Survival Skills

The Bladebreakers get stranded on an uninhabited island with no means of communication, as Dizzi was lost in the watery depths of the sea. Naturally, Chief, Tyson and Max freak. Rei is more than a little unnerved, but Kai, of course, appears to keep a cool head, though inner turmoil, because only Kai knows the truth about this place…

A/N: New plot, me thinkies. Am I right? Yes, I am. I am the holder of the Official Always Right Card. Mwahaha. I win.

DISCLAIMER: I own nobody.

Chapter 1: Weathering The Storm… Upside-Down!

"Hey, guys, why did we choose to go by sea again?" 13-year-old Tyson Granger moaned, leaning over the railing in agony.

"I honestly don't know, Tyson." 13-year-old Max Tate agreed, face as green as his shirt. "But we're never doing it again."

"At least I'm not alone this time," 13-year-old Kenny "Chief" Dion groaned as he clutched at the railing with one hand and Dizzi with the other.

"Ah, ya guys are just regular little landlubbers, aren't ya?" Captain Mitch asked heartily, laughing at the tormented faces. "Don't ya worry. Tis only a three-day voyage more."

"Oh…" all three groused.

"Oh, stop your whining and wailing." 15-year-old Kai Hiwatari said heartlessly, from his spot leaning against the mast. "You're not dying."

"Yeah, well, you're not the one who's sick, Kai," Tyson growled.

"Ya two there!" Captain Mitch ordered. "Those of ya who aren't in the throes of death. Bring in the sails, there's a storm up ahead."

15-year-old Rei Kon looked slightly confused. "How?"

Kai sighed as he untied the ropes holding the sails. "Why must I do everything? Here, Rei." Startled, Rei caught the rope as Kai tossed it to him. "Just do what I do." He pulled on the rope and Rei followed, grimacing as the coarse material tore at his palms. Slowly the sails closed until they were flat against the mast, where Kai took Rei's rope again and tied it securely.

"Yer a regular, kid." Captain Mitch said admiringly.

Kai shrugged. "I did a couple of voyages when I was younger."

"Well, yer teacher taught ya well." Mitch finished and then whirled around as the monsoon they had thought was a few hours ahead of them suddenly changed course and head straight for them at an alarmingly fast speed. "All ya four, get below deck NOW! Ya stay up here, Kai, was it? I'll be needing yer help. Looks like a horrid storm ahead."

Like a line of little ducklings, the three boys, still moaning in distress, followed the apprehensive-looking Rei below deck.

"Now, I need ya to throw the anchor."

"What?!" Kai yelped.

"Throw the bleeping anchor! We're gonna try and weather this blasted storm, cause we sure can't ride through it!" Mitch snapped.

"You're suicidal!" Kai yelled, even as he tossed the anchor overboard. Apparently, the rope wasn't the length required to hit bottom, because the boat tilted at an shockingly steep angle. "It's not nowhere near long enough! We're going to flip!"

"That don't matter!" Mitch shrugged. We'll head below deck and put the watertight seals on and weather the storm upside-down."

Kai opened his mouth to protest, but found himself being shoved down below while Mitch secured the watertight seal over the only opening from outside.

"Have a nice slow death, Bladebreakers." Mitch hissed, only loud enough for Kai to hear. "While I take the only lifeboat outta here!"

"Kai, what's going on?" Rei hissed, a terrified look on his face, clutching Driger with all the force he possessed. Tyson, Max and Chief nodded in agreement, each also clutching their Beyblade. Chief went to go open up Dizzi, then yelled in panic "Dizzi! I left her on deck!"

He tumbled down onto Max as the boat lurched and finally overturned. Max fell onto Tyson, who smashed against the wall. Rei dropped, thankfully, onto a pile of flour bags and Kai grabbed the steel hooking rings on the floor which was now the ceiling and hung precariously from there.

"Ow." Tyson mumbled as Chief stepped on feet, hands and anything else in his way as he made his way to the door.

Kai dropped to the ground, narrowly missing Rei and dove at Chief, knocking him aside just as he went to open the door. "Kenny, don't be stupid!"

"Dizzi!" Chief cried, reaching again for the door. "I have to get Dizzi!"

"We're upside-down, Kenny!" Kai snapped. "Face it, she's lost! If you open that door, you are going to drown us all."

"I have to try and get Dizzi!" Chief wailed. "She'll completely crash if she's left in the water too long!"

Harshly, Kai slugged him across the face, and Chief skidded across the boat, banged into Rei, then curled into a fetal position and started sniffling.

Immediately, Tyson and Max crawled over and all three other Bladers glared at Kai.

"Was that really necessary, Kai?" Rei asked quietly. "He's just worried about Dizzi. Wouldn't you go after Dranzer if you had left him out on deck?"

"A, I don't leave my Beyblade lying around where it can be easily lost. B, even I had, I'm not so stupid as to try and open a door which leads straight out into six feet below sea level." Kai said simply. "Why am I only one with an ounce of sense on this blasted heap of scrap wood?"

"Oh, that looks nasty." Max commented, clearly ignoring Kai, and watching as the side of his face where Kai had hit Chief began to blossom with a large bruise.

"Oh, ow. Ow. Owowowowowowowowowow…" Chief whimpered, gingerly touching it.

Kai sighed and slid a slab of raw, cold meat in a plastic bag across the boat, wisely keeping his distance. "Put it on the bruise. It'll help with the swelling."

"Ew." Tyson muttered, picking up the bag by the tips of his fingers. Rolling his eyes, Rei took the bag and gently placed it on Chief's bruise. Chief whimpered, but then relaxed.

"Thank you, Kai." He whispered. "And I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't." Kai told him, then grabbed at the rings again as the boat lurched dangerously once again. This time, the other boys were smart enough to copy Kai's actions and managed to stay in their positions until it calmed down a bit more.

"Can't you ever just accept an apology without handing out another insult, Kai?" Tyson snapped, a little slower to forgive than Chief.

"Shut it, Tyson." Kai snapped. "We're on this heap of junk until we either crash, drown or starve. It's a 2/3 chance we die within a couple of months."

"Aren't you ever so optimistic." Max muttered. "Why?"

"Max, use the brain I'm sure is in there somewhere. We're upside-down, in a storm, in the middle of the ocean. We have no way of navigating, repairing damage or turning ourselves back over. We float aimlessly until the boat collapses or we hit land, whatever comes first." Kai snapped. "All we're sitting on right now is what we have to eat for an undetermined length of time." He chose not to tell his already-over-distressed teammates what Mitch had said.

"Goody." Rei mumbled. Kai felt a little better. At least someone got the severity of the situation. "We're Noah's Ark without the animals."

"And upside-down." Max added.

"And upside-down." Rei conceded.

"So what's to eat?" Tyson asked. "I'm starving!"

"We're waiting for a few hours, until the storm passes," Kai answered, taking charge again as team captain. "I don't want to risk losing anything on the ground if we buffet again."

"But I'm hungry now!" Tyson whined and grabbed at the ring as the winds tossed the boat again.

"So chew on your cheek!" Kai snarled, disappearing into the storage room. "Oh shoot."