"My Way or the Highway"
Alexis was at the dome, looking for the Blade Breakers down at the box they were in for their last match before they see if they would be going up against the All Starz team.
Like normal, Kai was the first one she found for some odd reason.
He seemed to be able to tell that she was there because e turned around, the movement making his long white scarf whip around gracefully.
She smiled at him in greeting as she walked over to him.
"Hey. So where are the others?" she asked.
"Probably looking for Tyson." he said.
"Does he make a habit out of being late?" she asked.
Kai scoffed and crossed his arms.
"If he was actually early or on time, it would be a sure sign of the apocalypse." he said.
Alexis laughed, placing her hands on her hips, surprised with how at ease the two bladers felt around each other, Kai actually let a small grin make its way onto his lips.
"He sounds like Michael." Alexis said.
"By the way, what happened to him after you dragged him off?" Kai asked.
The navy haired girl's lips quirked upwards in a smug fashion as her nose wrinkled as she remembered what happened after the stunt the American had pulled yesterday at their match.
The dual haired boy's face took on a look of amusement as he noticed how hard the girl was trying to not smile or laugh about what she had done.
"Let's just say...he got in some over time practise." she said.
"And is unable to battle?" he asked, eyebrow rose.
"Pretty much." she sang playfully getting a laugh out of him.
He stopped and his face went back to its usual cold mask as the other members of his team came over, Max running over to his sister and flinging his arms around her to give her a hug that nearly sent her toppling over onto the ground.
She hugged him back, laughing as she ruffled his hair, Kenny and Ray greeting her kindly before Kai demanded to know if they had found out where Tyson was, but they had no luck.
Alexis volunteered to go off and find him, but was stopped by a weird groaning noise.
The group all turned to see Tyson had finally shown up, but was sickly pale, his eyes looked dead and his cheeks were sore like he had been throwing up.
"Hey, guys, what's happening? Oh, hi there, Alexis, good to see you again. Are you guys ready to rock, 'cause I know I am." Tyson said, wobbling on his feet.
"T-Tyson?" Kenny asked as he, Ray, Max and Alexis stepped back, freaked out by his living dead look.
"That's my name; don't wear it out, Chief. I know you think I got sick from eating too much yesterday, but its Dragoon who's feeling under the weather. He'll be fine soon. He just needs to settle his stomach, that's all." the boy said.
Kai and Alexis shared a look of disbelief reflected in their red eyes.
"He does or you?" Kenny said.
Tyson's stomach started making some gross noises and he held it in pain.
"I just need to...wash my hands, that's all!" Tyson said as he started to go for the restroom.
"I told him that fifth trip to the buffet was a mistake. He'll have that stomach ache all day!" Kenny said exasperated.
"What's he planning on doing? Grossing out the other team with stomach noises?" Max asked.
"He's doing a fine job at it to me." Alexis dead panned putting a hand on her brother's shoulder.
"We'll have to list Tyson as an unhealthy. He can't compete." Kenny said making Tyson rush over to them.
"But, chief, it's the semi-final match of the American tournament!"
"I know that."
"I'm part of this team! I can't just sit on the side lines!" Tyson yelled getting up close to Kenny's face, desperation clear in his face.
"Dude, you look like a zombie." Alexis remarked crossing her arms.
"That'll scare our opponents!"
"The only thing scary is your desperation." Kai said making the female blunette bite her lip to hide her amusement as the boys all looked at him.
"You can barely stand, let alone fight, Tyson."
"I may be a bit wobbly, but I'm fine." Tyson said making the girl give him a hard look like the dual haired boy was.
"Are you kidding me? A light breeze could blow you over." Kai and Alexis chorused, making everyone stare at them in surprise.
"Says you two!" Tyson yelled weakly, but fell over when Kenny blew on him.
"I wouldn't make any of my team mates' fight in that condition, even if I didn't like them. I'd throw them in a hospital room while they recovered instead of making it worst." Alexis said, her red eyes flashing.
She may not like her team mates and how they act, but she would be damned if she allowed them to hurt themselves in any way. She still cared for their wellbeing, even when she would hit them for not doing anything to train, respecting her or anyone else and would let their egos get in the way of their thinking.
"Someone has to substitute for Tyson in the third session." Kai said.
"It can't be either Max or me." Ray said making Alexis look at him with a look that asked if he were stupid.
"So I will." Kai said, shocking everyone.
"Kai, you mean-" Kenny was cut off by Tyson pushing past him to look at their captain.
"Are you sure?" Tyson asked.
Alexis looked at all of them confused.
Why wouldn't Kai want to battle?
After all, he is their captain and the only other member on the team who could blade, so why was it such a surprise for him to offer to take Tyson's place?
"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom!" Tyson yelled as he ran away after his stomach started acting up again, everyone giving him disturbed looks.
"That was some quick thinking, Kai." Kenny complimented, making him sigh.
"What other choice did we have, Kenny?"
"Don't pretend that this is a chore for you. You like to beyblade as much as we do. You'll have fun filling in for Tyson." Kenny said with a smile making Kai scoff.
"Not against this team I won't." he said.
Alexis looked over to see Spintensity was on the other side of the beydish, Mario from the charity math standing there smugly with his two team mates, a purple haired girl named Frankie and a blonde, tanned man named Luiz.
"Spintensity is one of those question mark teams and that means you'll never know what they're going to do." Kai said.
"Ah, don't worry. I bet you guys will beat them hands down." Alexis said.
"Just keep you focus, don't underestimate them, use your head and do your best. It'll be an easy win." she said.
"I hope you're right, Alexis." Ray said.
The match then began with Max going up against Luiz, the younger blonde looking up to the stands to see that his and Alexis' mother was there watching the match.
Alexis looked up at her other with narrowed eyes, knowing that she was just there to gather information and not watch her own son's match, which really got on her nerves.
Max was her real child, not her, so Judy should be putting some time in her busy schedule for him.
The beydish was based off of a track in New Jersey that had the statue of Liberty in the center, the track looking very difficult with all the turns and loops it made.
Luiz was a dancer and powered his beyblade with his dancing and Alexis was annoyed by the horrible samba music that was playing.
Max was struggling, but Kai advised him to follow the beats that Luiz was using to turn the tables on him and won.
Luiz playfully suggested that he could teach Max how to dance sometime, making Alexis pull her brother away from the beydish, saying that he didn't need any dance lessons as long as he didn't copy their father's moves.
Ray and Frankie were up next and it turned into a battle of speed between them.
Frankie pulled a few optical illusions, but they didn't work on Ray as he tore up the track and sent her blade flying back into her hands.
During their match though, Alexis couldn't help but notice that it seemed like they were flirting, but shook it off since it wasn't her business in the first place.
Lastly were Kai and Mario.
Tyson had come in, feeling better and he and Max went off to go see Judy since she had left before.
Kai easily knocked Mario's blade out of the dish and the Blade Breakers were declared the winners.
After the match, Kai went up to talk with Alexis, the two of them walking together outside away from the eyes of others.
"So, I guess you're not going to be participating in the finals then?" she asked.
"No, I'm not. Are you?" he asked.
"Nope." she shook her head from side to side.
They both stopped outside of the dome, looking up at the sky, taking in the beautiful colors of the sunset.
"I guess you already know about our Bit Beasts acting up around each other." Kai said suddenly.
Alexis looked at him, her red his looking exactly like his with the same determination and curiosity in them.
"Yeah, I do. What I don't know is why." she said.
"Maybe there's a way we can find out." Kai said turning his body to fully face her.
"And that is?" she asked copying his stance.
"A battle. Between the two of us." he said.
Alexis thought it over, startled by the cried of her Dramon and the dual haired boy's Dranzer.
They sounded like they were protesting the prospect of the battle, but their masters ignored them.
They needed to know what the connection between the two beasts were and if a battle was the only way to do it, then that's what they were going to do.
"We'll meet at the hotel at 8:00 pm on the dot." Alexis said.
"On the roof." Kai added.
"Don't tell anyone." Alexis said as if she were reading his mind.
They both nodded in agreement, then parted ways, neither of them aware of the two narrowed gold eyes watching them after hearing the entire conversation.
TBC...