Hi Guys! I've been really busy lately, but I managed to find time to do another chapter. Thanks for the reviews you guys. (Gosh, I love saying that.) Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------
Chapter 9- High Tensions
It was hard to tell who was angrier at the moment, Koji or Kai. Having excepted Koji's challenge, Kai had to battle him and win in order to get Dranzer back. He pulled out an improvised beyblade to battle with (which turned out to be a copy of Tyson's), 'cause no doubt Koji will want to battle with Dranzer. No one said anything as they followed the two boys to the stone dish out back. The sun was peeking the trees around them in the yard and was showing the dew in the dish; clearly that would make it harder to blade when the surface was so wet and slippery. They would have to battle with mostly skill, not just power. Koji saw this too and that this put most of his attack strategy out the window.
"Let's make this fair," Sanka suggested. "Koji, you put Kai's Dranzer aside and battle with your own beyblade. Kai will use the one that's in his hand now. That way no one will be at a disadvantage."
'Except Koji,' Kai thought. 'He made a big mistake taking Dranzer from me; so if anyone's going to be at a disadvantage, it'll be him. But I can't get overconfident, I have to focus.' He turned to face Koji. "All right Koji, let's do this! Get ready to hand Dranzer over."
"Sorry Kai, Dranzer's coming with me. You see I made a deal to have him and I will. Danzer's my bit-beast now," Koji said smugly.
"That's where you're wrong," Kai shot back. "Don't you know that a bit- beast chooses its master? And for Dranzer, that would be me. Now are we going to chat or are we going to fight?"
"Yeah, we're going to fight. I don't want to miss the chance to take you down!"
"Same here. Let's go!"
"First thing's first Koji," Miss Kelm interrupted, "hand over Dranzer to Alex. I agree with Sanka on this. Things should be fair."
Koji frowned and very reluctantly, gave Dranzer to Alex. 'Darn!' he thought angrily. 'Now I have to fight without a bit-beast. There goes plan A.'
Kai looked over at Alex, who smiled reassuringly back at him. He had no doubt that Alex would take care of Dranzer for now. But it disturbed him to have Dranzer being in just anyone's possession. Alex did look trustworthy though. Kai had only put Dranzer into someone else's hands once, when he had been processed over Black Dranzer, and that was Tyson. But since he had lost his bit-beast to Spencer and had then gotten him back, Kai had vowed to never let anyone take Dranzer from him again. But so much for that.
"Alright, you ready?" Kai asked Koji firmly.
Koji snapped his old blade onto his launcher and glared over at Kai. "Couldn't be more ready. And..."
"3, 2, 1... Let it Rip!" they both shouted and released their blades into the dish.
The copy of Dragoon spun around and hit Koji's from behind with a clockwise direction twist. Koji's blade was knocked, spinning and skidding off course into the far side of the plate. It came back and using the tip of the attack-ring, it sent "Copy Dragoon" sailing into the air. Koji smirked. This was a piece of cake. But he was quickly pulled back into reality as the blade landed again and kept spinning. The dish had dried up a bit, so it was slightly easier.
"So, you've made a quick recovery but lucky chances like that won't save you, Kai!" Koji growled, frowning at him. "Go Zorix!!"
Kai frowned right back. "I should be saying the same thing to you. Attack!"
Both Zorix and "Copy Dragoon" charged at each other attacking at full- throttle. The two beyblades collided and then there was a big explosion. Sanka and Alex were surpised that two blades like that without bit-beasts could pack such a punch. Koji was surprised about it too, but was still determined to get Dranzer. He wondered at first why the figure in the alley wanted him to bring Dranzer to him in the first place; but that didn't matter now, not his the red phoenix could really be his. He knew that Icies and the other phoenixes were strong too, but Dranzer was the strongest he had ever seen. He had to have it. The dust from the explosion cleared and to Koji's complete surprise, neither beyblade remained spinning. Koji blinked. So did Kai. It was a tie?
'Drat! I was so close!' Koji thought grumpily. 'But I want that Phoenix!!' "Kai!" he called, "if you think this battle's over, then you're sadly mistaken!"
"For once I agree Koji," Kai said as calmly as he could under the circumstances. "This battle won't be over until I get my Dranzer back. Although, it'd be a lot easier on yourself if you just admit your mistake and give him back to me now."
"Yes, I admit it would be easier, but it doesn't mean that I'll do it. Your Dranzer will be mine, Kai!"
"Yeah, whatever. Been there, done that. Most bladers, who act tough, can't back it up. Bit-beasts are not toys and they should be treated with respect. I learned that lesson the hard way, but I see you never did, as you don't even have one. Although then again, you're probably not worthy enough to possess one as strong as my Dranzer."
"Big words from the guy who just tied with me. Maybe I'm not he who's acting tough."
"Watch it...!"
"But enough talk, let's battle! This battle isn't over yet, remember?"
"Fine."
They released again and the battle for Dranzer continued. Sanka watched the blades spinning around the dish and colliding in combat. She could literally feel the tension building; and it was not just the beyblades that were making it, 'cause so were the players. It was so tense and thick that she could probably cut it with a knife, if she had one.
"C'mon Kai," Sanka whispered. "You can beat Koji and get Dranzer back. I know you can."
"It may be hard for him to do that know Sanka," Alex muttered back.
"Huh? But why's that?"
"See for yourself."
Sanka turned her attention back to the battle and saw that Alex was right. Koji's blade, Zorix, was hounding Kai's around from almost every angle. Kai was gritting his teeth together, trying think up what to do. He knew that sometimes it was better to let the opponent's blade attack yours, feeding off its power until it wears itself out. But because he wasn't using Dranzer, doing that now was a lot trickier. 'I can't lose to that hothead," Kai thought. "Dranzer belongs with me, I know that now.' But getting it to stay that way now was starting to be quite the problem.
"Now, Zorix, multiply!" Koji ordered, snapping Kai out of his thoughts.
Four more blades looking the same appeared around Zorix. They all attacked at Kai's "Copy Dragoon" at the same time. "Copy Dragoon" would try and evade them, only to get cornered again. Kai looked around and soon saw something that he couldn't help but gasp at. It was chips off his blade's attack-ring in the middle of the dish that must have broken off from that last attack. Being as this was a copy of Tyson's Dragoon-blade, it was based on the style of 'attack'. 'Endurance and 'defense' moves the beyblader had to think up on his own. Kai was glad that his team was not here to watch him struggling to win, 'cause normally he was not one to struggle in battle at all. But after being in the World Championships and at the Phoenix City Shelter, he realized now that he was wrong. Kai just simply watched for a bit, hoping for awhile that this was all just a dream. He wasn't here, this didn't happen, Dranzer was still with him; it was all a dream.
'What's happening to me?' Kai thought. 'Since when have I ever given up when the battle looked bad? Never! That's right, I have never thrown in the towel before, so I won't start now. Now what's the answer? There must be a way to beat Koji at his own game. But how?'
The answer was there he just knew it. But why couldn't he figure it out. For awhile, he began to fall into doubt again, wishing it was all a dream and that he was never even in this mess. He wanted to just vanish away into a dark corner and be alone. Kai could hear Koji's taunting voice almost like it was 10 miles away. But that wasn't right; Koji was right here and the two of them were in the midst of a battle over Dranzer. Dranzer. Kai wondered what the fire phoenix, his phoenix was thinking about right now. About possibly going into someone's possession besides the one where he belonged. What was the answer to win? It was there. The answers to get Dranzer back and end this fiasco.
Then suddenly, the battle Ray had against Frankie in the American Tournament Semi-Finals flashed through Kai's mind. Ray. What had he done against a multiple attack? Kai thought back to when Frankie had done the same move Koji was doing, at least until he could figure out a way to stop it. It used to be so easy, having the answer and belief very quickly and with certainty. He watched as the vision of Ray and Frankie's battle flashed through his head, partially the multiple attack move.
"Check your attack for holes you mean, 'cause I see a great big one and now I'm driving right through!" he remembered Ray saying and how Driger had then broken through Frankie's illusions no sweat. "You see, I had no need to worry about your four extras, being as I kept my eye on the original the whole time."
That's it! Keeping an eye on the original beyblade! Kai turned his attention back to the match and saw that Koji's blade(s) were still hammering at his copy of Dragoon. He had to break free of them before his blade was completely broken apart. Then Kai saw it! Koji's original Zorix in the middle of the cluster knocking into his on the right side! Now that he knew where it was, he just needed a way to get rid of the illusions and defeat it. And then the battles Tyson had against the Blade Sharks in the Regional Tournament and the one against Alexander at Balkov Abbey supplied him with the rest of the answer.
"Are you going to fight back or what?" Koji grumbled mockingly. "I don't have all day you know. Let's get this over with so I can take Dranzer and go. I got somewhere I gotta be with it, ya know."
"The only thing that you're going to be doing with Dranzer Koji, is hanging it back to Kai after he beats you!" Sanka shot back.
"Whatever," Koji sneered. He pointed her attention to Kai and then to the blades in the dish. "Just look," he said. "There's no way Kai can win now. He hasn't fought back in the last 15 minutes. But if he wants to try, he'd better do it soon, before I completely shatter his copy of Dragoon."
Sanka gasped, starting to feel doubtful too; but Kai's confident voice, quickly caused the feeling to vanish and be replaced with hope that he could still turn the whole match around and win.
"Then I'd better get started," Kai said calmly. "You're a good blader Koji, but you're in way over your head if you think you can beat me."
"Is that so?" Koji questioned, while glaring coldly at Kai across from him.
"Yeah I think so," Kai replied and then shouted, "Attack! Vanish and then do Phantom Hurricane!!"
The copy of Dragoon suddenly vanished out of sight. Koji tried not to blink so he wouldn't miss what had just happened. His group of beyblades spun around the dish trying to find something to attack at. But there was nothing. Zorix spun around attacking the only thing in full sight, the illusions of itself! When the illusions vanished, Kai's temporary beyblade then reappeared and attacked with a full-powered Phantom Hurricane!
'What?! But how?!" Koji cried in surprise. "That's Dragoon's attack! But Tyson is the only one who has Dragoon!"
"True. Tyson does have the real Dragoon," Kai said smugly, "but you forget, I was the BladeBreaker's team captain. I learned their moves almost just as much as them. You should travel more Koji; maybe you'd actually learn something. Next time, just remind yourself that 'Practice Makes Perfect'! Attack and let's end this!!"
The storm whipped around the whole garden and dish, knocking Koji's blade out and messing up all the girls' hair. Everyone (minus Kai) was shielding his or her faces from it until it ceased and cleared. "Copy Dragoon" zipped back into Kai's hand and Koji went and picked up Zorix. The battle was over!
Alex then returned Dranzer to Kai, who accepted it back willingly. He then glared sharply over at Koji, 'cause the question still remained to all of them: Why had Koji taken the fire phoenix in the first place?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- Well, there you have it, another chapter. Koji gave his blade a name (Zorix) just like in season 2 of the show, Zeo called his blade Zeronix. And yes, I did take Ray's words in the vision from the quote of that match between him and Frankie. I just thought I'd ought to explain that. So, that's it for now. You review and I'll catch you later. Ciao!