No excuse! Life got crazy! I had finals for the semester!
Enjoy!
"Gingka, how long is this ride?"
"Only about an hour longer. We're almost there."
"...That is not "almost there". Just so you know."
««{{¤}}»»
"Finally!" I stepped off the train and stretched my arms to the sky. "Aah! My back is killing me!"
"Quit your whining would ya?" Ryan stepped up next to me and I pretended to smack him upside the head. Gingka walked past us and turned around.
"We still have a ways to go guys. Saddle up." He started walking over to what looked like a stable.
"Saddle up?" I heard horses nickering and I straightened.
"Well come on guys! We don't have all day!" I jogged to catch up with him.
"Are we riding to this guy?"
"Yup! Come on!" We walked into the stable and I looked around. "Alright guys, pick out your horse and let's go!" I walked down the row of stables, looking at each horse as it poked its head out. I stopped when my eyes were drawn to a stable without a horse poking its head out. I walked over to it and looked inside. I almost gasped when I saw the most gorgeous horse. It was black, without any spots. Tufts of black hair covered its hooves, signifying a Clydesdale. It was standing near the back of the stall eating some hay, when it looked up at me. It seemed to study me for a moment before it stepped over toward the stall door. It had to be 17 or 18 hands high. Its back was taller than my head.
"Wow, you are massive."
"That is Freedom's Flight. Be careful with that one, he bites." I turned to see a young man walking up to me. "The name is Trevor, it's nice to meet you." I shook his hand when he held it out.
"James, nice to meet you as well." I turned back to Freedom's Flight, who was now poking his head through the door. I slowly raised my hand, making sure he could see it. He took slow breaths, getting my scent. He shook his head and nickered. I reached up and scratched his nose.
"Well, it appears that he likes you. You want to try him out?" I hesitated, and noticed the horse almost seemed to take that as a challenge, nudging me. I patted his neck. "Alright, I'll give him a try."
Soon we were all on our own horses. I was sitting on Freedom, high above everyone else. Gingka was riding a smaller white horse, who seemed just as energetic as its rider. Madoka was riding an even smaller brown horse, who seemed calm but cheerful. Ryan was riding a fast looking Chestnut. Gingka's horse reared up, neighing loudly.
"Alright! Let's go!" Gingka called as they took off up the trail, Madoka calling out for him to wait while Ryan flew past her, wanting to race the eager red head. I pulled Freedom up next to Madoka's horse and looked at her.
"Do you know where we are going?"
"Yeah. *Huff* Boys."
"Heeey..." She gave me a 'my point exactly' look and nudged her horse forward, going at a leisurely pace.
"So, are you nervous riding that big of a horse?"
"Not really. He's got a really smooth gate. I figured a guy his size would be a little rougher to ride." The horse pinned its ears back and looked at me. "I'msorrypleasedon'tbuckme!" Freedom snorted and focused back on the trail. I sighed, relaxing. I scratched his neck. "You know, you seem like a really smart horse." It turned its ears back. "You know where Gingka and Ryan went?" Freedom whinnied. I sat back into the saddle and hung the reins around the saddle horn. "Alright then, lead the way."
I held onto the saddle horn as we went over a small stream, the water not even touching Freedom's ankles. Soon we saw Gingka and Ryan collapsed on a flat rock, breathing heavily. Their horses lazily grazing in the open field. I led Freedom over to them and stopped him, hopping down from the saddle. I walked over to Gingka and Ryan, standing above them.
"You two having fun?" They opened their eyes.
"Yeah! Riding is a lot of fun!" Ryan sat up and wiped his brow, sweat dripping from it a little. Gingka sat up and laughed.
"Ryan almost fell off when we stopped! His horse has a lot of energy!" All three of our horses trotted over to us as the two boys stood up, dusting themselves off. I looked around at the scenery and jumped when Freedom dropped his head onto my shoulder.
"Hey bud." I reached up and scratched his chin. He snorted and turned sideways, presenting his saddle. I thought he looked a little jumpy, his ears moving to pick up every sound. I nodded and looked at the others. "Alright, looks like our break is over. Let's go." I hoped they would notice that their horses were acting the same way.
"Alright, we have about another 15 minutes to ride." I hopped up, literally, to get my foot in the stirrup, then threw myself up onto the saddle, a little less than graceful looking. But before I even got settled Freedom set off.
"Woah! Hold on Freedom, I'm not ready yet!" He threw his head back and pushed me up onto the saddle with his nose, not missing a step. I slipped my other foot into the stirrup and sighed. "You sure are in a hurry...Freedom, what's wrong?" He kept picking up pace, neighing and grunted at the other horses. Gingka and Ryan passed me again, but this time it wasn't a full on sprint, just a faster canter. Madoka yelled when even her horse picked up the pace.
"Woah! What's going on girl?!" She passed me at a canter and Freedom picked up the pace, keeping behind her.
"Madoka, do you know what's going on?"
"I have no idea!" I thought I heard something behind us and looked over my shoulder to see a clear path.
"Hmm..."
««{{¤}}»»
"Alright Freedom, you need to slow down. You're going to run her ragged." Freedom had been staying on Madoka's horse's tail, keeping her at pace. I pulled on the reigns lightly and he backed off, allowing her to slow down. I pulled him around to walk beside her and looked at Madoka. She had a white knuckle grip on the reins. "Madoka, you can release the death grip now." She relaxed and sighed.
"I wasn't ready for that..."
"Me neither. You want a break?"
"I think I'm good..." I raised an eyebrow and pulled Freedom to a stop. Madoka's horse stopped beside us, grateful for the short break. I nudged Freedom closer to her and held my hand out.
"Gimme the reins."
"What? Why?"
"You were so stressed that whole time, and that's something that a horse can pick up on. You both need a break." I emphasized my hand. She sighed and handed me the reins to her horse, which I draped over my saddle horn. I held out my hand again. "Grab on."
"Huh?" She grabbed my hand, which I then proceeded to grasp her wrist, pull her off her saddle and onto Freedom's back. "Woah!" She wrapped her arms around my waste so she didn't fall off. (A/N:Okay, quick note, in the anime, she's like, 10 or 11...at most. In this story, James is 19. So no, no romantics here, that's gross in James' case. You want that, you probably have to find a different author, just being honest.) "James what's the big idea?!" I nudged Freedom and he started walking again, going at a gentle pace, Madoka's horse following.
"You were tired and stressing your horse out. You both need to relax." I settled back into the saddle, and I could feel her loosen her grip eventually.
"Thanks, I needed that."
"What are friends for?"
««{{¤}}»»
Once again we found Gingka and Ryan resting, their horses tied to a tree.
"Took you guys long enough!" Ryan stood up, stretching his arms.
"Sorry I didn't want to leave Madoka behind. Besides, I think there was something back there."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you not notice the way the horses were acting?" They both shook their heads. "They were nervous. Something made them skittish back there." Gingka looked at his horse, who lifted its head to return the gaze. It dropped its head back down and kept grazing.
"Huh, I had no idea."
'Ob-vi-ous-ly.' I thought, rolling my eyes.
"Well, have you ran your horses into the ground yet? Or can they still keep going?"
"I think they're okay. We'll just take it slower from now on."
"Good idea Gingka, those horses are going to be dead tired after you guys are done with them."
««{{¤}}»»
"Guys, welcome to my home!"
"Wow, you live all the way out here?! That's awesome!" We were standing at the top of a bluff, a cool breeze blowing around us. Below us, hidden in a valley, was a small village.
"Come on guys! I've got someone I want you to meet!" He started off, only to stop as dirt and rock exploded about 20 feet in front of us. Gingka's and Madoka's horses reared back, while Ryan's horse and Freedom backed up, snorting and grunting. I reigned in Freedom before Madoka could fall off, then reached over and calmed down her horse.
"Stop right there!" A couple of men were running up the hill, Bey Launchers at the ready.
"Woah, guys, hold on it's me!" The men stopped when they saw Gingka on top of his horse. He dismounted and walked over. "Sorry to drop in like this. Is Hokaru around? We need to talk to him."
««{{¤}}»»
We entered a small hut near the outskirts of the village. Looking around inside, it was mostly empty, except a table and some chairs, along with a couch in the corner.
"Hyoma? Hello!"
"Hyoma? I thought he said Hokaru eh was looking for Hokaru?" I glanced at Ryan.
"He did." Soon a tall young man stepped into the room, a look of shock on his face.
"Gingka?! What are you doing here?" They shared a quick hug.
"I've come to introduce some of my new friends to you and Hokaru. This is Ryan and James, they recently found out about Beyblade and have a few questions I can't answer. Is Hokaru around?"
"I'm right here." I turned to the door, only to see it empty. "Down here boy." I looked down to see a small white dog with a bandana sitting there. I blinked owlishly for a second, when the most shocking thing happened. "It's not right to stare at someone you know!"
"Gah!" I nearly fell backwards. "You, you talk?!"
"Why is this such a surprise to everyone...?" The dog shook its head and stepped forward. "Madoka, Gingka, good to see you again."
"Hokaru! How have you been?"
"Good. Now, what can I do for you? And who might these two be?" The dog hopped up onto the table and sat down.
"This is James and Ryan. They both discovered Beyblade a little while ago, and they have some questions that I can't even answer." The dog turned to us and gave both of us a once over.
"What is your question?" Ryan stepped up, and while he was just as weirded out as I was, he was more concerned about his Bey.
"My Beyblade, Fury Bull, doesn't seem to want to listen to me. It will just go wild." He held up Bull so Hokaru could see. Luckily, Madoka had some of her gear on her, and had repaired it on the train.
"Hmm...Well, with a name like Fury Bull, it makes sense. You might just have a Bey that could be extremely hard to work with. Come with me." He hopped down from the table and went out the back. We all followed him to an open field. He stopped and turned to us. "Launch your Bey."
"Oh, okay." Ryan loaded up. "Let It Rip!" Bull landed about ten feet in front of us and dashed around rapidly. "Bull! Would you calm down!"
"Now Gingka, launch Pegasus."
"Oh um, okay. Let It Rip!" Pegasus landed and before any of us could blink, Bull was charging it.
"Hey! Bull, I did not say you could attack!" I noticed the Bey seemed to hesitate before slowing to a stop. Hokaru grunted.
"Interesting. It appears your Bey's eagerness to battle can over power its connection with you in the moment. Gingka, that's enough." Pegasus jumped into the Blader's hand. "It appears that you need to bond with your Bey more Ryan. Remember, with your Bey being Fury Bull, it might take some work."
"Could it have something to do with its Bey Spirit?" Ryan asked.
"Hmm...It might. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I've heard something that sounds like a bull roaring while I'm awake or asleep."
"Hmm...That is interesting. Come with me." He headed away from the village and we followed.
"Where are we going Gingka?" I whispered.
"I don't know, but this could get interesting."
"Oh joy."
««{{¤}}»»
We had been trekking farther and farther into the hills, crossing creeks and jumping small canyons. Hokaru walked around a bend and finally stopped at a small cave. He turned to us.
"This is a special place that only a few know about." Ryan spoke up.
"What is it?"
"Come and see." He started to walk in and I pulled out a flashlight. He turned around when he saw the beam of light. "You won't need that, just hold out your Beys." He turned and continued walking. We all pulled out our Beys and looked at them, not sure what he meant. Gingka pressed through the crowd, calling after Hokaru. He got a few steps in when he stopped, looking down at his hand as a small but intense light emitted from it.
"Pegasus?" He looked at it for a second before continuing on. As we stepped into the cave, different colored lights emitted from the rest of the Beys. The light was bright enough to illuminate the small tunnel. We kept following Hokaru for a few minutes, when he stepped into a larger cavern. We all entered and looked around.
"Wow. This is huge!" Ryan's voice echoed through the cavern, which extended beyond the light of the Beys. I walked up to the wall of the cave and held up Leone. The purple light illuminated the wall, casting shadows on some gigantic crystals. They were longer than my arm, and thicker than my waist.
"Hokaru, what is this place?"
"This is where we can personally help Fury Bull."
"Uh, what?"
"Follow me and stay close." He walked down a path, Gingka right behind him to light the way. More giant crystals littered the area as we stepped up to a dip in the ground.
"Is this a stadium?!" Gingka asked.
"It is. Ryan, please launch Bull."
"Okay." Ryan stepped up to the stadium edge and loaded up. He paused for half a second to steady his grip. "Let It Rip!" Bull landed in the stadium and ran around, the light still emitting from it. Smaller crystals had grown from the floor, creating obstacles that Bull had to maneuver around. It moved down to the center and slowly circled. "Now what?"
"Call to it with your Blader's Spirit."
"How do I do that?"
"Have you felt a burning passion when battling?"
"...I think so."
"Focus on that."
"O, kay." He shut his eyes and tried, his hands clenching.
"Loosen up, you can't sense anything if you are too tense." Ryan's arms relaxed and rested at his side. It took a minute, but I noticed Bull started glowing. A darker red color sparked from its Performance Tip and covered the whole Bey. "You have it, just a little more..." The Bey flashed and its energy spiked, reaching into the air. It shattered and a dark red bull was standing there, about fifteen feet tall. It threw its head back and bellowed, making everyone cover their ears as it echoed through the cave. It lowered its head and snorted, glaring at us. Ryan took a step back, both in fear and in awe.
"It's so big!"
"Yes that is quite large." Hokaru noted, "Now, go and greet it."
"How do you know it won't stomp me into the dirt?"
"Because you are its Blader. It will recognize you as such." Ryan hesitated, but stepped forward slowly. Bull stood there, glaring at him. He got about five feet from it and stopped.
"So...You're Fury Bull, is that right?" It snorted and stomped its hoof. It took a step forward and Ryan took a step back.
"Don't back down! It is testing you!" Ryan swallowed hard and straightened his spine. Bull hunched down and bellowed in his face. He flinched a little but didn't move. Bull snorted again as he lowered his arms.
"...That the best you got?" Bull's eyes widened as Ryan stood tall. "That the best you got?! Listen here Bull! I'm not going to take any of your attitude, do you hear me?!" Bull seemed to get really angry from that comment, and reared onto its hind legs, letting out another bellow as it came crashing down. I started to run forward, but Hyoma grabbed my coat.
"RYAN!"
*Boom* Dust filled the room as the two hooves smashed into the ground. We all covered our faces as the cloud hit us. I tore myself from Hyoma's grip and fought my way through the dust.
"Ryan! Ryan where are yo-!" Standing right in between two massive hooves was Ryan. He was untouched, albeit his head was hanging down. Bull was glaring at him from above. I ran over to check on him. "Ryan! Please tell me you're okay!" I stopped when he spoke up.
"...That the best you got...?" He started shaking as his fists tightened. Bull and I both took a step back as he lifted his head to the ceiling, his eyes cry in a shout. "IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE?!" His eyes opened to glare at the Bey Spirit, "Pathetic." Bull took another step back, eyes widened in shock. It didn't expect this tiny human to stand up to it, much less insult it. It wasn't sure what to do. "Now you listen here you overgrown beef patty, I told you I'm not going to take your attitude, and I meant it! We are Bey and Blader, we are going to work together, you hear me?!" Bull ducked its head, its whole body lowering a little. Ryan stepped up to its nose, and it shut its eyes. He gently placed a hand on it, now calm. "We are a team, which means both of us have to put in the work." Bull opened its eyes and they made eye contact. They stopped moving. I started to take a step, when Hokaru called my name.
"Don't, let them do this." I nodded and stepped back over to the group. Bey and Blader started glowing the dark red color. We all watched in awe as it slowly brightened, and then died down to nothing. Ryan sighed and smiled.
"I think we are going to make a great team Bull." Bull almost seems to smile before shoving its nose into Ryan's stomach, moaning gently. "Oof! Alright, I get it." The Bey Spirit shattered, leaving a glowing Bey. It made a small circle before leaping into Ryan's hand. He turned to us and smiled weakly. "Well. I'm going to take a nap now." After which he collapsed. I ran forward and dropped to a knee, checking him over. Hokaru trotted over.
"He'll be fine. Luckily we have enough daylight to let him rest. That took a lot out of him."
"I'm going to have nightmares for weeks. I thought Bull had killed him." I groaned.
"Well, luckily Beys have respect for their Bladers. Most of the time it just takes a little persuasion." Hyoma commented.
"Well, let's get him some fresh air." I had Gingka and Hyoma help me get Ryan on my back so his arms were hanging over my shoulders. Madoka held Bull and Leone and walked in front of us as we exited the cave. We stepped out to see the sky on the horizon was dark with black clouds. Hokaru stepped onto the trail.
"We will have to keep moving, unfortunately. This is not the place to be in a storm. Follow me."
I know, I know, riding horses to Ginkga's town?! A crystal cave?! That's not canon! How dare you change the canon! Whatever, alright? I thought it would be fun additions! Besides, mah story, mah rules.
But what'd you think of Ryan finally meeting Bull? If you haven't noticed yet, I'm playing into the Bladers Spirit and the Bey Spirit gimmick more than the anime did, with the Bey Spirits being more involved more often outside of battle. Also more tangible. It's going to play an important role in multiple scenarios in the future(no pun intended).
~Silverleone
