I actually thought I would struggle with this chapter, since I've never wrote Motti, and Kenchii is a new player I thought up with on the fly. Instead, this one came pretty easily!
Uhhh, because I'm paranoid- Trigger warning for anxiety and panic attacks.
The battle is short, but worry not, there's more plot advancement! And sibling feels. Also Kyoya makes an appearance.
Moving on!
"I don't remember much about Motti's battle style, do you?" Aguma asked.
"Not really. Then again, we were a bit preoccupied with other things, last we saw her," Bao shrugged.
"So I'm going in blind?" Kenchii sighed, glancing at the two former Fist members.
"Not completely," Kuro said, as she settled her elbow on Bao's head. The redhead adopted an annoyed look, but made no move to remove her arm, "Flame Gasher, Balance type based off of the astrological sign Cancer. The crab. The way the whole Bey is built, it'd be best to attack the spin track, if you can, and use the fact that it's top heavy to your advantage, try to throw it off balance. Though, Gasher is also high in defensive capabilities, so you should be careful on not wearing your stamina out."
Kenchii nodded slowly, absorbing Kuro's explanation. He glanced at Xue, who looked immensely annoyed.
"You're taking my job away from me," Xue said, glaring at Kuro.
Kuro shrugged a shoulder, and Bao shoved her arm off his head. Kenchii felt a pang in his chest, and turned away from the siblings. They reminded him a lot of himself and his sister… Kenchii shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to take a trip down memory lane. He could reminisce later, after he won this battle.
"Lunar Hare is an attack type," Xue caught Kenchii's attention. "But like Kuro said, Gasher is high in defense, so you'll need to play it smart."
Kenchii gave his teammates a sly smile, "Don't worry. All I need is an opening to put her off balance, and then I can finish off her with a single move."
Aguma eyed Kenchii, "You sound sure of yourself."
"Because I am," Kenchii met his purple eyes, staring evenly up at the Kronos Blader. "You don't have any idea what I'm capable of, big guy."
Aguma crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Kenchii just smirked at him, and waved a hand, "You lot worry too much. Just watch- two moves, that's all I need!"
"I'll believe it when I see it," Bao called as Kenchii stepped off the platform and made his way towards the Bey dish.
Motti was halfway there, and waiting by the time Kenchii got into position.
"Here we go, ladies and gentlemen- our final battle! If Motti wins, we go into a tie breaker battle, but if Kenchii wins, the Chinese team moves on while our home team has to fight for another chance in the Wild Card matches! With so much on the line, who will it be that takes the cake? Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of waiting, so let's jump right on in! Bladers, take your stances, and get ready to battle- Three!"
"Two!" Motti and Kenchii drew their launchers and Beys.
"One! Let it rip!"
Can't let Gasher get it's balance, Kenchii thought. If that happens, the defenses go up and then I'm a sitting duck for an attack!
"Hare! Special Move, Lunar Kick!"
Hare landed in the stadium, for the briefest of seconds, before glowing a silver-white. Hare's spirit appeared, a white rabbit with red eyes. Her ears flicked, acknowledging Kenchii's call, before bounding forward.
Gasher landed in the stadium, before the spintrack could gain traction on the ground, Hare was delivering a stunning blow and sending Motti's partner flying into the air.
"Mrow- Gasher!" Motti yowled, wide eyed.
"Now! Lunar Blast!"
Before Motti could call move- or before DJ could get a word in edgewise- Hare delivered another powerful attack, and sent Gasher flying through the air, over Motti's head, and landing behind her in a stadium out.
Silence reigned through the air, as Hare spun steadily in the center of the dish. Behind Motti, the African team's jaws had hit the ground. Kenchii's own teammates mirrored their shock.
"Wha-" Kuro fumbled, "How?!"
"W- Well, that decides it ladies and gentlemen!" DJ stuttered out, nervously, "Before I can even get the first word in, Hare sends Gasher flying- the winner is Kenchii Heixin, which means… Team Breaking Dawn moves on to the next round of the World Championships!"
With a grin, Kenchii reached out and caught his partner. He turned back to his team, holding Hare up in the air, "Looks like we're getting China's good name back!"
Xue and Kuro both erupted into whoops, their shouts only echoed by Aguma and Bao, and the entire arena's loud crescendo of applause and cheers.
Ryuto found himself walking the streets of Cairo, three days after the China and African match. After Nefertiti and the on call doctor had cleared him of any risk of concussion, Ryuto had rushed off, needing some time alone. He'd briefly thought of going to the museum, but then decided against it. While he loved history and archeology, there was only so much he could take of stuffy offices and meetings with men in suits.
He hadn't acknowledged anyone's calls since he'd run. He'd texted Nile just to let the guy know he was alive, but that he needed some space, in light of recent events. Nile had replied that he understood, but reminded the younger Katashi that he was a member of a team now. He couldn't fly solo all the time now.
Ryuto hadn't replied to that one. He knew he had a place on the team, but seriously- he was still coping with the fact that he was now a member of the Elemental Seven. Dragonis had evolved, and the one time Ryuto had tried to launch his partner in attempt to see her new abilities, it had gone… badly. He hadn't been able to control her power and he'd had to wait for her to stop spinning before he could grab her.
He'd always prided himself on his control. Now, it looked like that was failing him too.
Unconsciously, Ryuto found himself back at his apartment. When he'd managed to get on the African team, Nefertiti and Nile had offered for Ryuto to stay with them. Ryuto had taken one look at their small apartment, listened- no he did not eavesdrop, anyone who said otherwise were lying- as Nile and Nefertiti discussed in hushed tones about their money plan for the next month, and told them he was good to get his own place. He had the money, he didn't want to intrude, and he'd see them every day anyways. No use to wear out his welcome.
Besides, Dynamis had a place of his own in town, following the whole Nemesis Crisis. Though, Ryuto suspected Nefertiti strong armed him into getting an actual home, so he had all the luxuries of a home and not a temple. Demure stayed with his aunt and uncle, and they were only too happy to take Motti in while the team were all in Africa.
With a sigh, Ryuto unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside. It was decidedly much cooler inside than it was outside, he thought as he shut the door and locked it behind him. He leaned his back against it, head tilted to the ceiling and eyes closed.
A noise in the kitchen had his eyes flying open. His gaze went down the hallway, to the doorway leading to the kitchen, where he could see the light on.
No one besides himself had a key, and only the African team knew his address, because Ryuto was a paranoid bastard who had unfortunately made quite a few enemies in his career as a treasure hunter.
Ryuto's hand fell to his launcher and the pouch he kept Dragonis in. He may not have much control over his partner, but some defense was better than none. He crept down the hallway, back to the wall. The closer he got, the easier it became to smell something cooking- no, not something. Japanese oyakodon, Ryuto's favorite dish.
Ryuto knew, that when he had left this morning, he didn't have the ingredients to make such a dish in his pantry. Which meant, whoever his visitor was, hadn't just broken in once, but probably twice, and had been here long enough to be in the middle of making said dish.
Ryuto could think of one person who met all these criteria.
"How the hell did you find me?" Ryuto dropped into a relaxed stance and stepped around the doorframe, "And, better yet, when the hell did you get here? No, wait, how did you know I'd even be here?"
"Which question do you want answered first?" It was Kyoya who replied, as he tossed a piece of chicken into the air and caught it. Ryuga hissed at him, and Kyoya scuttled out of the way.
Ryuto stared, "Just start talking."
"Well, after the phone call we had after your battle the other day, we watched the other two get their asses kicked by the hidden powerhouses of China," Kyoya ticked off on his fingers. "And then Nile called and said after you got cleared you vanished, and that was immediate cause for concern, and Ryuga here was already a snake ready to strike so you disappearing was the straw that broke the camel's back and he booked a flight here." Kyoya shrugged, "I just came because someone needs to make sure Ryuga doesn't cause an international incident and Tsubasa didn't have a chance to put his name in before I was on the plane."
Ryuto sighed, and rubbed his temples, "I would have called."
"You didn't," Ryuga grunted.
"I wasn't- I've been trying to get my head together! You try having the fate of the world on your shoulders!"
Both Ryuga and Kyoya just stared at him, blank faced.
… Right. They knew that feeling.
"… Never mind. Listen, I haven't exactly had an easy time these last few days," Ryuto sighed, and sat down at the kitchen island. "How long have you two been here?"
"We spent the night at Nile and Nef's the night we got here, and after we both got chewed out by Nefertiti," Kyoya shuddered. "We managed to get your address out of her and decided to wait on you here. We honestly didn't know when you'd come by here or if you would."
"So… you've just helped yourself to my kitchen?" Ryuto raised an eyebrow.
"Your pantry was empty and we were bored. What do you live on, take out?"
"Yes," Ryuto deadpanned. "Ask Ryuga, I'm a terrible cook."
"Can confirm, he nearly burned our house down in Koma Village, once," Ryuga nodded.
"I'm still amazed you can cook," Kyoya mumbled. "Wait, Ryuto, you travel a lot, how do you survive if you aren't in towns all the time?"
"I'm at archeology digs more often than not," Ryuto shrugged. "They have cafeterias there, you know. Plus, I'm not a bad fisher or trap maker, so I can live on fish and rabbits."
"Fair enough," Kyoya relented.
"Food's done," Ryuga announced. "Grab a plate, then we can talk."
Ryuto didn't need to be told twice. It had been a long time since he had a home cooked meal, and, admittedly, Ryuga's cooking was damn good. He piled his plate with an amount twice what he normally would eat, and sat back down to dig in with vigor.
He was at least halfway through his meal, pausing to take a drink of some soda, when Ryuga spoke up again.
"So. Dragonis," Ryuga fixed his brother with a look. "How's she working out for you now?"
Ryuto groaned and resisted thumping his head on the counter, "Terribly."
He received two surprised looks in response, "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's control. Hell, in certain areas, I'm a damn control freak, but since Dragonis evolved… I just… I don't have a handle on her anymore. I can't control her and she just runs wild! The last time I launched, it took nearly twenty minutes before she reached a sleep out, and that was after she destroyed the surrounding area."
"You need to train," Ryuga commented.
"You don't think I know that?!" Ryuto snapped, "But what good is it if there's no one nearby who could stand up to her power now?"
"King of Beasts and Dragon Emperor, hello," Kyoya gestured with his fork between himself and Ryuga.
"Okay, but don't you two need to get back to Japan before the next round, right? Japan battles the Australian team in, what, three days?"
"It's a home match, so it's not that far of a ride. Not like it would be to get to Australia," Kyoya shrugged. "Besides. Ryuga's probably going to stay with you for a while." Kyoya raised an eyebrow at Ryuga.
Ryuga, begrudgingly, nodded, "When do the wild card matches start?"
"Like, two weeks from now. It'll be after the last match up, which is South America and Russia," Kyoya mused. "No clue on which team will battle which until then."
"Then we've got two weeks to get you and Dragonis in sync with each other," Ryuga cut his eyes over to his brother. "If you're willing to put in the work, that is."
Ryuto bit his lower lip, before nodding, "When do we start?"
That evening, apparently.
"What is this place?" Ryuto questioned, as Kyoya drove them out of town and away from any nearby tourist attractions. The sun was just setting over the horizon, so it wasn't too hot and the light wasn't glaring too hard off the sand. Ryuto could see dozens upon dozens of what looked like Bey dishes dotting the ground.
"Nile brought us here, after our qualifiers," Kyoya answered as he climbed out of the driver's seat of the Jeep and circled around the front. "He said that Bladers created this place, some time ago, since Cairo had such a surplus of people in the sport and not enough money to build parks and gyms. The Bladers used their own Beys to carve out the dishes."
"Neat," Ryuto commented, as he walked the edge of one dish. "So you guys trained here?"
"Yeah," Kyoya nodded.
"Was this before or after you threw yourself into a tornado?" Ryuga asked.
"Says the guy who trained during an active volcano explosion," Kyoya shot back.
Ryuto idly wondered if the trend kept up, if he might throw himself into a lightning storm to understand Dragonis' own power.
Hm. An idea to consider if training with Kyoya and Ryuga didn't go well.
"Alright, well, we're here for a reason," Ryuga's voice caught Ryuto's attention. "Ryuto, you ready?"
"No," Ryuto answered. "But I don't have a choice, do I?"
"No. You don't. Come on, launchers up, let's get started," Ryuga was already raising his. To his left, Kyoya was also pulling Leone and his launcher out.
Reluctantly, Ryuto withdrew his own gear. The moment his hand made contact with Dragonis, his body began to thrum with energy, a faint buzz echoing in his ears, just like it always did whenever he was about to call on Hammer Bolt. Except, now, it was amplified to the point it was almost sent Ryuto clamping his hands over his ears.
Forcing himself to focus, Ryuto raised his launcher and steadied his stance.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One! Let it rip!"
An aquamarine, fire orange, and green streak all blazed into the dish. Dragonis landed in the center of the stadium, while Leone and L'Drago began to circle.
"Doesn't look too out of control right now," Kyoya observed.
"Dragonis," Ryuto said, wearily. "Attack L'Drago."
Dragonis glowed bright, spun in a tight circle, and then went it the opposite direction and began to attack Leone.
"Ah," Kyoya didn't look too troubled by the fact Leone was being driven towards the edge. "Well, your stance was good, so no problems there."
"I am a Blader, thank you very much," Ryuto glared.
"You're being too careful," Ryuga said. "You're wary of Dragonis' powers, and you're not embracing it. You need to accept it, it's a part of you now."
Ryuto balked, standing straighter, "I… I don't know if I can handle that."
"Why not? It's your power. You should use it,"
"I just… I can't-"
"Why. Not."
"Ryuga," Kyoya warned.
"No one asked you to be here, cat!"
Ryuto felt his breathing start to come in shorter breaths, "Hey…"
"You're right. As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm here because I care. Why are you here? Last I checked, you and Ryuto weren't talking!"
"Thinks change, fleabag!"
"Guys, please…"
"Watch what you're saying, snake breath!"
Leone met L'Drago in a head on attack, Kyoya glaring across the way at Ryuga.
"I know a lot more than you do!" Kyoya continued, "What do you know about being there for your brother?!"
"Oh, not this again," Ryuga rolled his eyes so hard it had to hurt.
The two older Bladers continued to devolve into their argument, exchanging blows and verbal barbs. Ryuto closed his eyes tight and clamped his hands over his head to block them out, but that made the buzzing in his ears worse, no matter how much he tried to drown them out. Wind was picking up, courtesy of Leone, whipping at Ryuto's clothes and sending sand to start stinging any exposed skin. It only added to the overwhelming situation as it was.
It was too much… too much. Ryuto couldn't focus, couldn't think! He just wanted help trying to understand Dragonis and they couldn't stop fighting for five seconds…! He couldn't get them to listen, because no one ever listened to little Ryuto, no one ever had, no one ever did—
I listen, A female voice whispered in his mind. I've always listened, young master. Do not be afraid. I am here.
Who are you? Ryuto asked himself, fighting back tears. Please… Please, I just want it to stop. How do I make it stop?
Face yourself, and accept who you are. That's the only way.
Face… myself? But how do I do that?
There was no answer.
Dragonis? Dragonis! Please, don't leave me! I don't want to be alone again…!
The world around Ryuto blurred, and he felt a tug in his chest as his feet fell out from under him. Then, he was floating in an abyss- it was black, everywhere he looked. Ryuto felt significantly small, like he was nothing than a spec under a microscope. He couldn't sense a thing, not at first.
The world burst into color around him, colors of white and teal, and yellows and grey. Wind tugged at him, gentle and playful, before he was suddenly soaring through the air, weightless and free. Ryuto laughed, careless and without a worry.
The brought him to a gentle stop, sending him floating in the middle of the swirls of color. Ryuto watched with wonder in his eyes, as several streaks of the color, crackling like electricity, arced towards him. Curious, Ryuto reached out to touch it, half expecting to be shocked. Instead, a flare of warmth raced through his body, soothing and calming his frazzled nerves.
"Oh…" Ryuto breathed, eyes sliding shut, "I see…"
He accepted the feeling for what it was, letting it travel through him and piecing it apart bit by bit, until finally…
"I understand now," Ryuto said, softly. He opened his eyes to see that the colors had wound together to form the transparent form of a dragon coated in electricity, "Dragonis… You and I are the same."
The dragon seemed to smile at him, as she spread her great wings and roared.
Ryuto closed his eyes, and let himself fall.
"Enough!" Ryuto shouted. Thunder boomed overhead, as dry lightning cracked across the sky, "Will the both of you just shut the fuck up already?!"
In response to Ryuto's sudden outburst, both Kyoya and Ryuga turned to stare at him in mild surprise. Surprise quickly turned shock as Dragonis glowed and then sent both L'Drago and Leone flying sky high.
"Leone!"
"L'Drago!"
"Dragonis!" Ryuto swept his hand out, his once amber eyes a now bright aquamarine, whites and all, "Fly high!"
Dragonis glowed in response and, like a shot, raced up the slope of the stadium and after Leone and L'Drago.
"Shit- Leone! King Lion Reverse Wind Strike!" Kyoya called, spreading his stance.
Leone flipped over in the air, and the wind picked up as an upside down tornado formed. Dragonis faltered, being forced back down towards the ground thanks to the backwards rotation.
Ryuto bared his teeth, "Dragonis."
It was hard to see in the dark, but, squinting, Kyoya could just make out how Dragonis' warrior wheel seemed to expand, the six winged blades extending and catching the air, now climbing into the air and getting closer to Leone with each passing second.
"Ryuga!"
"L'Drago! Dragon Emperor: Soaring Attack!"
L'Drago flashed into existence, roaring borderline deafening, before soaring towards Dragonis to intercept her.
"Dragonis!" Ryuto shouted, "Special Move, Skyborne Wingblade!"
Demure's voice rang in Kyoya's mind: "Dragonis would be able to shred the warrior wheel… the spintrack instead…"
"Fuck!" Kyoya swore, colorfully, as the two dragon based Beys met in mid-air.
For a moment, he saw that Ryuga looked victorious, but the look quickly faded into horrified realization as he watched the two Beys grind against each other.
"Leone! King Lion Tearing Blast Shot!" Kyoya needed to break this up, now, before L'Drago was dealt significant damage. Leone glowed green and fired off towards the two other Beys, splitting them up with a high powered attack.
The three Beys landed back in the stadium. Dragonis glowed, still spinning steadily with the wings extended. L'Drago's warrior wheel was sliced to pieces, the Bey barely spinning, and Leone was wobbling as Kyoya had used his stamina up in his earlier skirmish with Ryuga, and his two moves to defend and then break them apart.
Well, at least Ryuto seemed to have gained control over Dragonis. In fact, Kyoya opened his mouth to praise him, but was cut off as Ryuto smirked.
"Storm Dragonis, Ultimate Move-"
Kyoya and Ryuga exchanged panicked looks.
"-Dragon's Fury!"
Son of a motherfucking bitch-
Kyoya never got a chance to finish the thought, before his whole world went white, then black.
"What the hell happened to you three?" Nefertiti asked, bewildered, the next morning as the team met with Ryuga, Ryuto, and Kyoya for a final breakfast with the Chinese team, "You look like you were thrown into the middle of a sandstorm!"
"Close enough," Kyoya said, dryly. Next to him, Ryuga looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
Kyoya reached into his pocket and, sheepishly, laid Leone on the table. Leone looked like it had met it's demise at the hands of a particularly angry cat.
Ryuga laid L'Drago down. The red Bey looked much the same way.
"Wh- How…?" Xue demanded, wide eyed.
In sync, Ryuga and Kyoya pointed at Ryuto, who skipped by them with a smile, "I mastered Dragonis!"
You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed.
Softly, but with feeling, Nile spoke.
"What the fuck?"
"You sure you don't want to come back to Japan?"
"I've said it twice now, hair for brains. I'm staying here for a while. Besides. One can only take so much of Gingka before needing to get away,"
Kyoya snorted and shouldered his bag, but nodded in agreement, "Fair enough. I'll tell the others you're helping Ryuto figure out Dragonis' new power." He grimaced as he poured himself a cup of coffee, "Madoka is going to have a field day with Leone…"
"Another thing I'm not sorry to be missing," Ryuga smirked. "You get to deal with the crazy lot all on your own again."
"You're a traitor to the cause, Ryuga. Don't you know us introverts need to stick together?"
"That's an oxymoron, moron,"
"How original. You're using your touch on the insults. I think office work is dulling you, little snake,"
"If you two are done flirting," Ryuto interrupted, poking his head into the kitchen from the hallway. "Kyoya, you need to get to the airport. Your flight leaves in an hour and a half."
"We weren't flirting, you brat!" Ryuga shouted at him, as Kyoya choked on his coffee, "I have a girlfriend-" He cut off, "Wait. Fuck. You weren't supposed to know that."
Ryuto's eyes gleamed in mischief, "Ooh, who's the lucky lady?"
"You have my attention," Kyoya commented. "I didn't know you were seeing anyone."
"Fuck off!"
"How eloquent," Kyoya deadpanned, and Ryuto rolled his eyes. "I'll find out eventually."
"You won't find out shit-"
"Kyoya, airport?" Ryuto cut in, again, raising an eyebrow, "As much as I've enjoyed both of your company, I can only handle one hot headed lone wolf at a time."
"Message received," Kyoya snorted. He adjusted the strap of his bag one more time, and went for the front door, "Let me know how training goes!"
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving the two Katashi brothers standing on opposite ends of the kitchen, staring each other down.
"So…" Ryuto trailed off.
"So," Ryuga crossed his arms.
"You… want me to show you around town or… something? Have… have you ever been to Cairo, before?"
Ryuga just stared at him. Ryuto began to squirm, shifting from foot to foot, and looking anywhere but at his brother.
"Actually," Ryuga said, slowly. "I've heard you've contributed a lot to the Cairo Museum. I was thinking about going and checking out some of the exhibits, but I wouldn't know mummy from mummy…"
Ryuga's voice faded, and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Or, as uncomfortable as a person with as many walls as Ryuga had could be. Hm, he'd never been good with emotions or saying what he wanted to, anyways.
But Ryuto understood. Ryuga was attempting to reach out, to understand what it was about Ryuto's profession that he enjoyed so much.
Ryuto beamed, and Ryuga had to look away because dammit his brother could be sunshine personified sometimes.
"Really?" Ryuto asked, in a hopeful voice.
Ryuga took a deep breath and steeled himself.
"Really."
Before Ryuga could react, Ryuto had darted across the kitchen, hugged him, and then was hauling him out of the apartment, all the while chattering excitedly about places he had been, and the history of Egypt, and how he had helped contribute to some of the exhibits.
It was exhausting, but Ryuga thought it was a small price to pay in light of his brother's happiness.
Now, an explanation on Kenchii's Bey: most of the Beys in the Beyblade world are based off of constellations or zodiacs. You've noticed by now I also base my characters' Beys on mythological figures from different cultures. Kenchii is different: Kenchii's Bey, Lunar Hare, is based off of the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit. The "lunar" part comes in with the Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e, where the rabbit is a symbol of the goddess.
So what do you think about Kenchii? Any thoughts on him?
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and will leave a review! Until next time, ciao!