Chapter 2: First Impressions
*Flashback in General POV*
Over a year ago...
It was the first day of high school for some of the Bladebreakers. Every student attending the BBC was gathered in the largest room of fluorescence lighting. Everyone was getting 'acquainted' to each other through friendly beyblade battles. Sounds of beyblades screeching on battle dishes and pounding on opposing blades filled the room.
Around one corner of this grand and unfurnished training room, the ambitious and accomplished Kai was deeply engaged in a so called 'friendly beyblade introduction'.
"Girl, are you ready?!" Kai questioned his opponent in an arrogant tone.
"Huh?" the girl questioned back with a confused facial expression. "It's Iris by the way! Humph."
"Meet Dranzer then, Iris!" Kai bellowed and his faithful phoenix bit-beast emerged from his blade on cue, causing Iris to gasp in bewilderment. Large, fiery, and ready to attack on his master's command, Dranzer soared in the mid-air with his sight set on the rival blade which was also spinning in the metallic dish.
"ATTACK!!!" Kai ordered rigorously.
"Ahhhh! Wait!" Iris cried out as the incited phoenix launched his Fire Arrow attack, bombarding arrows of flames into the dish in all directions, targeting a rotating blade revolving around the dish. Other bladers, too busy and concerned with their own combats, didn't notice Dranzer's sudden attack, just as they didn't notice that Dranzer emerged from Kai's blade, for Dranzer wasn't the only bit-beast emerging from its confinement.
Iris, ill-prepared and inexperienced, struck a total blank as her defenseless blade ventured to avoid getting scorched. 'Show us your bit-beast,' Kai demanded mentally as he glared, aggravated, at his challenger.
At the same time, Iris growled, 'ARGH! You've got to attack, Iris. No more pitiful defense maneuvers! But how? His bit is too powerful for my blade to handle.' Still stirring a blank, Iris ordered forcibly, "Avoid! Faster!"
Losing speed and its spin, Iris' blade became engulfed by the flames of the eternal phoenix. "KAI! Stop it!" Iris begged loudly as she fell on her knees, shedding tears from her eyes, stricken by a dreadful thought of an inevitable obliteration of her blade as it began to deliquesce.
Pitying her, Kai recalled Dranzer into the blade. As her somber face dampened, her blade continued to melt. Abruptly from other friendly blade battles, came racing to the scene of the dissolving blade, four male bladers from close by, one ahead of the other. The boy leading had navy-blue hair tucked under his baseball-looking cap. Right after, a raven-haired teen followed with a blond-haired boy. Lastly, but not least, a distinctive boy with his brownish hair concealing his eyes trailed. They were none other than members of the Bladebreakers.
Arriving, all of them wheezed. Breathing heavily for oxygen, the navy-haired teen, beguiled by the unrecognizable substance that had liquefied itself onto the battle dish, questioned curiously, "Kai! What's THAT?!" Getting no sudden reply, Tyson looked toward Iris, who began to wipe her tears away with her sleeves. Kai stared coldly at him as he and the others stopped panting.
"Tyson," Kenny deduced, "What we have here is unmistakably a melted beyblade."
"Huh?"
Bottling up her anger like a bottle of coke, Iris murmured with a hint of sadness at the end, "My blade."
"Kai!" his fellow teammates, except for Kenny, growled, sending Kai one of his own death glare. Kai, in return, just shut his eyes.
Sighing, Iris slowly stood up and softly complained, "You didn't need to destroy my blade just to introduce me to your bit-beast's superiority."
"Don't worry. Mr. Mean and Grumpy will get you a new and better blade," Tyson proposed, trying to comfort Iris as he nudged Kai.
"ARGH!" Kai growled as he opened his eyes. Glancing at Iris, he gave an unconcerned look. However, uneasiness resided in his mind. Admitting his guilty action, Kai reluctantly answered, "Fine. Choose a blade and I'll purchase it for you. After that, I don't owe you anything."
"What about your bit-beast? You can't just buy a bit-beast," Max asked, assuming that Iris' original blade contained a special spirit as her ally or partner in battle and friend in life.
"I don't own one. No bit-beast has chosen me. And they're wise not to select a weak blader like me to be their blading companion," Iris answered, sounding diffident of her blading potential.
"I'm sure you'll get one when you improve," Ray said, trying to reassure Iris.
"We can train you. All of us are the Bladebreakers. And with our guidance, you'll enhance your blading skills and learn new strategies," Kenny offered kindly.
"Good idea, Chief!" Tyson complimented.
"With him?" Iris asked, pointing her right index finger at Kai. The four sociable Bladebreakers nodded. "Ahhh..."
"In terms of beyblade, Kai can teach you a lot more of this sport practically than anyone of us," Ray mentioned.
'You may be the greatest blader, Kai, but can you be at least half as great as a friend or a person,' Iris wondered when Max jovially interrupted.
"YUP! Kai's been practicing his whole life. It's as important as breathing," Max remarked, laughing.
At the same moment, a few thoughts ran loose in Iris' mind. 'Beware, Kai, you may not show your regrets now, but when your heart of ice thaws, you'll be sorry. I know only too well.'
Kai was about to object to teaching an amateur like Iris his blading secrets when Iris shook her head. "No thanks. All I want from Kai is a sincere apology for getting carried away in our friendly battle," she demanded, choosing her words carefully.
"HA! I've destroyed many blades before and never have I agreed to purchase a single replacement. Such apology you seek you shall not receive. However, you'll get a new blade, and I'll ensure that it'll be better than your original," an obdurate Kai expressed sternly.
"You see, our team leader doesn't like to show any regrets to anyone," Ray claimed.
"Rest assure. Kai is sorry. Agreeing to purchase a replacing blade is his way of apologizing," Max added, smiling sincerely.
"Well, he needs to make a better sincere effort," Tyson argued, "You just don't go destroying a stranger's blade for no apparent reason. Anything, better yet, you just don't go wrecking any blade. You should take care of them, not annihilating them."
"Is that a lecture I'm hearing from our reckless friend? About the proper treatment of beyblades?" Kenny asked in surprised as he checked Tyson's forehead for his temperature. "Okay. His temperature is normal. But he isn't Tyson."
"Chief, but I am Tyson," he stressed as he held out Dragoon. Max and Ray first chuckled, and then Kenny and the mortified Tyson joined in the laughter.
Slightly amused, Iris giggled quietly. "Hey, I'm an easy-going person. All is forgotten."
"Are you sure?" Tyson asked as they stopped laughing.
"Never have I been more certain about something of this matter," she answered. "Blading is not my future," Iris declared candidly, shaking her head and smiling.
"Don't say that. Blading is the best I stress! You should NEVER give it up! NEVER!" Tyson blurted out strongly as the school bell chimed, marking the end of the first blading rotation.
"I guess it's time to switch and battle another blader," Ray informed.
"YAY! WHOOPY! MORE FUN!" Max exclaimed, even more delighted than ever.
"YUP!" Tyson exclaimed, joining Max in his cheerfulness.
"Then, have fun. I'm outta here!" Iris announced, waving goodbye as she ambled to the main entrance/exit without looking back.
"HEY! WAIT!" Tyson yelled as he sprinted towards her. Catching her attention when she halted by the doorway, Tyson questioned frankly, "Are you skipping both training sessions (class periods) um... Iris?"
At the BBC, the first class, which is training, begins at 8a.m. sharp. A normal class period lasts for one and an half hour. Each school day, training takes 2 normal class periods. Cooking classes are only for grade 11 and upwards. They are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each cooking class lasts for 3 hours.
"Well, actually, I just immigrated here a week ago, and I've got some family matters to attend this morning. And it's just about time to begin," Iris tried to explained as she turned to face him.
"Okay. Catch ya —" Tyson managed to say when his stomach began to rumble. He placed his right hand over his belly and grumbled, "I'm hungry! When's lunch?"
"Lunch? It's after period three, around 12:30p.m., I believe. But if you're famished already, wait here for me. I'll be back," Iris suggested and dashed away before Tyson could answer.
Five minutes later, from across the hallway came Iris sprinting towards Tyson. Strapped across her shoulder and chest was a black duffle bag with silver stripes and a beautifully embroidered design at the front. The design contained a logo of a cake with the words: Sweet Indulgences, which were embroidered right in the centre of cake. Just below the logo was a slogan that went: Mmmm.... Sweet & Simple.
Iris zipped open the largest zipper of the duffle bag, and took out a three quartered full brown paper bag. "Here," Iris uttered, placing the bag in front of Tyson, "Take it. There should be enough double chocolate donuts inside."
Accepting her offer of delectable food, Tyson received the bag. "Thanks!" Tyson answered in gratitude, and began to stare dreamily at the bag he was holding as she zipped her bag shut.
"You're welcomed, Tyson?" Iris replied as she watched Tyson drooled over the sight and aroma of delicious packaged donuts. Not getting a reply, Iris smiled amusingly and uttered a goodbye to a daydreaming and drooling Tyson.
*Flashback Ends*
Back to the present and at Tyson's temple...
'Perhaps I was a little too harsh on her. After discovering that a credit in family studies was required to graduate in the fine print of the programs book, I may have taken my anger out on —' Kai thought.
"Kai? Oh Earth to Kai? Kai?" a voice called out to him. A set of hands was waving back and forth in front Kai's face. "How many fingers?"
"None, if you don't stop this insolence, Tyson," Kai answered, smirking. Noting Kai's usual devious smirks, Tyson removed his hands from Kai's face and popped a question instead.
"Um… Guys… remember last year… around this time…" Tyson stuttered.
"Yes. Around this time? Meaning what?" a clueless Ray asked.
"HALLOWEEN?!?!" Max shouted excitingly.
"Halloween?" Ray repeated in disbelief as he stared at Tyson.
"What is it, Tyson? You look troubled. And for once, you can't blame me for your distress and misfortune," Kai asked, sounding thrilled.
"Um… Well, you see, remember that—"
"What Tyson is trying to say is that he received another request this year for the upcoming Halloween dance," Kenny explained.
"That's it, Chief. Thanks! Phew!"
"Someone's asking you out to the dance secretly?" Ray questioned. 'Most of the girls who know me tend to be direct in asking me out to dances. I guess this one must be extremely shy.'
"The same secret admirer?! WOW!"
"Perhaps she so ashamed of herself for crushing on Tyson that her admiration has to remain as her little secret," Kai remarked.
"KAI!" Kenny scowled.
"So are you going to the dance still?" Ray inquired.
"Of course. I will not miss out on the food. Secret admirer or not. No one shall stand between me, my bit and my nourishments," Tyson declared. "And besides, there's still a few weeks left before the dance. Nothing to worry about."
"Hey, Tyson! You're not blushing or anything. Why is that?"
"I'm supposed to blush?" Tyson questioned back as Max gazed at him with narrowed eyes. Everyone, besides Tyson there sweat dropped.
"Tyson!" Ray, Max, and Kenny yelled in unison.
"You're supposed to blush when anything about the person you like is mentioned or when you notice her," Ray stated.
"Oh really? Like when your face reddened in front of all of us when you were with Ma—" snickering, Max started to mention when Tyson interrupted.
"Oh really??? I had no idea. I probably didn't realize 'cause I'm not looking for anyone for romance. At least not yet. There's still a whole world out there for me to explore and lots of challenges for me to conquer. Plus—"
"Okay, okay, okay, so you don't have a thing for this secret admirer. Then attend the dance and confront her. Tell her," Dizzi advised, cutting Tyson off. "Don't let her wait for someone who's not going to come around in the next century."
"And don't you dare chicken out on this one, Tyson, or else," Kai warned, laughing menacingly, "you'll be doing two months of training in one week."
"You're bluffing?" Tyson asked nervously. Kai replied with the mysteriously dangerous smile on his face. Seeing that smirk, Tyson gulped.
"Don't worry, Tyson. I'm sure you'll make it there this year," Max said, trying to reassure Tyson.
"YEAH! Tyson of the Bladebreakers is NOT chicken!"
"Alright then. About three weeks to go, Tyson. Lots of time for you to practice what to say," Ray informed.
"And if you need any help, you can always bribe and flatter little brilliant me, Dizzi, for some tips."
"Alright! Bring it on! LET IT RIP!"
"Tyson! You mean, let us start on our homework," Kenny corrected, and all of his friends, besides Dizzi, fell to the ground in anime-style.
*****
To be continued.
Disclaimer: If I own Beyblade, I'll probably make all the bladers compete in a cooking competition, and maybe I will do so in my fan fics, ^_^. But, I don't however, own Beyblade.
Author's Notes: So, how boring was this intended significant chapter? Aw... Kai wasn't cooking in this chapter. Well, that's because in this chapter, he was still in grade 10, and only grade 11s and students of higher grades must take family studies and pass. Well, until next time, let's keep our fingers crossed so the trouble that's brewing will not be more than what any one of or all the Bladebreakers can handle.
Reading/Review Acknowledgements: A thank you and a ^_^ for your reviews and your time spent on reading.