Battle File 02: Max VS Santiago

"Heart of Sea, Heart of Power"

"GOOOOOODDDD MOOOOORRRNNNNIIIINNNGGGG again, EVERYONE!" Maverick was saying, grinning widely into the audience. "Well, let's have a recap! As you all probably know a while ago, the BBA Team and Team Portugal have fought for the VERY first time, the match contested by none other than Takao Kinogu and Adolfo Rodriguéz. The results have been dramatic: BBA has come back from a 'near-death' experience, so to speak, and scored an upset victory against Team Portugal, when all seemed to be going on right for them. The BBA Team has 1 win." She nods. "Well, seems everything is in order for the 2nd set! Alright Bladers, to the shooting points, PLEASE!"

Max practically ran over to the shooting point and started waving his arms at the audience, grinning happily.

"For the BBA Team, we have MAX!"

The spotlights shone down on him. He was wearing an oversized blue t-shirt with a huge star and 2 smaller attendant stars arranged in a triangular manner on the left side of his shirt, and the shirt had red-trimmed edges (kinda like the one he wore in Beyblade 2002). Like Takao, he had a long sleeved shirt within, although it had a ¾ length sleeve, and it was of a pure white color. It had a yellow stripe going down each side. He wore baggy 6 pocket deep green denim ¾ jeans, and a pair of ankle socks and deep red Skechers Sport on his feet. A chain hung from the left side of his ¾'s, where a keychain collection resided: a small chibi UFO, a Sorting Hat (^o^), chibi Yuna, and chibi Reinhault from Arcandia. He had a pair of modified motorcycle gloves on his hands that had straps by his fingers and his wrist (it's not that I enjoy dressing them up fashionista style; I'm just giving you guys an idea how their new "uniforms" look like now that they've become 4 years older. Wait for Kai's and Lei's DESCRIPTIONS! *^.^*).

"For Team Portugal, we have SANTIAGO~~~!!!"

The spotlights shone down, and a small kid ran to his own shooting point and started waving at the audience as giddily as Max.

"…?" SD Takao blinked. "He's a BLADER?!"

"Bladers come in all shapes and sizes," Professor told him. "We musn't be fooled by his looks."

"It's not that," Takao said. "I know he's extremely good, or else he won't be here right now. It's just that I'm impressed. That kid has gotta be 10 years old or younger…"

"Shooters at the ready?" Maverick nodded. "ALRIGHT!"

Max got his Draciel then aimed it carefully at the ring arena by means of his Shooter. Santiago de Corva grinned happily then aimed his sleek-looking silver Bey at the arena with his own streamlined Shooter.

***…?*** Max blinked. ***What a Shooter…wait a minute…where have I seen one like that before…***

"3…2…1…GOOOOO…SSSHHOOOOOOOOTTTTTT~~~~~!!!"

Max and Santiago let it off at exactly the same instant, and Draciel and Garren entered the arena with the same graceful arcs that were Dragoon and Darkspur a while ago.

"Both BEYS have entered the ARENA! Alright folks, they've both come in strong from both directions – great launches, by the way – and Draciel is tearing up the battlefield! My, I never expected such moves from Max Mizuhara! I guess his PBB training is showing up after 4 years of waiting!"

Draciel spun very fast, and seemed to be taking note of everything that Garren was before shooting staright in. Max bit his lip. ***I have to be careful…this kid looks tougher than he looks like…***

"…" Santiago smiled, his eyes clsoed happily. "Cautionary tactics…? Yes, you're famous for being the tactician of the whole BBA Team. I'm impressed. But Garren isn't just an ordinary Bey you could measure quickly at the merest glance!"

Garren started spinning furiously, sending sparks and ribbons of silver light about.

"WWHHHAAAAATTTT~~~~?! Garren's getting HOTTER, folks! Is Santiago going to go for it?" Maverick swipes her left arm. "Could this be the very 1st win for the Portuguese TEAM~~~?!"

Garren shot very suddenly towards Draciel, and Max's eyes widened.

"WHAT?!"

Garren's attack ring seemed to have latched onto Draciel's inner own, deftly avoiding Draciel's attack ring itself, and soon electric sparks were shooting up all over the arena as the silver blur that was Garren started ripping Draciel apart from the inside.

"UNBELIEVABLE~~~!!! Did you see THAT~~~?!" Maverick was round-eyed. "Garren's going in for the KILL~~~!!!"

"~~~!!!" Kai was aghast.

"Is that ALLOWED?" SD Tsukiyo asked, blinking.

"…" Professor blanched. "Garren's attack…it's brutal, but very effective…at the rate Draciel's spinning, it could also get destroyed in the process. An inner Zerzens' 'Breaker', if you get what I mean…"

"But…but…that's CHEAP!" Takao protested.

"Takao, you could only get CHEAP in Bey Blading when your Bey comes with a retractable attack ring that go a hundred miles in diameter at any given time," Professor told him. "Besides, this is the Championships, we just can't expect them to treat us all nicely. Remember, they've gone through a HELL of an audition just to get here, so they're using all their best moves improved 20 or even a hundred times over."

SD Takao was shaking his head violently. "Are you out of your MIND~~~?! Draciel is going to get PUREED! And what is it with this audition BUSINESS~~~?! We NEVER took any AUDITION~~~!!!"

At that, both Lei and Kai's eyes widened, and Professor became deathly pale. SD Takao was still ranting. "The NERVE of that PORTUGUESE TEAM~~~!!! If Dragoon's still intact I WOULD'VE sent their Beys shooting off for the BERMUDA TRIANGLE and NEVER come BACK!"

"Of course." Kai was still wide-eyed. "We never took any audition…"

"They just…invited us over…" Lei answered, his voice very faint.

"And they had been…very nice to us…" Professor added last, feeling all the strength in his body get vaporized, and making him slump in his chair.

SD Tsukiyo was blinking. "What…WHAT?!"

Kai was starting to get angry.

SD Takao was clenching his fists. "MAX! Hang ON! Don't give UP!"

Max watched as Draciel was being torn into pieces right before his very eyes. His eyes went blank.

***Draciel…***

Draciel was in pain. He could feel him. He was crying out in pain. Garren was killing him.

KILLNG HIM?!

Santiago nodded. "Alright Garren, finish him off! SONIC BREAK!"

A silver light appeared from the central bit, and a most frightening –Holy Beast- shot out, a silver barracuda with all its fangs bared. Professor stood up, perspiration dotting his forehead. "A BARRACUDA~~~?! That was why it was like that…barracudas are known to be among the fastest fishes of prey in the sea…and they have the strength AND those fangs to BOOT!"

There was a circular burst of sudden falling air about Garren that shattered through Draciel's armor. The barracuda was winning…and he was killing DRACIEL!

"…no…" Max squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the tears coming on. He can't…Draciel…

***Was I even worth it?! Draciel…I…***

"Was THAT a sonic BOOM?! OHMIGOD~~~!!! Draciel…the Bey is tearing APART!" Maverick was yelling. "What an AWESOME move by Team Portugal! Santiago's going to win this for SURE! Is this the end of MAX MIZUHARA?!"

***I trained hard those 4 years…I believed we could still be strong together…yes, we were together…I trust him and he trusts me…I let him DOWN!***

"~~~~!!!" Takao was aghast. "MAAAXXXX~~~!!!"

*^*You never let me down. Never did, never will be. We promised each other we'll stick together till the end, right, Max?*^*

***!!!*** Max was surprised. ***DRACIEL~~~?!***

*^*You were always worthy of me. As your friends are all worthy of their own –Holy Beasts-. Time will come when you will all know the truest, deepest meaning of this, and in the end, you will all emerge victorious, no matter what you face. It is with the strength of one's heart that made us fight for you, and bring about a closer bond between us, among us, all of us. This is the essence of becoming 'one'.*^*

***Draciel…***

*^*Let us make haste. We don't want that young whippersnapper get the best of us, right…?! You and I will fight till the end. And that is ALL that's everything to IT.*^*

"…Draciel's getting weaker…!!!" Maverick was gripping the edge of the guard rails of her floating platform so hard her knuckles turned white. "Is this finally the END?!"

"…" Bangs threw Max's eyes into shadow. "Yes. That's RIGHT. We'll fight till the end…Draciel and I. We'll see to the end of this. And nothing…nothing could ever tear us APART~~~!!!"

He then raises his head, and tears poured out in a spray, but he was happy. VERY happy. He felt that this was the happiest day of his life. Yes, Draciel and he would stick to each other till the END! He's not alone…and yes! He never let him DOWN!

A deep green light issued forth from Draciel's central bit, and water, WATER, started moving about him in tiny ribbons, becoming fuller and fuller, until it was one hell of a swirling maelstrom.

Max grinned, his happy tears flying about him in clear pearl-like droplets, as he raised his right hand in the air pointing upward, his left hand in a fist beside him. "DRACIEL! It's our TURN! TRIDENT TIDE~~~!!!"

The Green Tortoise shot out from the bit, and he looked more powerful too like Dragoon, developing a set of face guards and his shell becoming shiny, like real armor. He roared, and soon, a huge tsunami came from nowhere by means of the maelstrom, swirling about him furiously, its top edged with foaming whitecaps. It then rushed headlong onto Garren, drowning him in its furious outpouring of swirling water.

"!!!" Santiago was aghast. "My BEY~~~!!!"

Garren shot out and stopped spinning at his feet. Draciel shot out in a green shaft of light, and Maverick was blinking. "WOW! What was THAT?! LOTS of LIGHT! And…YEAH!!! We have a WINNER! Santiago, OUT! 2nd point goes to MAX of the BBA TEAM~~~!!!"

The audience, who watched with pure rapt attention all throughout, erupted into wild cheers again. SD Takao was beside himself with joy. "YAAAAYYYY~~~!!! MAX! You WON! You WON!"

"…" Max waited until Draciel dropped gently onto his palm after shooting almost skyward, still spinning, but now it was horribly wobbly. He nodded. "Thanks, Draciel. Thanks for always believing in me…"

"MAX!" SD Tsukiyo ran over to where he was and glomped him. "You DID it!"

"…" Kai was quiet.

Max nodded, then grins, tears still at the edge of his eyes as he did so. "Eh, I said I would finish this, right?"