WOW! Thanks so much everyone for all the reviews~I got more than 100 and like I promised, I posted two chapters. I split reviews for each chapter depending on when they were posted and again, they can be found at the bottom of each chapter. (;
Cool Quote:
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the ending, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing; the shadow, even darkness must pass and a new day will come. And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer! Those are the stories that stay with you, that meant something, even if you were too small or too young to understand why; But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't; they kept going because they were holding onto something."
"What are we holding onto Sam?"
"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."
-Samwise Gamgee to Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
A/N: Great quote. LofR is so awesome. Anyway, in this chapter they seem a bit OOC, b/c of high emotions and stuff, but it's good anyway, so enjoy!
Disclaimer: Any misspellings or mixed up references are purely accidental. (I'm not exactly new anymore so I had to makeover my disclaimer.) The author has not seen Beyblade 2002 (VForce) or G Rev, because they only just started airing, so coincidental or incorrect information about characters can be attributed to that. Also, character last names might be spelled incorrectly or Japanese/English last names might be mixed by fault. Kira Ocelet, Mobekai Tart, Danika Woods, Colby Peterson and Trish ??? belong to me.
Italics are thoughts.
Bold Letters are songs.
WATCH THIS!
Chapter 19: Black Dranzer
"WHAT?!" Ray nearly fell off the railing. Max and Tyson grabbed him. Tyson's eyes narrowed,
"That's so low! She can't do that!"
"That's your bit-beast, Ray!"
"No, it isn't. It's a replica, look!" Ray stepped back shakingly.
"Like Black Dranzer?" Tyson stared in amazement.
"Don't say that," Kai snapped angrily, fists still clenched.
No! Lee thought angrily, So that's why Colby wanted to know that information on Driger! That's not a replica of Driger-it's a Driger all on it's own!
"It can't be…" Mariah whispered in amazement next to him, "I thought Ray was the only original owner of the White Tiger. How does she have one?"
"The question we need to ask is not how, but where and from whom?" Lee's brow furrowed, deep in thought about everything that he'd learned so far.
Lippy stepped back in amazement and then looked up at Jazzman,
"She can't copy another bit-beast! That's illegal!"
"Dark claw!" Danika repeated angrily, shaking from head to toe.
Black Driger, a Black Tiger with brilliant white, red, and orange streaks, roared and pounced claws out on Lippy's blade.
"I'm going down there. I'm going to confront her…I can't believe she didn't tell me sooner," Ray turned to leave, but Kai grabbed his ponytail and stopped him,
"Don't. You're in no mood to talk reasonably to Danika."
"I'm the only one that should have the White Tiger!" he protested.
"And you do. She owns the Black Tiger."
"It's still a pretty odd sight," Max bit his lip curiously, "You can't help but feel sorry for the Bladehunters. They're just a sideshow in all this so the Wild Cheetahs can boast their skills."
"Yes, but while they do that, they also grow weaker with the amount of information they're expelling about their team," Kenny explained, searching his computer for possible ways that Black Driger could have been formed.
Lippy's blade teetered a bit and Lippy jerked forward desperately,
"That's a replica of Ray's bit-beast! She can't do that!"
"Black Driger is not a replica!" Danika shouted in defense. The entire crowd was in an uproar over her bit-beast.
"I'm--I'm sorry, kid. It isn't a replica of Driger. It's got a completely different attack and everything," Jazzy explained.
"It's still a Black Tiger!" Michael shouted angrily from the sidelines.
"Michael!" Dr. Judy commanded, "Sit down! What do you think, Emily? Is it more or less powerful than the original Driger?"
"At this point, I can't really tell."
Black Driger sliced through Lippy's blade once more before the blade completely stopped, torn in several places.
"You decide," Danika looked up, eyes narrowed dangerously. The auditorium had gone strangely quiet. Jazzy looked puzzled at her,
"You win." Lippy and the rest of the Bladehunters had gathered in a group to discuss something. A bit of clapping and whistling from supporters was heard scattered among the crowd, but for the most part, people looked disgusted.
Danika smiled triumphantly and walked back to the Wild Cheetahs. Trish smirked and tilted her head, watching Kai up on the railing. He'd been watching her the whole time, his face not bothering to hide his loathing. She winked braggartly and he scowled in response.
"My turn." She stepped forward, twirling a blade in her hands. She made sure he could see it from where he was positioned. Black and swirling with red, green and yellow, it looked vaguely familiar. Is it---? He seemed possessed by the blade she held. He leaned forward and reached his hand out as if wanting to grab it from her hand and keep it forever. I've felt this before. Where have I felt this before? What's wrong with me?
"Kai?" Hilary asked, "Are you all right?"
"---------Yes," Kai leaned back and clenched his fists at his side.
"Another hefty surprise there. No doubt Trish, the captain of the Wild Cheetahs also must have a nasty trick up her sleeve."
She gave two thumbs up as A.J. said this and he corrected himself,
"She's even confirmed it. I wouldn't take any break. This battle looks to just be warming up! Last in our deciding round is Trish of the Wild Cheetahs against Zippy of the Bladehunters. I don't think the Bladehunters have any chance of coming back, but at least if they win now, they'll win with dignity and respect."
"Fat chance!" Trish called smirking.
"Bladers, get ready!" Jazzy called.
Trish held up her blade, her face flushed.
"Don't disappoint me, Trish," Tai-Ken watched her judgmentally from behind.
She nodded, having heard his statement.
Zippy also held up his blade, which was green.
"Hey, wait a minute…Tyson, look! That's my old Draciel! Remember, I gave it to them in the Asian Finals?"
"Hey, yeah it is!" Tyson grinned, "Maybe they made some improvements to it."
"Looks like Zippy's got a new and improved blade." Brad announced.
"Don't think it'll stand against the captain of this sure-fire rising Cheetah team, though. The dish for this selection will be the cathedral look, pillars, stage and all. The detail and sharp corners will test the blader's feel for where their blade is as well as their coordination skills," A.J. continued.
"Ready?" Jazzman recited, "3…2…1…Let it…RIP!"
Zippy let his blade rip into the stadium, trying out many different skills Max had once used. Trish grinned and ripped hers out too, slamming down hard on Zippy's blade.
"Ouch!" Jazzman winced, "That's gotta hurt!"
"Judy!" Emily called, "The data on Trish's blade looks oddly familiar."
Judy ran up and looked down at her laptop,
"You're right. Where have I seen that data before?"
"Well, it looks like both players are playing keep away from each other," Brad began the commentation.
"The crowd's getting restless," A.J. announced anxiously, "When are we going to see some action?"
Zippy's blade, which had been skirting in and around the poles suddenly came up closer to Trish's blade.
"That's it," she stepped back testily, "Go ahead and attack me with your pitiful blade."
"I will!" He raised a fist sharply, "ATTACK!"
His green blade came up hard against Trish's blade, forcing it into the side wall of the stage.
She screamed forcefully. Her blade pushed hard against Zippy's, which flew in the air, hit a bunch of miniature theater seats and landed at the top of the theatre. It wobbled a few times before flying down the aisle.
"Wow, that was pretty close…" Brad sighed.
"As if," Trish retorted haughtily, "Here we go then! If you thought Danika's blade was awful, check this out!! BLACK DRANZER, ATTACK NOW!"
"I thought we'd destroyed it!" Tyson's eyes went wide.
"NO! It can't be! Not again!" Michael cried.
"Uh-oh …." A.J announced ominously, leaning forward in his commentators seat, "This really is turning out to be quite a show!"
"Why won't this stupid blade just die!?" Lee banged his hands furiously against the back of the seat in front of him.
"She won't be able to control it. Kai was the only one that could do that!" Mariah rubbed her hands together squeamishly.
Kai stared at Black Dranzer, again slightly mesmerized by it's perfectness. I've got to stop doing this.
With great precision, Trish made Black Dranzer turn quickly around the seats and speed up to meet Zippy's blade, which didn't stand a chance. Trish's impact knocked it up into the air, where it hit a pillar and fell without spinning again. Zippy fell down discouragingly.
"Black Dranzer was improved upon after Kai nearly destroyed the original," she boasted.
""Trish wins the third battle! Without a doubt the Wild Cheetahs are the winners! Sorry, guys: you're out of the running," Jazzman spoke to Chucky. Quick and silent murmurs spread like whiplash among the crowd.
Trish picked Black Dranzer off the floor and smirked,
"He's been wanting to do that for a very long time."
Kai finally snapped out of his trance and grabbed the railing in front of him.
"Kai! What are you doing?" Tyson leaped forward.
Too late. Kai jumped over the side and landed a couple of feet below on the main floor. Trish turned around to face him,
"Impressive."
"What do you think you're trying to accomplish?" Was the first thing that came out of his mouth.
"I'm going to beat you. And when I beat you in the World Finals, I'll finally know I'm the better player. I'm invincible with Black Dranzer as my bit-beast."
Kai's eyes narrowed abhorrently,
"You're playing with fire, Trish. You shouldn't trust Boris."
"Do you honestly think after all this I'm just going to give it up and blow it like you did, Kai? You threw away the opportunity of a lifetime!"
Kai didn't respond.
"You gave it up because your silly friends persuaded you otherwise!" She continued, "If they hadn't interfered, you would have been the greatest blader ever! Try it, Kai! Feel it in your hands."
She threw it forward and he caught it reflexively.
"KAI DON'T!" Ray yelled as the Bladebreakers ran down the stands.
He looked down and again was possessed with a curiosity he'd never know. The black, green, and yellow blade gleamed with brightness in his hands. Black Dranzer seemed to be staring at him, to be saying "Take me, take me please. Use me…" He fingered every groove, eyes narrowed with mixed feelings. The blade felt heavy in his hands and he held it up to the light, where it glistened like a star.
He looked past his hand and saw Trish staring at him curiously. He looked from her to the blade and curled his fingers around the black object.
"KAI!" Kenny called again from the stands, "Don't listen to her!"
"Shut up!" Trish yelled back, "It's his decision!"
"What's going on?" Hilary whispered fretfully as she followed behind the boys, "Kenny? Tyson? What's wrong with Kai?"
Kai smirked and his eyes narrowed alluringly. He suddenly threw the blade down hard, smashing it onto the ground in front of her with all his might. But the impact barely made a scratch.
"YES!" Kenny raised a fist in the air and started doing a celebration dance.
"GO KAI!" Tyson yelled.
"Voltaire already tried that trick," Kai shook his head, " Leaving Black Dranzer was my decision."
"Good. Then I won't have any problem claiming it as my own," she noted sourly.
"You can't claim Black Dranzer as your own. It chooses you."
"HA! Do you honestly think you were the only one strong enough to control Black Dranzer, Kai?" Trish laughed abruptly, "You were just the favorite because Voltaire was your grandfather. I hold in my possession the greatest bit-beast ever!"
"Or you hold possibly the worst blade ever. Black Dranzer may be perfect with every move, but with devastating consequences to those it comes into contact with. I know you're not that cold-blooded, Trish."
"You were at one point," she bit back.
"That was cold," Max jumped forward beside Kai. The Bladebreakers had made their way to the floor and were ready to defend Kai.
Ray suddenly launched into a series of accusations toward Danika, "I can't believe I trusted you!"
"I've never betrayed your trust, Ray, because I never told you about it in the first place!" she sputtered angrily.
"That was your first mistake. It's still lying!"
"I didn't have a choice in the matter! If I'd told you then, you would have only sought to take it away from me like you're doing now!"
"I'm not trying to take it away from you. I'm trying to figure out why you have my bit-beast and how it got so powerful!"
"It's not your bit-beast, Ray. It's a replica of the original's DNA," Lee and the rest of the White Tigers came up behind them, "I figured it out."
"Good for you," Colby said sarcastically.
"I have you to thank for it, too, Colby. Should I tell everyone else some of the things you've told me?"
"What?!" Trish spun around, "Colby, have you been blabbing to the White Tigers?! How could you?!"
"I haven't brought anything up for a long time, Lee. What I told you is between me and you and does not concern anyone else."
Lee laughed bitterly,
"Oh, that's a good one. It doesn't concern me or you in the least."
"What did she tell you, Lee?" Ray asked.
"Don't Lee!" Colby persuaded desperately.
"It doesn't matter what she told him," Mobekai interrupted, "It's still Danika's bit-beast. It was given to her by her mother as a child and she's had it ever since."
"Mobekai!" Mariah said. She just wouldn't believe Mobekai would take their side over hers.
"What is her mother doing with a copy of Driger?" Ray asked again, "I'm the only one that should control the power of the Driger! And Kai is the only one that should possess Black Dranzer!"
"You're wrong. No one should have Black Dranzer. It should be destroyed," Kai said determinedly, "You'll get destroyed by its power, Trish. You won't be able to eat, sleep, or think properly."
"It's not always about you, Kai! I'll prove I'm the best out of everyone by beating you! I'm strong enough!"
"Just look at yourself, Trish! Your common sense has been blinded by the will of the beast you hold in your hands!"
"I know what I'm doing, so just back off!"
"You don't even know your own strength, either, " Danika continued at Ray, "You haven't even tapped into what you can accomplish."
"Well, if you tell me what I'm doing wrong, it would save me a lot of time and energy!"
"Black Driger belongs to me; I won't let my mother's hopes down because you have a bit-beast that looks like my own."
"Danika's an orphan," Mobekai explained.
"You're not with them, are you, Mobekai? You're not on their side, are you?" Mariah asked timidly, "You won't let her take our bit-beasts, will you?"
"Hey! Mobekai's our teammate! Last time I checked, he wasn't a lame White Tiger!" Colby defended.
"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Mariah bared her teeth, "Mobekai, say something!"
"I can't!" He pleaded.
"Don't you dare say anything bad about your own team, Mobekai!" Danika turned around furiously.
"I'm not! I won't!"
"What?!" Mariah asked incredulously, "You don't think I'm lame, do you, Mobekai? I actually beat you in a battle!"
"You must've cheated," Danika defended.
"Mariah would never cheat," Lee defended, "Our team doesn't operate that way. At least we have morals!"
"You didn't beat me, Mariah," Mobekai shook his head sadly, wanting desperately to just shrink and disappear out of sight.
Mariah stared at Mobekai, "I did beat you, fair and square."
"I saw it too," Kevin sputtered angrily, "It was impossible. How did you beat Michael and lose to Mariah?"
"That's something I would like to know very much," Michael and the rest of the All-Stars showed up behind them.
"I never lost to you, Mariah," Mobekai explained quietly, "I let you win because I thought it would please you."
"No!" She choked, "I beat you fair and square. I can do it again!"
"Mariah, please don't make me battle you…"
"You can't do that Mobekai! You made me believe something I thought was true! You lied to me! You cheated me! I can't believe…" She broke off angrily, her chest constricting painfully.
"I knew there was no way she could have beaten him," Michael said boastfully. Emily hit him hard in the ribs.
"Ouch," he rubbed it sorely.
"Serves you right," she sniffed, "That was rude."
"I wasn't trying to hurt you, Mariah. I swear, honestly…" Mobekai tried to apologize.
"I want a rematch," she demanded.
"All right…"
"Now. Right here, right now," she lifted her blade up, "I want you to give me all you've got Mobekai. If you don't, I'll never forgive you. I'm not one of those girls."
"But Mariah-"
"I just want to know if you told the truth!"
He unlatched his blade from a sack hanging around his neck and stuck it on his rip chord,
"All right, Mariah. But only because you asked me too."
Mariah let her blade go furiously, all her heart set in winning. She just had to win this time. She was better than Mobekai.
Mobekai ripped furiously as well. He frowned sadly at Mariah; he knew if he lost to her again she'd get angry at him, but she'd be angry with him if he won as well. He felt trapped.
Sure enough, Mobekai came down hard right on top of her beyblade. The impact made a crack in the floor and Mariah started running away just to stay spinning, but Mobekai wasn't finished.
"White Falcon! Attack now!"
"Galux! Scratch attack White Falcon!" Mariah countered.
The beyblades collided, but Mobekai's earlier hit had left Mariah's blade too weak. Her Galux retreated back into the spinning blade before it slowly stopped spinning on the stadium floor.
Just like that…she thought miserably. Her face fell considerably as she picked up her blade.
"Mariah, I--I'm sorry," he explained, "I just thought you looked so excited-I didn't want to tell you."
Kai and Trish were having a glaring contest while the rest of the teams stayed silent with Mobekai's defeat of Mariah.
She turned around and began to walk toward the exit.
"Mariah!?" Lee called.
"Let's go, Lee. I'm tired," she choked out, continuing to walk forward.
The rest of the White Tigers left immediately. Kevin ran up to walk with Mariah.
"We haven't done anything wrong," Kira justified, "We're just trying to win, just like you guys. You can't get mad at us for using them."
"It should be illegal; what you're doing is wrong," Tyson clenched his fists.
"This is a Beyblade Tournament. No one's ever going to play fair," Colby quoted herself painfully.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mariah?" Lee peered around the kitchen window, "I'm going to go finish those waltzing lessons. Are you going to come?"
"No, you go on ahead."
"You just got some of these," he came around the corner and brought her some red roses, "Kira just dropped them off. She said they were from Mobekai."
Mariah looked at the flowers and took them reluctantly.
"I hope you're not sulking all day. That'd be awfully depressing," Kevin told her.
"Just go have some fun Kevin. Don't worry about me," Mariah buried her head in her hands.
"Oh, I'm not going waltzing. Gary and I might go to the parks."
"You should seriously go out and do something, Mariah. There's some bread in the fridge; you can make yourself some lunch," Lee called.
Someone's hand patted her back. She looked up and saw Gary looking down concernedly at her,
"You gonna be all right?"
"Yeah, Gary. Thanks."
"Mobekai's got good intentions," Lee added a little reluctantly from the doorway. He seemed to hate hearing those words come out of his mouth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I can't believe I screwed all that up," Mobekai ran his fingers through his hair.
The creak of the door brought all of their attentions to Kira, who had just entered.
"Did she say anything?" Mobekai asked quickly.
She shrugged, "I don't know; I gave them to Lee. I couldn't see her from my position in the door."
"This is all falling apart," Trish grabbed her hair and yanked annoyingly.
"No, it's not. You've done a wonderful job, Trish."
Their team sponsor, Tai-Ken, closed the door and stepped up behind Kira, his arms crossed sinisterly.
"Have you told Boris?" Trish asked crossly.
"No, but I'm sure he will be pleased."
"What's there to be pleased about? I didn't manage to do anything!" Trish yelled.
"I think you're underestimating yourself," Tai-Ken shook his head.
"If I've said this before, I'll say it again: I want Black Dranzer!"
"Don't undermine your position on this team, Trish. You are essentially important. But Black Dranzer is only in your possession to increase fear in the Bladebreakers and to entice Kai back. You'll get your reward."
"I want Black Dranzer as my reward, though."
"Hmmmm….I'll see what I can do. Maybe Boris will grant my request to make a copy."
"Good."
"Listen up, Trish. The faster you do your task, the faster we'll reward you, understand?" Tai-Ken looked her directly in the eyes.
"Perfectly."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Note: Starting to come together for some of you? Good. Again, more'll be explained later, but more questions might arise as well. Thanks for reading and especially all the reviews! You guys are awesome!
Thanks very much to the following reviewers:
Neko-neko(): You always bring up very controversial issues! I actually did get the name Danika from a girl I knew. Isn't it so pretty? And Kira too-I got that from a girl named Kira Mortenson. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you the boring lecture. Again, you reviewed twice, so you get two feedbacks! And please, if you want to take Mobekai you really can! Ray/Mariah was the motivation from the start so…sorry! );
Beybladingrl: Short, sweet and encouraging. That's what I try and shoot for, but my mouth and my fingers tend to get a bit carried away and then I spend the rest of the day shooting myself up for saying stuff I shouldn't have said. J Hehe…thanks a bunch.
Galux Kitty: Thanks for the e-mails and especially for the pictures of GRev-send me more if you ever have any free time! Mariah looks so much better there than she does in the first series; I printed it out cause I think I'm going to start a collection. And I'll get around to replying to you, but I had my 2nd ACT test this morning, Homecoming last night and I've been extremely busy this week what with lots of essays and club activities, so I'm a little pooped.
Salena: Hey thanks! Yeah, I still have to say the first chapter was my funniest. NYwAy, you posted my first chapter, so you probably haven't reached the part where I explain that when I started writing this, Beyblade 2002 (Vforce) and Beyblade GRev haven't yet aired in the U.S. of A. In fact, Vforce is only about 14 or 15 episodes in. We always get everything last. So, Kai is just a little cold now, cause I can't exactly make him cheery like Max.
kaz: Thanks a bunch! Gosh, I've really got to start counting how much I say that now. Anyway, I'm really excited that you could see everything happening as if it happened in the series! I also find it very ironic that to start with, I thought Max/Emily would especially be the hardest to write-guess not!
Curtis Zidane Ziraa: None taken. There are some people that like it and some people that don't; it was just to further along pairings…take a break from all the serious dung. (;
Kawaii-Lovey: Yes, they're mine too! Ray/Mariah, Tyson/Hilary and of course, I also like Max/Emily. Thanks for reviewing!
Hehehe…I counted. I said "Thanks" (in several forms) at least 6 times. But I really mean all of them! (;
