Chapter 1: The Last Day

"This looks bad, folks!" DJ Jazzman yelled into his microphone. He surveyed the scene playing out before him, his face a mixture or worry and bewilderment. "So far, Brooklyn's been heavy on the offensive; fortunately, Kai isn't showing any signs of slowing down, but he hasn't been counterattacking, either."

"What do you mean 'he isn't counterattacking'?" Dark blue-haired Kinomiya Takao, one of the five bladers that made up Team BBA, growled, not caring that his voice was lost to the crowd. He shook his fist, and then dropped it, his gaze turning to the slate-haired blader standing, albeit with a little difficulty, on their side of the beystadium. "C'mon, Kai! Fight it!" he shouted, trying to encourage his friend.

"Yeah, buddy! Don't let him get to you!" Blonde Mizuhara Max, probably the most optimistic boy on the team, added. "You can do it!"

"What's he doing?" Kyouju, a rather short, brown-haired blader with glasses asked. "Why isn't he attacking?"

"No clue, Chief." Rei replied. To the rest of the team, he said "I hate to break it to you, guys, but it looks like Kai's having trouble finding an opening." The raven-haired, amber-eyed neko-jin looked worried

"No, Rei. You're wrong!" Hiromi cut it, a little too forcefully. She fingered the slim gold ring in her palm. She'd taken it off earlier for fear that someone would see it and ask about it, and that was one story she wasn't ready to share yet. "We just have to…trust that Kai has something up his sleeve. We just have to wait, that's all."

Meanwhile, the two battling bladers were having their own conversation.

"Well, Kai, I'm rather disappointed." Brooklyn, his voice a bored monotone, commented, his gaze averted. "I expected this battle to be…different from our previous one, to say the least, but…" here he shook his head, his fiery locks barely moving. "I guess it was too much to hope for."

"That's where you're wrong!" Kai returned. "So watch and learn, Brooklyn."

"What can I possibly – huh?" The aqua orbs widened in surprise as the blue blade that was Dranzer quickly launched a flurry of attacks on the flame-haired teen's black one, driving it towards the edge.

"That was just the beginning," Kai smirked. He was wrong after all: Dranzer wasn't disappearing, and this wasn't his last day of existence.

"Just the beginning?" Brooklyn asked, cocking his head, as a curious bird would do. "Seems to me that it's the end for you."

The amethyst-eyed blader followed his opponent's gaze and, sure enough, Zeus had countered Dranzer's assault, successfully bringing the battle back into the center of the dish. Unfortunately, Brooklyn's blade had copied Dranzer's attack, and was returning twice as strong.

No! Kai's eyes widened in disbelief. It's happening again! he thought, recalling the first time they had battled. Back then, Brooklyn had also copied one of his attacks and multiplied it twofold.

Suddenly, a gale-force wind – caused by Zeus – began to blow, nearly knocking Kai off his feet. He steadied himself, incensed now, and rallied his faithful blade onwards.

"Come on, Dranzer! Keep going!" he called out. The center of his blade glowed faintly, as if in reply, and zoomed towards its opponent.

"Amazing!" Kyouju cried happily as he watched Dranzer's movements.

"What's amazing, Chief?" Takao asked, looking bewildered.

"Kai figured out, in a split second, that in order for him to move in close enough to attack, he had to work with the air currents Brooklyn is causing, instead of against them!"

"I get it!" Max piped up as he, too, watched the match intently. "If Kai moves with the current, Dranzer will eventually regain any momentum it's lost during the battle until it stores enough energy to launch another attack! Brilliant!"

Hiromi was overjoyed to hear this. "Yes! Go, Kai! Go!"

At the sound of her voice, Kai turned his attention away from the battle and smiled softly at her. And then, as quickly as it had come, the smile was gone, replaced with a look of determination. Hiromi smiled back at him, as though to reassure him, and he turned back to the fight.

Now I know, he thought grimly. Before, I thought that Brooklyn had beaten me, but in reality, I had just beaten myself. Now I know what I have to do…

"Ah!" He cried out as he was pushed a few feet backwards by a full-force attack from Zeus 1.

"What's the matter, Kai?" Brooklyn asked, his face the perfect picture of self-satisfaction. "Getting tired already?"

Kai didn't reply. I have to dig deeper. He steadied himself once more as Zeus rained down another barrage of attacks.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

I have to dig up every bit of emotion I can find. It's my only chance to win…

Suddenly, Dranzer's bit began to glow, more brightly now, and Kai smiled. There! I felt it! I felt the power!

"The show ends here, Brooklyn!" he yelled, his hands clenched into fists. "Dranzer! Turbo Gigs Flame, NOW!" All at once, the platform he was standing on seemed alight with flame; fingers of electricity crackled and sparked upwards; and an even stronger blast of wind began to blow in Brooklyn's direction. This time, it was the aqua-eyed teen who was knocked down.

"YES!" came the commentary, courtesy of Jazzman. "Looks like Kai was only fooling, ladies and gents! He's BACK IN THE GAME!"

Brooklyn quickly got back on his feet; to everyone's surprise, he was smiling. "Now this is more like it!" he said, grinning ecstatically. "I had hoped that this battle was to be better than our previous one; looks like I got my wish…"

"But as far as your dreams of winning are concerned, they're never going to become reality!" Kai interrupted, responding to Brooklyn's grin with a smirk of his own. "Dranzer!"

Sensing its master's silent command, the phoenix contained within the blade urged its prison onward, continuously striking its opponent.

Brooklyn smirked. "Child's play." All at once, Zeus gave an inaudible click and then returned fire on Dranzer. Once more, Kai was knocked down. The slate-haired teen gave a small cry as he crashed onto the metal platform.

Hiromi, Takao, Rei, and Max were on their feet, suddenly afraid for their friend. "He's hurt!" the ruby-eyed female exclaimed, more than a little worried.

"I know, Hiromi," Max replied, not taking his eyes off the battleground, where his comrade lay face down, attempting to get to his feet but always being knocked down; the winds of attack were strong. "But there's nothing we can do!"

At the stadium, Kai groaned inwardly as he struggled to his feet – a feat made more difficult because of the buffeting winds.

"Heh…what are you going to do now, Kai Hiwatari?" Brooklyn asked as he looked down on his amethyst-eyed opponent, a self-satisfied smirk plastered on his features.

"I'm going to take you down!" Kai roared back, finally back up on his feet. Crimson liquid dripped down onto the metal from the various attacks he had received in battle with the flame-haired teen.

"Oh?" the aqua-eyed blader arched an eyebrow in disbelief. At the same time, his dark blade swerved around the dish and slammed once more into its still-weakening adversary. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"For one thing, Kingston," Kai spat, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I have something you don't: friends."

Brooklyn cocked his head; in the stadium, the blades were still battling. "'Friends'?" He didn't look confused; it was quite the opposite – his face was a mask, totally devoid of emotion.

"Yes. And I can feel it in me, giving me power." Kai smiled a serene smile – something he did so very rarely. "Even now, as I stand here, facing almost sure defeat, they're behind me, supporting me all the way." And then his expression changed to one of determination, spurning his cherished blade forwards into its enemy.

"I had a taste of your true power before, Brooklyn!" he cried as the two battling blades smashed into each other. "I won't let it take me down! Just watch me!"

Suddenly, Kai's pupils contracted, and he let loose an undulating battle cry. His Dranzer responded to his call, and a sizeable column of fire erupted from the blade. The attack would have been devastating, had it connected. Instead, it was immediately countered with a wave of pure darkness that emanated from Zeus.

"You're going to take me down?" Brooklyn's gaze was no longer on the slate-haired teen, but on the battle that raged below. He shook his head.

"You'd better believe it!" Kai answered, his gaze smoldering with hatred and determination. "You're nothing, Kingston! And I'm here to prove it once and for all!" His loyal blade surged forth, letting loose another flurry of attacks. "This is it! I'm not giving up! Not until I've brought you down!"

"Amazing, ladies and gentlemen!" Jazzman yelled into the microphone over the howling winds of battle. "Its highly apparent that Kai is hurt, yet he keeps on going! This is indeed a remarkable battle!" The crowd cheered their approval, the vast majority egging on the willful youth.

Suddenly, there was a bolt of black light. It crackled as it burst from Brooklyn's blade and descended with a sickening crack on Kai's.

"AH!" Kai exclaimed, as much in determination as in pain – aside from his friends' support, he could feel his beloved Dranzer, feel her every injury, share her agony. "I will destroy your dark force!" he cried, willing his blade to counterattack.

There was a silent screech, which only Kai could hear, as his Dranzer did according to his bidding. Zeus did not let this slide; the blade of darkness parried with its own attacks. Because of the fury playing out in the stadium, they began to kick up dust, blurring their masters' visions of the playing field.

"I can't see a thing!" Jazzman exclaimed, coughing slightly because of the dust. "What's happening?"

Though Kai knew what was happening – he could feel his bit beast attacking and being attacked in return – he didn't let on. He knew, however, that the crimson phoenix could not last any longer; he needed to end the battle…and quick.

The dust cleared, and everyone could see that both blades were still spinning, though Kai's blade was spinning a little bit slower than its opponent. Suddenly, Zeus knocked into a building that was part of the stadium they were battling in; the rubble resulting from the impact crashed down onto Dranzer. Almost at the same time, Kai seemed to be knocked facedown by an invisible force.

"No!" Hiromi cried, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"C'mon, Kai!" Rei called to his friend. "You can find a way out of this!" The stoic teen showed now signs of replying or moving.

"This battle's over." Brooklyn stated simply; he turned around, leaving his Zeus to spin to a stop in the stadium, and began to make his way down the platform steps.

Suddenly, he heard a scratching sound coming from the dish; he turned. And gasped.

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, his mouth agape, his eyes suddenly fearful. "How did you -?"

Across from him, Kai was painfully getting to his feet; in the dish, Dranzer was slowly tearing down the barrier that held her prisoner.

"Never…underestimate your…opponent, Brooklyn…" Kai said in between gasps. In seconds, Dranzer had freed itself from its cage, and Kai was once more on his feet. The slate-haired teen glanced down at his blade.

"Thanks, Dranzer," he whispered, smiling serenely. "Thanks for hanging in there with me; all I ask now is…is that you tough it out until…until I put Brooklyn away. It won't be long now…" As if in acknowledgement, the center of the blue blade glowed a bright red. Kai turned to his adversary.

"It's time to end this, Brooklyn. And I'll do whatever it takes to win!" he said. He was still breathing hard because of his injuries, but that didn't matter. Not now.

"Whatever it takes, huh?" Brooklyn asked, smirking in a most irksome manner. "We'll just have to see about that! Zeus! Rolling Darkness Attack!"

There was a near-deafening roar, as the black blade seemed to rise up on a column of air, coursing towards its opponent. Once more, Kai cried out in agony as the attack connected; once more, the stoic blader was knocked off his feet; once more, he got back up, with even more difficulty than the two previous times.

"How is it that you keep getting up?" Brooklyn, thoroughly frustrated now, asked, his face contorted in fury.

Kai smirked, slightly pleased that he had infuriated his opponent. If the enemy were angered past the point of logic, they would no longer think rationally – a definite advantage. He glanced up.

"Kai. That's my name; and I'm a blader. You may think you are, too, but you're not! You learned from the best, but you forgot a lifetime's worth of lessons: Beyblading isn't only about overpowering your opponent with fancy moves; that's only part of it. There's more to it. Much more. I learned from every battle I've ever fought. Every friend, enemy, and spectator always had something to offer me. I'm a student of this game and I always will be. Through the hardships of training, competitions, the wins and the losses, I learned something. And now I'm taking this knowledge and using it to my advantage. That's why I can say I'm a true blader! That, and the fact that my friends are here to support me, keeps me going; that's my strength!"

"You can cut the crap!" Brooklyn exclaimed; at the same time, Zeus seemed to be preparing itself for another attack. "'Cause I'm not listening to any of it!" The aqua orbs contracted, and then the flame-haired teen yelled, "Zeus! King of Darkness Attack!"

"Oh, no!" Kyouju was practically frantic now. That's the same attack Brooklyn used against Kai in their previous battle! The one Kai nearly died from!"

"Say what?" Takao whirled around to face the bespectacled teen. He'd seen Rei rushed off to the hospital after a very bloody match against Boris from Team Neoborg, back when Team BBA was still new; and he'd seen – on TV – Yuri Ivanov being carted off after his battle against Garland, in critical, but stable condition. But he'd never, ever heard of someone almost dying from an attack.

The stormy-eyed blader searched his friend's eyes; whatever he was looking for, he never found it. He bit his lip, and then turned back to the match. What he saw made him gasp loudly.

From out of Brooklyn's blade, a very tangible darkness swirled around in a deadly vortex, reaching out in an ever-widening spiral towards the amethyst-eyed teen; Kai stood, unmoving, his hair blowing backwards in the gale-force wind as he stared into the deadly eye of this storm of darkness. Aside from the howling of the wind, which had picked up in speed and ferocity, there was an almost inaudible howling and moaning of what seemed to be spirits, entwined within the fatal absence of light. And then, in the twinkling of an eye, this implausible, near-living 'creature' had engulfed the slate-haired teen.

There was a collective gasp from the crowd as, for a split-second, Kai disappeared, and then reappeared as the darkness dissolved into nothingness, no doubt returning from the horrific dimensions from which its deadly form had been summoned.

Kai fell to the ground, his eyes closed; again, he did not move.

Brooklyn smiled, satisfied. That takes care of that… he thought, pocketing his launcher.

Takao could do nothing but stare at Kai's unmoving form as whispers traveled all throughout the audience; whispers both frightened and confused. What had happened? Was Kai truly defeated? And would he be all right?

Suddenly, there was movement to the brunette's right; both Rei and Max were rushing towards the platform in an attempt to aid the slate-haired blader. Takao, hating himself for doing so, quickly stepped in front of the pair, holding his arms out to the side.

"Takao?" Max was confused. "What-?"

"Don't." Takao answered simply; he glanced down, afraid at what he would have to say next. "Don't try to help."

"But…why?" Rei asked, just as confused as Max.

"Kai…Kai made me promise not to interfere, and also to keep anyone from interfering." This was what Takao was afraid of; he knew now that he should have never made that promise to Kai. He turned around and blinked once. A single tear escaped its prison and ambled downwards to drip onto the floor.

Why, Kai?

Where am I? Kai stirred slightly, opening his eyes as he did so. He glanced around him; the world seemed to drop out from under him. He was in that place again. That world of…nothingness that Brooklyn had brought him to the last time they had faced off. Why am I here…again?

"Hello?" he called, his voice hesitant at first. He knew he was alone, that it was useless and a waste of strength to call out, but it was human instinct, almost impossible to fight. "Is anyone there? Hello!"

All at once, he could feel the all-too-familiar sensation of his chest tightening, but he remained calm, his breathing labored, but slow and steady. He knew what to expect; this had happened, too, the last time he was here. It was almost like drowning, only worse, because he knew that this was his – no, his team's last chance at victory. He knew what Balkov (that snake!) was planning, why he suggested the Justice 5 Tournament; he knew how high the stakes were, and that if he gave in now, then his team would have already lost.

In only a few seconds, his vision was blurry, and he was gasping for breath, more from necessity than real fear, although it couldn't be denied that he was scared, too. What if he…died here? Not only would his team have lost a member and a captain, but Hiromi –

He shut his eyes tight and shook his head, attempting to drive that thought away from him. He wasn't going to let it happen! At least, he didn't want it to happen, but he wasn't sure if he could prevent it…Could he?

"Kai?" a soft voice interrupted his thoughts; he glanced up. He gave a sharp intake of breath when the reality of what he was seeing hit him full-force.

"Hiromi?" he breathed, not believing his eyes. Surely he was dreaming. Wasn't he? Was this a dream? A hallucination before he passed into the afterlife?

The dream-Hiromi extended her hand towards him, smiling encouragingly. "Kai, grab my hand. I'll help you…" she whispered lovingly.

"What…what do you mean?" he asked, skeptical. It wasn't that he didn't believe it; he wanted so much for this to be real, but he couldn't really bring himself to do it.

"Just take my hand, Kai…" she replied, still smiling, her ruby eyes gazing deep into his amethyst ones. "Just take my hand…"

Obligingly, the slate-haired teen reached out towards her. He stretched his arm out until it felt he could stretch no more; still he couldn't feel her hand in his. He grit his teeth, willing his arm to somehow grow longer, reach further, and then…

He felt it. The familiar, slim shape of her gentle paw in his own. He grinned up at her; she grinned back, ecstatic. And then she began to pull him towards her; he held on tight, not wanting to let go of such warmth…

"What's that?" Brooklyn whirled around to face Kai. The opposing blader was still not moving "Ah, just my imagination…" he muttered. I must be getting paranoid because of him… he thought as he continued to walk down the steps and back towards his team. His benefactor, Balkov, had been watching from the upper levels. The flame-haired teen glanced up at the lavender-haired old man. Balkov shot him a grin of approval.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous screech. Brooklyn glanced backwards, and then hurriedly clambered back up the steps to the dish. He stopped short and gasped, his eyes wide with fear. "No…"

"I don't believe this, folks!" Jazzman yelled from his mechanical platform. "It seems that Kai is still going, and so is his Beyblade!" There were cheers and yells and whoops from the audience. Among the members of Team BBA, there was only relief.

"Thank goodness!" Rei breathed, dropping back onto the bench.

"Yeah…" Max agreed, weakly leaning against the wall. "I thought Kai was a goner!"

Moments later, he found himself choking, a certain auburn-haired teen's arms clamped around his neck.

"Oh, yes! He's all right!" Hiromi exclaimed, overjoyed and relieved.

"Yeah, Hiromi, he's okay…" Max said, gently prying her arms from his neck.

At the stadium, Brooklyn could only stand in shock of what he was seeing. "Why are you…alive?" he asked, his breath coming in short gasps. What enemy was this that kept getting up again after being knocked down, who kept coming back to life?

Kai didn't answer; he could feel what little strength he had draining away. He took a deep breath and stood up straighter, steadying himself for what would come next.

"No matter…" Brooklyn said, smiling as he saw how weak his opponent was. "This next attack should finish you off…Zeus! Go!" The black blade shot forward

Kai gazed intently at the battlefield, waiting. At the last moment, Dranzer leapt upwards, and the amethyst-eyed teen cried. "Dranzer! Finish him now!"

There was another screech – Dranzer's final battle cry – as the blue blade crashed down onto its opponent. Brooklyn had forgotten that, in attacking, his defense would be left wide open, and he was vulnerable; Kai hadn't forgotten.

Zeus clattered out of the dish and landed at its master's feet, utterly defeated.

The crowd burst into raucous cheers and applause. For some, this had been the most exciting and heart-stopping battle they had seen, right up there with the battle among the members of Team BBA G-Revolution before the threat of BEGA had appeared.

Kai sighed as he bent down to retrieve his Dranzer. This bit chip shone faintly, but the image of the phoenix was still there. When he got up and turned around to face his team, he found all of them rushing towards him, calling his name. He smiled. Why not meet them halfway? he thought. He descended the steps of the platform and started walking slowly towards his friends.

He was only six feet away from them when Kai suddenly felt his legs give way. He toppled forward, only to be caught by a very worried Hiromi. "Kai?" she asked worriedly, his words from the night before running through her head. She shook her head; she refused to believe it then, and she didn't believe it now! She shook the handsome teen once more. "Kai? Its me, Hiromi…Can…can you hear me?"

Kai only moaned softly in reply.

"Perhaps we should take him to a hospital…" Takao suggested.

"Maybe we should." Max said, gazing worriedly at his barely-conscious friend. "He's in a bad way…"

"N-no…" Kai said, trying to make his voice forceful and authoritative, but not quite making it. He stood up, resting one hand on Hiromi's shoulder. "No." he repeated, sounding more like his old self now. "I'm fine."

"But…but Kai!" Takao protested, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and shaking him. "We have to! You're-"

"Perfectly fine, Takao." Kai said simply, his tone implying that he didn't care to discuss the matter. "I don't need your help. Just…focus on your upcoming match, okay?" he smiled at his stormy-eyed comrade, attempting to put the younger teens anxieties to rest.

"I…all right, Kai, if that's what you want…" Takao replied, his hands hanging limply at his sides in defeat.

There was silence for several minutes, and then Takao looked up, a cocky grin on his face. He gave Kai a thumbs-up, as if to reassure him – and the rest of his friends – that he was okay now. "Don't forget: you still owe me a battle when this is through."

"Yeah, whatever…" Kai muttered as he turned away and made his way towards the corridor that would take him to the 'multi-purpose room' that had been assigned to the team earlier during the tournament. "I'll see you later…"

Takao watched his friend disappear into the shadows of the corridor, and turned to make his way up the platform.

"And that brings us to the final match, folks!" Jazzman was saying. "With a flourishing finish, Kai defeats Team BEGA's Brooklyn, giving Team BBA G-Revolution a fighting chance!"

The crowd cheered once more, eager to see what would become of this last match. Suddenly, an aide rushed up towards the commentator and whispered something in his ear. At first, DJ Jazzman looked nonplussed – whatever news the aide had just given him had to shocking – and then he recovered. He turned back to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen! Although he has already battled Kai, Brooklyn has kindly been given another chance to battle! Therefore, the last battle will be…Takao Kinomiya versus Brooklyn Kingston!"

This is it…Takao thought as he watched his opponent approach. Kai's right; it's up to me, now…I can't afford to be distracted! The steel-eyed teen reached into his arm holder and brought out his Beyblade: Dragoon MS.

On the opposite side of the stadium, Brooklyn glared at Takao as though he were the devil himself. Unknown to everyone else, something had changed within Brooklyn since his battle with Kai. His astonishment and bewilderment at being beaten for the first time had overpowered him, instilling in him a fear of the amethyst-eyed blader and his uncanny knack of 'returning from the dead', as he viewed it. For Brooklyn, Kai was everywhere, and in his mind, he was facing him again. But this time, he would not lose…

Kai slowly walked down the hallway, barely paying attention to the wild cheering and yelling out in the stadium; it seemed so far away now, as though he were in another world, far away from the others…

Why…do I feel so strange? he thought, clenching his fists tightly, as he willed the dizziness and the pain away. There's nothing wrong with me! Nothing! Dranzer's here; she isn't fading, and I –

Suddenly, for the second time since his match had ended, Kai felt weak in the knees and he pitched forward. Blindly he felt for anything to steady himself; his fumbling gloved hands met with the cool surface of a nearby wall, and the once-stoic teen leaned gratefully against its helpful form.

Slowly, painfully, he reached into his pocket and took out his blade. The phoenix was still there, imprisoned within, so why was this happening to him? Why here?Why now? Why this way?

And then, as suddenly as the questions invaded his mind, the answer was revealed to him. He smiled softly.

"Yeah, it's over now…I…no longer have reason to fight. I'd hate to leave now, but…if I inspired Hiromi…my friends, then…I'm happy…I had to do it. Now…it's Takao's turn…" he whispered to himself, not concerned in the least what it meant. He dropped his gaze towards his faithful bit beast; its image glowed slightly, as though begging him not to go.

"My days of blading are over…"he continued, although now he was talking to the firebird. "Dranzer, I have to go…don't worry, you'll find someone; I won't be completely gone…in time, you'll understand…Thank you, my friend…"

And then, for him, his surroundings seemed to grow brighter, and then fade. He gave one last smile of farewell…

And closed his eyes, succumbing to the darkness that had once been clamoring to claim him…

Kai opened his eyes. Where am I? He glanced around, but could see nothing…

He felt strange. Floating…floating in an endless void…this time, he wasn't afraid. He knew exactly where he was…

He had closed his eyes and given in to the darkness…and had opened them again to find himself enveloped in light…

There was no more suffering here…only eternal happiness.

The blue blade that was Dranzer slipped, ever so slowly, out of its master's grip, and clattered onto the floor. Upon impact, the entire blade shattered, bursting into thousands of tiny, fragments, shimmering blue and gray; only the bit chip remained intact, as did the image of its inhabitant.

There was a faint melody in the air; so subtle and soft that one could scarcely hear it. Its song, however, was not meant to be heard by a crowd; it played for one person, and one person alone could hear it. The song was one of happiness, of hope, of freedom; and at the same time, a song of sadness, despair, and longing. It was the song of balance, played by only one creature in all of history.

The song of the phoenix.

And it played now for the one person it was meant for.

Hiwatari Kai, his eyes closed, slumped weakly against the cold, gray wall…and breathed his last, a serene smile gracing his lips…

He was free.