Lady: Ooh, I see some people liked the first chapter! That's great. I really appreciate the reviews you guys gave me. I hope you enjoy chapter two just as much.

Kai: I do wonder why they read it.

Lady: Because they like it.

Kai: Aha, sure you're not blackmailing them?

Lady: I don't think so. "Looks at Akuma"

Akuma: Nuh uh, I wouldn't do it. No point.

Souzou: And before you even accuse me I didn't blackmail them either.

Lady: Sooo, that means they read it because they want to. YAY!

Kai: Still doubt it.

Lady: Oh shush you and do the disclaimer.

Kai: Whatever. This really irritating girl who thinks people like her work does not own me of anything that relates to the Beyblade series. However, Appolene and the other members of the FKB all belong to her so no touchy. Especially Appolene.

Appolene: "blushes"

Lady: Enjoy!

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Chapter 2 – The UK Team

"The Feathered Kingdom Bladers?"

They had arrived back at the hotel only a few minutes before and were now all sitting quite happily in the seating area of the Bladebreakers' room, mugs of hot chocolate in everyone's hands. It turned out that all the teams invited to the exhibition matches were all housed in the same hotel and the two teams were only just down the corridor from one another.

Appolene grinned sheepishly as the Bladebreakers stared at her and her team mates, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah."

"We didn't choose the name," Gwennie put in hastily. "The UK BBA division came up with it. They thought it was clever." She tutted and sipped some of her drink. "I'm not sure I like it though. It's too long."

"So we call it the FKB," Heather said brightly.

The Bladebreakers looked at each other. It was the oddest team name they had ever heard. The FKB all looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Yeah, well just because we have a lame name doesn't mean we're a lame team," Delaney exclaimed, a smug expression crossing his face. "We're the best in all of the United Kingdom."

"That's very true," Appolene agreed. "Or at least we're supposed to be."

Delaney frowned. "Don't say it like that."

"So you're all from the UK?" Rei enquired.

All four of them nodded in unison.

"Yep, I'm from England, Gwennie from Wales, Heather from Scotland and Delaney from Northern Ireland," Appolene explained.

"Really? Wow, that's so cool!" Hilary exclaimed.

"Not really," Gwennie said.

"So how did you guys meet then?" Kenny asked, interested.

"Well, remember when you were invited to the English National Tournament six months ago? Yeah? Well, it wasn't the only one. There were National Tournaments being held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too, all at the same time. The winner of each tournament was to become the representative for their country in the UK team," Appolene told them.

"But," Tyson cut in, "Kai won the tournament in England."

"That's true," Delaney nodded, "but Kai is already on a team. Plus he isn't from England. So, because she was the second place winner, Appolene got the place on the team."

Tyson nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

"Didn't you say that you were the captain, Appolene?" asked Max.

The brunette smiled.

"Yes I did."

Tyson, who had just been taking a sip of his hot chocolate, choked and spat it out.

"She's the captain?!" he demanded, pointing at Appolene. "How the hell did she manage that?" He hadn't noticed that Appolene was glaring at him, her fist clenched. Kai didn't look pleased either. "Oh! I know! It's because your Mom works for the BBA. That's it, isn't it? She the Head of the UK Division's personal assistant! That's why you are captain."

Appolene slammed her mug down on the wooden table. She was fuming.

"How dare you accuse me of getting where I am because my Mum works at the BBA!" she yelled.

"Well, it's most likely true!"

Appolene moved to hit Tyson but Kai grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She frowned at him ten sighed.

"If you must know Tyson, I am captain because I beat two members of the Bladebreakers who are the World Champions. Not because of my mother but because of my skills as a blader."

Tyson did not like he believed her explanation but a look from Kai told him it would be a good idea to keep his mouth shut.

"Whatever."

"Ignore Tyson," Hilary said. "He's an idiot."

"What was that?!"

"Nothing."

The two of them glared daggers at each other, sending the room into fits of laughter.

"They are just like Gwennie and Delaney," Heather chuckled. "It's unbelievable!"

"Hey!" burst Gwennie and Delaney but they were laughing as well.

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The laughing continued for several minutes and by the time it had almost subsided, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey! Maybe it's room service!" Tyson grinned, leaping over the back of the sofa to get to the door.

"But we didn't order anything," Rei said, puzzled.

Tyson wasn't listening as he unlocked the door and let it swing back to reveal Mr. Dickenson standing in the hallway.

"Ah, good day Tyson. It's nice to see you looking well and – oh!"

The navy-haired blader had pushed past Mr. Dickenson and was looking up and down the red carpeted corridor. The BBA chairman looked puzzled.

"What on earth is he doing?" he enquired to the others.

"He's looking for room service," Kenny explained.

"Aaah." The elderly man turned to Tyson and chuckled. "I'm afraid there is no one there my dear boy."

Tyson frowned and closed the door sulkily. Max laughed.

"Hey, don't worry about it Tyson. Dinner is in an hour or so."

"Oh great," Tyson moaned, slumping back into his seat.

Hilary shook her head.

"Do you ever think of anything other than food?"

Before Tyson was allowed to reply, Rei quickly cut in:

"Here, have a seat Mr. Dickenson."

"Why thank you Rei."

He sat down in one of the armchairs, removed his hat and laid it on the table. Then he cast an eye around the room at the Bladebreakers and smiled.

"Well, well, well, it's so nice to see you again," he said cheerily. "I'm glad you all arrived safely. I was worried when they said the plane couldn't get through due to the snow but you are here now and that's all that matters."

Then his eyes rested on Appolene. He beamed.

"Ah, my dear girl, I haven't seen you for a while," he exclaimed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm very well, thank you, Sir," Appolene replied brightly, glaring at Tyson who was making vomiting gestures behind Mr. Dickenson.

"Good, good. And who are these?" he enquired, gesturing politely to the rest of the Feathered Kingdom Bladers.

"This is my team, Sir."

"Ah yes, I remember your mother telling me about it. She said you were coming here. For an exhibition match wasn't it?"

"Yes Sir."

"Well how lovely. It's a pleasure to meet you all...erm...I'm afraid I don't know your names yet."

The three of them smiled nervously.

"I'm Gwennie."

"I'm Heather."

"Delaney, Sir."

"Wonderful, wonderful. And all from the UK if I'm informed correctly."

"That's right."

"Four bladers united in one team, just like the four countries united in one kingdom," Appolene said.

At this, she received strange looks from all of the Bladebreakers and even Mr. Dickenson looked perplexed. She went red.

"I was made to say that!" she wailed. "I didn't come up with it!"

"Another UK BBA division creation. Our rather cheesy motto," Heather said.

The entire group laughed sheepishly. Kenny could see they were feeling quite awkward now so he decided to change the subject, and quickly.

"Ah, so Mr. Dickenson. What brought you here?" he asked, trying to make it sound as innocent as possible.

Mr. Dickenson turned his attention away from the Feathered Kingdom Bladers. Appolene mouthed a thank you to him.

"Yes, of course. I came for two reasons actually. First to see that you had arrived safely, which I see you have done, despite the plane trouble. And second was to explain how the Tournament works. Of course, you'll know some of it as you were here last year. However, this time you are the returning champions so things are slightly different." He straightened himself and leant forwards. "As you know, last year there were several exhibition matches prior to the actual match between the two participating teams. Last year, it was only the World champions that took on the opponents in the exhibition matches. This year, we have decided that all the teams can be pitted against one another; a sort of mini tournament if you will. You will be awarded points depending on whether you win, lose or draw a match. The points will be tallied throughout and totalled at the end. The team with the most points will be the winners. And there will be a prize for the winning team. Of course, because it is most likely that your team will come out top, you are not to awarded points. Your matches are purely for show and entertainment. Now, how does that sound?"

"I think that sounds good to me," Tyson declared. "I can't wait!"

Mr. Dickenson chuckled.

"I'm glad you approve Tyson."

Rei raised a hand and Mr. Dickenson looked at him.

"Who is participating in the exhibition tournament?" he asked.

"Oh, famous teams from all over the world. You will know them all. There's the White Tigers, the PPB All Starz, the Feathered Kingdom Bladers, of course," he smiled at Appolene and her team, "the Majestics –" Heather looked up as he mentioned this name. "– and the Demolition Boys."

Kai looked down as memories of the last World Championships came back to him again. So Tala and his team were going to be there too? Well, he should have expected this. They were in Russia after all. He frowned.

Mr. Dickenson stood up, picking up his hat as he did so.

"Well boys, is there anything else you wish to ask me before I have to go? I have a meeting to attend before dinner."

"Just one thing," Max piped up.

"Yes?"

"When do the other teams arrive?"

"Let me see...I believe they are due tomorrow. Yes, that's right. They'll be arriving tomorrow."

He smiled, nodded a good-bye and left, closing the door behind him.

"This is great," Max beamed, "I get to see my Mom tomorrow! Awesome!"

Rei grinned.

"Yeah it should be good. I can't wait to see them all again. The White Tigers, the All Starz and the Majestics. This is going to be a great tournament."

"Yep, and then there's us," Gwennie mused. "The novice team that no one's heard of with the funny name and awful motto." She sighed, her head resting on her hands. "No ones going to believe we're any good. We're going to be the laughing stock of the tournament."

"We can't be that unknown," Appolene said. "They wouldn't have invited us otherwise."

"Hmm...maybe. But it could have been a mistake."

"I doubt it," said Delaney. "I don't think they could mistake us for any other team. Not with a name like ours." He grinned. "Right Heather? Heather?"

They all turned to look at the raven haired girl who appeared to be in a daydream. She was sitting on the edge of her seat, her eyes were wide and shining, staring off into the distance and her hands clasped together. Delaney frowned and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Anybody in there?"

The Scottish girl blinked.

"Hmm?"

"Where did you go?" Delaney asked.

"Go? I didn't go anywhere," Heather said, confused.

"I think he means you were out of it, you know, daydreaming," Gwennie translated.

"Oh!" Heather grinned brightly, her face becoming a little flushed. "I was just thinking about what Mr. Dickenson said. He said the Majestics were coming didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did," Hilary nodded. "What about it?"

Heather rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Well, you see, I'm a big fan of one of them. And the fact that I might get to meet him is so exciting." Her face had turned a bright red now and she hid it in her hands, giggling. "I can't believe I get see Johnny in action," she gasped. "Maybe even blade against him in the tournament. That'd be a dream come true!"

The rest of them stared at her.

"You never told us you were a fangirl," Gwennie exclaimed, outraged that it had been kept from her.

"Why Johnny anyway?" Max asked.

Heather looked up at him.

"Isn't it obvious? He's from Scotland. Johnny Macgregor. He's famous throughout the country. He's our number one blader."

They all nodded as the idea dawned on them. She was right, it did seem pretty obvious.

"But if he's the number one blader, why did you make the UK team?" Kenny wondered.

"Oh, that's simple. He didn't enter the tournament. It was disappointing. He was supposed to be the special guest and present the trophy to the winner but something came up and he couldn't make it."

"What's the bet it was a chess match?" Tyson whispered to Rei.

"And anyway, he's on a team already," Heather finished.

"Well," Max grinned. "We're pretty good friends with the Majestics. We can probably introduce you when they land tomorrow."

Heather's face brightened and she became somewhat flustered, too excited to speak. Instead she hugged Max and then began dancing around the room.

"I've gotta find my camera!" she declared after a few minutes. "Yes! It's in my suitcase, or it should be. Oh I hope I didn't leave it behind! Oh! I must check!"

And she hurried off to the team's own room. Delaney sniggered and then stretched.

"Yeah, guess we'd better be going. She –" he jerked a thumb at Gwennie "– is going to want to changed about four times before dinner." He ducked as Gwennie threw a cushion at him. "Plus I could do with a nap."

The blonde girl tutted.

"You already slept in this morning; you think that would be enough to keep you awake."

"Yeah, well, it's been a tiring day running around looking for you guys." He stood up. "So, we going?"

"Yes, yes, alright," Gwennie grumbled irritably. She smiled around the room. "It was nice meeting you," she said and then followed Delaney out of the room.

Appolene got up too and picked up her coat from the edge of the sofa.

"Yeah, I should go too, if only to keep Gwennie and Delaney from fighting." She smiled. "I'll see you later." And she disappeared into the corridor, closing the door behind her.

There was silence for a moment whilst everyone looked at Kai, who just folded his arms and closed his eyes.

"So, Kai," Tyson said eventually. "I guess you're pretty happy to see Appolene again, aren't you?"

Kai didn't answer but there was a slight smile on his face though Tyson couldn't see it.

"What about you Tyson?" Rei asked, eyebrow raised. "What's it like having to see her again after six months?"

Tyson scowled.

"Annoying. She threw a snowball...no TWO snowballs at me. I really don't like her much."

"Well Tyson, you did kinda bring it on yourself," Max laughed. "As for me, I think it's great. I really wanna beybattle with her again. I want to win."

"Heh, me too," Rei agreed, bearing his fangs in a smile. "They'll be no holding back."

"And I'd be interested on getting data on the blades of her and her team. They must be pretty strong bladers if they made it to the exhibition tournament of the World Championships," Kenny added.

"I just think it's nice having a few more girls around," Hilary mused. "Travelling around with you guys means I don't get much time for girly things anymore."

"We never said you had to tag along with us," spat Tyson. "You could always have stayed in Japan. I wouldn't have cared. And I don't care that Appolene or her team is here either. They're no match for me anyway." And he crossed his arms defiantly across his chest, sticking his nose in the air.

"Oh Tyson, you're so arrogant," Hilary said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm what?!" the navy-haired blader yelled, rounding on the brunette.

"Leave her alone Tyson," Kai commanded.

Tyson paused, inches from Hilary's face and looked through narrowed eyes at Kai.

"You should be thankful my girlfriend arrived when she did and that she is here," Kai continued.

"Hmph. And why?" scoffed Tyson.

"Because," the captain said slowly, "it's thanks to her you aren't going without supper to train like I was planning to make you do as punishment for wasting my time. That's why." And he opened his eyes, a smug smirk on his face.

Tyson's mouth fell open but he shut it hastily and scratched the back of his head nervously, a forced smile plastered on his face.

"Did I say I didn't care? I meant great! It's great that she's here," he laughed.

Kai nodded.

"I thought so."

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Lady: So, how was it? Hopefully you enjoyed it and it wasn't too boring. Lemme know by reviewing because I do love receiving them. :D

Until Chapter 3.