Chapter 22------ Runaway Levian
"But we can't prevent Mai from being discovered. Everyone will find out sooner or later… All we can do now is be careful and protect her as much as we can." Kai finished.
"Protect who?" Hilary emerged from her room.
'Uh oh…' The five of them thought simultaneously…
The group exchanged nervous glances.
"C'mon! Tell me, protect who?" Hilary cocked her head to the side, demanding an answer.
"Uhh…protect you!" Max clapped his hands together. "That's right; China has very bad weather during this time."
"Yeah! A lot of rain! Cold weather!" Mai chipped in. "Very bad for your health." She shook her head.
Hilary raised an eye brow; they were acting weird…
"So that's why, our dear trainer has to stay indoors to protect herself."
"Yeah, we don't want you to get sick." Rei stood up. "So you just run along to your room now and get a good night's rest." The neko-jin pushed Hilary towards her room.
"Hey, cho— chotto! (Hey, now wait a minute)."
"Good night Hilary!" The others called from the living room as Rei slammed the door. He signalled for Mai to give him a chair which he wedged in between the door knob to prevent Hilary from coming out.
"Hey! Let me out! –bangs on the door- You guys are hiding something! –bangs more- Let me out! Let! Me! Out! –Bang bang bang-
"Tsk!" Mai opened the door.
"You guys are hiding something! Tell me now or I'll— ouff…" Hilary felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and fell unconscious into Mai's arms.
"There." Mai smiled.
"You! You just— " Tyson switched glances at both girls, he was speechless!
"Shhhh. Let's just hope she doesn't remember all this tomorrow." She grinned at the boy and dragged Hilary to her bed…
-Next day-
"Ohaiyou! (Gd morning)" Mai lifted her free hand to wave at Hilary while her other hand stirred a cup of hot chocolate.
The brunette dragged her bedroom slippers across the carpet and into the kitchenette, rubbing her eyes. She cracked her neck and rubbed it.
"Something wrong?" Mai faked her concern though she new perfectly well what was wrong with Hilary. But that was her little secret.
"I don't quite know, but when I woke up this morning, my neck started to ache." Hilary pulled out a chair and sat herself down. Mai passed her the hot chocolate.
"Thanks. Must be my sleeping position last night…" She blew at the steaming hot chocolate and took a sip.
"Yup, probably was." 'She doesn't remember!' Mai was smiling on the inside.
"So! About that training! Five laps around the hotel, then it's off to the gym and then—"
"The guys aren't even awake yet… How can you make me do those things by myself?"
"Don't be silly, I'll go wake them." Hilary got up and stormed into each of the rooms, yelling for the boys to wake up.
"Argh! Go away Hilary!" Mai heard Max yell.
"GET YOUR SLEEPY BUTTS OUTTA BED THIS INSTANT!"
"TYSON! NO BREAKFAST TILL YOU FINISH YOUR TRAINING!"
"WHAT!" The boy jolted awake.
Outside, Mai listened to the racket and sighed, 'What a way to spoil the morning…'
-Fast forward to Hanshin Beystadium-
"Too –pant- tired…Gonna –pant- faint soon…" Mai forced her already exhausted body to carry on running.
"Woah!" Mai fell off the treadmill and lay sprawled on the ground. "Itaii..." Her chest was heaving heavily.
"You alright?" Hilary's face appeared above her.
Mai pulled herself up and sat cross-legged, "Why –pant- do I have to –pant- run so much? -pant pant-"
"You need to build up your stamina. The rest have trained for a long time, so you have to catch up." She replied.
"And THEY get to beyblade while I'm stuck here exercising my ass off?" Mai pointed accusingly at the blade breakers.
The gym and the training hall were side by side. Mai watched her team through the glass panel separating the two rooms. "They look so professional…"
"Correction, they ARE professionals. You're looking at the World Champion team of 2004!" Hilary informed.
"World Champion? No way! No wonder they're so good." Mai watched enviously at Tyson as he battled Kai. Their bit beasts were magnificent! So powerful, so strong, so determined…
But then…she realised, "…I don't think I deserve to be with such a good team…I mean… they're all so good! And I'm just…well I'm just a beginner at this kind of thing…"
The brunette walked up to her and patted her shoulder, "Hey, it's alright. With practice you'll get better. Tell you something?" Hil grinned.
"What?"
"Would you believe that Tyson is the World Champ?"
"TYSON! The World Champ?" Mai was shocked. 'A buffoon like Tyson is the World Champ? You gotta be kidding!'
"It's true." Hilary nodded and turned to look at Tyson. "Though he may be an idiot and perpetually hungry, he has a lot of determination. That guy can really go far if he wants to."
Mai watched as Kai chased a panic-stricken Tyson around the room, water bottle in hand. 'So Tyson isn't just a pig after all.' Mai had seen a new light to Tyson.
"Maybe one day you'll be just like him. Till then, don't give up, ne? C'mon, let's go join them."
Mai took Hilary's hand and allowed her to pull her up. The both of them walked out the door, only to have Tyson slam right into Hilary.
"Hilary! Cover me!" The bluenette hid behind Hilary for protection.
"Cheh." Kai dropped the water bottle and gave Tyson the I'll-get-you-later look before taking his place beside Rei.
"Mai, it's your turn." Kenny looked up form his laptop.
Mai nodded and stepped on the raised platform where the beydish was. Rei stood across her, launcher ready in hand.
"3, 2, 1! LET IT RIP!"
-Clash clash zoom zoom (Levian! Artic flare!) clash bang (Drigger! Tiger claw!) zoom clash ching ching (Evade!) zoom ching ching bang (No!)- (blu: sorry but just use your imagination guys, too lazy to describe the whole battle scene. It's hard you know…)
The crystal blade drilled into the ground and came to a stop. Mai ran to it and picked it up, brandishing it with her t-shirt. 'You alright Lev?'
Levian: Yeah, a few scratches from Drigger but I think I can manage
'That's good.'
"Mai, come look at your statistics." Kenny called.
The girl walked over and looked at the screen. A lot of funny bars and numbers filled the screen with a three-dimensional model of Levian in the left corner.
"Explanation please?" Mai had the word 'confused' plastered all over her face.
Dizzi: Gladly! Based on the stats, you've improved form your previous battle with Max but you haven't reached your full potential. In fact, it isn't even half of what you're capable of!
"Then that means Mai still has so much power left?" Rei was shocked. That battle was hard enough; and that wasn't even her full potential? What was this girl capable of?
Dizzi: Well that's what it seems. Some how Levian is able to store and control all that power, a normal bit beast would've gone berserk.
"It's not Lev…it's because of Eden. Remember that time? When you guys were trapped in that glass tank, I battled Diego and Levian changed into this angel form? That was because of Eden, all that power came from Eden…"
Suddenly, a voice sounded in Mai's head.
Levian: So you think I'm not strong enough?
He sounded angry. It was the first time Mai heard him angry…
Levian: You don't think I have enough power to win on my own? That I need to rely on Eden for help!
'No! Lev it's—'
Levian: I thought you believed in me, that's why I fought so hard because I knew you believed in me. Now I know you don't mean it…
'Wait Lev! It's not like that! I do believe in you! Lev? Lev!'
No reply.
Suddenly, Mai's blade started glowing and a burst of white light shot out from the blade.
'Lev?' Mai hoped that what she was thinking now, didn't just happen. 'Lev?' She slowly uncurled her fingers over the blade. 'No, he wouldn't…'
A blank bit chip stared back at her. 'No…it' can't be!' "Levian!" Mai worriedly glanced around the room.
"What? What is it?"
"It's Lev…" Mai held out her hand, revealing an empty blade… "He's gone…"
readers: Oh no! Levian's gone! And the tournament's in three days!
blu: My my, how unfortunate...
Tyson: Max came down with a sore throat from eating too much candy so I'll be taking over for him. Ahem! -clears throat- THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED! It has been reported that blu really appreciates your kind messages. Let's go over to Rei Kon who is currently reporting live from bluglow production studios. Rei?
Rei: -bsssh bsssh- Yes, well it seems we have a bit of problem -bsshh- with the reception-bsshh- but I'm here at -bssh- bluglow productions and -bssshh- the team here is really -bbssh- hard at work. The up coming chapter is said to be a blast -bbbshhh-
blu: Hey! He's spying on us! Get him! -multitude of bodies charge towards a petrified Rei-
Rei: AAAHH- bsshh- HHHHHHHH! -bsssh bbbbsssssshhhhhhh beep beep beep beep- -tv screen shows Rei going down-
Tyson: Eheheh -nervous look- We'll that was Rei Kon for you. Now -
Kai: Hey stupid! -taps water bottle on the other hand with an evil grin-
Tyson: Kai! -drops paper reports-
Kai: Sick 'em fangirls! -fangirls advanced on Tyson like a pack of ravenous wild dogs-
Tyson: MMMMMMMOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEE!
blu: please review XD!