It's Just For Fun, Right?
by Shadou-sama
Chapter 14 - Evolution

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

Boris walked upstairs in the Victorian house, ready to meet sweet slumber. Instead, he found Shadra, pacing back and forth in the hall, Black Dranzer clutched in her hand.

"Go to bed," he ordered. Why wasn't she already? He had sent his team an hour and a half ago.

"Can't sleep," she said, not even missing a beat in her pace.

"Then go in your room," he said sharply.

"They kicked me out," she said, still in her ever-quick rhythm.

He sighed, placing his index and thumb onto the bridge of his nose. He wasn't awake enough to punish her. "What's wrong?"

"Black Dranzer, he's… he's…"

"It's what?"

"That's just it! I don't know," she said, waving her hands in the air as she walked on. "He's pressing on my mind, restless, wanting something…"

"He just wants some bit-beasts," Boris said, trying to hide a yawn. The beybattle that day against actual bit-beasts must have awakened the hunger.

This stopped her in her tracks. "Huh?"

"Black Dranzer's birdseed is bit-beasts. He… devours them, for lack of a better word. Uses their energy, their power."

"How?"

"You defeat a beyblader with a bit-beast, demand your prize, and Black Dranzer will drag the bugger into its bit. Now go... to... bed," Boris ordered. This time, she obeyed.


Max and the other Bladebreakers were sweating furiously as Kai continued to drill them. The blonde boy didn't think he could even move, much less accomplish another push-up.

He slumped unto the ground, quickly followed by Tyson, then Rei.

"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" Tyson moaned.

"Get up!" Kai snapped. "How can you even dream of facing the Demolition Boys when you can't even last through this?" .

"But--but!"

"No buts, Tyson!"

"You'll kill us! And what good are we if we're dead!"

Kai grunted. The boy did have a point. "Fine, five minute break. But then we'll train for five minutes more."

"Deal," Tyson said happily.

Max watched as Miriam walked past the open door. He frowned. Now would be a good time to ask her.

Somehow he managed to get up and catch up to her.

"Miriam, hold up!" Max said as his muscles forced him to stop and pant.

Miriam stopped and turned. "What's up?"

"Why?" He panted some more, trying to slow his breathing.

"Umm… Why what?"

"Why did you ask me to the movies?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Because I really like you, stupid."

"No, why really?"

She sighed, dropping her hands. "Kenny asked me to—but I really enjoyed our date!"

Max fumed. His own friend had betrayed him, and much, much more personally than Kai had. He felt a hand placed on his shoulder, and looked up.

"Don't be too mad at him. I probably would've asked you out anyway," Miriam said. Then she got a bit sniffy; "You do like me, right?"

"Of course I do—"

"Great! Then how about dinner at Oliver's restaurant?"

"Uh—"

"Fantastic! See ya there!" She turned, smiling as she made her great escape.

Max sighed. If the two got serious, would asking the other out always be this way? Miriam asking and then running away before he could reply? He turned back to Kai's new and improved torture training.


Emily walked home from school as the sun set. She felt good about the new technology that she and Kenny had developed. Whatever the Demolition Boys threw in their way, they'd be able to counter it.

A shiver went up Emily's spine. Kind of like she was being watched. She glanced over her shoulder. No one there. She took another couple steps, and was rewarded by a crack of a twig.

She spun around as quick as she could, catching no one. But she was sure that something was out there. "Come out, whoever you are!"

A figure obliged, stepping out of the shadows.

"What do you want, Shadra?" Emily demanded.

The black haired girl smiled. "Just a friendly beybattle between me and you."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"

"That you get to see how powerful I really am. I know Hiwatari went squealing to you after he lost to me."

"Kai lost?"

Shadra smirked. "Guess he was too humiliated to tell you, but yes, he did lose. He lost horribly."

"And now you want to battle me," Emily said.

"What are you, the narrator? Like Duh. But jeez, if you really think you're not good enough…"

"I am," Emily said flatly, taking a step forward.

"Prove it."

Emily felt like growling. "Fine then. I accept your challenge."

Shadra smiled. And it was in the 'I'm happy and I want to show it' way, but much, much darker. Like, 'I'm happy because I'm going to rip you apart piece by piece.' Emily involuntarily shuddered.

"Fantastic," Shadra said as she fell into launching position.

"Here?" Emily asked, glacing around the alley.

"Yes. Got a problem with that?"

Emily shook her head and grabbed her racket launcher out of her bag, beyblade already attached. She held it in ready position.

"Three!" they both yelled, as no one else was around to start them. "Two! One! Let it rip!"

Here comes the heavy weight generation beyblade

The two beyblades flashed as they hit the ground.

Spinning in motion, causing a commotion

They circled each other, wary. Then, the black beyblade attacked, sending the orange one bouncing back. The dark phoenix tried again, but Trygator was ready and managed to escape. In Trigator's momentum, it ran horizontally along a fence, with the black beyblade chasing it. The orange beyblade jumped down before the larger end post, but Black Dranzer wasn't quick enough to avoid that fate. It fell head over heel several times, before hitting the ground. Unfortunately for Emily, it stood evenly on its heel, still spinning proudly.

Like a whirlwind we keep on winning
We're taking them out with the beyblade spinning

"Trygator attack!" Emily called. The orange crocodile bit-beast appeared in a blaze of light. Her beyblade smashed into Shadra's black one.

Shadra closed her eyes, her head tilted down and a smile playing across her lips.

"Not wasting any time, eh? Fine, then," Shadra said. "Black Dranzer!"

Emily tensed. Now she would see the bit-beast that the fearless team captain was afraid of!

Hitting like a hurricane
Blowing everyone away

Instead of a blaze of light, the best Emily could describe it was an explosion of darkness. Not just around the beyblade, but around the whole fight! A black and red phoenix emerged from the blackness, shrieking its battlecry.

Emily had to step back to see it all, the creature was so huge! The mighty dark phoenix spread its wing, and crying again a deadly song. It lunged down.

Pounding like thunder
We're gonna pull 'em under!

The redhead quickly shook the awe out of her head. Now was not the time for staring, it was a time for battle! "Water Smash Attack!"

"Fire Arrows!" Shadra cried out.

Here comes victory
Generation Beyblade

The two elements flung against their opponent. Steam rose at their collision, obscuring the bladers' views. Who would be victorious?

Flames burst around the water, and rushed at Trygator, surrounding the alligator. The reptile burst into tiny pixilated pieces, returning to its bit and leaving the beyblade defenseless. The black beyblade needed only one hit to put the orange beyblade into full stop.

Beyblade just keeps on rippin' yeah!!!!

Shadra grabbed up her beyblade, while Emily stood their stunned. How could fire have beaten water? Water was fire's weakness.

The black-haired blader held her black phoenix beyblade high in the air. "Now for my prize," Shadra announced. "Your bit-beast!"

Emily gasped as her orange bit-beast rose unbidden from its bit and was pulled right into Black Dranzer's bit. Shadra smiled, looking down at her beyblade. Her style had evolved into the next level. The darkness immediately cleared, and Shadra left the street. Emily just stood there, transfixed by her empty beyblade.


Kai took his break in the empty teacher's lounge. No, not the break that his teammates had forced him to call, but the one he had given himself while they suffered the many push-ups he had ordered.

He didn't feel bad about it. Kai trained hard all year long. Besides, the final roster for the Finals was being announced on the local sports channel.

After a few commercials, the same fake woman who had informed him about his grandfather's connection with the Demolition Boys was on with the roster.

"Number four on the list is the Bladebreakers, currently undefeated this season and of Hieville Collegiate. Competing will be Tyson, Rei, Max and team captain and substitute, Kai."

Well, that was obvious. The official team picture was placed on the screen.

"Number three happens to be Team M of Lawrence Technical School. On their official roster are team captain Holly, Iayah, Yuki, and substitute Alleon."

Kai grabbed his notebook and jotted the names down. He'd have to get Kenny to do some research. The two teams hadn't ever encountered each other.

"The Majestics are number two, again from Hieville Collegiate, with team captain Robert, Johnny, Enrique and substitute Oliver."

Majestics, easy enough to beat. After all, the skills of all teams in Hieville were well-known amongst themselves. Except for the Demolition Boys.

"And finally, number one. If you've followed any of the action on the IHS Beyblade circuit, you've probably already guessed which team this is. The Demolition Boys have made quit a name for themselves, winning many titles. Number one team is first, with breaking the record for the best season for a new team, the record for the most tournaments won, and they are completely undefeated. Blading for this team will be Shadra, Bryan, Spencer, and the team captain who's also the official substitute, Tala."

The photo flashed on screen, all the bladers looking confident and cold. How could they have fans? They seemed more likely to bite than autograph. Of course, Kai himself was that way and yet he had been asked a few times...

"Hieville Collegiate seems to be the place for aspiring beybladers to attend, since they have broken the record this year with most teams attending the Finals. So if you're a parent living through their beyblading child, Hieville might be the town you'd like to move to."

Kai turned the TV off.


Tala walked silently into the training base's operation room. Today was the final stage; today he would evolve into the perfect warrior.
Emily finished sobbing out her story of defeat. The Bladebreakers were unusually grim. Or at least that's the way it used to be, unusual. Now not a minute passed where they didn't feel the weight on their shoulders.

"Now they're stealing bit-beasts!" Tyson said, outraged. "That's below low. That's… that's… just plain wrong."

"We know, Tyson," Max said, trying to calm his friend down. The blonde haired boy looked strange, since his usual perky expression was replaced by depression and marred by the glares that were sent Kenny's way, who hugged his new girlfriend Emily.

"So now we not only have to worry about losing Shadra forever and just plain losing, but we also have to worry about our bit-beasts being stolen?" Rei asked. "That is so unfair."

"Unfair or not, we're still prepared," Kenny said, leaving the embrace to look at the beybladers of their team. "We know now what they're capable of. And we have your new and improved beyblades."

"That's right!" Emily gasped, her expression lightening. "Kenny and I worked hard on them. With the power of your bit-beasts, these blades will give you the extra edge."

Kenny brought out a silver case; it's clasps facing the beybladers. "Meet the Evolution Series," Kenny said as he opened the case.

The beybladers looked down at their new beyblades. They looked pretty much the same, but with a few high-tech colors on them.

"Uh… Kenny, these are like our old ones," Tyson said, with a huge sweat drop, which was mirrored by his teammates.

"They may look the same, but there are key subtleties," Kenny said. "Mostly in the inner design."

"We won't bore you with the science behind them, just try them out," Emily prompted.

Kai, Max, Rei and Tyson grabbed their new beyblades out of the case, switched the bits, and gathered around the beydish. It only took a few minutes of beybattling to realize that the new beyblade name suffixes were self-explanatory. Their blades had evolved.

To be continued...