( Well I haven't updated in a long,long time!..the reason for that is because I wasn't getting very many reviews, so I thought you guys weren't enjoying my story... so I was kind of thinking about quitting my story. Anyways, thanks to my friend K-Chan I've decided to keep going! So here's chapter 12..enjoy!)

(And I got to give thanks to LigerBlade..she helped me out with some ideas for this chapter. So thanks soooooo much!)



Chapter 12: The Tournament Begins

"Well.our first battle's today!"

Rei thought, as he glanced around the room. Max, Rei, and Kai had all made their way to Kenny's room, hoping to wake up Tyson in time for the tournament. Jade wasn't to be found, and everybody assumed that she had took it upon herself to find Mr. Dickinson. Rei shook his head, as Kenny and Max continued to shake Tyson.

"Give it up guys.he's hopeless!" Kai said in annoyance. "Besides, we don't need him anyways."

"Awww, come on Kai..we're a team!" Max replied, as he gave a little grin.

Kai grunted as he made his way towards the door,

"whatever.I don't have time for this!"

Before Kai had a chance to reach the door, it slowly swung open. He focused his eyes ahead of him, as Jade stood in the door frame. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, as she sighed heavily. Kai looked Jade up and down, then froze as he met Jade's crystal blue eyes. He opened his mouth and attempted to say something, but he found himself at a loss of words. Jade looked away from Kai, and quickly brushed past him.

"Morning Jade!" Max exclaimed, as Jade stopped and stood beside him.

"So, what's the game plan for today?" asked Jade, as she turned to face Kenny.

"Well today's our first match," informed Kenny, as he typed steadily on his laptop. "I believe we're going up against the Triple Terrors!"

"Don't tell me you forgot." Kai replied with a smirk, as he turned to face Jade. "Not even Tyson forgets about a match!"

"Of course I didn't forget!" Jade shot back, "I was just testing you!"

"Whatever." Kai replied in his usual tone, as he headed out the door.

Jade sighed,

"So.are we all ready?"

"Of course we are.except for him!"

Max smiled, as he rubbed the back of his head and pointed towards the sleeping Tyson. Jade shook her head in frustration.

"Typical!"Jade replied, then quickly made her way towards the door. " He better not make us late for our first battle!"





The arena was completely full, as people still continued to file in looking for a few empty seats. It was huge, and Tyson's eyes widened in amazement.

"Just look at all these people!" Tyson exclaimed, as his eyes scanned the endless rows of faces. "They're probably all here to cheer me on!"

"Yeah right," Jade replied with a smirk. "Dream on!"

The Bladebreakers made their way to the sidelines, as they waited to get a glimpse of their opponents. Kai sighed,

"Ok Kenny, who's on today's line-up?"

Kenny opened up his lap top, and began to type steadily. Suddenly a number of endless words ran down along the screen, as Kenny scanned over it. He smiled, then looked up at Kai.

"According to my information, I believe that Max should engage in the first battle. With Draciel's defensive maneuvers, I'd say that he would be our best bet!"

Max nodded his approval, as the others waited for Kenny to finish their line-up.

"Ok.the next two are toss ups," Kenny replied, looking up. "But I think Jade should fight in the second battle!"

Tyson pumped up his fists, and sported a huge smile.

"You know I'm in Chief! I'll do the 3rd match!"

"Not so fast," Kai replied, as he glanced at Kenny. "I'll go!"

Everyone looked at Kai with surprise, except for Tyson who looked rather angry and disappointed at the same time. He crossed his arms, and got a pout look on his face. He hated it when he couldn't battle. The lights suddenly dimmed, as the stadium got ready for the first battle.

"Alright everybody, it's the first day of the Hong Kong tournament and boy.do we have a great match for you loving fans out there!"

Brad Bests voice was heard over the announcement, as A.J. Topper and himself began to introduce the two teams.

"That's right Brad.our first match of the day is the Triple Terrors(cause their triplets), and the world famous Bladebreakers!" A.J. yelled, as his announcement filled the arena. "But if you haven't noticed yet Brad, the Bladebreakers acquired a new teammate and are looking to do even more serious damage!"

The crowd began to cheer, as Max slowly made his way up to the dish. A boy with dark brown hair stepped up on the opposite side, and studied Max closely. He was wearing a blue shirt, and black jeans. The dish was completely covered, and the two competitors looked at it with anticipation. Suddenly the cover slowly began to open, as the dish for the match was revealed. Max's eyes widened in shock. The dish was a miniature resemblance of a forest!

"And there's the dish!"A.J. replied. "This dish is a replica of the great Red Wood forest! Our bladers are going to have their work cut out for them...as they try to dodge the giant trees in this dish."

Max swallowed nervously, as he tried to focus his mind. 'So what if there's a few trees blocking my way,' Max thought. 'I'll still win the match!'

"And up first is Max for the Bladebreakers! This little dude always keeps his cool in every match, and his bit beast Draciel is a great addition to the mix!"

"And from the Triple Terrors, is Nick!" added Brad. "This kid may look innocent, but he has a few tricks up his sleeve!"

"3..2..1..LET IT RIP!"

"Go Draciel!"

The two blades were launched with incredible force into the dish, as they immediately began to spin in circles. Max still hadn't figured out a way to maneuver in the thick forest, so he kept Draciel circling around the outside ring. Nick's blade continued to follow Draciel, keeping the same idea in mind. Suddenly Nick's blade took a giant lunge towards Draciel, causing Max's blade to wobble slightly.'What do I do," Max thought as he began to get worried. 'I can't go into the forest.Draciel won't be able to dodge the trees." Max suddenly became desperate, as Nick called his blade to attack again.

"DRACIEL!" Max yelled, as he hoped for the best.

He covered his eyes, as he watched the two blades collide head on. Sparks could be seen, as one blade flew out of the dish and landed on the ground.

"And it's over.Max has won the first round!"

Max gave a huge sigh of relief, and turned around to head back to his team.

"You call that a battle!" Kai shot out, from his place on the bench. "That was the most pathetic match I've ever seen Max!"

"Kai," Rei replied.

Max shook his head, causing Rei to stop.

"Kai's right.I didn't know what I was doing out there.sorry guys!"

"Don't worry about it.you won the match didn't you." Jade answered, as she stood up. She began walking towards the dish, but stopped when she came side to side with Max. "You were scared of the trees, I could tell."

Max's mouth opened a little, as he nodded his head. Jade gave a little grin then headed up towards the dish,

"I'll show you how it's done Max!"

Max took a seat beside Tyson, and focused his eyes directly on Jade. She obviously wasn't scared of the dish, as she looked down at it and gave a small laugh.

"Please.is this the best you can do!"

Jade looked up into the stands, as if looking for the people who set up the dish. Jade shook her head, and watched as her opponent took her place. She was wearing beige shorts, and a light blue tank top. Her hair was jet black, except for her tips which were dyed a dark red.

"Well it seems that the Bladebreakers new teammate isn't intimidated at all!"

"Nice observation Brad.."A.J. replied sarcastically as he took over. "Jade recently joined the Bladebreaker team, and she is currently the top female blader in the world. This is no surprise, as her bit beast Dazzler is definitely a force not to be messed with! And she'll be going up against Nikki, who sets her game by using incredible speed!"

The two girls eyed each other, as Nikki gave a little smirk.

"So.you're the top female blader."

Jade simply nodded, and set Dazzler up on her launcher.

"Hmphh, well I guess I'll have the honor of taking that title away from you!" Nikki replied, as she too set up her light pink blade on her launcher.

"I wouldn't count on that!" Jade answered, and held out her blade in front of her.

"3..2..1..LET IT RIP!"

The blades were launched quickly, as they both landed lightly in the dish. Nikki's blade immediately headed straight towards Jades blade. Nikki laughed with delight, as her pink blade hit Dazzler head on. Nikki looked up, and noticed that Jade hadn't even flinched.

"You're going to have to better then that!" Jade stated, as she crossed her arms. "Dazzler.let her chase you.go into the forest, NOW!"

The purple blade immediately obeyed, as it quickly dashed into the mass of trees. Nikki's eyes widened, as Jade's blade completely disappeared. She tried to find it with her eyes, but she had no luck. The trees were covering all visibility.

"What is she doing!" Tyson yelled, as he tried to find Dazzler in the mass thicket.

"She's using the forest to her advantage." Kenny replied, "and it looks like she's doing a good job.Nikki seems to be hesitating about going in after her!"

"I would be too!" stated Max, as he continued to keep his eyes on Jade.

Kai was also watching the battle with great interest, especially Jade. 'Impressive.she's using the trees as a shield to hide Dazzler' Kai thought to himself, as he sat with his arms crossed. Kai couldn't help but keep his eyes focused on her, as images began racing through his mind again. He shook his head, as he tried to get rid of them. He knew that this was the same Jade from his childhood, but he didn't want to admit it.

"That was clever Jade," Kai suddenly said, as the others looked at him. "But, how do you plan on attacking when YOU can't even see your blade!"

Jade turned her head, and looked directly at Kai.

"Are you worried about me losing?!" Jade asked, as her eyes met his. She noticed that his eyes were faltering slightly, as she gave him a little wink.

"Awww, you don't have to worry about me Kai." Jade replied, as she couldn't help but smile. She noticed that Kai's cheeks had turned the slightest shade of pink. She had troubles believing that he was blushing over her, especially after that last battle that they had. She knew that something happened to him during their battle, but she had no idea that it would change his attitude towards her. Jade shrugged, as she turned back to face her opponent.

"Hey.that guys right, there's no way that you can attack me!" Nikki replied, as she smiled happily. "You don't even know where your blade is right now!"

"You sound so sure of yourself.just because I can't see my blade, doesn't mean I don't know where it is." Jade replied, with a cocky grin. "Dazzler always tells me where she is!"

"That's impossible!" Nikki replied, looking rather worried.

"Is it..well, how about we do a little demonstration!"

Jade shot out her hand and pointed at a small opening in the trees, which was s few inches away from Nikki's blade. Nikki followed Jade's arm down, and sighed.

"So.what's your point?!"

"I'm warning you," replied Jade giving an innocent smile. "Don't let your blade pass by there."

Nikki just gave out a smug look,

"Oh please, you actually think that you know where your blade is!"

Jade just shrugged, as she watched Nikki get frustrated.

"Your just trying to trick me!" Nikki replied, looking rather pleased. "Well.I'm not that stupid"

Jade watched, as Nikki allowed her pink blade to continue it's spin around the dish. Jade only sighed, as the pink blade came to the opening that she had warned her about. Before anyone knew what had happened, the small pink blade had flown out of the dish and landed lightly in front of Jade. Nikki looked like she was in complete shock, as they heard the announcements stating that Jade had won the match.

"It..It can't be.I lost!"

Nikki hung her head low in shame, she had completely blown the match.and she was warned. Jade distinctively told her not to pass by that opening. She sighed heavily, and felt someone grab her hand gently.

"Don't worry about it.If I were you, I wouldn't have listened to me either!" Jade relied with a smile. She had placed the light pink blade in Nikki's palm, as she began to walk back to her team.

"Wait!" yelled Nikki, as Jade spun around. "Does Dazzler actually tell you where she is.at all times?"

Jade nodded,

"Of course she does.she's my best friend."

With that, the two girls both went their separate ways. Jade quickly sat down beside Max, as she whispered in his ear.

"That's how you use the forest!"

Max smiled, as Kai finally stood up and stared towards the dish.

"Alright, who's up next?.I could use some fun!"

Kai slowly made his way up to the dish, and looked into it. 'Piece a cake' he though, as he scanned the covered tree dish. He looked up and noticed a girl with light brown hair facing him. She had it pulled up in a tight ponytail, and she was wearing a dark red turtle neck and black jeans.

"And here's the final match everyone!" announced A.J. "The bladebreakers send out the incredible team leader Kai, who goes by the phrase 'take no prisoners!' His bit beast Dranzer has the same attitude, and shows absolutely no sympathy towards the opponent."

"The Triple Terrors send out their team leader Nicole, who uses the concept of illusions to confuse her opponents!"

"3..2..1..LET IT RIP!"

The blades were launched at the same time, as both blades began a race around the dish.

"You know.I'm not like my brother and sister!" Nicole replied, as she kept her eyes focused on Kai. "I'm not scared to use the forest!"

Her red blade immediately headed into the dense forest, as it completely vanished. Kai shook his head, and crossed her arms. Her move didn't even faze him.

"If you think that the forest is going to hide your little blade, then you've got another thing coming!" Kai stated, as his eyes suddenly flared up. "Dranzer, burn down the forest.SPIN FIRE!"

Kai's words shot out with incredible force, as his blue blade instantly began to glow. The all too familiar red phoenix flew out of Kai's blade, as it spread its wings with power. The crowd was in awe at the great bird, and the bladebreakers watched Dranzer intently.especially Jade. She had now stood up, and her eyes were open in complete shock. A million thoughts began racing through her mind.the same thoughts that Kai had experienced when he had witnessed Dazzler.

"Jade.are you ok?" asked Tyson, as he waved his arms in front of her. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Dranzer?!" Jade replied, as she continued to stare at the red phoenix. "It can't be.."

Flames were thrown up into the air, as the dish was completely covered in smoke. It didn't take long for the smoke to clear, as the entire crowd gasped. The entire forest was completely burnt down, except for giant pile of ashes which had now formed.

"This match is over!" stated Kai, as he picked up his Dranzer blade and shoved it in his pocket.

Nicole's red blade was laying in the middle of the dish, looking rather burnt. She scooped it up, and quickly ran back to her team.

"And that's the match!" A.J. Topper yelled, as the crowd continued to cheer. "The Bladebreakers win the first round, and are on their way to the semi-finals!"