Disclaimer - As stated before, it you recoginize it, then I don't own it. Only Akane is mine.
A/N - I have a bad habit of mixing the English names w/h the Japanese ones. I don't want to confuse anyone since I am use to Boris Balkov as the villian and Bryan as the Blitzkrieg Boy.
I would really like to thank Kicking-S-ass, Minako Mikoto, shadowwolfcat & horsegirl for reviewing. Yes, it is hinting toward TyKa (winks). I hope this chapter lives up to all of your expectations. I rewrote it 3 times before I was satisfied w/h it. The next chapter is giving me a bit of trouble but I should have it finished within a week if my writer's block lifts.
Chapter Three - A Challenge Made
Takao's intuition was soon proven right. A few days after Boris had been unmasked as the mastermind behind BEGA, the Blitzkrieg Boyz arrived back in town and they were on a mission. They were determined to bring Boris down no matter what the cost. They had met briefly with Max, Hiromi, Kyoujyu and Daichi in the park. The four had been looking for Hitoshi or Kai, who had both disappeared after the unveiling of the new beyblade organization.
On that particular day, Brooklyn had disappeared like usual; leaving the other four to practice. Mystel had went off on a mission for Boris a few days before and Ming Ming was out promoting the BEGA league and her new album. It left Takao, Akane, Garland and Moses to beybattle against each other. He had paired off with Moses while Akane had partnered with Garland. He easily beat Moses who was still reflecting on his loss to Kai but Akane and Garland had managed to tie once again.
Akane would definitely go up in the rankings if she won more but everytime that Takao watched her battle, it was like she was holding back. He often wondered if BEGA had two secret weapons within its ranks instead of just one. Akane and Garland were called to Boris' office, leaving Takao to find something to do on his own. It was boring to hang around the building all by himself but where could he go that he wouldn't be recoginized by anyone? He decided to take a chance and went back to his room to change his clothes before he went out.
Akane had deemed a new look was in order for him after they had met in New York; claiming that his former attire had made him look childish. He needed to dress the part of a pro blader and not look like a scrawny kid. She had suggested that he would look good in the colour black. He thought the colour dark and depressing but surprisingly he did look good in it. He had exchanged his blue pants for a pair of black cargo pants that were loose. Akane had also insisted on a black t-shirt with the words 'Born to Blade' written in silver across the chest.
A pair of boots and a long black coat (think Matrix) topped off the outfit. Everyone had complimented his new style and said it suited him much better; even Boris said that it was an improvement over what he had looked like before. She had tried to talk him into getting an earring but Takao wouldn't have it or would grandpa approve when he saw it. She then suggested a navel piercing but he refused that torture as well. Brooklyn had told him how Akane had shrieked after having hers pierced.
Takao decided that he was going out but his plan was postponed when he reached the lobby. He stepped back into the hallway he had been walking down when he saw a mane of familiar red hair and heard a shout of "BORIS!" He recoginized the voice since it belonged to Yuriy. Bryan and Sergei were walking on either side of him. They tried to get past security but there was too many guards. Fortunately, Boris appeared on the upper level and looked down at them. Takao watched the exchange from a dark corner in the hallway he had taken refuge in.
"That is enough!" he ordered as security backed off. From his point of view, Takao saw that both Garland and Akane were with him. Garland was doing a Kai by standing back with his arms crossed against his chest and his eyes closed in a calm manner. Akane on the other side was looking down at the trio with curiosity. "Welcome Yuriy," Boris greeted with a smile on his face, "Bryan and Sergei too. It's been a long time since we have seen each other and I knew that it was only a matter of time before you came to see me. I'm flattered that you stopped by for a visit."
"We know that you are running a new scam, Boris," Yuriy stated, "and we have come to put a stop to it." "Are you refering to my new pro league?" Boris questioned, " I'd be happy if your team joined. I extend the offer that I gave Kai to you as well if you are interested. Your addition will only make my BEGA league stronger." "Forget it!" Bryan shouted with hatred.
"There isn't going to be a BEGA league much longer," Yuriy informed with a snarl, "we are not going to give you the opportunity to corrupt anymore beybladers." "Do they look corrupted to you?" Boris ask, motioning to Akane and Garland. "As long as you are involved," Yuriy continued, ignoring the teens, "nothing about this league can be trusted. There is an ulterior motive behind everything you do." "Can you not accept that I have changed?" Boris questioned, "I have turned over a new leaf and am helping beyblade get the recoginition and greatness that it deserves among the various sports."
"That is not going to work, Boris," Sergei added, "evil doesn't change; it just puts on a new face." "Bring us the strongest and most skilled beybladers that you have," Yuriy demanded, "and we will show you that we mean business." "Or maybe you don't want us to interrupt their ballet lessons," Bryan added with a smirk. Takao could hear Garland's chuckle from where he was standing. There was nothing wrong with practicing ballet to improve your beyblading skill. It was a good way of learning disclipse, flexibility and grace.
Boris agreed to their request as he, Akane and Garland walked away from the glass. Takao shrank back into the hallway and his face paled. He hoped that Boris wouldn't ask him to battle yet but he had a bad feeling that the Blitzkrieg Boyz were in for a beating. He watched as security escorted the Russians to a training room. Takao smiled as he ran in the opposite direction. He could watch the match from the balcony with Boris and the others without being seen. This was good.
Boris had selected three bladers for the battle and Takao had to hide a snort. They were not the strongest that BEGA had to offer. They were in the top 100 but nothing impressive when it came to power and skill. It seemed that Boris didn't want to give them a battle against one of the top ranked players yet. This was going to be interesting.
Takao watched from the back as Garland and Akane stayed by Boris' side. It was a three-on-three battle and as he figured, the Blitzkrieg Boyz were a lot stronger than the three BEGA bladers. If Boris had wanted to teach them a lesson, he should have sent Akane or Garland down to battle. Their training squad was virtually helpless against the Blitzkrieg Boyz. One blade was swallowed whole by Seaborg's Stramolyu, the second was shattered by Falborg's Strobilitz attack and the third was frozen solid by Novae Rogue.
Pieces of ice were sprayed even up to the balcony from Yuriy's attack. "I knew they would easily beat my training squad," Boris remarked when it was over, "but I underestimated their skill. I did a better job of training them than I remember." "We have been anticipating the day that we brought you down for good, Boris," Yuriy stated, "we have built up our strength and skill for this very moment. Even the World Championship tournament was merely a warm-up for this confrontation."
"Man, do they have it out for you," Garland observed with a raised eyebrow, "what did you do to them anyway?" "That is none of your concern," Boris reminded, "what is in the past is in the past. I have changed and that is all that matters." "Yeah, you are right," Garland added, "I guess it is none of my business what kind of person you were before. All that matters is who you are now." "But that won't stop the Blitzkrieg Boyz from destroying the BEGA league," Boris stated.
"We shall see," Garland muttered as he jumped over the ledge and gracefully landed on the floor below. Takao muttered the word, "Show off," that went unheard by those present. Akane was going to follow his lead but Boris put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. Garland was strong enough to take on the three of them without her or his help. Takao wanted to battle a Russian but it wasn't any of the three below. There was only one worthy enough of his attention.
"Are you boys ready for a real challenge?" Garland ask as he walked to the beydish. "Why? Are you our next challenge?" Bryan ask. "It is more than that," Boris replied, "if you can defeat Garland, I will do as you wish and dissolve the BEGA league." Takao was as stunned by his offer as the Blitzkrieg Boyz were. They had better not underestimate Garland or they would live to regret it.
The flip side to the coin was that if Garland beat the three of them, they would join BEGA. Of course they refused and would rather retire from beyblading than work for him again. Both Akane and Garland were stunned by that revelation. Who in their right mind would rather retire than participate in the extreme beybattles that Boris had promised them? Takao had to smile since he knew Boris' past unlike the others. He didn't blame Yuriy, Bryan and Sergei for their reluctance.
Yuriy was just going to leave but Bryan and Sergei were hesitate. "Wait," Garland called, "you have been kind enough to demonstrate your skill for me. How about I return the favor with a match against the two of you?" He had pointed to Bryan and Sergei. He even dared to take them both on at the same time.
That enraged the two Russians as Yuriy tried to stop them but with no luck. When their minds were set on something there was no reasoning with them. Bryan was the first to challenge Garland as he put his blade in his launcher. Garland had his own unique launcher that gave his blade more power since it tapped into his martial arts skill to help strengthen it. (A/N - I have no idea what you would call it.) They launched and the two blades hit in mid-air over the dish. Bryan's Falborg didn't stand a chance against Garland's Apollon as it was thrown back and hit off the side.
Garland's blade just dropped as though it had been hit by a piece of mere tissue paper. Sergei knew that his teammate was in trouble as he launched Seaborg to help. They were powerful but not strong enough to take down Garland, who was the number one ranked blader of the BEGA league. Takao should have been upset that the spot wasn't his but he was actually quite cool about it. He hadn't battled as many of the competitors in the building as Garland had.
At the moment, Sergei and Bryan were about to combine an attack, the door opened to admit Max, Kyoujyu, Daichi and Hillary. Right behind them was Kai. Takao paled even more and darted to the back of the balcony. He definitely didn't want to be seen by them. "Stramolyu!" Sergei called. "Stroblitz!" Bryan ordered and Garland didn't even break a sweat.
"Watch closely," Garland stated, calmly as he began to glow red, "and witness true power. Radiant Thunder!" There was a bright light and Takao was thankful for his sunglasses. When it faded, Bryan and Sergei had been thrown back from the beydish and their blades were practically melted by the one attack while Garland's Apollon was spinning perfectly in place. "How?" he heard Yuriy ask, "where did you get such power?"
Garland then challenged Yuriy to a battle and he was forced to accept for the honor of his injuried teammates. Several of their medics attended the two teens and took them to the infirmary. Garland stood there with his arms crossed but Boris had other plans and ask that the match be moved to the stadium that sat above the building. Some people would pay a great deal of money to watch a match of this quality as Ming Ming went on the air and fans began to flock to BEGA headquarters. Takao could hear the crowd filling the stands from where he now sat in the comfort of one of the locker rooms to watch the match.
He actually felt sorry for Yuriy since he was fairly certain of what would happen. Garland was going to be merciliess in this battle and he would wind up injuried if he was not careful. He had seen it happen before. His former teammates were there to give Yuriy support but they had no idea of what he was about to face. Garland wasn't your average blader and was ranked number one for a reason.
The door to the locker room opened to reveal Akane. "Are you going to watch the match in here by yourself?" she ask as he nodded, "don't you want to watch it in person?" "I want too," he admitted with a sigh, "but facing my former friends and teammates is another matter entirely. I'm afraid of what they might say." "Well, you are going to have to face them eventually," she lectured, "you might as well do it now instead of putting it off until later. The longer you wait, the harder it will get. I will be watching with the others if you need me."
"You have been hanging around Brooklyn too long," he remarked, cheekily, "you are beginning to sound like him." She laughed, patted his shoulder and kissed his cheek before she left him to his solitude. Takao briefly wondered where the others were. He knew for a fact that Brooklyn wouldn't attend the match. It was difficult to get him to do anything but lay around in the grass. Akane was the only one who could reason with him and sometimes he would listen to Garland when he threatened the use of force.
Mystel should return from wherever he had been sent at any given time, leaving only three of the top six to show their support for BEGA. Moses was standing near the beydish in the stadium along with Ming Ming to show their support for Garland. He really wanted to be there but he felt torn. He growled in frustration at the conflicting thoughts coming from his head and heart. His head won as he stayed in his seat and DJ Jazzman arrived. He was on the edge of his seat as his fingers tightly gripped the cushions waiting for the countdown. He hoped that his prediction about the match would be wrong.
Takao held his breath as DJ yelled, "3, 2, 1 - LET IT RIP!" The blades landed and circled the dish a few times but Yuriy made the first move. He went straight on the offensive but Garland didn't seem to mind. "I am not wrong," Takao muttered to himself as his eyes were glued to the screen, "for once I wish I was." Yuriy's attacks appeared to be hitting Garland's blade but in actuallity they were just missing their mark. Garland was in the mood to play with his prey.
At the rate Yuriy was going, he would wear himself out quickly and then Garland would make his move. He didn't waste any energy or effort until the time was right. If Yuriy wanted to win, he would have to do it fast and hard but Takao knew that he wasn't strong enough to bring down BEGA's top ranked blader. Garland then started to fight back and was pummeling Wolborg without any mercy. Yuriy unleashed Novae Rogue but the attack was unable to throw Apollon from the dish. Garland's blade was still in play as Yuriy went on the offensive again.
He used Novae Rogue for a second time but missed as Apollon slammed into Wolborg instead. Just as Wolborg was going to be thrown from the dish, a cage encased the stadium to keep it in. The battle would continue until only one blade was spinning. Takao knew that Boris was trying to make the battle entertaining since nothing spectacular had happened so far. The match was about to get ugly.
Takao could only watch as Yuriy got pummeled by Garland. He was sitting on the edge of his seat but his eyes would often turn away from the screen. He almost couldn't stand to watch a blader of Yuriy's caliber being beaten so badly. He could hear the crowd chanting Garland's name. His former friends and teammates didn't look too happy by what was happening. They were trying to give Yuriy some support but nothing they offered would help.
The match progressed until Yuriy got so weak he could barely stand on his own two legs. Max tried to put a stop to the match by placing a formal complaint to Boris but his words fell on deaf ears. The match would continue until one of the bladers fell and it was destined to be Yuriy. Watching this match was almost as bad as remembering his own defeat at Brooklyn's blade. Garland then decided to put an end to it by calling out Apollon and using Radiant Thunder.
There was a brilliant white light that threw Yuriy back from the platform. He landed on the floor as Apollon returned to his master's hand. Garland's single attack had annihilated the beystadium as debris was scattered around. Kai was the one who lifted Yuriy into his arms. He had been injuried more severely than Bryan or Sergei. Max, Kyoujyu, Daichi and Hiromi were standing near him as Takao noticed that Yuriy was saying something to them.
When Takao saw the grim expression on Kai's face, he knew what was about to happen. "BORIS!" Kai spat, leaving Yuriy with Hiromi as he turned to the man, who was smirking from his seat, "you knew this would happen! You allowed it to happen! Your BEGA organization is just a big scam and you are a crook just like you were before." "What I permitted was an extreme beybattle for the audience's enjoyment," Boris fired back, "as for the other, I have no idea what you are talking about."
"All these people are my witnesses, Boris," Kai shouted, "and I personally vow to bring you and your league down!" The audience was confused by Kai's challenge since they couldn't understandwhy the world champion refused to turn pro. Takao heard Kai issue his challenge from the locker room and Boris agreed to a match. The stakes were high; if the BEGA bladers won, Boris would turn beyblading into a professional sport. If he lost, then he would disappear and hand the reins back over to Mr. Dickerson. "I accept your challenge," Kai growled, signifying the moment that Takao had been dreading. They were officially on opposite sides.
He sighed sadly but knew that he needed to make an appearance to show support for his teammates. He had dreaded this moment for months and now it was finally upon him. His former team was busy tending to Yuriy that they didn't hear the footsteps echo from the tunnel. Mystel had returned from his mission to China to retrieve Rei. As expected, the Neko-jin joined Kai's side along with Max, Hiromi, Daichi and Kyoujyu.
He was lingering near the entrance so he saw Mystel jump down from the crowd to stand with Garland, Moses and Ming Ming. Kai was still glaring at Boris while the paramedics took Yuriy away. "You are going down, Boris!" Kai growled as the crowd went completely silent when Takao stepped out of the tunnel. It was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. "Kai, why do you always have to go and ruin a good thing?" Takao ask as everyone's eyes turned to him.
The expressions on his former friends' faces were classic. Their eyes were wide and their jaws had dropped to the floor. "Takao," Max whispered as he stared wide-eyed at his friend. "Where have you been?" Hiromi demanded, snapping out of her shock. "Where I belong," he said, simply as he walked to his new friends, "I am a member of BEGA. I joined the organization when I left New York."
"Didn't you see what happened to Yuriy?" Kyoujyu ask with shock as he dropped his laptop but was too stunned with Takao's sudden reappearance that he didn't notice. "He shouldn't have been so overconfident," Takao stated, smugly, "and attempt to take down the best thing that has happened to beyblading in a long time. Do any of you believe that you will fare better against us than he did?" Takao crossed his arms beside of Garland and kept calm. Losing his cool now would not help the situation. "I can't believe you joined with him," Kai hissed as he glared at his rival, "do you not remember what happened two years ago?"
"Yes, I remember," he replied as he glared at the other teen, "but I am willing to give people a second chance. I am really good at that if you remember correctly." He was referring to the incident at Lake Baikal when the ice broke and he had helped save his life. He had thrown aside his differences and would give anyone that same chance. Besides, Balkov had kept his word so far and acted like a changed man.
"Takao," Hitoshi called as he came down from the stands. Takao just glared at his older brother, who gasp when Akane appeared. She must have been watching the match beside of Boris since she had jumped down from where his chair sat. "Akane," he whispered in the silent arena, "don't tell me that you are a member of BEGA?" "Yes, I am," she replied with a smile, "I am the one who convinced Takao to join. Remember, I know from experience what it is like to have those you care about turn on you for their own selfish reasons."
She had singlehandedly pointed out the reason of why Takao had left. The former Bladebreakers looked shocked and hurt. They hadn't realized how much Takao had cared for them and how much it had hurt him for them to go their separate ways. Their reasons were a bit selfish because they all desired the title he had held. The meaning of friendship went deeper than a mere title and they knew then that they should have discussed their reasons for leaving before taking off in the manner they had.
Kai growled low in his throat as his fists clenched. He might have stormed over to them if Moses hadn't been standing there acting as both a barrier and bodyguard. The six of them made a pretty good team when it was required and he could think of no one else that he would want watching his back other than Akane. She had proven her loyalty and wouldn't turn on or leave him like the others. He had chosen his side and now would have to pay the consequences for it.
"If that is your choice," Kai stormed as he went back to the others, "then so be it." He stalked off down the corridor to go after Yuriy while the others took one last look at Takao. "We didn't turn on you," Max pleaded, "didn't we deserve a chance to win the title as well?" Takao's throat constricted and he wouldn't have been able to say anything even if he had wanted too. He turned away when the tears became visible in Max's eyes. It hurt too much to even look at him.
Max followed Kai down the tunnel and you could hear the echo of his sobs. "I didn't think that you would ever turn traitor, Takao," Rei remarked with his teeth bared, "you have made your choice so I will follow my heart. Obviously, you do not have one with the way you treated Max." He followed Max as Hiromi was growling with her fists clenched. She would have stormed over to the BEGA bladers if Daichi and Kyoujyu hadn't held her back. "How can you be so cruel?" she snapped with a vein protruding from her forehead.
"Come on," Daichi remarked with a cold glare aimed at Takao, "he is definitely not worth the effort." Daichi snarled at him as Kyoujyu just frowned. They pulled Hiromi with them, leaving Takao feeling utterly rejected and miserable. He almost went after them but remembered how he had been treated before. That left only Hitoshi standing on the opposite side of the beydish.
He looked at both of his siblings before he spoke. "I hope that you have made the right decision, Takao," he remarked, completely ignoring Akane since her mind was obviously made up, "I hope that being a pro blader is more important to you than your friends and family." He too walked down the tunnel as Takao's fist clenched but Akane grabbed his hand in her own. "Don't listen to them," she whispered as the crowd began to disperse and everyone was talking about the scene they had just witnessed, "now is not the time to let your emotions get the better of you. They have made their challenge and must follow their path like we must make our own. Only fate knows which of us will be victorious."
She smiled as he returned it weakly. He knew there was some truth in her words but why did it have to hurt so much? It felt like his heart had been ripped apart once again. He didn't think the pain would ever go away. He didn't know if he wanted it too since it was his only reminder that he was still human.
AS