Chapter 9

"Alright!" Kenny announced that evening after their match with the Cheerleaders. "Our next match against the Psychics is in two days. We have to step up on our training and think of a way to beat them." he glanced around the living room of the house and realized no one was listening to him. Max and Tyson ran into their bedrooms and came back out in their swimming trunks and headed to the pool.

"And where to you think you're going?" Kenny demanded, his frosty voice freezing the two boys at their tracks.

They turned around meekly.

"Um...the pool?" Max answered.

"What?" Kenny glared at them. "How can you think of having fun when our next match is within two days? Why can't you be like Ray or Kai? I bet they already started training while the two of you-."

"Hey, Kenny. Do you by any chance have the recipe to that Thai crispy chili?" Ray came out of the kitchen, stirring a bowl of flour under his arm.

Tyson grinned at Kenny. "You were saying, Chief?"

"Ray!" Kenny half-shouted.

Ray laughed at Kenny's red face. "Lighten up, will ya? Besides a little rest never hurt anybody."

"It'll hurt our reputation if we loose the next match." Kenny pointed out agitated. "I bet Kai's probably in the training room, training."

Ray suppressed a grin. "Actually Kai went out. Said he had something to do."

"What?" Kenny moaned. "We're so doom. Have you guys forgotten how easily the Psychics beat the White Tigers? Lee's team didn't even stand a chance! We have to figure out their strategies and how to beat them."

"Will you pipe down?!" Jade strolled into the living room, stiffening a yawn with her hand. She stretched her arms over her head, a sign she had just woken up. Probably by Kenny's rattling. She looked at the guys. "Jeez, Kenny, you're loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood."

"You have no idea." Tyson muttered.

"Can't a girl get her beauty sleep around here?" she asked with a sigh. "So what's the problem?"

"The problem is our next match is in two days and we should be training!" Kenny snapped.

"Yeah, I heard." Jade said tiredly. She had been catching up her sleep when she heard Kenny yell at Tyson and Max. After that was pretty much a no way she could get some sleep.

"We have to figure out how to beat the Psychics or we are toast." Kenny went on.

She sighed again. "Alright, you win. The only way anyone is getting sleep is when you zip it. I'll need to borrow your laptop, Kenny."

Kenny let out a squeak. He hugged his precious laptop closer to himself. "Why?"

Without answering him, Jade smoothly took the laptop from him and headed back into her room. The door closed with a sharp slam, indicating she wanted no interruption.

"Oh, man." Max drew a breath. "I so pity Dizzi."

In the privacy of her room, Jade opened up the laptop. Dizzi's voice rang out. "About time. Hey, you're not Kenny."

"Thank god." Jade murmured sarcastically. "Hey, Dizzi. I need your help."

"Ooh, suddenly the almighty Jade is asking little old me for help? Oh, well." Dizzi would have shrugged if she had shoulders. "I live to serve. What can I do for you?"

"I need you to run a background check on the Psychics."

"But Kenny has already done that." Dizzi informed her.

"I figured he did. But just in case." Jade said. "Maybe he missed out something. And I'll also need a replay of the White Tiger's battles against them."

Dizzi gave her what she asked for. Jade watched each replay carefully while Dizzi did a back check.

"Here you go." Dizzi said. "Did you find anything?"

"Maybe." Jade muttered thoughtfully. "It's like they knew what the White Tigers were thinking before they made their attacks."

"Don't forget." Dizzi reminded her. "Gary won a match against them and he isn't exactly the brightest in the team."

"According to Kevin, all Gary could think about during the match is milk." Draizer's master pondered. "Hold on. Show me what you got."

"You have an idea?"

"Sort of." Jade answered grimly. "It'll sound crazy but logical."

Bangkok was even busier as the evening closed in. The city looked strangely bright with all the lights on, preparing for the night. The air in the hilltop out looking the city was cool and refreshing. It was what Kai needed to clear his mind. He stood on the look-out point, leaning against the railings that cut of the steep drop below. He wasn't the only one there. An old man walked his dog while a couple of lovebirds sat on the bench facing the point. They huddled together those two, whispering loving things to their lover.

Kai ignored them easily just as he ignored the old man and his dog. His thoughts wandered back to those green eyes.

I know those eyes...but where? Why can't I remember?

The harder he tried to dig out his memories of his past in the abbey, the deeper they sank, retreating into a far corner of his mind.

His past in the abbey were still missing pieces of a puzzle. He could only remember what happened after he accidentally wrecked the abbey with the power of Black Dranzer. But before that incident...everything was still a blur. He wished he could remember. Remember who he was before he became the blader he was now, who his parents were before he was handed over to Voltaire. Everything was a messed up puzzle with lost pieces.

Only those green eyes stood out.

Jade...

Kai closed his eyes, trying to envision her eyes in his memories, trying to place them somewhere but nothing came up.

A sigh escaped his lips as he opened his eyes.

"Loose something, young man?"

Kai looked aside at the old man who had been walking his dog. The young blader tensed up. The old man offered Kai a friendly smile. His dog, a retriever pup sniffed at Kai and started wagging its tail, practically begging to be pat.

The old man gave his puppy a gentle but firm tug on the leash. "That's unusual. He's usually shy around strangers. He must like you."

Kai didn't know what to say so he didn't. The old guy sighed getting the idea that this young man wasn't into talking with people. He tipped his hat and went off, pulling his dog with him.

Kai could only watch until the two disappeared from his sight. The old man's question echoed in his head.

Loose something?

Yeah, Kai thought bitterly as he turned to leave. My memories.

"Jade sure is taking a long time with Dizzi." Kenny muttered anxiously. "I hope she's okay."

"Oh, Jade will be fine." Tyson said. "Missing dinner is no big deal."

"Yeah, it means more food for Tyson." Max said dryly.

All said without Max and Tyson taking their eyes of the television screen where the two was engaged in a fierce car race battle.

"I was talking about Dizzi." Kenny said snappishly.

The boys sat in the living room just after having eaten the dinner Ray had cooked up for them. They have not seen neither Jade nor Dizzi since she took the laptop into her room and refused to answer their calls for dinner.

"What can -gulp- Jade find that you haven't?" Ray asked as he swallowed an exotic Thai grape and popped another one into his mouth.

"I have no idea." Kenny said. "I didn't even know she was good with computers."

Tyson looked up hitting a button to pause the Play Station game he was playing with Max.

"Hey!" Max protested. "I was winning!"

Part of Tyson realized that while the other part was curious of the point Kenny had brought up. "It seems to me that we don't even know a thing about Jade in detail. Like she was a cheerleader or where she was born or why she travels a lot."

"Maybe she just likes traveling." Max suggested.

"That's not the point." Tyson said. He glanced at Ray. "What do you think, Ray?"

Before Ray could answer, another voice cut in brusquely. "I think you should just leave her alone."

Tyson looked at the front door as Kai came in.

"Where have you been?" Max asked.

Kai ignored him. His gaze was fixed on the neon-haired boy. "Do you understand me." that wasn't a question, it was an order.

"You can't be serious!" Tyson exclaimed in disbelief.

"Come on, Kai. Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious of who Jade is?" Max asked.

Kai hesitated before he admitted. "I'm. But it's none of my business. Right now just back off."

Tyson's eyes widened. "Since when did you care about Jade? Oh, wait. I know. You have a thing for her."

Kai grunted and decided the little pest wasn't worth spending his energy on. He ignored him and leaned against the window still, staring out.

Tyson however couldn't seem to get the clue of 'get a life'. "Kai and Jade sitting on the tree." he sang. "K-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

Max and Kenny burst out laughing.

"Knock it off. Before Kai kills you." Ray said, glancing at Kai in hopes their captain wouldn't kill Tyson. But Kai didn't seem to care. In fact he didn't seem to notice. Instead he looked distracted just gazing out the window. I never have seen Kai act like this before....

"Come on, Tyson." Max fought to recover himself while Tyson continued his charade. "Quit it before Kai and Jade decide to team up and kill you."

"Kill who?" a familiar voice said added with a hint of coldness.

Tyson froze as they looked up. "Jade?"

She stood at the door looking mildly amused at Tyson as he started to babble.

"Kill? Did we say anything about kill?" Tyson gulped nervously. "Never mind."

Jade rolled her eyes. She handed the laptop back to Kenny who hugged it with fierce relief. He set it up on the coffee table and opened it.

"Dizzi, I missed you!"

"Chill out, Chief." Dizzi laughed, flattered. "I've only been gone for three hours."

"Too long." Kenny said.

"So what did you girls do?" Ray asked.

"Oh, we had some serious girl talk." Dizzi answered simply. Then she drew on a more serious tone. "Actually we were working on the other team and Jade figured out how they beat the White Tigers. I'm not gonna ruin the surprise. Jade, you tell them."

Everyone looked at Jade. She didn't look happy or pleased at all.

Bad news, huh?Kai thought recognizing the troubled expression on her face.

Unlike Kenny, Jade got straight to the point.

"They're telepaths."