Disclaimer: The Arcan Blades don't own Beyblade.

Patrick: We're baaaaack…

Mike: It's about time. Hey, the Bladebreakers will commence battle soon…

Alexia: Oh, this looks good…

Jade: (smiling sweetly) Why? You want to see Kai in a bey battle?

Alexia: (turning scarlet) Shut up!! I just want to see because…because! They're our friends too, right?

Jade: Riiiiight… Well, all I can say is…this is going to be a seriously hilariously interesting chapter… Read and Review!!!

CHAPTER TEN

The Steps to Victory

(Note from the authoress (Jade): I don't know how to dance flamenco—all I know of the dance is what I saw on Mission Impossible II. Don't kill me please—I just tried to make it work.)

From Block B, the White Tigers were all standing in barricade in front of Ian and Spencer, in absolute shock of what had been done to the Snow Blazers' bit beasts in the hall.

"Give them back their bit beasts!" Lee roared.

"Not a chance," snapped Ian. "They lost—and those bit beasts are ours now."

"But they didn't lose to you!" Mariah yelled.

"Doesn't matter," snorted Spencer. "Everyone who loses to us will feel the agony of defeat. The price is their bit beasts."

The Icelander Snow Blazers were positively awestruck, as they watched in horror. Ian and Spencer's bit pieces were still shining with the added power of their bit beasts.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the hall, and the Tribals, who'd just been defeated by the Majestics, come into the hall. "Look out!!" the White Tigers chorused.

Ian whipped out his beyblade. The Tribals, stunned, stood stock still, appalled, and they felt their beyblades vibrating. Suddenly, there was an explosion of bright light, as the Antelopia, Rhinocia and Giraffia bit beasts were snatched right out of their beyblades.

"No!" Katari, the captain of the Tribals, cried as his Antelopia flew off.

"My bit beast!" Amaka, another member, exclaimed as Giraffia also vanished.

Kevin ran forward and leapt on Ian just as the bit beasts vanished into the Demolition Boys' bit pieces, quite too late. Ian howled as he struggled to free himself from Kevin's grip. A fray resulted as Gary and Spencer ran in to haul the struggling Kevin and Ian apart.

The Majestics rounded the bend around, breathing hard. "We didn't make it!" Oliver moaned.

The members of the Tribals were staring at their beyblades in horror, and Johnny snarled at the two Demolition Boys. But Enrique and Robert pulled him back.

"It's too late, Johnny!" said Robert. "Fighting isn't going to do anything. If you want to beat them, we'll have to beat them in a bey battle. That's the only way that we can get those bit beasts back."

Ian glared at them all, especially at Kevin, and the said, "Let's go, Spencer. It isn't worth our time to be around these losers." And with that, they both walked off into another hall.

"I can't stand those guys!" Mariah exclaimed, stamping her foot.

"So do I," said Lee, glaring at their backs.

Then they looked up and saw the Majestics. A spark of tension went across them and flashed through the room as they both sized each other up. Because both teams knew that they'll be against each other for the Quarter Finals, and it was only yet another stage for them until they go against the Demolition Boys.

Upon Mike and Tyson's return, they saw that the Arcans had won their match—as expected—and the Blade Sparkers had long since been gone. And to their surprise, the Bladebreakers were already down in the arena, facing off with the Spanish Conquistadors.

Tyson, after splitting up with Mike, then clattered down to the arena to them said, "The Blade Sparkers! You have to tell them—"

"I've warned them," said Ray. "I told them to hang on to their beyblades and bit beasts. But since we're in BIOVOLT's territory, I don't think it's much good."

"Man, we weren't able to save the Canadian bit beasts," said Tyson. "The Demolition Boys got to them before we could."

"Well it's a good thing you didn't take out your beyblade, then," said Max. "Because if you lost to them in the hall, you would've lost your bit beast too."

"What took you so long, anyway?" asked Kai.

"Ah…" Tyson, thinking quickly of an excuse, answered, "I…ah…went to the bathroom and then got lost. Sorry."

"Well it took you forever!" said Ray. "You've missed a lot—the Relic Bladers pretty much swept the arena awhile ago and won two matches straight over the Blade Sparkers—they're going to the Quarter Finals. And then it was our turn, and Max lost to one of the Conquistadors. I've won over Paolo, the other Conquistador."

"Yeah, but I still wish I had ducked that darn giant bit beast…" said Max, shaking his head, and Ray said, "That's okay, Max—we'll get them back."

"So it's my turn, then?" said Tyson, looking across the arena to see. "I have to win or we won't advance to the Quarter Finals."

"No, not you," said Kai impatiently. "You weren't here when we planned the play order—that's what comes of being late. I'm going to be the one to fight Estella, the captain of the Conquistadors."

"You, Kai?" Tyson blinked.

"Yes, I wanted to face-off with her since she kept annoying me with her infernal smirking," said Kai. "The Conquistadors have been being arrogant. I want to put a stop to it."

Tyson blinked and looked back across the arena, and saw Estella, standing there very calmly, with her black hair shining and neatly arranged, and she was wearing a ruffled dress and she held a fan in one hand while the other hand was hidden behind her back.

"Well…all right," said Tyson, going over to sit down next to the sleeping form of Kenny on the bench.

Kai walked over to the arena, still covered and unrevealed, holding his shooter. He frowned across at Estella, who merely smiled at him. "Finally, we come to face-off with each other," said Estella, smiling. "You must do well—or your team won't advance."

"I will," Kai replied.

A mysterious look came over Estella's face. "Are you sure about that?" she asked in a similarly mysterious tone.

Kai glared at her in reply, and Estella said, "Oh, you're too tense…I think you should loosen up a bit… And if you won't, I'll just make you, won't I?"

"What?" Kai stared at her, getting increasingly annoyed.

DJ pranced up across the bridge above for his use and he crowed, "All right, ladies and gentlemen—here we go! The final round of the match between the Bladebreakers and the Conquistadors! For the Bladebreakers—team captain Kai! And for the Conquistadors—also their team captain, Estella!"

"All right, what a match this'll be!" said AJ Topper as he and Brad Best checked out the stats, "Kai from the Bladebreakers sure is one cool customer, and his bit beast Dranzer is nothing to recklessly trifle with! But the graceful Estella of the Conquistadors is a quite odd match for him on this round, because she more of technique than the use of her bit beast Roander!"

"So here it comes, the deciding round for this match!" said Brad. "Who will advance to the Quarter finals—the Bladebreakers or the Conquistadors?"

"Let's see now, shall we?" said DJ from his lofty perch. "Beybladers, are you ready? Then let's see what kind of arena we have for you today!"

The arena slowly slid open to reveal not a midnight diamond bowl, but a bowl of sturdy, shiny wood, very slippery looking although there was nothing else much there.

"Well, well, try this one on for size!" said DJ. "Here we have the Beat Bowl—a true test of skill for the beybladers to control their movements on the slick surface while trying to hit your opponent!"

Patrick, from where he was with the Relic Bladers, said, "Man, I'm glad we weren't given that bowl and they decided to make a Midnight Diamond bowl for us. We would've trashed that place the moment our blades fell in!"

DJ leapt up. "All right, everybody! Here we go!! Three—two—one—let it rip!!"

With a battle cry, Kai shot out Dranzer with a mighty rip, and the blue beyblade instantly fell into the arena, and slid out of control for a moment, and Kai held his breath, but Dranzer went steady.

"Man, that surface is slick!" said Max.

Estella whipped out her fan—which was her shooter, interestingly—and with a whipping motion on it, her beyblade, a scarlet and yellow flounced blade, with the flounces on the attack ring solid sharp blades. Her blade seemed to feel right at home on the slick surface, and it skittered around with much grace as a prancing pony.

"That's a weird looking blade," said Max, staring at it.

"Yeah," said Ray. "And the way it moves on that slick surface…"

Kai sneered. He wasn't wasting any time. "Go, Dranzer!"

Instantly, the blue beyblade shot forward, heading for the Roander beyblade, but as it approached, Estella smirked. Suddenly, the Roander beyblade slid out reach and Dranzer went past it harmlessly. And Kai, for a brief moment, was panicked, as Dranzer slid on the surface beyond his control for a moment, and the beyblade slammed into the wall before bouncing back into the middle of the arena.

"That was close," Tyson breathed. "But it's so weird. Estella doesn't seem to be too frazzled."

"Kai, don't try rushing at her again!" said Ray. "You'll just slide all over the place!"

Kai clenched his fist. But if I don't, how am I supposed to get close to her? What am I supposed to do?

Estella suddenly smiled and said, "Well then—my turn."

And to everyone's surprise, Estella stamped her high-heeled feet in a rapid rhythm on the ground before coming to a stop in a pose. And then her beyblade, interestingly enough, bounced up the same number of times while working its way across the surface, and suddenly, it slammed into Kai's beyblade, sending it reeling.

Kai quickly regained control before Dranzer crashed again, and he stared, agape, at Estella, who was smiling from ear to ear, knowing her indubitable advantage. She whipped her fan and flitted it to her face as she laughed. "What do you think of that now?"

Kai was stunned. Estella took advantage of this and stamped her foot again, this time sweeping up her skirt along with her. The Roander followed suit like a puppet and this time and this time smashed into Dranzer twice as it moved in a slight arc around the blue beyblade. Kai held Dranzer still.

"Oh no!" said Tyson. "Kai's going to get beat like this and we'll lose and we won't make it!" Quickly, he snatched Kenny's collar and shook him. "Chief! Chief, wake up! It's an emergency! I swear it is!"

Kenny woke to life at Tyson's rapid shaking, and he said, "All right! All right, already, I'm up! Calm down!" He yawned. "What is it?"

"Look!" pointed Max. And Kenny looked up, his jaw dropping at the sight of Dranzer being whipped about the arena by a scarlet beyblade controlled by Estella from the other side.

"The floor's too slick for Dranzer," said Ray. "Look—Kai can't attack that beyblade, but how come she can attack him?"

Kenny, quickly getting to movement, opened his laptop and said, "It's the way she moves. Hey beyblade is following her moves. It's a dance!"

"Estella's dancing?" said Tyson, staring as Estella continued to move with fluid grace and artistry. "But there's no music!"

"Her feet are making the music!" said Kenny excitedly. "That's Estella's technique! She's dancing the flamenco!"

"Flamenco?" they all chorused.

"That's right. Flamenco is kind of like tap dancing, but you need to be a lot faster because you stamp your feet and not just your toes and heels. Your feet make the music for this, but in Spain they sometimes have guitar accompaniment. You need to have grace and agility for this sort of thing and it takes some years to master really well like what Estella's doing right now."

"So it's her dancing," said Ray, looking back. "She's not slipping up because she's dancing!"

"Hey!" said Max. "So if she's dancing, then Kai can do the same thing I did to beat that Samba dude in the Asian tournament!"

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Max," said Kenny. "Flamenco is different from Samba. And without accompaniment. So that means that Estella is making up all this as she goes along. That means that Kai had no beat to follow around in."

Kai, who heard everything, gritted his teeth. Just my luck, he thought. Well, beat or no beat, I'll have to avoid her…

As Estella did a rapid medley, Kai waited for the moment and ducked Dranzer away, and Estella missed. There was a slight cheer from the stands as Kai finally managed to make a move.

"Ah, getting smart, I see," said Estella. "Well let me tell you something—you can't beat me by just waiting around like that. Flamenco is a dance, yes, but it is also a challenge. And for one to be able to return the challenge and fight, one must send one."

"What are you talking about?" Kai demanded.

Ray cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, "Kai! She means that you have to dance to beat her!"

"WHAT?!"

"It's true, Kai!" said Kenny, standing up. "In flamenco, it's a dance of partners. With you both as dancers, you have to make it up as they go along force forcing the other to match your pace and you'll create a dance!"

"I am not going to dance!!" he yelled back.

There was a sudden sickening crash as Roander crashed into Dranzer again. Kai winced. If I don't do something soon, Dranzer would be destroyed!

"Kai, it's the only way you can fight back without slipping up all over the place!" Max cried.

But does it mean that I'll have to lose my dignity?! Kai thought as Estella continued to dance and Roander crashed again and again at Dranzer, looking as if it was taunting him.

From the stands, everyone was staring.

"Man, no way!" said Patrick. "Kai would never dance!"

"But if he doesn't, he'll lose the match," said Jade. "And the Bladebreakers will be eliminated. He practically has no choice."

"He doesn't seem to be the dancing type," said Mike.

"Not even close!" said Alexia from where she sat at the aisle. She looked up and said, "Hey Jade, your cousin's here."

Jade looked up to see Robert and the Majestics coming down from the aisle. "Robert! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the other arena?"

"I was," said Robert. "Our match is over and we've finished the Tribals."

"And we'd ran over here the moment we heard that they were making Kai dance?!" said Enrique, looking out into the arena. "That's the most impossible thing in the world!"

"But as you can see, he has to," said Emily, appearing nearby with the rest of the All-Stars, as the Relic Bladers had the best seats and they could get a good view from where they were.

"Man, this is going to be good," said Steve, grinning from ear to ear. "This thing is televised internationally! Live!"

"Don't taunt him!" said Alexia. "It's not going to help him at all!"

There was a snicker from nearby, and the White Tigers stood there. Kevin was snickering behind his hand and he said, "Come on, man…"

"Kai will never dance," said Lee firmly. "Never! He'll die before he will!"

"Come on, he has to!" said Mariah. "Or the Bladebreakers will lose!"

"So it's more of a question on what he holds greater—his dignity, or his loyalty to his team," said Robert.

From all the way in a locker room of the other arena, Ian tore down the hall burst into the Demolition Boys' locker room, startling his teammates.

"You guys! You have to see this! Estella of the Conquistadors is making that traitor Kai dance the flamenco!" he exclaimed.

"What?!" they exclaimed and all of them ran out of the locker room in a hurry, completely bypassing Boris, who wondered where they were all going in such a hurry.

And so Kai, knowing that he was in the middle of an incredibly tight situation, had to make a choice. He had to dance, but he'll risk getting laughed at for the rest of his career, probably. He probably wouldn't be able to live through this afternoon. But it would be just as humiliating, not to mention more agonizing, if they lost the eliminations now and so early into the tournament.

"Guys, I don't think he's going to do it," said Ray, looking at them.

"Well Kai has to!" said Tyson. "Estella isn't letting up! This is serious—we're at the Russian Tournament for crying out loud!"

"I think it's pretty painful for him," said Max. "Even I wouldn't fancy having to dance right there with everyone watching!"

"Would he rather us lose, then?" said Tyson.

"You have a point there…"

Kenny glanced around and said, "Guys, wait here a moment." And he suddenly ran off. Tyson blinked and asked, "Do you think he couldn't bear the shame?"

"I'd say he's up to something," said Ray.

Estella paused for a moment and grinned at him. "Well, Kai? Are you going to dance, or will you rather be obliterated by a little girl like me?"

Kai grit his teeth, clenching his fists. I can't do this…I can't do this… "No!"

"Kai, you have to!" cried Max. "It's the only chance we've got to beating her!"

"I can't dance the flamenco, you idiot!" Kai yelled back.

"Just do what she does, Kai!" said Tyson. "Let the music come to you!"

"That's the corniest cliché I've ever heard," said Michael from where he sat, stunned, and everyone else shushed him.

There was a most tense moment of hesitation as Roander came dangerously closer to Dranzer. Estella waited, and then was about to move in for the kill.

And suddenly, a rapid set of five stamps—sounding incredibly forced and furious, burst out. Dranzer bolted forward and slammed into Roander, and the red beyblade was pushed off.

There was instant uproar at Kai's most inconceivable achievement and everyone was whistling and hooting. Kai's face was a mixture of red and purple, and he looked incredibly furious.

"I don't believe it!!" Johnny howled over the roar. "He actually did it!!"

"Oh, this is amazing!" exclaimed Alexia, leaning over the railing to get a better look.

"He's not even dancing—he just stomped around," Robert rolled his eyes. "Cool down, you all."

"Yeah, way to go, Kai!" Max yelled, leaping up and down like a marionette.

Kai was still incredibly angry and mortified by what he'd just done. But one thing was clear—it did work. Ray cried, "Keep going, Kai!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Kai shouted back. "I'm not going to do it again!"

"But Kai, you have to!" said Tyson. "That isn't enough! Look at Estella, for crying out loud!"

Indeed, Estella was already dancing again, and Roander was charging at Dranzer at a startling speed. Kai gasped, and then stamped his feet twice. Dranzer bolted away, and the crowd went crazy again.

"Oh, I wish I had this on tape!" said Enrique, laughing.

"It is!" said Oliver, snickering. "Mr. Dickinson has it on video!"

"Shh!" said Alexia, but chortling in spite of herself. "If he hears, that'll upset him and he won't dance!"

"Like he can hear anything over this crowd," said Lee. "They're liking this!"

"I don't blame them—Kai isn't the type to dance!" said Emily, grinning in spite of herself as Kai tried another set of clumsy steps.

"He's not even the type to smile," chortled Eddy.

Well, everybody was liking this, all right, and the Demolition Boys, who were practically hanging over the rail, were staring. "Man, this is degrading!" said Ian.

"Well, I for one am glad that we didn't have to face the Conquistadors," said Tala.

And from the Bladebreaker's plot, Tyson, jumping up and down, yelled, "Kai, keep dancing! You have to attack!"

"Not a chance!!" Kai cried.

"You can't just duck the whole match!" said Ray.

He's right… Kai thought rather miserably. I'm going to have to dance. But this is the most ridiculous thing in my life!! I'll never live it down!

Kai stamped his feet again, angrily, but this time, Dranzer did not move an inch.

"Aw, Kai, that's no good!" said Tyson. "You're just clomping around! You have to make it sound good!"

"I'd like to see you do this thing!!" Kai roared back. "You were the one supposed to be here and not me!"

And man, am I grateful for it, Tyson thought. "But you'll get beat!"

Kai snarled under his breath. "Make it sound good," he muttered. "I can't dance this thing!" He watched as Estella continued her illustrious performance from the other side. And then, he remembered something he'd seen a long time before. His grandfather took him to Seville, and he'd seen a pair of dancers doing the flamenco. He came back to his senses and saw the two beyblades in the arena.

Okay…so maybe I do have an idea how to do this… but that doesn't mean I will!

"Kai, please!" said Max. "We'll lose—we really will!"

Dancing…it's terrible…

"Kai!!" the Bladebreakers chorused.

But we can't lose, either!

And to everyone's extreme amazement, Kai hit out the longest succession of steps that he'd made so far, and with a noticeable melody this time. It sounded less forced and less angrier this time.

Dranzer leapt forward and slammed into Roander twice and sent the other beyblade crashing into the opposite wall. There was another uproar in the stands. "Wow, that was amazing!!" Max hollered.

"What?!" Estella was stunned. "How did he…"

"I've seen flamenco before, Estella," Kai snapped. "And I know how it goes even a little bit."

"Kai, it's working!" said Ray. "Just keep it up for a little longer!"

"This is terrible," Kai muttered. "I told you guys, I can't do this!"

"You can!" said Max.

"No, he can't!" said Estella, throwing off her fan and taking out a pair of castanets and she clacked them loudly in the air. And she began to dance harder than ever, this time with the castanets. She spun around and around twice and came to a dramatic stop that caused all the Spanish people in the arena to cheer.

Kai backed a step. Oh no…there is no way…

"How is he going to do this?" said Ray. "Estella is really good, and we've only got Kai to dance now. Chief said it takes years to perfect."

"But as long as you understand it—you can try and go along!"

They looked up and saw Kenny running towards them, holding what looked like a bundle of clothing. Kai turned to see him, and Kenny yelled, "Kai, catch!"

Kai reached up and caught what Kenny threw. It was a black hat, and a gold-buttoned black jacket. "This will help you get the feel of it!" said Kenny, grinning.

"These are…flamenco clothes," said Kai, staring at them.

"Yeah!" said Kenny. "Go on!"

Kai gingerly put on the hat and the vest. Estella was looking for furious now, and Kai rather liked annoying her like this. The tables have turned.

Estella began to dance gain, clacking her castanets together, and swirling around, and Roander charged at Dranzer again. Kai forgot about everything except for the fact that he had to win or else he'll face an even greater shame than before, and he'll let down his friends.

Kai placed his hands behind him as he'd seen the males do, and he danced a rapid volley of melodic stamps. Dranzer dashed forward, and the arena's roof was nearly lifted right off with the uproar it caused.

"I don't believe it!!" Kenny was howling. "He's really doing it! Kai's really dancing the flamenco!!"

Ian was so shocked that he fell over the railing and landed into an empty seat. Tala was stunned, staring openly at the display.

Johnny couldn't take anymore—he'd been keeping it in for so long. He collapsed over, howling in laughter. "He's—Kai's dancing the flamenco!"

The White Tigers were laughing so hard that they were pounding on the rail, and even the Bladebreakers were giggling in spite of themselves. The Relic Bladers were trying hard not to laugh—and failed—while Patrick was openly rolling around in laughter, clutching his sides. Even the All-Stars were howling, beside themselves.

Kai flushed a deep red from beneath the hat, knowing that his footwork was very poor and nothing to be compared to Estella's expertise but he ignored it all because he was so determined to land a win. His rather clumsy and ridiculous beginner steps began to improve as he kept up the footwork. He began to stamp out quickly and swiftly the steps to the dance, and everyone could see that it was starting to work.

Estella, seeing that her opponent was improving, danced even harder and her beyblade was crashing into Dranzer, but Kai leapt forward and matched her pace with almost miraculous agility and dexterity, his feet matching her pace and melody. Dranzer fought back and began to push Roander away.

As this incredible spectacle continued, the entire arena was on their feet, fewer and fewer laughing, now they were all gasping in surprise and waiting as both beyblades kept spinning around each other, crashing and even straining against each other.

"This is unbelievable, ladies and gents!" DJ yelled. "Let us make this even more interesting for our beybladers!"

He snapped his fingers, and a music accompaniment belted from the speakers. The two dancing beybladers on the ground went even faster, and everyone was incredibly stunned that Kai was able to keep up so well to someone like Estella. Before long, there was only a rising murmuring in the stands as the two went on, and the accompaniment kept going.

The sound beating in his ears and the image of the flamenco dancers he'd seen before flashing in his eyes, Kai knew that it was time to move in. He suddenly made a sudden rapid succession of furious yet still melodious steps, and to everyone's amazement, he suddenly spun around in the beat and ended with a pair of hard stamps.

Dranzer came in drastic collision to Roander, and Estella, panicking, began to dance hard again, matching Kai, and they looked for all the world like a pair of flamenco exhibitionists. It all went faster, and faster, and the audience was on their feet, all of them watching in anticipation as the tension and excitement rose.

Finally, Kai made a sudden rapid succession of steps, swung around twice while still stamping out the melody and finally, he made another dramatic succession of stamps and he leapt up and brought his feet slamming down into the ground one before the other in a dramatic final pose, holding his head high and his hands behind him.

At that very instant, Roander flew into the air at Dranzer's incredible impact, and it flew past Estella and fell behind her in a clatter.

The arena exploded into cheers and applause that was heard for a mile around the stadium and resounded around the entire area.

DJ, over the thundering roar of the audience of the stadium, screamed, "KAI WINS!! The Bladebreakers move into the Quarter Finals!!"

"He did it!!" came the chorus of the Majestics, All-Stars, White Tigers and Relic Bladers, leaping about in a mad frenzy.

Kai was looking furious, though, and he grabbed Dranzer, ripped off the jacket and the hat, looking very red in the face, and flung them at the awestruck and frozen Bladebreakers before stomping off with a heavily reddened face. But before he could get very far, the Bladebreakers broke out of their stunned shock of being victorious under such undeniably impossible conditions, and they all leapt at him in jubilee. They all crashed into a heap on the floor, laughing, as Kai roared for them all to get off him.

"They're good, all right," said Emily, grinning, catching her breath and wiping the tears in her eyes from all the laughing.

"And determined to win for each other," said Robert, nodding, composing himself.

Tala smirked. "That was a most unusual and yet terrible obstacle. But they made it. They're worth paying attention to after all."

He turned around and said, "Let's go. There's nothing more to see here until tomorrow."

And that was how the Elimination Rounds ended for them.

Patrick: (rolling all over the floor) AAHHAHAHA HAA HA HA HA!!! HAA HA HA HA!!!

Alexia: (furious) Grrr… Patrick!! (shoots at him with her Desert Eagle)

Mike: (snickering behind his hand as the chase and shooting ensues) But…I can understand why he's laughing…

Jade: Alexia will so murder you if she found out you're laughing…

Mike: (rolling his eyes) She'd gone and been so close to him…

Jade: An excellent performance though. (to the readers) All right, everyone—please review!!