Chapter 19
The Bitbeast Bond
Our blades clashed together and buzzed together in mid-air spiraling downwards as they clashed. They hit the ground and still kept bashing together.
"Come on Ayia!" Kai said, "Fight me!"
"I am." I said.
"But Orelin needs to fight with you!" He said.
"Okay." I said. I closed my eyes and focused.
'Orelin.' I thought, 'you're there. I know it, you told me so. Please answer me if you are.'
I heard a howl and suddenly, Orelin appeared.
'Good.' I said, 'Kai told me that you have a lot more power than I've been using; true?'
I saw Orelin nod.
'Then why can't I use that power?' I pleaded.
'Your battle.' Orelin said.
'With Tala?' I replied.
'With yourself.' Orelin said, 'you are still unsure of who you are; do you know who you are?'
'I know.' I said, 'I am light.'
'Then why is there darkness in you?' Orelin asked.
'Because Motoki bonded with me and left it there.' I said.
'Did he leave it?' Orelin asked, 'Or did you keep it?'
'What?' I said.
'You still sense what it felt like to be with Motoki,' Orelin said, 'and still want to feel that power.'
'That's just like with Tala and I,' I said, 'well Orelin, you're the boss, what should I do?'
'You've got to fight it!' Orelin said, 'and see it for what it really is. Motoki may be power, yes, but he is a power that is not to be taken lightly, and if abused, it is only to Motoki's help.'
'So it's like Tala,' I said, 'he may be my friend, yes, but his friendship with me will only be a small factor in the battle.'
'Right.' Orelin said.
'But what's making me feel the way I do about the darkness?' I asked.
'I'm not even sure,' Orelin said, 'that's for you to find out.'
'But what if I'm not sure?' I said, 'How can I find out?'
'Just--' Orelin said.
'I know—remember.' I said, 'I have had a lot of memories lately.'
'But your memories may bring back something that you aren't.' Orelin said, 'You aren't darkness anymore.'
'Then why don't I feel like I'm not?' I asked.
'Because Motoki is changing you into what you were,' Orelin said, 'he's deceiving you into believing that you still are darkness and controlled by him; he doesn't want to loose your power.'
'My power?' I asked, 'you mean, that there's enough darkness in my heart for him to feed off of?'
'He's making you remember the anger you held for Boris, the Demolition Boys, and for Matt.' Orelin said.
'Matt?' I asked.
'There's more guilt inside you than there is anger.' Orelin said, 'you feel guilty for Matt's death.'
'I do.' I said, 'I really do, and I need to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to Tala; Orelin, I need your strength for the battle, please.'
'You just need to become one with me.' Orelin said, 'Let me show you just how much light you have inside you.'
I suddenly felt myself separate. It felt really strange, like I was watching the battle from somewhere else. I saw myself--or Orelin in my form—standing in a battle stance.
"Attack!" I yelled as the whole area was filled with a pure white light. As I saw myself turn white and my eyes turn the brightest blue I'd ever seen. My hair turned white to the tips and I felt myself turn white from the inside out.
'This is your spirit.' Orelin said, 'your spirit of Light.'
'My spirit?' I said.
I saw Orelin appear, so bright, I could hardly see his outline. I had never seen him like this before. He was so bright he could replace the moon if he wanted to. His light could lighten any dark place, or person; no matter how far away from the light they were.
'This is my spirit.' Orelin said, 'do you want to fuse?'
'Fuse?' I asked, 'you mean, like, both of our spirits?'
'Yes.' Orelin said, 'We have always been together, that will never change, but our hearts had never been together. We need to be permanently together. I thought of it before, but you weren't ready. Now the ultimate trial has come, and we must be one to defeat the darkness. We can never be beaten as long as we believe in one another.'
'Yes Orelin.' I said, 'I want you and I to always be bonded together. I will always believe in---us.'
I suddenly saw Orelin turn into a small sphere and seemed to come together with me.
I opened my eyes, and it felt like I had opened them for the first time. I felt like I was not alone. Orelin was with me, inside of me, and would always be there.
"Orelin attack!" I yelled as Orelin bashed Kai's blade.
"Dranzer!" Kai yelled as his blade pushed against mine, "at least you're starting to fight now! I wanted a challenge!"
"You have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into!" I said as our blades started to fly towards each other. Orelin suddenly disappeared.
"Where'd you go?" Kai asked.
I lightly turned my head upwards. He followed my gaze to see Orelin in mid-air. Orelin fell onto Kai's blade and flipped it over in mid-air and it landed back on the ground; still spinning.
"Time to turn up the heat, Dranzer!" Kai said as his started to glow a bright red.
"Orelin!" I yelled as my blade turned a brilliant white.
"Attack!" We both yelled at the same time as our blades clashed. A shock wave blew us backwards a bit.
Our blades collided again as another shock wave cut the night air.
The ground around our blades started to split and rise into the air, but I didn't care; the only thing that mattered was Orelin and keeping Orelin spinning.
"Dranzer!" Kai yelled as Dranzer hit Orelin and knocked Orelin and I backward. I stood up to see Orelin still spinning.
"I've still got spin!" I said.
"Not for long!" Kai said with a cackle as Dranzer hit Orelin again.
"Attack!" I yelled as Orelin hit Dranzer.
"Attack again!" I yelled as Orelin collided with Dranzer.
"Arise Dranzer!" Kai yelled as Dranzer came out of its blade.
"Orelin!" I yelled as Orelin came out of its blade, glowing stronger than ever.
"Attack!" Kai yelled as Dranzer's talons dug into Orelin's side.
"Orelin!" I said panting, "Let's show Dranzer just what we can do!"
"Dranzer!" Kai yelled as Dranzer charged for Orelin.
Orelin suddenly disappeared and re-appeared behind Dranzer and sank its teeth into Dranzer.
"Orelin!" I yelled.
"Dranzer!" Kai shouted.
The whole area was filled with a red and white light as we were both flung backwards. I shielded my eyes as I looked up to see both blades spinning. The ground was totally gone and had become an arena of pushed up rocks. I breathed heavily as I stood up; I wouldn't last much longer. I saw Kai stand up with a hard breath too.
Suddenly, Kai fell to the ground, stopping Dranzer's spin. Suddenly Dranzer's Attack Ring split in half. I ran over to Kai and sat down by him.
"Now that's what I call Beyblading." Kai said.
"Yeah," I said, "I felt like I watched it from somewhere else."
"What's Orelin think?" Kai asked.
"We think," I said, "That I am now the best Blader in the world, with Orelin bonded with me of course."
"Good Ayia." He said, "I knew that you could change."
'Change?' I thought, 'Is that what Lee was talking about after our battle?'
"You have started to see the darkness in your heart." Kai said as I helped him up, "But Ayia,"
"What?" I asked.
He turned around and started to walk away. He lightly turned his head back at me and said, "You will never get rid of the darkness in your heart until you confront it face-to-face and see just what it can do. You have only faced darkness once, and that's when most of it left you, but that's the only thing that will rid you of the rest."
"You mean like the first time I faced Motoki?" I asked, "so battling him again will remove the darkness in my heart?"
"That's for Motoki and Tala to know, and you to find out." Kai said, "You may be bonded with Orelin now, yes, but there is still an ultimate bond you have not yet achieved."
"An ultimate bond?" I asked.
"Yes, it is the most powerful form of a Bitbeast and its owner." He said, " but you still need to rid your heart of the darkness inside it, the battle will determine it all."
Kai turned around and he walked off into the night.
'What could he have meant by that?' I asked myself, 'I guess Orelin and I will just have to wait to find out.'
I walked off toward the hotel room. I silently slipped inside the window and lied on my bed, slowly sinking into sleep.
