*Whenever a character's speech is in bold, it simply means they're speaking in another language.*
As nightfall drew near, Anashi found herself curled up on her side, atop a queen-sized bed, with Fireblaze clutched close to her chest. Only a few days before the first match, she thought inwardly, as feelings of unease began to settle in her abdomen. She had just gotten off the phone with her mother, and the others - except for her captain - had gone to a small bistro, just across the street. She, on the other hand, had chosen to stay behind at their hotel.
Unlike the other members of her team, Anashi had never strayed far from home. She had never travelled beyond Japan's borders, and this was her first time competing in the World Championships. As many would expect, the mere notion of such freedom placed a profound sense of excitement in her heart, but it was not without a catch of its own. Every thrill came with a lingering sense of fear.
Of its own accord, her mind entertained thoughts of failure, and the possibility of getting lost in a foreign country, equipped only with her beyblade. What if the team lost because of her? It was enough to make any rookie pack their bags, and call it quits.
Sitting up straight, she shook her head firmly from side to side.
What on Earth am I doing? No, I won't allow myself to think like that. I will improve, and I won't let my team down, she reasoned.
Rising from the bed, Anashi made her way to the door, and crossed the length of the suite, intent to watch some television before finally calling it a day. Perhaps that would help her to relax, she thought inwardly. As she made her way over to the sofa, she noted that her captain was currently immersed in the pages of a book.
"H-hey, Hikoya," she murmured, hating the way she stuttered around her older teammate. Clearing her throat softly, she attempted to speak again, this time proceeding with caution to keep her voice steady. "What are you reading?"
Momentarily, his gaze touched hers as he lifted the book, revealing his reading material – a dictionary.
"Why are you reading that?" She asked, while slightly tilting her head to the side. Surely, the television channels had to be more interesting than his reading content. Grabbing the remote, Anashi quickly discovered why Hikoya had opted for a dictionary – all the programs were being broadcasted in a different language.
Turning the confounded device off, she settled herself next to Hikoya, peering over momentarily to examine the pages of the dictionary. Much to her displeasure, most of it had been written in a language she did not understand, either.
Seemingly irritated by the newfound proximity, Hikoya inhaled sharply through his nose, and briefly intoned that it was a Japanese-to-English dictionary.
"'Are you bilingual?"
"Multilingual," he corrected softly. "In battle, I would never do any favours for my opponent, nor would I alter my speech to help them surpass something such as a language barrier. The Australian team wouldn't be any more accommodating, I imagine."
"I suppose you're right …" she concurred, internally amazed by Hikoya's thought process.
He's just like a tactician, she remarked inwardly as the rest of Team Japan barged through the door, laughing and conversing with one another. As though an unspoken agreement had been exchanged between the brunette and her commander, their conversation came to a halt, as each made their way toward their respective sleeping areas.
†††
The following morning, the five made their way to a local gym, situated a few blocks from their hotel. Upon their arrival, Anashi noted that while the gym possessed all the bells and whistles of a normal training centre, it also housed several bey stadiums. Most were occupied, but that was fine, seeing as the girls would be taking turns acting as sparring partners.
Heading to their respective changing rooms, Team Japan quickly switched into their athletic attire, and made their way toward the main floor of the training facility. Deciding that it would be best if they paired up, Anashi and Kotomi made their way over to the stadium – after all, someone had to test out the new weight disks and attack rings, so why not them?
Straightening her arm to mirror her sparring partner, Anashi launched with one fluid motion, while the others made their way over to the opposing end of the gym. The battle was short, but intense thanks to the new equipment, with Anashi emerging as the victor. Wordlessly calling her bey back to her hand, the young brunette couldn't help but to wonder what had her friend's mind so preoccupied that she had briefly zoned out, thus bringing their "sparring match" to an abrupt end.
"What's on your mind, Kotomi?"
"Them …" she answered quietly, nodding to a secluded area where another group of teens were gathered, all of whom were wearing matching outfits which donned small depictions of the WBBA's logo.
"Perhaps we'll be facing off against them," Anashi inferred.
"Perhaps," Kotomi replied with a perfunctory shrug of her shoulders, before flicking a tentative glance toward her other teammates.
As expected, Miyako had already fixed the Australian teenagers with a hard, unflinching gaze, the burnished gold of her eyes challenging and assessing them all at once. While Rika's eyes, on the other hand, were searching for their blades and launchers.
"Think that's the Australian team?" Miyako intoned.
"Yes," her smaller teammate replied with a clear, yet seemingly clinical voice.
"Think we should introduce ourselves?"
For a moment, Rika seriously considered the idea, until she realized that if the Australian team was anything like hers, they would have done their research prior to the first match.
"Perhaps; if they didn't do their homework, though, that's not my issue. What do you think … Hikoya?"
At the mention of his name, their captain slowly unfolded himself from the shadows, his amethyst eyes producing a feral glint. In a quiet, yet fearsome voice, he asked Rika to pull up the profiles of the Australian team, allowing him to evaluate said profiles and those who were gathered in the secluded section of the training facility.
Upon seeing the profiles, a slight inclination of his head confirmed that the teenagers before them were, indeed, the members of the Australian team: J.T. Walker – a regular; Theodore Robinson – another regular, who also acted as the team's manager; Dash Kelly – also a regular and the team's captain; and finally, Martin Smith – the team's sub member.
"Leave them be," he grunted.
Without offering another word upon his departure, Hikoya removed himself from the group and resumed his training. He had no intention of consorting with the opposing team prior to the first match, or at any given point henceforth.
"What's his deal?" Rika muttered – she knew Hikoya wasn't very gregarious, but abstaining from a little socializing was awkward, if not impolite.
"Maybe he's shy," Miyako sneered softly.
"Doubt it," Rika replied, as her teammate began to cross the expanse of the room. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? Hikoya said to leave them alone – you'll be in trouble if he finds out."
"Oh, yeah? Well, you can tell Mr. Sunshine that he isn't the boss of me. If I was meant to be controlled, I would've come with a remote," Miyako hissed, continuing to make her way toward the Australian team.
As she approached, four pairs of eyes instantly locked onto her lithe figure, observing her with a sense of relaxed curiosity.
"Hi, my name's Miyako; I'm assuming that you're the Australian team," she stated when she was standing in front of the other teenagers, surprising them by her ability to speak fluently in their native language.
Seemingly having recovered from their initial shock, the one known as "J.T." made his way over, extending a polite, yet formal greeting on behalf of his team mates, his eyes resembling those of a fox. Almost instantly, Miyako decided that she liked the blonde – at least he knew how to be courteous … not that such behaviour would get him anywhere, should they face one another in the stadium as opponents.
Speaking of which …
Peering beyond the blonde male, Miyako allowed her gaze to settle on the two brunettes of the group, one of whom had clear, intelligent eyes – along with a standard smartphone – while the other possessed a glinting pair of emerald orbs. Based solely on the look he was giving her, she took him as the Hikoya of the Australian team.
The brunette commander of the Australian team didn't tower over her - unlike a certain irritable, blue haired giant, which she knew of - but he did possess a stocky build alongside a pair of sloping shoulders and a standard crew cut. All in all, easy on the eyes but not so much on his social skills.
Apart from the Australian commander, a small red head stood off to his left, his frazzled hair getting in the way of his eyes.
"What do you want with us?" He said, his voice rich and smooth, with a guarded undertone.
"I merely wanted to check out my competition for the first round of the World Championships." Miyako replied, the rest of her friends taking a break to investigate what she was getting herself involved with.
"These are your teammates?"
"Yes."
"They don't look very strong." The Australian commander murmured quietly, breaking his silence.
Narrowing her eyes, Miyako folded her arms across her chest, her gaze challenging him to make another thoughtless remark; any excuse to put him in his place, while teaching him a painful lesson.
"Where's your captain?" J.T. piped up, his eyes scanning the room for the fifth member of Team Japan.
"How do you know you're not looking at her?"
Upon hearing that, J.T.'s eyes widened in surprise; this girl couldn't possibly think that she was fooling anyone. Especially not him. His team had done their research, and she was most definitely not the Japanese commander, but perhaps he could use her inflated ego to his advantage … he thought to himself as his gaze roamed over the rest of her team.
"All right, if you're the captain of your team, what type of training modules or exercises have you completed in preparation for our match?"
"A good captain would never reveal her secrets," Miyako lied smoothly, her mind drawing a blank when it came down to what Hikoya said they would be covering in the days that would soon follow.
Shrugging, J.T. slid his hands into his pockets, while rocking back and forth slightly on his heels.
"I suppose it doesn't really matter; from what I've heard, the commander of the Japanese team is also the sub member … so we probably won't face off anyways. But I'll keep an eye out for you," he replied effortlessly, causing Miyako's eyes to widen slightly.
She and the others had been able to review the statistics revolving around the Australian team, so wouldn't it stand to reason that they would be able to view the corresponding information with regards to Team Japan? If that was the case, it caused an even bigger question to arise: Had J.T. known all along, purposely choosing not to call her out on her bluff?
In that moment, part of her wanted to shout and accuse the blonde-haired male of making her look like a fool. But another part – the small, yet reasonable voice she often ignored – pointed out that she was the one who had made herself look foolish. Not the irritable Hikoya and certainly not some boy she had just met and known for about two minutes.
Deciding that it would be best to stop while she was ahead, Miyako politely bid the Australian team farewell before returning to her friends.
"How did things go? What did they say?" Rika asked softly once the opposing team was out of earshot.
"Um, they were nice. Told us to watch our backs because they're so tough and all," she lied, causing Anashi to frown. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," the small brunette replied, fidgeting slightly under the older female's gaze.
Changing the subject, Miyako immediately began to go over their "game plan," regarding their first round in the World Championships. When she finished her proud declaration, her "moment" was cut short when Hikoya showed up and congratulated her.
"Brilliant execution; you should be glad to note that I'm willing to accommodate your fabricated account of events for the first round."
"Say what," Miyako choked, her mind struggling to figure out exactly what Hikoya had just said, "You're going to abdicate your title? For me?"
"No; you've been benched. You wanted my status on the team, so I'm going to give it to you in a circuitous way for the duration of the first round. That includes the attached position that comes along with it – that of the sub member."
"You're saying she can't battle?" Kotomi asked with wide eyes.
A fraction of a nod was a sufficient answer to render Kotomi silent, though not her silver haired friend.
"That's not fair!" Miyako hissed.
"Disobedience resulting in repercussions is unfair," Hikoya asked with a soft lilt to his voice, daring her to step out of line.
Without another word, the violet eyed male made his way off to the locker room, indicating that it was time to leave. Their training would resume another day.
†††
"Nice one!" Rika hissed quietly, her dark gaze settling directly on Miyako.
"Me!? What did I do?"
"You just threw off our entire game plan! That's what you did, genius," the green haired teenager seethed. "If you hadn't gotten yourself benched, we'd have the perfect line up to defeat the Australian team!"
"Mind filling me in," Kotomi asked softly from the edge of the group.
Sighing, in a somewhat overly dramatic manner, Rika asked if any of them were familiar with a team from one of the previous World Championships: Wild Fang. When the girls drew a blank, it was the wielder of Fireblaze who spoke up, inquiring what caused Rika to reference the retired team in the first place.
"What's so special about that group?"
"That group represented Africa. The African qualifier and preliminaries caused Wild Fang to face off against every other competitive country within the continent. Based on my research, the team's origins were somewhat of a strange one; one member was an Egyptian, who had journeyed to the location where the qualifier was being held: Rock City in the country of Savannah, and–"
"Wait a sec; I thought the savannah was a region of land – not a country." Kotomi intoned softly.
"I don't get it, either; should I continue?"
Offering a shrug, the lavender haired blader braced up against a wall, her arms folded across her chest. The term "Wild Fang" seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had heard of it.
"Anyways, another member happened to be a resident of Rock City, preferring to live along its borders by the grasslands. The remaining members of the team journeyed from Japan, one of whom assumed leadership of Wild Fang."
"Now that I think about it, this does seem a little familiar …" Kotomi murmured, earning a smirk from her green haired team mate.
"As it should; one of the Japanese members was your father."
The pieces of the puzzle slowly came together in Miyako's mind. It all made sense – after all, her father usually liked to reminisce about the days of the World Championships and Team Gan Gan Galaxy. Especially the days of its formation, some of which weren't as humorous as the others.
Occasionally, when her father spoke of his old team, he would subtly mention two would-be members, assuming the circumstances had been in Team Gan Gan Galaxy's favour. One of the temporary members was the Dragon Emperor, who had battled on behalf of Gan Gan Galaxy in place of her father and a friend of his, whom she had come to associate as an uncle-like figure, "Yu Tendo."
The other member had abandoned Gan Gan Galaxy almost as quickly as he had earned a position on the team. Due to his absence, the position had been vacant once more, allowing her father another chance to make the team. According to Gingka, when he had confronted the blader, it was revealed that he had utilized the Japanese preliminaries as a platform to demonstrate the damage he could cause … And he had used her father as the key example to make that lesson painfully instructive, striking fear into the hearts of their worldwide audience.
"The other Japanese member of Wild Fang was–"
"You don't have to say that creature's name …" Miyako snarled softly, knowing exactly whose name Rika had been gearing up to say. "Better yet, as a team rule, let's make it official: none of us are to speak his name."
"You do realize that Hikoya's father isn't the Dark Lord, right? Mentioning him in conversation doesn't automatically create a realm of bad luck and misery." Kotomi scoffed, acting as the voice of reason.
"That's debatable," Rika spoke up cheekily, though in no way siding with her silver haired team mate.
"Whatever; what does any of this have to do with our team?"
"I was getting to that," Rika pouted. "Look, Wild Fang used to battle and dominate their competition in a strategic manner. Their advanced guard – Nile – was utilized to assess the opposing team and secure an early victory in the first match. Depending on the outcome of his match, the reins were handed over to Hikoya's father."
"Why him?" Kotomi asked.
"He was the most dangerous weapon in their arsenal …" Anashi softly concluded, her voice barely above a whisper. He had to be from the folklore surrounding the Legendary Blader of Spring.
"That's right; Nile always secured an early victory in the first match, and Kyoya cleaned up in the second."
"I have to admit: that's not too bad as far as strategies go. Sending a strong blader to assess the competition would help them to gauge what they're up against. If the opponent's weak, the team won't have to reveal all of its secrets."
"Exactly. Initially, that's how I wanted our team to kick things off for the first round, but, now that Miyako's been benched, we need to come up with a new strategy. Especially since I have no idea what kind of power Hikoya wields in his arsenal." Rika muttered.
"I don't suppose he'd tell us if we asked him …" Kotomi added.
"Probably not. You know how he is – the guy never says more than a few words at a time. Or he disappears for hours on end, leaving us with no way to contact him."
Nodding her head, Kotomi began to wonder how they should go about getting the information. If Hikoya wouldn't give it to them at leisure, one of them could always battle the violet eyed male. If he accepted, then Rika could use her laptop to record the data and thoroughly analyse it.
"Let's challenge him!"
"Say what?" The others exclaimed simultaneously.
"Let's do it; if we can't convince Hikoya to tell us what we want to know, then let's challenge him to a battle. One of us can battle him – and Rika can record the information – providing us with the data we need to make an informed decision regarding our line up."
"That might actually work, but how are you going to challenge him?"
"By speaking to him …?"
Upon hearing that, Rika laughed as though she had just heard a two-year-old declare that they had successfully mastered calculus.
"What's so funny?"
"You're just going to speak to him," Rika echoed, trying to control her laughter. "Did you forget that Miyako just pissed him off, on top of his own training drills? This day has been an utter disaster; Grumpy Cat is probably exhausted, meaning all forms of discussion or communication in his department are closed."
"'Grumpy Cat?' Seriously?" Kotomi muttered in disbelief.
"Yep; that's what I've decided to call him. Anyways, that aside, how exactly do you propose we tackle this problem?"
"Maybe you should speak with him," Anashi suggested softly.
"Me!?" Rika exclaimed as though the brunette had told her to go bungee jumping.
"Think about it – you sat next to him during our flight, so you probably know more about Hikoya than the rest of us."
"That doesn't mean I enjoyed it! Grumpy Cat is a poor conversationalist and I only spoke to him out of necessity during our flight."
"And this isn't necessary," Anashi pressed to no avail. "Fine, then … I'll speak with him."
"You?!" The others exclaimed simultaneously.
"Why not? You," Anashi began, looking pointedly at Miyako, "seem to hate his guts, Kotomi appears to be indifferent, and I don't think Rika is going to change her mind any time soon … so that leaves me."
"And you think you'll be okay with him?" Kotomi inquired.
"Why wouldn't I be? It's not like he bites–"
"That you know of; have you seen his fangs?" Miyako hissed.
Rolling her eyes, Anashi quickly straightened up when she saw Hikoya emerge from the locker room, his bag slung across his shoulder. Wordlessly, he passed the girls, giving them a pointed look, indicating that they should get ready to leave as well.
With a huff, Anashi adjusted her bag, trailing silently after her commander while the others filed into the changing room.
"Hey, Hikoya … do you have a sec?" Coming to a halt, the austere male waited for her to continue.
Taking a sharp breath through her nose, Anashi began softly, asking if he could make some time to help her practice.
"Why not ask one of the others?"
"I think I can learn a lot from you …" she admitted quietly.
"… All right."
"Really?"
"Did I stutter, Hagane?"
†††
That evening, Anashi found herself standing across from Hikoya, mirroring his position. Instead of a normal stadium, they had opted to train by the wharf, overlooking the harbour. And, as planned, Rika began to record the battle, analyzing everything from Hikoya's stance to the tension in his muscles.
"Are you ready, Hikoya?"
A tight nod of his head was all she received as he straightened his arms, ready to launch.
"Three."
"Two," Anashi responded.
"One; let it rip!" They announced simultaneously as they fired their blades at one another.
Wondering if it would be an easy victory, Anashi went on the offensive, commanding Fireblaze to strike with all that it had. Hikoya, however, did not appear to be shaken as he folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, adopting a passive demeanor. Without summoning his bit-beast, or even uttering a word, his blade suddenly vanished into thin air, causing Anashi to falter.
Blinking, she briefly wondered if Leone was hiding. But how had it moved from view so quickly? Even attack types couldn't move that fast.
Things didn't just appear and disappear without an explanation – it wasn't scientific, Anashi reasoned.
Flicking her gaze up to her captain, she watched as he reopened his violet eyes, causing his blade to reappear. In an instant, Storm Leone smashed into Fireblaze with overwhelming strength, causing it to soar through the air before landing on its face bolt.
With wide eyes, Anashi watched as Leone circled once before striking Fireblaze again, causing both beys to sail through the air and land in Hikoya's outstretched hand. With a grunt, he flicked his wrist, returning Fireblaze to its owner, as Anashi leapt to catch her treasured partner.
"Your launch is weak; keep practicing."
"So much for positive feedback …" Anashi murmured softly. (Much to her immediate displeasure, Hikoya had heard her. Clearly.)
"You have power … but that is all. Turn your strength into a point of focus and improve your launch technique," he grunted, offering no further advice as he turned on his heel, and stalked off into an unknown area of town, leaving the girls at the harbour.
"Do you think he's upset that we were analyzing his technique?"
"Only God in Heaven knows," Rika muttered as she reviewed the recording, resulting in a frown as her eyes scanned the footage.
"What's wrong? Were you able to figure out why his beyblade disappeared?"
"No, but I'm not surprised. Have you seen his mother's battles? Hikaru was infamously known for developing a technique that allowed Storm Aquario to appear and disappear at will, among other things. She was the only one who was ever able to. Or at least she was the only one until now."
"Wow …"
"From what I've seen, Hikoya's technique was modelled after his parents' and their respective styles of battling."
"Rock Leone was defensive, and Storm Aquario is an attack type, right?" Anashi inquired.
"Correct, but when Rock Leone evolved, it began to behave like an attack type, in response to Kyoya's will. Based on what I know, Fang Leone usually stays in counter mode, giving it impressive levels of defensive and offensive power. Even for a defense type."
"So if Storm Leone's disappearing act doesn't concern you, then what does?"
"The conditions of your loss, to tell you the truth. Don't you find it just a little bit strange that Fireblaze lost so quickly? A stamina type that should be able to hold its ground against the aggressive Leone," Rika stressed.
"I don't know; I mean, I couldn't even see where Leone was for most of our battle. How do you expect me to counter his attacks when I can't assess where or when he's going to act? He didn't even speak to summon Leone or use a special move."
"Who ever said he had to? Why do you think so many inexperienced bladers lose quickly? They always announce what they're going to do, aloud, giving their opponent time to formulate a corresponding strategy! If that isn't the height of stupidity, I don't know what is."
"Your point," Anashi murmured softly. "Why is it so strange for a stamina beyblade to lose to an attack type?"
"Because it's uncommon. Even if the result was bound to be the same, you shouldn't have lost that easily."
"Well, Hikoya has more experience than I do so–"
"It still doesn't add up," Rika protested. "Even my laptop had trouble tracking Leone's movements."
"Why?"
"Take a look."
Peering over her friend, Anashi's eyes widened with fear when she saw what Rika was referring to. Now, it was painfully clear … The Japanese team, officially, possessed the most dangerous blade in the world, and they hadn't even been aware of its presence until mere moments ago.