James is home! How will Ryan react when seeing him?
~Silverleone
It wasn't easy, seeing my family again. I was right, it hurt too. My mom had brought myself, Gingka, and Madoka into the living room while my dad went to get Ryan. My leg was bouncing as my mom got us some water and sat down.
"So James, where have you been this whole time?"
"Traveling. Getting stronger."
"Well, that's not very descriptive." I sighed.
"I couldn't stay here mom. Not when I couldn't control Leone. If I had stayed, someone else may have gotten hurt. Or worse." I stared at the glass in my hands. "I wasn't going to let that happen."
"I see. And do you have Leone under control now?" I nodded.
"It's like it was before it evolved. I'm not scared of losing control anymore."
'Liar.' I thought to myself. Hades Leone and I had more of an agreement than the partnership we had before. We still weren't fully in sync again, and he could still lash out if I wasn't careful.
I sat up fully as my dad came around the corner, Ryan holding his arm as he slowly stepped into the room. Ryan looked up and gasped.
"James? Is it really?" I stood up and walked over, and being extremely careful of his back, gave him a hug.
"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry." He hugged me back, and I winced at the bones poking out of his arms and his ribs showing even through his shirt. He had atrophied a ton over the past few months. He pulled back and smiled, although I could tell it was strained.
"I'm okay James. Just, don't ever run off like that again, okay? I thought something had happened to you." I smiled sadly and helped him sit down.
"Something did. I couldn't stand seeing you in that condition. And I had to get Leone under control before I hurt someone else." He nodded.
"Well, you do seem a lot stronger than you were." He hesitated in asking the next question, "How is Leone?" I sighed and pulled it out.
"Leone regrets what he did. Once he evolved, he had a huge amount of pride, and I nearly broke. I almost couldn't tame him." Leone's Face Bolt glimmered. "But, now we are back on the same page." Ryan smiled and I helped him sit down.
"That's good."
"How are Bull and Serpent?" He smiled.
"You want to see something Madoka whipped up for me?"
"Sure."
««{{¤}}»»
After a lot of convincing, and dragging my parents along, we were standing around one of the stadiums near our place. Ryan pulled out a launcher and I squinted in curiosity. It had two places for Beys.
"Is that a double launcher?"
"Uh huh. It's mechanical too. Madoka made it so I could still practice without launching. It hurt too much at first, but now it's better." I nodded and watched as he loaded up both Beys. He pressed a button and they started spinning. They flew off the launcher and landed in the stadium, circling around. Bull made smaller circles while Serpent rushed around at a higher speed. Serpent looked different.
"Is that a new Spin Track?" Ryan nodded.
"135. It gave Serpent a boost in Attack, since that's where it needed strength. Alright, go at it you two!" Bull and Serpent dashed around and bounced off of each other, spinning around and going blow for blow. They pulled away, then slammed into each other, a gust of wind blowing out of the stadium. "Alright, keep it up!" Ryan winced a tiny bit when he moved too quickly, and I placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Take it easy kid. You don't need to hurt yourself."
"I'm fine, I just need to get my strength back." I nodded and turned to watch as Bull and Serpent duked it out.
"So, you haven't had any troubles with these two getting along?"
"Not really, no. Serpent is just happy to have a Blader that cares about it, and Bull is grateful for the battle partner."
"Lucky. I bet Leone would have a problem if I got a second Bey." I held Leone up and felt an almost snide nudge. I smirked and looked back to the battle. Serpent dodged around an attack and sped around the arena, a black light trailing behind it. "What's that?"
"Serpent Time. One of its techniques it came up with. It's not quite a Special Move, but it definitely packs a punch." Serpent circled around Bull in a tight formation, making it slow down. "It's similar to Gingka's Cosmic Tornado, but it traps the other Bey." Serpent slowly forced Bull down to the center. Any time Bull tried to attack, it would bounce around a little before recentering. Serpent tightened its spin. Bull obviously didn't like small spaces, because it let out a burst of energy, knocking Serpent off track. Bull slammed into it, pushing it back. Serpent pulled away and returned fire, but Bull had the advantage of a shorter Spin Track. Bull dug underneath Serpent's Fusion Wheel and tossed it high into the air. Bull started moving in a tighter circle than Serpent had just moments before, a glowing red energy surrounding it.
"What is that?"
"Rampage Slam. The Special Move we made." Ryan watched calmly as Serpent fell, getting smacked back into the air by Bull. Bull was playing hacky-sac with Serpent. But instead of getting weaker, I noticed Serpent was spinning faster.
"What's Serpent doing?"
"It's final attack. I don't have a name for it yet but watch." Serpent was thrown into the air once more, but this time, black energy was thrown upwards as it used gravity to gain speed. Bull and Serpent slammed into each other, and I stepped in front of Ryan as an explosion rang out. Smoke billowed out and I coughed for a second until it settled. Serpent and Bull were both barely spinning. They fell over at the same time, making it a draw. I hopped down into the stadium and picked them up, climbing out and giving them to Ryan. "Thanks."
"No problem. Well Ryan, it looks like I'm not the only one to get stronger." A mechanical tone came from Madoka's direction and she pulled out her laptop. She answered a call.
"Miss Madoka!" I recognized the voice as Yuki, the kid from the Beyster Island tournament.
"Yuki! What's up?"
"We think we found it! We found where they are hiding Nemesis!"
"Really?! Guys! Listen to this!" Madoka turned the screen so we could all see.
"Yuki!"
"Hello Mr. Gingka. Did you get that?"
"Yeah, tell us, where is it?!"
"Central America. I'll send the coordinates now!" A message popped up and Madoka pulled them up while I spoke.
"Central America? That all the way across the world! It'll take days to get there even by plane!" Yuki nodded.
"I'm afraid so, which is why we all need to get there as soon as possible." Gingka held up a fist.
"Alright! Let's do this!" I turned to Ryan, but he spoke before I could.
"Don't worry about me. I'll do no good to you in this condition. Go. Save the world. You weren't chosen by Leone for nothing." I looked at Hades Leone, thinking back to how we first met.
"You're right. Get better, okay?" I said. He nodded and gave me a thumbs up.
"You'd kill me if I didn't." I smirked and glanced away. "Hey." I raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Don't you dare stop. Not until that Nemesis freak is destroyed." I had forgotten that the others had probably caught him up with everything while I was gone. My mom cut in.
"Ryan!"
"Mom, this guy wants to take over the world. If they don't stop him then there is no chance! They are the strongest Bladers in the world!" My mom grimaced, then turned to me. I spoke before she could.
"I will come home." I turned to Ryan, "And I'll make sure Nemesis won't hurt anyone. I promise." We nodded at each other and clapped hands in a shake. I turned to my parents. "I will be back. And we'll all have a long talk." I hugged both of them and stepped back, holding up Leone. "Leone and I won't stop until Nemesis is finished." My family nodded, and Ryan held up his team. All three Beys glowed for a second. I turned to Gingka and Madoka. "Let's go save the world."
««{{¤}}»»
Gingka, Madoka and I had hopped on a plane to head to America. There, we met Masemune, King, and Yuki. Soon we had everyone together, and Gingka headed the group.
"Alright everyone! Just remember this is the toughest battle we will ever fight. Nemesis must be stopped!" Yuki nodded.
"That's right! We need to stop it before it covers the world in darkness!"
"But how will we do that? We can't perform Zeus' Barrier without Ryuga." Gingka nodded at Tsubasa.
"He'll be there. Trust me." I looked at everyone.
««{{¤}}»»
I watched as multiple battles were quickly initiated and ended, and all of the Legendary Bladers were joined together. We were all caught off guard by the Prototype Nemesis gaining enough energy to evolve into Diablo Nemesis. We soon found the final battle ground and were running up to the temple. I saw a massive explosion on the side of the mountain, and I couldn't take it any longer. I launched Leone.
"Give me a ride bud!" Leone's beast appeared and he wrapped chains around my waist, lifting me onto his back and holding me in place. We tore up the mountain side. I saw Kenta holding Sagittario, looking lower than low. Leone skidded to a stop and I hopped off, running up to him. "Kenta!"
"Huh? J-James?! Is that you?!" I nearly tackled him in a hug.
"Kenta, I saw the explosion, are you okay?!" I saw everyone else running up, some of them wary of Leone standing behind me.
"I-I'm okay. But Ryuga! I couldn't get him to listen. He went to fight Nemesis on his own!" I glared up the mountain.
"Darn your pride!" I caught Leone, not wanting to waste our combined strength, and we all continued up the mountain.
Explosions were rocking the whole island, and I knew Ryuga was duking it out with Rago. There was no way Ryuga could take him alone. Even if he was the strongest out of all of us, he was far weaker than Nemesis. I knew that even after only seeing the battle when it had evolved from Prototype Nemesis.
We all ran as fast as we could. I was able to sprint ahead, getting through the massive doorway just in time to see Rago unleash a massive attack. I was barely able to make out Ryuga as he was enveloped by the flames.
"NO!" I cried out as he landed on the ground, not moving. L-drago landed next to him. I ran forward, ignoring the gasps as everyone entered the room. I dropped to my knees and shook Ryuga as Gingka ran up. "Ryuga you idiot wake up! Come on, you can't lose here! We needed you!" He didn't respond. My head whipped around as I heard Rago laugh.
"He was weak. He stood no chance against the might of my Nemesis!" I stood up, anger flaring.
"You calloused-!" I loaded up but felt a hand on my shoulder.
"James don't!" I turned to see Chris. "Let me."
"Chris?"
"Orion can't be stopped, remember? I'll just wear him down until there is nothing left! No one else needs to battle." I was shocked at his heroics.
"But why?" He stepped around me, loading up.
"Because. I want Gingka's title. So if I win, I get to battle him." He turned to Rago. "All right punk! Let's do this!" Rago laughed.
"You think you can stop me? What about your precious Dragon Emperor? He said he would beat me as well."
"Yeah? Well I don't have to steal energy to become stronger! My Phantom Orion was designed to never stop! Which means I can attack you all I want!"
"Hn! We will see." The other Bladers protested.
"Mr. Chris! Please wait! You aren't strong enough on your own!" Yuki said.
"Chris don't do it!" Gingka called out, kneeling down and holding Ryuga's motionless form.
"It is not written in the stars for you to fight alone! Please stop!" Dynamis again with the "prophesying". Chris spun around, glaring at us.
"Shut up!" Everyone quieted down. "I'm battling him. Stay quiet or get blown away!" He turned and leveled his launcher. "Are you ready to face me?!"
"Are you ready to fall like that pathetic worm?" Rago grinned darkly.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"Let It Rip!" Orion and Nemesis collided, a huge explosion rocking the place. I held Kenta close as he ducked his head.
"Ah haha! Is he crazy?! There is no way he can beat him!"
"I know." I said grimly as I stared at ensuing battle.
"Huh?! Then why didn't you stop him!"
"Because he wouldn't listen to me." I watched as explosion after explosion went off. "Chris has this idea, and if it works, he's right, we won't have to worry about fighting."
"Why is that?"
"Phantom Orion's Bearing Drive eliminates all friction, meaning it can spin for a very, very, long time." I sighed. "I just hope Chris isn't blinded by that fact. If Orion gets knocked out..." I looked to our left, a deep, unending darkness below us.
"It is no use! My Nemesis will destroy you before the day is over!" Rago laughed. I stared at the battle with calculating eyes.
"Chris just has to hold out till Nemesis gets tired. That's when he'll strike. The only issue is while Orion can keep spinning, Chris can only stand for so long." Chris threw his arms up to cover his face as Nemesis landed a solid hit. "If Chris has the will power, he can do this." I stood up taller. "Get him Chris! You can win!" Chris glanced back at me, and I nearly gasped at the split second flash of fear before he grinned at me, turning back. "No." Kenta looked up at me.
"What? What's wrong?"
««{{Flashback}}»»
"So, when was the last time you had Orion repaired?"
"Repaired? That's a good question." I nearly fell out of the tree I was lounging in.
"What?! You don't remember?!"
"Orion's never taken that much damage, so I never thought about it."
"A little bit goes a long way." He nodded.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
««{{Flashback End}}»»
"Orion's never gotten a repair. It's battled a ton over time and its structure had weakened! Chris never realized it till his battle with Masemune, because all of the other Bladers were chump change compared to him! How did I not think of this sooner?!"
"Hey! What about Toby and Zeo!" I snapped at Masemune.
"Not the time!" I turned to Madoka. "Madoka! What's Orion's damage status?"
"Huh? Oh, right!" She pulled out her laptop and went to work. She gasped and I saw her screen light up red. "Oh no! Not good!" I looked over the screen, gasping myself. I looked over at Chris to see him sweating. "Orion's damage is worse than you would think! The Bearing Drive isn't going to be able to take much more!"
"Chris! Get out of there!" An explosion made Chris take a step back. He shot a look over his shoulder.
"I can't! I've come too far for this!"
"Chris! Quit being prideful and think of Orion for once in your life!" He looked back at me, his eyes widening.
"...Orion..." Rago shouted, growing in strength.
"I will finish you! Nemesis Special Move!" I threw my arm to the side.
"Chris MOVE!"
"ARMAGEDDON!"
««{{¤}}»»
Horror filled my chest as I watched Chris get enveloped by the attack. An inhumane scream filled my ears, and I turned to cover Kenta. The energy dispersed and I turned, only to freeze. Chris was standing, but he wasn't moving. I ran as fast as I could over to him.
"Chris! Chris, please no! Come on!" I grabbed his shoulder, only to have to catch him when he collapsed. I dropped to my knees as he crumpled to the ground. I quickly checked for a pulse. It was there. I looked down and saw Orion, its Bearing Drive in two pieces, the free spinning bottom snapped off. "No..." Orion weakly gleamed, and I could almost feel its pain. I looked at Chris to see his face shrouded in pain. Horror turned to anger, and I gently set him down. I stood up, my eyes shadowed. Rago laughed loudly, enjoying himself. "Shut up." Rago stopped and looked at me.
"You. Worm, who do you think you are?" I looked up at him, my eyes glowing with purple fire.
"I'm the last thing you'll see." Energy gathered tightly around me, then exploded. "HAAAAAAAAAH!" I loaded up, as did Rago.
"Hah! You aren't even one of those so called Legends! I will finish you without a Special Move!"
"SHUT UP!" We launched, our Beys meeting midair. I was blown back a few steps but shouted. Leone rushed around, slamming into Nemesis. I blinked when I realized Nemesis looked different. "Huh?"
"This is Ultimate Balance Mode. Nemesis will adapt to whatever I need it to." Leone slammed into Nemesis, only for it not to budge. Another attack, and Nemesis rushed around, moving at a scary speed for its weight. I turned to the other Bladers.
"It's now or never! Everyone! Attack with all you've got!" Kyoya and King ran forward, launching their Beys.
"No need to tell me! Leone!"
"Variares! Let's cream this freak!" The other Blader's joined in, and we had an all-out battle going. The Defense Types were guarding the Stamina Types, who would rush in for an attack while the Attack Types moved back to regain their balance. We were all thrashing Nemesis, but it didn't seem to faze it. Hit after hit. Explosion after explosion. Nothing even made it move.
"You worms just won't give up!" Black lightning struck out and I winced in pain.
"Maybe if you weren't trying to destroy the world, we wouldn't have such a problem with you! Hades Leone!" It rushed down and slammed into Nemesis, the Fusion Wheel's three heavy heads digging under it, launching it back. Variares, Anubius, and Pegasus all slammed into it. Nemesis released a blast, knocking them back. "Come on! This is ridiculous! Just take some damage already!" Hades Leone smashed into it, and it and Fang Leone bounced it in between them a bunch of times. Nemesis smashed into Hades Leone, knocking it away, along with Queztalcoatl. "Gah! Just! FALL!" Leone pulled back to rest closer to me and began building up energy.
"I will end you! Even if it means not going home! HAAAAH!" With our anger at seeing Chris knocked out, and our pain knowing we would never be strong enough to really do anything, Leone began to shimmer from the heat it was gathering. "Hades Leone Special Move: Royal Flame Hurricane!" Leone rushed Nemesis, colliding with it and releasing the energy. It spiraled up, the tornado of blazing orange. "I won't stop!" My voice gained a demonic tone once again. "Not until you sink into the darkness! AHHHHHH!" I was sweating from the strain of using so much power. Nemesis was actually being pushed back as the flames turned purple. Everyone shouted as their Beys backed up, and Rago took a step back.
"What's this?"
"This is my pain at experiencing failure. My sorrow at never being strong enough to protect the ones I love and even bringing them harm when I lose control! And my raaaaaaage!" I threw my head back as my eyes flashed purple, and Hades Leone seemed to double in strength. Rago threw his arm out.
"This worm just won't quit! Nemesis!" I felt something snap and my strength was gone. I saw the energy rushing towards me, and I knew I couldn't dodge it in time. Something smacked into me, taking me to the ground. The energy flew over my head, and I gasped when I saw Hades Leone laying on the ground next to me. One of the heads on the Fusion Wheel was cracked wide open.
"...Leone..."
"James! Are you okay?!" I looked up to see Chris grabbing my shoulder. I blacked out, but not before seeing a bright light behind me.
Welp, lotta good James did. He busted up Leone and only ticked off Rago. What's happening now?
Find out next time!
~Silverleone