The meeting of the gang leaders.
It was never a pleasant experience, but it was a necessary one. It was the only time the leaders could be in the same place without trying to tear one another apart. It was also the only way to keep peace among the gangs themselves. They would discuss all types of subjects, the most important beings territory disputes.
A gang's reputation was based on wins, and if another gang members came around and started wiping out rival members, it made them look bad. So they kept to their own towns and territories. It was better than there just being a mass free for all. The three biggest gangs were the ones that met the most. There were others, but they were much smaller in comparison.
The first of the main three were the Berserkers, led by Dagur himself. He was known as a maniac, and was usually up for a fight. He looked for any excuse to challenge rivals gangs. It was like he just got a kick out of the chaos that ensued. But recently he had been calming down a bit. No one knew why, but he had dialed back his crazed ways.
The second of the main three were the Bog-Burglars. They were the only all-female gang, and they prided themselves on it. Their leader was Camicazi, a very cunning and slick woman who was known for scouting bey-parts. What she used them for no one really knew, because she always stuck with her usual bey, the Poison Changewing.
The final of the main three were the Meatheads. A gang that treasured power above all else. Their leader was Thuggory, who was surprisingly the most subtle of the three leaders. He participated little in battles, his gang didn't seem to have any ulterior motive. Though everyone knew better than to take his silence for weakness. His Snaffle Fang made sure of that.
The three leaders sat at the table in the middle of their usual meeting place, an old abandoned super market. "There are an awfully lot of abandoned buildings in this town, aren't there?" Thuggory pointed out sitting at his end of the table.
Dagur shrugged. This town was his territory, and he never really thought about it before, but it was kind of true. Didn't these people ever hear of construction before? It was like every time they shut a place down they just… left it there. "Whatever. So why don't we get down to business. I heard someone managed to snatch of a shipment of rare parts."
Camicazi narrowed her eyes at him. "I wonder how exactly you heard about that. Your little spies working overtime this week?" She asked an edge to her voice. She knew Dagur had some influence over some of her members. She fully intended to weed them out once this was over.
"Oh, just rumors and hearsay. Now I wonder, would you be interesting in sharing some of those dear parts of yours with me. I could put them to great use." Dagur said smiling.
She rolled her eyes. "I don't give a crap about how you'd use them. You better believe when I find whoever is leaking info to you I'm going to take care of them."
"So is that a yes?" Dagur asked.
She sighed. "I'll split the parts with you if you let me have the old Bey Park. Your members don't use it, and it'll make a great training ground and storage house for my gang."
Dagur shrugged. "I don't care about that old place." He said sitting back in his chair. "We have a deal. I'll send some guys to pick up the parts tomorrow."
Thuggory didn't seemed to be paying attention to anything they had said. He never really did. The only reason he had agreed to come to this thing was to avoid conflict. "Well, if you two are done I think I'm going to leave now." He said getting up.
As he walked off Dagur chuckled. "Oh come on, don't want to stick around and chat with old friends? We haven't had a chance to catch up in some time you know. I heard you've got a lot of fresh blood joining your ranks. What's that about?" Dagur asked with a grin.
"Respect pulls in more people than fear." Thuggory said simply. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going. Was nice seeing you again Camicazi." He said nodding. She nodded back and he left out without sparing them a second glance.
Camicazi rose up as well. "I think we're done here. Remember to keep your gang on their side of the boundary. If I see your scum crossing over again, I won't show them any mercy."
"Don't care." If his members were too dumb to know not to cross her, then they deserved whatever they got. "You two are no fun anymore. Our first couple of meetings were much more fun. Now all we do is talk about business stuff."
She rolled her eyes. He was right. In their first couple of meetings all they did was fight. Well, she and Dagur fought. Thuggory just sat and watched. "There is something else to talk about boss." Both of them turned their attention to Heather who was standing a few feet behind Dagur. "Have you told her about the Haddock kid yet?"
Dagur scowled. "Oh please, that's hardly worth bringing up." He said before getting up. "I guess there really is nothing to talk about. Anyhow, Heather will suit out the details of the parts with you. I'm going to go find something to entertain myself. Maybe I'll swing by the bey park and crush some rookies. That's always fun."
As he left, Camicazi turned towards Heather. "What were you saying about that Haddock guy?" She asked. Something that seemed to irritate Dagur was worth knowing about.
"This guy named Hiccup Haddock defeated Snotlout." Heather explained. "Was right out of nowhere too. I mean no one had ever heard of this kid and then suddenly he just appears. He's like Berk's new champion or something." She was trying to spark as much interest in Hiccup as possible.
Camicazi smiled. "Berk you say? I had some business to handle around there anyway. Maybe I'll check out this Hiccup kid while I'm there." She wasn't interested in recruiting any boy, but anyone who was able to defeat Snotlout was worth investigating. Besides, there was something else she needed to check up on.
Heather smiled to herself. If everything went according to plan, she would be able to record some top notch data. Not only would she gather info on Hiccup, but she might even get some information on Camicazi. That would definitely make Dagur happy.
Little did she know Camicazi had nearly zero interest in Hiccup. Sure he might have been worth checking out. But she wouldn't have made a trip to Berk just for him. She had an old friend she wanted to pay a visit too.
"Nadder, take them out!"
Deadly Nadder rushed towards the middle of the stadium and rammed the three beys in the middle. Two of them were knocked back near the edge of the stadium, while the third had gotten a stadium out. Astrid kept her eyes on the beys still inside as the boys across from her scowled. The remaining two bladers moved in to attack Nadder.
Astrid reacted quickly, and Nadder swiftly avoided both attacks. The beys came back around and prepared for another attack, but this time Nadder rushed to meet them. It collided with the first bey, the resulting clash sending it flying out of the stadium. The sole survivor glared at the blonde who was still completely focused on the battle. "Darn it!" The boy shouted.
His bey zipped forward to meet Nadder, hoping to somehow overpower it while it was recoiling from its last attack. Just before it could hit however, Nadder swerved out of the way and quickly countered with its own attack. It followed up with a series of quick small strikes. Eventually it pushed the bey to the edge of the stadium, and with one final strike, knocked it out.
"Astrid wins… again." Fishlegs said bluntly. Hiccup sat beside him looking impressed. There weren't many people in town who could compete with Astrid. He, Fishlegs, and Snotlout were just about the only ones who could hold their own again her and each other. The other kids didn't really stand a chance against her.
But still, three against one was not something to just shrug off. Hiccup wouldn't have been used to dealing with multiple opponents at once. But Astrid kept completely focused and acted as calmly as always. "Her battle sense is top notch as always." Hiccup said. "She never took her eyes off the battle. Even the few times she was pushed back, it still felt like she was in control."
Fishlegs nodded. "That's how she always battles. Like she's a warrior. They said that Finn used to be the same way, so I guess it makes sense she would pick it up too."
Astrid called Nadder back to her and then turned towards them, letting a smile appear on her face. "I am feeling on fire today. In fact, I think I could take on the both of you at once. Want to take a spin in the stadium to find out boys?" She asked eagerly.
Both of them shook their heads. "No, we're good." Hiccup said. Whenever Astrid got like this he thought it was best to just sit out and watch. If he won, she might get mad and demand another battle. If he lost, she's say he wasn't trying his best and make him battle again. "Besides, I'm just enjoying watching you battle." It was true. He was fascinated with her battles right now. He had never noticed how sharp her battle style had been before now.
She didn't have overwhelming power like Snotlout, or unbelievable speed like his Fury, but made up for it with quickness, accuracy, and precision. She had never made a wasted move. Astrid shrugged. "Suit yourself." She said turning back to the stadium. "I'm planning on keeping this winning streak going all day!"
"Beating on a bunch of weaklings is hardly worth bragging about Astrid." Everyone turned towards the door and saw three figures standing there. The boys looked confused, but Astrid grew wide eyed. "Long time no see Astrid. How have you been?" The girl at the front greeted.
Hiccup and Fishlegs turned towards their blonde friend with a puzzled expression. Astrid was now seething. "What are you doing here Camicazi?" She asked through gritted teeth.
Camicazi shrugged. "Geeze, what's with the cold reception? I can't stop by to visit an old friend of mine?" She asked as she made her way towards the other blonde girl. "I see you've been keeping some new company since Snotlout left. So which one is Hiccup? I'm going to guess it's the scrawny one there."
Astrid narrowed her eyes at her. Was she here to fight Hiccup? She knew Dagur might be after him, but she didn't think the other gangs would take any interest. They never tried to take care of each other's targets before. Not unless they were planning on recruiting them. But the Burglars were an all-female gang, so that couldn't be it.
"He doesn't look like much of a blader, but we both know looks can be deceiving. He is kind of cute though. You always did have good taste in boys. I was worried you'd end up settling for Snots." She asked.
Astrid looked even more irritated, and grew a blush on her face. "We're not dating." She muttered as calmly as she could. "Why are you here?"
"So he's single then?"
"Camicazi!"
She held her hand up. "Alright, alright. I'm just trying to make small talk. I came back to see if you were interested in rejoining the gang. Since Snotlout is gone and you got-"
"No." Astrid said bluntly. "I told you I'm never coming back. I'm done with the Burglars. Now take a hint and leave me alone. I don't want see your face in my uncle's shop ever again."
Hiccup and Fishlegs winced as the harsh tone in her voice. Hiccup didn't know who this person was, or what her relationship to Astrid was, but it must have been pretty bad for her to snap like that. Camicazi simply stared at her before sighing. "You're still just as stubborn as ever huh? Oh well. I guess I'll just have to handle my other business."
She turned towards Hiccup who looked surprised. "So Haddock, you and me in the stadium right now. I want to see if you beating Snots was really a fluke or-"
"What? No!" Astrid said grabbing her shoulder. "Back off!"
Camicazi laughed. "Oh, are you worried about your little boyfriend? Don't worry, I'll be careful not to break him." She said with a devious smirk on her face.
Astrid growled. "I said back off! If you want to battle someone, then why don't you battle against me?" She said stepping towards her.
Camicazi looked amused. "I could battle you I suppose… or I could stick to my target. How about it Haddock? Why don't we go a few rounds." She said walking towards Hiccup.
Hiccup clearly didn't know how to respond. There was something going on here that he wasn't sure he should get involved in. "Um… I don't know. I mean… why don't we all just sit and talk about what's going on here. There's clearly some-"
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh don't worry about that. Astrid has always been on the dramatic side. Right now I'm just interested in you. You will show me a good time won't you?" She asked twirling a strand of his hair with her finger. "Please?"
Hiccup's face was beet red at this point. He let out a nervous chuckle, not really sure how else to respond. On one hand a pretty girl wanted to spend time with him. On the other hand Astrid looked like she was going to strangle them both. "Uh… heh… wha…" He kept trying to form some sort of coherent sentence, but nothing came out.
He suddenly found himself being yanked back by Astrid. The blonde somehow looked even angrier than before. "I told you to back off of him!" She snapped. "We're not playing into your little game Camicazi! You're trying to break his bey and steal the parts! Just like you always do!"
Hiccup grew wide eyed. Breaking apart a bey to collect the parts? Would someone really do something so… bad? He couldn't imagine seeing his Fury broken apart just to snatch up its parts. Not just because it was a treasured gift from his mother, but because it was his. He didn't think he'd be able to just use another bey after this. Fury was special. Like his partner.
"You really don't have a choice in the matter. It's his decision after all." Camicazi argued. "In fact, none of this is any of your business."
"You mess with my friend, then it is my business!" Astrid said stomping up to her. The two now stood face to face. "I mean it Camicazi, back off."
Camicazi didn't back down an inch. The two stared each other down for nearly a minute before Camicazi finally smirked. "If you're so desperate to protect your little friend, why don't we make a deal. You and I will battle instead. If you win, I'll leave you and your little friend alone. I won't even think about going after him. Burglars honor."
Astrid cross her arms. "And I guess if you win then I'm supposed to come back to the Burglars again?" She asked clearly unamused.
"Bingo. So what do you say? It'll be fun battling again. Just like when we were kids."
Astrid looked down in thought. She wanted to say no. To just tell her to buzz off and leave them all alone. But she knew Camicazi. That girl didn't make any empty threats. Eventually she would get to Hiccup. And while he had managed to take down Snotlout, there was no way he was a match for one of the leaders.
"Hey, if you want to battle then I'm all for it." They both turned around and saw Hiccup glaring towards Camicazi. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't want to have his friends fighting his battles for him. "I'm ready whenever you are."
Astrid looked a bit surprised. Hiccup had more backbone that she'd given him credit for. But still, this was her fight. "No Hiccup, this isn't about you. This is between me and her. We've needed to settle this for a long time." She said. "Time and Place?"
"Here, tomorrow morning. That way we can avoid a huge crowd. Can't have everyone picking up my secret techniques now can we?" Camicazi said before turning to leave. "See you tomorrow then. Look forward to you coming back to the Burglars."
Astrid glared at her as she walked out of the doors. The two girls both followed after her, one of them blowing a kiss towards Hiccup as she left. Hiccup blushed and looked down at his feet. "I don't believe this!" He heard Fishlegs shout. He looked up and saw that the larger boy looked panicked. "A battle with Camicazi? Astrid, you know she's one of the gang leaders!"
"I know!" Astrid snapped. "But what was I supposed to do? Let her just thrash Hiccup? Its better I battle her then he does. I stand more of chance. And she isn't going to try and knock my bey apart if she wants me to join her. Plus, this has been a long time coming."
Hiccup raised his hand. "Um, king of out of the loop here. Anyone want to explain what's going on here to me?" He asked. "I got the gang leader part down, but how do you two know each other? It sounds like you were part of her gang. I never knew that."
"Part of it, she helped start-"
Astrid punched Fishlegs in the gut. The larger boy kneeled over as the air was knocked out of his stomach. "It's my story to tell, not yours." She said. She looked back to Hiccup who was waiting for her to start speaking. "What?" She asked.
"You just said it was your story to tell."
"So you assumed I would tell it?" Hiccup frowned and she sighed. "Okay fine. Me and Camicazi were kind of best friends when we were little, and we wanted to be the best. We trained every day, tirelessly, mercilessly. We had made a promise to make it to the top and we were intending on keeping it." She explained.
Hiccup nodded and waited for her to continue. "People started gathering around us after a while. The weak following the strong and all that. We didn't mind. We just went with it. That's how the Burglars was started. Just a bunch of girls who liked to Beyblade. We started getting into snatching up bey parts later on."
"Why?" Hiccup asked. Her uncle owned a bey park, what could she possibly need parts for?
"Most of the girls in the group weren't well off. They couldn't afford decent parts, and my uncle owned a shop, not a charity." She said. "Anyway we became pretty big names. Everyone knew who we were, and they knew not to cross us either. Everything seemed perfect. Camicazi was our leader, I was second in command… and then I realized something."
"Camicazi had always been a little stronger than me. When we were kids you could barely tell the different, but as we got older the gap between us widened. After two years of being in the gang I realized that I was just like my rank. Second. We had made a promise as kids to fight for the chance to be the strongest, and I was settling for number two. I didn't like it."
"I couldn't stay in the gang. Not if I wanted to really get stronger. I had to get out from under Camicazi's shadow. To stand on my own two feet. I tried explaining it to her, but she never understood. She thought I was just abandoning her. We had some… heated last words, and then I left. I haven't been back since."
Hiccup nodded in understanding. "Okay, it makes sense why there's bad blood between you, but why did she wait until now to come back and recruit you. It doesn't make any sense to me why she would leave you alone for two years and then come back."
Fishlegs raised his hand. "I think I might know why. With Snotlout gone Dagur's gang has lost a prime member. The Berserkers have never been popular, even among the three gangs. If one of them wanted to strike, the moment their second in command is absent would be the perfect timing. But Camicazi must not think she can do it without a second in command of her own."
"That makes sense I guess. But while I like the idea of knocking Dagur down a peg, I can't stand the thought of going back to the Burglars. I'm not going to go back to being her sidekick again."
Hiccup shrugged. "So just beat her."
They both looked at him. "Hiccup, didn't you hear what I said? Camicazi has always been stronger than I have. The last time we battled I barely stood a chance, how do you expect me to just up and defeat one of the best bladers in-"
"I thought Snotlout was unbeatable, but you taught me better." Hiccup interrupted. "We've been practicing for weeks, training and getting better. You're already way more experienced than I am already. I'm not saying that you'll definitely win, but going in with a losing attitude means you've already lost."
Astrid simply stared at him for a few seconds. Then she suddenly punched him in the arm. He winced and grabbing his arm. "Since when did you start giving the blading advice around here?" She said pouting. "But I guess you are right. I've got to hit her with everything I got and more. I don't want to go back. Not when everything is going well for me."
She was doing well for herself now. She was getting stronger, she had friends. She didn't want that all too suddenly end again. Astrid steeled herself. Forget trying to win, she WOULD win. No one was going to take away what she had now. Not even Camicazi. "Hiccup, Legs, both of you battle against me. I have to get some practice in."
The time for battle had come, and Camicazi arrived on the dot. The two other girls were following her. Astrid was already waiting at the stadium. She had spent yesterday doing nothing but practicing, preparing herself for her toughest battle yet. She hadn't gone up against Camicazi for years, there was no telling what she learned or how much stronger she'd gotten.
"Oh Hiccup, over here!" One of the girl's called waving towards him. "We don't allow girls in the gang, but maybe I'll convince the boss to make an exception for you cutie!"
Hiccup looked down blushing. "Please win…" He said to Astrid. If he ended up getting dragged around by this gang he's die a quick, albeit happy, death.
Camicazi's demeanor from earlier had changed. She still seemed confident, but she didn't seem nearly as arrogant as before. She was taking this seriously. "It's finally going to come down to this huh?" Camicazi asked. "The last time we battled was when you up and left. And now we're battling so you can join back again. Ironic huh?"
Astrid glared. "I'm not coming back Camicazi. I left for a reason, and whether you want to or not I'm going to make you understand that reason." She said pulling out her Nadder and placing it on her launcher.
Camicazi pulled out her Changewing. It was a red and green bey, and sleek in its design. "It's you who's going to finally understand. We're a perfect team. We can reach the top together." She said putting her bey on her launcher.
"Not the way you want to." Astrid said glaring. "Three."
"Two." Camicazi said.
"One." The other said.
"Let it rip!"
Nadder and Changewing went flying into the stadium. The two beys immediately began circling around the stadium. Hiccup looked at Changewing closely. It had a wide fusion wheel and strange looking spin track. "Poison Changewing, a stamina type." Fishlegs explained. "Stamina types are known for their long lasting stamina. They usually beat the opponents by sleep out."
Hiccup nodded. "That's right. But their also known for their low defensive abilities, so Astrid should have the advantage since Nadder is an attack type, right?" He asked.
Fishlegs looked nervous. "Ideally, but this isn't just a normal match up we're talking about here Hiccup. Camicazi is one of the three leaders. She didn't get there by relying just on her type of blade." He said taking out his laptop. No matter the results of the battle, he was sure to get some good data on both Nadder and Changewing.
Camicazi smiled. "Alright Changewing, go in the for the attack!" She shouted.
Changewing zipped towards Nadder. Astrid balled her fist up. "I'm not afraid of you! Give her a taste of our power Nadder!" She shouted.
The two beys both moved towards each other. They clashed together, both of them bouncing back slightly. Nadder and Changewing both began clashing repeatedly. Hiccup and Legs both looked impressed. It wasn't the all out power clashing they were used to, but it was just as memorizing.
Rather than just run into each other, they dodged, countered, and spaced one another out. It was a battle of technique, not just pure strength. There wasn't a single wasted move from either of the two. If they moved in it was either to land a hit, or to move the other where they wanted them to be. "It's like I'm watching chess or something." Hiccup said.
They moved around each other like it was a dance. "I don't think I've ever seen a battle like this." Legs said going through all the data. "They're both masters as zoning."
Nadder and Changewing both clashed again, this time trying to push each other back. Astrid grunted as Nadder slowly began pushing forward. "Wow, you have gotten stronger since we last battled." Camicazi said. "But not quite strong enough."
Changewing bucked and knocked Nadder back. It moved in and began repeatedly hitting the other bey. Nadder was slowly being knocked towards the edge of the stadium. "Wait until after this battle to decide if I'm strong enough!" Astrid shouted.
Nadder moved, and Changewing missed its next attack. Nadder immediately moved in and began attacking Changewing. Suddenly the situation was reversed, and it was Changewing being knocked towards the edge of the stadium. "Not bad…" Camicazi remarked.
Nadder gave one powerful push, attempting to knock it's opponent out of the stadium. Changewing managed to shake the other bey off, and they began circling around the stadium once more. Astrid smirked at her. "Feeling the heat Camicazi?"
"Don't start getting cocky just because you've gotten a little stronger." Camicazi said. "You may have gotten better over the years, but some things never change. And me being stronger than you is just one of those things." She said pointing down at Changewing. "Vanish."
Changewing suddenly disappeared into thin air. Hiccup and Fishlegs both looked shocked. "W-where did it go?!" Hiccup asked.
"I don't know! I'm still getting a reading on here, but I've got no visual!" Legs said looking closely as his screen.
Astrid wasn't surprised at all. "Still up to your old tricks. I would have thought you'd learn something knew by now." She said. Her confidence was really a façade. Just because she knew how this move worked didn't mean she could stop it.
"Oh, I've picked up some new tricks. You're just never going to see them coming." Camicazi mocked. Suddenly Nadder was knocked to the side. Before it could recover, it was hit again. It was suddenly being barraged by rapid attacks.
Astrid scowled but kept calm. She'd dealt with this before. She just needed to wait. "It's invisible." Hiccup concluded. That was the only thing he could think of.
Fishlegs looked over the data from Changewing's parts. "Huh, you're right. It seems that it's strange spin track combined with that oddly shaped fusion wheel allow it to bend the light in the air around it, making in invisible. Interesting."
Camicazi was giggling. "Don't worry Astrid. Once your back in the gang I'm sure you can think up of a way to counter this. If you grew this strong on your own, imagine how much stronger we'll both get when we're back together again-"
"You really don't get it do you!" Astrid shouted. Everyone looked towards her surprised, even Camicazi. "You really don't understand why I left, not even a little?!"
Camicazi narrowed her eyes at her. "No, I don't." The barrage on Nadder continued. "We were the perfect team. We were going to make it to the top. We could have brought down Dagur with the two of us working together! But you left, abandoned the gang, abandoned your best friend!" She shouted. "All because you wanted to go off and be a loner!"
Nadder was suddenly sent flying up by a powerful strike. "Nadder!" Astrid shouted. The bey went flying up and nearly hit the ceiling before falling back down. It was headed towards the edge of the stadium. "No, it's not over!" She yelled. Nadder turned, barely managing to land right on the edge of the stadium.
Camicazi frowned. She had meant to end it with that attack. Astrid looked relieved, and then glared at her opponent. "You think I abandoned you?! That I left just to be a loner?!" She shouted. "You think I just up and split from my best friend so I could look cool?!"
Nadder began to glow, and Camicazi took notice. She hadn't seen this technique before. "I was trying to keep a promise, our promise!" She yelled. "We said we were going to fight for the chance to be the best! That we'd make it to the top! But what chance did either of us have with the way things were!"
"What are you talking about?" Camicazi asked confused. "We could have-"
"Settled where we were!" Astrid finished. "Neither of us were ever going to get any stronger! I was always just riding your coat tails, following you! And you were content to just let me hold you back! Well I wasn't! I left to get stronger on my own! To gain experience and learn new ways to battle!"
Camicazi was taken aback as Nadder moved towards the center of the stadium, glowing even brighter. "I don't care if you don't understand it, I made a promise, and I'm going to hold up my end of the bargain! Nadder, Spike Storm!"
Nadder suddenly shot out blue energy spikes from its fusion wheel. They spread out in all directions, covering the entire stadium. Everyone heard a loud banging sound and then saw Changewing knocked back, its camouflage now gone. "What?!" Camicazi shouted.
Astrid quickly took this chance to attack. "Take it down Nadder!" The spikes stopped firing in random directions, and began firing solely at Changewing. The bey was being rapidly hit by energy spikes, each one knocking it further towards the edge of the stadium.
Camicazi was amazed she knew she'd grown more powerful, but not to this extent. How hard had Astrid been training all these years? "When did you get so strong?" She asked.
Astrid smirked at her. "I told you, I left to get stronger. And I have. Nadder, let's wrap this up!"
"Alright!" Hiccup cheered.
"She's gonna win!" Fishlegs said raising his arms.
"Boss, what are you doing? Fight back!" One of the girls behind Camicazi yelled.
Camicazi just watched as Nadder increased its fire. Changewing was quickly approaching the edge of the stadium, but she wasn't really thinking about the match right now. She was too wrapped up in what was happening. Had she been wrong this whole time?
She balled her fist up. "I… I don't believe…" She looked down towards her feet. The promise they had made as kids. She had almost forgotten it. But this whole time Astrid was still striving to keep it. How couldn't she have seen that? "I'm sorry."
Everything seemed to suddenly stop. Astrid stopped attacking, Changewing was no longer being pushed back, and the room had grown deadly silent. "What?" Astrid said confused.
"I said I was sorry." Camicazi repeated. Changewing suddenly moved out of the stadium and back to her. "I forfeit." She said turning to leave.
Everyone stood in shock. "What?!" Astrid yelled breaking the silence. "You mean you put me through all of this and you're not even going to finish the battle?! Are you kidding me?!"
Camicazi sighed. "I don't know why you're so upset. We both know I was going to win if we kept going, so you should be-"
"I'm not going to accept that!" Astrid shouted. "Deal or no deal, this was supposed to be an all-out battle! You can't just quit, walk away, and expect me to just go with it! You started this battle, at least have the nerve to finish it!"
Camicazi turned towards her. "I… I hadn't realized all this time you were just trying to keep your word. After we formed the Burglars I'd become so focused on it I never thought about how it was actually… I'd forgotten our promise." She said guiltily. Astrid grew wide eyed. "I can't finish a battle with you, not like this. I'm going to make things right."
She held up her Changewing. "The next time we battle, it won't be over some petty little spat. It will be to finally see who's stronger, just like we promised. There's a tournament coming up soon. All the gang leaders and top bladers in the area are going to be there. We can settle things there, the way we're supposed to." She said.
Astrid just stared at her for a few moments before smiling. She called Nadder back to her and held her bey up as well. "Wouldn't miss it."
Both the blondes locked eyes and smiled. "By the way, I don't think Dagur really cares all that much about Haddock, but if he gives you any trouble just call. We'll keep him off your back."
Astrid nodded in appreciation. "Thanks."
"You know, maybe I should have taken your lead and found a cute boy to settle down with. I mean he's scrawny, but cute in that harmless nerd sort of-"
"We're not dating!" Astrid snapped, her face bright red.
Camicazi gave a mischievous smile. "Of course you aren't. Well, I better be taking my leave. I guess I'll see you at the tournament." She said waving as she walked out. The two girls followed her, one of them blowing a kiss at Hiccup who shuddered.
"Well… that was a thing." Hiccup said walking up beside Astrid. "She said something about a tournament. I haven't heard anything about it."
"The gang leaders always get info before everyone else. They got extra resources and info networks to bring this type of stuff straight to them." Fishlegs explained. "Man, a tournament where all the gang leaders there. It's going to be one tough roster. Glad I'm not entering."
Astrid scoffed at him. "We're all going to enter it." The two boys both looked at her as if she was crazy. "What's the point of us doing all this training if we're never going to put it to the test? So what if their gang leaders? So what if their strong? We'll just get stronger."
Fishlegs held his hand up, but Hiccup spoke. "I think she's right. I mean I love Beyblade, and I want the chance to battle stronger people." Hiccup said. "Don't you want to chance to test all your hard work against other bladers Legs?" He asked.
Fishlegs looked nervous for a moment. "Okay, fine, I'll enter with you guys. But let me just say I'm very concerned about-"
"Noted. Let's go down to the park and grab some lunch." Astrid said. Fishlegs sighed at being interrupted, but made his way out. Lunch sounded really great to him right now. Hiccup was about to follow after him, but suddenly was yanked back. "You, hold on a second."
Hiccup turned towards her. "What's wrong-?"
She punched him on the arm. "That's for getting involved in my business." She said. Hiccup cringed and grabbed his arm. He was about to tell her that he hadn't gotten involved by choice, but suddenly felt a pair of lips press against his cheek. It was quick, but the moment might as well have lasted forever in his mind. "That's… for everything else."
With that she walked out, leaving behind a stunned Hiccup.
A/N: Another update! Sorry it took so long, but I was helping a friend out with some other work. Not to mention working on my other stories. But here it is. I hope you liked it. I know the battle didn't finish, but I still tried to make it worth the read. I always had the idea of Astrid and Camicazi being friends/rivals.
Now I've mentioned this tournament a few times and I know some of you want me to hurry up and get to it... and honestly so do I. I'm just getting excited about writing it. I had planned to do another chapter with the twins and maybe one about Thuggory, but I think I'm going to skip theirs.
I mean let's be honest. You guys all knew I was going to make the twins a tag team, and having Thuggory go after legs would have just seemed repetitive after this chapter. Don't worry, those characters will still get their moments to shine though.
To quicken things up the next chapter will be about... Snotlout. After his we'll start getting to the tournament. Hope you guys are excited for it. Remember to leave a review. (I see 37 favorites, that means I should see thirty seven reviews... yeah right.)