Chapter 20
Scarlet Tears
(This Chapter kinda has some Blood & Violence near the end, just to tell you. It's actually not that bad...but I just thought I'd let you all know. R&R please! -Ayia)
I woke up the next morning, with no nightmares at all. Maybe I was actually starting to get over this. I flipped over and looked at the clock next to my bed. The time read 4:45. I got out of bed and saw that Max was still sleeping—go figure.
I decided to get dressed now and not worry about Max waking up and finding me only half-ready. I put on a shirt with different shades of blue on it, blue jeans, and my Majestic's jacket. I sat on my bed and started to brush my hair and put it into a ponytail with a dark blue ribbon, since my white one was still around Enrique's wrist. The Beystadium was awhile away, so all the teams were going to take one bus. I decided to get some early morning training in, so I left Max asleep and went to search for Johnny. I walked into the main room of the hotel and heard a faint sound.
"Let it Rip!" The voice came from outside. I ran outside to see Johnny firing his Beyblade onto the ground and having it spin in patterns.
I launched Orelin next to his blade, "You nervous too?" I asked.
"Yes." He said.
"You shouldn't be." I said, "You need to stay true to yourself and Salamulyon."
"Right." Johnny said.
"Let's practice a little." I said.
"Okay." Johnny said.
For the next three hours we practiced weaving patterns, attack deflects, crash attacks, counters, and focusing—well maybe not totally on focusing.
"You need to focus!" I shouted as Johnny's blade was starting to wobble as it spun.
"How am I supposed to?" He asked.
Our blades flew back into our hands.
"Follow me." I said, "I have something to show you."
I took him into an alleyway and to a main part of the square where a group of kids were Beyblading. Every eye was focused on the two blades spinning on the ground and lightly hitting each other as the two boys who owned them shouted out commands.
"Come on!" One shouted.
"Get him," The other one yelled, "I know you can do it!"
"Johnny look at these kids." I said, "You can learn how to focus from them."
"What are you talking about?" Johnny asked, "they're just a bunch of kids with Beyblades."
"But can't you see their pure love for the game?" I said, "that's what you need to remember, that moment when you found your Bitbeast; when you felt like there was nothing more in the world that made you more complete. Or when you first launched a Beyblade."
"I remember," Johnny said, "When I had first gotten Salamulyon. I felt so honored, and so pressured by my family. But that only made me a better Blader. I wasn't very good at first, maybe not even at all, and I felt really ashamed. But I tried harder and learned to release Salamulyon—I remember the first time it happened."
"That's the feeling you need to capture." I said, "That's the true love for Beyblading, what you had before, and feeling it every time you battle."
"It's the love for the game." Johnny said, "that's what it all about."
"Exactly." I said.
"And that spark, that feeling," he continued, "Is the fire--"
"Of competition." I said, "It's what awakens the Blader inside us."
I turned away.
"Johnny." I said, "Why do you blade?"
"To win of course," he said, "it is my--"
"I know—I know," I said, "family tradition."
"It's not just that simple." He said, "Besides, why do you blade?"
"Now that answer's simple." I said, "because I love it. Ever since I was little everything about Beyblading amazed me and I knew that from the moment I saw one, I wanted to blade. I can't remember a time when I wasn't Beyblading. Even though Boris had control over me when I was young, that didn't stop me from getting better and still loving the sport."
"I love it too." Johnny said, "but my family-"
"Johnny, you are an independent Blader and need to make decisions for yourself." I said.
I held up Orelin.
"So," I said, "are you ready to Beyblade?"
"You bet." He said with a smile.
"Well let's get back then." I said, "and get ready for the second round!"
We walked back to the hotel to see all the other teams and ours on the bus.
"Let's go you two!" Robert yelled, leaning out a window.
We ran on and I took a seat next to Lee as the bus sped off.
"Hi Lee." I said with a grin, "Did you fix up Galeon?"
"Yeah!" He said, holding out a new Galeon. It had eight sides formed into claws and a large lion head in the center that held the Bit Chip, "I call it, Galeon VIII."
"It looks really powerful." I said, but deep inside, I knew it couldn't defeat Motoki, "Do you face Tala?"
"Yes." He said.
"I wish you the best of luck." I said.
"I'll need it." He said, "I'm so stressed about the match, I could hardly sleep last night; with that ambush and all."
"I think you'll do fine." I said, lying.
"The
Demolition Boys make me so mad." Lee said, "they crushed
Michael's blade and took his Bitbeast; they made a mockery of
Beyblading—argh! It just irks me that they would stoop so low in a
tournament!"
"I know." I said.
Lee was extremely angry; I could sense it just sitting by him. His rage seemed to fuel his blade somehow because I saw Galeon slightly glow a bright red of anger. I could see that Galeon knew how powerful Motoki was yet he still wanted to fight. It was brave, but foolish. But, he wanted to protect Lee, and that was his job.
The bus rolled into the parking lot by the tournament building. It was an open-top stadium and looked similar to the design of the Alamo in Texas but was built up with columns and pointed edges. Behind it was a large pyramid; it's large point seeming to touch the clear blue sky. I stepped off the bus while finding the others, and we walked towards the entrance. We walked inside to see almost all of the seats full and the crowd cheering wildly.
"People must do anything to see a good match around here." Johnny said.
"And that's just what we'll give them." I said, "A good match."
"A won match too." Oliver added.
"Right." I replied.
We walked into a smaller hallway that led us to our training room. I walked inside and lied on a bench in the corner. I pulled Orelin out of my pocket, then looked up to see Robert sitting by me.
"Who's the first match?" I asked.
I suddenly heard a voice ring out over the intercom; I noticed it as Mr. Dickinson's.
"It seems that in a tragic order of events, the All-Stars must be removed from the tournament under the circumstance of injury." He stated, "So, it is only legal that the Bladebreakers win the match by default."
"Default? Default!" Johnny yelled, "It's not default, they were cheated out of a match!"
"They were cheated," I said, "but the Demolition Boys got away with it. What's done is done, and we have been assured a spot in the final four."
"I guess you're right." Johnny said.
"Our next match will then have to be," Mr. Dickinson continued, "the Demolition Boys versus the White Tigers, starting in five minutes."
I suddenly got up.
"What?" I yelled. I started to run for the door.
"Stop!" Enrique yelled as my hand hit the brass knob, "Ayia, we need to come with you."
"Sorry." I said calmly as they caught up, "It just startled me and I need to see Tala in battle again. I need to know his strategy better than my own."
"You mean he has a strategy?" Oliver asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You saw him last time," Oliver said, "barely keeping control of Motoki."
"Yes but something's telling me today will be very different," I said, "now that he has experience from other battles in his mind. So I need to have just as much or more experience to meet his power and actual hidden skills, waiting to be---released."
I realized now what Lee had meant about me. I had a hidden skill and experience, through battles and matches only would I gain more. My Bitbeast had done its part, and now I needed to do mine and fight the battles that needed to be won.
"Let's go watch the match." I said.
We walked out into the main part of the stadium and found some seats. The lights dimmed as Mr. Dickinson walked out to the center of the floor.
"I wish every team the best of luck in this second round in the wonderful Cairo, Egypt!" He said.
We all cheered as he walked off the floor and I heard two familiar voices from the speakers.
"Hi fans I'm Brad Best!" Said a voice.
"And I'm A. J. Topper!" Said another, "and were here to bring you all the heart-stopping play-by-play action of the second round!"
"Let's meet our first two teams!" Brad Best continued.
I watched as the teams walked out and sit on their bench.
"Alright!" The Jazzman said as he walked to the center of the stadium, where a dish cover was, "Let's get the first match of the second round started! The match will be between the Demolition Boys and the White Tigers! First up is Lee and Tala!"
"Tala has certainly proved he has power with his mysterious dark Bitbeast, Motoki!" Brad Best said.
"Now don't leave Lee out of this!" A. J. added, "Lee has a big sense of courage and his Bitbeast, Galeon, is no pushover either!"
My eyes were trained upon Tala as he walked solemnly to the stadium. His eyes flickered an opal black as he shouted out to Lee, who had also walked to the other side.
"Think you and that worthless blade can beat me?" Tala said with a crooked grin, "I don't even think your whole team could beat me!"
I saw Lee growl and bite his bottom lip so hard that a small stream of blood ran off of his lip and lightly trailed down his chin as he viciously wiped it off, "Leave my team out of this!" He yelled.
"I can see why." Tala said as little quieter, his whispers pounding anger into Lee's brain with every word he said, "since they're just as pathetic as you."
"What?" Lee shouted, obviously angry.
"You heard me." Tala replied back, "you think your team even stands a chance? I dare you, all of you, take me on!"
"Woah!" The Jazzman said, "Lee and his team have just received a team challenge, 4 on 1, with Tala! Will they accept?"
Every White Tiger member got up and held out their Launcher.
"I'll take that as a yes from the White Tigers!" He said, "but wait, is this match even legal? It's all up to Mr. D on this one!"
"I believe," Mr. Dickinson started over the loudspeakers, "that every Blader here is trying to blade to the best of their ability and overcome odds, and Tala is trying to prove he has what it takes, so let the match begin!"
"You've got it Mr. D!" the Jazzman said, "and let's take a look at what dish this intense match will be held in!"
The dish cover opened to reveal to show a sandy dish with large boulders and a pyramid in the center.
"This dish is called the Pyramid Stadium, where even the pyramid can't shelter you from on-coming attacks! Ready?"
"You'll pay for insulting us!" Lee yelled.
Tala merely laughed. He had something planned, but what? Wait---their Bit Beasts! He was going to steal them all during one match and take them out of the tournament as quickly as possible! That's why they had attacked the All-Stars, he had already faced them once and wanted them out of the tournament so he could get to the other teams!
"No!" I suddenly yelled as the countdown began.
"3,2,1," The Jazzman counted down, "Let it Rip!"
They all fired their blades into the stadium
The White Tiger's blades went into a long, drawn-out circle around the pyramid, which Tala had gone to the top of.
"You'll be sorry you ever challenged us!" Kevin yelled as he raced to the top of the pyramid towards Tala, "Galman, Crazy Monkey attack!"
Galman came out of his Bit Chip as his blade made its special wobbling ability and got to the top of the pyramid, only to have no opponent to attack.
"Where'd you go?" He asked.
"Up here!" Tala said as Kevin looked up to see Motoki above his blade.
Motoki came crashing down on Kevin's blade and sent it sailing off the top of the pyramid. Kevin regained his composure and was still spinning.
"Let's see how you deal with this!" Mariah said as her and Lee went to attack Tala from opposite ends of the pyramid. His blade merely slid down the side so the two would hit each other, but they took a sharp turn and chased after him.
"That was a close save!" Oliver said.
I saw Gary try to attack Tala, but his blade was much too slow and he easily dodged. I saw Gary's eyes glaze over with rage.
"Gary angry!" Gary said, "Galazzy, Bear Axe!"
The giant bear left it's blade and raised its gleaming axe high above its head and crashed it into the ground, shaking the dish and leaving a large crevice through the middle, but not breaking the pyramid. Tala's blade had been hit by the blast, but had taken little damage. It then bashed Gary and sent him flying, helping him lose more spin.
"Galux!" Mariah cried as a large multi-colored lynx left her blade. Its red, black, and orange spotted body was tufted with white edges and had two large pieces of green and blue armor jutting from its shoulders and front legs. It large white fangs gleamed in the stadium light, "Cat Scratch attack!"
The cat's razor claws jutted from its paws as it ran across the dish and stopped near the other side. The inner dish suddenly erupted into small pieces and flew everywhere, but the pyramid still remained standing. Tala didn't even seem fazed. He hit Mariah's blade and knocked his momentary distraction out of the way.
'What's he waiting for?' I asked myself; I suddenly noticed the reason, Lee's Galeon was still in its Bit Chip.
Tala's blade went towards Lee's and his blade buzzed against Galeon and rammed him against the side of the pyramid and started grinding him into the side, leaving a large rut in it as he went. Lee's teammates tried hitting Motoki, hoping to throw him off of his attack, but Tala was totally focused on Lee. The pieces from the dish went flying and hit Lee in large chunks, scattering scars all over his skin. I saw Galeon glow a bright purple.
"He's trying to force Galeon out by hurting Lee and making Galeon angry!" I said.
"No Galeon!" Lee rejected, "I don't want you getting hurt or taken, ever! Don't fight please!"
"Oh Lee…" I said, "He's afraid of what happened to Michael, and he doesn't want Galeon to go through the same thing."
"Aww, your Bitbeast not listening to your pleads?" Tala said, "Now do you wish you had challenged me? Just give up! You can't hide the fact that your worthless Bitbeast will soon be mine, if you live to see it!"
"No!" Lee shouted helplessly as streams of blood ran from every cut, like he was crying scarlet tears for the truth he couldn't avoid, Galeon and the rest of their Bitbeasts would soon be Tala's. He fell to the floor, supporting himself with his bleeding arms that didn't even look like arms anymore. He looked over at his teammates who were utterly exhausted and couldn't take anymore.
He lowered his head as bloody tears fell from his face and pooled onto the floor as it mixed with his own salty tears.
"It's over," I heard him whisper and slowly get louder, "I'm sorry Galeon I can't do it!"
A loud roar filled the stadium that shook the dish and everything around it. Lee's blade started to glow with an insanely bright purple light. The light was so bright I had to shield my eyes and re-open them to see Galeon standing with a bright aurora around him. Lee looked up at his partner.
"I--I don't understand." Lee said, "I can't do it. But you think I can?"
Galeon nodded.
"Who am I," Lee started as he got up, "to not believe you? You know me better than I know myself, and when you say I'm not giving up, then I'll never give up!"
Galeon pushed Motoki back from the pyramid wall and stood against his blade.
"Just try and take me on now!" Lee said, "Go Galeon!"
"You beating me?" Tala said, "Impossible!"
Galeon raced for Motoki and knocked the dark blade back to the edge of the dish.
"Still not believe me?" Lee asked.
Tala started to laugh and cackle which brought a disappointed look to Lee's face. Motoki raced to the top of the pyramid.
"Have you not even noticed that my Bitbeast hasn't been released?" Tala said as Lee's face went from secure to absolutely crestfallen as he saw Tala's Bit Chip start to glow a menacing black, "Motoki!"
The dark wolf arose from the blade and howled as it looked down on Lee and Galeon with it's piercing red eyes.
"Attack Galeon!" Lee yelled as Galeon raced for Motoki.
"Attack!" Tala yelled as the two collided and a darkness filled the stadium, only to have Galeon's purple light sear through it. Galeon was lowered on one leg and was obviously tired. Lee's teammates tried to hold off Tala and give him time to rest, but they were knocked away easily.
Tala smiled evilly as his eyes once again hollowed over to an eerier black, if that was possible.
"Now it is time!" He yelled, "Trygle!"
My eyes widened as I saw the mighty eagle that once belonged to Michael arise from Tala's blade as a golden light and mold with Motoki. Large golden wings sprouted from Motoki's back and golden armor covered his legs and face.
"Attack now, Golden Feather Pierce!" Tala yelled as Motoki raced for the helpless Galeon and the others who had no chance to survive. The golden wings wrapped around its body and its feathers flew out at at Galeon and hit him, and semmed to be ripping through his fur. I saw Galeon raoar with deafeat as he fell to Motoki's power.
"Now!" Tala yelled as Motoki's mouth opened and shot a glowing beam at Galeon. It hit the mighty Bitbeast, who had gone from being a powerfull lion full of courage and spirit to a humble bronken spirit at the power of Motokai's darkness as it roared in battle for the last time.
A blinding light filled the stadium, and when it cleared nothing was left, nothing. The dish was gone and every blade but Tala's. Their Bit Chips still remained, but they were dead and cold lying on the stadium floor. Four bright spheres floated throughout the stadium—the White Tiger's Bitbeasts. All the Bitbeasts were absorbed into Tala's blade but one. Galeon went over to Lee, who was on the verge of more tears and stopped in front of his face. I then heard the oddest thing, I heard Galeon.
"Goodbye," It said, "my friend."
Galeon started to go towards Tala's blade, and Lee reached out, thinking if he could just bring him back—somehow. But his hand only fell short of Tala's blade and Galeon, who disappeared in a flash of light. Lee's hand stayed in mid-air—never to hold Galeon again.
"The winner is Tala!" The Jazzman announced as the blade flew back into Tala's hand as Lee watched it go, with Galeon concealed inside, "which means the White Tigers take their second loss and are knocked out of the tournament!"
"No." Lee whispered as Tala left the dish. His hollow eyes were trained on Tala's blade and Bit Chip that stole and contained the partner he had battled with forever, and had never told him to give up. But he had, and Galeon had paid the ultimate price.
Lee dropped to his knees as I saw drops of blood slide down his face as he cried scarlet tears for Galeon—his partner—his friend—who now had left him—never to be seen again.
The scarlet tears fell.
