[Blitzkrieg Boys]
Boris and the boys finally unloaded from the plane and headed to their respective luggage zone once announced over the intercom.
"Ugh, talk about boring!" Ian was groaning as he was adjusting his hat from over his eyes.
"That's what happens when your coach is King of Antisocials." Spencer proclaims along with a gesture toward the purple haired male in front of them.
Bryan was silently nodding his head in agreement while Tala was following up in the rear.
"I thought you said some woman caught his eye. Where's she at when you need her?" The silver haired teen directed at the shortest member in their group.
Ian focuses on their coach when he speaks up, "So I'm the only one that noticed?"
"If you watch him long enough you'll see exactly what I'm talking about." The purple haired male was boldly affirming with a smirk on his face.
The traveling quad was meticulously observing their coach yet there were no apparent signs shown to any of the three nonbelievers.
"So much for your prediction, pipsq…" Boris unexpectedly bumped against a visible metallic sign, which instantly proved that Ian's prediction at least held some truth.
"And there you have it!" He was eagerly pointing out with a cocky smile across his face only to have his silver haired teammate counterclaiming, "That was a fluke."
Once again Boris bumped against yet another visible sign, which he clearly could have avoided if he was aware of his surroundings.
"That still doesn't prove anything. He's wearing his Optic googles." Spencer reasons as he turns toward them until Tala makes known, "No he isn't."
Ian maintained that same smirk, except his arms were folded and declared, "I told you so."
[F Dynasty + Barthez Battalion]
"Are those two ever going to stop talking?" Claude annoyingly gripes along with a roll of his eyes at the sight of the pair in front if them.
Mathilda was then peering around her teammate to see Julia and Miguel in the midst of a rather engaging conversation.
"I think they look pretty good together." She genuinely complimented, which unknowingly prompted him to halt in his stride to retort, "What?!"
"And I thought you were Mr. Observant…" The pink haired teen shockingly quips about his reaction to her comment.
It was at that moment did he finally registered just how close they were to the point that the back of their hands frequently brushed against each other.
There were even gentle touches to the arm and giggles along with the occasional prolong eye contact that was longer than deem normal.
The light blue haired male tightens his hands until they ball in to fists unbeknown to the lone female member on their squad.
'We won't have to worry about her being a distraction much longer.'
[Bladebreakers + PPB AllStarz]
Judy closely studies the rather irritable yet blank expression present on Hiro's face.
Her eyes locked in on the contraption around his ears when she inwardly noted, 'I got to find a way to get a rid of those buds.'
"Man that was a short flight," Max was lipping about the length of the flight once they were surfacing out of the tunnel.
His Ocean Blue eyes glanced back at this other teammates when he queried "Back in your home country, eh Rei?"
"I guess." He says.
"It's a homecoming, cheer up!" The blonde was encouragingly urging him along with a jostle to the side.
"Hiro!" Judy audibly shouted along with a tap on his shoulder.
"What do you want?!" He annoyingly grills once he removes the buds from his ear and faces the blonde woman.
"You seem a bit up tight." The woman was speaking up with an expression of concern for him.
A "tsk" along with "women" slips from his lips before he returns the headphones back in his ears.
It took a few seconds until it finally dawned on her about the reason behind his rather sour behavior.
[Yuan]
"Back like we never left," Wenling was amusingly jokes as their team was starting to secure their luggage from the metallic machine.
"What's wrong, Aud?" Hiromi inquisitively posed to her friend, who moped about with a frown on her face.
The dirty blonde was peeking up through her bangs to break her silence, "I didn't get to talk to Ozuma on the flight."
"I see." The young teen says when suddenly a red streak catches her sights. "Wait…there he is! Go say something."
Her eyes briefly glanced at the colorful luggage that continuously circled around when she mentioned, "But my luggage,"
"Don't worry, I'll pick it up. Now go!" Hiromi was sternly asserting before pushing her teammate in the direction of the Saint Shields team.
'Is that White Tiger X?' Wenling inwardly wondered after she caught a glimpse of the other China representatives on the opposite side.
She was then sensing a pair of golden eyes staring directly at her, which was prompting her to wave with a wide smile on her face.
"What were you looking at?" Mao curiously pops the question since he did not respond to her first question.
He quickly huffed, "Nothing,"
A "hm" was emits from her lips before curiosity was getting the better of her so she was peeking around the metallic contraption only to see a familiar brunette slowly dropping her hand to her side.
"Jerk" instantly slipped from her lips once she realized what exactly happened.
The pink haired teen roughly grinds her elbow into her brother's side and demands, "Wave back."
Visible irritation graced his face when he automatically denied her request with a, "No,"
"Do it!" She discernibly demands, however the raven haired male remains steadfast, "No,"
"What are you arguing about?" Master Tao was giving the siblings the third degree due to their constant arguing in public.
Mao immediately ratted him out, "Lee's being a jerk to the young lady from dinner by ignoring her waving at him."
Their coach narrows his sights in on the belligerent teen when he firmly advises, "You should at least be a gentleman and acknowledge the young woman."
Lee merely ignored their suggestions, secured his baggage and walked away from the team.
"What are we going to do Master Tao?"
At the same time…
Audrey attempted to call out to Ozuma only to have been suddenly blocked by what appeared as their personal bodyguards.
"Welcome back, your grandfather anxiously awaits your arrival." One of them relays a message on to him on after he breaks through the ring of men.
"Probably for you know what?" Miriam was deliberately hinting after spotting the dirty blonde from Yuan in front of some of the guards.
Ozuma merely folded his arms in front of his chest and regarded, "We won't know until we get there."
"Ozuma," She was confidently addressing him by his name this time, which was appearing to finally reaching him.
The blue haired teen physically gestures in her direction while she teasingly comments, "Your girlfriend's calling you."
"I l…" Audrey was about to finish her sentence until the young man audibly interrupts her with, "See you around, Audrey."
The blonde could only watch as the Saint Shields were swiftly escorted out of the airport by the group of burly men.
"Damnit, snubbed again." She was somberly groaning while shaking her fist to curse at her sudden turn of fortune.
"Too bad you can't spend more QT with your girlfriend." Miriam jokingly chides once they load up the car only to have him completely ignore her.
[Bladebreakers]
"Oh…this is swanky!" Max issued a compliment once they arrived in front of the host hotel for that leg of the tournament.
"Takao," A voice speaks his name, which prompts him to direct his sight onto his raven haired teammate.
"Make sure you check on Hiro, he's been in a bad mood ever since we left." Rei was recommending while entering through a revolving door.
The bluenette merely stared at his older brother's back as he led the way to the front desk.
"We aren't the only ones here already." Kai breaks his silence after he spots his old team off to the side along with Barthez Battalion, F Dynasty and PPB Allstars currently in the lobby.
Meanwhile…
"Cheer up Aud!" Hiromi was positively encouraging with a gentle pat to her back when following up with, "He said he'll see you around."
The word "crybaby" swiftly produced from Archimedes' lips at the sight of the somber dirty blonde still down in the dumps.
"Romi," A familiar masculine voice shouted out a moniker that only one person is allowed to call her.
"Takao, when did you get here?" The brunette enquiringly questions at the sight of her former teammate, who draws closer to her and her team.
A smile was materializing on his face at the sight of her when providing a response, "Not too long ago,"
"Hello ladies!" Max eagerly greeted them with a wide smile and his bright personality, which earned a, "Just great!"
He then gently hooks one of his arms around Audrey's neck to merrily disclose, "The rooms aren't ready yet so we're stuck in the lobby."
Wenling peeked around the Bladebreakers to scope out the other teams before she realized that there were two more teams absent. 'I mean it is their hometown.'
"How was you girls' flight?" Max was easily redirecting the topic of conversation to something a bit more engaging for the,mot talk about.
"We flew with White Tiger X and Saint Shields but all in all it was a good flight." Hiromi provided an answer.
"Where's Hiro?" She quickly follows up with her question only to earn a simple response of, "Sulking," from the young blunette male.
The brunette was merely shaking her head all while divulging, "Mhm, Meifeng been distant too."
"I thought there were four of you." Archimedes voiced after she mentally counted the number of people present in the Bladebreakers team.
"Yeah, where's Kai?" Hiromi was instantly enquiring about the young man since he was the one missing out on their impromptu outing yesterday.
"He was with Hiro but…" Takao claims right before he peers over his shoulder to search for the fourth member of their squad.
"He's with his old team." Rei was stating after eventually locating him because of his unusual hair color for his age.
…with Kai
"Look at what the sad sappy cat dragged in…our old leader." Spencer coldly chides at the sight of the slate haired teen in front of them.
"Bryan," "Ian," "Spencer," "Tala," He individually greeted each one of the seated teens with a spared glare at their faces.
All four of them were addressing him in unison, "Kai,".
"Where's your babysitter?" Their former captain questions about the location of their babysitter also known as their coach.
Ian vocally scoffed at the tone the male used toward them when he opined, "That's rather bold of you, Hitawari."
An "hmph" was voicing from his mouth when rotating away and proclaiming, "At least I'm not brainwashed, idiots."
At the front desk,
"Yuan is checking in." Meifeng was stating their team's name after the four coaches were approaching the front desk.
The receptionist responds to the silver haired woman with, "Give me a moment please,"
"It'll be a minute before all of our rooms are accessible." The PPB All Stars coach abruptly divulged to the young woman that stood off to her left.
Romero then leans away from the desk at the sound of "Yuan" until he finally spots a familiar face amongst the four women.
"Ah, Miss Akane," He politely greeted her after he spotted her unique hair color compared to the other Yuan coaches' tresses.
The rather stoic woman was warmly returning the greeting with a smile on her face, which was causing Lin to softly exclaim, "What?!"
"I'm eternally grateful for your assistance the other day." The blonde sincerely expresses his appreciation for her help.
"It was no problem." She colorlessly accepted his thanks when he excitedly followed up, "I will definitely send a copy once the original is printed."
The white haired woman simply nods her head in agreement.
"Miss Lanying," The Blitzkreig Boys coach was cordially receiving the purple haired woman's attention before addressing him as "Boris".
He nodded his head a bit shocked that she easily recalled his name so he casually probed, "How was your flight?"
"A bit crowded but fairly decent," She genuinely describes about their recent flight with a small smile on her face.
Boris soon disclosed about his own personal flight, "I make it a point to schedule us separately, keeps distractions away."
'Even Lanying?!' The goldenrod blonde with green tips was astonishingly ruminating at her companion, who was in the middle of conversing with a sturdy older man.
"Oi, Hiro your doom and gloom act is dampening the spirit!" Judy finally snaps at the bluenette, who merely brushes off the compliment as he places a bud back in the ear.
"Is he always like that?" Meifeng knowingly questioned the older woman in order to hear another opinion about the young man.
'If she says yes then she's probably a good judge of his character.' She privately thinks as she listens to the woman speak, "Yep, but it's worse…probably a woman,"
Grey eyes briefly spare a glance in the bluenette's direction when she falsely mentions, "He doesn't look like the type to let a woman upset him."
A "pft" was escaping between her lips when relating, "My husband wore that same look on his face for a few months before he proposed to me."
The younger of the two instantly perked up at the comment, which earned a "You don't say?"
"Trust me…" The woman in the lab coat was petitioning for her name since she did not address her by it, "Meifeng,"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Judy."
'So I guess that's a good sign? Maybe…'
An hour later,
"Finally," Audrey cheerfully exclaimed once they finally received the go ahead to head on up to their rooms.
The group maneuver over to the row of elevators when they speedily rush to catch one only to discover that they were not alone in the metal contraption.
"So we meet again, Miss Lanying," A husky masculine voice directly speaks to the purple haired coach of Yuan.
'Wait a minute…is Boris talking to a woman?!' The four younger Blitzkrieg Boys members were startlingly processing exactly what was presently going on with their coach.
'The Blitzkrieg Boys,' Hiromi immediately registered the name of the team, which earned a cold chill to creep down her spine.
"Boys, introduction," Their purple haired coach calmly requests since it was there first time being alone with just Yuan.
"We are the Blitzkrieg Boys, the European representatives from Russia." The boys coherently recited what sounded like rehearsed lines.
"Boris is our coach and I am the captain, Tala." The red head introduces himself first along with a gesture towards him before he points to his other teammates, "Ian, Bryan and Spencer,"
Yuan cordially returned the gesture right before a "ding" from the elevator signaled the arrival to an assigned floor.
"It was nice meeting you ladies.' Boris was happily remarking about their run in with each other while his boys were privately thinking, 'Ian/I was right after all!'
The doors snap close, which brings along a strange sense of openness and relief that was quite unusual for the younger members to feel.
"They were kinda of hot up close and personal." Ian genuinely opines about the teenage girls that were previously in the elevator with them.
Bryan physically nodded his head in agreement until Spencer chimed in with, "That Archimedes chick not so bad herself."
Tala was merely observing and listening to his comrades' conversation about the all-girls group with an unreadable expression on his face.
[White Tiger X]
"Home Sweet Home," Lee merrily recited once they finally motored through familiar dirt streets and was closer to their destination.
"Remember home is where the heart is," Master Tao was dutifully reminding them with a slight wagging of his index finger.
"First order of business is…for you to visit your families." He announces to his four young protégées once he returns his hand toward his side.
The elderly male cleared his throat when he recommended, "Who knows how long this tournament will last…so capitalize on your free time."
"Lee," He then specifically calls the raven haired teen while the other members distract themselves with the familiar sights and sounds around them.
Master Tao was speedily snatching the teenage by his ear, bringing him closer to his shorter body and harshly reprimanding him, "Your behavior toward the opposite gender needs to be worked on. I do hope you learn how to be a proper gentleman."
He then releases his grip and heads up front with the others while Lee gently rubs his ear.
[Saint Shields]
Ozuma took noticed of the dilapidated thatched roofs that were on the verge of being knocked in by a strong gust of wind. "The village still hasn't fixed those roofs yet."
"I mean they're more concerned with other future engagements." Miriam teasingly lips with her eyes close, arms underneath her ample chest and legs cross at the knees.
"Sis!" Joseph was shouting at his older sister because of the manner she was dropping her not so subtle hints.
"What?! He's the Chieftain's grandson! What else you thought was going to happen?" She cantankerously counterclaims with her eyes still shut.
The young boy merely shook his head at his sister before he diverted his focus on to their captain. "Don't listen to her. He might be happy to see you."
"If I was still that naïve child then I would be blind to the moves that my grandfather is making in my stead." Their captain eloquently addresses the situation, which seems to settle the dust between the two siblings.
He was releasing a heavy sigh before stating his case, "To have us publicly escorted was a clear signal that this is no longer a game."
"The tribe's future is on the line."
A "whoa" emitted from his teammate at the seriousness he radiated not just in his tone but his body language as well.
Back at the host hotel,
Takao eventually emerged from his assigned room once their routine team meeting finally wrapped up and released a heavy sigh.
He then stuffs his hands inside of his of jacket pockets and aimlessly roams about the hotel premises.
A flash of brown instantly caught his peripheral, which prompted him to immediately halt in the middle of his stride.
"Romi?" The blunette called out to the bob of brown only to be completely ignored by the person.
He was soon met with Forest Green instead of Ruby Red eyes when the female casually spoke to him, "Are you looking for Hiromi?"
"She's in our room. I'll go get her." She was providing a response to her own question after securing a bucket full of ice from the Ice Machine.
"You don't…" However Wenling was gone in an instant, which left the bluenette in a rather peculiar predicament.
'It's not like I can cave now.' He soon found himself rather anxious for her arrival so he started to preen himself.
'What are you doing Takao?' His inner voice was snapping at their owner after removing his hat to comb through his blue tresses with his fingers.
"What?! You're still here?" A familiar feminine voice rung in his ears when she jokingly added, "I thought you would've been training by now."
"There's more to life than beyblading." Takao sternly recites with an unusually grave expression present on his face.
He soon felt the back of a hand lightly pressed against his forehead as it prompted him to curiously inquiry, "What are you doing?"
"I thought you were sick since you said that." Hiromi honestly responds once she removes her hand from across his face.
The young man was visibly rolling his eyes at her reaction when chiming in, "I do have a regular life."
A "pft" along with an "as if" was spoken from the dark brunette teen along with a wide smile present on her face.
"I mean the Wicked Witch of the 8th grade taught me that." The Bladebreaker recalled from his memories while he mentioned her previous nickname before he dubbed her Romi.
"Hey!" The young girl amusingly snaps at him along with a playful gesture, a light punch to his arm.
Takao's tone soon shifted from being lighthearted to a more solemn tone, "She also taught me not to take things for granted, which were some hard pills to swallow by the way."
"I would like to make that up if you don't mind." He was puzzlingly articulating as her eyes were now directly landing on his face after his comment.
"And by make that up, what do you have in mind?" The Yuan member inquisitively questions with a slightly raise eyebrow.
"I would like to take you on a date." The bluenette was revealing what was exactly on his mind as a mean of paying her back.
"Again?" The brunette softly mutters before she approaches him and places the back of her hand against his forehead again.
"You must have a high fever, which causes delirium." The teenage girl automatically assumed the drastic change in his behavior with a terse nod of her head.
The male was gently grabbing her hand to remove it from his face when gravely avowing, "Hiromi, I'm serious."
"A date between friends isn't bad every now and then." The shorter of the two positively affirms about the idea of a date between the two.
"Then I take back my offer," Takao immediately revoked the suggestion, which earned a confused "Hm?".
His sights hone in on the brunette in front of him while he explains, "Friends don't go on dates."
"We did." Hiromi was jawing since there was plenty of times where it was just the two of them enjoying each other's company being out and about.
The bluenette shakes his head a "no" before he repeats his statement with a bit more clarification, "Friends don't go on romantic dates."
'Romantic' was the one word that repeatedly echoed throughout her mind once she heard it departed from his lips.
A natural silence settled amongst the two, since they were used to being in each other presence without so much as a peep from the other.
"Okay then, I accept the date as not being friends." The brunette eventually agrees to the idea of going on a romantic date with him.
"Really?!" He nervously questioned in order to make sure he heard her answer correctly to his proposal.
The teenage girl physically nods her head, which earns a wide toothy grin from the young man in front of her.
"I'll see you on our off day then." Takao was excitingly saying after affectionately embracing her between his arms.
She could only nod her head again since her voice no longer wanted to project itself.
'What in the world?!' Her Ruby Red eyes closely watched him walk in the direction of his room.
At a secret location,
"I see you got my note, huh?" A voice was suddenly speaking up from behind her once Archimedes was casually strolling outside of the building.
She then lifted one of her hands to reveal a sheet of paper in her grasp and sternly asserted, "I came to give it back."
"I'm certain that you have a minute to talk or you would've totally ignored my message." The red head confidently remarks as he slides both of his hands inside of his pants pocket.
She narrows her sights in on the teen as she twirls the paper in between her index and middle finger while she claims, "I mean it was rather obvious since the note magically appeared when we were near each other."
A smirk stretched across his face at how easily she figured out who the Secret Admirer was as he slowly approached her.
"I have my reason for why I do things." Tala was mysteriously hinting with closing his eyes until feeling her intense glare on him.
"And the reason for this?" The raven haired teen demanded right before she balled the paper from irritation at his roundabout answer to her question.
He then twists his body so it slightly faces her when he startlingly alleges, "You must not know when someone may like you what they do to show it."
"I'm not well versed in flowery language." Archimedes honestly admitted after she tossed the crumpled paper in to a metallic receptor.
"A straight shooter," The pale teen instantly regards about her personality and mannerism for communication with others.
The teen girl was nodding her head while genuinely declaring, "It saves time that's otherwise wasted."
Tala was inaudibly chuckling at her honest reaction before eloquently concluding, "To sum it up, I think your cute and I would like to date you."
An eyebrow arches at the open admittance of romantic feelings towards her from the young man. So she did what she does best and deflects with, "You don't even know me."
"That's the whole point of this conversation." The red head easily countered with a visible smile on his face.
Archimedes was turning toward him with an unreadable expression on her face when boldly alleging, "Do you do this to all the new naïve rookie girl bladers?"
"I don't have a track record to speak for that." The young man sincerely affirms before he tucks his lower face behind his high collar.
She then discernibly cleared her throat before she firmly pronounced, "I'm not easy."
"Never said that," He quickly quells the ideal that she might initially have about him when he hears her add, "I'm bossy and rude."
"Around certain people, specifically your blonde teammate," Tala was purposely pointing out along with a shrug of his shoulders.
Her head speedily snaps in his direction as she gives him the third degree, "You've been watching me?!"
"You weren't hard to miss, especially after that comment at the press conference." The red head male sincerely claims as he matches his stare to hers.
He took note of the expression on her face so he quickly followed up with, "Oh, but not in a creepy stalker kinda of way,"
"Nevertheless, you're still quite interesting." The young man includes as a tint of red surfaces to his cheeks since a gust of wind blows over them.
Her obsidian eyes narrowed in to carefully study his facial expressions for signs of falsehood yet there were no visible telltell signs.
"You're quite serious about this, huh?" Archimedes was seriously quering since the young man was rather quite bold with his words and actions.
Another smirk surfaces to his face when he assertively declares, "I like to put my best foot forward."
She exhaled a deep sigh before she eventually consented to his offer to court her, "I'll agree to one date."
"But I thought I was a stranger," Tala was jokingly recollecting about her hesitation from the start of their conversation simply because she was unfamiliar with him.
"One is better than none." He said along with a nod of his head at the end result of his plan being successful.
His eyes momentarily roam over to the door before he directs his sights back on the teen when he voices, "Since my luck has been favorable, I'll take my leave so I won't spoil it."
"Oh and one more thing…" The red head was voicing while suddenly approaching the raven haired beauty, who was now currently looking in the opposite direction.
She leisurely whips her head around due to his comment and unknowingly grazes her lips against his.
A pregnant silence developed between the two until the Blitzkreig Boys captain unknowingly stammered, "I was going for a cheek…but I'm definitely not complaining."
"Good night, Archimedes,"
Her obsidian eyes were tracking his movement in the direction of what she was assuming was his room. Shock was rampantly coursing throughout her entire body.
'What the hell?!'
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06.12.18 Major editing edits