*Ring ring* *Ring ring* I sat in a swivel chair in my apartment, one leg resting on the other knee. Tsubasa was sitting at the computer, a video call ringing.
*Click*
"Hello?" A remarkably familiar voice came over the speaker, and I sat up a little straighter.
"Hey Madoka, it's me."
"Tsubasa! How are you?"
"I'm good. Great in fact."
"Why's that?"
"You won't believe who I found today." He turned the screen to face me, and I gave a small wave.
"Hi." There was silence for a split second while Madoka processed what she was seeing.
"JAMES?! IS THAT YOU?!" I twisted my pinky in my ear, showing she was too loud.
"Yeah, although I'm not sure I can hear you now that you blasted my eardrums."
"Un-be-liev-able! After all this time and you just say 'hi?!' What do you think you are doing?!" I raised my hands, clearly staying on the defensive.
"Look, things came up, and I forgot to contact you."
"You FORGOT?! What kind of excuse is that?!" A sweat drop fell down my face.
"A pathetic one at best."
"You should have called us a long time ago! We were so worried, everyone has been looking for you for months!" I felt guilt wash over me.
"...I'm sorry. I should have called."
"Yeah. You should have." She paused and then sighed. "So, how have things been? Where even are you?"
"America. I'm actually attending school right now."
"School? In America? Why there?"
"Why not? They have one of the top schools in the world here. Granted, I could never afford to go there, but this school is a close second."
"Well, are you ever coming back?"
"Yeah, I just have to finish up this semester and then I'll be home."
"That's good. We've all missed you and have been worried sick. Oh yeah, how is Leone doing? You better be taking care of it..." I could feel the underlying threat and nodded, not wanting to tick her off. I held it up for her to see, noticing its Face Bolt gleam a little in the light.
"I took it to a shop last week. I did just have a battle, so I have to clean it in a minute."
"Good. Any serious damage?"
"Nope. Maybe some dust, but that'll be it." I didn't dare tell her that Leone just had bricks thrown at it. She'd throttle me for being so "reckless."
"Well, as long as you are taking care of it James, I can't fault you for trying."
"Hey! I take good care of Leone, thank you! It's not my fault I'm not a wizard mechanic like you!" She blushed a little.
"I'm not that good!"
"Don't lie to yourself. You fixed 13 completely trashed Beys in under two months. That could have taken other mechanics half a year. Of course," I paused, "Not stopping to get any food or sleep doesn't help." She waved her hands in front of the camera.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Tsubasa leaned into the camera's view, a bead of sweat on his face.
"Madoka. After you finished fixing our Beys, you slept for three days straight. We thought we'd have to take you to the hospital because of lack of food and water."
"I was fine! The Beys needed repairing anyways." I spoke up again.
"Considering they were in such bad shape that they couldn't even be launched, I agree. But because they were in that state, there was no way any of us would have tried to battle with them. Meaning you could have taken your time instead of running yourself into the ground." She sighed, knowing we were right.
"Alright, alright, I get it." I nodded at that.
"Good."
"Finally," Tsubasa sighed. Madoka puffed out a cheek.
"Jerks." She looked at me again. "So you aren't coming back then. You're staying in America?"
"Only until I finish school. That's only a few months away, so it won't be that long."
"Well you better stay in contact!" I nodded, knowing she would hunt me down.
"I will."
««{{¤}}»»
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, it's been so long. And I've been training a lot too." Tsubasa held up his Earth Eagle, which glinted in the sun. It had taken some convincing to get me to actually battle, but now we were standing in a dark indoor stadium, only the lights right above us were on.
"Alright." I pulled out my launcher and Bey. "Don't blame me for what happens though."
"Don't worry pal, I'm not going down so easily." We loaded up and got set.
"3!"
"2!"
"WAAAIT!" We froze as another voice jumped into existence, interrupting us. Flood lights flashed on from all around us, blinding us.
"Hey! What is this?!" Tsubasa covered his eyes with his hand while I ducked my head, my hat blocking most of the light.
"Gah, what a pain!"
"Don't you two start battling yet! Check it out folks! Two Bladers from the final battle against the dark forces two years ago are here! Come watch this insane battle!" Doors all around the large room opened up, kids and adults alike pouring in, chatter shattering whatever peace had been here moments before. Looking around I noticed a few kids from college and saw Gias waving at me.
'Fan-freaking-tastic...' I didn't need anyone to see this, and now EVERYONE would see my skills.
"Alright! First up, we have Tsubasa! Originally a member of Gan Gan Galaxy during the World Championships. His calm manner and sharp eagle eyes allow him to spot any opening from a mile away!" I gritted my teeth, hoping they wouldn't say too much on me. I didn't need any publicity. It was part of why I came over here. I took a step back from the edge of the stadium, relaxing my posture and stuffing my hand in my pocket. "And in the other corner!"
'Am I a flipping wrestler now?! Unbelievable.'
"We have a Blader who came out from the shadows. No one has ever been able to figure out his full story, but we do know he joined Gingka and the others not too long after the World Championships. Wielding a Leone Bey, it's James!" I snapped around to the announcer.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" I just wanted a battle against someone who could hold their own. I didn't want an official battle being watched by hundreds.
"We heard Tsubasa was in town and had to get the scoop on why! And lucky we have it, we are going to watch a big battle today folks!"
'Tch. Freaking perfect.' I turned and looked at Tsubasa.
"You plan this?" I asked, not really meaning it.
"What? Of course not!"
"Then who the..." I froze when I heard someone cackling, and spun to see, of all people, Jason standing at the doorway behind me.
"You think you're so tough! Try battling Tsubasa on live TV! Let's see him smash you to pieces! Hahaha!" I gritted my teeth.
"Why you!"
"Alright! Let's get this started! 3!" I spun around, pleading with my friend.
"Tsubasa!" He shook his head.
"No choice!"
"2!" The crowd called. I gave up.
"Fine! Then let's give them a show they'll never forget!"
"1!"
"Sounds good old friend!"
"Let It Rip!" Our Beys didn't even land before colliding, an explosion rocking the stadium immediately.
"Woah! And the first hit connects! The Beys didn't even land in the stadium before they clashed with an awesome power!"
'That guy...' I had always hated the official announcers. They were the most obnoxious two year olds that were paid to say the most obvious play-by-play. If they had been connected to a radio station, it would have made sense.
"Don't let him get to you James." I muttered to myself, "Leone, take center!" Leone landed with a small bounce and circled down.
"Eagle!" The black and purple Bey rushed down, colliding into Leone and knocking it off course. Eagle released a barrage attack, dashing around and smacking Leone with a rapid attack. Leone broke away and righted itself. "Where you running to?" Eagle caught up and smacked Leone around again.
"Grr, Leone, fight back!" Leone released a barrage of its own, both Beys matching in power. "Wow! You really have gotten strong Tsubasa!"
"While you were sitting around in a classroom all day, I was busy training my butt off! Eagle! Let's show them our new found strength!" Eagle dodged an attack and whipped around Leone, smacking it one last time before dashing away, launching itself as high above the stadium as it could. "Counter Smash!" Eagle dived down with a screech.
"Good try, but there's no point if it misses!" Leone waited till the last second and dashed away.
"What?!"
*Boom* An explosion rocked the building as Eagle slammed into the stadium floor. Leone pulled out of the smoke and waited. Eagle dashed out of the cloud, slamming into Leone without pause.
"Wow, no rest for the weary." I said dumbly. Leone pulled back and slammed into Eagle, knocking it away.
"How did you dodge my Special Move?!"
"Every attack from the air is the same. Very rarely can people redirect the attack once the Bey has locked onto its target. I figured that out a long time ago." I threw my arm out. "An attack from the side though," Leone smacked into Eagle, and while said Bey was recoiling, Leone leaned down and scraped its Fusion Wheel against the stadium floor as it slammed into Eagle, allowing it to twist and throw Eagle into the air. "Can be manipulated!"
"Ah! Too bad Eagle can soar on its wide Fusion Wheel! Throwing it does nothing!" Eagle landed near the edge of the stadium, circling around again.
"Well. You are too tall for my Spin Track to work. Too fast for me to dodge you, and you might have enough energy to last through a sleep out...hm...Guess I'll have to try this then." I shrugged like I was supposed to care. I raised my hand. "Leone Open Guard mode!" I shoved my hand down and Leone let out a burst of energy. It sat still instead of vanishing. Tsubasa gave me a look.
"Well, if you aren't going to move then I'll make you! Eagle!" Eagle dashed down and slammed into Leone, only for an explosion to knock it away. "What? Try again!" Same attack, same result. "But how?"
"When Leone is in Open Guard mode the sharp swords on the underside of the Fusion Wheel and the teeth the Spin Track are exposed, making any attack back fire. It's a good counter to any strong attack power, even if the attack still connects."
"So that's your game huh? Wait it out to see who wears out first, Eagle or Leone."
"That's the thing, Leone did feel that attack, but it wasn't damaged a lot." In my mind's eye I saw Leone spinning in slow motion. "Leone's Fusion Wheel is made up of two parts. The plastic core puts all of Leone's weight on the outside, making its spin not only stable and strong, but even more so than other Stamina Fusion Wheels. This is part of Phantom Leone!" Leone flashed and vanished.
"Where'd it go?!"
" Leone is much more than a simple Stamina Type." Leone appeared, circling the stadium. It put on a burst of speed and slammed into Eagle, pushing it back. "Leone is the ultimate Balance Type! Four modes, four ways to battle, that is the power of Phantom Leone!" Leone knocked Eagle away.
"I see. So mode changes are still your gimmick. You haven't changed since the last time we battled. Eagle!"
"Well, having more than two really lessens your limits. Especially when you can change in between them mid battle." Leone dashed at Eagle, colliding with another explosion.
"Leone!" Leone backed up to rest right below me. "Rolling claw!" Leone almost seemed to fall from the side of the stadium, gaining energy as it spun down the slope. It smashed into Eagle with amazing force, seeming to weigh a ton as it pushed it back.
"Eagle! That's new!"
"I've been training in secret, looking for new skills and tricks to add to my arsenal."
"Well, as I said before, I've been training a lot too! Eagle!" The Bey tilted forwards, leaning under Leone's Fusion Wheel.
"No good!" The Spin Track came up to meet it, and the sound equated to a saw blade going off.
"Oh no!" An explosion followed, and Tsubasa took a step back. "No time to panic, go!" Eagle dashed around a chasing Leone and took a flying leap into the sky again.
"That Spin Track is too dangerous to hit, so I'll avoid it all together. Eagle, Diving Crush!" A large, purple bald eagle shone in the stadium lights above our heads. A screech echoed out as it dived to the ground.
"I told you that won't work on me Tsubasa." Leone charged up and dashed out of the way.
"I know! Eagle!" Eagle actually curved in its decent, a purple stream of light behind it as it slammed into Leone from above.
"What?!" An explosion followed and Leone bounced around the stadium a little. It was showing a slower rotation. "Grr!"
"When you're in that mode, your defense is weaker, especially when it's an attack from above! Eagle!" Eagle dashed around and leaped high again. "Once again, Diving Crush!" I gritted my teeth. Leone was strong, and its defense wasn't bad, but Tsubasa was right. The mode it was in weakened its defense.
"Leone, stand your ground!" A burst of energy and Leone locked itself in place. Eagle landed on it, pushing with all of its might. Leone was still being tilted sideways.
"Go Eagle! Push it down!"
"You forgot about one thing." A sharp grinding sound echoed from the stadium and Leone stopped leaning.
"What's that?!" An explosion whipped my clothes around. I heard a Bey land in front of me and looked down to see Eagle just inside the stadium. It moved around to the other side as the smoke cleared. Leone was slowly circling in the center. "What just happened?!"
"Leone's Spin Track hit the stadium floor, stopping its Fusion Wheel from doing the same thing."
"So I can't knock it over?" He looked like he was getting stressed. He expected to have a challenge, but he had soon realized it wasn't going to be that easy to even damage Leone. "Fine, if I can't do that, I'll just knock it out! Eagle! Counter Smash!" Eagle dashed at Leone, a purple light covering it. It slammed into Leone and they struggled for a minute before another explosion rocked the stadium.
"Hn!" I covered my face as dust and smoke flew past me. Soon the smoke cleared enough for me to see Leone calmly moving the smoke around itself. It gathered a small amount of wind and sent it spiraling outwards, pushing all the smoke out of the stadium. I looked around and spotted Eagle, slowly falling to the stadium floor. It landed and wobbled a lot. "Wow, you stayed in, impressive Tsubasa!"
"But..." I looked him dead in the eye and a flash of light came from my own.
"But what?" I growled. "Beys were meant to fight till the very end. They aren't meant to quit while they are still spinning." Leone rushed around, chasing a weakened Eagle. "So don't you quit, or I'll level this whole stadium!" Tsubasa gasped and took a step back.
"You're bluffing!"
"Am I?" I raised my hand and swiped it to the side. Leone vanished and smacked Eagle across the stadium. A large burst of energy sent Leone screaming around the stadium, slamming into it again. It rocked the entire building, dust falling from the ceiling.
"What's gotten into you James?! There are people in here!"
"Then use your Bey and protect them. That is what you do, right?" Leone slammed into Eagle again, a loud eagle's cry sounding with the explosion.
"Gah! Eagle no! I can't waste energy taking hits like that. Go!" The purple and black Bey dashed away from Leone.
"Where are you going? Are you running?" Leone chased Eagle, keeping up without a challenge.
"No time! Eagle! Counter Stance!" Eagle smashed into Leone, fighting with all of its strength.
"Do you see it?"
"What?"
"Even in this weakened state, Eagle still follows you. It hasn't given up, so why should you?!" I heard the announcer talking in his 'bravado announcing' voice but ignored it in favor of staring Tsubasa down. "Now fight."
*Boom*
"You give me no choice! Eagle!" Eagle screeched and leaped into the air, its Spirit shining bright. "Special Move: Shining Tornado Buster!" A purple tornado formed and came crashing down.
"I'll match it this time. Leone Special Move: Psychedelic Scene!" A blinding light flashed from Leone, reaching all the way to the ceiling. Accompanying it was a wavering hum, almost like a bass drum. The tornado seemed to waver and weaken.
"Eagle fight it! I believe in you! Aaaaahh!" Eagle pushed one final time and the whole building shook at the biggest explosion so far. I covered my face as the light brightened for a minute. Eventually everything died down, and everyone was quiet. I looked at the stadium to see it heavily damaged. I looked around and spotted Leone. It was spinning, but it was wobbling a little. I hopped down and picked it up. I sighed as the tension left my frame.
"You pushed it today, Leone."
"Eagle!" I looked over to see Tsubasa digging through the rubble. "Where are you Eagle?" I loaded Leone instantly.
"Tsubasa move! Let It Rip!" Leone dashed around the rubble, kicking rocks and debris away. Soon, it broke a larger rock in half and Eagle was revealed.
"Eagle!" Tsubasa grabbed it and looked it over. He sighed. "You're okay. Thank goodness." I caught Leone and walked over, placing my hand on Tsubasa's shoulder.
"Well, now that my secret life is destroyed, shall we go?"
"Yeah James. Let's go."