Chap Recap: The prophecy was discovered and deciphered (by Philemon), and
Boris finally convinced Mr. Dickenson to help Biovolt combat Goadbwa.
Sarah, Kai, and Tala found out about their aberrations and learned of the
special incantation that gave them immortality.
Now! Let's continue...shall we '-~?
10. First Encounters
"Let's see...Here's Vladya Street!" Tala said as he led Sarah and Kai into an alley of the main street.
The trio stepped into the alley to find no one there. Sarah took out her Beyblade and shooter, anyway. "They may not be here right now, but they're coming...I feel it."
Kai and Tala heeded her warning to ready their blades, and sure enough, they soon heard footsteps behind them. They whirled around to see Vitality Extortion standing there, though with different outfits on. Unlike the ones they had worn at the tournament, they were all black.
Spica's was tight fitting. It consisted of a shirt with a high neck that exposed her midriff and was covered by gloves high on her arms. She had a belt with the Goadbwa logo on the buckle and short shorts that fanned out a little but looked more like undergarments. Her boots went up to just a few inches below her shorts.
Telesto's, like Spica's, was tight. His shirt also had a high neck. It had full-length sleeves, though they were covered at his wrist because he wore trainers that went up to his wrists. He wore the Goadbwa belt at his waist and pants with boots that came up to just above his knees.
Kuiper's, unlike his teammates' was slightly baggier. He had the same turtleneck but his shirt was sleeveless. He wore long armbands instead of gloves. He had full-length pants held up by the Goadbwa belt. He wore boots similar to Tala's, in that they had a limp cloth part that stuck up above the actual boot.
"Battlecostumes?" Sarah asked mockingly.
Telesto's scowl worsened. "At least we've something to be recognized by as warriors."
"Warriors? Hah! We'll see about that!" Kai taunted as he placed his finger on his shooter's winder.
Vitality Extortion and Sarah readied their shooters as Tala raised his gun and placed his finger on the trigger. As if an unspoken countdown was done, they all fired at the same time. The Beyblades flew into the middle of the glowering teams.
Without the commands from their masters, the Bit Beasts went right into attacking each other, using the special moves they were known for. When Wolborg tried to use Blizzalog, Revenost used Return to counter the effects. When Doppelgost attempted to use Double-Go, Dranzer used Fire Arrow to strike and destroy the copy. When Fovular endeavoured to use Black Hole, Poltost used Invisivandal to overwhelm the siphoning force.
Every time Vitality Extortion used an attack to harm Fovular, Wolborg, or Dranzer, Kai, Tala, and Sarah felt the effect. The three were on the ground like Eva and Philemon had been by the time their blades were wobbling. Tala and Kai had given up and given in, their blades rolled to a stop alongside them. Sarah was reluctant to give in.
"Fovular! Don't give in! Use Black Hole again!"
Telesto placed his hands akimbo and smirked at the suffering girl before him. "It's not going to work. You've tried that before. A clever girl like you should have known that. Poltost! Invisivandal!"
Cement bricks broke off and were sucked into the vortex of Fovular's Black Hole. Sarah felt the pain like rocks crashing down on top of her, just as her friend, Eva had. "Now, Fovular, White Hole!"
In the time it had taken for the bricks to fall and Fovular to transfer attacks, Doppelgost had ventured closer to attack with Double-Go. As Fovular exerted energy for White Hole, the bricks that had been taken in before were also exerted. They were spewed out right on top of Kuiper's blade, causing it to cease spinning. The bricks also flew out at Kuiper and Spica.
The two shielded themselves, recovered and growled at Telesto. Telesto looked back with hurt innocence. "What? It was her!"
Spica turned back to the battle. "Who cares! Just win this, or Gilepse'll have our heads! Revenost, attack!"
Revenost quickly complied, and sent Fovular off balance. Sarah fell to the ground beside Kai and Tala, since she had been staggering to get up before. Fovular flew out of the imaginary dish and landed in front of her.
Spica, who had been slightly hunched over stood erect. "Huh! Let that be a lesson to the ignominious Biovolt that in the end, Goadbwa will persist in this war!"
Telesto and Spica's blades returned to them as Kuiper reached down to pick up his. Spica turned on her heel and left as the other two followed. Kai and Tala had recovered as Sarah had battled, and so they picked themselves up from the ground. They watched the Goadbwa deploys leave and once they were out of sight, they turned to Sarah who was on the ground, wincing and cringing.
Tala reached down and placed his hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"
Sarah glanced up at him slowly. "...Yeah...I am now."
Kai picked up Dranzer and examined it. "We lost...and all because we didn't have the strength. How embarrassing...we're the chosen ones from the prophecy, and we can't win against an amateur team like Vitality Extortion."
"It's not our fault," Tala said as he helped Sarah up from the ground and placed her arm around his shoulder. "We weren't exactly what I would call prepared. Besides, it's our first time, and even if Boris makes Anya, Rhea and Samson fight instead of us, I won't give in. I know that we were the chosen ones and no one is perfect, not even the prophesised ones."
Kai reached for Fovular and Wolborg for Tala and Sarah. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem right..."
"That's okay, Kai. Let's just get back to Biovolt, then we'll explain to Boris," Sarah said with a groan.
Kai nodded and led them from the alley with Sarah hobbling along with help from Tala.
"Good work. I'm impressed and actually surprised you won," congratulated Gilepse once Kuiper had made the report.
"'Surprised we won'?!" Spica exclaimed with a hurt look.
Gilepse had had his back turned to them and so he now whirled to face them. "Yes. Tell me...have you three heard of the Hilanov Prophecy?"
"Hilanov Prophecy?" the three questioned with quizzical expressions.
Gilepse turned back to the windows of his large office. "Um-hm. Well, it was something that Boris and I had heard of in our old university days together. We hadn't known exactly what it was, but the concept of finding an ancient, forgotten prophecy sounded interesting to us.
"When we became older and finally graduated, we became scientists of two separate companies; Goadbwa and Biovolt. Strangely enough, we were both promoted at the same time to being the presidents of our companies while the former presidents, Voltaire and Deneb became Vice Presidents. The Enterprises and the Corporation worked closely together, not that they didn't before, and our goal was to find the Prophecy. Though, we never did.
"However, we did find one of the verses to it. It went like this;
"Hair of red, eyes of blue-
The one that remains confident and true.
Hair of blue, eyes of brown-
Solemn, solitary, and rebellion-bound.
Hair of brown, eyes of green-grey-
The strongest of the three, though they fear to be brave.
"I never forget that excerpt because ever since I first heard it, I've been searching for the people that matched those descriptions."
"That description fits us, Gilepse!" Telesto exclaimed. "That also means that I'm the strongest of us all! Losers!"
Spica and Kuiper turned on him. "That doesn't mean a thing, you fool!"
Gilepse glanced down at them with adoring eyes like a father would. "Yes, the physical descriptions fit, but not the mentality, I'm afraid."
Kuiper looked back up and away from Telesto. "Why? I'm confident and true."
Telesto and Spica cast annoyed glances at him. "What are you talking about, you little wimp? You're always the pessimistic one!" Spica jeered.
"Since when did you tell the truth?" Telesto added.
Gilepse clasped his hands behind his back. "Though you three don't match the description, I have a feeling that I know and Boris knows the ones who do."
"Who?" The three pressed.
Gilepse adjusted his glasses. "Why, none other than the three you battled today. Tala always carries himself with pride and confidence, and though it may be cockiness he has, it's confidence nonetheless. It also seems that everyone can trust him, even the worst of enemies.
"Kai, on the other hand, likes being separate from his team, the Bladebreakers. He's independent and doesn't appreciate the aide of others. That scowl never leaves his face and when he was young, he betrayed Boris. There's no doubt he'll do it again to anyone-friend or foe.
"Last, but not least, Sarah seems rather fearful compared to Kai and Tala. She doesn't want to feel pain and she's afraid of what others think. She also fears of being emotionally hurt. Yet I sense a strong power surging inside of her. She could very well be your downfall with the determination and puissance she possesses."
"Are you saying that you doubt us?" Telesto grilled.
"No, he's saying that they're the chosen ones, and what's ironic is that they lost to us!" Spica mused.
Vitality Extortion burst out laughing at this point, while Gilepse didn't join in on the joviality.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Boris. It's my entire fault. I was the last vital link and I lost it for us," Sarah whimpered as Eva dressed her wounds.
Boris paced back and forth impatiently through the infirmary. Tala, Kai, and Sarah watched him as they sat on the beds being healed. Their teams were in the room with them.
Bryan looked up at Boris from the ice pack he held to Tala's head. "Maybe we should help in the next battle against Vitality Extortion?"
Boris finally stopped and turned to face the boy. "You'd be willing to do that?"
"Sure. If I'd make a difference."
"I say they could do it themselves," Elvin vociferated as he pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against.
"I appreciate your faith, Elvin," Tala thanked. "I agree with you- we can do this on our own."
Kai and Sarah glanced at him with doubtful looks. "Stop moving!" cried Tyson and Eva at the same time.
"Stanley did say that if they volunteered..." they heard Boris mumble.
"Even if they did help, there wouldn't be enough uniforms for them all. We only made three."
Everyone turned to see Irina standing in the doorway, observing the conversation.
"Mother...?" Eva heard Sarah say quietly.
Boris stepped over to his sister. "You've finished the battlecostumes?"
Irina simpered slightly and held up her bandaged hands. "I guess so. They'd better appreciate them!"
Once Irina had led the Demolition Boys, Celestial Myriad, Bladebreakers and Boris to the main control room, she opened a closet door as they stood watching. Inside were three uniforms: red and white, blue and black, purple and grey.
They had the same design. They had a high neck with a zipper like Sarah's vest. They were sleeveless like Kai's shirt and had the yellow buttons, but only on the left side. On the right side was the Biovolt logo (the "B" on Tala's shirt). There was a line along the neck where the neck ended that continued down the middle of the top. The belt had a silver buckle and two belts hanging from it (like the Demolition Boys' style). The pants were attached to the top in a full-piece uniform.
Irina took each of them down to hand them to Kai, Tala, and Sarah. She gave Tala the red, Kai the blue, and Sarah the purple. "Go try them on. You know where the change rooms are."
The three scrutinized the uniforms in their arms with disgust. Then they turned away towards the change rooms. The others waited with grim looks on their faces.
About five minutes later, they came back with the uniforms on. They fit tightly. Irina handed them gloves and boots. They put the articles on. The gloves reached up to their mid- upper arm and had hard bulges at the wrists, probably to act as wristguards. The boots were a cross between Tala and Kai's boots. They had that high cloth part (also like Kuiper's) and had the metal strap across the foot. They had that marking down the middle of the boot like Kai's.
Eva and Philemon began to snicker. Sarah scowled at them. "What is it, now?"
Eva shook her head and suppressed her laugh while Philemon expressed his feelings.
"You look so weird, Sarah."
"Are you taunting my sister, kid?"
Philemon glanced towards the doorway to see the Blade Sovereign (minus Kieran) standing there. Samson strode over to them and looked over Kai, Tala, and Sarah. "Cool costumes."
Kai folded his arms. "Glad to see someone likes them."
Samson noticed Irina standing to the side. "Mother. Aren't you proud of your daughter? She's the chosen one from the Prophecy and she'll save us all."
"With the help from my brother and Hiwatari's, of course," Anya added as she glowered at Samson.
Irina gazed quickly at Sarah and then back at Samson. She hesitated before her answer. "Yes. Of course I'm proud of her. I always have been."
Rhea moved over to Boris' side. "Do want to know about that e-mail?" she asked solemnly.
Boris adjusted his glasses. "Sure. What did it say?"
"Voltaire knows exactly what Goadbwa's ambitions are. Should I continue in private?"
Boris saw the nod from Irina and turned back to Rhea. "Uh...yes. Blade Sovereign, Kai, Tala, Sarah, come with me. The rest of you follow Irina. See if you can make enough uniforms in time for the next fight."
Boris and Irina turned in different directions out of the control room with the Beybladers in tow.
Boris led them to his office once again. He offered for the six to sit in chairs as he sat behind his desk. "Well, Rhea...What are Goadbwa's ambitions?"
She sat erect in her chair as the others listened intently. "Voltaire says that Gilepse has found a new way to reinforce the power of the Sacred Spirits, or Bit Beasts. He says you have good reason to stop your old colleague because it's an inhumane way."
Kai remembered how he saw the spirits being siphoned out of the animals down in the Biovolt labs. He wondered how different it could be. 'How much worse?'
"'Inhumane'? How so?" asked Sarah.
Rhea turned to Sarah. "Well..."
"Instead of using animal souls, they're using those of humans!" Anya interrupted frantically.
Boris' expression didn't falter while Kai, Tala, and Sarah gasped.
"Human souls? I don't see how that would raise the power levels." Kai voiced.
"If you could transfer them into Bit Beast form, they would be more valuable," Boris explained.
"But that would mean they need humans to siphon the souls from, right? I mean, they can't just go to the nearest graveyard and dig someone up, the person would have to be alive." Tala tried to clarify.
Samson leaned back in his chair. "Exactly. I'd hate to be the soul donatee. Voltaire doesn't know how they'll do it, but you can wager that however they plan to do it, it won't be pleasant."
Sarah, who had had her head down deep in thought until now, looked up. "Now I get it...I have a theory as to why we were hurt when our Beyblades were as we battled Vitality Extortion! Their Bit Beasts must be of human souls, the ghosts of perished human souls, and we are feeling their pain because we are the same creatures."
"But then why doesn't Vitality Extortion feel the effects?" Kai queried, responding to Sarah's theory.
"Three possibilities: they're not human, they're too cold-hearted, or simply, they're the masters. And you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"That's all very interesting, but my question is, whose souls did they use?" Tala said.
There was a pause after which Boris replied. "I've no idea, but you three realize that by fighting Vitality Extortion, you risk losing your souls?"
Kai, Tala, and Sarah looked up at him, slight fear on their faces.
"All Bit Beasts have the ability to take the soul from a person. The souls they steal are taken to the Soul Realm, while the body the soul belongs to is technically 'dead'. It doesn't breathe, there's no heartbeat, it doesn't need to be fed nor does it need to drink. This dormant state is what I think happened to Kevin, Eddy and Enrique. Their souls were taken by Vitality Extortion. The bodies will lie there, immobile, until its soul or another is returned to it. But no soul can enter a body if the body is really and truly dead.
"Souls that die within the body are like normal souls, the souls that no one knows what happens to when you die. Souls that are taken and then the body dies are free to return to possess the bodies of others. Though not every one does this, there are some spirits notorious for doing this. They are evil at heart and often seek revenge against a particular family name, possessing one at an early age and then vowing to make them commit suicide at a specific age. The bad thing about that is that the spirit often leaves the body just before death, allowing only the actual soul of the person to perish. One ghost I've heard of is the Crucis ghost. It's out for the Hiwatari family, I've been told."
Tala and Anya eyed Kai and Rhea suspiciously. "Is there any way that we can tell if they're possessed?" Anya questioned.
Boris shook his head. "No, I'm afraid. So I have no idea if either one of you are affected. I'd hope not because that would impair you in your battles. It's not like we can ask. I doubt the Crucis ghost would respond and admit to it."
Rhea answered that question almost immediately, though she felt it wasn't her answering. "No, Boris, sir. Why would it?" The one that answered was something else.
So, what do you think will happen? What is the thing that Rhea knows isn't her? Will Eddy, Enrique, and Kevin have their souls returned? Will Kai, Tala, and Sarah have their souls taken? Will they win the next battle and will their teams help them to do so? Questions, questions! If I'm driving you crazy with the suspense, it's not my fault. You'll just have to be patient!
Now! Let's continue...shall we '-~?
10. First Encounters
"Let's see...Here's Vladya Street!" Tala said as he led Sarah and Kai into an alley of the main street.
The trio stepped into the alley to find no one there. Sarah took out her Beyblade and shooter, anyway. "They may not be here right now, but they're coming...I feel it."
Kai and Tala heeded her warning to ready their blades, and sure enough, they soon heard footsteps behind them. They whirled around to see Vitality Extortion standing there, though with different outfits on. Unlike the ones they had worn at the tournament, they were all black.
Spica's was tight fitting. It consisted of a shirt with a high neck that exposed her midriff and was covered by gloves high on her arms. She had a belt with the Goadbwa logo on the buckle and short shorts that fanned out a little but looked more like undergarments. Her boots went up to just a few inches below her shorts.
Telesto's, like Spica's, was tight. His shirt also had a high neck. It had full-length sleeves, though they were covered at his wrist because he wore trainers that went up to his wrists. He wore the Goadbwa belt at his waist and pants with boots that came up to just above his knees.
Kuiper's, unlike his teammates' was slightly baggier. He had the same turtleneck but his shirt was sleeveless. He wore long armbands instead of gloves. He had full-length pants held up by the Goadbwa belt. He wore boots similar to Tala's, in that they had a limp cloth part that stuck up above the actual boot.
"Battlecostumes?" Sarah asked mockingly.
Telesto's scowl worsened. "At least we've something to be recognized by as warriors."
"Warriors? Hah! We'll see about that!" Kai taunted as he placed his finger on his shooter's winder.
Vitality Extortion and Sarah readied their shooters as Tala raised his gun and placed his finger on the trigger. As if an unspoken countdown was done, they all fired at the same time. The Beyblades flew into the middle of the glowering teams.
Without the commands from their masters, the Bit Beasts went right into attacking each other, using the special moves they were known for. When Wolborg tried to use Blizzalog, Revenost used Return to counter the effects. When Doppelgost attempted to use Double-Go, Dranzer used Fire Arrow to strike and destroy the copy. When Fovular endeavoured to use Black Hole, Poltost used Invisivandal to overwhelm the siphoning force.
Every time Vitality Extortion used an attack to harm Fovular, Wolborg, or Dranzer, Kai, Tala, and Sarah felt the effect. The three were on the ground like Eva and Philemon had been by the time their blades were wobbling. Tala and Kai had given up and given in, their blades rolled to a stop alongside them. Sarah was reluctant to give in.
"Fovular! Don't give in! Use Black Hole again!"
Telesto placed his hands akimbo and smirked at the suffering girl before him. "It's not going to work. You've tried that before. A clever girl like you should have known that. Poltost! Invisivandal!"
Cement bricks broke off and were sucked into the vortex of Fovular's Black Hole. Sarah felt the pain like rocks crashing down on top of her, just as her friend, Eva had. "Now, Fovular, White Hole!"
In the time it had taken for the bricks to fall and Fovular to transfer attacks, Doppelgost had ventured closer to attack with Double-Go. As Fovular exerted energy for White Hole, the bricks that had been taken in before were also exerted. They were spewed out right on top of Kuiper's blade, causing it to cease spinning. The bricks also flew out at Kuiper and Spica.
The two shielded themselves, recovered and growled at Telesto. Telesto looked back with hurt innocence. "What? It was her!"
Spica turned back to the battle. "Who cares! Just win this, or Gilepse'll have our heads! Revenost, attack!"
Revenost quickly complied, and sent Fovular off balance. Sarah fell to the ground beside Kai and Tala, since she had been staggering to get up before. Fovular flew out of the imaginary dish and landed in front of her.
Spica, who had been slightly hunched over stood erect. "Huh! Let that be a lesson to the ignominious Biovolt that in the end, Goadbwa will persist in this war!"
Telesto and Spica's blades returned to them as Kuiper reached down to pick up his. Spica turned on her heel and left as the other two followed. Kai and Tala had recovered as Sarah had battled, and so they picked themselves up from the ground. They watched the Goadbwa deploys leave and once they were out of sight, they turned to Sarah who was on the ground, wincing and cringing.
Tala reached down and placed his hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"
Sarah glanced up at him slowly. "...Yeah...I am now."
Kai picked up Dranzer and examined it. "We lost...and all because we didn't have the strength. How embarrassing...we're the chosen ones from the prophecy, and we can't win against an amateur team like Vitality Extortion."
"It's not our fault," Tala said as he helped Sarah up from the ground and placed her arm around his shoulder. "We weren't exactly what I would call prepared. Besides, it's our first time, and even if Boris makes Anya, Rhea and Samson fight instead of us, I won't give in. I know that we were the chosen ones and no one is perfect, not even the prophesised ones."
Kai reached for Fovular and Wolborg for Tala and Sarah. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem right..."
"That's okay, Kai. Let's just get back to Biovolt, then we'll explain to Boris," Sarah said with a groan.
Kai nodded and led them from the alley with Sarah hobbling along with help from Tala.
"Good work. I'm impressed and actually surprised you won," congratulated Gilepse once Kuiper had made the report.
"'Surprised we won'?!" Spica exclaimed with a hurt look.
Gilepse had had his back turned to them and so he now whirled to face them. "Yes. Tell me...have you three heard of the Hilanov Prophecy?"
"Hilanov Prophecy?" the three questioned with quizzical expressions.
Gilepse turned back to the windows of his large office. "Um-hm. Well, it was something that Boris and I had heard of in our old university days together. We hadn't known exactly what it was, but the concept of finding an ancient, forgotten prophecy sounded interesting to us.
"When we became older and finally graduated, we became scientists of two separate companies; Goadbwa and Biovolt. Strangely enough, we were both promoted at the same time to being the presidents of our companies while the former presidents, Voltaire and Deneb became Vice Presidents. The Enterprises and the Corporation worked closely together, not that they didn't before, and our goal was to find the Prophecy. Though, we never did.
"However, we did find one of the verses to it. It went like this;
"Hair of red, eyes of blue-
The one that remains confident and true.
Hair of blue, eyes of brown-
Solemn, solitary, and rebellion-bound.
Hair of brown, eyes of green-grey-
The strongest of the three, though they fear to be brave.
"I never forget that excerpt because ever since I first heard it, I've been searching for the people that matched those descriptions."
"That description fits us, Gilepse!" Telesto exclaimed. "That also means that I'm the strongest of us all! Losers!"
Spica and Kuiper turned on him. "That doesn't mean a thing, you fool!"
Gilepse glanced down at them with adoring eyes like a father would. "Yes, the physical descriptions fit, but not the mentality, I'm afraid."
Kuiper looked back up and away from Telesto. "Why? I'm confident and true."
Telesto and Spica cast annoyed glances at him. "What are you talking about, you little wimp? You're always the pessimistic one!" Spica jeered.
"Since when did you tell the truth?" Telesto added.
Gilepse clasped his hands behind his back. "Though you three don't match the description, I have a feeling that I know and Boris knows the ones who do."
"Who?" The three pressed.
Gilepse adjusted his glasses. "Why, none other than the three you battled today. Tala always carries himself with pride and confidence, and though it may be cockiness he has, it's confidence nonetheless. It also seems that everyone can trust him, even the worst of enemies.
"Kai, on the other hand, likes being separate from his team, the Bladebreakers. He's independent and doesn't appreciate the aide of others. That scowl never leaves his face and when he was young, he betrayed Boris. There's no doubt he'll do it again to anyone-friend or foe.
"Last, but not least, Sarah seems rather fearful compared to Kai and Tala. She doesn't want to feel pain and she's afraid of what others think. She also fears of being emotionally hurt. Yet I sense a strong power surging inside of her. She could very well be your downfall with the determination and puissance she possesses."
"Are you saying that you doubt us?" Telesto grilled.
"No, he's saying that they're the chosen ones, and what's ironic is that they lost to us!" Spica mused.
Vitality Extortion burst out laughing at this point, while Gilepse didn't join in on the joviality.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Boris. It's my entire fault. I was the last vital link and I lost it for us," Sarah whimpered as Eva dressed her wounds.
Boris paced back and forth impatiently through the infirmary. Tala, Kai, and Sarah watched him as they sat on the beds being healed. Their teams were in the room with them.
Bryan looked up at Boris from the ice pack he held to Tala's head. "Maybe we should help in the next battle against Vitality Extortion?"
Boris finally stopped and turned to face the boy. "You'd be willing to do that?"
"Sure. If I'd make a difference."
"I say they could do it themselves," Elvin vociferated as he pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against.
"I appreciate your faith, Elvin," Tala thanked. "I agree with you- we can do this on our own."
Kai and Sarah glanced at him with doubtful looks. "Stop moving!" cried Tyson and Eva at the same time.
"Stanley did say that if they volunteered..." they heard Boris mumble.
"Even if they did help, there wouldn't be enough uniforms for them all. We only made three."
Everyone turned to see Irina standing in the doorway, observing the conversation.
"Mother...?" Eva heard Sarah say quietly.
Boris stepped over to his sister. "You've finished the battlecostumes?"
Irina simpered slightly and held up her bandaged hands. "I guess so. They'd better appreciate them!"
Once Irina had led the Demolition Boys, Celestial Myriad, Bladebreakers and Boris to the main control room, she opened a closet door as they stood watching. Inside were three uniforms: red and white, blue and black, purple and grey.
They had the same design. They had a high neck with a zipper like Sarah's vest. They were sleeveless like Kai's shirt and had the yellow buttons, but only on the left side. On the right side was the Biovolt logo (the "B" on Tala's shirt). There was a line along the neck where the neck ended that continued down the middle of the top. The belt had a silver buckle and two belts hanging from it (like the Demolition Boys' style). The pants were attached to the top in a full-piece uniform.
Irina took each of them down to hand them to Kai, Tala, and Sarah. She gave Tala the red, Kai the blue, and Sarah the purple. "Go try them on. You know where the change rooms are."
The three scrutinized the uniforms in their arms with disgust. Then they turned away towards the change rooms. The others waited with grim looks on their faces.
About five minutes later, they came back with the uniforms on. They fit tightly. Irina handed them gloves and boots. They put the articles on. The gloves reached up to their mid- upper arm and had hard bulges at the wrists, probably to act as wristguards. The boots were a cross between Tala and Kai's boots. They had that high cloth part (also like Kuiper's) and had the metal strap across the foot. They had that marking down the middle of the boot like Kai's.
Eva and Philemon began to snicker. Sarah scowled at them. "What is it, now?"
Eva shook her head and suppressed her laugh while Philemon expressed his feelings.
"You look so weird, Sarah."
"Are you taunting my sister, kid?"
Philemon glanced towards the doorway to see the Blade Sovereign (minus Kieran) standing there. Samson strode over to them and looked over Kai, Tala, and Sarah. "Cool costumes."
Kai folded his arms. "Glad to see someone likes them."
Samson noticed Irina standing to the side. "Mother. Aren't you proud of your daughter? She's the chosen one from the Prophecy and she'll save us all."
"With the help from my brother and Hiwatari's, of course," Anya added as she glowered at Samson.
Irina gazed quickly at Sarah and then back at Samson. She hesitated before her answer. "Yes. Of course I'm proud of her. I always have been."
Rhea moved over to Boris' side. "Do want to know about that e-mail?" she asked solemnly.
Boris adjusted his glasses. "Sure. What did it say?"
"Voltaire knows exactly what Goadbwa's ambitions are. Should I continue in private?"
Boris saw the nod from Irina and turned back to Rhea. "Uh...yes. Blade Sovereign, Kai, Tala, Sarah, come with me. The rest of you follow Irina. See if you can make enough uniforms in time for the next fight."
Boris and Irina turned in different directions out of the control room with the Beybladers in tow.
Boris led them to his office once again. He offered for the six to sit in chairs as he sat behind his desk. "Well, Rhea...What are Goadbwa's ambitions?"
She sat erect in her chair as the others listened intently. "Voltaire says that Gilepse has found a new way to reinforce the power of the Sacred Spirits, or Bit Beasts. He says you have good reason to stop your old colleague because it's an inhumane way."
Kai remembered how he saw the spirits being siphoned out of the animals down in the Biovolt labs. He wondered how different it could be. 'How much worse?'
"'Inhumane'? How so?" asked Sarah.
Rhea turned to Sarah. "Well..."
"Instead of using animal souls, they're using those of humans!" Anya interrupted frantically.
Boris' expression didn't falter while Kai, Tala, and Sarah gasped.
"Human souls? I don't see how that would raise the power levels." Kai voiced.
"If you could transfer them into Bit Beast form, they would be more valuable," Boris explained.
"But that would mean they need humans to siphon the souls from, right? I mean, they can't just go to the nearest graveyard and dig someone up, the person would have to be alive." Tala tried to clarify.
Samson leaned back in his chair. "Exactly. I'd hate to be the soul donatee. Voltaire doesn't know how they'll do it, but you can wager that however they plan to do it, it won't be pleasant."
Sarah, who had had her head down deep in thought until now, looked up. "Now I get it...I have a theory as to why we were hurt when our Beyblades were as we battled Vitality Extortion! Their Bit Beasts must be of human souls, the ghosts of perished human souls, and we are feeling their pain because we are the same creatures."
"But then why doesn't Vitality Extortion feel the effects?" Kai queried, responding to Sarah's theory.
"Three possibilities: they're not human, they're too cold-hearted, or simply, they're the masters. And you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"That's all very interesting, but my question is, whose souls did they use?" Tala said.
There was a pause after which Boris replied. "I've no idea, but you three realize that by fighting Vitality Extortion, you risk losing your souls?"
Kai, Tala, and Sarah looked up at him, slight fear on their faces.
"All Bit Beasts have the ability to take the soul from a person. The souls they steal are taken to the Soul Realm, while the body the soul belongs to is technically 'dead'. It doesn't breathe, there's no heartbeat, it doesn't need to be fed nor does it need to drink. This dormant state is what I think happened to Kevin, Eddy and Enrique. Their souls were taken by Vitality Extortion. The bodies will lie there, immobile, until its soul or another is returned to it. But no soul can enter a body if the body is really and truly dead.
"Souls that die within the body are like normal souls, the souls that no one knows what happens to when you die. Souls that are taken and then the body dies are free to return to possess the bodies of others. Though not every one does this, there are some spirits notorious for doing this. They are evil at heart and often seek revenge against a particular family name, possessing one at an early age and then vowing to make them commit suicide at a specific age. The bad thing about that is that the spirit often leaves the body just before death, allowing only the actual soul of the person to perish. One ghost I've heard of is the Crucis ghost. It's out for the Hiwatari family, I've been told."
Tala and Anya eyed Kai and Rhea suspiciously. "Is there any way that we can tell if they're possessed?" Anya questioned.
Boris shook his head. "No, I'm afraid. So I have no idea if either one of you are affected. I'd hope not because that would impair you in your battles. It's not like we can ask. I doubt the Crucis ghost would respond and admit to it."
Rhea answered that question almost immediately, though she felt it wasn't her answering. "No, Boris, sir. Why would it?" The one that answered was something else.
So, what do you think will happen? What is the thing that Rhea knows isn't her? Will Eddy, Enrique, and Kevin have their souls returned? Will Kai, Tala, and Sarah have their souls taken? Will they win the next battle and will their teams help them to do so? Questions, questions! If I'm driving you crazy with the suspense, it's not my fault. You'll just have to be patient!
