A/N: Asa-Chan, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the
enlightening reviews. I don't know what the world would be like without
people like you. Thanks also to Sasuka. Really, it's people like you two
who make the world go round.
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Kai arrived at the dojo, pointed Rockie into the house, and went off to some corner alone.
Rockie started walking through, when suddenly a big long stick thingie came flying at her. She gasped and crossed her arms over her head, bending her knees to absorb the shock of the impact. The stick stopped about an inch over her arms.
"Good reflexes. Who're you, sister?"
She looked up, to see an old man. "I'm Rockie, sir..."
"Really? Well, Rockie, you can call me Grandpa, but only if you tell me why you're in my pad without any of the homies." Grandpa smiled to show that he was joking.
"I came with Kai, but I'm looking for Max. Do you know where he is?"
"He's out back with little dude and the gang. Straight through there." Grandpa pointed his stick thingie toward the other end of the dojo.
"Thank you!" she hurried through, and out into the morning sunlight on the other side. Looking around, she saw a pond with rocks around it, a walkway, and a group of kids about her own age not too far off to her left.
She slowly approached the closest one, a short boy with brown hair and glasses, who was talking to a computer. "Excuse me..."
Kenny jumped, but then turned around. "Can I help you with something?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so. I'm looking for Max," she looked a little nervous, and clutched the straps of her backpack for the small comfort it offered.
"The blonde one over there. Wait, I'll call him. Dizzi?"
"Do I have to do EVERYTHING for you, Chief?" it was Rockie's turn to jump. That computer just talked to the kid...?
"Fine, I'll do it, I just thought you might want to," Kenny got up and walked over to the group, then came back to Rockie with Max following. The rest of the group stopped blading and watched curiously.
"Hi! I'm Max. What's up?"
"Well..." she silently cursed her parents for making her do this alone.
~~~flashback~~~
"Rochelle, if you want to meet him so much, YOU go talk to him! I'll have no part in it," her mother said, while chopping up potatoes.
"But WHY? It's not going to hurt you to see him. He's not even your kid. Why can't you go with me?" Rockie argued.
"I don't approve of you meeting him. You've been separated for 15 years. you won't have a THING in common, and he'll probably laugh at you when you tell him."
"You've seen him on TV, Mom, he's not like that!" Rockie punched the kitchen table in frustration.
"Famous people are good at hiding their true selves, Rockie. He's probably a stuck up rich jerk." Her mother stood by her decision.
Rockie went to her father instead. "Daddy, could you come with me? I'm scared to go alone."
"Don't go then, sweetheart," he said, never looking up from the blueprints he was drawing out.
"You're just like Mom! Why don't YOU want me to go?"
"Because your mother said so."
"You're pathetic."
"Why thank you, loving daughter of mine," and then he ignored Rockie every time she mentioned it, until finally she'd decided to go to Kai. That hadn't worked out very well, either, and so she was totally alone with it.
~~~end flashback~~~
"Well what?" Max smiled, but he was looking at her a little funny.
"Well... um... argh, just a second. Sorry. Um... what's your name?" she looked at Kenny.
"Kenny..."
"Can you help me for a second?" she dragged him around the side of the dojo without waiting for an answer.
"What do you want me to help you with?"
"Do a search on Mr. Steven Lewis and his wife, Alyssa, please," she said, dropping her backpack on the ground and crouching next to it. Kenny sat on the ground and did as she asked, only because he was curious as to where this was going.
"Here's something good. An article," Dizzi said.
"Read it," Rockie said softly.
"It's in a businessman magazine, and it was written about two years ago:
Mr. S. Lewis is a successful entrepreneur, who designs skyscrapers all across the world. When asked what his greatest accomplishment in life was, he responds, "My career, of course! What else would I say?". This man has designed over 300 buildings in his career, ranging from the average office building to a clock tower in London, England.
Mr. Lewis is 43 years old, married for 17 years. When the couple had been married for a year, they decided to have children. Sadly, they discovered that this would be impossible. Making a tough decision, they decided to adopt. Their daughter is a healthy, happy 13-year-old, named Rochelle after Mr. Lewis' grandmother.
Despite this setback, the family is prosperous, and live in a mansion designed by Mr. Lewis himself. He says, as advise to any aspiring architect or businessman, "Go to college, get a degree, and work for yourself. An already established business will restrict your creativity and pay."
Whoa, that guy has some opinions, doesn't he?" Dizzi added as she finished reading the article aloud.
"Why did we read all that?" Kenny asked.
"That's me..."
"You're a 43-year-old businessman?" Dizzi asked skeptically.
"No, I'm his adopted daughter."
"Okay..." the boy and the computer chorused. It was a little freaky.
"They adopted me from an American family. This family had twins, a boy and a girl, and my mother wouldn't be happy unless she got the girl, so she took me. I found out from Mom about a month ago... The family was the Tate's." Rockie blabbed.
"So you're related to Max, huh?" Kenny laughed. "I see the resemblance. Rochelle, right?"
"Call me Rockie. Only my parents call me Rochelle."
"Nice to meet you then." Kenny stuck out his hand, and Rockie shook it.
"I'd shake too, but sadly, I am stuck in this computer." Dizzi whined.
"What's up with that, anyway? Why does your computer talk to you?" Rockie looked curiously between Kenny and Dizzi.
"She's a bit-beast. She got stuck in there a long time ago."
"Oh... ok then!"
"How, exactly, are you related to Max, anyway?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm his... eh... sister..." Rockie blushed, thinking that Kenny would laugh at her.
"Really? That's interesting. If you'll let me, I'd like to run the tests to see if you're right. But before we do all that, do you want to meet the rest of the team?" Kenny closed his laptop and stood up. Rockie stood up too, putting her backpack back on her back, and shook her head.
"Since you're offering... could you run tests first? I don't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone if it's avoidable."
"Well... I suppose... but you'll have to come to my house. Believe it or not, I actually have the equipment for such tests. I've tested to make sure all of the Blade Breakers are healthy, so I already have all of the info from Max. I just need yours."
So that's why, on a Saturday morning, Rockie was running down the street toward a Chinese restaurant.
Panting, she ran in and asked the woman behind the counter where Kenny was.
"Up in his room... why?"
"I need to ask him something... for school..."
"Oh, alright! It's the third door."
Rockie smiled at her, then went up the stairs and to Kenny's room. She knocked on the open door and stuck her head in. "Hey, Kenny, can I come in?"
He looked up from his computer, startled. "Oh, it's you. Yeah, sure. The test's done."
"And..." she could barely contain her excitement to finally know if she was right about the champion beyblader.
"You were right."
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woo hoo, that's a long chapter! Go me! ok, you don't really have to review. I'm writing cuz it's fun! Fun fun fun! Ok, bye! ~bmw
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Kai arrived at the dojo, pointed Rockie into the house, and went off to some corner alone.
Rockie started walking through, when suddenly a big long stick thingie came flying at her. She gasped and crossed her arms over her head, bending her knees to absorb the shock of the impact. The stick stopped about an inch over her arms.
"Good reflexes. Who're you, sister?"
She looked up, to see an old man. "I'm Rockie, sir..."
"Really? Well, Rockie, you can call me Grandpa, but only if you tell me why you're in my pad without any of the homies." Grandpa smiled to show that he was joking.
"I came with Kai, but I'm looking for Max. Do you know where he is?"
"He's out back with little dude and the gang. Straight through there." Grandpa pointed his stick thingie toward the other end of the dojo.
"Thank you!" she hurried through, and out into the morning sunlight on the other side. Looking around, she saw a pond with rocks around it, a walkway, and a group of kids about her own age not too far off to her left.
She slowly approached the closest one, a short boy with brown hair and glasses, who was talking to a computer. "Excuse me..."
Kenny jumped, but then turned around. "Can I help you with something?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so. I'm looking for Max," she looked a little nervous, and clutched the straps of her backpack for the small comfort it offered.
"The blonde one over there. Wait, I'll call him. Dizzi?"
"Do I have to do EVERYTHING for you, Chief?" it was Rockie's turn to jump. That computer just talked to the kid...?
"Fine, I'll do it, I just thought you might want to," Kenny got up and walked over to the group, then came back to Rockie with Max following. The rest of the group stopped blading and watched curiously.
"Hi! I'm Max. What's up?"
"Well..." she silently cursed her parents for making her do this alone.
~~~flashback~~~
"Rochelle, if you want to meet him so much, YOU go talk to him! I'll have no part in it," her mother said, while chopping up potatoes.
"But WHY? It's not going to hurt you to see him. He's not even your kid. Why can't you go with me?" Rockie argued.
"I don't approve of you meeting him. You've been separated for 15 years. you won't have a THING in common, and he'll probably laugh at you when you tell him."
"You've seen him on TV, Mom, he's not like that!" Rockie punched the kitchen table in frustration.
"Famous people are good at hiding their true selves, Rockie. He's probably a stuck up rich jerk." Her mother stood by her decision.
Rockie went to her father instead. "Daddy, could you come with me? I'm scared to go alone."
"Don't go then, sweetheart," he said, never looking up from the blueprints he was drawing out.
"You're just like Mom! Why don't YOU want me to go?"
"Because your mother said so."
"You're pathetic."
"Why thank you, loving daughter of mine," and then he ignored Rockie every time she mentioned it, until finally she'd decided to go to Kai. That hadn't worked out very well, either, and so she was totally alone with it.
~~~end flashback~~~
"Well what?" Max smiled, but he was looking at her a little funny.
"Well... um... argh, just a second. Sorry. Um... what's your name?" she looked at Kenny.
"Kenny..."
"Can you help me for a second?" she dragged him around the side of the dojo without waiting for an answer.
"What do you want me to help you with?"
"Do a search on Mr. Steven Lewis and his wife, Alyssa, please," she said, dropping her backpack on the ground and crouching next to it. Kenny sat on the ground and did as she asked, only because he was curious as to where this was going.
"Here's something good. An article," Dizzi said.
"Read it," Rockie said softly.
"It's in a businessman magazine, and it was written about two years ago:
Mr. S. Lewis is a successful entrepreneur, who designs skyscrapers all across the world. When asked what his greatest accomplishment in life was, he responds, "My career, of course! What else would I say?". This man has designed over 300 buildings in his career, ranging from the average office building to a clock tower in London, England.
Mr. Lewis is 43 years old, married for 17 years. When the couple had been married for a year, they decided to have children. Sadly, they discovered that this would be impossible. Making a tough decision, they decided to adopt. Their daughter is a healthy, happy 13-year-old, named Rochelle after Mr. Lewis' grandmother.
Despite this setback, the family is prosperous, and live in a mansion designed by Mr. Lewis himself. He says, as advise to any aspiring architect or businessman, "Go to college, get a degree, and work for yourself. An already established business will restrict your creativity and pay."
Whoa, that guy has some opinions, doesn't he?" Dizzi added as she finished reading the article aloud.
"Why did we read all that?" Kenny asked.
"That's me..."
"You're a 43-year-old businessman?" Dizzi asked skeptically.
"No, I'm his adopted daughter."
"Okay..." the boy and the computer chorused. It was a little freaky.
"They adopted me from an American family. This family had twins, a boy and a girl, and my mother wouldn't be happy unless she got the girl, so she took me. I found out from Mom about a month ago... The family was the Tate's." Rockie blabbed.
"So you're related to Max, huh?" Kenny laughed. "I see the resemblance. Rochelle, right?"
"Call me Rockie. Only my parents call me Rochelle."
"Nice to meet you then." Kenny stuck out his hand, and Rockie shook it.
"I'd shake too, but sadly, I am stuck in this computer." Dizzi whined.
"What's up with that, anyway? Why does your computer talk to you?" Rockie looked curiously between Kenny and Dizzi.
"She's a bit-beast. She got stuck in there a long time ago."
"Oh... ok then!"
"How, exactly, are you related to Max, anyway?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm his... eh... sister..." Rockie blushed, thinking that Kenny would laugh at her.
"Really? That's interesting. If you'll let me, I'd like to run the tests to see if you're right. But before we do all that, do you want to meet the rest of the team?" Kenny closed his laptop and stood up. Rockie stood up too, putting her backpack back on her back, and shook her head.
"Since you're offering... could you run tests first? I don't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone if it's avoidable."
"Well... I suppose... but you'll have to come to my house. Believe it or not, I actually have the equipment for such tests. I've tested to make sure all of the Blade Breakers are healthy, so I already have all of the info from Max. I just need yours."
So that's why, on a Saturday morning, Rockie was running down the street toward a Chinese restaurant.
Panting, she ran in and asked the woman behind the counter where Kenny was.
"Up in his room... why?"
"I need to ask him something... for school..."
"Oh, alright! It's the third door."
Rockie smiled at her, then went up the stairs and to Kenny's room. She knocked on the open door and stuck her head in. "Hey, Kenny, can I come in?"
He looked up from his computer, startled. "Oh, it's you. Yeah, sure. The test's done."
"And..." she could barely contain her excitement to finally know if she was right about the champion beyblader.
"You were right."
-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-
woo hoo, that's a long chapter! Go me! ok, you don't really have to review. I'm writing cuz it's fun! Fun fun fun! Ok, bye! ~bmw
