by Shadou-sama
Chapter 16 - She Must Be Insane
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.
The Bladebreakers settled into their seats, still receiving congrats from their fellow beybladers. The next match was about to begin.
"The first match between the Demolition Boys and the Majestics will be fought by Shadra and Enrique!"
Shadra already stood on the platform, and as her competitor was announced, she crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and smirked.
"Oh please, give me an actual challenge," she said.
Enrique reached the beydish. "Isn't an old friend enough?"
"No," she said. Then opening her eyes, she added, "Maybe taking on your whole team will give me more than half a second worth of battling."
"Is that right," Enrique said, glaring but trying to hide his disgust. "Maybe you just underestimate me."
"I'm not. How about one battle, me versus your whole team, winner takes all?"
The entire stadium went silent, all eyes on the girl with the ridiculous challenge. The Majestics were some of the best beybladers on the Circuit, who would be stupid enough to challenge this?
Enrique looked up at the referee.
He shrugged. "Nothing in the rules is against it, kid. As long as both team captains agree."
Enrique looked back at Robert, who looked like he was thinking deeply.
"What's the worse that could happen?" Johnny asked. "She's just one pathetic beyblader against four beybladers superior to her."
"If you really think so," Robert said, his eyes closed. He opened them, standing up and called out to the referee, "We accept!"
With a nod to each other, the other three Majestics walked up to the beydish to stand beside Enrique.
The only teammate Shadra had was Tala. Everyone else was back at their suite. "I accept," Tala said, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Well… Okay then. Three!" the referee called, shrugging. The five beybladers stepped back into position. "Two!" They put their hands to their ripcords. "One!" They let it rip.
The scores went up. Shadra: 5109, Robert: 5028, Johnny: 4993, Enrique: 4578, and Oliver: 4567.
Thought you'd take my name out You forgot about my home game
Thought you'd take me down, sucker, Take me down so here we go
Up in the stands, the Bladebreakers were at the edge of their seats, except for Kai. Kenny typed furiously into his laptop, hoping to dig up as much information as possible on Shadra to compare to the Majestics. Emily sat next to him with her laptop, which was hooked up to a couple of beyblade randomly placed recorder cameras. She was gaining valuable new data every second.
"Is she insane?" Max asked.
"Or just really cocky?" Rei asked.
"Both," Kai said, his arms crossed, eyes intent on the scene below. "But that doesn't mean she's lost it."
"According to my readings, Black Dranzer is only as powerful as Johnny's Salamulyon," Emily said.
Kai smirked. "Just wait."
Thought you'd take me down You forgot about my old school
If you want to teach me something new You'd better teach you something
Black Dranzer merely dodged the attacks of the Majestics' beyblades. It was playing, having fun if the dark phoenix could have fun. But the Majestics didn't know that.
"Not so arrogant now, are you?" Johnny taunted.
With her eyes closed, shoulder slouched, she said, "Bored now." Then snapping her eyes back open, she called, "Trygator! Water Smash Attack!"
The orange bit-beast rose up, sending Shadra's opponents into shock. That was... That was... Emily's bit-beast. How could she use it? Meanwhile, Emily clenched her fists, ignoring her laptop. Her precious Trygator, used by that... that...
The black beyblade lunged towards Salamulyon. Johnny gasped, while the audience held their breath. But Trygator swerved and instead of hitting Johnny's beyblade, it hitOliver's pink beyblade out of the dish. Trygator exploded into a flash of light, retreating to its prison.
Oliver looked down, his eyes shadowed. "You're not real," he whispered. "You're not my friend." He turned around and walked out of the stadium.
Shadra stood there, watching him go. She wasn't real? She wasn't his friend?
Amphilyon smashed into Black Dranzer's side, tearing her attention away from Oliver. She growled.
Thought you'd take my name out You forgot about my home game
Thought you'd take me down, sucker, Take me down so here we go
"Fire arrows!" Shadra called, and her attack was carried out at Enrique's blade. Amphilyon dodged it, and Enrique called his double-headed dragon bit-beast out. The crowd cheered.
Shadra looked emotionlessly up at it. It was huge, she granted him that, but not very impressive. The first head tried to dive onto Black Dranzer, but the dark phoenix was too quick for it. The brought the black beyblade to Amphilyon's other head, which darted for the blade.
"Shield and Sword Defense!" Shadra ordered. A black convex wall of energy formed above the beyblade. Amphilyon's head hit it and almost bounced off, if not for the darkness that entwined itself around the bit-beast's head. Amphilyon struggled, but the darkness kept encircling him like hanging ivy. The two-headed dragon shuddered, then dissipated as the black energy pooled on the beydish floor. Black Dranzer swooshed through it, and it too dissipated. The black beyblade easily took out Enrique's beyblade.
Thought you'd take me, geuber, You forgot about my old school
If you want to teach me something new You'd better teach you something
"What are the odds now?" Rei asked, not even taking his eyes away from the beybattle.
Kenny squeaked and moaned.
"In English, not good," Emily said.
Down at the beydish, Johnny said, "That's enough. Salamulyon!"
Swing Down, Swing Low
If you gonna better me
The molten yellow bit-beast appeared, heating the whole stadium noticeably. Some spectators removed jackets and hats, feeling the sweltering heat.
"Just take him out of his misery, my phoenix." The black beyblade rammed into Johnny's blade, sending it flying out of the dish.
As his beyblade clattered on the ground, Johnny dropped to his knees. "How could I have been defeated so easily?" he moaned.
"Because you're a loser, Johnny," Shadra said, apparently overhearing him. Her glance switched from the beaten loser to the one last potential threat, Robert.
Swing Down, Swing Low
Let it rip Beyblade!
"Just you and me," Shadra said. "But I'll fix that."
Robert growled. No rookie was going to beat him. What should come naturally (his overwhelming power and skill)would still move him and his team onto the final round, even if she had beaten his teammates.
"Griffolyon!" The purple griffin bit-beast appeared at his summons.
"Black Dranzer!" The black phoenix appeared at her summons.
The audience leaned forward in their seats, subconsciously wanting a better view of the two great birds. This was the first time ever that the dark phoenix had ever been shown in public.
The two mythological birds, looking like they were at equal strength, watched the other waiting for their opponent to make the first move. Just like their beybladers.
Swing Down, Swing Low
If you gonna better me
"Wing Dagger!" The purple feathers flew at it's foe.
"Now he's got her," Tyson said, leaning forward with fists clenched.
Black Dranzer merely moved its wings to shield itself, while the feathers bounced uselessly off. Robert stepped back, shocked. Nobody had ever lived through Griffolyon's Wing Dagger attack before.
Swing Down, Swing Low
Let it rip Beyblade!
"My turn," Shadra said. Black Dranzer melted into energy and rushed at the purple griffin. With one last bellow, Griffolyon dissolved back into its beyblade. Robert's beyblade stopped spinning.
The referee blinked a couple times, which was copied by many of the audience members. The win was just so quick. But he pulled himself together. "And the winner is Shadra," he announced. "The Demolition Boys will be facing the Bladebreakers in the final round! Only one of the two undefeated teams will get to keep its title!"
The audience cheered long and hard before getting up to leave, the noise levels still loud. The Majestics minus Oliver, depressed about their humiliating defeat, went to pick up their beyblades.
"Don't touch my prizes," Shadra said, her eyes narrowed and holding up her beyblade. The Majestics looked over, surprised. A cruel grin sat on her lips.
Their bits glowed, and then one by one the bit-beasts emerged from their beyblades. They flitted around the stadium, trying to break away from the mysterious pull. The audience stopped and stared as one by one they were pulled into Black Dranzer's bit.
The Bladebreakers plus Emily and Ms. Tate gathered in their suite. The beybladers were breathing heavy after having to drag all of the equipment Ms. Tate said was required (although they were starting to have their doubts. Did they really need so many tons of equipment or was she just torturing them?).
Emily checked her files on her laptop. "Success!" She pumped her hands in the air.
"What?" Tyson asked.
"We managed to get a true reading on Black Dranzer."
"As opposed to what?" Rei asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Black Dranzer makes a habit of hiding its power, so that most computers can't capture its real statistics. But we, with Ms. Tate's new system for obtaining readings, managed to get one when Black Dranzer appeared out of its bit."
"So that means…" Tyson trailed off.
"That means that you won't be fighting blind tomorrow," Emily said.
"That's great! Now maybe we can figure out a strategy," Kenny said. "They won't try the same thing as they did with the Majestics, the four against one battle. Too risky and we'd be expecting it."
"So what's our plan?" Rei asked.
"I've compiled a list of your abilities and their abilities from previous data collections," Ms. Tate said. "I designed a program that compares all the information and makes selections based on that."
"Um, Mom?" Max asked. "You have a lot of spare time, don't you?"
"Since nobody hands in their homework..." Ms. Tate said off-handedly before perking up. "And I'm prepared to give you kids all free rides if you win."
Tyson jumped up, joy apparent in his expression. "Yes! Let's get strategizing people! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
"Tyson, calmdown," Max said, sweat dropping. "I know you're failing but…"
"I'll battle first," Kai said quietly. Everyone stopped, frozen in their positions. The great and mighty Kai was speaking!"I've seen them beybattle, an actual beybattle not the act they put on for the public."
"Oh I get it," Kenny said. Then we should have one win under our belt."
"And that's exactly what my program said should go first," Ms. Tate said.
"Sure it did, Mom."
"Rei will go second, and Tyson will take the final match," Ms. Tate said, ignoring her son's comment.
"Makes sense to me," Emily said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. Everybody nodded in agreement, even Max.
The Demolition Boys and Boris sat in their own suite, making plans. Or rather, Boris was telling them what to do, Tala and the other two boys sat on the couch absorbing the strategy, and Shadra was off in a corner looking depressed.
"Bryan, you're up first. It shouldn't take you more than two minutes and twenty-six seconds to win. Tala, you're up second. Only one minute and twelve seconds, you hear? Shadra—where? Oh," Boris said, looking around the room and finally spotting her. He sighed mentally. This girl was becoming more trouble than she was worth. "What's wrong?" he asked, knowing that that was the only way to get through it. Boys could be ordered; girls wanted to understand. Perhaps she wasn't the perfect test subject after all.
"Forget what that Oliver kid said already," Tala snapped. Shadra ignored him.
Boris snapped his attention onto the red-haired captain. "What did he say?"
"Something like she wasn't real, that she wasn't her friend. Some crap like that." Tala shrugged.
Boris swore under his breath. The control of his chip was slipping. He'd have to strengthen it.
To be continued...
