Chapter 7
"Hello, People!" Jazzman greeted the crowd as they filled the stadium on the second day of the world championships qualifying round. "Welcome back, loyal fans of Beyblading as we gather here today to witness the battle between the White Tigers team versus the newest team in the field, the Psychics!"
Seated high up in the audience with his team, Ray flinched. "Does he have to yell?"
Max sat on his right. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted. "Go, White Tigers!"
"This should be an easy win." Tyson said swallowing a mouthful of popcorn. "The Psychics don't look so tough."
That's what they want their opponents to think, Jade thought. She frowned at Tyson. "Hey, didn't anyone teach you it's rude to talk with your mouth full?" she snapped.
"All the time." Dizzi said with feign cheeriness.
"You're not my mother." Tyson replied stubbornly.
"Thank god." Jade muttered.
He glared at her. "What is that suppose to mean?"
Fortunately, Ray interrupted before it could become a full force war of words. "Will you put a sock in it?" he said.
"Hey, she started it." Tyson protested but no one was listening.
Jade one, Tyson zero.
He sulked but his grumpy mood vanished as the match was about to start.
Jazzman was introducing the bladers for the first match. "First up we have Kevin of the White Tigers battling Anna from the Psychics!"
Kevin headed up the platform, confident he could ace a win for his team. I'll make this so fast she won't know what hit her.
Across him a girl about his age smiled at him. "How fast do you want me to end this?"
"What?!" Kevin stared at her, sputtering in surprise. What the-?
Jazzman raised his hand. "Ready! And 3, 2, 1! Let it rip!"
Strategies ran through Kevin's mind as he launched his blade into the dish. "Alright, Galmon! Crazy Monkey attack!" he shouted.
His blade created five more illusions of itself, surrounding Anna's yellow blade.
To his surprise, Anna was unnerved by the trick and went directly for the purple blade on the right. Her blade slammed into it hard, knocking it out of the Beystadium.
"What the-?!" Kevin gasped in shock staring at his Beyblade. "What just happened? How... how did I lose?"
"The first match goes to Anna of the Psychics!" Jazzman declared.
Kenny replayed Kevin's battle on his laptop trying to figure out how did Kevin lost.
"It was like she knew what he was going to do." Max said.
"Nah, she's probably just lucky." Tyson said casually. "Mariah's next. She'll even the score."
I hope so, Ray thought.
"Now we have the White Tigers's Mariah versus Diana of the Psychics." Jazzman hollered. "Bladers, please take your position."
Mariah stood up.
"Win this one, Mariah." Lee said.
"Don't worry, Lee. You can count on me." she grinned before she headed out.
Lee glanced down at Kevin sitting in a corner, sulking over his lost.
"I don't understand. I had everything planned out." the green headed boy moaned.
Lee sighed. "Look, it's no use crying over spilled milk, Kevin. Let's hope Mariah can even the score."
"Milk?" Gary mumbled. "Hm....milk nice...Gary like milk."
Mariah's arm tensed when Jazzman started the countdown. At the command of 'Let it rip!' she did and Galux flew in the dish with deadly speed and moved in immediately for the kill.
Galux. attack!" she ordered.
"Move!" Diana said before both blades could make contact. Her orange blade evaded Galux's attack easily.
Mariah's eyes widened. "What?!" quickly she regrouped herself and launched another attack.
But every time Galux made its move, the other Beyblade seemed to be able to predict from which direction the attack was coming from and easily dodged it. Mariah was getting frustrated. That's it! I'm gonna put everything into one attack. "Galux now! Cat Scratch!"
Her Bitbeast leapt out, hissing. It lunged at Diana's blade, claws flashing to rip it to pieces. Mariah was betting everything on one attack.
To her surprise and the rest of her own teammates, the opponent's blade merely spun out of the way. Galux speeded near to the edge.
"Attack now!" Diana ordered.
Her Beyblade spun back and slammed into Mariah's blade.
"No!" Mariah cried out as her Beyblade went sailing from the dish. "Galux!"
Her precious blade landed at her feet with a defeated click. She couldn't believe it. "I...I lost..."
The crowd exploded into a roar as Jazzman announced the winner. "The Psychics take the lead by two!"
How...how is this possible? Ray thought stunned. Mariah's attack was perfect. How could she loose?
"This does not look good for the White Tigers." Kai observed.
"Gary's up next. Maybe he can win this one." Max said.
"What happened, Mariah?" Lee demanded when his teammate returned to the benches.
She could only shake her head. "I...I don't know. It was like she could read my attacks before I make them."
Kevin looked at Gary. "You win this and you can get all the milk you want."
Gary grinned and licked his teeth. "Yummy....milk..."
The fifth member of the White Tigers, Bruce glared at Kevin. "You shouldn't have done that. Now all he can think about is milk!"
Kevin paled. "Oh great...."
It was too late because Gary was heading out with a mind on milk.
"Make this fast, Dominick." Diana called after her teammate.
"Hey, no sweat." Dominick assured her with a grin. "This'll be over in a snap."
He headed out; very confident he could defeat Gary easily. He sure doesn't look too smart. More like an idiot. I can handle him with no problem at all.
"I sense over-confidence." the Psychics's fifth member, Sam said lightly.
"Ya think?" Anna said. "We all do."
"Idiot." Diana muttered.
"For our third match, we have Dominick taking on Gary in this intense match that will decide the White Tigers's fate!" Jazzman shouted. "Beybladers, are you ready?"
"Oh yeah..." Dominick grinned, holding up his launcher.
"Milk..." was all Gary could say at that moment.
"We are so doom." Kevin moaned. "If Mariah couldn't beat them, this airhead certainly can't."
"Ready and 3, 2, 1!" Jazzman yelled. "Let it rip!"
Dominick let out a yell as he released his green blade into the stadium. "Victory is mine!"
Gary launched his blade, oblivious of what his opponent just said. His blade centered itself while Dominick's blade circled it, waiting for its move.
To Dominick's frustration, Gary refused to make a move.
What kind of a trick is he playing? he wondered.
"Dominick, stop stalling and finish him off!" Diana shouted from the benches.
Gritting his teeth, Dominick concentrated and found...nothing. Nothing except milk?
He's thinking about milk in the middle of a battle?
Diana's voice broke through his thoughts. "Dominick, his mind is not on the game. Take him out now!"
"Attack now!" he ordered.
His blade closed in on the red Beyblade.
"Gary! You win this one you can have all the milk in the world!" Kevin shouted.
That seemed to have gotten Gary's attention a moment before Dominick's blade crashed into his. Snapping out of his daydream, Gary bellowed a command. "Galzzy! Attack!"
Heeding its master's command, Galzzy appeared, roaring. It dodged Dominick's blade at the last instant and went airborne, souring above the other blade.
"Come on, Galzzy! Do this for the milk!" Gary shouted.
His whole team sweatdropped, moaning in disbelief. "Gary!"
Gary's blade crashed down on Dominick's blade sending it flying from the dish.
Dominick was stunned. "What the hell-!" he gasped.
"Oh, yeah! Gary, you're the man!" Kevin pumped his fist in the air.
"The White Tigers have scored a point!" Jazzman shouted, over-excited by the outcome. "Can Lee keep up the pace by beating the Psychics's leader, Sabrina?"
Lee stood up as Gary returned to the benches looking very pleased with his self.
"That was a good job, Gary." Lee said.
"Lee can take them from here." Mariah piped in.
Gary nodded, grinning happily to himself. "Can I have my milk now?"
Kevin chuckled nervously. "Milk? About that milk...."
Lee stepped up the Beystadium as his opponent did. He took a moment to study Sabrina. She was a pretty girl with a dead serious face. Her violet eyes, cold and unreadable, were a contrast to her straight jet black hair. He gripped his launcher tighter with Galeon locked in place.
I'm gonna win this. I have to win this, Lee thought.
The girl looked at him with her piercing gaze and a cold smile appeared on her face. "I don't think so, Lee. You're gonna loose." she said.
Lee gasped. It was like she could read my mind!
He didn't have time to think about it because Jazzman was starting the countdown.
"Bladers, on my marks! 3, 2, 1! Let it rip!"
"Galeon!" Lee roared as his launched his black blade in to the stadium. In his mind, he could hear his Bitbeast share his roar, the taste for the kill. I'll make her think she has me then I'll use Dark Lighting to finish her off.
Sabrina smirked. "Dark Lighting, huh?" she let out a little laugh. "Finish it!" she ordered her blade.
"What the-?" Lee shouted in shock. He could only watch, stunned as her purple blade collided into Galeon. His blade bounced to the edge, wobbling. But Sabrina wasn't going to give him any chance to recover. Her blade moved in and knocked it completely from the stadium.
Shock washed over Lee as Galeon landed at his feet with a final defeated click. "No way..."
Smirking, Sabrina called back her blade as Jazzman declared the winner.
"Sabrina has beaten Lee! The Psychics advanced in to the quarter-finals!"
"What a turnover!" A.J shouted.
"The Psychics have beaten the White Tigers without breaking a sweat!" Brad joined in. "It was unbelievable!"
"I...I don't believe it..." Ray muttered in shock. "They...lost..." his hands became fists.
"There's nothing we can do for them now, Ray." Kai said, standing up. "We can only avenge them by beating the Psychics and to do that we have to get into the quarter-finals."
"Kai's right." Max agreed.
"Who's our next opponent, Chief?" Ray asked tightly.
"A team called the Cheerleaders." Kenny replied.
"Sounds like a piece of cake." Tyson said. He waited for a retort from Jade but the girl had gone quiet. As if she was deep in thought.
"Nevertheless we have to train." Kai said. "You saw what happened here today."
Tyson sighed. "Fine. I hereby prepare myself for an endless torture from Kai."
This time Jade did make a comeback. "Hope you won't faint."
They started to leave, heading back to the bus. At the lobby, they caught a glimpse of the Psychics as they exited the building. Their leader paused a moment and she looked at the Bladebreakers. Sabrina smirked when her gaze landed on Tyson, Max and Kenny. But the smirk quickly faded as her eyes turned to Ray then Kai. Her gaze went to Jade and as Jade met her stare, a frown appeared and Sabrina quickly look away and hurried after her own team.
Jade stared after the Psychics's leader, an impossible idea forming in her head. But she had learnt a long time ago nothing was impossible.
