Chapter Five: One More Reason To Win

Kai stared wide-eyed at the dark figure's blade. It flickered and it seemed fire was gushing out of the very attack ring of the Beyblade. Being a past world champion himself, he can't refuse the challenge, especially if it just beat one of his teammates who was the current champ. Without another thought, Kai took his launcher out, and held it like a sword. "Let's do this."

* * *

Half an hour since Kai accepted the challenge, the Bladebreakers were led to the hills behind the school where a specially and never-before-seen Beyblade dish was set up. The forest canopy swayed in the breeze and for the moment, it seem as if the leaves were covering the top of the trees, taking out the sun.

"We'll have a single Beyblade match," Talon told the others. His hood made the situation more hard to take that a quiet new kid in the class just days ago turned out to be the all-powerful, Mr. X. The same person that beat Tyson, and the same person that intends to beat Kai as well.

"That's fine with me," Kai said coldly, stepping up to the dish. Talon's eyes glowed as he too, stepped up. Both strong boys held up their launchers ready and staring at each other end in the eye with determination all over. Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny can only watch in horror as the sky slightly darkens, and silent fell over them. and then.

"Eyahh!" Talon and Kai had launched their Beyblades at the same time. The two tops of power spun like never seen before and were racing all over the dish like mad. Flashes of metal to metal here and there were seen, as both blades seem to be disappearing and reappearing again and again.

"Whoa! Those two set a new Beyblade spinning endurance record! Amazing!" exclaimed Kenny. He and the others were (as speechless as they are) searching for ways to make Kai the winner.

"DRANZER!" Kai summoned and at once the fiery and magnificent phoenix rose from Kai's blade and charged, full speed at Talon's. Sensing the attack, Talon raised his arms like an eagle to a prey and fire arose, almost impossibly from the dish itself. "Argh!" cried Tyson as he tried to cover his eyes from the heat and immense light from the flames.

"That's not fair!" called Max from the sidelines, "You put those flames in the dish before we came!"

"Wrong," Talon looks over at Max, eyes glinting, "My bit-beast generates so much firepower that it releases it to maintain a body temperature of up to 150 degrees Celsius! so be prepare for defeat Kai!"

"Never!" called out the mighty Kai, "Dranzer! Attack his blade!" The dazzling phoenix shot at the opponent and generated its own massive fire of destruction. The battle raged on. The heat of the battle and the ever- sprouting flames burned and stung anyone that got too close.

"This is insane! There's no way a bit-beast can burn the whole dish and everything around it!" Ray tried to call out. The flames, now rising over their heads and at least four meters tall, waved its way outside of the dish and seem to leach for Kai. "Egghhhh." growls Kai. The situation seems hopeless.

"My drives are melting!" came Dizzy's voice from the opened laptop (recording every second of the battle, but since the 'firewall' blocks its view (har har) it was pretty hard). Kenny, who was panicking from the start, let out a burst of speech, "Ahh! I- I don't know what to do! Guys we gotta help Kai!"

"We know Chief but how?!" yells Ray, trying to get a nearby tree to block the heat. Max calls out too, "I can't take this anymore! Argh!" The heat takes everyone's spirit away. Suddenly.

*BAAANGG!!*

"AHH!!" Tyson yells. They tried to see what was going on but a huge amount of light was given off from the explosion and was spurting fire towards the hiding Bladebreakers. "What was that?!" Tyson yelled, his arm covering his eyes still. The light clears.

Tyson looked up first, and squints to the direction of the dish. The smoke was still hovering above them, and Tyson can make out a thin outline of Kai, and on the other side, something red and another figure moving. "Kai! Are you okay? Kai!" He coughed as he ran over to see Kai, followed by Ray and Max. They stood in front of a massive cloud of smoke and waits as it slowly separates.

.and Kai was lying there.

* * *

"Uhh."

"Kai! He's waking up."

Kai opens his eyes. His vision is blurred, and he squints at the bright hospital lights. Looking up, he can see an outline of pale pink. He shuts his eyes tight and opens them again. Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny were looking at them from both sides of his bed.

"Hey Kai, you okay buddy?" came the voice of Tyson.

"Uh. what. what happened." Kai tried to say.

"We're sorry Kai," Ray said, also with some burns on his face, "But we lost, and Talon took your blade and-"

"What?!" Kai got up like lightning, but realizing the agony and immense pain inflicted by his match created so much pain he fell down on his bed again.

"No Kai it's okay," said Kenny, "You need rest now, your blade is safe and so is Dranzer." Kai seem to relax at that. He moaned as his eyes gave way and, with one last sign of relief, he slept.