First off, I'd like to once again thank all those who have reviewed. I really appreciate all the feed back you all give me. It just motivates me to write the next chapter faster. I know you've all been waiting for me to update, so I stop talking now and let you read.
Spencer and Brian sat on opposites of the room, mentally worrying about Ian. He'd been gone for about two hours and both were anticipating the worst when he returned. Spencer's long sigh broke Brian's concentration.
"He'll be back." Brian casually said.
"I know that. I'm just getting tired of waiting. There's nothing wrong with sighing when you get bored."
"There is when you've sighed more than ten times in the past five minutes."
"Hmph." Spencer slammed his back down against the thin bed. That little pipsqueak had better make it back okay. If he gets caught outside of his cell, he's gonna regret ever being born. After losing the tournament, it's amazing we're all alive. At least I hope we all are.
Brian returned to his thinking. He'd been plotting a route for them to escape by, but had come up with little. There were cameras in virtually every corner and sparsely anything could move without attracting the attention of them. Ian, though, had been working with Brian to come up with an escape route.
Flashback
"It's the perfect team. I know every inch of this place. I can get us out without any problem!" Ian said demonstrating his sneaky abilities.
"I bet you can, but we have to make sure that those cameras don't catch us. We all can't be short." Brian snickered at his last comment.
"Haha, funny. But I know we won't get caught by those old pieces of junk."
"Yeah, but if they do see us, I'll just break them and we'll make a dash for it." Spencer chimed in his plan.
"Well then it sounds like you don't need me anymore." Tala joked, "The fool proof plan sounds exactly it."
"If you're nice, we might let you come." Ian teased.
"Well then I'll be on my best behavior." Tala retorted.
End Flashback
Now it was Brian's turn to sigh. If that runt doesn't return soon, I'm gonna go nuts. Just at that moment Ian popped out of darkness. Both Brian and Spencer shot up from their beds and bolted toward the cell bars.
"Well what'd you find out? Is he alive? He's hurt, isn't he?" Spencer let a thousand questions rolled off his tongue, while Brian grilled Ian for answers to his own questions.
"Were is he? Did you see him? Boris didn't spot you, did he? Come on say something."
Ian shrewdly picked the lock on their cell and slid right in. By now Brian and Spencer were ready to strangle him.
"Well…" Spencer hinted their anticipation as well as their annoyance.
"No."
"What? What do you mean 'no'? You'd better tell us what Tala said." Brian threatened the small friend.
"No. I mean he said 'no'. Tala. He said that he wants us to go without him." Ian moaned.
"That's not true. Tala wouldn't leave us." Spencer tried to protest Ian's words. "Brian, say something. This can't be true." Spencer turned in punched the stonewall, knocking pieces of it to the floor.
"He promised. He swore that he'd never do this to us." Brian bitterly said.
"What are we going to do? We aren't going to leave without him, are we?" Ian questioned.
Silence finally filled the room for the first time since Ian had entered it. None of them dared to make a sound to answer the question. What could they say? Ian slumped down to the floor. Spencer and Brian resumed their positions on their beds.
"We have a good chance of escaping if we leave without him." Brain flatly said. "I'm not saying that we should, but it would be true."
"Right. But if it weren't for Tala, we'd never have made it this far. We owe it to him to get him out of here." Spencer said in defense of Tala. All shook their heads in agreement.
"So we've gotten no where with this!" Ian sighed. "What are we going to now?"
Flashback
Ian's short figure walked into the crowded the evaluation room. There he was grouped with the other seven year olds. Even for his young age, he was unbelievably short. His height was just one of the numerous obstacles that he faced. The larger than life nose on his face caused wild rumors to float among the other boys. Ian could feel their stares, pounding into his back, but he refused to acknowledge them. That'd only led to them asking more questions and spreading more rumors. These idiots aren't worth my time.
The noiseless room was put to a degree of silence that none had known. The fluttering of eyelashes and the soft sound of breathes were the only noises present. Boris slowly made his way to the center of the room.
"As you all know this it the first year of our open session process and we have high, high hopes for all of you. Each age group will be teamed up with one of our senior beybladers. They will be responsible for all of your training, meals, and practices. By the end of this week, the trainer will pick the top two from their group. They will battle for a chance to join the Abbey. At the conclusion of his speech Boris moved toward each age group appointed a less than enthusiastic teen with the smaller boys. As he moved closer to Ian's group, Ian noticed that the trainers were getting younger.
What a rip off! We get stuck with all the rookies. I don't see how I'm supposed to learn everything from some nobody. I bet these guys are the rejects. They weren't good enough to be on the Abbey's beyblading team so they got pushed off on us. Well there's no way I'm going to let them wimps get the better of me. Just give me anyone of them and I'll show that Boris what I'm made of.
Boris now stood in front of Ian's group with the remaining trainer. You've got to be kidding me. There's no way this guy can beyblade.
"Allow me to introduce to you boys you're new trainer, Tala."
Ha! Tala? What kind of wimpy name is that? WE definitely got gypped when it came to captains.
As Boris walked away, Tala stepped forward. His icy blue eyes gazed across each of the younger boy's faces. He gave away no information as to what he was looking for in them, but he seemed to know if they had that quality or not.
"Come with me." Tala finally said to them. The boys obediently followed him to one of the training rooms, where they began their long hours of practice. Day after day they would practice, starting with launching then going to defense and then finishing with offense.
Man! Could this get anymore boring? This guy has sucked all the excitement out of the game. I wonder if the other guys are having this much fun? And with that thought Ian began planning his visit to he other rooms.
The next day Ian walked to the dish closest to the door. When he's not looking, all I have to do is make a dash for it. No sooner had he thought it, than Tala turned his back and Ian bolted out the door as silent as a mouse.
"Ha. I did it. That Tala guy must be as thick as a wall to have not known what I'm up to." Ian snickered.
Ian walked up the hall peering into the other training rooms. How boring! Everyone's doing the same thing. Why even separate us?
Ian walked up the hall peering into the other training rooms."And just what do you think you're doing out?" Boris bellowed over Ian's head.
"Um, well I…" Ian stammered. Come on think of something. Don't just stand here like an idiot.
"Here at the Abbey, we have no use for boys who can't follow the rules. Now the only question left is what to do with you?" Boris laughed at the horrendous ideas that popped into his mind.
I'm doomed. It was such a stupid idea, why did I even listen to myself?
"Sir. This incident was my fault." Tala had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing next to Boris. "Ian left the room, because I told him to."
"Oh really? And just why did you have him do that?"
"I taught him everything that I felt I could. I thought that if he moved up to another age group, he'd learn more. So I told him to go to another, but I forgot to specify which one. I was trying to catch up with him when you found him."
"Hmph. I considered you're smarter than that Tala. All the classes are the same. But I do hope you've realized what you've done. You contradicted me by telling this boy that he was too good for his own group, when I told him that he wasn't. You went behind my back and moved him up to another group without telling and me and without asking my approval. You sent him out here on his own without supervision. Now if there anything I've missed, please tell me." Boris sneered in Tala's face.
"No sir. You're right."
"Of course I am. And I hope you realize the consequences of your actions." Boris held back a smirk.
"I do."
"Good. Now both of you get back to your assigned room." Boris ordered as he walked away."
"Tala turned and stated walking toward their room without saying or glancing at Ian. He could have turned me in. I would have been dead for sure. I can't believe he did that. Ian sprinted to catch up with Tala, just as he was about to open the door.
"Why didn't you tell him that I snuck out? You knew what I was doing!" Ian yelled at him.
"Yeah, I did know. I had known what you were planning to do." Tala calmly said back.
"So why didn't you stop me? You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble!"
"Yeah I could have done that, but it would have been the cheap and easy way out. If you think you can make it in this place without showing a little compassion for others, then you're delusional. You need to learn to care about something more than yourself."
"Are you calling me selfish?" Ian raised his voice once more to his captain.
"Yes I am. It's about you caught on."
"You know for all the preaching you just did to me, you're sure were quick to push aside my feelings."
"I'm doing this because I'm trying to help you. You need to learn responsibility for your actions. Now I've got to get back to training. Feel free to join us."
By the end of the week, it was obvious that the one the boys to be picked from the seven year old group would be Ian. And it came as no surprise to Tala, when Ian won his match against the other boy. Tala had been there to witness it all and tried to hide his amusement that he had won.
After the all the new bladers were inducted into the Abbey, Ian went in search of Tala. Where could he be? He's always around when I need a lecture, but never when I need I deserve a congratulations.
"Well congratulations on your win today!"
Startled by the sound of the voice, Ian jumped around to come face to face with Tala. "Oh, um, thanks." Ian embarrassingly said.
"You sound surprising modest. Are you sick or is this a joke?"
"It's just that, um well…what you said earlier…thanks." Ian struggled with the words that just didn't want to be spoken. His eyes fell to his feet, embarrassed that he couldn't properly thank Tala.
"Forget about it." Tala said glancing around the room looking for someone or something.
"Sorry, but I can't. It's because of you that I made it this far. If there is anything I can do for you just ask."
"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be needing it anytime soon."
"If at all." Came a voice form inside the crowd of beybladers. Out of it emerged a blue-haired boy. He looks like he's ten or so, probably Tala's age. Although he looks as mean as Boris.
"If you two little girls are finished handing out compliments and thank you's, I'd like to practice."
"Yeah alright Mr. Sensitive." Tala turned to face Ian once more. "If there's anything I can do for you just ask. And good luck, you're gonna need it."
End Flashback
"Well, he did say go on." Spencer hesitantly said.
"Hm. Then I guess we should get going." Brian added with a hint of sorrow.
"But…" Ian tried to protest the older bladers decision, but was received with a shaking of heads. But we can't leave Tala. He needs our help. And I promised that if he ever needed help, that I'd be the one to save him. Now I'm getting ready to walk away from him, when he needs me the most. I lied to him. I lied to my hero. I lied to myself, believing that I could actually do something.
Spencer and Brian made their way to the cell bars, glancing around to make sure that no one had heard their low whispers. With no one around the three made their way to the edge of the hallway and crept along the walls to avoid the cameras. Ian led the older boys through the basement without any incidents, but no sooner had they reached the top step to the first floor did they receive a welcoming fire squad.
"Well this is just great. I hope we don't get receive this much attention everywhere we go." Brian sarcastically said firing his blade at the guns.
"It seems like everywhere we go we get into trouble." Ian yelled on the commotion.
What a mess this. And it's only going to get harder as we get closer to leaving this place. This would be a lot easier if Tala were here. He always knew what to do.
Flashback
Spencer awoke in the dead of night to the sound of the alarms blaring. Guards with their piercing eyes and deadly guns ran through the empty corridors. In the distance, bursts of flames could be see sprouting out the other half of the Abbey. Curiosity flowed through Spencer's mind.
What's going on? I don't see what the big deal is. No one is outside their cell and it's not like it's that hard to get the idiot back in custody. What kind of fool believes he can escape from this place? Must be a new recruit. Them morons believe they're invincible. What a fool. He's managed to start a fire, have every guard in the building looking for him, and in the process has awoken everyone that was sleeping. What a complete jerk. I hope they get him good for it.
As annoyed as he was for having been awoken, Spencer got up and walked to the cell bars to look out and hopefully catch a glimpse of the idiotic, but courageous boy who had dared to challenge the Abbey's muscular guards. Looking to the left, Spencer saw the empty hall that he had walked down earlier that day. Turning to the right, his eyes caught the same amount of interest that they had found on his left.
My god, what is going on? They wake me up, fill me with all this curiosity, then leave me with nothing to know what happened.
Spencer's eyes shifted back and forth. The idea crossed his mind, that the more he looked for something, the more likely that something might appear. Another destructive bow was felt throughout the Abbey. That must have been at least the tenth one in the past five minutes. Spencer shifted his head to the ceiling, then let it fall down. When he lifted it again something caught his eyes. Across the hall, the dark cell stood a boy gripping his own cell bars. Hmph. That kid's one of the strangest here. He rarely talks to anyone except that tough-guy Kai. He thinks he's so amazing. I'd like to see him get it one day. But that guy. What's his problem?
Another explosion lit up the sky. An enormous shape of fire blinded the eyes of all who watched. The figure screeched out it's power and ferocity to anyone who dared challenge it.
I didn't see that! That fire was not a bird. I must be needing some sleep.
Before moving back to his bed Spencer looked back at the boy who was still grasping the bars with his now white knuckles. That kid looks like he's just lost everything.
Next Day
"As you know Spencer, we've recently had an…incident here. During that our current bladers who were competing in this year's tournament were damaged beyond help." Why does he have to say it like that? Damaged beyond help! It makes them sound like they were robots. Just tools for them to use till something better comes along. "And this new team will include you." Boris finished his extensive speech with an eye of suspicion from Spencer.
This is my chance, though. I can finally make myself known. I'll be a world champion! "I agree." Spencer said holding out his hand to seal the deal.
"You don't have a choice." Walking away, Boris chuckled in amusement at the thought that Spencer had control over his situation.
First Day of Tournament
"So far these new boys have been tearing up the place. They seem to be just as deadly as the former Demolition Boys. Ian's quick win for the boys has already shown that." Above the loud screams from the crowd, the Demolition Boys could barely hear AJ announcing their first win. And although they looked indifferentinside each was trembling with excitement. The next blader up was Spencer, followed lastly by Tala.
"Just remember how I told you to win this. Fast. Make it quick and precise win. Don't slack on him. I want it to be a strong, swift, victory." Boris whispered into Spencer's ear.
"Yes sir." Spencer answered, staring down his competitor.
Both blades crashed against each other with sparks flying every which way. The crowd lay on the edge of their seats, knowing that at any moment a winner would be chosen.
Rrgh. He knew my attacks. He knew I'd be coming at him with everything, just one attack after another. I'll never beat him this way.
Spencer's eyes dared to catch a glimpse of the look on Boris's face. He regretted it. Everything about Boris's appearance said that he was well beyond angry. The match was going on longer than he had wanted it to. And Spencer knew the consequences that were going to be waiting for him.
I have to end this. Just wait for his moment of weakness and attack him with everything you've got.
"Go Seaborg!" Spencer's cry sent a surge of power to his power to his blade.
"This could be it folks!" AJ yelled over the anticipating crowd.
Seaborg crashed into the opponent's blade sending it flipping it into the air, only to land by it's master's feet. The crowd jumped to their feet, amazed not only at Spencer's power, but by his calculating the blades weakest moment. Spencer triumphantly walked back to his bench to be met by Boris.
"What did you think you were doing?" Boris tried to retain a happy appearance for good publicly, but his voice was full of death. "You could have cost us the battle! I hope you remember what the consequences are for disobeying my orders."
"Um, yes sir." Spencer whispered, his eyes not meeting Boris's.
"It wasn't Spencer's fault. It was mine."
Tala? What are you doing? Don't be an idiot. You don't have to do this. Why should we both get in trouble?
"I thought it'd look better if we made it appear as if the other team might win. I was thinking it'd boost support for our team." Tala lied through his teeth. I owe you one Tala.
"Well then I suppose it's only fitting for you both to receive your rewards together. And just so Ian doesn't feel left out, all three of you will serve the punishment."
Afterwards
Each of the boys limped back to their cell. Ian leaned against Tala till they reached his cell and he could steady himself against the bars. He said nothing as he hobbled into the dark room, but through his eyes he looked near death. Across his arms spots of crimson poked through his forest green shirt. His dirty skin mixed with the blood, forming crusty spots of brown on him. Glancing from the corner of his eye he silently watched the older two boys continue their walk to their cells.
The long silence between the two beybladers nearly killed Spencer. In his mind he awaited the moment Tala would snap and begin cursing him for everything. It took him by surprise when Tala turned down a hallway leading away from their cells. Tala gripped his shirt sleeve and pulled him along gently.
"Tala where are we going?"
"We're going to watch a beyblade match. Boris wanted me to look for another member for the World Championship next year. He's gathered the best for a showing and I figured you should come too."
"Maybe I shouldn't. After what happened before-"
"Don't worry about that. It's behind us now. It's best to forget about what has happened. It's the only way to move forward." Tala stopped before a series of glass windows that looked down into a beyblade training room. At least fifty boys stood before Boris and Voltaire. Both looked on in silence, remembering the day that they each arrived at the Abbey.
End Flashback
"That was actually pretty easy." Brian smirked looking at the uncurious guards.
"Yeah a little too easy I think." Spencer said eyeing the halls for signs of oncoming reinforcements.
"Just stick with me. I know a way to get through this place without running into any guards." Ian piped in.
"Why didn't you tell us that before?" Brian yelled in aggravation.
"Well where's the fun in escaping if there isn't a challenge?"
"I think you'd better just get us through this place without anymore incidents, got it?" Brian gripped the short boy to his face, threatening to use any means to get his point across.
"Got it." Ian whispered back.
"Good. Now these go you two, before more guards hear you two squabbling and come." Spencer whispered to both of them as Brian returned Ian to his feet.
"This way guys."
And that's it folks. I know I forgot to put Brian's flashback in this chapter, but I thought that it'd be over doing it on the memories. So it'll be in the chapter. Any reviews are appreciated and thanks for reading.
ACChan
