Should I be concerned at the fact that after weeks of little to no inspiration or motivation, I've suddenly got the next five to seven chapters planned and halfway wrote out?
For those of you that have been musing about who the final of the Sacred Seven are... your musings are answered here in this chapter!
Read on!
"Orion!"
"Dragonis!"
Ryuto and Chris both threw their arms up to protect their faces as dust and debris exploded from the stadium.
Chris stumbled back a step, eyes narrowed. He tilted his head, "Ah. Right. You're Ryuga's younger brother. Of course you'd be able to take a hit from my Orion."
"Phantom Orion's the ultimate stamina type..." Ryuto muttered, not paying attention to the blonde, "Omega Dragonis is an attack type that can wear down quickly, if I don't put an end to this battle soon." Ryuto scoffed and shook his head, "Hm. L'Drago's mode change would be welcome right now. But I gotta work with what I got. Alright then- Dragonis!"
Dragonis pulsed a bright teal color, and shot up the side of the stadium, and into the air.
"Lookie here, ladies and gentlemen! Looks like Ryuto is going to try for an attack from an above!"
"Won't work!" Chris smirked, "Orion! Special Move, Hunter's Barrage!"
"Dragonis! Special Move, Hammer Bolt!" Ryuto yelled.
A shockwave erupted as the two Beys met in midair, blinding everyone who was watching.
Ryuto strained his ears, cursing under his breath as he still heard the sound of two Beys spinning steadily. He swept his hand through the dust, eyes adjusting enough for him to see that both Orion and Dragonis were still in the stadium.
"You withstood Orion's attack? How!" Chris exclaimed.
"Uh... to be honest, I have no clue?" Ryuto scratched the back of his head, and adjusted his stance, "Come on Dragonis! Let's finish him off!"
"Not today! Orion!" Chris swept his hand out, a magenta light surrounding his form.
"Here we go, these two Bladers are going all out in this win or lose battle! With the stakes of being permanently knocked out of the World Championships, the stakes can't get any higher! It all rests on these two Bladers to see who goes on to the next round of the Wild Card matches!"
The two Beys continued to trade blows in the stadium, not backing down as both Bladers kept pushing themselves, trying to find an opening in their oppenent's moves.
"Ah! Chris!" From the team stage, Tyler shouted, looking up from his tablet, "Dude, you gotta figure out a way to win this fast! Orion's stamina is starting to decrease! If this battle keeps going on the way it is, you'll lose on a sleep out, or Orion's power will decrease so much that you'll get a stadium out!"
"Keep it up, Ryuto!" Nefertiti yelled, "You have him! Don't stop now, you're wearing him down!"
Ryuto panted, and wiped a bead of sweat rolling down his chin.
Sure, but already this battle has taken a lot out of me, Ryuto thought. Dragonis can't last much longer. But... if Chris' stamina is weakening, then so is his power. I might be able to finish this off with a special- no... no, not special move. I need something stronger. I need an ultimate move...
"Dragon Emporer Supreme Flight!"
Ryuga's voice rang clear in Ryuto's mind, the sight of his own ultimate move always a vision that sent shivers up the younger Katashi's spine.
Mm... there's no way I can compare to that, but... I can do this. I know I can... Dragonis... let's do this. We can do this... I know we can!
"Dragonis!"
Chris straightened, something in Ryuto's voice catching his attention. The younger's Blader spirit had flashed up around him, and with it, the image of a figure in teal robes, with black and white hair. Chris blinked, and the image faded.
"Ultimate Move, Flight of the Dragon!"
Chris' eyes went wide as the image of a dragon burst into the air, roaring loudly as the spirit took to the skies, disappearing into the clouds above. The clouds darkened, lightning crackling through the air as thunder shook the earth and heavens.
"Orion!" Chris called, "Special Move, Barnard's Loop!"
A hush fell over the stadium as the sky burst into white light, shockwaves sending people falling back into their seats.
Chris swiped his hand through the dust, straining his eyes to see what had happened. His heart leapt into his throat as the results were revealed.
"Chris Cadelle wins it!"
The rest of team Shadowhunters erupted into cheers seconds ahead of the spectators watching.
Chris' chest heaved and he grinned, reaching his hand out to catch Orion when it flew back into his palm. Across the stadium, Ryuto fell to his knees, eyes wide as he reached a shaky hand out to pick up his fallen Dragonis.
"Hey," Chris called over, catching the younger's attention. He gave Ryuto a thumbs up, "If you want a rematch, come find me after we win the World Championships. You've got some skills I wouldn't mind helping you hone."
Ryuto blinked, before a smile split across his features. He stumbled to his feet, pocketing Dragonis, "Careful, blondie. I just might take you up on your offer."
"Chris!"
Chris turned, yelping as he got tackled by his sister, Tithi, and Toby.
"You did it! You won! We're moving on!" Christina cheered.
"Way to go!" Toby grinned.
"That was such a fun looking battle!" Tithi giggled.
"Thanks, guys," Chris breathed, and he looked up as Masamune and Tyler rushed over. He tossed Tyler Orion, "I, ah... think Orion could use some working on?"
Tyler rolled his eyes as he took in the scratches on the warrior wheel and facebolt, "Mainly superficial, but I'll have you up and running by your next battle."
"Ooh, yeah, who do we battle next?" Tithi hopped up and down, eyes shining brightly.
"Hm, let's see here..." Masamune pulled his phone out, frowning a little, "Ah! Here we go. Japan and China are to battle this afternoon, in Japan. Whoever loses that battle is going to be put up against the Russian team... and whoever wins that battle is who we end up against, and whoever wins that goes on to the finals! We're so close, guys!"
"We've got this, kiddos," Tyler said, as he ruffled both Masamune and Tithi's hair. "Just watch- we'll be at the top of the world in no time."
"You did well, Ryuto," Nile said, reassuringly.
"Yes," Nefertiti agreed. "It was, after all, probably only a matter of time before we might have been knocked out. But seriously- you managed to hold your own against Chris!"
"Indeed," Dynamis smiled, and patted Ryuto's shoulder with a small smile. "You did a pretty good job in a battle with a Legendary Blader."
"And that's coming from the guy who got blindsided by his protege," Nefertiti smirked, elbowing Dynamis in the ribs.
Dynamis rolled his eyes, "And I can not say a thing, considering you won against Christina."
Nefertiti giggled, and turned back to Ryuto, poking at him as she, Nile, and Demure continued to encourage him.
Hm, Dynamis thought. I'm sure that, wherever they were watching from, that Taylor and his friends saw today's battles. I wonder if they've come to the same conclusion as I have, that Ryuto is Air warrior... That would make four of the seven have been successfully found. Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. We're missing Nature, Death, and... Dynamis' eyes slid over to Nefertiti, Maybe Life. Though, I have my suspicions... I think Nefertiti might be the element of Life. I wish she could have gotten fired up enough in one of her battles so that I could prove it...
"- right, Dynamis?" Demure's voice caught the Jupiter Blader's attention.
"I'm sorry?" Dynamis blinked, "I'm sorry, I was in thought. Could you repeat that?"
"I asked, you'll stay with us and join us when we go to the World Championships after party, yes?" Demure asked.
"Please?" Ryuto clasped his hands together and pulled out a set of puppy dog eyes that had Dynamis chuckling.
"Of course, my friends. I wouldn't miss it, or seeing the rest of our friends, for the world," Dynamis smiled.
"Oh, good, I thought you were gonna say there was the possibilty of a world wide threat that you'd have to keep an eye on and that you couldn't go. Hey! Why don't we go get lunch!" Ryuto turned back to the others, missing the way Dynamis' smile faltered just enough to be noticable.
And Nile did notice.
As the other three started arguing over what to eat, Nile nudged Dynamis, "Hey... if there's something you need to do, we won't hold it against you."
Dynamis shook his head, "It is fine, Nile." His smile came back, though it was a small, sad one, "It's just, the irony of Ryuto's statement is that there is always something threatening our world... it's just a matter of when and where the evil decides to strike."
"Japan and China... Why does it seem like our two countries are always fated to go head to head with each other?" Xue sighed, dramatically.
Kuro snorted, "Fated?"
"World Championships, Tag Team Tournament, and now World Championships again," Chao Xin clarified.
"Oh," Kuro blinked. Her brow furrowed, "Didn't Beylin Temple lose to Gingka and Yuki at the Tag Team Tournament?"
Bao choked on his drink as Wang Hu Zhong all adopted looks of despair, "Oh, yeah I could have burst out laughing then. It was kind of amusing, since the Beylin Fist wanted so badly to prove our power back then."
Kuro chuckled, and ruffled her brother's hair. She glanced over at Xue, "How are Hades Crown's repairs coming?"
"Slow," Xue sighed. "I still have the warrior wheel and performance tip to repair, and I'm not sure that I can have it done by the finals, if I'm gonna be honest."
Bao's face fell, "Seriously?"
"Sorry, red. I'm trying, but it's a slow process..."
"Hey, Kuro, can I talk to you for a minute?" Aguma muttered, just loud enough for the ravenette to hear. He stood from the table, and Kuro lifted herself off the ground to follow her friend outside the mess hall.
Unintentionally, her shoulders fell as the noise became muffled behind the shutting doors.
"Whatcha need, big guy?" Kuro asked, crossing her arms.
"How do you want to split the battles up tomorrrow?" Aguma put his hands into his pockets.
"Uh, hasn't Xue or Da Xiang already done that?" Kuro frowned.
Aguma shook his head, "Not this time. I talked them out of it, told them to let us have the element of surprise."
"Oh," Kuro blinked. "That's smart. This far into the World Championships. Hm... I'd say I could handle Hikaru, if you want to take one of the others two. Who do you feel like would be your best bet?"
"Kakeru," Aguma answered, instantly.
Kuro's eyebrows went up, "Stamina versus defense? Is that a good idea?"
"It's more of a test of power," Aguma said. His voice fell to a murmur, "Between you and me, there's something about Kyoya's brother that has me... interested, to put it lightly."
"Ah... I've seen how powerful he is. You think you can handle him?" Kuro cocked an eyebrow.
"Do you think you can handle Hikaru?"
Kuro snorted, "Of course. Now, what if one of us wins and one of us loses? Do a tag team match?"
"Hikaru and Platina, if it comes to that," Aguma nodded. "We'll both be worn out form our former battles to try and go in for a powerful match. Not to be rude about the girls, but Hikaru and Platina are nowhere near Kakeru's level, even if they've been training under Ryuga, Kyoya, and Gingka."
"The big three," Kuro muttered. She cleared her throat, "Well, glad we sorted that out, let's go back and finish eating-"
"Kuro," Aguma's hand landed heavily on Kuro's shoulder. "You do realize, that depending on the Wild Card matches, we could potentially go against the Russian team?"
Kuro froze, shoulders tightening in anxiety, "... yeah, I know."
"I need to know that if that happens, you won't lose it like you did last time," Aguma said, gravely. "I need you to look me in the eye and say that you won't lose your temper."
Kuro swallowed, "I..."
"Bao might be able to battle by then," Aguma said, quietly. "We could always do a team battle? Me or you with him?"
"I don't want him battling Russia," Kuro said, slowly. "Not alone, at least. I... can't say I wouldn't lose my temper. If... if it comes to it, I think it would be best that you and I battle singularly, and if it comes to a tiebreaker, you and Bao."
Aguma searched Kuro's face, silently judging her. After a moment, he released her, and straightened, "Thank you for being honest with me."
"You're one of the few people I am honest with, big guy," Kuro allowed a small smirk to cross her face. "And, Aguma?"
"Hm?"
"... thanks for checking in with me. That... means a lot,"
It was Aguma's turn to smirk, "No problem. If you need to talk again... you know where to find me."
Next chapter... Showdown! China Vs. Japan!
Then after that... we find out who goes on to battle the Russian team. Mwuahahaha….
Leave a review and let me know how you liked this chapter! Until next time...
Ciao!