The New Generation
"Wow, Evan! Look at Tyson go!"
"Tyson's spirit is overcoming the strength of Tala's attack..."
"Yeah! This is super cool, right? Maybe when we get out of here we'll be famous beybladers too!"
"Maybe but, Bradley, do you honestly think we'll ever get out? It seems like a mere dream to me..."
"C'mon, Evan! Look at the TV set! Don't you think Tyson's living out his dream! One day, somebody's going to adopt us and then we'll be living out our dream! I know it!"
..........Several years later...........
A 13-year old blonde European boy marched silently in the snow-covered gardens of the adoption center he called home. He was around 6 feet in height and had a fairly athletic build, a product of his endless physical exercise and activity. His body certainly seemed like it was always brimming with energy, ready to explode with life, but as of now, as the boy plowed through the dense white snow, it was quiet and seemed dead, as if its spirit had escaped it.
His name was Bradley, pure and simple, as he, like the rest of the orphans in the St. Joseph's Center for Children, had no intention of ever finding out what his surname was. One dark and wintry morning, his parents had left him along with a short letter that revealed his name at the gates of the institution when he was a few days old and abandoned him completely. So young Bradley was left there on the icy steps leading to the center's gates, crying and whining incessantly until Father Matthew had discovered him and taken him in. And so he spent the rest of his childhood there, under the caring priests and nuns who resided there.
But as of now, he was just another angry soul wandering the frozen lawns of the center.
"I'm never going to get chosen!" He cursed mentally, kicking a stone buried in the whiteness that had fallen onto the earth.
"No parent wants some stupid 13-year old boy! All they care about are the little babies! They always come, look at me inquiringly, then pick up some rotten kid howling in the corner! Then they leave and forget about that nice boy standing at the corner, like the rest of them!"
Bradley shouted something incomprehensible and buried his fist into a young pine tree planted nearby. A tear slid down his cheek and dripped onto the snow at his feet. He shook his head and promptly sat down on the soft powder that covered the center's grounds, leaning against one of the ancient stone walls of the center. He stared at the ground blankly, his reddening eyes focused on the patch of white. Bradley's gloved hand slowly slid into the left pocket of his blue jeans and withdrew a pale, silver rosary from it. He closed his eyes and a breeze tickled his body as he begun to recite a prayer. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women..."
"Bradley! What are you doing here, my son? Sister Anna was looking all over for you during lunchtime..."
A priest, aging yet still with boundless spirit and enthusiasm, ran up to him worriedly, as a father might to his child. The priest sighed quietly and bent down when he reached Bradley, resting a hand on the teenage boy's mop of golden hair. "Bradley, I know you're upset that the kind family who visited us did not select you after paying so much attention to you, but you should not be crying about it."
Bradley blinked and turned his head to face the priest, who wore a reassuring and calm smile on his face, and sighed tiredly.
"I'm sorry, Father Matthew. I was so sure I would be leaving. I was so sure I would finally have a real family I just... snapped."
Father Matthew shook his head and laughed with mirth accenting his voice. He rubbed his young charge's head and stood up, smiling cheerfully. "You know better than this, Bradley. Come now, Sister Anna saved your dinner in the freezer. She cooked the most delicious scalloped potatoes today."
"Yes, Father. I know how tasty her scalloped potatoes are." Bradley replied and smiled as well, brushing away a tear that froze on his right cheek. He stood up and proceeded to walk alongside Father Matthew, pocketing the rosary once more. The old priest laughed once more and pulled something out of the chest pocket of his traditional black robe. He opened his palm and showed Bradley a pale white rosary with the most beautiful angel, its wings spread apart as if it was soaring through the skies, engraved in shiny silver on the central piece.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll give you this rosary. It's been in our possession for years but we haven't the foggiest notion of what to do with it. Maybe it'll give you luck, Bradley."
"Wow! Thanks, Father Matthew! This is so cool!"
"Now there, that's the Bradley we all know! Come on, the dinner's only getting colder in that refrigerator."
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"Bradley."
"Hello, Evan! Reading your psychology book again?"
Bradley walked into the room feeling considerably better and grinned at his tan-skinned, black-haired Asian friend who was lying down on his bed, engrossed in a thick book about the human psyche. Evan looked up at him with his traditional emotionless poker face and nodded, his short raven ponytail bobbing behind his head. "I'm sorry about this morning, Brad." The intellectual teenager commented sincerely and stared at his revitalized companion. Bradley grinned and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah well, I got over it."
"That's good to hear."
"There'll be other days and different families so I guess I shouldn't feel so lousy about this one time."
Evan nodded in response and returned to his book, his eyes flitting over each word like a wasp, hungry for more. Evan had been sent to the orphanage a few months after Bradley turned one year old and quickly adjusted to the surroundings. His mother had died during his birth and his father had realized that it would be impossible for him to take care of his young son, Evan, and so, with a broken heart, gave him to the orphanage to take care of. As the years flew by though, Evan's emotions and mental facilities matured increasingly fast and he became one of the brightest, although solitary, minds in St. Joseph's Center for Children.
Bradley then walked over to their cheap but working television set and switched it on, simultaneously falling backwards onto his own soft bed. A beyblading match promptly appeared on the screen and the blonde European shouted in excitement and proceeded to watch avidly.
"Yeah, Evan, it's the Bladeslayers against the Tenrae on television! This is awesome!"
"..."
The European boy then felt a crunch underneath him and suddenly realized the rosary Father Matthew had given him was still in his pocket. Bradley's hand quickly whipped into his pocket and removed the rosary, leaving it unattended on the top of his bedside table.
"Mark of the Bladeslayers executes an astonishing move!"
"Argh! What'd I miss, Evan? What?"
"That boy's bitbeasts countered its opponent's attack."
"Damn! I can't believe I missed that!"
"You shouldn't curse, remember."
"All right..."
Unnoticed by the two orphan boys, the angel carving on the rosary that Bradley received from Father Matthew glowed silently, pulsing like a heart would.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"Allen! I haven't seen you in ages, you old fool! Last I heard, you organized a reunion for those victorious Bladebreaker boys of yours."
"Thank you, Matthew! I see your orphanage is doing quite well too. I haven't seen many orphanages with air-conditioning, warm food and a fancy chandelier in the hallway!"
"Well, you see this building used to be a house of worship, my friend... I just added a small annex where the children could stay."
"Good old Matthew, always caring for the children. Which brings me to the point of my visit..."
"Don't tell me you plan to adopt a child, Allen! What will Mrs. Dickinson think?"
"Oh no, Matthew! You see, life hasn't been the same with my old protégées, the Bladebreakers, all grown up and all..."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Allen. But what of the children here?"
"I am organizing another beyblading tournament here, Matthew, and I want some of your charges to participate in it. Their reward for winning would be the chance to go around the world and go head to head with other beybladers, just like what happened with my former team. After all, what orphan would refuse an opportunity to travel the world?"
"My younger orphans, that's who. They're not old enough to join the sport yet and require constant supervision... And I'm sad to say they make up most of the population here."
"Oh, that's a shame... I really hoped to find some children who would join here. I sorely miss looking after kids, especially after those four lunatics of mine matured."
"Wait Allen, I have a thirteen year old and a twelve year old who would gladly enter your competition. After all, they've been trapped in my center for children for the entirety of their poor lives and I'm certain they would love to be free of here..."
"Thank you my friend! May I inquire as to what their names would be?"
"Ah, young master Bradley and his best friend, Evan."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
End of Chapter
I've decided to write a new brand of stories, which will be more serious than my previous attempts. I hope my old readers and new readers alike will enjoy reading them. Oh, and if you're wondering what happened to the original Bladebreakers, that will be explained shortly.
"Wow, Evan! Look at Tyson go!"
"Tyson's spirit is overcoming the strength of Tala's attack..."
"Yeah! This is super cool, right? Maybe when we get out of here we'll be famous beybladers too!"
"Maybe but, Bradley, do you honestly think we'll ever get out? It seems like a mere dream to me..."
"C'mon, Evan! Look at the TV set! Don't you think Tyson's living out his dream! One day, somebody's going to adopt us and then we'll be living out our dream! I know it!"
..........Several years later...........
A 13-year old blonde European boy marched silently in the snow-covered gardens of the adoption center he called home. He was around 6 feet in height and had a fairly athletic build, a product of his endless physical exercise and activity. His body certainly seemed like it was always brimming with energy, ready to explode with life, but as of now, as the boy plowed through the dense white snow, it was quiet and seemed dead, as if its spirit had escaped it.
His name was Bradley, pure and simple, as he, like the rest of the orphans in the St. Joseph's Center for Children, had no intention of ever finding out what his surname was. One dark and wintry morning, his parents had left him along with a short letter that revealed his name at the gates of the institution when he was a few days old and abandoned him completely. So young Bradley was left there on the icy steps leading to the center's gates, crying and whining incessantly until Father Matthew had discovered him and taken him in. And so he spent the rest of his childhood there, under the caring priests and nuns who resided there.
But as of now, he was just another angry soul wandering the frozen lawns of the center.
"I'm never going to get chosen!" He cursed mentally, kicking a stone buried in the whiteness that had fallen onto the earth.
"No parent wants some stupid 13-year old boy! All they care about are the little babies! They always come, look at me inquiringly, then pick up some rotten kid howling in the corner! Then they leave and forget about that nice boy standing at the corner, like the rest of them!"
Bradley shouted something incomprehensible and buried his fist into a young pine tree planted nearby. A tear slid down his cheek and dripped onto the snow at his feet. He shook his head and promptly sat down on the soft powder that covered the center's grounds, leaning against one of the ancient stone walls of the center. He stared at the ground blankly, his reddening eyes focused on the patch of white. Bradley's gloved hand slowly slid into the left pocket of his blue jeans and withdrew a pale, silver rosary from it. He closed his eyes and a breeze tickled his body as he begun to recite a prayer. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women..."
"Bradley! What are you doing here, my son? Sister Anna was looking all over for you during lunchtime..."
A priest, aging yet still with boundless spirit and enthusiasm, ran up to him worriedly, as a father might to his child. The priest sighed quietly and bent down when he reached Bradley, resting a hand on the teenage boy's mop of golden hair. "Bradley, I know you're upset that the kind family who visited us did not select you after paying so much attention to you, but you should not be crying about it."
Bradley blinked and turned his head to face the priest, who wore a reassuring and calm smile on his face, and sighed tiredly.
"I'm sorry, Father Matthew. I was so sure I would be leaving. I was so sure I would finally have a real family I just... snapped."
Father Matthew shook his head and laughed with mirth accenting his voice. He rubbed his young charge's head and stood up, smiling cheerfully. "You know better than this, Bradley. Come now, Sister Anna saved your dinner in the freezer. She cooked the most delicious scalloped potatoes today."
"Yes, Father. I know how tasty her scalloped potatoes are." Bradley replied and smiled as well, brushing away a tear that froze on his right cheek. He stood up and proceeded to walk alongside Father Matthew, pocketing the rosary once more. The old priest laughed once more and pulled something out of the chest pocket of his traditional black robe. He opened his palm and showed Bradley a pale white rosary with the most beautiful angel, its wings spread apart as if it was soaring through the skies, engraved in shiny silver on the central piece.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll give you this rosary. It's been in our possession for years but we haven't the foggiest notion of what to do with it. Maybe it'll give you luck, Bradley."
"Wow! Thanks, Father Matthew! This is so cool!"
"Now there, that's the Bradley we all know! Come on, the dinner's only getting colder in that refrigerator."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"Bradley."
"Hello, Evan! Reading your psychology book again?"
Bradley walked into the room feeling considerably better and grinned at his tan-skinned, black-haired Asian friend who was lying down on his bed, engrossed in a thick book about the human psyche. Evan looked up at him with his traditional emotionless poker face and nodded, his short raven ponytail bobbing behind his head. "I'm sorry about this morning, Brad." The intellectual teenager commented sincerely and stared at his revitalized companion. Bradley grinned and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah well, I got over it."
"That's good to hear."
"There'll be other days and different families so I guess I shouldn't feel so lousy about this one time."
Evan nodded in response and returned to his book, his eyes flitting over each word like a wasp, hungry for more. Evan had been sent to the orphanage a few months after Bradley turned one year old and quickly adjusted to the surroundings. His mother had died during his birth and his father had realized that it would be impossible for him to take care of his young son, Evan, and so, with a broken heart, gave him to the orphanage to take care of. As the years flew by though, Evan's emotions and mental facilities matured increasingly fast and he became one of the brightest, although solitary, minds in St. Joseph's Center for Children.
Bradley then walked over to their cheap but working television set and switched it on, simultaneously falling backwards onto his own soft bed. A beyblading match promptly appeared on the screen and the blonde European shouted in excitement and proceeded to watch avidly.
"Yeah, Evan, it's the Bladeslayers against the Tenrae on television! This is awesome!"
"..."
The European boy then felt a crunch underneath him and suddenly realized the rosary Father Matthew had given him was still in his pocket. Bradley's hand quickly whipped into his pocket and removed the rosary, leaving it unattended on the top of his bedside table.
"Mark of the Bladeslayers executes an astonishing move!"
"Argh! What'd I miss, Evan? What?"
"That boy's bitbeasts countered its opponent's attack."
"Damn! I can't believe I missed that!"
"You shouldn't curse, remember."
"All right..."
Unnoticed by the two orphan boys, the angel carving on the rosary that Bradley received from Father Matthew glowed silently, pulsing like a heart would.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"Allen! I haven't seen you in ages, you old fool! Last I heard, you organized a reunion for those victorious Bladebreaker boys of yours."
"Thank you, Matthew! I see your orphanage is doing quite well too. I haven't seen many orphanages with air-conditioning, warm food and a fancy chandelier in the hallway!"
"Well, you see this building used to be a house of worship, my friend... I just added a small annex where the children could stay."
"Good old Matthew, always caring for the children. Which brings me to the point of my visit..."
"Don't tell me you plan to adopt a child, Allen! What will Mrs. Dickinson think?"
"Oh no, Matthew! You see, life hasn't been the same with my old protégées, the Bladebreakers, all grown up and all..."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Allen. But what of the children here?"
"I am organizing another beyblading tournament here, Matthew, and I want some of your charges to participate in it. Their reward for winning would be the chance to go around the world and go head to head with other beybladers, just like what happened with my former team. After all, what orphan would refuse an opportunity to travel the world?"
"My younger orphans, that's who. They're not old enough to join the sport yet and require constant supervision... And I'm sad to say they make up most of the population here."
"Oh, that's a shame... I really hoped to find some children who would join here. I sorely miss looking after kids, especially after those four lunatics of mine matured."
"Wait Allen, I have a thirteen year old and a twelve year old who would gladly enter your competition. After all, they've been trapped in my center for children for the entirety of their poor lives and I'm certain they would love to be free of here..."
"Thank you my friend! May I inquire as to what their names would be?"
"Ah, young master Bradley and his best friend, Evan."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
End of Chapter
I've decided to write a new brand of stories, which will be more serious than my previous attempts. I hope my old readers and new readers alike will enjoy reading them. Oh, and if you're wondering what happened to the original Bladebreakers, that will be explained shortly.
