Disclaimer - If you recoginize anything, then I don't own it.
Thank you to Brooklyn'sGurl, FlamesOfFury, KURAYAMi MONOGATARi, kai's kitty, Troublesome Aries, Moon Phases, Qui Leo 92, The-LoneWolf-Tempest, Lauging Freak, shadowoftheredmoon & FuMeRaDrAyCaRla (did I get it right?) for reviewing. I would especially like to thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. You helped me out a lot. So thank you again & for waiting patiently for this chapter. Hopefully, the next one will not take as long to write.
Chapter 14 - The Best of BEGA
"I will not compete in the qualifier," Brooklyn repeated, quite clearly for about the fifth time and tried to avoid the intense looks from both his coach and employer, "I will not compete in the Justice League Challenge. My decision is final. I will not blade against my brother or his friends." "Is this your final decision?" Boris ask as Brooklyn nodded, "very well. I do not like it but I understand your conflict of interest."
The chairman of Bega sat down behind his desk as Brooklyn fidgeted. "You are dismissed," he stated as Brooklyn exchanged a small smile with Hiro before he left. "I thought you would be upset if he did not compete in the tournament," Hiro remarked, glad that his sunglasses hid his eyes from Balkov's withering glance. "There are other strong bladers in BEGA besides of Brooklyn," Boris added, looking thoughtful, "as long as they decide to compete, why should I care about his choice? He is only one blader among many. Now, back to the setup for the qualifier."
While the two men discussed the qualifying tournament that would be held the next day, Brooklyn sought out the company of his friends. He found them in the gym practicing for their one chance to compete in the tournament. Brooklyn watched as they battled each other and had a suscipion of who would make the team and who would not. The uncertainties were Julia and Raul. They bladed better as a team than separately and unless Boris wanted a tag team match, they would probably be left on the bench.
"Do you want to join us?" Garland ask as he beat Raul, "Or are you just going to stand around and watch?" "Just watch," he replied with a smile, "I just returned from a meeting with Boris and Hiro." "Did you tell them?" Garland questioned as he nodded, "how did they take it?" "Boris was cool about it," Brooklyn sighed with relief, "he said he didn't like it but understood my reason. Hiro will probably confront me about it later."
"No doubt about that," Garland mused, "but it is your decision to make. I wish you would compete but I understand your position. I wouldn't want to compete against my siblings either." "But none of your siblings are beybladers," Brooklyn added with a smirk, "they all play different sports so the event of that happening is highly unlikely." "Know-it-all," Garland snapped, playfully as Brooklyn laughed. It was a welcome sound to hear coming from the prodigy, who had been a bit quiet of late.
"So have they decided how to chose the team for the tournament?" Garland ask as they watched the others. "Hiro doesn't tell me everything," Brooklyn remarked as his companion sighed, "I did ask but he went mute. I believe that is what he and Boris were discussing after I left." "Boris should chose the top five bladers since we are the best in BEGA," Garland added with a serious expression, "well that does include you; although you remain unranked. You are one of the most powerful bladers I have ever met; yet you chose to keep your talents and skill hidden than share them with the world."
"I don't think that you have anything to worry about, Garland," Brooklyn reassured with a smile and ignoring the comment about his skill, "You will surely make the team along with Mystel." Garland returned the smile as their friends finished up with their practice and decided to spend the afternoon doing something normal. Since Hiro was busy with Boris, Brooklyn decided to spend time with them. He hoped they had plans other than staying in the building all afternoon since he wanted to get out and forget about blading for a little while. The stress of the tournament was starting to bother him and he needed to clear his head.
Surprisingly, Rick suggested that they visit a sports bar that not only had televisions with all the important games playing but also had video games. It had been a while since the group of them had fun so they had eagerly jumped at the chance. Garland mentioned something about his older sister competing in a golf tournament so he would be able to watch television while everyone else played video games. They had only been at the place for five minutes and it had all ready turned into a competition between them. Brooklyn had to hide a smile as his friends took over the DDR machines.
Akane and Mystel were strutting their stuff while playing Dance Dance Revolution. Brooklyn had to watch in fascination as the two blonds competed against one another. Akane had such style and grace that he wondered if there was anything that she couldn't do. Julia of course was rooting her on to victory while Raul and Daichi were cheering for Mystel. Mystel was good but Brooklyn didn't think that he stood a chance against his counterpart but he was soon proven wrong.
Akane may have had the better moves but Mystel had more energy and managed to outlast her. Akane grew tired, slipped and fell backwards, right into Julia's arms. Both girls smiled at one another and blushed as Akane got her breathe back and then congratulated Mystel. She was definitely not a sore loser. Raul was the next to challenge Mystel as the two girls disappeared to find a game they could play together.
"Are they having fun?" Garland ask as he joined him in the booth. His eyes were glued to the television as his sister came up to tee off. "Britt's swing is off," Garland stated as Brooklyn's eyes turned to the screen but he didn't see anything wrong and was about to ask how he knew when he answered for him. "I can tell," Garland smirked as he took a sip of his water, "it is the expression on her face after she swings her club. She wasn't happy where she hit the ball."
Brooklyn took a sip from his glass. He didn't care to watch golf but he wouldn't dare say that in front of his friend. "I know that you do not like golf," Garland remarked, making Brooklyn sputter and spit out his soda, "I don't care for the sport myself since there is not enough action but I tolerate it for the sake of my sister. I find it a bit boring like tennis but if I can sit through Keila's matches then I can watch Britt's. You know, I've almost dozed off during a few of them."
Garland laughed, making Brooklyn laugh as well but after he had swallowed the remaining liquid in his mouth. "I guess they feel the same way about beyblading," Brooklyn mused, "they probably think spinning tops are boring." "Some of my siblings do not even consider it a sport," Garland admitted, "they think of it as a child's game but I want to prove to them that it is a sport and that it should be respected as such. I understand some of their reasoning since they are unable to see bit beasts. I remember the first time Appollon came out of his bit. I was so excited and called them into the gym but not one of my siblings could see him and thought I was making it up to garner attention."
"Want me to try an experiment and see if they can see mine?" Brooklyn ask with a smirk, "I bet Zeus would make them believers." "I don't think so," Garland laughed, "then my parents would probably force me into another sport. They have been pressuring me to pursue kickboxing since I have studied martial arts from a young age. Sometimes, I wish they would leave me alone and let me make up my own mind. They don't see any glory in beyblading but I enjoy the sport and intend to blade for a profession; whether they like it or not."
"It runs in my family," Brooklyn mused, "my father researched beyblades and put together the first one Kai ever used. Blading was fun at first but then it got kind of boring when I started to win all the time and after Kai got so competitive." Garland got bored watching the other golfers and switched the channel until Britt came back to putt. "Who will Kai choose?" the announcer ask on a sports program, "to blade in the upcoming Justice League challenge?" "There is a lot of speculation going around the beyblading circuits," the other commentator added, "over which bladers he will chose for his team in the upcoming tournament. Many believe that he will stick with his teammates from the Bladebreakers."
"Well, that is certainly true," the first announcer remarked, "the Bladebreakers have won several world titles but maybe it is time for someone new to step into the spotlight. From what we have seen, the BEGA bladers are extremely powerful and talented. Even Kai's younger brother, Brooklyn is a member." Brooklyn groaned from the mention of his name as their attention focused on the upcoming tournament and the rumors of who would blade in it. Garland muted the television and looked at his friend, who had hit his head on the table.
"Are you okay, Brook?" he ask with concern. "I'll be fine, Gar," Brooklyn replied, "why did they have to bring up my name? I just want to be left alone." "Not gonna happen," Garland remarked with a laugh, "I'm surprised that the media hasn't mentioned you before but on a lighter note, do you have any idea of who Kai will choose?" The first name that popped into Brooklyn's head was Tala. He was powerful enough to blade in such a high stakes tournament but he was still lying in a coma at the hospital.
Brooklyn raised his head as his brow furrowed. Garland had ask a question that even he could not answer. Who would Kai choose? "I have no idea," Brooklyn admitted, looking at his friend, "he has a lot of friends from the BBA. I am certain that it will be one of them but I don't know who. There are over a dozen bladers to make a choice from."
"I guess we'll find out in time," Garland shrugged, "no use worrying about it now." He flipped the TV back to the golf tournament as Britt returned to putt. She might not have been at the top of her game but she was the leader so far. There was no doubt that she would win. Brooklyn heard voices as he turned his head to see Rick and Daichi arguing over a game they had played.
"I won fair and square, squirt," Rick added, taking a seat at the booth, "so quit complaining about your loss." Rick's eyes turned to the television and groaned. Unlike Brooklyn, who respected other people, he would simply say what was on his mind. "I am watching because of my sister," Garland informed, bluntly as he glared at the American. "Is that her?" Rick ask as Garland nodded, "she's quite attractive. Does she have a boyfriend?"
Both Brooklyn and Daichi gasp, figuring a fight was about to start and prepared to dive under the table if necessary. Fortunately, Raul, Mystel, Julia and Akane appeared and broke up the impending argument before it could get a proper start. "Britt right," Mystel remarked as they all managed to squeeze around the table, "how is she doing?" "Leading as usual," Garland added, forgetting about Rick, "but her game is off." "Did you two find a suitable game to play?" Rick ask, looking at Akane and Julia.
"They have some retro machines in a backroom," Akane added, "really old ones like Centipede and Donkey Kong from the 80's. Those games may be ancient but they still rock." "Really," Raul remarked since he was a big fan of 80's music and games, "I have to check it out. Hey, Mystel, you wanna go look?" "Sure," Mystel shrugged as he and Raul went to check out the older machines.
They stayed there watching television until Brooklyn's cell phone began to ring. He yawned since he was getting tired of the noise as he looked at the number. He was not surprised to see Hiro's number flashing back at him from the screen. "Moshi Moshi," he answered, waiting for the sudden eruption that never came. "Where are you?" Hiro ask, calmly.
"I'm with Garland and the others," he informed, "we are at a sports bar, eating, watching television and playing video games. Doing normal teen activities you know." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat since the others had disappeared again. "I am not mad at you, tenshi," Hiro comforted, making Brooklyn relax, "you need to spend time with your friends. I know that it can get boring around the building when you don't want to blade."
"Thanks, Hiro," Brooklyn sighed, "you don't know how much that means to me." "I'll do anything for you, tenshi," Hiro added and Brooklyn knew that he was smiling when he said it, "I'll talk to you on your return. See you then." He hung up as Brooklyn breathed a sigh of relief. "Is he demanding that we return to practice?" Garland ask as he sipped his water and nibbled on the remains of his late lunch as he watched his sister.
"Surprisingly no," Brooklyn replied as he put the phone back in a pocket, "in fact, he sounded relieved that I was spending time with you." "He should realize that we are teen-agers," Garland added, "and that we need to do other things besides of blade. I think it is time that we head back. Let's find the others." There were many complaints but he and Garland managed to round up their friends.
"Well, it was nice while it lasted," Daichi groaned as they left. "I think we need to get out more," Rick added as he playfully ruffled Daichi's hair, "It does wonders for the soul." "Is anyone nervous about the qualifier tomorrow?" Raul ask, looking a bit nervous, "besides of me?" "We would be lying if we said that we weren't," Julia reassured, "you don't need to think about it so much, Raul. Otherwise, it will effect your performance if you worry."
Brooklyn wasn't competing but even he was worried about the qualifier for the sake of his friends. He was mainly concerned about how well they would blade and if they would make the team. As expected, Hiro was waiting for them in the atrium on their return. Brooklyn left the company of his friends and followed his boyfriend. He spent the remainder of the evening with Hiro, who surprisingly did not mention his refusal of competing in the tournament. Instead he avoided the subject.
The atmosphere the next day in the building was tense and the bladers that were competing were all a bit restless. Most of the morning, Boris and his staff had to break up arguments and fights due to the stress that some of them were under. Brooklyn decided after Hiro had left that it might be best for him to go to the stadium and at least cheer his friends onto victory. He didn't want to stay secluded in his room and wandered out to find them. Fortunately, he bumped into them in a hallway as they climbed the stairs to the stadium. For some reason unknown to him, none of them would use an elevator; only the stairs.
"So did you have a change of heart and decide to join us?" Garland ask as Brooklyn joined them. "I'm just going to watch all of you," Brooklyn stated with a smile, "and cheer you on to victory." Brooklyn looked at his friends as the smile on his face grew from their behavior. Rick, Garland, Julia and Akane were calm and collected. Raul, Mystel and Daichi were so excited that they were nearly bouncing off the walls. He didn't know which of the three was the most hyper.
He believed that it had something to do with the qualifier being broadcast on TV. Instant fame would only boast their egos and abilities since millions of people could be watching. Rick groaned from their behavior while Garland just raised an eyebrow in amusement. Akane and Julia smiled along with Brooklyn. This after all was their first big tournament so they had a right to be excited.
When they entered the stadium, Brooklyn took his leave and found a seat up in the stands where he could watch. He made certain to get a seat where he could see all of the dishes. Mystel joined him for a brief moment to get a better view since he was shorter than most of them. Daichi, who was also short, had a comfortable seat sitting on Rick's shoulders so he could see over the others. Brooklyn coughed to hide his laughter since he knew Rick wouldn't appreciate it but stopped when Boris entered the stadium with Hiro at his side. Now, it was time to see how they had worked out the tournament.
"Welcome to the BEGA invitational tournament," Boris began as the bladers went silence, "you are all here to earn a spot for the upcoming Justice League challenge. You are the best of BEGA. We have divided everyone into five blocks from A to E. The winner of each block will make the team." The other bladers cheered except his friends.
"However," Boris continued as they went silent, "each block also contains a top pro-blader. These are the best BEGA has to offer. In order to beat them, you will need to display incredible strength, skill and determination. Here are the pros that you will be facing." The screen above him showed every participant and the block they were placed in.
Brooklyn gasp as his eyes scanned the board. He had noticed that Garland, Mystel, Akane, Julia and Rick's names were highlighted in red but that was not a surprise since they were the top five. It was Raul and Daichi's names that were of interest. Garland was in Block A, Mystel in Block B, Akane in Block C, Julia in Block D while Rick was the top blader in Block E. Raul was placed in Block D with Julia while Daichi's name was in Block E which meant he would have to blade against Rick like the twins would have to battle each other.
He was snapped out of his thoughts from the complaints being flung to Boris from the amateurs. They were arguing that the qualifier was unfair since the winners had all ready been decided. Boris would not allow such dissension among the ranks. He silenced them with a speech about having faith in their own abilities. If they thought the situation was hopeless, they had no business blading at the professional level.
The amateur bladers considered this and were soon cheering once again. Brooklyn's eyes turned to his friends as he wondered about their reactions to their competition. Surprisingly, Julia wished Raul the best of luck and to make it to the last match so they could battle each other. Rick was urging Daichi to do the same. He hoped that they all remained friends after this.
"Let us begin!" Boris shouted as he raised his hands and the qualifier was underway. As Brooklyn had predicted, his friends easily took care of the amateurs in each of their blocks. Some of them were not even worth their attention. Garland shattered several blades with his martial arts kicks. Mystel dominated his block with his slingshot launcher that knocked many of the blades from the dish at the start. Akane's speed and quick strikes led her to victory while Julia and Rick breezed through their own. The outcome was just as Boris wanted.
Brooklyn rose as the winners of Blocks A-C were decided, leaving only Blocks D and E unresolved. He wanted to watch those from a closer perspective. "The winner of Block A is Garland!" DJ Jazzman shouted, "the winner of Block B is Mystel! The winner of Block C is Akane! The final rounds of Block D and E are in progress as we speak!"
Rick and Daichi were battling each other in a fierce fight. Both of them were unwilling to allow the other to win and their close relationship didn't matter. You had to leave all of that outside of the dish. It smelled like something was burning as their blades sawed away at the other. The heat and friction from their blades was threatening to melt the concrete dish. It seemed that Daichi's defense had improved greatly during their time at BEGA.
When both Rick and Daichi called out their bit beasts, Brooklyn knew the match was about to end. "GAIA DRAGOON!" Daichi yelled, calling out the gold dragon that reminded him of Tyson's bit beast, "GREAT CUTTER!" "ROCK BISON!" Rick shouted, "DROP ROCK!" In a brilliant flash of light that blinded everyone and made them shield their eyes, the match was over. Daichi's purple blade had been thrown from the dish while Rick's was wobbling. It stopped a moment after and looked like a melted hunk of metal. He had won but his blade would have to be totally rebuilt before his next match.
"Rick is the winner of Block E!" DJ announced as Julia and Raul were locked in a fierce fight of their own, "Let's see how Block D is faring!" The look of intensity and determination on the twins' faces was impressive. Both of their blades were circling one another in the dish, copying the other exactly. Brooklyn was confused as to why Boris and Hiro had placed the twins in the same block since their moves were identical. Everyone gathered around to watch the outcome of the final match.
"This is interesting," Garland remarked to no one in particular as their eyes locked on the twins, "their blades are like a mirror copy of the other." Both of the twins were determined to earn the last spot on the team that was only destined for one. "I don't know who to cheer for," Akane added, looking quite thoughtful, "Julia may be my girlfriend but Raul is a friend. I can't decide." The battle continued to rage on as Brooklyn's eyes turned from the dish to look at Hiro. He was watching the match intently with his eyes focused on the battling blades.
Boris had a sinister smirk on his face as Brooklyn wondered what he was plotting. When the twins called out their elemental forces of fire and electricity, the match proved to be the most interesting of the qualifier. Both Torch Pegasus and Shock Pegasus were thrown from the dish, resulting in a tie. Everyone gasp as the twins exchanged a bewildered look. "It's a tie!" DJ shouted as he looked at Boris like everyone else, "what do we do, boss? Do they battle again?"
The stadium was silent as all eyes and cameras were focused on the chairman of BEGA. He cleared his throat before he made his decision. "I have come to a decision regarding the Justice League tournament," he began, "since the BBA wanted to promote a tag team style world tournament this year and were unable, I suggest that one match of the upcoming tournament be played as a tag team match in their honor. Kai will be able to choose a six blader for his team to compete in a tag team match with a member of the original five. That is my final decision."
"There you have it, folks!" DJ continued, "BEGA has selected their team and to be honest I have never seen such power and skill in my entire life. Stay tuned for the upcoming BEGA Justice League Challenge and get your tickets now because it will definitely sell out. See you next week, bladers!" Brooklyn sighed as the camera turned to Ming Ming, who would use her popularity to promote the tournament. There was no doubt that it would sell out without her help but she was a member of BEGA.
No matter how much Brooklyn disliked the pop star, he did have to admit she had her uses. She had been very useful to Boris when he had come up with the idea to promote a new card system. If you joined Bega, you were given a membership card that gave you access to special discounts on blade parts and eventually tournaments. Brooklyn suspected it was a scam and Akane had verified it for him. She had went to the stores and had seen that you could not buy a beyblade without a card; which meant that all of the bladers from the BBA, who refused to join could not buy parts.
Well, that did not matter to his brother, who had found a way to circumvent the new system. Hiro had heard through some of his sources that Kai had left the city with the other BBA bladers to make their own blades. That was interesting and he wondered how these new blades would fare against his friends. They had the best blades that money could build but Brooklyn knew that Kenny was a genius when it came to blading. He had worked part-time for the BBA while he finished his studies at university. He definitely had the skill to build a powerful beyblade.
Brooklyn's attention turned to is friends but most especially Daichi, who looked a bit upset that he had not won. "You tried your best," Raul tried to comfort, "that is all that matters. If it is any consulation, even I can not beat Rick." Brooklyn thought the younger was either going to burst into tears or throw a tantrum but fortunately Hiro intervened before it happened. "I am proud of all of you," he complimented with a smile, "especially you, Daichi. Your defense has improved greatly but you still have a long way to go."
"But I lost," he stated, sadly, looking up at Hiro and not the bubbly boy he had been before. "But you bladed the best I have seen you," Hiro remarked with a smile, "and for a time, you matched Rick's power. I could never be angry at someone, who tried their best. I want you to start working with Moses in the morning. He can teach you something about improving your defense. You are a very powerful blader and one day I know you will take your place at the top. It is just not today."
The smile returned to Daichi's face as Hiro looked at the others. "The rest of you had better practice and prepare yourselves," he suggested, "mentally and physically for the challenges that await you." The teens nodded as they departed but Hiro held Brooklyn back. He smiled to his friends as the stadium emptied, leaving the two of them alone. "I'll be glad when this is over," Hiro remarked, darkly as he sighed, "Boris will not accept failure as easily as I do."
"I figured as much," Brooklyn admitted, giving Hiro a hug since he looked like he needed one, "I'm glad that I don't have to deal with the stress of the tournament. I think it was a wise decision to sit it out." "For some odd reason," Hiro continued, "this tournament puts an uneasy feeling in my stomach like something bad is going to happen." He tightened his hold on Brooklyn, who buried his face in Hiro's shirt. He didn't want to admit it but he had the same feeling too.
R & R
AS