A/N: I'm back! Just like I promised, the third chapter!
Mei: Omedetou! You got it up in one week! Yihii!
Aki: So? She did the same thing at first with 'Revelation'...for the first few chapters...
Me: Don't be like that, Aki-chan...I got a little busy around the time I was writing the eighth chapter. In all the hubbub, I misplaced my story notes - and I can't write without those! I get confused sometimes...
Aki: Whatever...rolls eyes
Mei:Can we thankthe reviewernow?
Me: Okies! A VERY big shout-out to Sherbert Mayhem, my one and only reviewer for this whole dang story! Thanks so much for reviewing the prologue and first two chapters. Glory be to God for this chance to knowsuch a great writer like you! I really hope we can be friends, even if its only online...Anyways, here's the third chappie! I hope it lives up to your expectations.
Mei: And for anyone else reading this, R&R, people!
Disclaimer - Aki:Hikair doesn't own Beyblade, period.
Mei: She does own the OCs, though...
Chapter 3: The Final Test
Kumiko's eyes widened as she watched Taichi's blade reverse its counterclockwise circle, knocking her blade out of the stadium.
"Too bad! Looks like Kumiko's out of the game!" Takao commented, trying to hide his disappointment. Everyone's eyes were on the still spinning blade as it soared towards the ceiling. "That means Shimamoto-"
"Just a moment, Kinomiya-sensei…" Kumiko said quietly, her eyes flashing; she wasn't going to let victory out of her hands that easily. She turned back to her opponent.
"Shimamoto, have you so easily forgotten exactly what type of blade you were up against?"
"Huh?" The copper-haired teen looked puzzled. He was especially puzzled because Kumiko had struck him as a nice, friendly girl. Where does she get off, talking like that? he wondered.
"If I recall correctly, this also happened during the Regional Finals, the day Team BBA was formed." Kumiko continued, a small grin crossing her lips. "The semi-finals between Mizuhara-sensei and Hiwatari-sensei?"
In the silence, a whirring noise could be heard. Taichi glanced up. His olive-green eyes widened as he realized that the whirring was actually the sound of Kumiko's blade. Remarkably, it was still spinning; not only that, it was heading downwards towards the dish…and his Beyblade.
"No way!" Taichi exclaimed, glancing back at the raven-haired teen. I shouldn't have underestimated her though…She's good! he realized with crystal clarity. Aloud, he said, "You customized that blade, didn't you? You replaced the base with a auto-change type?"
Kumiko smiled, but didn't reply. "Don't get overconfident; it may prove to be your undoing," was all she said, as her blade screamed downwards and landed on the green blade. "Say goodbye to victory, Shimamoto…" she smirked. "Dranzer F, crush it!"
The blue blade, which had been balanced directly on the bit chip of its opponent, immediately shifted to the side, and then back. The sudden disruption of equilibrium caused Taichi's Draei to teeter momentarily. The Dranzer F abruptly knocked into it, and it flew out of the stadium.
Stunned silence descended upon the audience. Kumiko knelt down and held out a hand; her blade spun obediently into her hand. She shot Taichi an apologetic smile, and then turned and began to walk down the steps. That was when the applause started.
"What a magnificent finish!" Takao exclaimed, an ear-to-ear grin nearly splitting his face in half. "Kumiko has managed to snatch the victory from right under Taichi's nose!" He paused to catch his breath, and then turned to the copper-haired blader. "And speaking of Taichi, let's give him a round of applause, folks, for his outstanding effort!"
The audience obligingly did so, Taichi's classmates growing rowdy with a couple of hoots and war whoops. Up on the platform, Taichi smiled sheepishly and waved.
Wonder where Fujiwara-san went? he thought, glancing about him for any glimpse of the raven-haired teen. But she was nowhere to be found.
"That was embarrassing…" Kumiko said aloud. She plunked herself down on a wooden bench near the back of gym, a little away from the crowd.
"What was so embarrassing about it?" a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up, surprised. And then her eyes narrowed.
"Mikage," she muttered, merely to acknowledge the presence of the one person she was not in the mood to see.
"You haven't answered my question, Fujiwara." Chiaki said, glancing down at her. She leaned back against a nearby post as she did so. "Why so embarrassed?"
"You know I hate spotlight, Mikage," Kumiko replied, looking away as she twisted open her water bottle. She took a long sip, and then quickly wiped her lips.
"You don't hate spotlight, Fujiwara," Chiaki spat. "You always seem so comfortable whenever it's turned on you. Take for example your previous match." Chiaki's face tightened as she recalled the battle. She hated to admit it, but the movements of her chosen rival were…perfect. Perfect for their level, at least. "The first and third rounds, to be specific. In the former, you knocked Shimamoto out in less than a minute. And then, in the latter, you pulled out a win from out of nowhere. Why should you hide from recognition? You certainly have the skills…"
"I may have the skills, Mikage, but I-"
Chiaki rolled her eyes. She didn't care a whit about whatKumiko said."Save it, Fujiwara. I didn't come here to hear some 'confession.'
She smirked, and then turned on her heel.She was confident that, despite what anyone else would think, she, Chiaki – not Kumiko – would win this last round.
"At any rate, you'd better prepare yourself for the finals, 'cause the break's almost over. See you." As the ash blonde teen walked away, Kumiko stared after her.
Okay…what's her problem?
Momentarily, she shrugged. Her 'opponent' was right; the break was almost over. She stood up, snagged another water bottle, and then made her way back to the front of the center platform.
"If I didn't see it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't have believed it!" Max exclaimed. He grinned widely, totally psyched for the final match.
Takao grinned back at his cheeky friend, who was now wide-eyed with glee. "Yeah! I didn't think there'd be anyone who could pull off a stunt like that. Aside from Kai, of course…"
The brunette turned to his other 'cohort'. "Did you get a record of that, Chief?" The brown-haired teen was seated beside him – and was typing away furiously at his laptop.
"Of course I recorded that match, Takao," Kyouju, always one to be thorough, replied, not looking up from whatever he was typing. "That's why I'm verifying the readings derived from the video; they just don't seem justified."
"Why is that?" Rei, now curious, got up from the opposite end of the table and peered over Kyouju's shoulder. What he saw made his eyes go wide. "No way!"
"Rei?" Takao looked up, concern creasing his brow. Rei was not the type to be easily rattled, which made him a clear thinker in battles – and in other situations, for that matter. If he was startled, it was for a good reason, the team knew.
Max glanced up too, worried. "What's wrong, bud?"
"Check it out, Takao, Max…" Rei said, carefully handing them the laptop. "Then you'll see why Chief was so…intent on his work earlier. He shook his head, visibly shaken. Takao threw the neko-jin another worried glance, just to make sure he was fine. Rei noticed, and gave him a small smile before sitting back down.
"So, what've you got, Kyouju?" Takao bent over to read the screen, as did Max. Instantly their jaws dropped.
"Those…those are her stats?" Takao managed to choke out. "Are you sure she's just a rookie?" 1
"Positive." Kyouju replied. He took back the laptop, tapped out something, and then turned it back around so they all could view it. "As you can see here, at the start of the match – the first round – Fujiwara's readings were not that impressive." Here he pointed out a small table in the upper left corner. Max leaned closer in order to read it better.
"Attack: two stars; Defense: two stars; Endurance: two stars…" Max slumped back in his seat, looking nonplussed. "So how come the final readings are so high?"
Kyouju stopped the record, and then flipped the laptop closed. "I think, for some strange reason, she was holding back at the start of the match, and then played to her full ability only during the last round."
Everyone was quiet. It was quite bewildering to hear this; a rookie not playing to their full abilities was just plain…unorthodox.
"Don't you guys get it yet?" a quiet voice inquired from the far corner of the room. The four teens whirled around.
"Kai?" Takao looked surprised. "Don't tell me you were just standing there the whole time we were discussing!" He still wasn't used to his captain doing that – seemingly appearing from out of nowhere – even when they'd been teammates for nearly five years!
"As a matter of fact, Kinomiya, I was." Kai stated quietly, smirking. He made his way over to the table. "Anyway, with regards to Fujiwara and her outstanding statistics, I have a feeling it has something to do with our bit beasts' strange behavior lately."
"You have it all figured out?" Max asked. He was still breathing hard from the 'scare' Kai had given them, but he wanted to hear an explanation, any explanation, for what had been happening to them lately, and, hopefully, the enigmatic blader they'd been discussin.
Kai didn't reply; instead, he pulled out a chair. "Do you all remember exactly to which bladers each of your beasts reacted?" He glanced at each teen in turn. The garnet eyes – usually emotionless pools whenever he spoke to them – were, strangely, neither cold nor calculating now.
Takao noticed, but paid no attention. He was the first to speak. "Hmm…Dragoon seemed to respond to Mikage…"
"…Draciel responded to Shimamoto…" Max added.
"…Matsuo's battles always seemed to get Driger excited…" Rei said thoughtfully.
"…And Dranzer reacted whenever I was watching Fujiwara." Kai finished, a small grin playing across his lips. "Does anyone spot a pattern?"
All was quiet for a few moments, and then Kyouju burst out, "The four semi-finalists!" He was mentally hitting himself on the head; why hadn't he seen it before? He chided himself for being unable to spot the obvious.
"Seems I'm not the only observant one around here…" Kai commented. "Does anyone else realize the significance?"
"I don't think so…" Takao said, rubbing his chin and staring off into space.
Kai sighed exasperatedly. As usual, Takao was being dense. "The answer's actually very simple, but it might be difficult to accept…" He closed his eyes for a moment; everyone leaned forward should they miss anything.
After a while, the crimson orbs flickered open. "Dragoon, Draciel, Driger, and Dranzer are ready to move on."
At the announcement, pandemonium reigned.
"What?" Takao jumped up, horrified. "Are you saying I have to give up Dragoon?"
"What about Draciel?" Max was terribly distraught. He had gotten the bit chip as an accidental gift from his mother, Judy, all those years ago when he'd first met his teammates. It had come in the form of a pendant. The necklace itself he had broken in his haste to brush DJ Jazzman's arm from his shoulder immediately following his loss in the first round against Kai, but the 'pendant' that contained the beast had remained. The fact that it had been given to him by his mother made the bit beast even more special to him. "I have to give him up, too?"
"I'm afraid so, Max…" Kai said, closing his eyes once more. He was their leader, and, though he chose not to show it, he hated it when his friends were distraught. "Unfortunately, there is no other explanation. The four sacred spirits have chosen."
"I was afraid of this…" Kyouju muttered. Instantly, the bespectacled teen clapped a hand on his mouth; he hadn't meant to say that!
"Chief…you mean to say you suspected this all along?" Rei asked, his voice rather hoarse; he was not quite over the upsetting news.
"Unfortunately, yes…" the mousy-haired teen sighed before continuing. "I was doing research earlier, before the start of Fujiwara's match. I was trying to find an explanation for your bit beasts' strange actions…."
"And…?" Takao pressed, anxious to hear what his friend had to say. Perhaps it was all a mistake; Kai was just joking…
"I found an article online similar to what Kai has just said." The floppy-haired teen was quiet for several moments as he opened up another file. And then he began to read. "'There is an exception to this rule when the bit beast simply chooses its next master, even though the current one is still alive and can still wield the beast himself or herself…'" He looked up. "What's been happening lately fits; it's not mere coincidence."
"So…it's also not mere coincidence that those four made it to the semi-finals?" Max asked, slightly recovered now.
No one answered; no one felt like answering.
Suddenly, Takao jumped up. "Oh, man! I forgot!" He smacked his forehead at his own stupidity. "I'm supposed to open the finals!" He dashed over to the door, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. "See you, guys!"
Silence. The other teens just stared at the door, from where Takao had just dashed out. Gradually, the atmosphere began to lighten. Max chuckled.
"That was unexpected…I could almost imagine DJ Jazzman in that scenario!"
Rei, too, grinned. "Yeah, you'd think they were related…I would have like to him trip, though, just for the heck of it…"
"You're so mean, Rei…"
"What's taking Kinomiya-sensei so long?" Yuujin wondered out loud. "The finals were supposed to start ten minutes ago…"
Kumiko smiled at her friend. This was just like Yuujin, always worrying.
"Not to worry. I'm sure they were just discussing some stuff in the back room. He'll be along shortly."
"I hope so." Yuujin sighed. A few minutes later, she spoke again. "I'm getting bored…"
Kumiko chuckled. "Make up your mind; are you worried that something's happened, or bored?"
Yuujin stared off into space, looking thoughtful. After a while she replied, "I don't know…maybe…both?"
"Oh, you-!" Kumiko reached over and tickled her friend, sending her into a giggle fit.
"K-K-Kumiko, stop!"
All of a sudden, there was a yelp, and then a crash sounded from the platform area.
"What was that?" Kumiko stood up, trying to see in the dim light. The spotlight had been turned off, and only the lights at the very back were kept on. She was able to make out the silhouette of Takao as he stood up, and he seemed to be rubbing his head. And then the spotlight flashed on once more, as did the lights in the center of the room.
"Sorry for the delay, everyone!" Takao said as he picked up the microphone. "My friends and I were discussing something, and I lost track of time. Anyway…" he paused as he reached up and adjusted his cap. "As you all know, it's time to go on to the finals!" At this, several people clapped and cheered. Takao grinned roguishly. Being in front of a crowd always sent him into hyper mode, whether he was blading or commentating!
"So, without further ado, let's bring them out!" He swung out a hand towards the right side of the platform, in order to direct the crowd's attention towards that spot. "The winner of Block 1, Mikage Chiaki!" To his right, Chiaki stepped up to the platform, a smug smile on her face.
"And, the winner of Block 2, Fujiwara Kumiko!"
"See you, Yuujin…" Kumiko said, her voice hard. She stood up, her launcher clutched tight in her fist. This is it...
As soon as she was up on the platform, Takao grinned again. "Let's hear it for 'em, folks!" The group burst into cheers and applause. This lasted for several minutes, and Kumiko sighed impatiently. She just wanted the match finished as soon as possible, because then, she could get off the platform and get away from the crowd.
It seemed the stormy-eyed teen heard her; the next thing she knew, Takao was saying, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this show on the road!" He fairly screamed the last part, and both Kumiko and Chiaki winced inwardly; being at close proximity to an announcer definitely had its setbacks! "Bladers, ready!"
At the command, both Chiaki and Kumiko set their blades in their launchers, and then turned and faced the dish.
"Ganbatte, Kumiko!"
"You can do it, Chiaki!"
"Go!"
"Show her who's boss!"
The whole of Section 1-A had chosen seats close to the platform for this match; apparently, the class was divided, since both finalists were classmates of theirs.
"3…2…1…Go, shoot!"
At the command, both competitors pulled hard on their ripcords, and their respective blades spun into the dish.
The white blade – Chiaki's – immediately went into a clockwise spiral around Kumiko's blue one, gradually picking up speed. Kumiko grinned.
"Is that all? From the warning you'd given me earlier, I could've sworn you were going to be harder!"
"Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions, Fujiwara!" Chiaki shot back, smirking. "You might miss something important…" She glanced down at the dish, and the purple-eyed teen followed her gaze.
"Hmmm…pretty sneaky tactic, Mikage," she replied. "You thought to distract me while you attacked my blade." In the dish, Chiaki's blade was continuously slamming Kumiko's. Fortunately, it wasn't weakening at all. Kumiko smiled, the dangerous glint in her eyes. "Well, now that I've found out your tactic, I'll let you know it won't work! Dranzer F, go!"
At once, Kumiko's blade shot forward – much like it had during the battle with Taichi – and knocking into Chiaki's blade, causing it to flip into the air.
"This battle's over." Kumiko started to insert her ripcord back into her launcher (to get ready for the second round), when Chiaki's voice cut in once more.
"Like I said, Fujiwara, don't be too sure!" Kumiko gasped as she saw Chiaki's blade flip over in the air and head downwards back towards the dish. She hadn't counted on this! She glanced back at her opponent, alarm still written on her face.
"Looks like Chiaki's getting desperate, people!" Takao commented. "But can she pull off a win? At that angle, that blade seems destined to crash and burn!"
Kumiko calmed right down though, when she saw what Chiaki was planning; she tensed as she waited for the right moment to move out from below.
"Just watch me!" Chiaki said, more to Takao than to anyone else. Suddenly, before anyone had any chance to realize what was happening – especially Kumiko – Chiaki's blade crashed headlong into Kumiko's, effectively sending it spinning out of the dish.
Kumiko just stared. She…beat me? Just like that? She picked up her blade, acting out of instinct. Shun was right; she is someone to be reckoned with…
"Whoa! A fantastic move on the part of Chiaki, ladies and gentlemen!" Takao exclaimed, as much in shock as anyone else in the crowd.
"That's funny…I recall you saying not to get 'overconfident; it may prove to be your undoing.'" Chiaki smirked again.
"You're always so full of yourself, Mikage…" Kumiko scowled as she got up from her kneeling position, the amethyst orbs flashing with irritation. "Kinomiya-sensei, how long 'til we begin the second round?" she asked, turning to the brunette.
"Whenever you're ready, Kumiko and Chiaki," Takao moved his face away from the microphone in order not to have his voice heard over the sound system.
"We're ready now, sir…" The raven-haired girl replied, her grip on the launcher as tight as can be. Now that she knew her opponent's capabilities, bringing her down would be a snap! She grinned in anticipation, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Chiaki.
"What's so funny, Fujiwara?" she snapped, her voice sounding less authoritative and more impatient and childlike.
Takao brought the mic closer now, and he said, "Well, looks like the bladers are ready to start the next round!"
At once, Kumiko raised both arms above her head; she wasn't about to let this round end on such an unsatisfactory note.
"3…2…1…Go…SHOOT!"
Once more, both bladers yanked hard on their ripcords. This time, Chiaki had aimed for the center, while Kumiko had aimed for the opposite slope. Accordingly, her blade bounced off and headed towards its opponent. With a deafening 'whack!', it knocked into Chiaki's blade, which shot towards the adjacent slope. Instead of bouncing off, though, it spun up it a little, and then back down; for Kumiko, this was enough – the opposing blade was weakening.
"Now, Dranzer F, Flame Spiral!"
Almost immediately, the blue blade began moving clockwise, gradually moving upwards and increasing its speed as it went; by the time it was on a level with the white one, it was only a blur. There was another thundering 'crack!' as Chiaki's blade went sailing out, landing at its owner's feet. It spun there awhile, as though still trying to comprehend why it wasn't in the dish anymore, and gradually ground to a stop.
A split second later, cheers and yells filled the stadium. As a result, Takao had to shout once more into the microphone to make himself heard.
"Astounding! Looks like Kumiko has just made up for her earlier loss, girls and boys! In less than a minute, she has sent Chiaki straight out of the dish! Suddenly, I'm not sure if I'm watching two rookies battle!"
"No…" Chiaki's voice was a hoarse whisper as she absorbed what had just happened; she was oblivious to what Takao was saying, overcome with astonishment and humiliation. She looked up at her rival. "How did…you-?"
"You got too overconfident, Mikage…" Kumiko said simply as she expertly caught her blade, which had spun back into her hand. "Perhaps it hasn't entered your mind that your earlier victory was only a test?"
"A test?" Chiaki spluttered, enraged by what she heard. This Fujiwara is too much! A test"You…you're lying!"
Takao – and the audience, which had quieted down – turned their attention to the two girls.
"Why would I lie?" Kumiko grinned, looking innocent once more.
"I've no idea why you'd lie…" Chiaki ground out. "All I know is, you lost to me in the first round, and that's it!"
Kumiko's grin grew wider, but it wasn't an innocent grin anymore."Are you certain of that, Mikage?" She shifted her gaze from the ash blonde across from her to a certain slate-haired blader she knew was somewhere in the crowd, watching. Ever since they had met on the first day of the 'program', she felt an inexplicable desire to impress Kai, to live up to his expectations, whatever they were. Without looking at her opponent, she continued, "A certain Tadehiko Shun warned me earlier to look out for you. I didn't understand then; your stats were…fine, for our level, but he insisted that it was you I had to be wary of. I had to investigate this, so I…conducted an experiment of my own."
"Why, you-" Chiaki started towards her, but was stopped almost immediately by Takao.
"Girls, let's not have any squabbling!" Takao said, looking pointedly at Chiaki. "Please, return to your place…"
"Not until I've had a shot at her!" Chiaki replied, straining against the brunette's hold on her arm. "You heard what she said; she's belittling me!"
"You know, Mikage, that happens a lot in the world of Beyblading…" Kumiko said, folding her arms over her chest, suddenly amused at how easy it was to make Chiaki fly off the handle. She'd never done such a thing to anyone on purpose before, but, strangely, she liked it! "If you can't stomach it, then maybe you should look for a different sport that will suit you."
"Fujiwara, I think that's enough!" Takao said, his voice rising in his efforts to 'keep the peace'. He shifted his gaze from Chiaki to Kumiko, to emphasize what he had just said. Immediately, the raven-haired teen quieted down.
"Gomen, sensei…" she said, her voice soft. The stormy blue eyes widened; he certainly hadn't been hoping for that reaction. He was afraid he'd offended her.
"Kumiko -" He began, but the purple-eyed teen stopped him before he could get anything out. She wasn't speaking to him, but to Chiaki.
"What do you say we get on with the match, Mikage? No hard feelings, I hope…" She grinned, a genuine smile now.
"Whatever…" Chiaki rolled her eyes, but stepped back to her previous spot near the dish.
Meanwhile, Takao was still trying to get over his initial shock at the abrupt change in Kumiko's personality when she was in battle.
She reminds me of KaiHe realized. The face, the hard, cold voice, and the frightening confidence…they're almost twins, except for when the battle ends. Then, they're total opposites! But...there may be something to what Kyouju and Kai said earlier…He shook his head abruptly, mainly to stop himself from dwelling on that too long; there was still one more round before the finals were through!
"We, uh…apologize for the…unscheduled interlude, people…" he said, more to have something to say than anything else. "So far, both Kumiko and Chiaki have won one round each; that tie, ladies and gents, is going to be broken in this final round, and the winner shall be, of course, declared champion!" The crowd burst into applause once more (don't they get tired?), but Takao wasn't through. His grin got wider and put his face even closer – if that was possible – to the microphone. He took a deep breath. "And…"
Upon hearing that last word, the audience went quiet.
"The winner will automatically designated as team captain, to head the school team in the Junior Championships!"
The applause was deafening; many were definitely excited now since the stakes were higher.
Kumiko sighed, and then looked up; she could feel someone's eyes on her. She gazed out into the crowd let her gaze roam around, until it locked with Kai's. She involuntarily gasped; she may have known that he was in the crowd, but it still surprised her to actually meet his gaze! How long has he been looking this way?
Where have I seen this scenario before? Kai was thinking as he gazed at Kumiko. Now I'm sure of it; the four semi-finalists for this school really are the next four chosen ones. Why else would the final round turn out like the one all those years ago?
He sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd taken a liking to this Fujiwara. She was everything he was when he was her age, if only in battle. He couldn't care less how she acted when she wasn't in battle; it was her spirit he was drawn to. He could understand why his bit beast would choose such a blader.
And then, the command of '3…2…1…Go, shoot!' blared over the speakers. Kai shook his head. Now was not the time to dwell on that. He turned his attention back towards the match.
"What are you waiting for, Mikage?" Kumiko asked, not taking her eyes of the dish. "I thought you said you weren't going to hold back…"
"I thought you said the exact same thing, Fujiwara," Chiaki replied rather haughtily. "But what are you doing now? Are you afraid to attack?"
The purple orbs narrowed drastically, and Kumiko sneered. "You wish!" With that, her blade picked up speed and rushed towards its opponent. It knocked into the white blade, sending it up the slope and nearly to the rim of the dish.
Chiaki panicked as she saw her blade riding up the slope, but she tried not to show it.. At the last possible moment, it reversed, and spun back towards the center. Phew…the emerald-eyed teen breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close! If I'd wiped out this early after I said I wouldn't hold back, I would've never lived it down…Aloud, she said, "Hah! Looks like that attack of yours was too weak, Fujiwara!"
"For once, you're right, Mikage." Kumiko smirked. "So I held back. And who cares? After all, what fun is a battle if you're just going to win after the first two minutes? I decided to draw this battle out as much as I could, just for the heck of it."
"Oh, you're just so full of yourself!" Chiaki snarled. "Let's see how you like it when you're taken down! Whirling Crash!"
The last sent her blade spiraling around Kumiko's. Gradually, Chiaki's blade picked up speed and began to knock into its opponent over and over. On the opposite side of the dish, Kumiko was silent – and seemingly unaffected by what was happening in the dish. This caused Chiaki to become quite nervous.
Why isn't she saying anything? And she could at least defend herself! What's going on? Chiaki thought frantically.
"What's the matter, Mikage?" Kumiko asked, the frightening confidence having returned. "Why am I not counter-attacking or defending?"
Chiaki's eyes widened. How did she know what I was thinking? She's practically scary like that! But why is she acting this way now when only a while ago, she was…herself?
Kumiko chuckled softly at the dumbfounded look on her opponent's face. "I think you'll find the answer if you'd take a look at your blade." Unbeknownst to everyone around her, she was also getting rather confused, much less frightened, at her unexplainable changes in personality whenever she was in battle, especially now in the last round of the finals. But she had no time to think about that. She glanced at the dish, grinning again.
Chiaki, unnerved, but trying not to show it, followed her gaze, and gave an involuntary gasp.
Takao, too, was surprised at what he saw in the dish. "This doesn't look good, fans…" he said, looking puzzled. "Chiaki has been attacking like crazy, but Kumiko is still going strong. Conversely, Chiaki's blade is slowly wearing down! Is that why Kumiko chose not to attack?"
"The hell it's wearing down!" Chiaki exclaimed. The fire in her, which had slowly been burning low, now rose up again, inflaming her with a desire to win so strong that it almost overwhelmed. How dare she make a mockery of me in front of the entire senior year? she thought. She held back a snarl as she glanced back at her opponent. Her blade, seemingly sensing her anger, picked up speed once more and attempted to strike, but the Dranzer F was no longer there.
"Where'd it go?" Chiaki asked, referring to Kumiko's blade, which was nowhere to be seen. All determination had suddenly flown out the window and had been replaced with panic and bewilderment. How'd she do that? How'd she disappear just like that
To Chiaki's right, Takao was staring in surprise at the dish. It's probably moving too fast to be seen… The stormy-eyed blader realized. And Mikage doesn't know…Where he had only been interested in Kumiko because of her remarkable performance thus far, now he was impressed; she had managed to create her own version of Phantom Hurricane, a special attack he had fashioned long ago.
"I'm right here!" Kumiko exclaimed. At the same time, her blade zoomed up to Chiaki's from behind and slammed into it, sending it careening out of its spiral. "You'll have to pay attention, Chiaki-san," she added, in tandem to another of her blade's attack. "You aren't going to win if you keep your eyes only on the obvious…"
"You can stop spouting that drivel, Fujiwara!" Chiaki exclaimed, her fists clenched tight. "The obvious thing here is that I'm about to kick your butt!" With that, her blade began its own counter-attack on Kumiko's. She was still burning from the remarks Kumiko had made earlier – no matter that the latter had apologized; she didn't forgive nor forget easily.
Now it gets interesting…Shun thought as he watched the progressing match from the stands. Mikage Chiaki's stats are suddenly increasing…Could she only have been holding back during the preliminaries? He stared at the screen of his laptop thoughtfully, his attention having been drawn from the match by the sudden rise in the emerald-eyed blader's stats. It was possible that she had purposely held back, just as Kumiko had done. You never could tell with bladers. Could she…?
Suddenly, there was a collective gasp from the crowd, and Shun snapped back to watching the battle. What he saw was nothing short of surprising.
Just like in Kai and Takao's first battle, the two blades had suddenly launched into the air, and were currently attacking each other aggressively.
"Now things are heating up!" Takao, ever the 'dedicated' commentator, shouted into the microphone. "The two bladers have taken the battle to the air, folks! Looks like neither Chiaki nor Kumiko is afraid of taking the risk of having their blade land outside the dish, if and when they land!"
"Go, Kumiko!" Yuujin was on her feet, yelling. "C'mon! You've seen this before. You know what's going to happen! You can do it!"
And it was true. Kumiko and had watched the Regional Finals from the comfort of her home, but that didn't mean that was any less aroused by the spectacular battle between Kai and Takao. The minute the broadcast was over, she had gone and bought her first Beyblade at the local hobby shop and had started training with it. Gradually, she had bought spare parts until she had crafted her very own Dranzer F. And she had dedicated herself to observing Team BBA, Team Baifuzu, and other world-class teams – and how they battled, in order to formulate her own repertoire of offensive and defensive maneuvers.
Kumiko heard her friend's encouraging shouts through the din of the audience, and she turned to her and grinned.
After around three seconds, the raven-haired teen turned back to the battle. She had to time this right. She focused on the two blades, still battling in mid-air. Across from her, Chiaki was doing the same thing. Slowly, Kumiko counted in her head. 1…2…3…NOW!
"Dranzer F, Fire Storm!"
The blue blade instantly stopped its attack and slowly spiraled towards the center of the dish, its momentum boosted by the gravity pull. As it hit the dish, it angled up slightly, and then seemed to bounce back up towards Chiaki's blade.
In the blink of an eye, Dranzer F had collided with the white blade that was Chiaki's, and spent it spinning off its apparent spiraling course towards the dish. There was a resounding THWACK! as the blade hit the metal dish…and then, an unexpected whirring sound.
"This is truly astounding, folks!" Takao yelled. "Chiaki has managed to survive that devastating attack!"
Rousing cheers filled the stadium. It was as though they were watching a world-class match! They, the crowd, were really excited now.
"That Mikage-san is really somethin' else!" Taichi exclaimed, turning to Kaito, who sat beside him. Ever since the conversation they had had before the semi-finals, they had found each other a fine companion, and it was an unspoken agreement that they sit together.
Kaito nodded, not taking his eyes off the match. "But so is Fujiwara-san."
"Which is why I can't wait to see the end of the match! It's going to be so great!"
"You wouldn't mind if Mikage-san lost?" Kaito asked, a knowing glint in his eyes as he looked up at his friend. Taichi froze, and then glanced at the teal-eyed teen.
"Wh-what do you mean?" He sputtered. "Of…of course I wouldn't mind if Mikage-san lost! I…I mean what's the big deal?"
Kaito shook his head, amused at the copper-haired teens efforts to hide what, to him, was already so obvious. "Come off it. You like her, don't you?"
"Erm…"
"I knew it!" Kaito chuckled, still shaking his head.
"Well, don't tell anyone, okay?" Taichi pleaded.
"Whatever…"
At the dish, the atmosphere was a little less light-hearted. Chiaki was concentrating on keeping her blade spinning long enough to spring another attack on Kumiko. The amethyst-eyed teen wasn't worried, however, as she watched her Dranzer F circle the dish almost lazily, just waiting for the command to attack.
After a few minutes, Kumiko decided that she'd waited long enough; her opponent didn't seem about to attack for a long while, anyway.
Why waste all that time, Kumiko thought, when I could just finish the job? Aloud, she said, "Dranzer F, do it! NOW!"
The blue blade, upon 'hearing' its master's orders, immediately launched into the air and landed once more on top of the white one. At first it seemed to just be spinning on top of its opponent, but, upon closer inspection, Chiaki realized that Kumiko's blade was performing little jumps, which, as time went on, got progressively higher, and the movement made much more detectable. She turned to Kumiko.
"Is that all?" she asked, smirking and looking relaxed for the first time in minutes. "From the tone of your voice, I thought it would be something more impressive, not a skipping game!"
"Believe all you want, Mikage," Kumiko said, also grinning – How naïve of her! "I assure you, though, that my move was not just a 'skipping game'."
Chiaki cocked her head to one side, skeptical. "How so?"
"Once more, I suggest that you don't look at the obvious, Mikage…" The raven-haired teen replied, an odd smile on her face. Obligingly, Chiaki glanced at her spinning top. And gasped.
"Wh-what are you doing?" she fairly screeched. In the dish were little splinters of metal, shimmering dull gray in the gymnasium lights. "You're destroying my blade!"
"Hey! Isn't that against the rules, to attach a sharp edge to your blade?" someone from the audience called out.
Takao glanced at Kumiko warily. She hadn't seemed the type to go against the rules. Kumiko glanced back at him…and read the message written in the steel blue eyes.
"I'm not destroying your blade, Chiaki; I'm merely going to wear it out. With each jump, my blade causes yours to dig deeper into the metal dish. That's why there are little slivers of metal identical to yours; those came from the dish."
Takao, upon hearing the explanation, took a quick look at the dish. Sure enough, he could see a small gouge in the center, where Chiaki's blade had been, and a nearly invisible trail leading to where the blade now stood.
"Its true, folks." He said, merely to reassure the crowd that there was no foul play going on, especially if there were some in the audience who suspected favoritism. "The Dranzer F is indeed forcing Chiaki's blade to dig deeper, causing a rut. If Chiaki doesn't do something quick, her blade's going to run out of steam!"
"You bet I'm going to do something!" Chiaki exclaimed. "I'm not about to let Fujiwara win that easily!"
"Glad to see you don't give up easily, Mikage…" Kumiko replied. She was elated now, having seen what her opponent could do. This battle wasn't going to be a bore after all. Now if only they could be friends…"If we ever became a team-"
"Stuff it, Fujiwara!" Chiaki cut in. "And don't forget, keep your eyes on the stadium!"
It was Kumiko's turn to shift her gaze to the stadium. "Good move, Mikage," she commented, and she meant it; she hadn't expected that move. The white blade had thrown off its opponent at an angle, and at the same time had jumped so it was now out of the rut.
"This is going to take longer than expected, girls and boys!" Takao said, having noticed what the ash blonde teen had done.
"That title is going to be mine!" Chiaki said as her blade rode up the slope on Kumiko's side; Kumiko's blade was on the opposite end.
"What makes you so sure?" Kumiko shot back. Her blade moved downwards towards the center, stopping just a few inches away from the 'gorge' that had been formed moments earlier.
Chiaki didn't answer. "Take it down!" she shouted as her blade moved in for the kill. It circled to the opposite side, and then rocketed downwards towards Kumiko's blade. At the last minute, the Dranzer F shot forward, hit the rut, and then flew upwards at around a 45-degree angle.
"Dranzer F, Spinning Flame Bomb!" Kumiko commanded. Accordingly, her blade reversed in mid-air and then shot downwards towards the shimmering white blade. The Dranzer F hit its opponent squarely on one end of the attack ring, which flipped it into the air. Meanwhile, the Dranzer didn't let up on its attack. It was a mere blur as it spun counterclockwise about the dish, and then shot upwards again to strike the white blade, which was spinning feebly in the air, sending it flying towards Chiaki.
"Aaah!" Chiaki's eyes widened, and she held up her hands in front of her face, like a shield, as her blade came spinning towards her. She had gotten hit with a blade before – totally by accident – and didn't wish to repeat the experience. Surprisingly, she heard a 'thwack', which caused her to open her eyes. "Huh?" The white blur which had seemed so threateningly close, now was back and spinning in the dish.
"Sorry 'bout that; didn't mean for it to almost hit you." Kumiko smiled apologetically.
"But…you knocked my blade back into the dish…" Chiaki mumbled, perplexed. Hadn't she also wanted to win this match?
"Yeah, but if I didn't do something, you'd be on the floor, writhing in pain. And we don't want that to happen, do we?" She, too, knew how painful it was to get whacked with a Beyblade, and she didn't want to become as cold and ruthless as a few bladers she'd seen broadcast on television – the members of Team Neoborg, for instance.
"I guess not…" Chiaki looked at her feet, overwhelmed by a strange emotion. "Thanks…Fujiwara…"
"No problem!" Kumiko replied cheerily. "Oh, but Mikage-san?"
"Yeah?" Chiaki looked up, surprised. The suffix –san was usually attached to a person's last name to show respect. What's Fujiwara planning now?
Kumiko grinned and gestured towards the dish. "You're still in the game, so I suggest that you play to your best."
Chiaki glanced down at the dish to confirm Kumiko's statement, and then glanced back up again. "You're on!"
"Chiaki's back in the game, ladies and gents!" Takao, having found his voice again, exclaimed. He was also relieved that no one had been hurt."One can only tell how much longer she can hold out, having taken that much damage!"
The two blades rushed at each other, using the slopes now that the center was scarred. With a tremendous whack!, the blades flew into the air upon impact. They flew off in different directions towards their respective owners. Startlingly, either blade landed on the extreme edge of the dish, balancing precariously.
"Incredible!" Takao exclaimed, realizing the familiarity of the scenario. "Ladies and gentlemen, both blades are now balanced on the edge of the dish. Which blader will prevail: Chiaki…or Kumiko?" He himself was unsure how the battle would end, because he knew – though he refused to admit it – that it was only luck that led his blade to victory when he and Kai had faced off all those years ago. Each blade had a 50 percentchance of spinning back into the dish – or out of it.
To the surprise and delight of the audience, both blades reentered the dish at the same time, causing those watching to believe that the battle would take longer. Kumiko, however, had other ideas.
As soon as her blade had touched the thin black line that separated the center of the dish from the slope, it shot sideways and knocked into Chiaki's blade once more. This time, there was a slight clack as the white blade landed outside of the dish, bounced once, twice, three times, and then landed at its owner's feet.
Dumbfounded, Chiaki picked it up. I…I lost…
"And there you have it, fans!" Takao was saying, once more raising his voice in order to be heard over the hubbub. "With a surprise finish, Kumiko Fujiwara emerges the victor in the finals!" Takao himself was taken aback at the outcome, though he couldn't explain why. He supposed it was like that sometimes: though you weren't expecting any one person to win, you were still bound to be surprised by the results. He shrugged, grinning. Oh, well...
Kumiko retrieved her blade and returned it to her pocket. Her launcher was still gripped in her hand. She quickly made her way over to Chiaki and placed a hand on the emerald-eyed teen's shoulder.
When she felt the soft paw on her shoulder, Chiaki started, and whirled to face its owner. Her face took on a puzzled expression when she saw it was Kumiko. She was still too stunned to speak, though.
Kumiko smiled. "Congratulations, Mikage-san."
"Huh?" Chiaki was utterly confused now. Why was Kumiko congratulating her? Hadn't she just lost?
"That was a good battle." Kumiko explained, correctly reading the other's expression. "You didn't give up trying, no matter how impossible it seemed. Sure, you lost, but what does that matter?"
"I…"
"What matters, Mikage-san, is that you tried your best. Right?" Kumiko smiled again. Just before she had saved her 'opponent' from a head-on collision with the other's own blade, Kumiko had realized that it was pointless to be enemies with someone she didn't even want to be enemies with, and that, in order for them to become friends, she – Kumiko – had to make the first move. And so she did. When she finally attached –san to Chiaki's last name, she had really meant it. The teen was indeed a formidable opponent, given the right motivation, and for that, credit had to given where credit was due. Chiaki now had her respect. She secretly hoped, though, that she had Chiaki's in return, for she knew that it was inevitable that they would end up as teammates. They had to get along if they were to compete in the Junior Championships, and she was determined to make this work, no matter how disagreeable Chiaki would decide to be.
To the amethyst-eyed teen's surprise, Chiaki smiled, a genuine smile. And then she chuckled softly.
"Hai…you're right, Fujiwara-san. I did try my best." At that point, Chiaki looked up, and locked her emerald orbs on Kumiko's amethyst ones. "And…I'm sorry if I treated you like…that in the past. What you did a while ago – stopping my blade from bonking me on the head and knocking it back in the dish in the process – proved that you really are a good person, and that you never would hurt anyone if you could help it."
"Mikage-san…" A small smile graced Kumiko's lips.
Chiaki stuck out a hand. "So what do you say? We wipe the slate clean and start over?" She grinned once more.
Kumiko, glad that she had succeeded in wiping out the animosity between her and Chiaki, happily took the other girl's hand and shook it vigorously. "Of course we could start over! I'd like that very much, Mikage-san!"
Unknown to them, Kyouju had now taken the microphone from Takao, and was now about to announce something.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The mousy-haired teen's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. "Now that the finals are over, may I present to you Sento-Sasaki Senior High's Beyblading team! We have: Matsuo Kaito!" He paused, waiting for the chocolate-haired teen to step up to the platform. When he did, a group of male students to the left-hand side of the room started cheering like crazy; apparently, they were several of Kaito's classmates. Kaito said nothing, but he did wave, albeit rather shyly.
"…Shimamoto Taichi!" Once more, Kyouju waited as said blader made his way to the platform to be recognized. This time, students to the lower right-hand section of the audience went wild, overjoyed that one of their classmates had made it.
"…The first runner-up, Mikage Chiaki!" Kyouju didn't have to wait for very long since Chiaki was already on the platform. Meanwhile, the ash blonde teen, now a tad embarrassed, waved too at the audience.
"…And last, but certainly not the least, the champion and team captain…" Takao paused for effect, though he knew that they knew who it was. He grinned, and then continued. "…Fujiwara Kumiko!"
Kumiko smiled and waved, wincing inwardly at the intensity of the applause. C'mon, just stop clapping already…she pleaded silently. She didn't know why she hated it when she was recognized in anyway; it made her feel more embarrassed than usual, like she wanted to be swallowed up by the earth.
Max, grinning widely now, approached the platform. He spoke directly to the 'team'. "Well, now that you're all a team now, you'll have to think of a name. It can't be Team BBA 'cause, well, you weren't exactly founded by the Association…"
"How about 'KuChi KaTa'?" Taichi asked, half-smiling. Chiaki whirled to face him.
"What kind of name is that?" She asked, her voice incredulous, but her face amused. "For a dog, it might be okay, but for a team?"
"It's, you know, the first syllables of our given names put together?" Taichi explained, feigning disgust, but not quite succeeding.
"Get real, Shimamoto-san…" Chiaki replied. She rolled her eyes, but still smiled.
Unknown to them, both Rei and Kai were up on the platform, and students were exiting the room at a steady rate. Soon, only Yuujin, Yuriko, and a few other stragglers stayed behind.
"Did Max tell you what will take place tomorrow?" Rei asked as soon as the four teens fell silent. Chiaki shook her head.
"Why, sir? What's happening tomorrow?" she asked. The other three nodded their heads in agreement; they wanted to know, too.
Rei took a deep breath and began. "Well, Takao has already instructed the other seniors to come back tomorrow-"
"But why? Who's going to train them?" Kaito cut in. He hadn't meant to, though; the words had just jumped out of his mouth.
"I'll get there." Rei said, gesturing for him to wait. He smiled. He's just as impatient as Takao sometimes…he thought. Something tells me this team isn't going to be far cry from Team BBA… "At any rate, they will return tomorrow. They'll be using the outer gymnasium, while you four will use this same room. Now, the four of you will have different sessions each day, each session focusing on one battle statistic. Tomorrow's session, for example, will focus on defense. Max will take care of that one."
"I think I get it, sensei…" Kumiko said slowly. "And the sessions focusing on attack, endurance, and speed, will be taken care of by Kinomiya-sensei, Hiwatari-sensei, and you, respectively…"
"Yup!" Rei grinned widely. "That's it exactly."
"But what of-" Chiaki began, but Max read her mind correctly.
"You mean Kyouju? He'll be analyzing each of you during each session. Each session will take exactly thirty minutes." He stopped, and then looked off into the distance, as though figuring out something. Presently, he glanced back at them. "Since we can't have you stay for more than thirty minutes after school, we'll have three sessions tomorrow, and then the last session the day after that."
"While one of us is overseeing a specific session," Takao added, having put away the microphone and joining the group. "The other three will go outside and train the other students, because we can't just abandon them in the middle of a project to focus on you."
"But, sir," Taichi persisted. "If that's the case, the day after tomorrow, we'll have around an hour of free time after the training session. What will we do then?"
Kai answered this one. "What will happen, Shimamoto, is that we will dismiss the others earlier; they may do whatever they wish. You four will stay behind; by the end of the fourth session, Kyouju will have gathered all the data needed to determine who would be your personal mentors. For instance, Mikage-san, you fare better in attack; thus, you would undergo special training by Takao."
"Okay…"
"And now, you four are dismissed," Kyouju said, snapping his laptop closed.
"Yes!" the four teens exclaimed. They hurriedly jumped down off the platform and made their way towards the swinging double doors that led to the outer gymnasium. Seeing that their friends were already dismissed, Yuujin and the others went to join them.
"See you guys tomorrow!" Max said cheerily, waving at them as they stepped through the threshold.
As soon as the last student was gone, Takao turned to his friends. "Well, what do you guys think?"
"So you guys are going to have personal mentors?" Yuujin asked as she adjusted a strap so that her bag rested comfortably on her left hip.
Kumiko sighed and did the same. "Yup. Hey, I'm not in any hurry to go home. Want to go to a mall or something?"She didn't want to talk about the blading program, and the auburn-haired teen picked up on this quickly.
"Sure! How about we check out HMV?" Yuujin suggested.
"You mean that CD and anime merchandise store that opened last week?" Kumiko brightened immediately. "Why not? I've been wanting to add a few volumes to my manga collection."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
A/N: That's it for this week's chapter! Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter also up by next week.
Aki: Just make sure you finish your projects, and do a good job on them, too...
Me: I know! Haven't I been working on those three projects daily? In case you haven't noticed, I work on my story after I've finished typing up a new chapter for each project...
Mei: Don't worry, Hikari...I know you're working hard...
Me: Thanks, Mei...Oh, before I forget...Readers, this is the part where I ask for your help...
Aki: It seems Hikari was unable to think of a suitable name for this new 'team' she formed in the story...
Mei: So now she's asking for suggestions! The name will be revealed soon, but I doubt it will be in the next chapter...
Me: Right...Anyway, R&R, peeps...Dewa matta and God bless!