…After the light quickly dissipated, Dragoon Eclipse and Absolute Kerberous both landed on the ground together, both forced into another stalemate. And nearby, Draciel and Gaia Dragoon spun before Red Salamander A defiantly, awaiting their next move. Kyouju was speechless for a moment, along with Hiromi. "This is unbelievable. They're completely even. And Takao seems to have his new powers under control." Takao took his right fist into his left palm and cracked his knuckles with a big grin. "Not bad," he replied.
"I guess you lacked the proper motivation when I defeated you before," Boss laughed. "Maybe I haven't exactly defeated you yet."
"Ready for round two?"
"Of course. Ready, Alex?"
Alex nodded silently with his trademark grin. Daichi and Max also got ready to resume their Beybattle.
But, suddenly, a figure in a jacket caught Boss' eye. He looked toward the park's entrance as the silhouetted figure disappeared from his sight. But, he seemed to recognize it. "Forget it, Alex," he ordered. "We'll finish this later."
"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?" Alex wondered.
Takao and the others were just as surprised to hear Boss' plan to retreat. "Are you guys chickening out!" Daichi exclaimed.
Takao agreed. "You can't leave yet! Weren't you after our Holy Beasts? Finish what you started!"
But, Boss and Alex ignored them as they whispered amongst themselves. After explaining himself, Alex's eyes reflected a state of understanding. He might consider withdrawing as well. The red-haired boy chuckled uneasily and turned to his opponents. "After hearing what my old pal has to say, we have to get going now. Sorry we can't stay."
"But, you…!" Takao grunted.
"That's enough," Boss snorted strictly. "I'll come after you again later. It's just that my old team has just become one ally stronger."
"What? You mean there are more of you guys!"
"If you want to see, come to Mt. Fuji. You might find one of your old friends there as well. But, regardless of whether he joins you or not, my friend is much stronger."
"Let's hurry up!" Alex said impatiently.
"Patience."
With that, Boss and Alex summoned their respective Beyblades in their palms and quickly ran off. Again, the Beybattle was left unfinished.
Steam blew out of Takao's ears as he tightened his fists in irritation. "He did it again…" he growled.
Kyouju murmured bluntly, "He sure likes to avoid Takao a lot."
"H…he just knew I was gonna win in the end! Yeah, that's it!" Takao boasted halfheartedly.
"Mt. Fuji, huh?" Max wondered. "Sounds exciting. I wonder what old friend Boss was speaking of. Alex was particularly excited about it."
"Let's just hurry and get over there!" Daichi pouted.
"What a minute," Takao frowned. "You're coming with us? I don't think so, kid."
"I'm gonna go anyway! I wanna finish our battle!"
Hiromi exclaimed, "He's just gonna come whether he's with us or not! Quit wasting time!"
"Tch! Whatever!" Takao sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let's go!"
Finally, Takao and company ran off, their next destination: Mt. Fuji…
Beyblade Lunar Eclipse
Episode 3: "Saint Generations A"
Far outside the borders of Tokyo, there was but one mountain. Its rocky body scaled up to what seemed to be miles, and its powerful heat from the inside could easily be detected from one yard. It was a calm volcano, one of the biggest attractions Japan had to offer, Mt. Fuji.
At the bottom of Mt. Fuji's base, Kai stood silently as he faced his pursuer from before, Fox. The man in black cloaks sneered, "So, you've come…and with that little toy of yours?" Kai briefly tightened his grip over his Beyblade before he installed it into his shooter. "You want to see how much of a 'toy' it is?" he replied.
"How futile. I guess you really want to die. So be it."
Several feet away from each other, Kai and Fox stared each other down quietly and soundlessly, as if they were in the middle of an old western showdown. The two men continued standing there, no sign of movement. Unnervingly, they awaited their right moment to attack. Seconds seemed like minutes, and the minutes became hours. As the sun hung from the highest pinnacle in the sky, Kai and Fox waited…and waited…
…There was a gunshot! Fox had quickly pulled a gun and shot at Kai, sending him off his feet! But, the young man miraculously recovered and landed on his feet, with a shooter and ripcord in each hand. He had released his Beyblade. In a flash, Dranzer Eternal flew through the air and struck right through Fox's rifle, destroying it! The force from Kai's blow blew Fox down to the ground as Dranzer E continued to spin beside him. With just his will to live and a spinning top, Kai had won.
The threat over, Kai walked over the fallen assassin and summoned Dranzer E back into his hand. Fox gasped and panted exuberantly as he held a switch box in his hand. "Defeated…by a…spinning top…? Pa…thetic…" He flipped the switch, and suddenly, his body disappeared inside a great explosion. He had activated an explosive mechanism he had underneath his cloaks and blew himself up!
As the smoke from the explosion flew to the skies, Kai witnessed everything with an unphased visage and sighed as he held Dranzer E in his hand. "Even if it's to extend my life a bit more," Kai murmured, "I still want to live."
"I'm glad you listened to me," a familiar voice called.
Kai immediately turned around and spotted a familiar figure standing on a small ledge protruding from Mt. Fuji. Wearing tight navy blue jeans and a long black jacket hanging over her scantily-short blue tank top was the woman Kai met the night before, Kitsune!
Kai frowned slightly at his unexpected guest. Kitsune retained her smile as she said, "I knew that somehow you would defeat that fake."
"Kitsune…you have a real name, right?" Kai replied.
"Kitsune is my real name. But, my Beyblade alias is 'Fox.'"
Knowing the truth, Kai briefly twitched. "So, you're the real Fox. Who was he, then? Your flunky?"
The girl replied, "Would a young woman like me have an old man as a flunky? Heh. No, he's a member of the Siberian Army that I've embarrassed the same way you just did so long ago. He used my alias to remind himself of the humiliation and force him to become a better assassin. But, he was nothing to you, and he chose to die."
Kitsune, "Fox," then proceeded to pull out a golden Beyblade with four lightning-shaped blades along the attack ring and a flat blade base to make it truly small. In the Bit Chip, there was a picture of a yellow, twin-tailed fox with long ears, a jewel-encrusted bracelet around each leg, and a black crest with a giant emerald inside it around its neck that connected to the small plate of armor over its back in which carried a set of rod-shaped 'wings.' As she held her blade to Kai, the true Fox silently declared her challenge. "Will you choose to die if you insist on holding to your Holy Beast?"
"I won't die, Kitsune…no. FOX!"
Without warning, Kai threw his shooter before him and released Dranzer E at her with great force!
As Dranzer E headed towards her, Fox quickly locked in her Beyblade into her white Grip Shooter and quickly released it. The blade connected with Dranzer E, created an enormous shockwave upon impact! Fox leapt out of the way before the power completely shattered the ledge she stood on. She landed on the ground before Kai as their two blades landed in front of them in a stalemate. "Watch it," Fox said. "We're right next to a volcano, you know. Or do you want to live dangerously?" Suddenly, a burst of red light flashed from Fox's Beyblade and pushed Dranzer E backwards instantly! Kai clenched his teeth as the breeze from that attack blew through his scarf. "You're playing with the wrong person." Then, after Kai took one step, Dranzer E suddenly appeared right next to the golden Beyblade and struck it hard. The wind from the blow rushed against Fox's side, but she only replied with a smile. "Not bad. But, just wait and see how dangerous Vyx Amethyst and I really are." With that, Vyx A circled around and came at Dranzer E once more. The two blades came at a grinding impact and ran through the rocky terrain quite easily. Fox still grinned and only waved her hand past her face to tell Vyx A to smash Dranzer E backward once again. Kai retained his composure as he thought to himself. "I can tell that she's still playing with me. Then again, so am I. But…" Kai looked directly at Fox, her face to be more precise. "That face…what is it about her that stirs my mind?"
Deep below the world above the ground, a large subway train ran quickly across the tracks to its destination. Inside one of the train's cars, Takao and the others sat together on the long red seats. Daichi was looking out the window in awe. "Wow! This is so cool!"
"This kid needs to get out more," Takao murmured.
"This train's stopping just on the outskirts of Shinjuku, right?" Hiromi asked Kyouju.
"Yes. Then, I guess we can take a bus the rest of the way."
"You think everything's starting already?" Max wondered.
"There's no way Boss and Alex made it there already," Takao said. "I bet we'll be just in time."
Suddenly, outside the subway, a brief, small quake past through, catching everyone off-guard! Daichi was thrown off balance and he crashed head-first on the floor. "OW! Was that an earthquake!"
"It felt small, but it was definitely a tremor of some kind," Kyouju explained.
"Man, what could be going on up there?" Takao wondered.
Side by side, Dranzer Eternal and Vyx A scaled the surface of Mt. Fuji, easily burrowing through the rough rocks in their path. As they climbed up the mountainside, they came together to briefly clash with one another, their energies giving off in intense lightning. Then, after Vyx A went to attack again, Dranzer E suddenly disappeared before the yellow blade connected. Fox looked up and spotted Kai and his Beyblade dramatically fly into the air above her. Kai waved his hand through his scarf's twin tails, directing Dranzer E to plummet downward, spinning around like a quick meteor. Fox and Vyx A leapt away as the blue blade crashed on the mountainside, creating a large tremor along it. The force from the attack stunned Fox's blade, and Dranzer E took the opportunity to rush in for the strike. But, Vyx A was quick to recover and spun around Dranzer E once it came close and struck it hard from behind, sending it crashing into the rocks once again. Kai frowned slightly in frustration while Fox stared him down with a serious visage. "It's strange," Kai thought. "It's almost as if we fight the same. But, what matters is that she's quicker than I thought."
"Pretty good," Fox thought. "That attack he attempted would have hurt. I can't afford to be careless like that again."
With that, Fox quickly went onto the offensive and ran at Kai, catching him off guard. Kai managed to jump to his right to avoid the girl's strike with her right hand. Reenacting the sudden attack, Dranzer E fell back to its right as Vyx A went by it. While it seemed that Kai managed to get away, Fox flashed a victorious grin as she directed one finger of her left hand to touch his chest within seconds. Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy made a great impact on Kai's person and sent him flying backward! And just the same, a wave of energy burst from Vyx A's side and pushed against Dranzer E, shoving it high into the air!
Kai landed on his back and bounced off it once before stopping. Right behind his head, Dranzer E barely landed on the ground, still spinning but severely wobbling. Kai slowly sat up and rose to his feet before he clenched his teeth before his opponent. "What was…!" he thought. Fox held up her left hand and found that there was a small light green jewel engraved into the back of her gloved fist. "My left hand is a dangerous tool but a great weapon," she declared. "Let me show you." Upon that declaration, Fox thrust her left palm to the rocky surface underneath her and red, sparkling energy suddenly erupted from the jewel on her hand. The energy fueled Vyx A's own energy until its aura was completely red like fire. In a great flash of light, Vyx A dashed forward in blinding speed and struck Dranzer E hard, briefly sending it into the air! In reaction, the force from the attack struck Kai in his right arm, causing him to cry out in stinging pain. He grunted, "That felt hot!" The blazing Vyx A came back around and tackled Dranzer E, grinding hard as its powerful heat wore its opponent down. Kai observed, "I was right. Fox used some kind of magic to allow her Beyblade to be energized by the heat from Mt. Fuji. If that's the case…" Kai took a stiff, meditative stance and roared to summon more of his strength. His battle cry gave more life to his Beyblade as it managed to force Vyx A away from it. Dranzer E then exploded into a bush of wild fire, reacting to Kai's crimson aura that roared around his very person. "GO! DRANZER ETERNAL!" The magnificent battle aura suddenly expanded into an enormous cylinder of blazing fire as the Red Phoenix of Fire, Suzaku, shrieked behind him. "Let's see your potential in one single power struggle," Fox grinned. "VYX AMETHYST, ATTACK NOW!" As she pulled her left hand around in a circle before sending it over her head, Fox's own flame energy twirled around her until she was completely engulfed by a raging crematorium. The golden fox Holy Beast, Vyx, ran through the firewall and howled as she went at Suzaku in one last attack.
After a burst of light once both Holy Beasts met, Kai and Fox met in a tremendous energy struggle, each one using one hand. In the middle of them, their Beyblades grinded against each other, both determined to push the other back into defeat. The powerful winds rushed against Kai as he held his right palm before him. Then, with one battle cry, he sent a sudden shockwave against Fox's face! The young girl barely flinched, however, and returned the invisible attack with her own cry. The shock struck Kai in his own face, but he was quick to try that same move again. After each one of these silent waves, one blade would smash attack the other and took the brief moment of weakness to shove it back. Dranzer E performed this movement, but Vyx A would always retaliate with the same tactic. Another unseen wave struck Fox in her face while her eyes were shut, but it looked to have no effect. Kai groaned as he mustered all his power to push her back, but he soon made an observation. "What's she doing? She's not even trying anymore. Wait…" Kai heard something. It sounded like…a whisper. He looked toward Fox and found that she bowed down her head to hide away her moving lips. "…ask that you come forth to deliver thou's almighty fist. Heed me now, the holder on the pact…"
"What th…!" Kai gasped.
All of a sudden, the fire roared larger around Fox while a giant, fox-like figure, different from Vyx A, took its shape in the flames! Then, a massive force of power erupted and easily overcame both Kai and Dranzer E, pushing them back! Kai fell onto his back again, but this time, Dranzer E landed on the ground and ceased spinning.
The battle over, Fox relaxed and summoned her Beyblade to return to her hand. Kai remained on the ground, seemingly unconscious from the last attack. Fox walked to his side and looked over his peaceful face while he slept. She shook her head in exasperation and sighed, "You put in too much energy at once. You should've survived that attack. How are you going to protect that Holy Beast if you go about all your battles that way?" She looked down toward Kai's Dranzer Eternal and stared at Suzaku's picture in the Bit Chip silently. It looked as if she might take Suzaku away, but she also looked as if she was thinking about it.
But, before she could collect her thoughts, a generic gray Beyblade flew through the air without warning and crashed onto the ground in between Fox and Kai! Fox didn't flinch by the surprise attack and quickly turned around toward the mountainside of Mt. Fuji to find a green-haired military soldier that used a rifle as a Beyblade launcher. The rank on his shoulders was also that of a sergeant, just like Mizuno from before. The soldier laughed derisively as he held his gun along his shoulder. "Impressive composure! I definitely see the resemblance!"
Fox frowned silently. "Pretty dirty of you to shoot from behind. It would even more dirty if you tried to hit me with that."
"I'm like you; I enjoy Beyblading! To take you down so quickly would be boring!"
"Hmph. You comparing yourself to me? With lowdown tactics like that, you don't need to much less touch a Beyblade, never mind saying that you're the same as I am. Now, just who are you?"
"The name's Sgt. Inada; I'm a Siberian soldier sent to keep an eye on that nameless assassin, but apparently I was right when I said he couldn't compare to the real Fox. Now, how about a real fight?"
Fox scoffed, "Sorry, Inada. But, I've no time for petty games."
"I'm pretty sure you'll like this game. Let's see the great Fox deal with all of us!"
Suddenly, from the other side of Mt. Fuji, multiple Siberian soldiers appeared one by one or one group after another! They came from all sides while Fox continued to stand her ground, her eyes shifting back and forth to see how many came out. From behind the mountain, the trees, and leaping from mountain ledges, several Siberian army men completely surrounded both Fox, all holding a rifle-based Beyblade launcher aimed at her!
Nearby atop a mountain ledge, two familiar figures watched the imminent battle. It was Kon Rei and his master, Shishin, both holding a long, white bag full of their personal belongings over their shoulders. "Whoa!" Rei gasped. "That looks like trouble! Shouldn't we help?"
"That's all right," Shishin replied calmly. "Kitsune can take care of herself."
"You know her?"
"Yes."
Rei looked back toward the large confrontation and noticed Kai resting at Fox's feet. He gasped, "Hey, isn't that…?"
Back to the base of Mt. Fuji, Kai's body finally began to show signs of movement. The youth slowly stood on his knees as he stopped to recollect himself. He looked up and gasped once he saw a great wall of Siberian soldiers before him. "Counting the lead man himself," Fox spoke to him, "I'd say there's about a hundred of 'em. Kai, pick up your blade. After I release my Beyblade, I'll make a path for you to get out of my way. Got it?" Skeptically but without question, Kai picked up his Dranzer E and stood back up on his feet. "You seriously plan to fight all of them yourself?" he asked.
Fox grinned, "Hmph. When you're at my skill, even you can do it. Just keep quiet and watch."
With that, Fox turned back toward a fraction of the enormous group of soldiers and installed her Vyx Amethyst into her Grip Shooter. "One minute is all it will take."
Fox leapt into the air and cried, "GO! SHOOT!" With one quick pull, she fired her Vyx A toward the ground below her. Immediately, the Siberian soldiers pulled the triggers of their rifles, and several gray Beyblades were fired toward the air. As it flew downward in incredible speed, Vyx A regained its crimson aura and dashed through the ascending shower of Beyblades, ramming them aside as it continued its course toward the ground. Upon impact, a large cloud of debris took form and blanketed the battlefield. As the soldiers tried to find their way out the clouds, Kai took his chance to run by them and make his escape to safer ground. The soldiers coughed as they tried to wave away the dark clouds around them with their arms. But, a sudden breath of wind blew by and instantly cleared the field. They managed to recollect their bearings and found Fox and her Vyx A silently standing among a sea of Beyblades. Kai watched the inevitable struggle from a rock ledge above it and stared down at Fox with faint curiosity. "Hundred in one minute..." he thought. Down below, Fox cracked her knuckles and popped the muscles in her neck. Without any words, the soldiers cried out and directed their blades to come at Vyx A!
Fox gathered some of her energy through a battle cry and ran forward. Vyx A dashed forward at the large army of Beyblades in reply. In response to a wave of Fox's hand, Vyx A drilled straight through one blade and destroyed it! One blade came on the offensive, but the golden Beyblade flew to the side to dodge it and break through three blades at once. Fox formed her fingers like claws from a real fox and used them to slash straight through the myriad groups of soldiers in one blow. One soldier went at her with a self-taught backhand swipe, but she ducked under it and thrust one foot into his gut. Then, she spun around and performed a flying roundhouse kick that took out four of them at once. She threw one elbow into another beside her and kicked him into a group of six more soldiers, knocking them all over. In reply to every maneuver, Vyx A ran through them, dodged and countered them, and threw them into other blades to take more than one out in one blow. Bits and pieces of Beyblades flew on the ground as well as fallen bodies of their corresponding bladers. Soon, there were only 80 blades left.
More gray Beyblades went on the attack, but Vyx A easily broke through them with its quick agility and raw strength. Two blades came at Vyx A, but the gold Beyblade circled around them and sent them into the air with an attack from behind. Vyx A grinded against a few individual blades and helped disintegrate them one after another. Soon, six came to grind it at all sides, but a sudden pulse of red energy echoed around it and shattered them instantly! The golden blade was nothing but a quick golden streak of light as it ran by 10 blades through the middle and eight more after its awesome energy burst from it and threw them into the air in pieces. With no sign of losing spin power as the battle went on, the blazing Vyx A tackled five more and ran off to attack the remaining 50.
Fox delivered two well-placed kicks against two Siberian soldiers each. Her 'claws' roared with fiery energy of her own and pulled them through the bodies of four more men. One soldier even came at her from behind, but Fox swiftly turned and direct one slash upward, the transparent image of a claw driving right through him that made him collapse backward. With only 43 left, the remaining soldiers were hesitant to approach the incredible Fox. Fox stood her ground, waiting for anyone else to come at her. As silence briefly became the battle, the soldier nervously waited for that one chance that she would let her guard down. Suddenly, one from her left came at her with a right hook, but Fox anticipated it and slapped him aside. It became silent again for one last moment until one soldier in front of her attacked. Fox caught the kick he threw at her and threw him down on the ground. Three more came at her from behind, but she spun around again and pulled her magical slash right through them. Then, with one great cry, she threw her fist to the ground. Once she made her impact to the ground, an enormous pillar of flames erupted from her, consuming several more soldiers in her burning light. In reply, Vyx A's similar aura expanded a few meters and completely destroyed eight more Beyblades. Now, only 30 more remained.
After calling back her energy back in her, Fox and Vyx A ran at the middle of the remaining soldiers and their Beyblades. Surrounded, Fox only grinned. "Now, for the rest of you…"
Holding her left hand in front of her, the aquamarine jewel on the back of her hand glowed with brilliant orange colors until sun-colored magic sparked from it. With blazing magic power in her hand, she pulled her arm to the side, creating long ribbon-like streaks of deadly fire around her. As she finally threw her hand above her head, she cried out, "Amethyst Enigma!" Finally, a raging wave of fiery magic roared around Fox until she was completely engulfed within the crematorium. The golden fox Holy Beast, Vyx, ran through the firewall with a great howl, coming to attack.
The blazing Vyx A flew among the circle of Beyblades and performed radically fast zigzag dashes through it. Once it went by in one complete circle, the golden blade came back to the center and continued to spin there while its aura finally dissipated. It appeared as if the attack hadn't done anything damaging to the other Beyblades, because they all continued to spin. Fox relaxed among the bewildered crowd of soldiers and held up her left hand to put her thumb and middle finger together. Finally, after one single snap, the remaining gray Beyblades all exploded into thousands of pieces! In less than one minute, the battle was over.
The rest of the soldiers fell to their knees in shock from their defeat. Observing no signs of battle continuation, Fox once again summoned Vyx A into her hand. Still standing on the side of Mt. Fuji, Sgt. Inada was left with his jaw hanging open. But, he quickly regained his composure and laughed, "That was absolutely incredible! So, this is the great Fox I've heard so much about!" Fox exhaled once more to relax herself and turned toward her adversary, pointing at him defiantly. "Playtime is over," Fox declared. "And with five seconds to spare."
From up above, Kai stared down at Fox with visual awe in his eyes. "Such power," he thought. "Hard to believe she was concealing that much against me. But, the thing is…her style of Beybattling is faintly similar to my own…" Footsteps from behind pulled Kai from his thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder and found Rei walking to his side. "She's good, huh?" he greeted.
Kai turned away and scoffed, "Hmph. I suppose."
Rei chuckled, "You're doing well, I see."
Sgt. Inada leapt down from the side of Mt. Fuji and stood before Fox with an interested grin. "You are indeed well-trained in the arts of Beyblade. I can't wait to spin my blade against yours."
Fox crossed her arms and replied, "Heh. After seeing me take down a hundred blades, you still want to battle me. Can you even do that? Or was this all a ruse just to weaken my Beyblade?"
"You accuse me of so much," Inada laughed. "What do you believe my intentions were?"
"I think it's a ruse, you coward!" a voice called out.
Everyone, including Kai and Rei, looked to the left to find someone standing on another rock ledge with arms crossed. It was Boss!
The mysterious colored Beyblade Champion stood defiantly over Sgt. Inada with a sharp, accusing stare while Fox seemed surprised to see him. "You, huh?" she replied quietly.
"Well, well, if it isn't the boy that gave Mizuno a hard time," Inada replied. "Uehara Banken, wasn't it?"
"That's right," Boss replied, confirming his real name. "But, it really doesn't matter. If you want to battle her, you'll have to go through me."
"I'll second that as well."
Then, the crimson-maned boy, Alex, suddenly appeared at Boss' right side. When she laid eyes on him, Fox didn't form a different expression over her face, but she slightly blushed unbeknownst to herself. "Yaa-ho! Kitsune!" Alex exclaimed.
Fox sighed, "Stay focused, Alexander."
"Right, right. Now then, ya military dog, you best duck back into your doghouse before you really make the 'Masters' and this other one mad."
Boss scoffed, "Ahem! Who are you calling 'this other one?'"
Sgt. Inada shrugged indifferently as he held his Bey-rifle at the two boys. "I see all three of you are real good friends. Fine; I'll take on all three of you."
"That's enough, Inada," a fourth voice called.
After hearing that voice, Inada finally dropped his composure and turned around nervously. Right behind him, the black-haired Chinese martial artist, Shishin, appeared with his arms behind his back. Boss and Alex gasped, "Shishin-sensei!"
"In person," Shishin replied with a wide grin.
Instantly intimidated by his very person, Inada's body suddenly shook as if he was cold and frozen. "Ou Shishin… I had no idea you were…"
"Leave now," the steely man demanded. "And tell your leader…I'm here."
"Uh, yeah. Sure, anything you say. Men, get back up now and retreat!"
During the whole conversation, all the soldiers Fox defeated recovered one by one and sat back up. After hearing their orders, they all ran off quickly without question. While they all were setting out, Sgt. Inada turned to Shishin and declared, "We'll be back. Just you wait." Then, he joined the crowd of soldiers, and eventually they all disappeared from everyone's sight. That one threat was finally over…for now.
After everything had calmed down, Boss and Alex ran to Fox's side, and all three of them confronted Shishin. "I didn't think you would come!" Boss said.
"Well, I did, didn't I?" Shishin replied. "But, it appears that at least one of you can take care of yourself. Eh, Kitsune?"
"Kitsune did all this?" Alex gasped, staring at all the shattered pieces of Beyblades carpeting the rocky ground. "INCREDIBLE."
Fox shrugged modestly. "Anyway, Shishin, looks like your reputation still haunts that persistent army."
Shishin nodded, "I suppose."
"Master!"
Shishin and the others turned around to find Rei running to them while Kai slowly followed behind. "Master?" Boss and Alex repeated.
Shishin replied, "That's right, but I teach him my own martial art in contrast to the Beyblading styles I taught you both to perfect. This is my pupil, Kon Rei."
After he made it in his master's midst, Rei confronted him and his three younger friends. "Master, you know these three?" he asked.
"Why, yes. This is my old Beyblade team, the Saint Generations A."
Rei gasped, "Saint Generations A? The champion team in that Worldwide Battle City Tournament last year? I didn't know you were in it."
"That's probably because we all went by our Beyblade aliases. I was known as 'LEO.'"
"I see."
"So, why is this famous team bent on destroying our Holy Beasts?"
Suddenly, everyone focused on Kai who kept his distance from all of them. His sight was clearly focused on Fox herself as he continued. "That girl over there, the one you call 'FOX,' was after my Holy Beast while those military dogs were doing the same thing. Just what are you all planning?" Fox also stared down Kai while Alex looked at the both of them back and forth. "I kinda see the resemblance. Is he really…?" he wondered.
"No mistake," Fox quietly replied.
"Hey!"
Suddenly, more faces appeared on the playing field. Finally, Takao and the others had made it to the confrontation.
Takao, Max, Daichi, Kyouju, and Hiromi all looked around to see familiar faces and a few new ones. Rei gasped, "Takao!" The glow in Kai's eyes suddenly beamed once he locked his sights on Takao. He quietly murmured under his breath, "Kinomiya…"
"Hey, it's Rei!" Hiromi pointed out.
"And Kai too?" Max added.
Briefly ignoring both Kai and Rei's presences, Takao noticed Fox and Leo alongside Boss and Alex. He frowned, "So, Boss, are these the new friends you were talking about before?"
Boss replied, "That's right. I'm still missing two others, but this is my old team, the Saint Generations A."
Max gasped while he turned his sight on Alex, "Saint Generations A! Alex… I knew you looked kinda familiar. You were one of the champions who won that Battle City Tournament last year."
Alex grinned, "'Bout time you figured it out. I was beginning to feel insulted that one couldn't recognize a famous Beyblader of his own city."
"So, are you all looking to destroy all Holy Beasts?" Takao asked.
After hearing that remark, Rei briefly twitched and silently looked toward his master. Leo turned to him and nodded to give him a silent order. Rei seemed to understand and nodded back. Meanwhile, Boss turned away from Takao and said, "You best watch yourself, Takao. After we recollect ourselves, we'll be back. Let's go, everyone."
"I guess we'll be seeing ya," Alex waved.
With that, Boss, Alex, Fox, and Leo all began to walk off, leaving Takao and the others behind. But, little Daichi broke through their ranks and called after them. "Hey, come back! We still haven't finished our battle!" Neither one of them replied. Easily angered, Daichi pulled out his Grip Shooter and prepared to release his blade at them to get their attention. But, before he could, a white and green Beyblade flew across the air and landed hard on the ground before Daichi. "That's enough, Daichi!" The young boy jumped once he heard that familiar voice. He looked over to his right and he found his best friend back from his village holding a gigantic ax over her shoulder. "Reena!"
Boss and his teammates stopped and looked over to spot the pink-haired girl with the large ax. Fox smiled, "Why, if it isn't Fujibayashi Reena." Reena summoned her Beyblade back into her hand while Daichi stared after her in disbelief of her presence. "Reena, what are you doing here?"
"Daichi," Reena murmured quietly. "Forgive me."
"What?"
Without saying anymore, Reena proceeded to walk away, walking her way to the Saint Generations A! She smiled up at her older friends and greeted, "Sorry I'm late."
"Right on time actually," Boss briefly grinned. "Now, I wonder where she might be…"
Finally, the five members of Saint Generations A continued to walk off, only to challenge Takao and the others again in the near future.
After Boss and his team disappeared from their sights, Takao and the others were left to reflect on their current situation. Daichi fell onto his knees and punched the ground angrily, "Reena! Why…!"
"Now, there are five of them," Max said. "And if I remember right, Saint Generations A from last year had six members."
"Great," Takao sighed sarcastically. "So, they need one more Beyblader to complete their whole set."
"Kinomiya."
Takao turned around and finally took time to notice that both Kai and Rei were around. "Oh, hey, you two!" he greeted. "I haven't seen you both lately!"
Rei replied, "It sounds like you've encountered the new World Champion on several occasions already."
"Yeah, you can say that," Takao chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Why don't we talk about it on the way back home?"
"Um, sure."
"You coming, Kai?"
Kai shrugged, "Only to hear your story."
Kyouju nodded, "Good! We better hurry or we'll miss the train back home!"
With that said, everyone quickly set off back to the train station. But, Kai briefly stopped and looked back toward the broken shards of Beyblades Fox left behind. Briefly admiring her abilities, he finally ran off after the others.
Several minutes later, back at the Kinomiya Dojo in Tokyo, everyone was inside one large, empty room, sitting in a wide circle. Takao sighed, "And that's all we know."
Rei bowed his head and pondered on the story Takao told. "So, this Siberian Army wants to capture all Holy Beasts for some reason while Saint Generations A wants to completely destroy them."
"That's right," Max nodded. "But, these two groups, although they seem to know each other, aren't playing the same side. So, Alex and the others probably know for themselves what the army wants them for."
"It doesn't matter," Takao protested. "As far as I'm concerned, they're the enemy. People like them could never be acknowledged as World Champions."
"But, it's no doubt that the Saint Generations A are very strong," Kyouju added. "From what Kai had told us, Fox was the one who destroyed all those blades back there. They'll be tough to beat."
Takao stood up and clenched his fist as he made a declaration. "Who cares? We'll just have to be even stronger! Now that Kai and Rei are with us, we'll be a force to be reckoned with!"
Daichi also stood up and shouted, "Don't count me out!"
"Huh? You too, kid?"
"The name's Daichi! And I'm sticking with you to face those guys! Reena's joined them, and I gotta find out why!"
"Well, all right. I admit that you were pretty good when we fought back there. So, the more, the merrier! How about you, Max?"
Max winked, "OKAY. I guess I'm in, too."
"All right! With the five of us, we'll be unstoppable!"
"Make that four."
Takao gasped in disbelief at that remark, and it came from none other than Rei!
Rei stood up from the circle and looked away from Takao's bewildered visage. "But, why?" Takao asked. "Your master joined them, too. And you have a Holy Beast of your own, right? He's gonna be after yours, too!"
"You're wrong. Master will not do that. I have to go to him now."
With that, Rei began to walk off, leaving Takao in his frustration. "No way. Are you really going to join Boss' team!"
Rei stopped for a moment and replied, "Don't be stupid. I have no intention in joining Saint Generations A. Master and I have other things we have to do."
Finally, Rei put on his shoes and proceeded to leave out the sliding door. While Takao watched him leave, other voice called out, "Leave that door open." This time, the one who planned on leaving was Kai!
Kai was already standing at that moment, and he silently followed Rei's lead to leave. "Kai, you too?" Takao gasped. Kai didn't answer. After taking his shoes, he went outside. Rei had already disappeared, and Kai was about to do the same. But, Takao ran after him and cried out, "Kai, why won't you join us? Aren't we both fighting for the same reasons!" Kai stopped walking, but he wasn't immediate to speak. Takao stayed put with Max and the others behind him, awaiting an answer. Finally, Kai turned around to face Takao with a determined stare. "Right now…" he murmured, "the only reason I wish to fight is to meet that girl again. Other than that, nothing else matters."
"Kai."
"If I should join you, I first have to prove to myself that I won't lose to that awesome power of hers."
"Then…"
Immediately, Takao reached the pocket on his jacket sleeve and pulled out his Dragoon Eclipse to flash it to Kai. "Then, battle me!" he challenged. "Test your full power on me!" Kai stared blankly at Takao's blade while Takao still held his challenging words high. But, eventually, Kai formed a grin. "Kinomiya… I accept."
Takao grinned, "Good. How about the old warehouse downtown?"
"I'll be waiting."
With that, Kai turned around and finally left from under the arches of Kinomiya Dojo's entrance.
After Kai left, Takao turned to Max, Daichi, Kyouju, and Hiromi with a wide grin. "I'll be back, all right?"
"Just be careful," Kyouju replied.
"That's right. Kai was your opponent in the semi-finals last year, right?" Max added. "I hope you don't underestimate him."
"I won't," Takao nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be right back with Kai right behind me. See ya later!"
Finally, Takao ran off to trail after Kai to the battleground they both decided on.
Hiromi stretched her arms and shortly yawned. "I guess I better be heading back home, too. There's something I need to do. You'll tell Takao, right?"
"Okay, Hiromi," Kyouju nodded.
"Well, as long as I'm waiting for Takao to return, I'll practice for a while," Max said. "Wanna go, Daichi?"
"You sure you wanna lose badly to me?" Daichi answered energetically.
"Heh. We'll see about that."
Leaving the three boys behind, Hiromi left the dojo and turned to the right to climb the sidewalk back to her home. As she walked on, she was deep in one specific thought. "They're not gonna do this by themselves…"
Back in the downtown outskirts of Tokyo, there was a large, old building sitting in front of a wide factory. The exterior looked dated, weak, and had a faded gray color. There was cracked glass in the windows and windows that had no glass at all. From the inside, there was nothing but fragile, abandoned crates stacked on top of each other. The black ground was filthy with dust and bits of trash. Light from the outside beamed through the small holes in the walls and ceiling. But, it brought enough light for both Takao and Kai to see each other, face to face underneath their dim battleground.
Takao and Kai remained standing against each other, leaving each other alone in their thoughts and taking time to determine the opposition's ability by their appearances. "I'm pretty sure Kai will be a lot tougher this time around," Takao thought. "I managed to beat him in the semi-finals last year, but even then it was close. I better take him out quickly before he gets any sneaky ideas."
"I've been waiting for a rematch, Kinomiya," Kai thought. "Let's see if you improved much since the last time."
Immediately, Takao dramatically spun around and pulled his Grip Shooter and rip cord from his back belt pack, quickly pushing the rip cord in. Then, he reached in his shoulder pack to reveal Dragoon Eclipse and locked it in the shooter after turning a single, complete circle, aiming it at his opponent. Meanwhile, Kai revealed his rip cord by pulling it out his sleeve by his teeth. He spun around and pulled his Grip Shooter from his back pocket hook, immediately loading his rip cord in it over his head. The twin tails of his scarf flew by, and Kai faced his adversary once more, locking in his Dranzer Eternal, and prepared to pull the cord. "GO! SHOOT!" Takao and Kai both cried out. Simultaneously, both of them released their respective Beyblades into battle.
Dragoon E and Dranzer E both sprinted across the dirty battleground and went at each other in great speed. Upon their first clash, the brief shockwave they created blew a fair amount of debris in the air! Takao shielded his eyes and cried out, "Go, Dragoon!" Reacting to his voice, Dragoon E forced Dranzer E backward and grinded against it far back to the wall, pinning it there. Kai cried out and quickly submitted a bit of his power into his blade, enabling it to push Dragoon E back! Following up its defensive attack, Dranzer E briefly started to glow in a very deep red color and flew past Dragoon E with a hard hit in the side. Takao grunted and took a moment to shake off the sting he felt from that attack. Then, with a great cry, he held out his palm and threw a great burst of wind energy outward! Kai saw it and tried to shield the strong currents. But, it was so strong that both he and Dranzer E were sent flying backward into the box crates behind him! As the many boxes fell over, Takao stood his ground in shock as Dragoon E spun beside him. "Uh oh," he said. "I think I went too far." Takao started to go to the pile of broken wood to help Kai, but suddenly, a spark of fire spat through the pile and began to spread out on all the dead wood around. Next, the pile of wood exploded into a blazing bush of flames with a dark figure in the center. As the fiery aura slowly dissipated, Kai was seen back on his feet with Dranzer E continuing to spin. He wore a wholehearted grin and said, "That's it. That's just how serious I wanted you to be."
Takao chuckled, "Okay then, I don't have to apologize."
Deciding after Takao's last move, Kai took the moment to contemplate on his next move with closed eyes. After a brief moment, Kai soon reopened them and stared Takao down. Then, in a flash, he ran at him, with several afterimages following him!
Takao jumped back at the surprise of Kai moving so fast that he couldn't catch up. Dranzer E shredded across the ground in blinding speed in zigzag movements, and with transparent duplicates following behind, it was almost impossible to follow. With a powerful strike, Dranzer past by Dragoon and sent it flying high into the ceiling, crashing right through it! Kai reappeared, kneeling on the ground with his left arm extended out from his side. He stood back up and turned around to find Takao flying downward at him. Takao threw a punch forward and sent Dragoon E down at the ground to strike Dranzer E back. Kai and Dranzer E both leapt out of the way, and Dragoon E was left to make impact to the ground before Takao landed. The silver blade wasted no time in trailing its opponent's move and chased after the navy-colored blade to clash into it once more. Takao went at Kai and threw a right hook at him, but Kai caught in his palm and threw him backward. Then, he went on the attack and threw two strong punches and a swift roundhouse kick while Takao tried to block them with his arms and shoulders and without falling over. Matching their confrontation, Dranzer E dashed after the retreating Dragoon E, smashing against it at all sides while the other continues to guard against it. Next, raging rings of fire encircled Kai's right arm, and he threw a solid fist at Takao, shooting a tremendous ball of crimson energy! Takao barely managed to leap away while Dragoon E dodged the red hot Dranzer E and left it heading straight into the wall. Upon impact, the wall instantly collapsed altogether and was thrown down on the ground by a wave of wild, spontaneous fire!
More sunlight beamed down in what was left of the old warehouse. Takao ran out of the faint shadows and threw his right palm outward, sending Dragoon E to run out at full speed. Underneath the shimmering light, Kai turned around and roared as Dranzer E circled around to come at its opponent with all its might. Finally, both blades met in a powerful clash, a clash that crackled with pure, raw energy. While the light from the awesome sun reflected off of them, the blades began to burrow themselves in a massive crater the longer they grinded and spun together in place. Taking part in the push-and-shove struggle, Takao and Kai both let loose a loud battle cry to input their own power into their Beyblades and against each other. Both Beybladers refused to let up their assault, and both blades showed no signs of slowing or one managing to outdo the other. It seemed like an endless stalemate. The blustery forces blew against Takao, but he still grinned confidently as he held down his right fist, wind energy gathering around it. Kai had his own ecstatic smile as more fiery energy flowed around his entire right arm. They both were ready for their final attack.
Takao was first. He tightened his fist, therefore letting the powerful wind expand from just his fist to his entire person. After spinning around once to let his energy begin its rotating momentum, he threw his fist over his head with a loud cry, "DRAGOON ECLIPSE HURRICANE!" Finally, the wind exploded into a huge tornado in itself while the white dragon Holy Beast stood in its eye with an intimidating roar! Next, Kai took a stiff, meditative stance and roared to summon more of his strength as the fire around his right arm began to glow brighter and expand around it. He quickly stood upright and threw his right arm diagonally from his side, following it as red ashes flew by his passionate ruby pupils. Then, he rammed his right fist into his palm and served as the ignition to a wide crimson aura surrounded him. "DRANZER ETERNAL INCANDESCENCE!" With one last mighty yell, the magnificent battle aura suddenly burst into an enormous cylinder of blazing fire as the Red Phoenix of Fire, Suzaku, shrieked behind Kai himself. The respective power fumed around both Beyblades, and with them already in a great clash, it was inevitable until they…
In the middle of the park where a certain Beybattle recently took place, Rei was sitting alone on one of the benches that were still intact. He rested his arms over his knees and sighed to himself. "I'm…sorry," he thought. "But, I swore that I wouldn't tell. I promised not to say a word." He looked up to the skies and stared with a dejected and annoyed look in his eyes. "Master… just what is this all about?" Suddenly, a brief earthquake ran across the ground, briefly surprising Rei. After the quake quietly faded away, Rei stared down at the ground, wondering what may have caused it. Quickly figuring it out, a smile of nostalgia formed across his lips. "Yeah… it has been a while since I felt that… Takao, Kai."
Underneath the bright golden sun, the space where an old warehouse was completely empty. The building had completely vanished, only leaving behind bits and pieces of the walls and corners that buried deep in the ground. Both Dranzer Eternal and Dragoon Eclipse lied on the ground, both burnt out from the furious battle they underwent. Nearby, both of their Beybladers were both lying on the ground, staring up at the sky side by side. Takao yawned and put his hands under his head to serve as a pillow while Kai sat up and rested his left arm over his arched right leg. "Wow! That was really awesome!" Takao exclaimed happily. Kai looked down at Takao with a satisfied grin and sighed easefully. "You never change," he replied softly.
"Ha ha! As if I would change!" Takao replied.
"Now, I know what I have to do. Now that I know where I stand, I feel confident to face Fox again. I'm with you… Kinomiya."
Takao's only reply was an acknowledging smile of relief. The two boys then looked back toward the bright blue skies above them together, left alone in brief solitude after a tiring battle…
Above the entire city of Tokyo, a lone figure was standing on the top floor of a large, orange building, looking toward the direction of the recent battle that subsided. It was Fox. Her jacket caught in the wind, she stared out over the city with crossed arms. Thoughtfully, she recognized one of the warriors in that short duel and wore a small grin. Then, Boss appeared and approached her from behind. He looked out in the same direction Fox was and shortly frowned. "Shiroryuu just grew stronger from that battle," he said. "We can't let it get too strong."
"Yeah," Fox murmured unenthusiastically.
Boss looked directly at his teammate and smiled accusingly. "You were paying attention to someone else, weren't you?" Fox didn't reply, but it was indeed apparent whom her concentration focused on…
"Kai…"
NEXT TIME…
Rei: Kinomiya Takao! I challenge you to a Beybattle!
Takao: What! What's all this about?
Rei: There's still much I cannot tell you now. But, I have information that you might find very interesting. I also have to see how much power I have on my own if I'm to see my master again. So, if you want to know more about the Siberian Army, accept my challenge!
"Shiroryuu, the White Dragon of Light"
Rei: But first… I'm hungry!
Takao: So am I! Let's eat until our stomachs explode! I'm sure Kyouju doesn't mind paying.
Kyouju: WHAT!
