Disclaimer - If you recoginize anything, then I do not own it.
Thank you to Minako Mikoto and bottlecaps for reviewing.
To Minako Mikoto - I take it that you are not a Hillary fan. I am not fond of her either. I like her about as much as I like Ming Ming and Mariah. As you are about to find out, Hillary is definitely not the fourth blader for G-Revolutions. I hope you like who I did choose.
To bottlecaps - thank you for the review and the compliments. I thought Akane's remark was funny as well.
Chapter Seven - Victory Slips Away
Before Takao realized it, they were sitting on their bench in the stadium awaiting the arrival of G-Revolutions. He couldn't believe how calm and collected Akane was at such a pivotal moment. She was sitting with her legs crossed on the bench in a deep meditative state like Rei had been before his match with Brooklyn. Speaking of which, he couldn't believe that Brooklyn had joined them on the bench. He had figured that the ginger-haired blader would have prefered spending the day in the park somewhere since he had all ready won his battle.
He guessed that he was here to show his support for Akane. Takao didn't think he would have shown up for anyone else. That and he had heard about the argument the two had yesterday evening. Brooklyn had not been very happy with him since it had concerned the vision that he had shared with him. Takao had apologized to the older blader but he was still snubbing him since it had gotten him into trouble with his future girlfriend.
"It is Day 2 of the Justice 5 tournament," DJ Jazzman announced, "G-Revolutions is down two to zero and need to win today to draw even. Can they win against the best that BEGA has to offer? If not, their days of beyblading may be over. The question of the day is where is G-Revolutions? And who is their fifth blader?"
The bench on the other side of the stadium floor was empty. "Any thoughts on who Kai chose?" Garland ask as Takao opened his eyes from his brief moment of reflection. He looked toward the section in the stands where the other bladers were sitting but it gave him no clue to who would be blading. He saw someone in a pink hawaiian shirt, waving at him from where he was sitting next to Rick, who had been Max's partner in the world tournament. "Yo homeboy!" he was shouting over the cheering fans, "and homegirl!"
"Akane, we have a fan," he remarked with a tinge of laughter, "grandpa is here." Akane cracked open an eye and looked toward where he was motioning. She smiled brightly and waved back at him. "Is that your grandfather?" Brooklyn ask as his eyes turned to the elderly man. "He is our father's father," Takao replied, glad that he was on speaking terms with the master of Zeus again, "our maternal grandfather, Ojiisan Masoe, is too busy to come to the matches and he wouldn't act or dress like Grandpa Ryu."
"He seems to be quite the character," Brooklyn mused with a smile. "You don't know the half of it," Takao murmured so quietly that Brooklyn was the only one who heard and laughed from it. Their attention turned to the other side of the stadium since they could see movement from the tunnel. "Good Afternoon everyone, Brad Best with AJ Topper here," he said from the booth, "and I think Kai is making his way into the stadium." "That's right, Brad," AJ replied as Kai appeared with Rei, Max, Daichi, Kyoujyu, Hitoshi and Hiromi behind him, "but we still don't have a clue to who is going up against Akane."
"They still haven't chosen a fifth blader," Garland remarked since all they saw was the seven of them, "I guess you will be battling Kai, Akane." "Get ready boys and girls," DJ yelled, "the competition has arrived and Kai is in no mood to lose." "He doesn't look in the mood for anything," Brad remarked with a laugh, "but Boris seems to be in a very good mood." "Who can blame him?" AJ added, "his team has dominated G-Revolutions and is sending out their 1st and 4th ranked bladers today. He has a right to be in a good mood."
"I see that you finally made it," Akane remarked as she stood up, "can we just get this over with? I'm ready to battle" "Yes, I made it," Kai said, smugly, "but I am not the one you are going to be battling, Kinomiya. I have chosen our fifth blader." He pointed to the tunnel where only an outline of a figure could be seen at first. "Hokey Dinah!" Brad exclaimed as they recoginized him first, "I don't believe my eyes!"
"This is unreal!" DJ announced as the BEGA bladers took in a collective breathe. "This is an unexpected turn of events, Brad," AJ added as the stadium went silent, "Yuriy Ivanov was injuried during a previous demo match against Garland of the BEGA bladers. It seems that he has made a full recovery and is out for a bit of revenge." "I would have never expected Kai to choose his tag team partner," Brad continued, "and what a choice for G-Revolutions. They needed a fifth blader and they hit the jackpot with Yuriy."
"I see that you didn't learn your lesson the first time," Garland remarked as Yuriy growled and clenched his fist tightly. Takao for once in his life was speechless. He didn't think that Kai would choose Yuriy since their entire future was riding on the outcome of their first match of the day. He had lost to them once before and here he was again; ready to prove himself to the world. "The G-Revolutions have selected Yuriy as their fifth beyblader," DJ announced, "and according to Kai, Yuriy will be up against Akane in the fourth round."
"Well, let's go," Hiromi snapped, "or are all you BEGA brats too scared to finish the tournament?" "I would hold my tongue, Hiromi," Akane replied, cooly, "Yuriy is the one who lost to Garland before and you have no right to talk when you don't even know how to beyblade. Are you just their cheerleader because you don't seem capable of anything else?" Takao had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing outloud as Hiromi's eyes nearly bulged from her head. Rei and Max had to restrain her from coming to their bench and pummeling his older sister.
"I don't want to battle Akane, Garland," Yuriy snapped, his eyes burning with a fury, "It is you who I want." "It seems that Yuriy has laid down the gauntlet and challenged Garland to a rematch!" DJ shouted, "will the captain of Team BEGA take the challenge? We remember what happened the last time these two tangled and it wasn't at all pretty." "It is your choice, Garland," Akane stated, looking at their captain, "do you want to battle him or would you rather leave him to me?" "He won't blade anyone but me," Garland replied as he rose from the bench, "I guess it is time to teach him a lesson once and for all."
Round Four - Garland vs. Yuriy
G-Revolutions went to their bench as Yuriy walked up the steps to the platform. "Good luck, Garland," Takao commented, "I think you are going to need it." He was referring to the look on Yuriy's face since he looked as stubborn and determined as the three bladers had before him. "I don't need luck, Takao," Garland stated with a stern expression, "I am the number one ranked blader in BEGA. If I can't beat someone of Yuriy's skill and level, I don't deserve to be the captain of this team."
Garland walked to the platform as Takao's eyes narrowed. Akane sat back down on the bench and was urging Garland on to victory. "It looks like he will get all the glory instead of me," she remarked, then added, softly, "thank Kami." Only Takao heard that last remark as he turned to look at his sister to see a look of relief on her face. "Our first match of the day pits Garland of the BEGA bladers against Yuriy of G-Revolutions," DJ announced, "and what dish is worthy of such a battle?"
The platform retracted to reveal a miniature model of a Shaolin temple. "They will be blading in the Combat Temple," Brad said from the booth, "It is fashioned after the famous Shaolin temples in Tibet, where mind and spirit become one." "Oddly enough it reminds me of Garland," AJ remarked, "I sometimes wonder about these stadiums and if they have been made for each specific BEGA blader." "Well there is no rule against it," Brad added, "do you think it is a smart move for G-Revolutions to send out Yuriy for this battle? Is he fit and strong enough to blade against Garland after what happened to him during last month's demo match?"
"We all know that Yuriy is out for revenge for his first loss to Garland," AJ stated, "I too wonder if he is strong enough to battle but you have to figure that Kai knows something we do not." Takao's eyes darted to their bench to see several of the team was looking nervous with the exception of Kai and Hitoshi. They looked oddly at ease while the rest of G-Revolutions looked uptight. It was obvious that they hadn't all agreed on the blader for the fourth round. Hitoshi met his gaze and smirked slightly as Takao frowned. He was wondering what his big brother was up too.
"Are you ready?" DJ shouted, "3, 2, 1 - LET IT RIP!" Their blades were launched into the stadium and the battle began. It started off as a repeat of their first clash as Yuriy went on the attack from the start. "Looks like someone got a new toy," Brooklyn remarked as their eyes turned to the vid screen. Yuriy's Wolborg had been destroyed in their first match and he too was using one of their new hard metal beyblades.
"Is that blade going to make any difference?" Akane ask, "Garland beat him before. None of their blades have given them an advantage in any of their matches so the outcome of this battle is going to be the same." It seemed that way to Takao but something about Yuriy wasn't adding up. Was he foolish enough to stick to his previous strategy and battle Garland like he had before? One of their hard metal beyblades wasn't going to make any difference if they were relying solely on it during the battle. They may have been powerful but not enough to actually win a match yet.
"Is that the best you can do, Yuriy?" Garland teased with a smirk as AJ and Brad commented on G-Revolution's obvious mistake of trusting Yuriy to battle in the fourth round, "you shouldn't have challenged me if you were only going to use your same old boring moves. Didn't you learn anything from our previous match?" Yuriy's teeth grind together as his brow furrowed in concentration. He didn't look the least bit affected by Garland's words. He still seemed confident about his chances at victory.
"This is boring," Akane remarked as she stifled a yawn. She had been around Brooklyn for so long that she was beginning to act like him. Takao didn't think the match was that. Sure it was all Garland so far but Yuriy seemed to be stronger than he had before. During the demo match, he had tired easily but now he seemed pumped full of adrenaline. This match was far from over.
"Apollon climb!" Garland ordered as his blade shot up the side of the temple and was spinning contently on the roof. Yuriy growled and ordered Wolborg to follow. Takao knew that it was a diversionary tactic by Garland to make the match more interesting but Yuriy surprised him. Wolborg went flying into the air and then slammed into the yellow beyblade. The force of the impact sent debris everywhere and sent Apollon flying onto another part of the roof. Even Garland let out a surprised breathe since Wolborg hadn't shown such power moments before.
"I've been anticipating this battle for a month, Garland," Yuriy stated with a slight smirk on his face, "I have trained hard for this rematch and improved my stamina. I am not going to let Boris win and control the sport that I love. I am going to keep the vow I made a month before and bring you down. I will beat you, Garland. Wolborg, Aurora Beam!" (A/N - Sorry, couldn't think of a good attack & I was playing pokemon moments before.)
A blast of icy air erupted from the stadium that was colder than the winds on the Siberian tundra. It engulfed Apollon as a brilliant flash of multicoloured light followed. Everyone thought the match was over but Apollon landed in the stadium and was still spinning. Takao saw the blade wobble slightly when it landed. That had been a very powerful attack and he knew then that there was more to come.
Then it all clicked in Takao's head. He now understood the power behind the HMS blades. They used a blader's emotions. The more powerful the emotion, the stronger the blade was. Yuriy was fueling Wolborg with his anger and rage.
Garland was powerful; one of the best that BEGA had to offer but he didn't have the beyblading spirit that Yuriy did. Takao knew then what would eventually happen. He tried to swallow but the spit was stuck in the middle of his throat. He heard Akane shouting encouragement to Garland who looked furious. Garland then went on the attack, using his training in the martial arts and kickboxing to attack his opponent.
Takao could only watch with fascination as Yuriy dodged some of the moves. He didn't take as many hits as he did before. He had to stifle a laugh since he recoginized some of them. It was obvious then that Yuriy had taken a few of Grandpa Ryu's kendo lessons. Yuriy's determination was inspiring as the BEGA bench was silent with awe. The G-Revolution bench was a different story since they were all standing and cheering with the exception of Kai and Hitoshi.
Takao didn't think that even Garland's family principles could save the youngest Tzebult now. Yuriy was possessed and Garland actually looked worried. One of his roundhouse kicks had little effect as Yuriy blocked the force of most of it. No wonder Hitoshi had smirked at him earlier. Yuriy was performing magnificiently and getting the crowd on his side. If he fell down, he simply got back up again. Nothing could keep him down and Takao could tell by Garland's stance that he was getting frustrated with the Russian.
Apollon had regained some of his strength as the ballet had to end. "I tire of this game, Yuriy," Garland stated, coldly as he began to glow red, "I think it is time to end this. Apollon, Radiant Thunder!" "Wolborg, Aurora Beam!" Yuriy countered as the white wolf emerged. Both of attacks struck at the same time, creating a bright light that blinded everyone in the stadium.
Like in Brooklyn's match with Rei earlier, everyone tried to shield their eyes. Takao kept an eye on the dish because he wanted to see the outcome. His eyes finally adjusted to the light to see that both Yuriy and Garland were standing on their prospective platforms awaiting the outcome just like everyone else. The light got brighter but then the sound of one beyblade smashing into another alerted him to what was happening in the dish. Apollon struck Wolborg and by using the last bit of his strength, Yuriy managed to repel the yellow blade.
Apollon went flying from the dish and landed near Takao's foot as everyone's mouth had nearly dropped to the floor on BEGA's bench. Even Brooklyn looked surprised by the outcome. "Unbelievable!" Brad shouted, "Apollon has been knocked clear out of the dish!" "It's all over!" DJ announced, "Yuriy has won the battle!" "What an incredible win for Kai's team," AJ added.
"Yes, this is a major upset for the BEGA bladers!" Brad added, "Yuriy against all odds beat Garland, who was ranked as the best blader in the BEGA organization. This is incredible! I have never seen such a comeback in my entire life! It makes you wonder what the next match is going to be like!" Yuriy held out his hand as Wolborg returned to it.
He walked down the steps to be swamped by Rei, Max, Hiromi, Daichi and Kyoujyu. Kai and Hitoshi had remained on the bench. Kai's mask of indifference was on his face but Hitoshi was smirking at them. Takao frowned as he heard Akane gasp. "Garland lost?" she remarked, softly, "how did that happen?"
Takao didn't know what to say as Garland walked down the steps and came toward them. He had lost to someone he had brutally beaten before. Garland didn't look at anyone as his eyes focused upon Apollon. He bent down to pick up the beyblade, sighed sadly and then headed to the hallway without a word to anyone. "That was incredible," Mystel remarked after he had left and the fans were celebrating Yuriy's victory, "I didn't think that Garland could lose."
Takao noticed that Boris had disappeared from his seat as well. His stomach did backflips when he thought about his reaction to the loss. He had wanted G-Revolutions to make it more interesting but he hadn't wanted them to win like this. Yuriy's win had probably inspired Kai as Takao glanced at his sister. Akane was pale as death and looked as sick as he felt.
"I can't believe that Garland lost," Akane murmured as they stood or sat in the locker room. She had been calm before the fourth match but now that the whole tournament was riding on her shoulders, she was terrified. If she lost, Boris would put all the blame on her. "Akane, calm down," Takao suggested, "you are getting worked up over nothing. Just relax please."
"Are you telling me to relax?" she snapped, her eyes glowing with anger, "In fifteen minutes, I am going to be facing Kai and you are telling me to simply relax!" She started to pace again and mumbling to herself. "There is no way that I will win," she murmured as she shook her head no, "what in the world was I thinking? Garland was suppose to battle Kai; not me. I can't accomplish what is expected of me."
"Do you think I should slap her?" Takao ask as he looked at his older sister, "that might bring her back to her senses." "I don't know if anything would work now," Brooklyn admitted with his own shrug, "but even I was surprised by Garland's loss. It was quite unexpected." They hadn't seen Garland since he had been called to Boris' office after his battle. Takao knew that Boris was not happy about this development.
Speaking of which, Garland entered the room at that precise moment. "Akane," he stated, "BEGA's victory now rests on your shoulders." "I know," she replied, softly and with an uneasy sigh. "How was your meeting with Boris?" Takao inquired with interest and wanting to see if his hunch was right. "Let's just say that he is not in a good mood," Garland replied, darkly, "I don't even want to think about what will happen if Akane somehow loses. It's all up to you."
"Don't remind me," she ranted, "I'm under enough pressure as is. This isn't fair. Takao should be the one battling Kai; not me. Why did I have to agree to this? Why did I want to compete? BEGA's entire future is on my shoulders."
Garland's face hardened from her hysteria. Unlike Takao, Brooklyn and Mystel, who hadn't wanted to touch her, he didn't have a problem with it. The resounding slap was so loud that you probably heard it all the way to Boris' office. Akane put a hand to her red cheek and her eyes narrowed at Garland. "You are a BEGA blader," he stated, simply, "behave like one; not like some hysterical fangirl. If you weren't capable of challenging Kai, you wouldn't be here. It's that simple and you don't see me lamenting over my loss."
The room went silent as the three boys on the sofa looked at their captain and teammate. They expected Akane to yell at Garland for the action but she did not. She lowered her head with a sigh. "I know what I have to do," she stated, softly, "I will try my best." "That is all I ask," Garland added with a smile, "you can do it, Akane. Just believe in yourself for me."
He tenderly stroked her uninjuried cheek as Takao heard a growl eminent from Brooklyn's throat. His eyes were locked on the two and Takao recoginized the look of possessiveness in his eyes. "I am not interested in her in that way, Brooklyn," Garland reminded, snapping Akane out of her revelry, "she is a good friend; nothing more." It was obvious that he too had overheard the argument of the previous evening. "I am not a piece of property that you own," Akane snapped with a smile so they all knew she was teasing. It seemed that Brooklyn was finally responding to her affection for him. All the other three boys could think as the two looked intently at each other was 'it is about time!'
Round Five - Akane vs. Kai
Takao found himself swallowing nervously as they returned to the stadium. Everyone on the BEGA bench was nervous about the upcoming match since they knew it was going to be quite intense. As they sat down, Takao saw Akane's eyes drift toward Boris' seat. The chairman's gaze was a mixture of badly concealed anger and fury. Akane swallowed nervously as Takao put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She turned to him with a nervous smile. The red mark that now marred her fair features was definitely going to leave a bruise. It had been the only way to calm her when she had nearly gotten hysterical in the locker room. "It is time for the final match of the Justice 5 tournament!" DJ greeted, "will Akane be able to finish this tournament as it started off with a win like her brother and bring the ultimate victory to the BEGA league? Or will Kai show the world what a true champion is made of?"
"Kai is a veteran when it comes to beyblading," AJ continued, "but the BEGA bladers have proven that they are definitely not pushovers. Not much is known about the older sister of former world champion Takao but I hear that she is one wicked blader when in the beydish. She is ranked fourth in the BEGA standings but is a virtual unknown. I'm looking forward to seeing how she handles the power and skill of the current world champion. Where did Boris find all of these sensational bladers?"
"Well if she is anything like some of the others," Brad remarked, "then we are in for a exciting final match today, folks. Your eyes had not better leave your television sets since there is going to be war on the stadium floor." Akane's eyes nervously looked toward Kai, who stepped forward from the other side of the platform. Akane jumped up from the bench as she secured her launcher on her arm. "I wish you the best of luck," Takao remarked as she smiled weakly and strode to the beydish and thought, "you are definitely going to need it."
"And here is the dish," DJ Jazzman stated as the floor disappeared to reveal the beystadium, "this one is called Mount Olympus. The high mountain peak with the ruins gives us a glimpse of what the true Olympus may have looked like. The forest below the sacred mountain is dense and treacherous. This is one tricky dish." "DJ has nailed it right on the head, AJ," Brad offered as the two combatants stepped onto their platforms, "speed and power is not going to matter with this dish. It is going to come down to maneuvering, technique and being able to turn on a dime. This is got to be the toughest stadium that I have ever laid my eyes on."
"What was Boris smoking when they designed that dish?" Takao mused with an astonished sigh, "there is absolutely no room to maneuver in it." "He created that dish especially for Akane," Garland informed, "her evasive skills are superior to everyone else's. She'll be able to handle the dish. She will be able to dance around the trees with no problem. That is her specialty."
Kai did not look at all happy with the dish but masked his emotions. Akane smiled as she put her blade in the launcher. "Are we ready?" DJ ask as the two nodded, "3, 2, 1 - LET IT RIP!" The two blades went flying as Akane's landed on the top of the mountain. It was sitting on top of a structure that reminded everyone of the Parthenon in Athens.
Dranzer had landed in a small clearing in the trees and spun perfectly in place. "Don't you want to play, Hiwatari?" Akane teased, having regained some of her former confidence, "or are you too scared to face a true god?" "You BEGA brats talk too much," Kai snapped as he gave her a cold glare, "I didn't come here to talk but to battle. Dranzer attack!" His beyblade emerged from the trees to scale the mountain where Akane was just sitting in place.
Dranzer MS picked up speed during his ascent and flew into the air. It seemed that Kai was going to try to dive bomb Akane as his descent made Dranzer spin even faster. Before you knew it, Dranzer slammed into the temple as the debris scattered. Many thought he had hit his mark but Takao had seen Akane move her blade at the last possible moment. She wouldn't be pile drived so easily.
Kai growled in annoyance since he had knew that he missed. Akane's blade appeared on the ground in front of the temple as Dranzer broke free from the debris and darted toward her. Her blade easily evaded the other and continued to dodge like Brooklyn had done in the qualifier. Takao had to give his sister credit, she was good at evasion and turning. He had never seen anyone move their blade so fast in response to their opponent's move.
Her blade danced around the temple ruins and trees with little problem. Kai wasn't as light on his feet since his blade brought several of the trees down upon the two of them. "I have never seen her battle so well," Takao murmured with awe as Brooklyn's attention turned to him, "she is a great blader." "You haven't seen anything yet, Takao," Garland added with a smirk, "she has yet to call out her bit beast or one of her special attacks. I don't think you have seen her blade used to its full potential. She only used a minimal amount of her power at the qualifying tournament."
Takao wasn't as certain of Akane's victory like Garland. Sure she was quite quick and strong but something was missing from her blading style. He saw Brooklyn's brow furrow as he watched. He wondered what the ginger-hair was thinking as he looked toward their teammate. This battle was going to be a lengthy one if their performance so far was any indication.
"May I inquire what you are thinking?" he ask as the ginger-hair turned toward him, "have you had a vision of this battle?" "I have," Brooklyn admitted, quietly, "but for some odd reason it is gone. I thought for certain that Akane would win but there is something about Kai that is making me doubt my assumption." "He knows that he has to win or it is over," Takao noted, "they don't have another option. He is fighting with a passion that I haven't seen before. He is so focused."
"I know," Brooklyn admitted with a sigh, "I'm kind of glad that I bladed in the second round. I don't know if even I could win against Kai and I have never been beaten." There was a loud explosion from the beydish as Akane's blade had slammed Dranzer into one of the buildings. Takao felt the floor beneath them shake slightly. "Just how powerful is she?" he wondered as his eyes turned to a very confident Akane.
Kai was stronger and Takao knew it had to do with his hard metal beyblade but his attacks were useless against Akane if he couldn't hit her. Her speed was almost as fast as Rei's Driger MS had been during his own battle but speed had not fared too well against the master of games. Takao took a moment to look at G-Revolution's bench. Only Yuriy and Hitoshi seemed calm about Kai's skill and power while the other five appeared to be on pins and needles. They kept saying something to Kai, who simply ignored them and focused his attention on the match.
Takao was half-hoping that Kai did win. He certainly deserved too after Yuriy had pulled off such a spectacular upset over Garland. If that happened, they would tie and the matter would still be unresolved. Then it would probably go to one final match where the winner took all. The ground shook again as another of the buildings was reduced to rubble by one of Akane's slams.
It seemed that as the match progressed, she was getting more confident. Takao hoped that she didn't get too cocky and concentrated on the battle. If her attention slipped, it was questionable if she would win. "I thought you were the world champion," she teased as Takao groaned. Making Kai even more angry was not very bright. He would simply come at her with even more power.
Takao was about to jump up and tell Akane to shut up but was pulled down by Brooklyn, who shook his head no. "She has to do this her way," he reminded, "if she is destined to lose, there is nothing that we can do about it." Takao was about to ask the youth what he meant by that but Kai growled in frustration and anger and started to glow. Takao swallowed nervously as he watched Kai regain his strength and passion. "I will not let you win!" he shouted, "BEGA has to be taken down! I will not let Boris control the sport that I love!"
"Whatever happened to the quiet, sulky Kai?" Takao mused as his eyes sparkled with amusement, "I could irritate him to no end and not a word would pass those lips of his except his trademark 'hmph'. I think I prefer the old sullen Kai to the new improved one." His eyes were focused on the captain of G-Revolutions who was now on equal footing with his sister since he had gotten use to the dish. He was fighting back and they seemed to be drawing even. The dish was being destroyed by their attacks on each other.
Akane would slam Kai's blade and he would return the attack with one of his own. The longer this battle wore on, the more uncertain Takao was about his sister's chances at giving BEGA the victory. It was like Kai was toying with her. Dranzer sent Akane's blade flying that it nearly left the dish. It hit the platform she was standing on and bounced back onto the dirt of the forest floor. Akane frowned and glared from the move as Kai had a slight smirk on his face.
Takao was surprised to see that she was losing her temper. She never lost her temper and often chastised him for behaving in such a way. "I tire of this game," she growled with frustration as her blade shot forward and slammed Dranzer back toward Kai, "why are you so intent on winning?" His blade hit the platform he was standing on as well as his crimson orbs were burning with an intensity that Takao had never seen. He thought he could actually see flames blazing within them.
"I have to win this match!" Kai shouted, "because beyblading means more to me than you will ever understand! Most of you have the power and skill to compete but not the spirit! You care more about money and sponserships than you do the sport itself." "How do you know how I feel?" Akane demanded, "I care about the sport just as much as you. I want to see it taken to the next level and that is what Boris has done."
"He can't be trusted," Kai snapped, "and I know that for a fact." Kai began to glow red and gold as Takao held his breathe. It seemed like that he was about to call out his bit beast. "Dranzer Attack!" he yelled as the blade shot forward and struck Akane's black and silver blade with such force that it sent it skyward. He was surprised that Akane didn't look upset by what had just happened. In fact, why was she smiling?
"What the-?" Takao began as Akane chuckled lightly. "Not bad," she replied with a smile, "so you want to pit fire against fire? That is fine by me. Ares, I summon you forth!" It was like her blade stopped in mid-air as a neigh could be heard coming from it. The bit chip lit up as her bit beast emerged.
Takao was speechless since he had never seen him before. Like the teammates, her bit beast came from Greek mythology. Brooklyn possessed Zeus, the King of the Gods. Garland had Apollon, the God of Light & Truth. Mystel had Poseidon, the Lord of the Sea. Ming Ming had Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and it seemed that Akane had control of the God of War.
When her bit beast emerged so did Dranzer in all of her glory. If Takao thought Zeus had been frightening, he didn't know what to consider Ares. His sister's bit beast was a black pegasus with a silver mane, a horn like that of a unicorn and the tail of a serpent ready to strike. Instead of having a normal saddle and bridle, his was armor and his coat had blood splattered all over it that glistened in the light. His eyes were burning red with fire as he stood off against the fiery phoenix.
Kai was still glowing the colours of his bit beast as Akane was now glowing silver. "It looks like this match is about to come to an end," DJ yelled as Brad and AJ were remarking something from the booth. Takao couldn't hear what they were saying since the noise from the match was drowning them out. "Dranzer, Spiral Fireball!" Kai ordered as his beyblade began to glow red and gold. It then shot forward as Akane yelled, "Ares, Flames of Fury!"
The resounding impact shook the entire stadium and blinded everyone. A dust cloud emerged from the dish as the two forces of nature fought one another with an intensity that Takao had never seen from either of them. Both of them wanted to win at all cost and the battle had been spectacular. When the light dimmed, both Kai and Akane were still standing on their respective platform eyeing the other. A small smile graced Akane's lips as the two bit beasts returned to their blades and collided one last time in mid-air.
Takao watched as Akane's blade was thrown from the dish and landed in front of Garland. She didn't seem upset by her loss as Dranzer landed in the stadium. "Akane's blade is out!" DJ announced, "Kai is the winner of the final match. The tournament is now tied!" "What an unbelievable match!" AJ added, "that was one heck of a battle. Both of the bladers should be proud by the way they fought today. The crowd loved it!"
Akane turned away from the dish and started to walk down the steps as the crowd cheered Kai. "Kinomiya," Kai called from across the dish where G-Revolutions were celebrating in a very undiginified way. Akane turned back to the world champion, who had a small smile on his face. "You fought well," he remarked as Takao's jaw nearly dropped from the compliment, "maybe we can battle again sometime." "I would like that," she replied as the smile returned to her face.
Kai nodded his head and walked down the steps to be glomped by his teammates. Akane walked slowly down the steps and faced Garland first. "You fought as well as any of us," he remarked, handing Ares back to her, "we are proud of the way you battled." "I just wish I had won," she muttered, "I knew that he was going to win when both of our bit beasts were called out but I poured everything into Ares that I had. I can only imagine what Boris' reaction will be."
From the mention of his name, Takao's eyes darted to his chair. Boris definitely wasn't happy but was concealling his rage pretty well. He wouldn't show it in a stadium in front of a crowd of fans but he had a feeling that they would be hearing from him very soon. He dreaded the thought of facing the chairman. He had been nice to them so far with only mild harsh remarks but he had a feeling that the 'old' Boris was going to return. The others were about to see the true face of Boris Balkov and he wondered if his teammates would think so highly of him after then.
AS