2: Preparation

Hope you like this so far. But then, if you're at chapter 2, you must at least want to know what's going on. I'm not a whiz of BeyBlade, but I felt I needed to contribute, and this is my way of doing it.

Disclaimer: I still do not own any of the characters.

"PILLOW FIGHT!"

Tyson leapt up from his bed, gripping the edge of his pillow in both hands as he dived toward Max. Max looked up from where he had been one foot in the bed, leaping backwards and out of the way and Tyson dove passed, missing his target completely and hitting the floor with a thud.

Max laughed, giving Tyson the peace sign as he climbed into bed. Tyson growled, pushing himself to his feet and charging toward Max, only to pause in mid step as the door swung open.

"I trust you remember that we have a battle tomorrow," Kai reminded them, each hand gripping at the ends of the towel around his neck. "So be good little boys and go to bed."

"Aw, come on Kai." Tyson moved toward his bed, glaring at the elder boy. "You never let us have any fun."

"Well you can either have fun, or I take the key to the bar fridge. The choice is yours."

Tyson's eyes widened as they flicked toward the bar fridge, its delights back lit, beckoning him to come and sample their tasty morsels that he knew would haunt him in his sleep if Kai took away the key. "You wouldn't."

"Wanna try me?"

"Give him a break Kai." Ray moved up behind the blue-haired teen. "He's been cooped up all morning and you spent the entire afternoon going over the data on the White Tigers. He needs to release all that energy somehow."

"Speaking of the White Tigers, shouldn't you be with Kenny?"

"I'm taking a break."

"You can't afford to take a break. The first round starts tomorrow, which gives us barely hours to prepare."

Ray narrowed his eyes, a faint trace of anger reflecting in the yellow catlike orbs. "Hours I will need to sleep. I'm battling too remember, and unless you want to take my place and Tyson's place and Max's place, you will let us get our rest." He nodded behind him. "Kenny too."

Kai glared at him, then turned and walked from the room, crossing the corridor and slamming his bedroom door behind him. Tyson growled, hands clenching into fists. "One of these days-"

"Kai's right though," Ray cut in. "You need your sleep, so no more pillow fights."

Tyson shot him a hard glare and threw his pillow back onto the bed. "Fine."

Max looked up at Ray and shrugged, reaching back to switch off the light as Ray turned and closed the door. Ray moved back toward the living area, entering just as Kenny returned from the kitchen baring two steaming mugs, one of which he handed to Ray.

"Thought you could use some coffee."

Ray smiled. "Thanks Chief. Just make sure Tyson doesn't get anywhere near it."

"I put in a child proof jar. He's never been able to open them short of smashing the jars into bits." Kenny pulled up a seat as Ray sat opposite him. Kenny flipped open his laptop. "Finished the data analysis, Dizzi?"

"Yeah. I also had time to write a symphony and create a full proof plan for conquering world hunger."

Kenny ignored her, sipping his coffee as he looked up at Ray. "So what else can you tell me about the team in general?"

"What you see is what you get, really." Ray leant back, closing his eyes as he frowned. "Gary is only a threat when he's focused on battle. Kevin is so intent on proving himself that he makes mistakes when he lets his temper get the better of him. Mariah and Lee are more complex. They are both ruthless and set on winning, having worked so hard to become the best they could become. They are, well, a lot like me."

Kenny nodded, glancing down at Dizzi. "I think our main strategy will be to discover the weaknesses in their battling styles."

"Gary is strong when focused, going for the hard knockout. Kevin sticks to the crazy monkey. Mariah tries to destroy her opponents rather literally. Lee does the same thing, but in style."

Kenny sighed and rubbed his eyes. "We're going to be here all night."

Ray smiled, sipping his drink. "Then I hope you made plenty of coffee."

Feel free to review. But remember, write nasties and I laugh a lot. Write goodies, and I praise you. But no matter what you write, I will read and remember. And I will accept hints and ideas toward characterisation.