Chapter Ten: Painful Defeat

"Gear Master, I demand a rematch!"

The spectacled boy came to a halt at that; the brown-haired girl stalking him doing the same as well. Slowly, he turned around to address her, the expression on his dark ebony eyes shrouded by the pair of eyeglasses that reflected the blinding light of the midday sun. "What more do you want, Ichikawa?" Kyousuke asked sternly in return, an undeniable edge in his voice. "You defeated a Gear Master; isn't that satisfactory enough for you?"

Midori snorted, folding her arms in front of her chest in annoyance. "Don't play games with me, Jin! You know very well that I did not defeat you! Even a four-year-old could've beaten you with the way you handled your Gear back there! A clumsy release, a routine course, a stupid head-on crash, dash type settings --- and you call yourself a high-class Gear Master? Give me a break!" she exclaimed hotly, her anger evident in the way her hands ended up at her sides, clamped into fists. "I don't want you to treat me like a beginner, because I certainly am not! I want you to battle me the way you would a veteran, and I will not leave you alone until you do that!"

To her surprise and aggravation, he laughed; his low, almost inaudible chuckles ending up in a hysterical fashion. He then cocked an eyebrow as he took a step forward to make his point clear. "You say you're a veteran yourself, then? Why don't we find out if that assumption of yours is correct or not?" He reached into his bag and pulled out his valued Dino Spartan, holding it out in front of her to indicate that he accepted her challenge. "But I'm warning you, Ichikawa. Arrogant people intimidate me. And when I get intimidated, I tend to do things that aren't pretty."

"That should make our match more interesting," she commented with a smirk, before she tilted her head to the side slightly to indicate the road at the eastern side of the street. Their chase, which began right after the conclusion of their practice match at the Tobita clubhouse, unknowingly brought them near the road that should be taken to reach her residence. Knowing that Kyousuke had no idea where their place of battle was located, she turned around and went on her way, walking briskly through the concrete-paved street lined with luxurious-looking houses and leading the young man to the Ichikawa's estate. The Gear Master, on the other hand, merely followed her lead.

The location of Midori's house --- mansion, rather --- came as quite a surprise to Kyousuke, for it was located in the far end of a vast green field surrounded by a large, intricately designed fence. It was a three-story, ivory white villa with a European structure, complete with a grand staircase that led to the east and west wings, and French windows with dark curtains the color of sapphires. Its interior, however, was surprisingly Orient-based, and the motif for the decorations was undeniably Japanese.

He didn't have the time to look around, however, for as soon as Midori finished greeting her mother who was relaxing in the garden, he was dragged towards her room --- a bedchamber spacious enough to accommodate a full-size Crush Gear arena at its front end. In fact, Kyousuke didn't have the time to think about what else the brunette had in her bedroom that seemed to stretch on and on, for she almost immediately urged him to get his Dino Spartan ready for their match.

"Vacuum Vortex!" she exclaimed as soon as the round indicator let out its sound, releasing the black-hulled machine into the expanse that she had mastered with all of her heart and mind. As it darted through the arena smoothly, confidence filled her to the brim. There was no way she was going to lose their showdown, with her Gear set to its most effective settings and with the battle taking place in her home base. Not even a microchip could map the arena's layout the way her own mind did.

"Dino Spartan!" he yelled from the opposite end, releasing the green-hued Gear to the arena in such a way that it started spinning almost immediately. He noticed the pleased grin on his opponent's tanned features; he, after all, was taking her seriously now, and that was what she wanted him to do. Unfortunately, she won't be enjoying that privilege for long. Prepare to lose, Midori Ichikawa. I won't be sympathetic, he thought with a knowing smile, watching his Gear chase hers around the wide breadth with an extremely relaxed face. Then, he saw an opening; it was time to start the scare. "Faster, Dino Spartan! Get her!"

His Gear smashed into its opponent with much force, and it sent the Vacuum Vortex into an uncontrollable spinning trip to his side of the arena. Immediately, he ordered the Dino Spartan to start its VT spin, in preparation for the series of attacks that would cripple the enemy Gear that was still trying to regain the balance it had lost, as well as for its special move.

"No! Fight, Vacuum Vortex! Fight!" Midori implored as the Dino Spartan launched one attack after the other, sending her Gear spinning back and forth and hitting it at every point. She clenched her fists, terror filling her eyes. "I can't give up now, not now, because if I will…" Her voice trailed off as her eyelids fell shut, but a moment later, her fierce blue orbs snapped open, oozing with stubborn determination. "I'll never be able to defeat Takeshi Manganji! And I'll never be able to defeat Kuroudo Marume!"

Kyousuke froze, the name sweeping him and his consciousness away from the spot where he was standing, his memories of the events that took place in the days that past resurfacing like a tidal wave. Fortunately, he had already given the ultimatum that the Dino Spartan charge for the Vacuum Vortex with its special move, the Fire Spinner, and so despite the fact that his attention was totally someplace else at that time, his Gear carried out the order with an explosive assault.

Midori's efforts to save the Vacuum Vortex were too late; it just wasn't fast enough, just wasn't strong enough, to pull out and away of the Dino Spartan's line of attack. It skyrocketed just as its enemy Gear did, but the difference was, it landed out of the arena while the other remained on its course.

She stared at her Gear, which was struggling to get back up on its wheels as it had flipped over, with wide cerulean eyes filled with disbelief, unable to accept the fact that she had been defeated once again. Then, shortly after the Vacuum Vortex's battery was drained, making it stop dead, she fell on her knees and screamed in utter frustration. The victorious Gear Master, on the other hand, was snapped out of his trance by her outcry, his dark eyes drawn towards her shivering form. She cried like a baby, her shoulders bobbing up and down uncontrollably as her tears fell like rain, and at the same time, she banged her fists on the floor, muttering something to herself which was most probably about how she could not believe she lost.

As Kyousuke watched her acts of self-pity and denial in silence, a certain blond Gear Fighter came into his mind.

Kuroudo…

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Author's Notes: That was the chapter I promised to update to Hareta (Jirou) and Ice Suzaku (Kaoru). Hope you liked it, guys! Anyway, to the Kuroudo and Takeshi/Lilika fans out there, worry not; they will get back into action starting with the next chapter. Things are beginning to get very interesting, after all. =P

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