One quick note: I want to thank ileftmybraininmylocker(steph), for the about the whole tournament thing. I know i keep changing the rules and such, but I've got it all worked out now, and it's thanks to her advice about writing out the entire course of events... something I should've thought of, but obviously didn't. Anyway, read and review, and thanks again!
Trial By Old Flames
Chapter Ten: Worthy
Distant Storm
x x x
"We are coming to you live from here in Moscow, Russia, where the Beyblade World Tour just kicked off last night! This is just one stop of many, and we have our first battle here today, the Saint Shields vs. Spectral Fusion-"
Max turned off the television. Their first match didn't start for another three hours, and Ray and Tyson were still snoring in the other room. He walked over to the opposite side of the room.
"Whatcha doin' guys?" He asked, peering over Kenny's shoulder. He knew already, from the tinkering sound, Kenny's frustrated sighs, and Hilary's clicking sound that they were doing beyblade maintainance. Hilary turned to look at him, her eyes wide in an 'you already know, you loser,' look. Typical Hilary. Tyson wasn't awake and God forbid she wake him. Which, in all reality, was a good thing, because they weren't getting pestered about food yet.
"Re-vamping your and Carrie's beyblades."
"Take a seat Max," Hilary said. He did as told, and watched them disassemble the black beyblade. Hilary was putting Max's back together with skill and speed. She pushed the attack and defense rings back on, as Max watched with interest.
"You're getting good, Hilary," he commented. She blushed in embarassment. "I never thought you'd be able to do beyblade config like The Chief."
"Well, I try."
"Where's Carrie?" A shirtless, wide awake Ray asked. He looked like he had just emerged from a nightmare, and his longer than long black hair hung down behind him.
"She went out, why?" Kenny asked.
"Nevermind," Ray said, walking over to the dresser, where his phone sat in the charger. He dialed it, only to scowl a moment later. "Answering your phone would be a good thing."
"Maybe she didn't take it with her," Max said. "Why are you all freaking out?"
"I had a messed up dream. I just want to make sure it's not De Ja Vu, which seems to be more and more true by the second."
"She headed in the direction of the river." Hilary supplied. She handed Max his beyblade, before continuing. "You, go with him," She commanded.
"Okay," Max said, looking over his beyblade. Yet another typical Hilary moment. She had to be in charge of the situation. "Thanks Hil, Chief. My blade looks awesome."
"No problem," both technicians said. Max and Ray both took a running start out the door.
"What was your dream about?" Max asked, once they were on the street. Dirty brown slush flew behind them as they ran down the streets of Moscow.
"Somebody challenged her, and she didn't have a beyblade." Ray paused, turning a corner. "I guess that I just want to make sure she's okay."
"You don't like her, do you?"
"NO!" Ray looked at him. "What part of 'Mariah' don't you understand?"
"Yeah, just making sure." Max shrugged. He had to ask.
"Kai would kill me if something happened to her. Especially since no one knows where he is. He could show up at any moment." They both panted a bit, covering just about two miles.
"I guess." Max shrugged, and the two headed around another corner.
"Hey Maxy, you hear the sound of beyblades?" They listened, hearing the clash of two objects moving at high speeds, and the whoosh of air as two tops spun, revolving consistantly.
"Sounds like a battle." They stopped, listening carefully. "What direction?"
"Over there," Ray said, pointing in the direction of an old building. It was old, in a rusty brown color. Bricks were laid neatly, and there were a few castle like towers. However, the purpose and identity of the building was defined by the huge cast iron gates, and the bars that covered every window.
"Hey, isn't that..."
"Yeah, that's the old Abbey, I think."
"You'd be right about that." Max and Ray approached the front gate, which looked like it had been forced open. Running through the ankle deep snow, they followed the two sets of footprints leading into the large open yard.
"It's getting louder," Ray commented, slipping around a corner of the building. The air was heavy with tension, and surprisingly, heat. There, splayed out in front of them, was a beybattle, in which Carrie was fighting a hooded opponent.
"She doesn't have a beyblade, I thought," Max said, confused.
"Let's go!" The opponent yelled. "Flash Leopard, finish them off!"
"Flash Leopard?" Ray asked.
"Ozuma," they both said at the same time, looking first at each other, then glueing their eyes back to the battle.
"What is he doing here? His team's battle started almost half an hour ago!"
"So nice of you to join us, boys," Ozuma said, taking off his hood. "Just in time to watch me beat your newbie friend."
"Leave them out of this." She looked up to one of the peaks of the building. So many memories, so much hatered. So many emotions and so many things unsaid resonated from the building. She wasn't intimidated, but Ozuma had planned well. Fighting in the shadow of the place where she had learned how not to be human was a smart tactic. A tactic that, had she not been defeated by the beyblade she now wielded, would have been beyond effective at this point.
"They're the ones who gave you that beyblade." Ozuma said, in reference to the Bladebreakers. "You are not worthy of the Sacred Spirit of Dranzer. I know what you have done."
Max and Ray both brought out their beyblades and launchers.
"What I have done is over with. I have confessed my mistakes." She cleched her fists tightly, gripping the rip cord and launcher tighter than before. Max and Ray still stood at the ready, waiting for their chance to take Ozuma out.
"Yet you are allowing your team mates to help you," Ozuma said with a smirk.
"Just because I have Dranzer, doesn't mean that I'm going to use it. That would be disrespectful to Pyrina."
"Funny, you just launched Dranzer and you're fighting me with it now." Ozuma looked at her in disgust, his beyblade knocking into Dranzer full force. She took the attack quickly, revolting with ease.
"You didn't give me much choice," she said, taking a deep breath. She turned to Ray and Max. "Leave us be. He wants to prove something, so let him go." She paused. Not like it was going to happen.
"You've got spunk," Ozuma said, increasing his attack. "But you aren't going to win. We have been appointed to stop those unworthy of the possession of a Sacred Spirit.
"Who are you to judge? I did not ask to, nor did I intend to use Dranzer. I was just holding onto it for Kai." She paused. "Dranzer, get him." The pheonix charged back at the leopard bit beast, knocking him into the brick wall of the Abbey.
"Flash Leopard, don't take that." He paused. "Crossfire! Why would Kai give you it anyway?"
She laughed. "I don't know if it was even him who gave it to me. I just got it in the mail, and apparently Kai switched teams." She looked over to Ray and Max. "And why I'm telling you this, I don't know. I don't have to prove anything to you. Dranzer, volcano emission!"
The two bit beasts crashed into each other head on, creating a twister of fire. Carrie stepped back from the flames, watching them in awe as they washed over Ozuma like a wave. When it subsided, the force left both bladers on their knees, and both beyblades had stopped spinning. Max and Ray watched carefully, to make sure that Ozuma didn't try anything. Carrie reached foreward, picking up both beyblades, throwing Flash Leopard to Ozuma.
"That belongs to you." She nodded her head in respect for her opponent. "The next time you want to resolve something, save it for the arena. That way things will stay fair." Ozuma looked into her eyes, a flame burning in his.
"The next time we meet, I will not take it so easy on any of you, and whoever you do fight will make sure that Dranzer does not stay in your hands."
"I highly doubt that," She said, looking up from her hands that held Kai's beyblade. However, he had already disappeared. She turned to the boys who were standing there, gaping at her.
"Why didn't you tell us Ozuma challenged you?" Max asked. "We would've come too."
"He didn't," she said, approaching them. "He just showed up and challenged me this morning when I was on a walk." She paused. "He picked the location, not me." Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes, pushing Dranzer back into her pocket. Something equivalent to a pulse ran through her, causing her to gasp and keep herself off the wall. Both boys looked at her, and she took a deep breath. "This place is fucked up," she said quietly. They nodded.
"You look like hell," Ray said suddenly. "Ozuma is a tough opponent."
"Dranzer is hard to beyblade with," she commented back. "Especially given my circomstances." She paused. "But you know, Dranzer is an awesome bit beast."
"Kai is an awesome beyblader," Max said. Silence overcame them for a moment, before he continued. "Come on, we should get you back to the hotel. Kenny's probably done upgrading your beyblade."
"Cool," She said, taking a step foreward. Max and Ray followed her, as she made her way out of the yards of what had once been her home. She took a different route than they did, shaving almost half the time.
"Oh, by the way guys, thanks for looking for me. It's nice to know someone's got my back." The guys nodded.
"That's why we're a team."
The trio walked into the hotel room, earning a stern glare from Tyson. His annoyance turned to curosity when he saw Carrie's tatered jeans stained with dirt and slush, as well as wet with snow.
"What happened?" Tyson asked, dropping his spoon, leaving it to splash in the milk of the cereal bowl.
"Ozuma," Ray said, looking at the clock. "One hour until we've gotta be there? Not bad."
"He had a match this morning though," Hilary commented, confusion flooding her features.
"So? Apparently stealing Dranzer from Carrie is a better use of his time." Max sat down next to Carrie, who was on the couch, eying her carefully.
"Did you beat him?" Tyson asked.
"How could she?" Kenny asked frantically. "I was updating her beyblade!"
Tyson stood up in absolute shock. "I'm going to ring his neck!" He drew out his beyblade. "I'm going to go find him right now and show him who's boss."
"Calm down everybody," Carrie said. "I tied with him."
"With what?"
"This." She drew out Kai's beyblade, which, aside from a little dirt on the edges was completely intact. She took the blue beyblade, wiping off the dirt on the beyblade with her shirt. "Obviously he wanted Dranzer, so I figured, why not fight with it?"
Tyson nodded. "I knew we gave it to you for a reason."
"Speaking of which," Kenny said, "I finished your upgrade." He handed her a brand new beyblade, which was a sparking red color, with a white defense ring.
"Thanks so much Cheif," she said, giving him a hug. "It looks awesome." She examined it carefully, then placed it on the tip of her finger. "Perfectly balanced."
"I don't make beyblades any other way." Kenny smiled, happy with himself, and proud of the work he did on the beyblades.
"Great! I can't wait to use it."
x x x
"Welcome to the first round of the World Championships. Before we begin, let me give you the low down on the entire competition. First, each team must compete and win a total of three location tournaments. If you are knocked out twice, you will end up eliminated, and any teams with two location wins and one loss will fight it out. There are twenty four locations for this three location stage. Teams have been divided into two sections, Asia and the Americas, and Africa and Europe. This was chosen at random, not because of home towns. The semi finals will occur in two other locations, and the twenty seventh location, which I have just been informed of a change about, will be revealed when the semi finals occur. Any other issues will be handled seriously..." Jazzman continued on in a rampaging speech about the rules.
Tyson huffed from the sidelines, where they were sitting at the bench. Their opponents for the round watched Jazzman, their eyes full of wonder. "Can we just get on with it already?"
"Chill out," Ray said. "We were all new once. These kids need to know what the deal is. Once this first round is over with, we'll be good to go." He scouted the area, watching the opposing team carefully. They were definitely entranced by the entire thought of and fact that they were competing in the World Championships.
Carrie looked on, not as impressed by the entire ordeal. Hilary looked at her curiously. "Ready?"
"Yep, I'd just wish they'd cut the crap already, I want to battle!" She held her beyblade tightly in her hands, her eyes reflecting a serious determination. She met the eyes of one of the kids on the opposing team, quirking an eyebrow. He stared in shock at her, noting the colder look in her eyes. She wasn't playing around. hopefully they would get that through their heads. They were in for quite a shock.
"Who's up first, Chief?" Max asked.
"Ray, then you Max, and then Tyson." Carrie nodded, knowing that though she was a part of the team, she hadn't really been the first choice for competing, since she was the newbie, and did lack a bit beast.
Ah well, she figured. When I do battle, she thought, I'll crush 'em all so hard. Especially those Saint Shields. Unworthy? Yeah, they have a point, but I've paid for my mistakes. And I intend on doing this right. That's the only way to get her back. And I know I need her... Pyrina...
When I have her, I will be truly worthy.
x x x
please review, and thanks to everyone who has!
x3 Distant Storm