya begins.
"Huh?"
"Why did you enter this selection tournament, anyway?"
"In my country, there's a super strong talented team of bladers. There's no way I'd be able to beat them in a fair fight. But in this country tournament, I stand a good chance of winning for sure! Yeah, so there you have it!" Marcus replies, confident in his answer.
"In other words, you ran away from a fight..."
"Huh, say what?"
"Marcus..."
"Hmph...!"
"You totally fail the test...!"
"Ehh?!"
There's sudden pounding on the door, alerting the three that there are others trying to get in as well.
"It's the others!" Marcus runs to the door and pushes back against it. "There're too many of them! If they get in here, we're doomed!"
"Move! I'll send them all flying at once!" Kyoya snarls fiercely.
"D-Don't do it! I-If you battle in a place like this, we'll get caught in the crossfire, too! Quick, grab those! Bring them over here right now!" Marcus points at the barrels on the other side of the room.
"Guess there's no choice!" Nile growls. They run over to the other side. As soon as they step onto the blue tarp covering the ground, they begin to fall into a deep hole.
"Ahhh!"
"H-Hey! Wh-Whaaat...?!"
They scramble to grab onto the blue tarp to catch their fall. Marcus steps on the other end, leaving Kyoya and Nile hanging.
"Oops, sorry, I forgot to tell you that there's a hole in the ground over here." Marcus apologizes sarcastically.
"Ergh... Marcus... why you!"
"You shouldn't have let your guard down! This is a competition for a chance to be a representative for the World Championships after all!"
"But... But, why? You already have a bracelet, so what's the deal?" Nile demands. Marcus chuckles evilly. Two other guys walk up on either side of him, also laughing. "Who are you guys?"
"Actually, my friends here are participating in the selection tournaments as well! They do as I say, so I want to go to the Championships as Team Marcus! Get it? … Louie! Tony!" He turns to the two guys respectively. They reach down and take the bracelets.
"Hey, look on the bright side, fellas..." Louie starts.
"... we'll send you a postcard from the World Championships, not to worry." Tony finishes with a grin.
"What about Bones? The fourth bracelet?" Kyoya questions, trying to stall for time.
Marcus and the other two glance at each other nervously with what seems like frightened appearances. "N-None of your business!"
"Eh?"
Marcus regains his confidence and stands up once more. "Bye bye, now! Have a nice trip!" He steps back from the tarp, letting Nile and Kyoya drop into the sewers.
"Ahh!"
"C'mon, let's go!" Marcus commands.
"Yeah!"
As they turn tail and run, Marcus unnoticeably shivers. Bones...
~("~) (~")~
Nile and Kyoya land in the sewers, creating a large splashes.
"Marcus, that jerk!" Kyoya snarls.
"He's mine!" Nile threatens. They fume for a few moments before looking around at their surroundings. "How do we get out of this dump?" They climb out of the water, shaking themselves dry.
A small light appears at the one end of the dark tunnel. The two bladers squint and spot a familiar cloaked figure carrying a lantern.
"Bones?!"
Said person wordlessly beckons them to follow as the figure turns around and heads down the passageway. The two quickly hurry after the mysterious person, falling into step next to the cloaked blader.
"How did you find us?" Kyoya asks, trying to dry himself by wringing out his clothes.
"I was sleeping down here. You two woke me up." Bones replies lowly.
Kyoya looks around at the dark and damp setting. "Why would you sleep here...?"
"No one comes down here. It's peaceful..." Bones holds up a pale wrist, flashing a familiar metallic bracelet. It showed there was about nine hours left of the battle. Kyoya and Nile growl, both remembering what had happened to theirs. "... I'm assuming Marcus got to you both."
"Huh? How did you know?" Nile asks in surprise. "Come to think of it, when we mentioned your name, he seemed pretty nervous..." Bones smirked, although no one else could see it.
"He tried to take mine as well. Let's just say, I taught him an unforgettable lesson." Bones replies shortly. Nile raises an eyebrow at the dark tone insinuated.
"Say, Bones, why'd you come to this selection tournament in the first place?" Kyoya asks. Nile stares at him questioningly.
He's been asking everyone with a bracelet this question... What's he up to?
"... Where I'm from, some people aren't allowed to participate. I'm one of those people... So, I came here in order to win a spot as representative." Bones explains carefully.
"Hm..."
"What kind of people?" Nile asks out of curiosity.
Bones ignores the question and points to a ladder, "... We're here." They all climbed out of another man hole and are greeted with the rising full moon.
"I'll be leaving you here. I have other matters to attend to." Bones mutters before turning around the opposite direction.
"Well, thanks for the help, anyways." Kyoya begrudgingly calls out to Bones' retreating form. The cloaked figure merely raises an arm in a backwards farewell before disappearing in the darkness.
Not even five minutes later, Kyoya and Nile could hear yells as well as the familiar sounds of Beys clashing.
~("~) (~")~
"Where'd those rats run off to?" Kyoya and Nile had run up and down what seemed like every single street of Rock City in search of Marcus and his two 'friends.'
"Hey, Kyoya! Nile!" another voice resounds from behind the pair. They both pivot around to identify the noise. The dark skinned guy from the yellow group stands before them with his Bey already in his launcher, ready to attack. "I challenge you! Battle me, right now!"
The two bladers sigh in exasperation. "I don't have the bracelet anymore..."
"Neither do I." They both hold up their wrists to prove that they, in fact, do not have the metallic bracelets anymore.
"Huh?" the guy asks in pure shock. How could anyone win against them...?
"We don't have time to waste battling with you! Marcus, you swine, where'd you go?!" Kyoya demands to no one in particular.
"Marcus...?" the other guy repeats softly. Why him?
Nile clenches his fists. "He doesn't have the guts to stay in town and there are plenty of places to hide outside."
"Uh... well... you know... If you're looking for Marcus, he's right over there..." the dark skinned guy points to a nearby rock formation in the distance, just outside of town.
"What?" Kyoya and Nile ask in unison. "You sure?"
"Yeah... Why do you need him anyways?"
"We'll explain while we run... C'mon!" Kyoya demands, taking off. Nile follows, not far behind.
As they sprint past buildings that line either side of the street. One of them suddenly explodes just as they are passing by. Kyoya, Nile, and the other all raise their arms to their face, coughing as debris rains down around them. A dark figure steps out from the cloud of dust.
"Bones!"
Said person whips his or her cloaked head around to face the trio standing there in surprise. "Ah... you two again." The dark skinned guy's eyes widen at the scene inside the building. He could see at least a dozen bodies sprawled across the floor with their Beys motionless beside them.
"What happened?" Nile questions, waving the dust away from his face.
The black cloak rustles as the person inside shrugs. "They decided to ambush me inside... What idiots." The figure raises the bracelet to eye level. "Seven and a half hours to go..." Kyoya and Nile jolt back into reality.
"Bones, I challenge you to a battle!" the dark skinned person behind the two raises his launcher, albeit a bit shakily. Bones sighs. Before the cloaked blader could reply, Kyoya cuts into their conversation.
"We've gotta hurry and get our bracelets back! No time for battling, now!" he snarls impatiently.
"You still haven't found them, yet?" Bones deadpans. The two shake their head in slight embarrassment.
"Well... we know where he is now... Thanks to him." Nile argues, tilting his head towards said person.
"Might as well follow..." Bones looks up at the moon, high in the starry night. "There's nothing to do here, anyways." The four of them take off once more.
"How are we going to reach them in time?!" Nile asks as they speed over rocky terrain. Kyoya frowns in deep thought.
"I know a shortcut..." Bones mutters, veering off to one side. The other three follow, placing their fate into Bones' pale hands.
~("~) (~")~
Abunai: That's all, folks!
Kyoya: You sound like an idiot...
Demure: *sweatdrops*
Abunai: Shaddup! You wish you were as awesome as I am!
Kyoya: Tch... As if...
Abunai: *sticks out tongue* You know, if you aren't nice to me, I'll make you do something super awkward in the next chapter! I am the author, afterall... *grins evilly*
Kyoya: *eyes widen* You wouldn't...
Abunai: Try me!
*Kyoya growls*
Demure: *chuckles nervously* Alright... Let's all calm down now...
Abunai: Never! I will always like cheese!
*Kyoya and Demure sweatdrop*