Disclaimer: Trueangel does not own Beyblade or Leon.
~~~
Alright, I've got more stuff for last chapter's reviewers. This time, it's 2004 calendars! With pictures of Kai and Rei splashed all over them! Yeah, they're kinda late... but make good use of them anyway!
~~~
Kitsune: Nah, it's ok... I don't expect everyone to know my earlier stories. And thanks a lot for the great compliment!
SoulSister: Wow, thanks a lot! *bows* One thing I find that helps is to do a rough drawing of my characters... however horrible my art is... it helps me visualise them better. And then, it all depends on finding the right adjectives.
Rumi-chan: AAH! No weapons, thank you very much... I'm too poor to pay the lawyers if I left out the disclaimer, let alone handle hospital fees. Yup, Rei just appears at the best of times, doesn't he? Heh... thanks for the great review anyway!
Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus: Hey, don't worry, I am writing!
~~~
V.K.: You know, Trueangel, the greatest present you have for your reviewers are the chapters themselves.
Leon: *nods wisely*
Trueangel: Yeah... but it doesn't hurt to give a little incentive, right?
Leon: *points at review count* It doesn't seem to be working, A-chan.
Trueangel: But hey, it's Christmas! The season of giving!
V.K.: My dear Trueangel, that was last month.
Trueangel: Um... New Year?
Leon: You don't give presents for New Year, generally. And New Year is over a week ago anyway.
Trueangel: Um... what's the next holiday?
V.K.: Look, it's okay if you just wanna give things for the fun of it.
Trueangel: *shrieks* Why didn't you say so at first?! *tackles V.K.*
Leon: Sigh... after that conversation which was entirely designed for more tackling, let's get on with the fic.
~~~
Chapter 3 The Return of the Phoenix
"Welcome, Beyblade fans, to the finals of the Japan Tournament! The stadium is totally packed today with Beybladers ready to witness the explosive finish to this year's competition."
"That's right, A.J. This year, we witness the return of veteran team Trinfinity. After years of settling for second, will this be the year that they finally clinch the title of champion? Perhaps, but they do have a secret weapon yet to be unleashed: a new member Xaleon, who has not battled yet for the entire tournament."
"Yup, Brad. Also vying for gold is a new team the Soulblades, comprising entirely of new faces save for one: their captain Sylphie, an ex-member of Trinfinity. Their performance this tournament has been nothing short of impressive, with a perfect unbeaten record so far."
"Well, who will win this year is anyone's guess, and right now the two teams are busy getting ready and selecting their first bladers. Together with Trinfinity is their coach Rei, once a world champion and the only member of hbis team the Bladebreakers that's still active in the beyblading scene. Any info on the Soulblades' coach, A.J.?"
"None at all, Brad. He, or she or it has been registered merely as 'Wolf' and hasn't been seen with the Soulblades at all during the tournament. Perhaps our mystery person will make an appearance today if the Soulblades win, eh?"
Rei sat on the bench of his team, not paying attention at all to the announcers. Instead, he was watching the team doing simple stretching exercises in preparation for their battles. Their order was set. Zeta would go first, followed by Val, and then Phoenix. Rei wasn't planning on using Xaleon for this match. In fact, he hadn't planned to use Xaleon at all for this tournament. It wasn't because he didn't trust Xaleon; Rei had battled with Xaleon himself and knew how good the nekojin was. Xaleon would be their trump card; the unexpected ace that would secure their victory.
Rei looked over to the audience at the opposite end. With a start, he recognised one of the spectators in the crowd. He had unmistakable orange-red hair over a pair of cold ice-blue eyes, along with pale white skin from lack of exposure to the sun. It was, wihout a doubt, Tala. Rei wondered for a moment if he was the mysterious 'Wolf'. However, the tournament was about to begin. Rei decided to worry about Tala's presence later. Rei glanced the team. They were all ready to beyblade. Rei stood up to give them a little pep talk.
"Alright guys, this is it. We've missed the trophy for so many years, but this year we're finally gonna touch it. I know Sylphie's gonna be tough, but she's just one blader, and if we can win our other two matches, the championship title is ours. Now go out and get that trophy!"
"Ok, Brad, it seems like both teams are ready for the battle. Now, let's bring out our one and only D.J. Jazzman!"
The crowd cheered as the D.J. appeared amidst theatrical smoke and fireworks. As for Rei, he was too busy wondering why A.J. Topper, Brad Best, and D.J. Jazzman were still around after 14 years.
"For this first match, we have Z2-" the crowd cheered wildly at this point- "representing Trinfinity, while the Soulblades have sent out Aerial! Now let's unveil the dish for the first match: Spiral Maze dish! Forget about attacking your opponent; it's difficult enough trying to navigate this dish. Also, a special rule will be imposed on the entire battle: deathmatch. Deathmatch means that each pair of bladers will only battle once, so every battle is going to count. Now, it seems like our beybladers are ready. Over to you, D.J.!"
"Alright bladers, get ready. 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"
Zeta and Aerial both launched their blades at opposite ends of the dish. Zeta immediately ordered his blade to use Drike Cannon to move through the maze.
"And the first match of the finals has started! Trinfinity's Z2 is using Drike Cannon to navigate through the maze. And excellent tactic to find the opponent without getting trapped in dead-ends. But wait, what's Aerial's beyblade doing? It's... it's floating! Aerial is flying right over the walls, and she's going to attack Z2 from the top!"
Zeta clenched his teeth, but there was nothing he could do in retaliation except strengthen his defences.
"Let's see how the famous Z2 reacts to this! Raptor, Sting Claw attack!"
Aerial's light blue beyblade landed right on top of Drike. However, the grey beyblade continued spinning even after taking the blow.
"AMAZING!" shouted Brad over the speakers. "Z2 took that killer hit easily! But how much more of Aerial's air attacks can he endure?"
"Drike, come out now!" Z2 shouted.
"Raptor, you too!"
A combined vertical beam of light shot out of both Drike and Raptor, and both bitbeasts appeared at the same time. However, what Z2 saw was totally unexpected. His own Drike was crushed under the talon of Raptor, an eagle-like bitbeast with a set of deadly horns.
"How do you like that now, Z2?"
Zeta ignored Aerial, and shouted out to Drike instead.
"Drike, don't give up! Try to get that bird off you!"
Z2's beyblade tilted to one side, but the rubber tip of Raptor produced enough friction for it to stay on. Drike then tried slamming into a wall, but the blue beyblade's smaller size rendered that move useless.
"If that's all you've got, Z2, then let's finish this quickly. Raptor, Soul Slam attack!"
"Drike, get out of the way quickly!"
At Aerial's command, both her bitbeast and beyblade flew into the air once more. However, before Drike could recover from the earlier attack, Raptor came shooting downwards afain, beak ready to rip through anything, including metal. The tip of the light blue beyblade crashed into the edge of the grey beyblade with such trememdous force that Zeta's entire blade was flipped over.
"AND THE FIRST MATCH GOES TO AERIAL!"
As Zeta walked to pick up his beyblade and return to the rest of his team, he could hear his fans' chants of "Z2! Z2!" despite his literally crushing defeat. He allowed himself a faint smile. He wouldn't be surprise if Aerial was mobbed by fangirls after the tournament. As he walked past Val, who was getting ready to battle, he spoke in a quiet tone.
"You're gonna have to do better than me."
"Don't worry, I will."
Val fixed his beyblade to his shooter and walked up to the dish. He looked at his opponent, a short bespectacled boy with long silver hair.
"Now that Trinfinity is one down from Soulblades, they can't afford to lose again if they're gonna win the championships! It seems like they have moved into an offensive stance, having selected Val for their next match. Meanwhile, the Soulblades are fielding Kloune, a young but tricky blader - very tricky indeed. Now, let's see the dish for this match: the Multi-level dish. This dish consists of three levels, connected via holes at various points of each level. Do watch out, though - once you descend into a lower level, you won't be able to get out unless you pull a stunt like Aerial's. Also, each level is smaller than the last, giving you less space to move about and evade. But it seems like our bladers have no qualms about this challenge, so over to you, D.J.!"
"Beybladers, are you ready? 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"
Val's red beyblade and Kloune's pearl white one both shot into the dish at the same time. The white beyblade immediately headed for a hole and dropped through it into the second level. Everyone could still see it through the clear plastic dish, though.
"What's Kloune doing? He's headed straight into the second level! Well, one thing's for sure: Val won't be able to attack if he doesn't follow after Kloune!"
Just as Brad had expected, Val immediately followed Kloune down to the next level. However, Rei wasn't so sure. Kloune wouldn't be stupid enough to trap himself in a smaller area, and he would have heard from Sylphie about Val's powerful attacks. Unless Val was the one getting trapped...
"Val, watch out!" Rei called. "This might be a trap."
Val merely nodded to acknowledge Rei's tip as he concentrated on the battle.
"Alright, Volcos, hit him with a direct attack!"
The red beyblade became merely a streak as it flew at Kloune's blade. However, the white beyblade moved at an even more astonishing speed as it effortlessly evaded the attack.
"C'mon, Val, ya gonna hafta move fasta dan dat if ya gonna hit me!"
Val ignored Kloune's taunting as well as everything else, blocking it all out of his mind as he concentrated on one thing: beating Kloune.
"Volcos, increase speed and attack Kloune again!"
Val's Volcos virtually disappeared as it tried to hit Kloune, but still the white beyblade seemingly teleported out of the way instantaneously.
How? Rei wondered to himself. How can Kloune react so quickly to Val's attacks? It's as though he knew what Val was going to do... of course! Val's commands! There's a delay between Val issuing his command and his beyblade actually moving... that delay is long enough for Kloune to respond.
"Val, don't talk; think! Communicate with your beyblade mentally."
"Is that possible?"
"Of course. Did you think your beyblade can actually hear you? By voicing your commands, you're actually forming them as strong thoughts in your mind... now you just have to send those commands without saying anything."
"Alright, I'll try."
Ok, here goes... Val spoke in his mind. Volcos, attack Kloune at maximum speed!
Nothing happened.
"Wat's wrong, Val? Stuck?" Kloune taunted.
"Stronger, Val! Feel the presence of your beyblade and communicate directly to it."
Feel its presence? Val thought as he closed his eyes. Yes, I can hear my beyblade spinning... I can imagine its exact position in my mind... is that it? I'll try concentrating on that image... Volcos, direct attack!
Suddenly, on the dish, Val's red beyblade headed right for Kloune's. Kloune immediately tried to move out of the way, but this time Volcos managed to brush against it.
"Wa-?!" Kloune exclaimed, surprised.
"That's it, Val! Now you just have to increase your speed!"
Val nodded.
Volcos, head for Kloune at maximum speed!
At that instant, Volcos literally vanished from the dish. Before anyone knew what was happening, Kloune's white beyblade was thrown into a wall. The red beyblade reappeared not far away.
"I'd neva expected ya to get dis far... but dis juz makes tings betta! It's time ta turn da heat up! Replicat, move inta da next level!"
Kloune's beyblade dropped through another hole into the third, smallest level.
"Watch out, Val. He might have some tricks up his sleeve.
Val nodded, but nevertheless followed Kloune down. As soon as he entered the third level, he was met with Kloune's beyblade suddenly appearing beside his own and slamming into it. This continued with Kloune attacking Val from various directions, and there was nothing he could do with Kloune's incredible speed.
"Wat's wrong now, Val? Why dun ya call out ya bitbeast ta finish me off?"
"Don't fall for his trap, Val! He wants you to use your bitbeast!"
"I know, but there's nothing I can do now if I don't call out Volcos. I'll just have to be careful. Now, Volcos, come out!"
Val's dragon-like bitbeast emerged, letting out a magnificient roar.
"Dis is it! Replicat, come out and use ya Soul Steal!"
Kloune's bitbeast appeared in a beam of white light, and it looked like any white domestic cat with green eyes. However, when Replicat leaped onto Volcos and sank its claws into the bitbeast's back, the cat started glowing bright green. Replicat then leapt off, and started to transform.
"Wha... what's happening to Replicat?"
Replicat's entire body elongated, and started becoming covered with reddish brown scales. It's tail split into two ends, each covered with a ruby spike at the end. The hind legs of the cat melded into the body, while the fore legs stretched into a pair of scythe-like arms. A pair of wings with rubies in place of feathers sprouted out of its back, each tipped with deadly claws. Replicat grew a snout, and between the snout and the neck, just behind its now-crimson eyes was a golden helmet with a horn at the back. Val started. It was an exact copy of his own Volcos, but he wasn't about to be unnerved by it.
"Volcos, hit that impostor with your Cross Fire!"
"Replicat, show him ya own Cross Fire!"
Both bitbeasts moved their arms into a cross and fired red x-shaped beams at each other. The beams collided, creating a explosion.
"How... argh! Volcos, Cross Fire with increased power!"
"Replicat, Cross Fire again!"
Both bitbeasts fired their Cross Fires at each other once more, but this time with increased power, causing a greater explosion.
"Look, Val, this isn't gonna win you the game! His bitbeast is an exact copy of yours, so brute force isn't enough."
"Yeah, Val," added Zeta. "A good blader knows his strengths. An excellent blader knows his weaknesses as well. Make use of Volcos' weaknesses to win."
"Yeah, no inferior copy is gonna win over my Volcos! I know my bitbeast best." Now, Volcos, Rising Tempest!
Val's Volcos started circling around its opponent so fast it became a blur. Kloune tried to react, but his beyblade was trapped in the circle Volcos was creating. Flames burst out from the ground underneath, with so much power that the white beyblade was sent flying upwards, shattering the layers of plastic, and landing at Kloune's feet.
"AND VAL WINS THE SECOND MATCH!" boomed A.J.'s voice.
Val picked up his beyblade and walked back to his team, passing Phoenix who was getting ready for her match. Phoenix walked up to take Val's position. Across of her was Sylphie.
"This match promises to be explosive, as we have the two team leaders and former teammates facing off to decide the winner of this tournament. Sylphie definitely has improved since last year, and she's even got a bitbeast now. Will Phoenix be able to survive under such difficult odds, or will our team of new faces head straight into the Worlds? All will be decided in a matter of minutes. Right now, our two bladers are making their final preparations for the grand finale."
"You've got a bitbeast?" Phoenix asked such that only Sylphie could hear.
"My business is no longer any of your concern."
"Well, bitbeast or not, I'm still gonna win this match."
"Don't forget that I have a bitbeast, and you don't. Once my beast is out, you're toast."
"Yeah, well not having a bitbeast didn't stop me from beating Val and Zee during training."
"Perhaps, but I'm far better than them even without a bitbeast, and besides, this isn't training. We'll let this match decide who's the better blader."
"Fine."
"Now, let us reveal the dish for this battle: Whirlpool dish! On the surface, this might look like any ordinary dish, but on it are many discs that will suddenly start spinning during the battle, sending beyblades flying in all directions. And chances are, you won't know where these discs are until it's too late. So, bladers, think you're up to this challenge? Over to you, D.J.!"
"Bladers, get ready now. 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"
Phoenix's red beyblade and Sylphie's grey one both flew into the dish, circling each other at breakneck speed. Phoenix immediately began her offensive.
"Trinity, direct attack!"
Phoenix's beyblade flew across the dish, right at Sylphie's beyblade. However, the grey top easily evaded the attack.
"Now, counterattack!" shouted Sylphie.
The grey beyblade suddenly changed direction and headed at Trinity. However, Phoenix was just as quick to evade Sylphie's attack.
"Trinity, use-"
Suddenly, the dish below Trinity started spinning. It was a 'whirlpool'. The red beyblade was sent flying... right at its opponent. Sylphie's beyblade was knocked into another spinning disc, and then it was sent flying across the dish.
"Alright, Trinity, use Golden Trinity!"
The red beyblade immediately disappeared and reappeared at another point of the dish, signifying the start of its famed killer attack.
"Use your Torpedo Twist on the spot!"
Sylphie's beyblade's spin speed increased tremendously, creating a tornado around it. As Trinity approached, it was thrown back by the strong winds.
"Now, attack Trinity!"
The grey beyblade headed for Trinity in a straight line. Soon, it was right beside it and still moving fast, ready to deliver a crushing blow. The red beyblade tried to move out of the way, but before it could do so, the disc under both blades spun, sending the two blades flying in opposite directions.
"Trinity, use your Golden Trinity again!"
Trinity teleported to a spot dangerously near to its opponent. However, before it could deliver its attack, the entire dish began turning in an opposite direction from the individual discs, again disrupting Trinity's attack.
"Alright, it's time to end this battle! Silver Dragon, emerge!"
A white beam shot out from Sylphie's beyblade, revealing the dragon bitbeast residing within. Whereas Dragoon was more of an oriental type of dragon, Silver Dragon was clearly a medieval kind, the antagonists in Western tales of chivalrous knights slaying those vile beasts and saving damsels in distress. The dragon bitbeast's entire body was covered with silver plates, gleaming in the light. It stetched out its pair of shining wings and let out a majestic roar.
"Now, Silver Dragon, use your Storm Wings attack!"
The dragon flapped its wings, creating strong winds that nearly swept Phoenix off her feet. However, that wasn't the worst of it. Dark clouds gathered above, blocking out most of the light. Suddenly, a white flash of thunder crashed into the ground, striking Phoenix's beyblade. Slowly, the clouds disappeared. Amazingly, Trinity had survived the attack. It was slightly charred, yes, but still spinning.
"Hmph. Better than I'd expected. Oh well, let's see how you survive my Flame Claw attack!"
Silver Dragon flew high into the sky, breaking through the glass ceiling of the stadium. Then suddenly, without warning, it plummeted down like a meteorite. As it fell, its claws burst into flames, and it shifted its body into a position where the claws would hit the dish first. However, at the last minute, Trinity moved out of the way, and all the potentially devastating attack did was leave black scorch marks on the dish.
"Trinity, counterattack with Golden Trinity!"
"Silver Dragon, Torpedo Twist again!"
The dragon folded its wings and straightened its body into a streamlined position, then spun around at a high speed, creating yet another tornado.
"Trinity, increase attack power! If we're gonna win, it's now or never!"
Soon, the red beyblade was at the edge of Silver Dragon's winds. It was evident that Trinity's attack was far more powerful than before, since despite the much stronger Torpedo Twist, Trinity was still trying to push its way in, and was not thrown back like before. The inward pressure from Trinity's attack, combined with the outward pressure from Torpedo Twist, forced the wind under the blades instead, lifting them into the air. Silver Dragon landed on the ground beside its owner... and so did Trinity.
"IT'S A TIE! The third match has ended in a tie between Phoenix and Sylphie. This means that we'll be having a fourth tiebreaker match to decide the winner. Now, let us give our teams some time to choose their players for this crucial match."
Phoenix picked up her beyblade, then ran back to Rei and the team.
"Dad, I'm sure I can beat Sylphie this time!"
"No, Phoenix. You were lucky that the match ended in a tie. With Silver Dragon, she's much more powerful."
"Hmm. I wouldn't mind whipping her ass," said Zeta.
"Me neither," agreed Val.
"No. I'll fight Sylphie," Xaleon said.
"Dad..." Phoenix pleaded.
"No. Xaleon's right. He's our best bet if we're gonna win this tournament."
"Besides," added Xaleon, "we already had a feeling that I would be battling Sylphie someday... I guess that day is today."
"Xaleon... take care."
Xaleon smiled as he turned and walked to the dish.
"Don't worry, I will."
"Alright, it seems that our teams have chosen their bladers. The Soulblades are fielding Sylphie again, but up against her is not Phoenix but the great enigma of Trinfinity, Xaleon."
"So we're finally battling, little kitty."
"Oh, don't worry. Even kittens can put up a mean fight."
"Well, let's see how mean a fight you put up."
Over the speakers, Brad announced, "The dish for this match will be the classic dish. With no obstacles and no gimmicks whatsoever, it's back to basics for our two bladers. Over to you, D.J.!"
"Ok, bladers, get ready. 3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"
Xaleon's blue beyblade and Sylphie's grey one both flew into the dish at the same time. Ice Dranzer immediately moved to the center of the dish.
"There's no way you'll win if you don't attack! Silver Dragon, Flame Claw!"
Silver Dragon shot at Ice Dranzer, and it's high speeds caused it to burst into flames. However, Ice Dranzer's spin speed suddenly increased, creating a shield that knocked its opponent back. The flames on Silver Dragon soon burned out.
"Wha-?" exclaimed Sylphie.
Xaleon tapped his finger on the side of his head.
"I learnt a few things from Val's battle too."
"Alright, I'm not gonna hold back now! Silver Dragon, emerge and use your Torpedo Twist!"
The powerful dragon burst out of its beyblade and immediately started its attack, slowly gaining speed.
Frost Circle!
Almost instantaneously, Silver Dragon slowed down again, and soon, it was completely frozen.
Icicle Spikes!
The blue beyblade flew at Silver Dragon, and in one clean hit, knocked it straight out of the dish.
"XALEON WINS! TRINFINITY IS THE NEW JAPAN CHAMPION!"
The audience erupted in cheers. No one noticed Tala leaving the stadium, not even Rei, who was too caught up in the celebrations. But it wouldn't have mattered if he did. After 14 years, he was again feeling the adrenaline rush, the sweet sensation of victory.
Rei stood outside his house door and fished out his keys. The rest of the team had went out to celebrate their victory, and Rei knew it was a well-deserved break. However, he was too old for these kind of things. As such, he'd left the team to party in whatever way they wanted, and returned home first.
Rei unlocked the door and stepped into the house. Instantly he knew something was amiss. For one, the lights were on. Rei was very particular about those kind of things, and he'd even checked himself before they'd left. Suddenly, Rei heard a sound coming from his own room.
Slowly, Rei pushed open the door of his room and peered in. There, sitting on his bed, was a boy with long blue hair, looking at the beyblades of the Bladebreakers. Suddenly, the boy turned around to look at Rei, his hair whipping behind him. Rei stared at the boy's face, a face he had not seen for 14 years...
"Kai?!"
~~~
V.K.: You know, I'm really tired from all this tackling.
Leon: Yeah, me too.
Trueangel: Why not have a truce?
Leon: Fine. No more tackling for the rest of this story?
V.K.: Fine with me.
Trueangel: Ok, so that's that. Now, after working your way through that extra-long chapter... it's time to review!
Leon: Yup, it's time to hit that tempting button down there.
V.K.: And until next time... um... until next time, there'll be no more tackling.
Trueangel + V.K.: -_-U
