Hiccup chewed on his bottom lip nervously. He knew he probably shouldn't be feeling all that nervous. It wasn't like he was planning on winning the tournament anyway. He was just trying to see how much stronger he'd gotten. But something inside of him couldn't stop from feeling on edge. "Hiccup, would you cool it? We're going to a tournament, not the gallows."
He looked over at Astrid who seemed calm, if not a little excited. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I'm just nervous. I mean I know we've been training and everything, but we're going up against the best of the best. Not to mention that Dagur guy is going to be there. I still don't know if he's got it out for me or not."
"Dagur is just another blader, not some monster. If he really does have it out for you, then just take him down." She said simply. "We've been pouring all of our effort into to training, and we're all way stronger than before. The only thing that we can do now is keep moving forward and make sure it all pays off."
Though it hadn't exactly killed off his nervousness, he appreciated the words and smiled back nonetheless. He tightened his grip on his seat as the train made another stop. Hiccup had rarely had to take the train anywhere. He hadn't been on it in years. He was glad Astrid had made sure to come with him so he didn't get lost.
Hiccup had thought that they would be doing this tournament at the Bey-Park, but both Finn and Astrid had laughed at the very thought. Apparently Hiccup hadn't realized just how big this tournament was. The Bey-Park was too small to hold such a large scale tournament. He wondered just how many people were in this thing if even the Bey-Park couldn't hold them.
The train came to another stop and Astrid nudged him. "This is our stop." She said getting up. He quickly followed after her and when he excited the trained he looked around amazed. The buildings were so tall and large. It looked nothing like their small humble little town. "Don't stare up for so long, you're just screaming tourist."
"Sorry, it's just a little overwhelming. So where are we supposed to be having the…" He stopped when he noticed the large building a few blocks away. It was a huge stadium, making the Bey-Park look insignificant by comparison. "Holy mother of Thor."
Astrid smirked at his reaction. "Pretty amazing huh?"
Hiccup nodded. "It's huge. Man, there must be hundreds of people participating if we have to be crammed into something this big." He said in disbelief.
"Probably. But they're all going to go home disappointed. Cause there's no way I'm losing this thing." Astrid said pushing her fist into her palm. Her battle with Camicazi had definitely had her pumped up. She was renewed with a new fire, and she was determined to take this whole thing. "Better hope you don't get in my way Hiccup."
He smiled back at her. "Hey, you really shouldn't count me out. I mean not to brag, but I'd say I qualify as an experienced blader now. I'm not making it easy for anyone."
She punched him lightly on the arm. "That's the spirit! Let's tear it up out there!" She cheered as they entered inside of the stadium. There were dozens of people entering inside along with them. A receptionist had them sign in before giving them a number and sending them towards the arena. Once they got there, Hiccup was once again taken aback by the sight.
There were four enormous bey stadiums, and people were spread out all around them. Hiccup wondered how all of this was going to work when it started. Were they going to call them up by their numbers to fight one on one? That would take forever. Maybe they would call them up in groups.
"Hey guys!" Hiccup turned around and saw Fishlegs approaching them. "Good to see you finally made it! I was starting to get worried I'd end up here by myself. Not a very pleasant thought."
Hiccup patted his friend on the shoulder. "Aw c'mon Legs, we'd never leave you hanging. We're like the three amigos." He said.
"Yeah. And it'd be really embarrassing to see one of our amigos pass out from fear in the middle of a battle." Astrid joked. "So you've been here a while I assume. Have any of the big names showed up yet?" She asked curiously.
Fishlegs was about to answer when suddenly a voice called out. "Well look who it is! I can't believe you actually had the guts to show up!" Ruffnut said as she and her brother approached.
"I know you're feeling cocky after beating Snotlout, but do you actually think you have a shot here? This is where REAL bladers show up to battle!" Tuff said grinning.
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Then what are you doing here?"
Tuff scoffed. "Excuse me? Are you doubting my awesome blading skills? I am a competitor! I'm in line to take this whole thing missy!" He said balling his fist up.
"You the favorite?! Yeah right!" Another voice cut in. Gustav slide in front of Tuff and pointed at him. "I'm the one who is going to take this whole thing, you hear me! And you!" He said pointing to Hiccup. "I have a debt to repay to you! We need to settle things!"
Astrid groaned and face plamed. She had expected the twins to come, but Gustav. "I'm pretty sure it got settled when he beat you." Fishlegs pointed out.
"T-that was a fluke!" He shouted back.
"Fluke or no fluke, I'm the one who's going to win. The rest of you might as well just go home." Ruffnut said making a shooing motion it her hand.
Astrid laughed. "Hah! I'm been training for this all month. No way I'm getting sent home by two mutton heads like you." She said stepping towards the female twin.
Before they knew it everyone was yelling and arguing over who was going to win. Hiccup just stood back and watched. He didn't want to get involved in any argument, especially not about winning this thing. If he got cocky and ended up losing, it'd be embarrassing. "So, you're the one who beat Snotlout?"
Hiccup blushed as he suddenly found himself face to face with a raven haired girl. "It's still so hard to believe. I mean you're the modern day David to Snot's Goliath." She said before lifting his chin. "There certainly isn't anything physically special about you. Though you are a lot cuter than Snot ever was."
The others had stopped and were watching as Hiccup was scanned over by the girl. Astrid was the first to react, grabbing the girl's wrist. "Um, excuse me. But who are you?" She asked glaring at the girl. "It's rude to just walk up and start touching people you know."
"Oh, things are getting catty." Tuffnut laughed.
Heather held her hands up. "Oh don't get to touchy. I'm not interested in your boyfriend. I'm just curious about that bey of his. Night Fury right?" She asked. Hiccup looked at her surprised. How did she know that? She had never met this girl, or even seen her around town. "Heather is the name, information is my game. And I've been watching you for some time Hiccup."
"Um… okay." He said confused.
"You know, Dagur said to leave you be. He doesn't think you beating his second in command is really the big of a deal. Just a fluke. But I don't. I think there's something special about that bey of yours. So show me something interesting, okay?" She said winking at him.
She walked off leaving a flustered Hiccup, and a pouting Astrid. "Did you hear that? She mentioned Dagur. She must be part of his gang." Fishlegs pointed out.
"Wouldn't surprise me." Astrid spat.
"She is a member of the Berserkers. That's Heather, the brains of their operation." Camicazi clarified as she approached the group. The twins and Gustav looked shocked. Even Fishlegs looked a bit nervous. One of the three leaders was talking to them. "Sup."
Astrid nodded. "Hey. You ready to settle this once and for all?" She asked.
"You know it." Camicazi said smirking. "Once we weed out the rest, it'll just be you and me in the stadium. And once I beat you, I'm going for Dagur next."
Astrid waved her off. "I'll tell you what. After I beat you, then I'll handle Dagur. What else are friends for?" The two blonde girls stared one another down before sharing a laugh.
"Wait, since when were Camicazi and Astrid friends? When the heck did this happen?" Tuff asked leaning towards Fishlegs. The larger boy just shrugged, not feeling like explaining.
After Camicazi finished laughing she nodded towards Heather. "You really should watch out for her though. She may be in the gang for gathering info, but she's also a pretty good blader, and she's not the only one either. Dagur has his third in command DB here as well. And I'm almost Thuggory is lurking around somewhere too." She said.
"What? All three of the gang leaders are here?! Man, talk about tough competition!" Gustav said. "When I win this thing, I'll be able to say I took down three of the best bladers ever! I'll be a total legend!" He said excitedly.
Camicazi stared down at him. "Oh, what a cutie. He's so rude." Camicazi said hugging him. "He's like a smaller less rough looking Snotlout." Gustav blushed and tried to break away from her grasp. He didn't like being babied. At least not in public.
A loud noise came from above and everyone looked up to the sky. There was a chopper hovering above the stadium, and a man with a microphone was hanging out of the side. "Hello everybody! How's it going?! My name is Blader DJ, and I will be hosting this event!" The man yelled out excitedly.
The two screens on the opposite sides of the stadium lit up and gave a closer view of the man's face. "I want to welcome both our competitors and a viewers to the first ever Battle Bladers tournament! We've had many local tournaments around here, but never one of this scale and size! I hope you're ready to see some epic battle, because we'll have them in spades!"
Hiccup grew wide eyed. Viewers? They were on TV? This really was a big deal! "Some of the best bladers in our country have gathered here to put on a show and compete for the chance to be known as the strongest! As you can see below we have a number of fiery youngsters here ready to put it all on the line! Who'll come out on top?!"
"Before we continue we'd liked to thank the sponsors of today's tournament, Southern Isles industry and Arendelle Inc!" He said as the screen showed two emblems that Hiccup could only assume were the company logos. "Now without further ado, let's kick off the preliminary event! The rules are very simple! Each of you has been assigned a number!"
Everyone listened closely, intent on hearing how the preliminaries would go down. "Those numbers will decide which stadium you are going to participate in! There will be four main stadiums that all the participants will battle in! Each of them will battle until there are only four victors left in each stadium! Those four will make up the top sixteen of the tournament!"
"We will present the brackets and the numbers that are assigned to them! You have ten minutes to locate your stadium and prepare for battle! Then everyone who isn't in the first stadium will be asked to go to the waiting room until it is your turn! Here's to an epic battle!"
The stadium's appeared on the screen, all showing the numbers they contained. Hiccup looked down and checked his number. He was in stadium number three. "Looks like we're in the same stadium." Gustav said. Hiccup looked down at him concerned. It wouldn't do to have someone gunning for him right off the bat.
"Look Gustav, I know you have it out for me but-"
"Beating you in the preliminaries would suck. So for just this once… I won't go after you. But just because I'm not coming after you doesn't mean we're working together. It's every man for himself out there. Just stay out of my way Haddock." He said pointing at him.
Gustav suddenly felt a pair of arms around him. "Oh my gosh, what a brat! I love him!" Camicazi said lifting him off his feet. "You do your best to make it past the preliminaries cutie." Gustav squirmed out of her arms before scurrying off towards Stadium three.
Tuff and Ruff head butted one another. "Same stadium! The deadly twin combo is officially in effect!" Tuff said. "We'll see you in the top sixteen losers!" He said as they walked off towards stadium one.
Fishlegs sighed. "I'm in the same stadium as them. Wish me luck guys." He said before following after them. Hiccup felt sorry for his friend. He was pretty sure Fishlegs could make it, but being around the twins was always a taxing experience.
"Number two." Astrid said holding up her number.
"Same." Camicazi confirmed. "Would do you say for just this once we show everyone how the top two dogs of the Bog-Burglars use to battle together?" She asked holding out her fist.
Astrid smiled and fist bumped her. "Work together now, fight later." The two both began heading towards stadium two. "Good luck Hiccup. Make sure you don't get knocked out early. I do want the chance to take you down too you know."
Hiccup chuckled. "No promises."
"Alright! We'll be starting off with Stadium one's battle! I hope everyone participating is ready! We're in for one heck of a show!" DJ yelled raising his fist into the air.
Fishlegs took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. Being in a battle with so many people was a first for him. He was used to facing people one on one. But this would be a free for all. Hiccup and Astrid could tell he'd been nervous before they headed to the waiting room. They said this type of battle actually suited for him.
He could see their point. Gronckle was power, and could knock a regular bey out with little to no effort. He was pretty sure if he swept around the stadium once he could take out half the people here. But his nerves were still getting to him. He had the twins in his battle, and they were a fearsome tag team. Even he would have trouble with both of them.
He didn't know who else would end up in this crazy battle. He heard gasping from the other side of the stadium and then looked up. His eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. Of all the people to end up in his qualifying match, why him? "Hello folks. Don't mind me, just cruising on by." Dagur said with a devious smile on his face.
The twins both paled. "Crap."
Hiccup and Astrid who were watching from the waiting room cursed under their breaths. Of all the rotten luck, Fishlegs had to be stuck with Dagur. They knew their big friend was strong, power wise he was the strongest of their group. But just Dagur's mere present would have him panicking. He wouldn't be able to think clearly. "Calm down Legs…" Hiccup muttered.
Dagur smirked and pulled out his bey. It was a sleek black one with an edgy fusion wheel and a white spin track. "There it is, his Wicked Skrill." Camicazi said narrowing her eyes. She had seen it in action plenty of times before, she'd even battled it a few times. "I'm sorry about your friend Astrid, but I don't think he'll be making it out of this."
"Leg's defense in top notch. And he doesn't have to beat Dagur, he just had to make it to the top four. If anyone can last up again Dagur then-"
"I don't think you understand. It's unlikely Dagur is going to let ANYONE pass this round." She clarified. Hiccup and Astrid looked at her worriedly before sharing a glance. Was he really powerful enough to take out EVERYONE in the stadium?
Fishleg's was shaking. "Crap. Crap. Crap. I got the worst luck of the draw." He said shaking his head. He needed to think of something. He needed to slow down, stop panicking, and think. He took another breath before staring towards Skrill. An attack type for sure, speedy, though probably not as fast as Fury. No, it's power probably wasn't physical.
If he had to guess from the shape of the fusion wheel, it would be more energy based, like Nightmare. He turned towards the twins. The confidence and swagger they'd shown earlier was now gone. "Guys, I have a plan." Fishlegs said.
They both turned towards him. "Yeah?" Ruff asked. He nodded before leaning down and whispering said plan into their ears.
Dagur looked around the stadiums. Almost everyone was staring at him, and he knew what that meant. They were all going to attack him at once. It made sense. Strength in numbers was a basic survival trait. But in this case it meant nothing. Because in the end, a group of nobodies still added up to nothing in the face of real power. He chuckled and placed Skrill on his launcher. "Alright everybody! Get ready!" DJ yelled.
Legs looked at the twins who both nodded. They would stick to the plan. While they didn't like working with anyone besides each other, they knew this was just about the only chance they had at surviving against Dagur. They both had Zippleback model beys, Tuff's being attack, and Ruff's being defense.
"Three!" DJ shouted.
"Two!" The audience shouted.
"One!" The bladers around the stadium yelled. "Let it rip!"
Everyone shot their beys into the stadium, most of them aimed towards Skrill. Dagur grew a wide smile on his face. Skrill lit up, and suddenly lightening shot out from it, covering all directions. The beys that were sent at it were all immediately knocked out, and even the ones that weren't were being flung out.
In an instance, everyone had been completely knocked out of the stadium. "G-good grief! The battle is already over?! I don't believe it! In a single move Skrill has eliminated every single one of its opponents! That's got to be one of the quickest wins I've ever… w-wait! Hold on a moment!" He shouted.
Dagur stopped his smirking when he noticed that there was still another bey in the stadium. In fact, there were three other beys in the stadium. Gronckle had been pushed back quite far from where it had in the beginning. Behind it were the Zippleback beys, who seemed to have been backing it up the whole time.
"I can't believe my eyes! It seems that Gronckle and the Zippleback beys have managed to survive the devastating attack by grouping together! Gronckle using its high defense, and the Zippleback beys backing it from behind! What a strategy! We have our four victors folks!" DJ said as their faces appeared on the screen. "Dagur Deranged, Fredrick Ingerman, and the Thorston twins are all moving on the top sixteen!"
Astrid pumped her fist in the air. "Yeah! Way to use that big brain Legs!"
Hiccup cheered as well. "He did! He survived against Dagur! Way to go man!"
Camicazi smirked. She had thought that they were all done for, but it seemed they had managed to find a way. That Fishlegs was cleverer than she'd given him credit for. Heather looked on curious. "Interesting. His defense is even higher than I thought." She muttered. She would have to go back and add some data on Fishleg's file.
Thuggory looked at the screen with interest. While it was true Gronckle had been helped by the Zippleback beys, he was sure it would have survived without them. He grew a small smile on his face. "This could be fun."
Dagur looked at the remaining beys annoyed. He had intended to wipe them all out, and that's what should have happened. That fact that they survived, that they defied him, was not only insulting, but it made him look bad. "Watch your back fat one." He said glaring at Legs.
Fishlegs paled and backed away a few feet. The last thing he had wanted was to make an enemy of Dagur. The twins on the other hand didn't seem to show any fear. "He's not afraid of you! He just totally tanked one of your attacks! You think he's scared?!" Tuff asked.
"Actually I'm terrified." Legs pointed out.
"Yeah, he can take you one any day of the week!" Ruff shouted.
"What are you guys doing to me?!" Legs shouted.
Dagur ignored them and headed back towards the waiting room. He was done here.
A/N: Alright, so we've kicked of the tournament! I know not a lot of battling, but believe me, the next chapter will be action packed. Now, the biggest problem I had was finding the top sixteen. I mean obviously Hiccup and his group are making it, but I had to find other characters from HTTYD to fill in the rest of the spots. I thought for a moment about using other characters from Dreamwork/Disney, but that would spoil it.
One of the things I've also been thinking about doing is adding music. Not literally of course because... this is fanfiction. But just inserting an OST from the show you could play while listening or something. I've seen other stories do it and I like the idea. Now the problem is I want to add music from the old and new series, and while the older series has an established soundtrack, the Metal series is a bit of a mess.
Which is a shame, because I really liked a lot of it's battle music. IDK, maybe I'll find a way to make it work. Tell me what you guys thing about it.