The New Generation
============================
"Okay, then! Leheung, this guy's gonna go all the way on the offensive! Whatever you do, don't try to match up with his bitbeast using brute force! No way will you beat him in terms of power!"
Bradley advised enthusiastically, gesturing with his arms to drive home the point. Colin nodded and then added his own suggestion, saying,
"Try to avoid his attacks entirely and wait until he commits a mistake before striking. Just make sure your hastiness doesn't cloud whatever little judgment you have, all right?"
"...Patience is key to victory." Evan commented before returning on silently tweaking his beyblade.
"I appreciate the support, but remember, I trained with this guy. I think I can handle the squirt again." Leheung replied; his voice a mix of muted sadness and exuberant confidence. His face shone with a fierce pride that refused to be extinguished and his golden orbs were lit with an impassioned determination; an ember that over the years had grown into a vicious inferno.
"I'm not going to lose to him one more time..." He added, his teeth gritted and his eyes narrowed to slits.
A thick silence followed shortly as the three other members of the Storm Bladers stared at their somewhat demented-looking teammate for a few minutes, more than slightly taken aback. Bradley coughed loudly and waved his hand in front of Leheung's face.
"Hello?"
"Oh, yeah. Time to go then." Leheung replied cheerfully, taking a 180 degree mood swing in one second.
============================
"Leheung stands no hope of beating you, man. You always were the better blader, Dev." A red-headed Wild Pack beyblader affirmed, patting his shorter but more lethal captain on the shoulder. Devon laughed and folded his arms across his chest, staring at the frantic Storm Bladers appraisingly, amused with their pathetic attempts to act like a real team.
"You got that right, Willis. I humiliated him once, I can do it again." Devon chuckled once more and began walking up to the dish that had risen up mechanically from the focal center of the entire arena.
"Go show him what it means to be a real beyblader!" Willis and his similarly red-headed younger brother, Chad, cheered on, ignoring the fact that the only female member of their team, Jessica, stared away from the approaching showdown, grief imprinted on her face.
"Why does Devon always have to fight..." She whispered quietly before turning around sharply and staring intently at the two equally intense beybladers. She gazed fondly at Leheung, a thin smile crossing her lips.
"Teach him a lesson, Leheung..."
============================
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Looks like a duel between old buddies here, eh, Spinner? Leheung Ngie against his former team captain Devon Rembrandt!"
"Not to be biased but I sure hope the Storm Bladers no what they're doing, sending in somebody untested against THE man. Devon looks like a sure bet as the winner."
"I hope Leheung is feeling lucky today, because if not, his beyblade's gonna be heading home in separate pieces! I'm sure Devon won't leave any challenger's beyblade intact if he can help it."
"Oh well... This is going to be a harsh wake up call for the Storm Bladers then. Welcome to the reality of beyblading, buckos."
Bradley took a quick gulp and uttered a fast prayer for Leheung. Any form of supplication could seriously affect his teammates performance, seeing as his success probably depended on luck more than anything else anyway.
'Salutes to you, man. Salutes to you.'
============================
Leheung felt some sweat drip down his cheek as a result of nervousness but flicked it away hastily and continued staring down his younger, but evidently feistier and better skilled opponent.
"You're understandably scared, I see." Devon remarked casually, a blank, dead sort of expression plastered on his face.
"Anyone can talk. Only some can play." Leheung attached his beyblade to his launcher and shot back an equally steely gaze.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... You and your mantras again. Look here, 'cause you were my teammate and all before, I'm willing to put aside my pride and accept you again as one of us, Wild Pack."
"For what? There's always a catch when you're involved."
Devon gritted his teeth and growled, "Stay away from Jessica. I want her."
Leheung's lips curled into a violent scowl and he raised his launcher, poised for battle.
"Selfish brat... Ever though about how she might feel? I hope you're ready for a good match."
The black-haired Australian glowered at his opponent angrily before adopting his own combat stance.
"In that case, say goodbye to your precious beyblade. Go, Reltion!" Devon shouted, unleashing all the strength he had in his well-built arms into his beyblade, which roared into the dish like a charging lion. Before his crimson and black beyblade even scratched the slick dish, an amazing burst of light blasted outwards from the beyblade's bit chip and released the awesome might of Reltion.
"Let it rip!" Leheung exclaimed as well and tugged at the cord of his launcher with an equal amount of vigor. His own beyblade jetted into the combat arena, landing a few good paces away from its opponent and spinning around it, as if sizing up its prey. It darted away a bit more and stood there, gliding around Reltion, who was growling menacingly.
"Reltion! Liger Flash!" Devon commanded.
His scarlet lion bitbeast bellowed in approval before dashing right at its target, speedily amassing charges of pulsating lightning in the attack ring of its black and red beyblade. The entire ring became one rotating shaft of light, ready to sear a hole through the still defenseless beyblade of Leheung, who promptly said, "Go, counterattack!"
His own beyblade hurtled to its apparent doom as Reltion roared once more and lowered its claw to crush the insignificant attacker. The paw went scything downwards and blasted part of the dish into the sky as it passed harmlessly through the ethereal beyblade. The phantom figure immediately vanished as another night hued form zipped at the confused and somewhat enraged lion from the opposite side, led by a previously concealed bitbeast.
"You are so easy to predict!" The Chinese teenager shouted triumphantly as his beyblade and panther bitbeast rammed into Devon's own, sending both flying to the other side of the dish. His rival snarled in reply before sending his beyblade after Leheung's at tremendous speeds. The dark-colored beyblade once again merely passed through another trick, which presently spawned multiple copies of itself. In one moment, a dozen copies of Leheung's beyblade were flitting around the arena.
Devon grinned when he saw this and replied, shouting, "And so are you! Reltion, Liger Storm!"
The Australian captain's beyblade paused in mid-dash as the bitbeast it contained raised its head to the sky and began to roar at the heavens, summoning a rain of lethal electricity down onto the dish. Just as quickly as Leheung had multiplied the transient copies of his beyblade, the devastating lightning shower obliterated nearly all of them, leaving one somewhat charred blade remaining as his opponent and an immensely ravaged dish as his playing field. Both rivals clenched their teeth in anticipation of the next move and sent their beyblades charging straight down the dish at each other, grinding what was left of the metal arena into molten steel.
"Helzing, Fury Gale!"
"Reltion, Liger Cyclone!"
Hurricane-level winds whipped around the speeding Helzing and cut the air into shrieking tatters as the jet black beyblade charged at the electrically packed maelstrom that was Reltion. The two beyblades slammed into each other with deadly force, shattering each other into debris. Leheung's and Devon's voices escaped them as they watched the remnants of their beyblades clatter to the also ruined dish.
============================
"Er... I guess the battle ends in a draw then! Congratulations to both Wild Pack and the Storm Bladers! Of course, that exciting match would not be possible if it weren't for our super cool dudes down there, Devon and Leheung!"
"Yeah, I mean, wow, that was some hell of a match! Both bladers kept on trying to put up something better and better! These guys have some real guts!"
"They're sure gonna need a lot of rest after that intense match!"
No kidding. Leheung slipped his warm bit chip into the right pocket of his jeans and headed over to his somewhat surprised looking teammates. Bradley's mouth was moving up and down in an awkward fashion and was gaping at him like he had witnessed the unveiling of the Holy Grail.
"Wha- You actually tied him? I don't even know how you evaded that stupid Liger Storm attack..."
The blonde orphan sputtered and Leheung shrugged in surprise. He really needed some rest and the incessant voice of Bradley in his ear was definitely something he didn't want. The Chinese boy shook his head and walked past his teammates, heading straight back for the hotel where they stayed.
'I need a rest... My head hurts.' He thought, rubbing his forehead, which he noticed was covered with sweat. 'Guess I was lot more nervous than I tho-'
Leheung swore loudly as he bumped into someone shorter than him, as most people were, and took a few steps back immediately.
"I'm sorry..." He said before quickly heading for the door.
"Leheung! Don't you even recognize a friend anymore?"
Leheung stopped in mid-step and turned around on his heel, coming face to face with an extremely happy brunette girl. He made a choking sound, caused by his surprise; and hastily checked to see if either Colin or Evan was around, as he realized the two would definitely cause trouble if they saw him with this girl.
The light drifted from the glass doors onto her face, accenting its curves in what Leheung saw as an uncomfortably appealing way. The Storm Blader shook his head once and again, surveyed the surroundings for his two supposedly "mature" teammates.
"Ah, Jessica... Sorry, I have this really bad headache and I was heading to the hotel for some rest."
She made a concerned face, moved slightly closer and stroked the back of his hand. "Devon got to you again, didn't he?" The brown-haired Australian beyblader sighed before staring up at him reprovingly. "Your egos never really fit together that well."
"Ego? I'm not a self-centered bastard like him!" Leheung fumed before realizing how arrogant that remark sounded. 'Oh, crap. I hate it when she does that.'
Jessica laughed quietly before smiling softly and placing a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met, as if locked in a silent exchange of sentiments they had lost for years, and Leheung leaned towards her slowly, not once breaking contact with her deep emerald irises. 'I love it when she does that...' He thought blissfully, pressing closer to her.
"You know, Colin, we should check out the net or something and see if we can dig up anything about Wild Pack. Any bit of information would be useful as a strategy!" Bradley's voice echoed throughout the halls and Leheung pulled away from Jessica, staring at the source of the sound, which was growing ever closer.
"Damn. I'll see you again, Jess, I promise..." He whispered before sprinting out the door, ignoring the headache which had taken a backseat to his instinct just a few moments ago.
'Aw, stupid Bradley... I'll get him for that later...'
============================
End of Chapter
I guess the romance bit is in already... More in future chapters. Bradley's gonna be sorta bummed out because nobody wants to hang around the city with him. Poor guy. Oh well, at least he gets some company later on.
============================
"Okay, then! Leheung, this guy's gonna go all the way on the offensive! Whatever you do, don't try to match up with his bitbeast using brute force! No way will you beat him in terms of power!"
Bradley advised enthusiastically, gesturing with his arms to drive home the point. Colin nodded and then added his own suggestion, saying,
"Try to avoid his attacks entirely and wait until he commits a mistake before striking. Just make sure your hastiness doesn't cloud whatever little judgment you have, all right?"
"...Patience is key to victory." Evan commented before returning on silently tweaking his beyblade.
"I appreciate the support, but remember, I trained with this guy. I think I can handle the squirt again." Leheung replied; his voice a mix of muted sadness and exuberant confidence. His face shone with a fierce pride that refused to be extinguished and his golden orbs were lit with an impassioned determination; an ember that over the years had grown into a vicious inferno.
"I'm not going to lose to him one more time..." He added, his teeth gritted and his eyes narrowed to slits.
A thick silence followed shortly as the three other members of the Storm Bladers stared at their somewhat demented-looking teammate for a few minutes, more than slightly taken aback. Bradley coughed loudly and waved his hand in front of Leheung's face.
"Hello?"
"Oh, yeah. Time to go then." Leheung replied cheerfully, taking a 180 degree mood swing in one second.
============================
"Leheung stands no hope of beating you, man. You always were the better blader, Dev." A red-headed Wild Pack beyblader affirmed, patting his shorter but more lethal captain on the shoulder. Devon laughed and folded his arms across his chest, staring at the frantic Storm Bladers appraisingly, amused with their pathetic attempts to act like a real team.
"You got that right, Willis. I humiliated him once, I can do it again." Devon chuckled once more and began walking up to the dish that had risen up mechanically from the focal center of the entire arena.
"Go show him what it means to be a real beyblader!" Willis and his similarly red-headed younger brother, Chad, cheered on, ignoring the fact that the only female member of their team, Jessica, stared away from the approaching showdown, grief imprinted on her face.
"Why does Devon always have to fight..." She whispered quietly before turning around sharply and staring intently at the two equally intense beybladers. She gazed fondly at Leheung, a thin smile crossing her lips.
"Teach him a lesson, Leheung..."
============================
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Looks like a duel between old buddies here, eh, Spinner? Leheung Ngie against his former team captain Devon Rembrandt!"
"Not to be biased but I sure hope the Storm Bladers no what they're doing, sending in somebody untested against THE man. Devon looks like a sure bet as the winner."
"I hope Leheung is feeling lucky today, because if not, his beyblade's gonna be heading home in separate pieces! I'm sure Devon won't leave any challenger's beyblade intact if he can help it."
"Oh well... This is going to be a harsh wake up call for the Storm Bladers then. Welcome to the reality of beyblading, buckos."
Bradley took a quick gulp and uttered a fast prayer for Leheung. Any form of supplication could seriously affect his teammates performance, seeing as his success probably depended on luck more than anything else anyway.
'Salutes to you, man. Salutes to you.'
============================
Leheung felt some sweat drip down his cheek as a result of nervousness but flicked it away hastily and continued staring down his younger, but evidently feistier and better skilled opponent.
"You're understandably scared, I see." Devon remarked casually, a blank, dead sort of expression plastered on his face.
"Anyone can talk. Only some can play." Leheung attached his beyblade to his launcher and shot back an equally steely gaze.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... You and your mantras again. Look here, 'cause you were my teammate and all before, I'm willing to put aside my pride and accept you again as one of us, Wild Pack."
"For what? There's always a catch when you're involved."
Devon gritted his teeth and growled, "Stay away from Jessica. I want her."
Leheung's lips curled into a violent scowl and he raised his launcher, poised for battle.
"Selfish brat... Ever though about how she might feel? I hope you're ready for a good match."
The black-haired Australian glowered at his opponent angrily before adopting his own combat stance.
"In that case, say goodbye to your precious beyblade. Go, Reltion!" Devon shouted, unleashing all the strength he had in his well-built arms into his beyblade, which roared into the dish like a charging lion. Before his crimson and black beyblade even scratched the slick dish, an amazing burst of light blasted outwards from the beyblade's bit chip and released the awesome might of Reltion.
"Let it rip!" Leheung exclaimed as well and tugged at the cord of his launcher with an equal amount of vigor. His own beyblade jetted into the combat arena, landing a few good paces away from its opponent and spinning around it, as if sizing up its prey. It darted away a bit more and stood there, gliding around Reltion, who was growling menacingly.
"Reltion! Liger Flash!" Devon commanded.
His scarlet lion bitbeast bellowed in approval before dashing right at its target, speedily amassing charges of pulsating lightning in the attack ring of its black and red beyblade. The entire ring became one rotating shaft of light, ready to sear a hole through the still defenseless beyblade of Leheung, who promptly said, "Go, counterattack!"
His own beyblade hurtled to its apparent doom as Reltion roared once more and lowered its claw to crush the insignificant attacker. The paw went scything downwards and blasted part of the dish into the sky as it passed harmlessly through the ethereal beyblade. The phantom figure immediately vanished as another night hued form zipped at the confused and somewhat enraged lion from the opposite side, led by a previously concealed bitbeast.
"You are so easy to predict!" The Chinese teenager shouted triumphantly as his beyblade and panther bitbeast rammed into Devon's own, sending both flying to the other side of the dish. His rival snarled in reply before sending his beyblade after Leheung's at tremendous speeds. The dark-colored beyblade once again merely passed through another trick, which presently spawned multiple copies of itself. In one moment, a dozen copies of Leheung's beyblade were flitting around the arena.
Devon grinned when he saw this and replied, shouting, "And so are you! Reltion, Liger Storm!"
The Australian captain's beyblade paused in mid-dash as the bitbeast it contained raised its head to the sky and began to roar at the heavens, summoning a rain of lethal electricity down onto the dish. Just as quickly as Leheung had multiplied the transient copies of his beyblade, the devastating lightning shower obliterated nearly all of them, leaving one somewhat charred blade remaining as his opponent and an immensely ravaged dish as his playing field. Both rivals clenched their teeth in anticipation of the next move and sent their beyblades charging straight down the dish at each other, grinding what was left of the metal arena into molten steel.
"Helzing, Fury Gale!"
"Reltion, Liger Cyclone!"
Hurricane-level winds whipped around the speeding Helzing and cut the air into shrieking tatters as the jet black beyblade charged at the electrically packed maelstrom that was Reltion. The two beyblades slammed into each other with deadly force, shattering each other into debris. Leheung's and Devon's voices escaped them as they watched the remnants of their beyblades clatter to the also ruined dish.
============================
"Er... I guess the battle ends in a draw then! Congratulations to both Wild Pack and the Storm Bladers! Of course, that exciting match would not be possible if it weren't for our super cool dudes down there, Devon and Leheung!"
"Yeah, I mean, wow, that was some hell of a match! Both bladers kept on trying to put up something better and better! These guys have some real guts!"
"They're sure gonna need a lot of rest after that intense match!"
No kidding. Leheung slipped his warm bit chip into the right pocket of his jeans and headed over to his somewhat surprised looking teammates. Bradley's mouth was moving up and down in an awkward fashion and was gaping at him like he had witnessed the unveiling of the Holy Grail.
"Wha- You actually tied him? I don't even know how you evaded that stupid Liger Storm attack..."
The blonde orphan sputtered and Leheung shrugged in surprise. He really needed some rest and the incessant voice of Bradley in his ear was definitely something he didn't want. The Chinese boy shook his head and walked past his teammates, heading straight back for the hotel where they stayed.
'I need a rest... My head hurts.' He thought, rubbing his forehead, which he noticed was covered with sweat. 'Guess I was lot more nervous than I tho-'
Leheung swore loudly as he bumped into someone shorter than him, as most people were, and took a few steps back immediately.
"I'm sorry..." He said before quickly heading for the door.
"Leheung! Don't you even recognize a friend anymore?"
Leheung stopped in mid-step and turned around on his heel, coming face to face with an extremely happy brunette girl. He made a choking sound, caused by his surprise; and hastily checked to see if either Colin or Evan was around, as he realized the two would definitely cause trouble if they saw him with this girl.
The light drifted from the glass doors onto her face, accenting its curves in what Leheung saw as an uncomfortably appealing way. The Storm Blader shook his head once and again, surveyed the surroundings for his two supposedly "mature" teammates.
"Ah, Jessica... Sorry, I have this really bad headache and I was heading to the hotel for some rest."
She made a concerned face, moved slightly closer and stroked the back of his hand. "Devon got to you again, didn't he?" The brown-haired Australian beyblader sighed before staring up at him reprovingly. "Your egos never really fit together that well."
"Ego? I'm not a self-centered bastard like him!" Leheung fumed before realizing how arrogant that remark sounded. 'Oh, crap. I hate it when she does that.'
Jessica laughed quietly before smiling softly and placing a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met, as if locked in a silent exchange of sentiments they had lost for years, and Leheung leaned towards her slowly, not once breaking contact with her deep emerald irises. 'I love it when she does that...' He thought blissfully, pressing closer to her.
"You know, Colin, we should check out the net or something and see if we can dig up anything about Wild Pack. Any bit of information would be useful as a strategy!" Bradley's voice echoed throughout the halls and Leheung pulled away from Jessica, staring at the source of the sound, which was growing ever closer.
"Damn. I'll see you again, Jess, I promise..." He whispered before sprinting out the door, ignoring the headache which had taken a backseat to his instinct just a few moments ago.
'Aw, stupid Bradley... I'll get him for that later...'
============================
End of Chapter
I guess the romance bit is in already... More in future chapters. Bradley's gonna be sorta bummed out because nobody wants to hang around the city with him. Poor guy. Oh well, at least he gets some company later on.
