Acey1: Err. Guys?

Bladebreakers: *Snore*.

Acey1: Umm. Okay so it's 12:40am, that's forty minutes past mid-night, and I'm umm all alone, not one muse awake.

Robert: I'm up.

Acey1: Where did you come from Robert?

Kameko: I invited him over. Anyway I needed someone to talk to and you were on the other computer.

Acey1: Yeah well hopefully I won't have to write my stuff on a separate computer to one that has Internet access for much longer. Anyway. Robert as you're here you can do Max' usual job of doing the disclaimer.

Robert: Okay, but only if I'm in this chapter.

Acey1: Yes you're in it now just do this so I can write okay, I need sleep too.

Robert: Acey1 doesn't own Beyblade, any songs she puts in, the concept of Soul Calibur 2 or Lord of the Rings but she does own E-Arth, Flame, Aqua, Gale and Destiny. Oh yeah and Karen too.

Acey1: Thank you Robert my good man. Now. On with the show.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 3: Beyblading Skills.

All through breakfast Kai kept glancing over at Karen but didn't say anything. After all, he thought, I have a reputation to hold up and it's bad enough Ray knows. Oh well at least Ray won't blab. And true enough; Ray didn't say a word to the others. Kai couldn't help but notice what Karen was wearing. It was mid-July and she was wearing bark blue baggy trousers, like the ones he wore, a white tank top, cut low at the front, and a blue leather jacket and black boots. To him, Karen looked stunning. After everyone had finished, except Tyson, who went up for fourths, they went to one of the biggest parks in London, where they were staying. Karen told them that the park was called Lloyds' Park.
"Wow!" Max exclaimed when he saw how huge the park was. "This place in awesome!" Karen yawned.
"You see one park you see them all Max." She said. "In England everything is the same, right down to the type of grass seed they use." Max blinked.
"You don't think this place is cool?" He asked.
"Nope, not one bit." Karen said shrugging. "In every park you get trees, grass, a couple of flowers and usually a play area for the little kids and that's it." Karen then grinned. "But this one," She added, "Has something a little extra." Karen beckoned the others to follow her. They walked around a huge pond, which looked more like a lake to Ray and Tyson, who had finally caught up with them. As they rounded a corner a familiar sound penetrated their ears. The sound of crashing Beyblades, shouts of commands and whirring of gears. "Welcome boys," Karen said throwing her arms out towards the sea of bladers and dishes, "To the Ultimate Bey- Garden." They all stared. One whole side of the pond/lake had been turned in to a sea of Beyblade dishes and stadiums.
"And I thought Moscow had an impressive Beyblade area." Ray said. "This place is huge!"
"Well it makes a change." Karen said, lowering her arms.
"What do you mean?" Max asked, frowning. Karen sighed.
"Ever noticed how England never wins many international sports, motorcycling for one, soccer for another?" Max looked thoughtful and then nodded.
"Because the other teams are better?" Kenny asked. Karen nodded.
"But only because their governments put more support in to those areas of sport." Karen said looking dejected. "That and not enough money. Someone though," Karen smiled, "Must have seen how big Beyblading would be so they persuaded someone to have this place built, pity it's the only one in the country but hey beggars can't be choosers." Suddenly there was a great cry of anger.
"Hey what do you think you're doing?" Cried an angry looking kid. The Bladebreakers looked over at the dish where the kid stood, holding up a half beaten Beyblade. "You don't go around just smashing up other peoples Beyblades!"
"What's the matter?" Scoffed the kids' opponent. "Was I too rough?" Karen looked livid. She stormed over to the dish where the kid stood, still looking furious.
"What's going on?" She demanded. By now all other Beybattles' had stopped and everyone was looking over at Karen. The Bladebreakers walked over and stared in bewilderment as they saw none other then Johnny McGregor standing on the other side of the dish. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"
"The name's Johnny, if you must know." He scoffed. "And you, lass, are?" Karen looked ready to kill, which actually scared Kai a bit. Karen pulled a launcher from out of the belt wore around her waist and pulled a Beyblade out of her pocket. "So you're a blader are you?" He asked.
"I'm more of a blader then you are 'Johnny'." Karen snarled. "Now put your blade where your mouth is. That is," Karen said with an evil smirk as she set her blade in her launcher and got ready to launch it in to the stadium, "If you're not scared." Johnny glared at Karen, which made her smirk even more.
"Now boys," Mr. Dickinson said, "You are going to see why I chose this girl." Johnny replaced his blade in his launcher and got ready. Another kid jumped to the middle and held his hand up.
"Bladers ready?" He cried. Both nodded. "Then 3.2.1."
"LET IT RIP!" Karen screamed, yanking the ripcord so hard that it actually created sparks.
"Yipe!" Kenny yelped.
"Wow." Max said, lifting a foot off the ground as some of the sparks flew towards his foot. Karens' blade spun around the edge of the dish.
"What's the matter Johnny?" She yelled. "Scared to attack a defenceless little girl?" Johnny scowled.
"You wish. SALAMULYON ATTACK!" He bellowed. A flash of red light and a huge lizard appeared. "Ha." He cried. "Beat that!"
"With pleasure." Karen smirked. "Arklan dodge." As Salamulyon hurtled towards the Karen's blade it dodged and vanished without a trace. "Now Arklan," Karen yelled, "FIVE STAR ATTACK!" Karens' blade reappeared behind Salamulyon and started slamming in to the blade relentlessly. Before the match even got started it was over. The force of the blows Karens' blade was inflicting on Johnnys' was enough to knock it out of the stadium.
"What?" Johnny cried, staring down at his steaming blade in front of his feet. "How?"
"Easy." Karen said, calling her blade back to her hand. "My blade is strong enough to take down yours because I focus my anger and rage in to something useful. Plus I have some of the best Beyblade parts in the world." Karen held her blade out in front of her. Kai stared. The attack ring looked absolutely wicked. It was a cross between his Cross Attack and Max' Ten Spike attack rings. The Blade Base was a custom job, no doubt there and the rest, well, looked just as mean and nasty as the attack ring. "You don't always need a bit-beast to take down someone who has one. Sometimes you just need the right attitude and equipment." Karen said smirking. Tyson, Ray, Max, Kenny and Hillary stared open mouthed at the girl as she pocketed her Beyblade. Just then there came a clapping from the crowd. They all turned to see who it was.
"Impressive." There stood a tall young man with purple hair. Two other boys, one with blonde hair and the other with bright green hair followed him closely. "Yes," He said, "Very impressive."
"What do you want Robert?" Tyson demanded.
"Still the same uncouth attitude as before Tyson." Robert said. "I guess things never really change."
"Just who do you think you guys are?" Karen growled through gritted teeth.
"We are the Majestics." Robert said. "And you are?"
"My name Karen Trixter." Karen glared at Robert. "I'm assuming," She said, "That you're in charge of this rabble." Robert looked a little affronted.
"And if I am?" He said.
"Then maybe," Karen growled, "You should learn to keep your team under control instead of letting them loose to beat and batter up other kids Beyblades. I've heard about you Majestics." Karen said. "Oh yes, I've heard about you. Well let me set the record here Robert." Karen stepped up to Robert and jabbed a finger in to his chest. "YOU may have money to spend on new Beyblades and parts but some of these kids DON'T! Things aren't cheap over here. England is one of the most expensive places on Earth so don't think that these kids can go out and buy new parts and blades as and when they please because they can't." She then turned to the kid whose blade Johnny had smashed. "Here." Karen put her hand in her pocket and handed the kid a Beyblade. "You can have this one kid. It's one of my spares so I don't need it." The kid stared at the Beyblade and grinned.
"Thank you!" He cried and then ran off. Karen turned back to the Majestics.
"I suggest you teach that team mate of yours," she said glaring at Johnny, "How to treat other bladers." Kai watched all of this in astonishment. This was defiantly a different Karen to the one who had been laughing and joking with them earlier. She was actually quite scary. As Karen stormed off Mr. Dickinson turned to Robert.
"I suggest you heed Karens' warning Robert. She doesn't take kindly to people treating other bladers badly, as you just witnessed." Robert nodded, rubbing his chest where Karen and poked him. "And she wasn't joking about kids not being able to afford new Beyblades' and parts. They are expensive, especially attack rings."
"Well she seems to be rather well off." Johnny growled.
"That's because she worked hard for her parts." Everyone turned to see a little kid launching his blade in to an empty dish. "Sometimes there's this guy who comes here and, if you beat him, he gives you special parts, sometimes ones you can buy from a shop or ones he's made himself." The kid grabbed his blade and set it back in his launcher. "She comes here every week and fights the guy. But when she first started out she had just your basic blade, no frills or anything, just an attack ring, blade base, low-grade defence ring and a plain bit-chip. Nothing else, nothing fancy." The kid then grabbed his blade and pocketed it. "Well see ya." And with that he was gone.

///

Later that evening Kai found Karen sitting on the railing of the balcony of her room. He was holding a locket in her hand. In it, Kai could see, two photos. They were both of old people, a man and a woman.
"I know you're there." Karen said. Kai was a bit taken a back; he hadn't made a move or a sound. He walked over and rested his elbows on the railing.
"That was an impressive Beybattle." Kai said. Karen grunted. "You don't think so?"
"No." Karen snorted. "Just who do those Majestics think they are? Why if I wasn't a lady I'd spit on them I swear I would." She banged her locket down on the railing. "Sorry." She said after a while. "I didn't mean to go off like that. It's just," She sighed, "Some people don't realise how hard it is to start blading here in England." Kai nodded.
"So," Kai said, turning to her, "What you doing out here?" He asked.
"Thinking." Was Karens' answer. "You?"
"Thinking." And they both stayed like that for a good half hour. "So," Kai asked eventually, "What are, or were, you looking at?" Karen handed him the locket.
"My grandparents, on my dads' side." Karen said bluntly. Kai looked at the locket. "I lived with them for a little while, before they grew too old to take care of me, and I had to go to a foster home." Kai nodded.
"Oh." He said. "Did they treat you well?"
"Yeah. That was family number one. Then the Social Services moved me to another family. They were okay. Then there was family number three." Karen shuddered. "I don't like talking about them."
"I won't ask." Kai said. "So whom do you live with now?" Kai asked.
"Mr. Dickinson noticed my talent for Beyblading. Made me one of the B.B.A's top bladers. I stay where ever I can, hotels, guesthouses, that sort of thing. Sometimes he sends me to stay with other Beybladers, not very often though." Karen sighed. "In return I kind of act as a talent scout and if a B.B.A. team needs a spare blader I'm the first one he asks."
"So you don't live with any parents?" Kai asked. Karen shook her head. "I'm sorry." Kai said.
"Forget it." Karen said, taking the locket from Kais' grasp. "It doesn't bother me these days. I actually quite like it."
"What," Kai paused, "What happened to your parents?" Kai asked. When had he become so inquisitive?
"They died when I was a week old. Car crash or so I was told. You can't loose what you never had so it doesn't bother me." Karen shrugged. "So," She said, "What brings you out here?"
"Just thinking about what some kid said earlier." Kai said. When had he become so chatty too? What was it about this girl that made him talk?
"What did they say?" Karen asked.
"Told us how you came about those Beyblade parts, how you started out."
"Oh. That would be Harry. Kids about my age, though you wouldn't guess from his size." Karen looked out over the city. Lights' were a blaze. "I hate the city. Give me my home town any day."
"Where were you born then?" Kai asked.
"Croydon. It's just outside of London. Quieter too, unless you count the trains running along the back of my first home but you get used to them after a while." Karen smiled. "Better then traffic noise, at least it isn't constant so you can get some sleep." Kai snorted.
"Right now I'm doing everything to stay awake." He muttered. Karen didn't hear him though. "I meant what I said earlier, about your battle against Johnny." He said.
"Thanks. The guy was actually a push over. I'm either getting too good or he wasn't trying." Karen said with a smirk. Just then, there came a crash from up on the roof of the building. "What the hell was that?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Acey1: At that's all she wrote for one night.

Robert: Thank God for that. I thought she would never stop.

Kameko: *yawn* now you know how we feel.

Acey1: Anyway ignore those two. Please R&R. I'm awaiting your reviews, no flames please. And I'll try and give the others more dialogue next time but I needed to get some description of Karens' clothes and background in to this one, forgot it in the last one.

Robert: Just finish it off already I'm tiered!

Acey1: Well no one asked you to stay up! Anyway see you soon. There you happy now?

Robert: *snore*.

Acey1: Err. Okay. Night, night.