Chapter 17
"And welcome back to the semi-finals of the World Beyblade Championships!" Jazzman said. "After three exciting matches that left each team with a win, a lost and a tie, we are now moving on to the fourth match. This battle is between Jade of the Bladebreakers and the Titan Blader's Nessa!"
The audience roared their approval.
"This will be one heck of a match, Brad!" A.J commented.
"Look at those two! I'm telling you there's no lost love here! This two beautiful ladies are about to go full out in this round!" Brad agreed. "From the Titans we have Nessa. Alone, she's one tough chick but add in her Bitbeast, Poseidon and watch out!"
A.J joined in. "And hoping to get the lead for her team is Jade! I have to say she's at a big disadvantage here against Nessa's water Bitbeast. So far she has managed to pull every battle with her Bitbeast Draizer. Can she do the same here?"
"Go, Jade. You can do it." Tyson said as she stood up.
She pulled out her blade and before she headed out, Kenny caught a glimpse of it. He blinked. "Hey, you modified your blade."
Draizer's attack ring had been upgraded from a two to a four edge attack ring, definitely sharper and more accurate than before.
Have to see a guy about a Beyblade, Kai recalled her telling him. And this was the results. Hopefully it'll help her win this match.
Kenny started typing into his laptop. "Time to upgrade our data, Dizzi." he told her.
Jade could feel the eagerness of her Bitbeast as she faced Nessa across the Beystadium. She hid a wary smile as she stepped up to the dish.
"Aren't you and your team thirsty for misery?" Nessa sneered. "I really don't have time for this."
"Don't worry. I'll finish you off fast." Jade assured her.
Nessa grinned. "It seems someone has forgotten who lost in the last match we had. Maybe you need a trip down memory lane." she held up her blade. "It'll just like before."
Jade smirked. "I don't think so. It'll be very different from last time."
"I don't see how." Nessa said.
"You'll see." Jade told her.
Nessa gritted her teeth, prepared to make a retort but Jazzman interrupted.
"Bladers, ready? And 3, 2, 1! Let it rip!" he shouted.
"Go, Poseidon!" Nessa yelled. "Whirlpool attack!"
"And Nessa wastes no time at all calling out her Bitbeast." Brad reported.
In a flash of blue-green light, Poseidon appeared. It summoned a whirlpool around it as the blade lunged at Draizer.
"It's coming straight at her!" Ray gasped.
"Jade, get out of there!" Tyson called out to his teammate, beginning to rush forward.
"Tyson!" Kai said.
Tyson looked at Kai confused. "Can't you see she's going to loose?"
"Jade knows what she's doing." Kai said beckoning forward without taking his eyes off the battle. "Just watch."
Tyson turned to watch the battle and to his surprise, Draizer was doing something within the whirlpool that surrounded it. Streaks of blue flames sliced through the water, cutting it down to vapor.
"No way!" Nessa gasped loudly unable to hide her shock.
Closing her eyes, Jade made herself focus and concentrate. Her mind became one with the Bitbeast inside her blade. Alright, Draizer. Time to focus and forget about everything else. Time to concentrate.
Her Bit started to glow.
"Poseidon!" Nessa shouted. "Tsunami Wave!"
Using the move that defeated its opponent before, Poseidon called up the water from the canal to its use.
"I can't watch!" Dizzi squeaked.
"Come on, Dizzi. Snap out of it. Jade needs us." Kenny groaned.
"Kenny, you better work fast cause here comes the wave!" Max urged.
Kenny to his horror realized there was no time as the wave rosed over the blades and came crashing down on Jade's glowing blade.
Jade's eyes snapped open. "Draizer, now!"
Her Beyblade shimmered and disappeared from its spot without warning just as Poseidon's Tsunami Wave came down on it.
"Whoa! Where did her blade go?" A.J remarked in surprise.
"Jade's Beyblade just disappeared!" Brad said.
Nessa wasn't too pleased though. "Hey, what gives!" she snapped.
"Hey, Nessa." Jade called.
The aquamarine-haired girl looked up at her opponent, surprised to see a smile of pure predatory on her face. "Huh?"
"Surfs up. Draizer!" Jade shouted.
Out of nowhere, her blade appeared above Poseidon and its Bitbeast emerged from it.
"Oh, yeah! Now we're talking serious damage!" Tyson cheered.
Nessa paled, swearing under her breath. "This's not good."
For some reason, Draizer was glowing brighter than usual. There was a silent predatory look it shared in its eyes with its master.
"Razor Flames!" Jade ordered.
Fangs and claws bared, the blue wolf summoned up balls of fire and released them on Poseidon's turned back. The flames sliced through the air and slammed into the other Bitbeast from behind in a shower of fire. Poseidon went down in a cloud of dust and debris.
"What's going on in there?" Jazzman yelled peering through the smoke.
Gradually the smoke cleared revealing Draizer still spinning and next to it was Nessa's blade rested on one side.
"And taking the lead for her team is Jade!" Jazzman shouted causing a roar from the audience for an exciting match.
"I...I...don't believe it..." Nessa muttered stunned. "How...did I loose?"
Fading back into its Bit, Draizer flew back into its master's hand and Jade turned on her heel returning to the benches.
"Jade! That was awesome!" Tyson bounded up to her.
"I still can't believe you pulled that off. "Max said.
"With the odds against you too." Kenny piped in.
Ray grinned. "Thanks to you, we're now back in the lead."
Jade smiled before she turned to Kai. "Well, I guess I owe you one for letting me Beybattle Nessa."
He grunted.
"Of course this is the part you're suppose to congratulate me." she added in a matter-a-fact way.
That got him to look at her, meeting her smug smile. "Don't flatter yourself. You were just lucky. Technique wise, you were reckless and Nessa could have taken you down easily."
"Says you, Kai." she retorted.
He went on as if she never spoken. "But I suppose you did pull through for the team. Good work."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not sick?"
He pretended he didn't hear her.
"Next up we have Nicky of the Titans and Kai from the Bladebreakers!" Jazzman introduced.
"This will be one intense battle between two captains." Brad noted.
"Quiet and serious, the Bladebreakers's captain, Kai likes to make his battle short and fast leaving his opponent speechless." A.J said.
"And from the Titans we have Nicky who have so far never lost a match in this whole tournament." Brad joined in unable to hide the impressed tone in his voice. "Can he save his team from elimination now with the power of his Bitbeast, Zeus?"
"Zeus according to Greek mythology is the God of Lightning as well as the God of all Gods." Dizzi said.
"Figures." Jade muttered.
"Is that good or bad?" Max asked.
"I have no idea." Kenny answered honestly. "We'll just have to wait until the match starts."
Tyson groaned. "Waiting sucks."
"If Kai wins this match, the Bladebreakers will advance into the finals." Jazzman explained. "However if Nicky wins, there'll be a tie-breaker round. Fighters, ready!"
"Well, this'd nice." Nicky mused. "A battle between us captains. I must forewarn you, Kai. I didn't come all this way just to be sent back when I'm so close to victory."
"Sorry to sent you packing to soon." Kai smirked holding up his launcher.
"It'll be I who'll sent you packing, Kai." Nicky retorted. "I shall prove myself worthy to my Gods!"
"Then you're in the wrong sport."
"I'll make you regret you ever tried against me." Nicky said.
Kai rolled his eyes. He had heard that so many times it was becoming a bore.
"And 3, 2, 1!" Jazzman hollered. "Let it rip!"
Both bladers launched their Beyblades into the dish.
"Go, Dranzer!" Kai shouted.
Nicky fired his with a wordless shout crushing his launcher as he did so.
Both blades went for each other full out. They raced through the narrow streets of the dish aiming for the center. The collision caused a rise of dust which cleared quickly. The Beyblades were locked a combat to knock the opponent off balance first. They broke apart, leaping back on their spin base.
That was when Nicky decided to call out his Bitbeast. "Zeus! Heed me, your master! Hear my calls!"
"Here comes the Bitbeast." Dizzi alerted the team.
As if they didn't know it. Even a blind man could tell or feel the power of Nicky's Bitbeast.
Zeus was huge probably bigger than the other Bitbeasts owned by the Titans. It took a form of a man dressed in purple robes. A lightning bolt sizzled in its hand. In short, it did not look like a friendly Bitbeast.
"Zeus has chosen me as its master." Nicky said in a way of explaining. "Its powers are mine to control and with it, I will destroy you."
Kai snorted. "All I get are words and no action."
"You want action? Here!" Nicky shouted. "Lightning Bolt Attack!"
Zeus threw the lightning in hand at Kai's blade. Dranzer dodged easily, moving from side to side as another lightning bolt followed.
"Is that all you got?" Kai taunted. "I'll show you what real action is. Dranzer!"
From its Bit, Dranzer emerged in a flash of light. It lifted its head and let out a screech.
Nicky was startled to see such a magnificent creature. No doubt Dranzer wielded a lot of power. But it's not going to beat me! "Zeus! Thunder Lighting Storm Attack!"
"No way!" Megan shot up in her seat. "He's crazy!"
Chris let out a low whistle. "He must really want this one."
"But to use Zeus's ultimate attack...Kai doesn't stand a chance." Juliana said. Before her brother could stop her, she ran forward approaching where Nicky stood. "Nicky! Don't do it!"
"Back off, Juliana!" Nicky snarled.
"Think of what you're doing!" she urged. "Think of what the Gods will say!"
"The Gods want this." he replied. "I know what I'm doing!"
The air was already buzzing with static radiating from the lightning Bitbeast.
Chris came forward and took his sister by arm. She struggled against him. "There's nothing we can do." he told her. "Once he has set his mind on something, there's no turning back."
"But-!" Juliana gasped.
"Nicky is just doing what he must to get us into the finals." her brother said.
"Then we don't deserve to be in the finals!"
"Come on!" he snapped, pulling her back to the benches for safety.
A dark cloud had gathered over the stadium, charged with negative charges. Lightning and thunder rumbled within the cloud.
"What the heck is that?" Tyson gasped.
"Get it away from me! I had enough lightning storms to last me a lifetime!" Dizzi said.
"What?" Max asked in surprise. "A storm? Inside?"
"That Bitbeast is causing it." Kenny explained. "It's drawing out all the negative charges from the air, creating a lightning storm."
"From my readings, there's enough electricity in there to short-circuit the PPB facilities." Dizzi reported.
"Oh man!" Tyson exclaimed. "Kai's in trouble!"
As if to put truth to his words, the cloud shot down a wall of electricity around the stadium, trapping Kai and Nicky inside.
"Thank you, Tyson for pointing out the obvious." Jade glared at the neon-haired boy.
They rushed forward, calling out to their team captain but Kai stopped them.
"Don't!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Don't come any closer unless you want to get electrocuted!"
"He's right." Jade realized. "The wall surrounding them is too highly charged."
"Is there anything we can do?" Ray asked Kenny.
"Dizzi's going what she can but so far she's turning up dry." Kenny answered.
"But we can't just stand here." Tyson said.
"There's nothing you guys can do to help me." Kai snapped.
Tyson groaned. "Don't tell me we're back to that again."
Meanwhile Nicky prepared himself of Zeus's ultimate attack. The electricity gathered in the crowd was reaching its maximum limit. "Get ready, Kai!"
Great, what am I going to do? Kai thought, his mind racing to find a way to save Dranzer.
"Kai! I've got an idea!" Jade's voice called out suddenly.
He turned slightly, meeting her green eyes. Ironically despite the situation, the feeling of familiarity tingled through him but Kai pushed it aside.
"Don't bother, Jade. You don't know Kai like we do." Tyson said. "He won't listen."
She ignored him. Her eyes stared into Kai's crimson eyes, willing him to listen to her. "Kai, center your blade in the middle of the dish. Trust me."
"What?" he glanced back at the dish, frowning as he tried to understand what she meant. The middle of the dish was the most likely place to get struck for it was wide and open. Then he understood. It was risky but it was worth a shot.
"Dranzer!" he shouted. "Center yourself!"
Dranzer obeyed, moving to the middle of the dish.
"What's he doing?" Max asked.
"Jade, are you crazy?" Tyson demanded of her.
Jade glared at Tyson but before she could say anything, Kenny chimed in. "She's not crazy. As a matter a fact, she's a genius! It's so simple. I should have thought of it sooner."
"What're you babbling about?" Tyson asked impatiently.
"Ever hear the saying never take shelter under a tree in a storm?" Dizzi asked in a way of answering. "Well, it's the same thing here. Negative charges are always attracted to positive charges. To get to the positive charges, the negatives have to use the closest conductor."
"In English, that would mean..." Tyson was confused.
"I get it. The landscape in the dish will act as a conductor." Max said.
"It'll draw in the electricity." Ray was getting it too.
"Sweet. Now I get it." Tyson snapped his fingers as it all clicked.
"Took you long enough." Jade taunted.
"I'm sorry that my mind works too fast for you sometimes." Tyson retorted.
As Ray and Max stared at him in confusion, Jade gazed back at the battle, knowing well that Kai was out of the pan but not out of the fire yet. The irony of the saying prompted a small smile on her lips. Come on, Kai...Trust me...
"I don't know what you're doing but you better get ready! Here's a preview of my true power." Nicky lifted a hand to the storm. "Thunder Lightning Storm!"
All at once, the dark cloud released a blast of power onto the Beystadium, striking everything down to pieces. A big smoke of dust rosed, blinding everyone momentarily.
Jazzman blinked, coughing as he tried to make out what was going on in the dish." What's happening down there?!"
The smoke cleared, drifting away as everybody held their breaths in anticipation to see what the outcome was. Florence was a wreck. Buildings lay in rumbles. But in the middle of the dish where it was earlier was Dranzer still spinning steadily.
"What the-?" Nicky gasped in shock, unable to believe his eyes.
"Now, Dranzer!" Kai shouted. "Flame Sabre!"
Dranzer moved, using a collapsed building wall to send it high into the air. It came down in a whirl of blazing fire on the purple blade beneath it. Zeus was still sparkling off weak static. Dranzer slammed down on its victim sending waves of heat power through the air. The force collided with the electric wall, erasing it from existence.
"Owe! I bet everybody felt that!" A.J exclaimed.
For a second, Zeus withstood the blow of Kai's Beyblade then, a crack ran down the center and it broke into two.
"That has got to hurt!" Jazzman shouted. "And we have our winner, Kai! The Bladebreakers take the semi-finals and will advance into the finals!"
"Oh, yes! Way to go, Kai!" Tyson yelled.
His yells were drowned out by the roar of the crowd all around them. The audience was cheering and applauding for them.
Kai retrieved Dranzer from the dish and walked backed back to the benches where his team waited to congratulate him.
"You did it!" Tyson said coming up to him.
"You really had us worried there." Ray said.
Kai nodded. Although he didn't want to admit it, it Nicky's attack had him worried too.
"So, the All-So-Awesome Kai managed pull through. Why am I not surprise?" Jade said, crossing her arms in front of her. She lifted an eyebrow a smile on her lips that way teasing.
"Save it." he told her under his breath.
Jade smiled and this time the smile on her was genuine. "Congratulations, Kai."
With a grunt, he turned as Nicky and his team approached them. Nicky offered a hand to them which Tyson accepted, knowing how Kai was.
"Congratulations." Nicky said.
"Hey, thanks." Tyson grinned.
"It was an honor to battle a team as skilled as you." Juliana said graciously.
"You weren't so bad yourself." Max said, musing his hair in a carefree way.
Juliana unexpectedly turned to Kai, catching him by surprise. She smiled uncertainly, eyes darting between him and Jade. "And Kai...good luck."
Kai frowned. Good luck in what?
From the corner of his eye he could see Jade staring at Juliana with a puzzled look. She too had not missed the look Juliana gave her.
When the Titans started to leave, Chris pulled his sister close, whispering in a low hiss. "Good luck? Was that the best you could say?"
Juliana smiled calmly at him. "What was I suppose to say, Chris? The truth? It's not that simple."
"You gift is love. Why not?"
"Love is a sensitive thing. It can't be solve so easily. From what I sensed, they share a past that could and will destroy them if they let it. Only time can tell." she shrugged.
The two siblings stopped and glanced back.
Yes...only time can tell...
