Astrid and Camicazi stood before the stadium with matching grins. After seeing how Legs had managed to hang around in Stadium One, they were eager to show what they had too. And not to mention they would be working together, something they hadn't done in years. "We sticking with the old strategy?" Camicazi asked eagerly.
The other blonde nodded. "It'll feel pretty nostalgic going with our old tag attack." She said holding her fist up. "We're going to mow through the competition easy." Across the stadium Heather watched the two carefully. She couldn't afford to take it easy with these two working together. The best thing she could do was avoid them.
Inside the locker room Hiccup smiled. Camicazi was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. He'd seen how powerful she was. And he'd trained with Astrid, so he knew how much stronger she'd gotten as well. Together there was no way they wouldn't be able to make the top sixteen. "Good luck Astrid…"
"Aw, cheering for your girlfriend?" He turned and saw the twins snickering at him. "I knew you were hopelessly in love, why else would she have trained you?" Ruff asked.
"Yeah. You two are just like love sick puppies. I bet if you win this thing she'll give you a big kiss." Tuff said elbowing him. "Better do your best man."
Hiccup held his hands up. "What?! N-no! We're not like that! We're just friends!" He could tell what he was saying was going right over their heads, they were still laughing at him. He blushed and looked away, and as he did he noticed Legs was staring down at the ground. "Um, you okay buddy?" He asked concerned.
Fishlegs jumped and then looked towards Hiccup surprised. "What? Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little… concerned." He said nervously. It was no surprise he was nervous. Hiccup still remembered how afraid he was when he thought Dagur was after him. Legs must have really been feeling the heat.
Hiccup patted his shoulder. "Look, you survived an attack that wiped out everyone else in the stadium, and Gronckle was still going strong. I know it's a little scary thinking that he's got it out for you, but have some confidence in yourself. You're a really strong blader Legs." The larger boy nodded, but Hiccup could tell her was still nervous.
"Alright ladies and gents! Let's get ready to start Stadium Two's battle! Remember, the last four remaining bladers will be added to the top sixteen, and will still be in the running for the title of the Battle Bladers Champion!" Blader DJ yelled into the mic. "Is everyone ready?!" The bladers all nodded or gave a cheer of confirmation. "Alright then! 3!" He yelled.
"2!" Astrid and Camicazi yelled putting Nadder and Changewing on their launchers.
"1!" Heather said pulling out her own bey.
"Let it Rip!"
Everyone launched their beys inside the stadium. In an instance there were dozens upon dozens of spinning tops circling around it. "And here we go! Unlike last time the battle has been going for more than five seconds! Let's see what this round's competitors have got!" DJ shouted excitedly. The crowd cheered in approval.
Astrid looked towards Camicazi and nodded. "Changewing, vanish!" Changewing glowed for a moment before suddenly disappearing.
"And there it goes! Camicazi's vanishing act! With no way to find out where Changewing is, does she intend to sit out the rest of the battle and let the others pick themselves off?!"
She snorted. "Thinking I'd just run and hide? Don't underestimate me! Changewing!" The sound of metal clashing rung through the air before three beys suddenly went flying into the air and out of the stadium.
"Oh! And Changewing uses its stealthy abilities to get a surprise attack, knocking out three opponents at once! Will anybody be able to deal with this cunning strategy?!"
One of the other bladers pointed down. "There! She has to be in that area!" He shouted. "Quick, surround it and take her out! Otherwise we'll never be able to deal with it!" The other bladers around him looked hesitant, but then glared. They nodded before sending their beys to move in on Changewing.
They couldn't see exactly where it was, but once they closed in it wouldn't have anywhere to retreat to. "Thanks for grouping together like that boys." Astrid said smiling. "It makes it way easier to take you out! Nadder, Spike Storm!" Nadder glowed before firing a barrage of energy spikes. The spike easily ripped into the group of beys, sending dozens of them flying out.
"Oh, and Nadder has ripped into the crowd of beys! Astrid has eliminated even more of the competition, from the other side of the stadium no less!"
One of the other competitors growled before moving towards Nadder, but was struck from behind and send flying out. "Not so fast." Camicazi said wagging her finger. "You can come at Changewing, or you can come at Nadder. But you can't do both."
Heather looked bored. She had hoped to see them show a little of their power, but working together like this was helping them win with little effort. "Hey, pay attention!" The boy beside her yelled. His bey came barreling towards hers. "They may be teaming up, but that doesn't mean you can just sit back and do nothing!"
Heather rolled her eyes. "Razorwhip." She said holding her hand up. In an instant her silver bey had moved out of the way of the attack, and countered with one of its own. Sparks flew as it shredded into the opposing bey. A few bits fell off of it as it was sent sailing out of the ring. "You should have just sat back and watched." She said shrugging.
Astrid and Camicazi kept up their strategy. Every time someone went for Nadder, Changewing would begin picking them off. Likewise, when they would try and find Changewing, Nadder would go on the attack. By the time they had tried splitting up into groups their numbers had dropped and they were simply out matched.
"Unbelievable! This simple but effective hit and run strategy by Nadder and Changewing has slowly been cutting through the competition! These two are unstoppable! It looks as if it we already have two of our top sixteen decided!"
A few feet from Astrid and Camicazi stood a masked figure. The figure watched Nadder and Changewing closely, then lifted their hand. A bright glow separated itself from the crowd of beys. A brown and cream colored bey suddenly broke off from the others circling the stadium. It zipped over towards the other side of the stadium, and suddenly everyone heard a clash.
Camicazi grew wide eyed as Changewing suddenly appeared again. It was being pushed back by brown bey. "What?! How did they spot me?!" Camicazi asked in disbelief.
Astrid was just as shocked. She got ready to move over and help Camicazi out, but suddenly a blur or silver cut her off. Razorwhip was keeping her from moving forward. "What?! You!" She said glaring towards Heather.
"Sorry, but I think I've got all the info I need out of you. And with Camicazi distracted you're easy pickings." Heather said waving her hand. "Razorwhip, shred!" The sharp edges on Razorwhip's fusion wheel scratched again Nadder. Sparks flew through the air as Nadder was pushed back.
DJ looked stunned. "Oh! And in an instant the tables have turned! Changewing and Nadder have gone from dominating the competition to being pushed to the edge! It seems this mystery blader and Heather were simply biding their time to look for an opportunity to strike!"
Hiccup looked worried. Things hadn't exactly taken a turn for the worst, but Astrid and Camicazi were now separated. He had no idea how powerful this mystery blader or Heather was, but if they were pushing them back then they had to be trouble. "C'mon girls, you got this." He muttered.
Camicazi glared as Changewing pushed the brown bey off of it. "I don't know who you are, but you messed up when you picked a fight with me! Changewing!" She shouted. The masked figure showed no reaction as Changewing charged at her bey. Right as it was about to attack, the brown bey swerved out of the way. "What?!"
Fishlegs gaped. "I-it dodged from that close?! No way!"
"Changewing goes for a devastating attack, but is easily dodged! Whoever this mystery blader is, they are a force to be reckoned with!" DJ yelled.
Changewing went in for another attack, but the other bey once again dodged. Camicazi looked frustrated. No matter how many times she went in for the attack, the opposing bey would dodged just mere inches before collision. "Vanish!" She shouted. Changewing disappeared. The masked figure may have been good at dodging, but how would they deal with an attack they couldn't see coming?
The masked figure stared down at the stadium. It suddenly moved and then attack at seemingly nothing. Another clash rung through the air and Changewing went flying. "Whoa! Somehow the mystery blader has managed to predict Changewing's movements, even while invisible!" DJ yelled.
Camicazi growled before going back in. The brown bey kept on dodging the attack. Changewing might as well have been moving in slow motion.
Astrid on the other hand was fairing a little better against Heather. Razorship and Nadder were clashing over and over again, struggling to push the other back. "Well, well, well, someone has been practicing. And here I was thinking you'd shown everything in your little back of tricks."
"You haven't seen anything yet sister!" Astrid said waving her hand. "Nadder, Spike Storm!" Nadder glowed once more before firing off another round of energy spikes. Razorship began dodging the attacks, and the few that weren't dodged it managed to parry with its sharp fusion wheel. Astrid looked annoyed.
Usually types like Heather were more careful bladers. They would sit back and observe. But she was definitely more about offense. "You think that level of attack is going to be able to stop me?" Heather asked chuckling. "No chance!"
Astrid balled her fist up. "Well then maybe I should up the ante!" Nadder glowed brighter and fired even more spikes. Razorship began zipping around the stadium to dodge the attacks. The other beys that had gotten caught in the crossfire were quickly knocked out. Razorwhip zipped by Changewing and the brown bey. "Oh crap! Look out!"
Some of the spikes went flying towards them, but they easily avoided them. Astrid let out a sigh of relief. She could have almost taken out Camicazi. She quickly looked back towards Heather, ready to continue their battle. "And the battle of Stadium Two is over! We have our four winners!"
Astrid and Camicazi both looked up surprised. They'd been so into their battles they hadn't even noticed Astrid's attack had wiped everyone else out. "Astrid Hofferen, Camicazi Bertha, Heather Deranged, and… the Masked Blader!" DJ shouted. "Congratulations, you have moved on to the top sixteen!"
Astrid looked annoyed. She had wanted to finish her little bout with Heather. The other girl looked slightly disappointed as well. Camicazi however merely eyed the masked blader carefully. They were strong, really strong. There was no way someone of that skill shouldn't have been known already. She would have to keep an eye on them.
Hiccup let out a breath as he stood before the stadium. It was finally his turn to show what he had. Legs and Astrid had made it, now it was up to him. "Alright, you can do this." He said rolling his shoulders back. All he had to do was stay focused and calm.
"Just stay out of my way." He heard Gustav say. He sighed and shook his head at the younger boy. Gustav either knew how to hide his nervousness, or just wasn't nervous at all. He pulled out his Nightmare and set it on its launcher. "I'm totally ready." He said excitedly.
Hiccup glanced across the stadium. Most of the competitors looked like kids his age. There were a few younger ones like Gustav too. There was one competitor who definitely stood out though. He was a huge older man with a long black beard. "That's… weird." He said raising his eyebrow. The man looked grumpy for some reason.
"Okay everyone! It's time for Stadium Three's battle to get going! 3!"
"2!" The audience shouted.
"1!" The bladers yelled.
"Let it rip!"
Once again the stadium was filled with beys. "Fury, let's move!" He said. Fury sped up and rounded the stadium, knocking out a number of beys as it did so.
The DJ looked stunned. "WHOA! Fury moves around the stadium with blinding speed, taking out dozens of opponents at once!"
Astrid pumped her fist into the air. "Yeah! That's how you get it done Hiccup!" She shouted. Beside her Camicazi gave her a nudge and smirk. Astrid glared at her. "Shut up, I'm cheering for my friend." She said crossing her arms.
"You didn't cheer that loud for Fi-" Astrid elbowed her.
Fury kept moving around the stadium, knocking beys out left and right. It was moving so fast that even when the other beys tried to surrounded it, it just zipped away. Gustav looked over at him annoyed. "GRRR! Trying to show me up again! Well no dice! Nightmare, Flame Star!" Fire shot out from around Nightmare and began wiping out all the surrounding beys.
"Oh, and Nightmare is tearing through the opponents with a blazing assault!"
The old man watched the two tear through the other beys. He rolled his eyes. This was pathetic. How could so many weaklings even be allowed to enter a tournament like this? He had hoped to relive some of that old nostalgia he got from battling when he was younger, but with this level of competition that wasn't happening.
"It seems that the two beys Nightmare and Fury are running unopposed, as they rip through the competition!" DJ yelled. Suddenly a bey zipped forward clashing into Fury, and stopping it right in its tracks. "Holy moly! Another bey has suddenly come in and stopped Fury in its tracks!"
Hiccup looked at the blade, and then at the boy who was glaring at him from the other side of the stadium. DB growled. "I refuse to believe someone of your caliber legitimately defeated Snotlout, you must have cheated somehow, and I'm going to out you as the fraud you are!" He shouted waving his arm. "Hot Burple! Go!"
The green bey began pushing Fury back. "OH! Burple is pushing Fury back with ease! It's gone from speeding around the stadium to being pushed around like a toddler!"
The others looked surprised. They knew DB was one of Dagur's top men, but they didn't think he'd be able to stand against Hiccup. Heather raised her eyebrow. "Someone has been training in his free time…" She muttered as she started recording the battle.
Hiccup frowned. "Fury, push back!" He yelled. The black bey pushed back, and the two were deadlocked. "C'mon Fury, don't let up!"
"Burple, push him out of the stadium!"
The two beys backed up, only for a moment, before charging back at one another. They once again clashed, the force of the impact sending a few of the weaker opponents flying. Gustav glanced at them only for a moment, wondering if he should cut in. He was pretty sure if he'd teamed up with Hiccup or DB, they'd be able to overpower the other.
But he didn't want to take either of them out, not now anyway. DB was always kind to him when he stopped by the Berserker hide out. He was almost like a big brother. And Hiccup was his rival. Taking him out here would be… unsatisfying. He shook his head. He decided to just let them fight it out. He didn't need to get involved. He'd focus on the other opponents.
"Nightmare, Flame Star!" Nightmare lit up before fire spiraled around it. It easily swept away the other beys surrounding it.
The old man watched the younger boy with a smirk. He wasn't exactly the strongest out here, but he was good for his age. And he had spirit. He thought about taking him on, but that would be a shame. He wanted to give the kid a chance to shine later. So for now he'd just lay low and stay out of the way.
DB kept sending his Burple at Fury, and the other bey returned the attack in full force. The two seemed more or less even, until DB realized that that Burple was getting knocked back a little further from each attack. He also noticed Fury was rebounding from its attacks quicker. "The differences are starting to show." Heather muttered.
Burple suddenly found itself being knocked back. It skipped a few times and DB looked stunned. How could he have lost in power to Fury? "Fury is using its speed to make up for its lack in power. By building up momentum quickly, it can add more force behind its attacks." Heather noted as she typed into her phone. She had to log all this data.
"I think it's pretty clear that his beating Snot was no coincidence. And he's only gotten stronger since then. But I'm still eager to see just how strong. Please try and get him to show me something DB." She said smiling.
DB began to realize he was losing this power struggle. He grunted and Burple moved away. It began circling around to attack Fury from a different angle, easily knocking out the dozens of beys that got in its way. Fury zipped around and met it head on. The clash sent shockwaves through the stadium. DB growled.
How could this be happening? He'd been sure that Hiccup's win was a fluke. So how was he matching him like this? Hiccup on the other hand seemed totally calm. DB was strong, but this wasn't anything compared to his battle with his cousin. "Fury, let's finish this!"
DB growled. "As if! Burple, destroy him!" The two beys rushed at each other once more, and the impact of their collision shook the stadium. They kept charging, both trying to win the struggle, but it was Fury who managed to knock it back. "What?!"
Burple bounced back and Fury moved in to capitalize. "Stadium three's battle is over!"
Both Hiccup and DB looked up towards the DJ, then back at the stadium. Sure enough, there were only four beys left. "Hiccup Haddock, Doug Brook, Gustav Larson, and Alvin Ogglebert! Congratulations on moving to the top sixteen!" DJ shouted.
Hiccup looked back down at the stadium in disbelief. He'd made it. He knew he had a pretty good shot at it, but… to actually make it. It felt good. DB looked furious. How could he have been struggling, losing, against this guy? Gustav was excited. He'd taken out a majority of the competition. He'd felt unstoppable.
Alvin was… taking a sip from his flask. He was being careful about not being caught by the DJ or on camera. In the back, the others cheered. "We made it! We all made it!" Fishlegs said happily.
"Was there any doubt we would?" Astrid said smiling.
Camicazi chuckled. "Congrats you guys." She was happy that they'd made their way into the tournament. It was always easier to have friends with you in a competition. She glanced over towards Thuggory. She had no doubt that he'd dominate stadium four.
For now though she would just celebrate with the others. Between Astrid, Fishlegs, and the others, it was a pretty festive mood. "Nice." She said smiling.
Thuggory looked bored. He'd come to this battle to fight strong opponents. But all those strong opponents had been spread out to the other stadiums. He sighed. Fighting Camicazi and Dagur at the same time would have been fun. But he supposed he'd just have to settle for facing them one on one. He pulled out his bey, Snaffle Fang, and placed it on the launcher.
He glanced around. There didn't seem to be anyone worth noting around here. One guy had an air on confidence about him, but he was also weary. "Looks like it'll be an easy pass for Thuggory." Heather said.
"Of course it is. Any bracket I wasn't in was an automatic easy pass." Dagur said simply. "But I have to say, I am disappointed. I hadn't expected Snotlout to cop out. Guy always seemed too stubborn to quit. Oh well, anyone who can't tough it out isn't worth my time."
Heather frowned. She had forgotten about Snotlout. It really was a shame he didn't show up. She wanted to see just how much stronger he'd gotten. DB on the other hand looked frustrated. It was bad enough that he couldn't beat Hiccup, but now Snotlout was throwing away his final chance at redemption.
Hiccup had managed to hear a few words of their conversation from across the room. He had been waiting for Snotlout to show up too. He never thought his cousin would miss a chance at a tournament like this. "Where are you…?" He muttered under his breath.
DJ lifted the microphone up. "Alright! Now we can begin our final preliminary match! Everyone in stadium four get ready to-!" "Hold on a second!" A voice shouted out. Everyone turned and then saw another person making their way towards the stadium.
Snotlout marched towards the stadium, clothes ragged and warn, covered in scratches, and purpose in his eyes. "Sorry I was late. But I should be signed up right?"
DJ looked at him closely. "Stephen Jorgenson. Yes, you're definitely registered." He said. "You were almost late there. We would have had to disqualify you."
Dagur grew a wide smile. "Well I'll be darned. He actually showed." Heather and DB both smiled. While they both had different reasons for wanting Snotlout back, they were genuinely glad to see the second in command back.
"The prodigal jerk returns." Astrid said. "He couldn't even have a normal entrance."
Hiccup chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't be Snotlout if he didn't try and show off."
Gustav smiled. "I knew he'd show up."
Thuggory looked towards Snotlout with interest. He'd seen the second in command of the Berserkers plenty of times before, but he'd always brushed him off as a weakling. He was strong by a normal bladers standards, but nowhere near the level of the gang leaders. This time however… he seemed different. "You got stronger." Thuggory said.
Snotlout looked towards him and smirked. "You better believe I did."
Thuggory couldn't help but smile. So this was going to be a little interesting after all. "Let's see just how much." He said putting Snaffle Fang on his launcher. Hiccup looked at the green and red bey. It was definitely a defense type. It had a rock fusion wheel, and ball performance tip.
"Bring it on." Snotlout said as he pulled out Monstrous Nightmare.
DJ could feel the tension in the air. He gulped before shaking his head. He had a job to do, and he needed to do it. "O-Okay! Let's get this going then! Stadium four's battle will now commence! 3!" He shouted.
"2!"
"1!"
"Let it rip!"
Everyone launched their beyblades at into the stadium. Nightmare and Fang landed before moving right towards each other. Camicazi frowned. "This'll be over quickly." She said. The others looked towards her confused. "Those two are both stubborn and bullheaded. It's pretty obvious their going to go all out from the start."
"Nightmare!"
"Snaffle Fang!"
The beys glowed brightly. Nightmare grew flames around it, while Fang tore apart the very ground it ran over. They clashed and an explosion went off. Fire shot up into the air, and the stadium below them cracked apart.
Hiccup and the others could feel the shockwave of the clash from the waiting room. Astrid nearly feel over, and Fishlegs was already on the ground. Camicazi looked shocked. She could tell that Snotlout had gotten much stronger. That was a no brainer. But strong enough to clash with Thuggory? Strength wise Snaffle Fang was the strongest bey of the three leaders.
Dagur had a look of surprise on his face. He never expected for Snotlout to get this powerful. Heather and DB were clearly just as surprised. "H-he's so strong." Heather said amazed.
Snotlout and Thuggory stood off against one another. The dust cleared, and beys began raining down around them. There were almost no beys left in the stadium. Even among them there was only one still moving. It was wobbling, barely managing to keep spinning.
Thuggory had a wide smile on his face. "Ha… ha-ha! This is great! I thought this tournament would be boring! I didn't think anyone but Camicazi and Dagur would be my only competition! But this time around it's full of strong guys! This is going to be a blast!" He said laughing.
Snotlout chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Full of strong guys. Just remember who's going to stand at the top when this is over." He said before looking to DJ. "As much as I want to finish out battle, it's only to the top four right? Shouldn't you call this or something?"
DJ snapped out of his shocked state. "U-Um! Yes! The battle for stadium four is over! The winners are Stephen Jorgensen, Thuggory Malone, and… Norman Nam."
"Wait just a moment. I believe you're missing someone." They turned towards the man who Thuggory had noticed earlier. He was still smirking confidently. "Eret, son of Eret."
DJ was about to comment on how only three beys were left, when suddenly something dropped down from the sky and landed in the middle of the stadium. It was a bey. DJ looked stunned. "Wha-?! I-I don't believe it! We have another bey that survived the attack!" He said in disbelief. "W-Well then! Eret has also passed the preliminary round!"
"And we now have our top sixteen made up for the main tournament! This is sure to yield some interesting results!"
A/N: Another chapter! I hope you guys liked the battles. I thought about having Snotlout and Thuggory duke it out some more, but I didn't want to show too much of either. I've already showed off a lot of what Camicazi has, and some of Dagur, so I think I'll keep Thuggory a little more concealed.
The top sixteen are chosen! Alvin, the masked blader, Norman(Based of No-Name, one of the dragon trappers on Eret's ship.) and Eret were meant mostly just to fill spaces. I didn't want to throw any of the other character in yet. It would throw of the chemistry.
Okay then, remember to read and review.