Please, please, please, please, please, please forgive me for taking so long to update! It's been like forever since I've done so! My homework just grew by a whole heap, and when I wasn't doing work I was either eating, sleeping or taking a break. Which meant I wasn't able to update till now! So, once again. I'm sorry. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please review!

Chapter 21: Training Days

Max entered the pool area where everyone was hanging out on the hot day. He didn't feel like having fun though. For once, his smile was not on his face at all. It had been replaced with a frown.

He was confused. He felt uneasy. He knew there was something going on at the academy; he knew someone was pulling the strings. He knew someone was turning kids into his pawns and using them as puppets to do his bidding.

'Why?' thought Max.

The question was buzzing around in his mind like a bee that wouldn't go away. The question was eating away at him. And he couldn't come up with a logical explanation. He and his team had talked about it earlier, and they deduced that there wasn't enough students at the academy to build an army, or a small army at that. Yet kids were being taken by the mysterious foe. But for what? Besides injuring kids, these pawns couldn't do much else. Max sat down on a chair away from everyone else and sighed. He knew at this point in time there was nothing he could do. This whole thing was like a puzzle. And he knew he was trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces. And he was also trying to do it without the box that told him what the puzzle was supposed to look like. He needed to be patient; he needed to wait for the right time. But patients weren't really his strong point. He was more of action first, questions later kind of guy. If he got into trouble along the way, that's when he would think about it.

Max gripped his bey and examined it. It was super shiny after he gave it a clean this morning. For some reason, he felt like his bey had some part in this too. But like the plan this evil foe was conducting, he wasn't sure what it was. Max slipped the bey into his bag and took of his shirt so that he was now only in his red and black swim shorts. He sighed before closing his eyes and leaning back on his chair.

"More!" demanded Jaden as Luke and Artemis were thrown back from Jaden's horrifying new powers. Dark energy radiated through her veins. She had a wicked smile plastered across her face and her eyes were glowing dangerously red and green. Her eyes were like that of a snake, waiting to sink its fangs into its prey.

"Jaden," gasped Luke. "Were tired and hurt. We've been practicing all day. Besides, the Boss told us not to over use the dark power too much. He said there would be consequences."

"So what," scoffed Jaden. "I don't care what that moron thinks. This power is beyond anything I've ever felt. The dark power is increasing my strength every minute. Soon I will be invincible. Soon I will be strong enough to beat Kiara and get my revenge from when she beat me."

"But," objected Luke.

"No buts," spat Jaden. "Besides, shouldn't you be doing the same? Don't you want the power to get revenge on Max? That little twerp got you good, and as much as I would like to stomp him flat, I think it would be better if you did it."

Luke paused for a moment before agreeing. "Okay."

"Good," snorted Jaden. "Artemis." Jaden turned to face Artemis. Even she looked like she should lie down. Jaden had been going full on at them. She also had use steady doses of the dark power, even more careful then her teammates. If she over did it, she would lose control of her powers. And this could end bad for everyone around, including herself. But she didn't like her master as it is, and Jaden had easily convinced her to over do it.

"I'm in," replied Artemis with a wicked smile. "Let's do this. I can't wait to wipe the floor with those losers."

"Team King Destructors are going all the way to the top!" declared Jaden while her teammates laughed maliciously.

Max was awoken by the scream of a boy. He eyes burst open and he watched as a boy watched sadly as his bey was knocked out of an arena near the pool. His opponent laughed and recalled his own. He had curly brown hair and was wearing blue swim shorts.

"That's what you get!" snapped the Opponent.

The Boy looked sadly at his defeated bey. It had scratches and a few small cracks in it from the battle.

"Now say you're sorry!" demanded the Opponent.

"I'm sorry," mumbled the Boy as tears formed in his eyes.

"Say it louder!" snapped the Opponent.

At this point in time, Max had seen enough. He stepped in front of the Boy and faced the Opponent.

"Back off!" warned Max. His words caught the attention of everyone in the pool area.

"Out of the way chump!" demanded the Opponent.

"Never!" replied Max firmly. "No way am I going to let you bully this kid!"

"He was saying how he thought it was funny that I didn't get into the Battle of the Dorms Tournament! He thought it was funny that I was sick and couldn't even try to get in! And I taught him a lesson!" explained the Opponent.

"You totally over reacted!" replied Max. "He probably didn't even mean it that way! You need to learn to calm down!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" snapped the Opponent.

"Then how about I teach you some manners!" suggested Max. "Alright," replied the Opponent. "You've got a deal."

Max and the Bully moved to the special arena in the pool area. The kids had agreed to watch and moved out of the pool. A special arena moved from the bottom of the pool to the surface. Max stood at one end while the Bully stood at the other.

"The names Jones," said the Bully. "Prepare to lose."

"Not in a million years," replied Max.

Max pulled his red and black launcher out and inserted his bey. Jones pulled out a blue and black launcher and prepared his bey also.

Simon was in the middle of a conversation with his bey spirits when he entered the pool area and saw Max about to battle.

'Max,' thought Simon. 'You can never stay out of trouble can you?'

"3!" cried Max.

"2!" added Jones.

"1!' finished the crowd.

"Let it rip!"

Flame Swordsman and Jones' Grand Aquarios spun into battle. Jones smirked at Max's bey as if he knew something Max didn't know.

'I'm going to do this in one move,' thought Max.

"Attack Swordsman!" commanded Max and his bey sprung forward. Like a bullet, his bey shot towards Aquarios and knocked it back. Swordsman then attacked again, steadily pushing Aquarios back near the edge.

Max was focusing so much on attacking, he didn't notice Jones smirking at him sinisterly.

'Look out Max,' thought Simon.

"Pathetic," spat Jones. "Aquarios! Aqua Wave Assault!"

The water from the pool shot out around Aquarios and Swordsman was pushed back.

"Darn it," cursed Max. "Attack again!"

Swordsman shot forward and this time managed to make contact with Aquarios, but hit the Eternal Defense Spin Track. The track spun around, taking Swordsman with it, and leaving it on the edge of the arena.

Max was about to say a series of words he knew would be inappropriate to say at school, and he managed to hold it in.

"Go get him Aquarios!" commanded Jones and his bey smashed into Swordsman, sending it flying into the air. Everyone watching gasped, Max was about to have a heart attack and Jones merely smirked at the sight.

'I can't lose like this,' thought Max. 'I won't.'

"Special move!" roared Max. "Flame Sword Slash!"

The Red Knight appeared and charged down at Aquarios with his flaming sword.

"What a half-baked move," commented Jones.

"Say what?" replied Max.

"Special move!" exclaimed Jones. "Aqua Spiral!"

More water splashed up from the pool and shot up towards Swordsman. The water put out the flames on the Knight's Sword and knocked it off course, making it crash into the arena with a sickening crunch.

Max was speechless, he could see his bey wobbling out of the smoke, but he wasn't happy. He wasn't being his normal self. He wasn't battling the same as he usually did. He was fighting without heart. And that was why he was losing and panicking so much.

'I need to calm down,' thought Max. 'I need to battle with my heart.'

Max closed his eyes and Jones started laughing.

"Looks like you've given up!" declared Jones. "Don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery."

Aquarios leapt forward, and Max's eyes burst open and his bey dodged the attack.

"Go!" cried Max. "Flame Sword Slash!"

The Red Knight appeared once again and swung its flaming sword at Aquarios before Jones had time to react. Aquarios went flying to the other side of the arena, and Max wasn't done there.

"Hit him again!" cheered Max.

Flame Swordsman charged and slashed at Aquarios, sending the water bey flying into the air.

"Now use Flame Spiral!" continued Max.

A spiraling stream of fire shot into the air and knocked Aquarios further into the air.

"Time to end this!" added Max as his bey shot up into the air, overtaking Aquarios in the process.

"Now take him down with Phoenix Fury!" commanded Max.

The Flaming Phoenix appeared and shot downwards, crashing into Aquarios and knocking it into the arena like a bullet. As Phoenix neared to deal the final blow, Jones intervened.

"Water Sphere!" interrupted Jones.

More water from the pool swirled around Aquarios, creating a thick dome of water. The Phoenix crashed into the dome, letting off an explosion of steam. The attacks had canceled each other out and bot beys were spinning at the same speed.

"I never thought you would come this far," commented Jones. "But it ends here."

All the water from the pool drained away and began to swirl around Aquarios.

"This is the final stage of our game," stated Jones. "Special move! Tsunami Explosion!"

The water turned into a miniature tsunami that crashed into Flame Swordsman. The bey was surviving by using the flames to cast away near water into steam, but neither the bey nor the Red Knight could take much more.

"It's over!" laughed Jones.

"Not yet!" cried Max. "I'll never give in! Because a true blader doesn't give up! Blading isn't about attack strength or power! It's about heart, and the power of my heart is shining bright!"

"Good. Now use that power to win this."

Max was surrounded by red aura, and he knew what he had to do.

"Special move!" exclaimed Max. "Salamander Fury!"

The Red Knight's sword erupted with flames and a salamander composed of fire burst from the fiery blade and evaporated all the water in its past.

"Impossible!" cried Jones.

"Not for me!" shot back Max as his bey smashed into Aquarios and knocked it out of the arena with an explosion of fire.

Aquarios fell to the ground at Jones' feet, and he feel to his knees.

Swordsman returned to Max, and he smiled at his bey.

"Blading isn't about revenge," said Max to Jones. "It's about forging bonds with those who you battle with."

Jones smiled, before walking away with nothing but a salute. Max saluted back and looked up at the shining sun. He knew soon he would have to face this mysterious threat, but even then, he would fight for his friends, and with his heart.

I decided to turn down the dark tone of the story a bit with this chapter. Hope you don't mind. Please review! And I'll try and update soon!