Silvan Arrow: Okay, I have decided that this disclaimer section is way too boring, so I think I'll spice things up by bringing in…A SPECIAL GUEST! (I'll save all the reviewer thanks and story notes till the end, okay?)

Tyson: Huh? What am I doing here/Tala and the rest of the Bladebreakers show up as well/

Silvan Arrow: From now on, I'm gonna have one of you guys do the disclaimer!

Kai: …Why?

Silvan Arrow: Because it's more fun that way!

Tala: This is stupid.

Silvan Arrow: I'll give ya a cookie if you do it/waves cookie in the air/

Tyson: Hey! Me! Pick me! Pick me!

Silvan Arrow/grins/ Okay, go for it!

Tyson: Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. Can I have my cookie now?

Silvan Arrow: Here. Eat and shut up. /Shoves cookie down Tyson's throat/

Tyson: Can't…breathe /cough cough/

Silvan Arrow: Uh-oh… Um, while I give Tyson the Heimlich maneuver so he doesn't choke to death, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 8: The Growing Darkness

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Bit beast mind-chatting with its master

Eri sat in the back of the helicopter for what felt like an eternity. She heard nothing but the constant whir of the helicopter blades for over two hours until the sun rose high in the sky. Suddenly she felt the helicopter bank sharply to the right and descend. What's going on? Eri asked.

A BBA bus is below us that is carrying the Bladebreakers. I fear the pilot is going to attack them, Pyrix replied with concern

Eri was knocked off-balance and thrown against the crates as she felt the helicopter make a sharp descent to collide with the roof of the bus. The force of the impact smashed her head against the floor. She heard the screeching of tires as the bus came to an abrupt stop. The helicopter leveled out and hovered over the wrecked bus. Eri looked out the window and saw the Bladebreakers jump out the windows of their bus and look up at the helicopter, prepared to face whatever Boris had in store for them. This doesn't look good. We'd better lie low and see what happens next.

With the Bladebreakers…

The team was pretty shaken up by the attack by Boris' helicopter, but fortunately no one was hurt. "Whoa! What's with the chopper?" Tyson asked.

"It belongs to Boris," Kai said. "It's just as Eri warned us."

"But what do they want with us now?" Rei asked.

"We're about to find out," Kai said grimly.

Just then a door on the helicopter's cargo box opened up, and Ian jumped out and landed on the ground. (A/N: The helicopter is hovering close to the ground, so he's not going to break his neck by jumping out, okay?) He held up a beyblade launcher fashioned like a sniper rifle. "What do you want with us, Ian?" Michelle asked angrily.

Ian didn't reply but shot his beyblade at Tyson. Tyson ducked to try and dodge it, but a green beyblade flew in and knocked it away. "Thanks, Maxie!" Tyson exclaimed.

"My new and improved Draciel should be more than a match for this guy," Max said. "You ready, Ian?" Wyborg charged for the attack in a serpentine movement and slammed Draciel. Draciel countered with his defense. Wyborg then pretended to retreat to lure Max into following. Draciel chased after Wyborg as it moved along the snow in a serpentine manner, with Ian and Max in hot pursuit.

Ian finally decided to stop playing cat and mouse and go on offense. "Go, Wyborg!" The mutant snake bit beast leaped out of its beyblade with a menacing hiss and lunged at Draciel.

"Let's go, Draciel!" Max shouted. Draciel emerged from his beyblade and blocked Wyborg's attack. One solid slam from Max sent the purple beyblade back into Ian's hand. Max was surprised that he had won so easily. "Uh…is that it?" he wondered out loud. Before Max had a chance to react, two more beyblades slammed into Draciel. The Bladebreakers looked up to see Tala, Spencer, and Bryan leap from the helicopter and land next to their teammate. They also carried beyblade launchers shaped like sniper rifles. Tala stood by and watched as Spencer and Bryan prepared to attack.

"Go, Falborg!" Bryan commanded. His gray beyblade darted in for the attack and smashed into Draciel. Max reeled from the attack but managed to keep his composure. Before Bryan could attack again, a red beyblade shrouded in flames fell from the sky and pile-drived Falborg in a fiery explosion. "What was that?" Bryan asked angrily, looking up to see the culprit who dared to attack him.

"I don't know about you, but two against one isn't fair!" Eri shouted from the open doorway of the helicopter. The pilot shouted in surprise and tried to restrain her, but Eri jumped out and landed near the Demolition Boys.

"So…you dare to defy Biovolt?" Bryan sneered.

"I'm not going to let you get away with this. Pyrix, attack!" Eri commanded. Pyrix emerged from her beyblade with a defiant howl. "Oblivion Inferno!" Pyrix ignited herself with fire and charged for the attack.

"So that's the way you want to play? Fine! Falborg, Stroblitz!" Bryan countered. His falcon bit beast emerged and attacked with gusts of razor-sharp wind that cut through Pyrix's flame. The two beyblades collided in a flash of light that blinded everyone except the two combatants. When the smoke cleared both beyblades were still spinning, but they wobbled.

"Let's help her out, Draciel!" Max commanded. Draciel charged to attack Falborg, but Spencer's beyblade blocked him.

"No you don't," Spencer said. "Seaborg, Voda Impact!" The ancient whale spirit materialized and called up a tidal wave of water.

"Oh no!" Kenny exclaimed. "Seaborg's wave is washing away Draciel's defense!" The wave hit Draciel for full damage. None of his defensive moves could have even hoped to stop it. Draciel retreated into his beyblade, which stopped spinning.

Seaborg moved next to Draciel and drew the bit beast out of his bit chip. "No! Leave him alone!" Max cried. But he could only watch helplessly as Seaborg drew out Draciel and absorbed him into his beyblade.

Eri turned furious eyes to Spencer. "How dare you! Pyrix, go get him!" Her beyblade recovered its torque and rushed to attack Seaborg. However, Eri suddenly felt two sets of arms restrain her while she had been distracted. Tala and Bryan had a death grip on her arms and shoulders and weren't about to let go. She struggled in vain to get free.

"That's quite enough, Eri." She looked up into Boris' cold glare. "You've caused enough trouble for one day. Now I believe it's time you came along quietly."

"You'll have to kill me first," Eri retorted, struggling against Tala and Bryan. "Let me go!" She gasped as Bryan drove his fist brutally into her stomach, knocking out all her wind. Everything went dark as she collapsed.

(A/N: Bet ya thought I would end it here, right? Well, I decided not to cliffhang you guys this time. It would make the chapter way too short. Hahahaha…I'm so evil. This next segment is a bit more violent, so don't say I didn't warn you.)

Eri didn't know how long she had been out when she finally came to her senses. 'Ugh…where am I?' She was lying on her back on the cold stone floor of a small, dark room. She tried to sit up and winced at the pain in her gut from where Bryan had punched her. 'I'll get him back for that…Wait…Where's Pyrix?' She felt her pockets, but her beyblade was gone! She tried reaching out with her mind. Pyrix? Pyrix! Where are you? There was no reply. Eri tried to suppress a shiver as she started to panic. Normally she always felt Pyrix' warm, soothing presence next to her heart. Now there was only a cold, dark void. She gave a start when the door opened and Boris walked in.

"Now this is an interesting sight," Boris mused with a wicked sneer. Eri could only imagine his glare behind that mask. "You're here on the floor at my mercy without your precious bit beast. Whatever will you do?"

Eri staggered to her feet, not wanting to give Boris the pleasure of looking down at her. "Where's Pyrix? Tell me now!"

"I wish I could say we had your bit beast, but it seems your friends the Bladebreakers retrieved her before we could. It matters little; soon I will have your bit beast and her powers at my fingertips."

"Pyrix will never obey a rotten scumbag like you," Eri shot back. "And neither will I."

Boris growled. "Then it seems I have yet to teach you the meaning of obedience!" he exclaimed, pulling out a short whip. "I will beat your emotions and defiance out of you!" He gripped her by the shoulders and threw her back against the wall. Her head hit the stone wall with a sickening thud, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap. She could feel a river of hot, sticky blood trickle down her forehead. Boris lashed her arms and legs with the whip. Each strike cut through her clothing and burned her skin like fire, but she refused to cry out. Eri would not give Boris the satisfaction of making her scream. Boris finally stopped his brutal punishment, leaving Eri barely clinging to consciousness, and said, "I could kill you right now, but I think this tournament would be a better time to let you watch and learn how to instill fear in your opponents. Soon you will serve me willingly, whether you like it or not." He turned to leave just as merciful unconsciousness finally overpowered Eri and gave her temporary relief from the agonizing pain.

Eri jolted awake as she heard the door creak open and close softly. She heard a pair of feet cross the room and stop in front her beaten, bruised body. She didn't dare open her eyes, thinking it was Boris back for round two. Instead, she heard the figure kneel down and felt a cool hand touch her cheek. Eri jerked her head away instinctively, but the motion caused her head to throb painfully in her skull. She moaned softly. "Lie still. Don't try to move."

Eri's eyes flew open at the sound of that voice. She looked up to see a familiar face. "…Tala?" she croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't die," Tala replied emotionlessly. "Now stay still." Eri obeyed because it hurt too much to move. Even thinking made her head hurt. Tala opened a first aid kit and applied antiseptic to all her cuts. She winced slightly, as the medicine stung. "Sorry. It will hurt a bit." He really did look apologetic. He then pulled out a roll of bandages and bound her wounds. "Try to eat something," Tala said, indicating a small plate of food sitting on the floor. "Boris will be back tomorrow morning, so don't except much mercy from him."

Eri forced herself into a sitting position and managed a small smile. "Thank you, Tala." She only then noticed how close he was sitting. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her weakened body, and she let her head drop down against Tala's chest. All her doubts and fears from the past few days threatened to overwhelm her all at once, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Tala wrapped her in a strong embrace to reassure her of his presence and waited in silence until she stopped shaking. "You have been a good friend, Eri. Don't make the same mistakes I did," he whispered in her ear. He pulled away and stood up. "I have to go. Until this is all over…make sure you stay alive." Tala left quietly and closed the door behind him, leaving Eri alone with her thoughts.

With the Bladebreakers…

Michelle leaned against the Majestics' bus, not bothering to watch Robert's match with Tyson. Her only focus was on the red beyblade in her hand. 'I hope Eri is okay,' she thought. Just then the bit chip lit up, and Pyrix materialized in her physical form in front of Michelle. "What's going on, Pyrix?" Michelle asked.

"I can sense Eri's presence. I must find her," Pyrix replied urgently. She picked up her beyblade out of Michelle's hand with her teeth and took off in a flash, heading toward the Biovolt Stadium.

Back with Eri…

Eri woke up but didn't open her eyes as she heard the door creak open again. She heard not two but four feet pad softly across the floor. A soft, warm snout nuzzled her head. "Eri? Can you hear me?"

Eri's eyes flew open as she sat up and wrapped her arms around Pyrix's neck. "How did you find me? I was so worried!"

"That doesn't matter right now. I'm just glad to see that you're safe," Pyrix replied, lying down and curling around Eri protectively. She regarded the bandages around Eri's arms and legs carefully. "You're hurt! Who did this to you?"

"Boris," Eri replied simply. "But Tala came in and patched me up. I think I'll be okay after I get some rest."

"Then rest," Pyrix said softly. Eri picked up her beyblade and replaced it in her pocket. She settled comfortably against Pyrix's warm body and fell into a deep, restful sleep, letting her loyal friend stand watch.

End chapter 8

Author's Note: I had some extra time tonight and was able to finish this chapter early! I hope it wasn't too cheesy towards the end. I would like to thank Ms. Controversy, JusticeDream, kay1fire, and Yin and Yang A.K.A. my personalitys for reviewing the last chapter. They get both a Tala and a Kai plushie/Hands out plushies/ Please tell me what you thought about the little skit before the disclaimer and about the chapter in general. I would really like to get some more reviews. Reviewing only takes a minute, and it helps me see if people still like how I'm developing this story. See ya on my next update!