Disclaimer - If you recoginize it, then I do not own it.
Thank you to The-LoneWolf-Tempest, LaugingFreak, Kai's kitty, FlamesOfFury & Tsuki Chokoreto Mizuno for reviewing.
Chapter 16 - Twin Trouble
Round Two - Raul & Julia Vs. Rei & Lei
"They look calm," Daichi grumbled, pointing to G-Revolution's bench where Rei and Lei were sitting with their legs crossed and in all appearances, meditating, "I can't believe they could be after what happened in the hall." "It certainly looks like it did not affect them," Garland agreed, "how good are they at tag team matches anyway?" "They are pretty good," Brooklyn replied, "I watched them blade together while growing up and if they are in synch, they can be unbeatable." "Lei does have a confidence problem though," Hiro added, "he is so afraid of letting Rei down that it will affect his game if you can use it to your advantage. I hope your little scuffle in the hallway proves useful and shifts the advantage to us."
Julia's eyes narrowed as she whispered something to Raul. Her brother nodded and smiled at whatever she said. Brooklyn knew the twins were up to something; although he did not know exactly what. He knew that the incident in the corridor had been unplanned and unfortunate but if Lei's confidence had been shaken, it could be beneficial to the twins. He was going to ask Akane if she knew what Julia was plotting when DJ arrived.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the second match of the Justice Five tournament," he greeted as the crowd applauded, "this is a special match since it will showcase the tag team skills of these two talented teams. The Fernandez twins will be up against the best of the White Tigers, Rei and Lei!" The applause was loud for the twins but the fans near G-Revolution's bench were booing. Their actions were upsetting Lei, who looked about to blow a gasket. He didn't appear to be as calm and collected as Rei, who was unaffected by the crowd.
"What happened in the hall?" Brooklyn ask Akane since he had not witnessed the incident. He had been with Hiro, Rick and Garland discussing Boris and his reaction to their loss. "Daichi accidentally bumped into Lei," Akane explained with a sigh, "after a trip to the bathroom. To make a long story short, they both insulted the other. Fortunately, Julia, Raul and I went to look for him and we found them face-to-face, yelling at one another with Rei and Max trying to make Lei back off."
Brooklyn laughed softly from the image since he knew how tempermental both of the bladers were from experience. "Then Daichi said a few things that he shouldn't have," Akane continued, ignoring the interruption, "and Lei made a few remarks about how we were not skilled enough to battle in such a tournament from our lack of experience. He said that we were just a bunch of clowns working for Boris and had no business blading at the professional level." Brooklyn cringed and had a feeling of what was coming since Julia was so strong-willed and proud.
"Well, Julia slapped Lei," Akane added with another sigh, "and said that he knew nothing of us. She also added that he was the reason why the White Tigers never won a title. That he was too weak to blade at this level and the reason why Rei left to join the Bladebreakers." "That was cold," Brooklyn remarked with a shudder, "but he didn't have a right to insult you. I can only imagine how angry Julia got from being insulted. She and Raul are proud to come from a family of circus performers."
Brooklyn could not comment on the incident further since everyone's attention turned back to DJ. It was time to begin the second match and see who fared better at the format. He would bet everything he owned that the twins would dominate. Rei and Lei were good but not as good as the twins. They may have been several years younger than their opponents but they were the masters of the tag team since they were the undisputed champions of the Underground.
"And here is the stadium our two teams will be competing in!" DJ announced as the stage rose to reveal the beydish, "this one is called the Euro Euphoria Stadium. It is based on a Goth village in Transylvania. It is one wicked dish and stay away from the fountain in the center. It can be a treacherous obstacle." "Good luck," Brooklyn nodded to the twins, who rose but Akane was still holding Julia's hand.
"Be careful," she whispered as Julia nodded. She probably would have jumped up to kiss her but was uncertain of how the crowd would react. Instead, she squeezed her hand tightly before letting go. Brooklyn noticed that Akane was wearing a pendant today and had gripped it tightly as she watched Julia. "Goddess, please let no harm come to them," she whispered as he wondered what deity she worshipped since she wasn't very religious or so he thought.
He did not have time to think about the matter further as he watched the four bladers on the platform. "Are we ready?" DJ yelled, trying to excite the crowd even more, "3, 2, 1 - LET IT RIP!" Brooklyn bit his lip as the four blades landed in the stadium. Julia and Raul's blades were in synch from the very start. Rei and Lei tried to follow their lead but did not have the flashy and exotic moves the twins did.
"Impressive!" DJ shouted, "what beautiful moves the Fernandez twins have! Look at how their blades stay in perfect synch with the other! These two obviously rule this format!" Just like Boris had predicted and wanted, the crowd was in awe from watching the twins' blade. They moved in perfect harmony as they circled the other in a display of skill unparalleled to any.
They hit the fountain at full speed and went airborne. "Both blades have landed perfectly!" DJ remarked with awe as the crowd roared with excitement from watching their display. Lei muttered the word, 'showoff' and got angry as he broke away from Rei to charge after them. Rei tried to reason with his former teammate but Lei was not listening. He had a grudge to settle with the twins.
Julia and Raul exchanged a nod as their blades separated at the last possible second and split ways. Lei couldn't react as fast as the twins and ploughed into the fountain in the center of the dish. He lost some of his momentum and went airborne from the force of the slam. Rei then showed his unselfish nature as he called on Driger. His blade shot up the side of a building and struck Galeon. It sent Lei's blade back into the dish.
Galeon landed hard but steady as almost everyone on G-Revolution's bench sighed with relief. "If it wasn't for your partner," Raul smirked, "your blade would be out of the stadium now. Would you have done the same for Rei or the question is could you have done the same for Rei?" "Not bad for a couple of clowns, hahn?" Julia teased as they went after Rei. Lei looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car from their trash talk. He knew the twins were right as the purple and blue blades pounded Driger. He did not offer any help as Galeon just spun in place.
"Julia and Raul are attacking Rei from all directions!" DJ shouted as everyone watched Driger get pounded and Lei did absolute nothing, "does G-Revolution even stand a chance at winning?" Brooklyn watched as Max and Tyson rose from the bench and tried to encourage Lei to get back into the game. Their pleas fell on deaf ears since he did not respond. "I have never seen a more perfect tag team," Hiro added with a low whistle, "they even manage to keep their blades spinning at the same exact speed. They are so spontaneous that you can't predict their next move."
Even though, he had watched the twins practice, Brooklyn too was in awe by their skill. Akane was smiling brightly next to him. "And I was worried," she mused but still was gripping the edge of the bench, "seems like Juls and Raul have this win in the bag." Brooklyn had to agree with her assessment at the moment. They seemed unbeatable.
"LEI!" a female shouted from the stands, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" He looked up to see Mariah standing up from her seat with the other bladers. It seemed like his younger sister was not going to let him just stand there and let Rei get pounded. Lei responded to Mariah's call as his head turned toward her. "Rei chose you to blade with him for a reason," she snapped, "he believes in you as a partner as do I!"
That seemed to snap Lei back to his senses as his head turned to the dish. "I won't let Rei down!" he shouted as Galeon came back to life, "I won't allow us to lose like this!" His blade shot forward and hit the three blades with such force that it separated them. Julia and Raul didn't look rattled however. "I was hoping you would fight back," Julia smirked, "there is no fun in beating an opponent so easily."
"Way to go, Lei," Rei smiled, "I knew that you would snap out of it. Let's show these two who the true masters of tag team are!" "I'm with you, Rei!" Lei replied as the tables turned. Since they now knew how the twins attacked, they could easily avoid their blades. "It is too late for that," Raul smirked, "you may know our moves but we know yours as well."
Rei and Lei's comeback was spectacular but in his opinion came a bit too late. Raul and Julia had all ready proven their skill and the two Chinese bladers could not overpower them. "Come on," Akane whispered, "I know you can do this." When they saw the twins' smile, they knew the round was about to come to an end. "Raul, are you ready?" Julia ask as she grinned.
Her younger brother nodded his head in reply. Brooklyn wondered what the two were up too as they separated suddenly and one blade followed the other. Brooklyn knew that was a mistake on Rei and Lei's part since it was part of the twins' plan. The blades circled the fountain and came together, surprising the two Chinese bladers. "This match is fixing to end," he heard Rick smirk and knew that he was right.
"Gemini Crash!" both Julia and Raul yelled together. Their blades sped up a side of one of the buildings and went airborne. The air around them electrified as they combined into one. The descent gave them more power and momentum as they violently slammed into Rei and Lei's blades. They had to wait until the dust cleared to see who was victorious.
DJ was coughing from where he was standing as they all stood up to see the outcome. "Finally," DJ stated, still coughing, somewhat, "the dust is beginning to clear. Let's see who won!" You could hear the spinning of two blades among the debris but it was uncertain of whose they were. "Julia and Raul are the winners!" DJ announced as everyone saw the twins' blades still spinning perfectly in place while Rei and Lei's were still in the damaged dish, "the tournament is now tied between the BEGA bladers and G-Revolutions!"
The crowd cheered as Brooklyn took a moment to look up at Boris, who looked satisfied with their victory. Julia and Raul revelled in the crowd's cheering for a few moments before Rei and Lei did something surprising. Brooklyn bet it was solely Rei's idea since Lei looked unhappy by the outcome. "Congratualations," Rei stated with a slight smile, "that was an excellent match and I believe you have proven to all your skill." "You had me worried for a second," Julia admitted with a smile, "you both bladed well and it was an honor to blade against you."
Julia took the offered hand as Lei stepped forward as well. "I apologize for what I said in the hallway," he said, "It was uncalled for but most of all rude. Now, I see that you are not puppets but bladers of skill that deserve to blade at this level." In an act of forgiveness, Julia took the hand that Lei offered. "We accept your apology," she replied with a smile, "all is forgiven."
Brooklyn smiled since this was what blading was suppose to be about. Akane, Mystel and Daichi jumped forward to congratulate the twins. He just laughed as the three glomped the twins but Akane had Julia to herself. Even Daichi proved to be a lot bigger as he apologized to Lei for his remarks in the hallway. After a few minutes, everyone finally came back to the bench and they went back to the locker room to wait for the next match.
Hiro wanted to have a talk with Mystel during their break but the blond disappeared as did Akane and Julia. Hiro didn't have a problem with the girls since the twins had won and Akane's match wouldn't be until the day after tomorrow. He wanted to discuss Max's possible strategy with Mystel but Brooklyn reminded him that he would blade fine. Mystel after all had bladed against most of the members of G-Revolution before. The only blader he hadn't faced in the dish was Kai and he was battling Max; not his older brother so Brooklyn didn't have any worries about his chances at victory.
Round Three - Max vs. Mystel
"We are now at the halfway point of this landmark Justice Five tournament," DJ began, "and so far we have seen some great blading. In game one, we saw Rick lose to former world champion, Tyson. In game two and the first tag team match played, the Fernandez twins beat up the pride of the White Tigers, Rei and Lei. Who will be victorious and break the current tie? The third match will feature the ever unpredictable Mystel against the calm and determined Max. Will Max's defense be of any use against Mystel's unpredictability? Only time will tell."
"Where is Mystel?" Hiro ask as Max rose from his bench on the other side of the stadium. He looked at the others who just shrugged. "I haven't seen him," Garland replied, "he disappeared after the last match." "Maybe he needed to spend the time inbetween to reflect," Brooklyn added with a smile and tried to calm his boyfriend, "he'll be here, Hiro. He knows how important this tournament is."
Brooklyn's eyes turned to G-Revolutions to see that Tyson was obviously giving Max some last minute advice. Kai didn't offer any like Tyson and Rei and cracked open an eye to glare at him. Brooklyn shifted in his seat nervously and wondered where Julia and Akane had went too. They had disappeared after the twins' match but he had the feeling that Akane was giving Julia a present for the her victory. He sighed with a smile since those two could be so romantic.
"Let's get this party started!" DJ yelled with excitement, "here is the dish for the third match! Our bladers will be blading in the Sunken Sparta Stadium!" Max stepped up to the platform but the BEGA side was still empty. "Mystel," Hiro growled as he looked around but didn't see the blond anywhere. Mystel picked that exact moment to make his entrance as he jumped down from one of the sky lights on the roof. He landed nimbly on his feet right at the platform as Max gasp from the feat as well as the others. "Showoff," Garland muttered with a shake of his head as Brooklyn laughed along with Rick.
"Well, shall we start?" Mystel ask with a big smile as he adjusted his mask. "Are we ready?" DJ ask as both launcher and slingshot were loaded, "3, 2, 1 - LET IT RIP!" Both of the blades landed in the dish simultaneously and the match was off to a fast start. Brooklyn watched as Max attacked first and then did the oddest move. Instead of sticking to his trademark defensive moves, Max's blade circled around Mystel's as though he was waiting for the perfect time to strike.
"What is he doing?" Daichi ask as he scratched his head in confusion. "It is a very clever strategy," Hiro explained with a slight smile, "Max is dodging Mystel's attacks until he sees a window of opportunity to strike." "Well, it's not gonna work," Daichi added with a huff, "Mystel can hit his blade at any angle." "Come and get me, Mystel!" Max called as the Egyptian sent his blade in pursuit of Draciel. "I think Max begs to differ," Brooklyn added as they watched Mystel attack as Max went back to playing defense.
Draciel looked like he was getting pounded by Poseidon especially when he started to use his legendary 360 degree attack. "Get 'em, Mystel!" Daichi shouted as he jumped up on the bench since the match was getting him pumped, "you can win!" The rest of them chuckled from the red head's behavior. "How does Mystel have so much energy?" Raul ask as Brooklyn noticed that he was sitting awfully close to Garland, "he is pounding Max's blade. How much more of it can he take?"
Brooklyn's eyebrow raised as he wondered if something was going on between the two that he was unaware of. "It only looks that way, Raul," Hiro explained, "remember that looks can be deceiving. Look at Max and see if you can figure it out." Brooklyn turned his attention back to the match and saw that Max adjusted his timing when their blades impacted to keep the damage to a minimum. It was a pretty sophisticated technique for one of Max's skill. It seemed that his brother's team was getting better as the tournament progressed.
He couldn't believe his eyes as he continued to watch the match and that there was a chance that Max could actually win it. He was blading better than he had ever seen him blade. It almost made him wish that he was blading in this tournament. He had never seen his brother and his friends so possessed and fired up before but he knew what they were facing. It was either win or be thrown out of the sport they loved forever.
Their beyblades continued to move around the dish as both Max and Mystel began to look tired. Exhaustion would soon overtake the two of them as their beyblades climbed up a pillar and onto the roof of the temple. It was the calm before the storm since everyone knew this match was about to come to an end. "Poseidon!" Mystel called, "Ocean Javelin!" His blade spun faster as his bit beast emerged. Their eyes were all transfixed on the stadium as Poseidon threw his mighty trident right at Draciel.
Max took the moment it would take for Poseidon to strike to use his most powerful defensive move. "Draciel!" he yelled, "Aqua Shield!" The wall of water took away most of Poseidon's power. If Mystel's blade had been at full strength when it had impacted with Draciel, it would have knocked Max out of the dish. The wall of water weakened it enough that Max was fighting back and holding his ground.
A wave of water almost sent Max tumbling backwards but he held his ground making Tyson cheer even louder and making Brooklyn have more respect for his style of blading. "BEGA is not going to get the best of me!" he shouted, "GO DRACIEL!" The purple turtle emerged from his blade and fought back. Their blades were locked in a fierce stalemate that had to end eventually. The power of their blades sent water and wind whipping through the air.
It was like there was a mini typhoon inside of the stadium as everyone including the fans got wet. Brooklyn took refugee behind of Hiro, trying to avoid as much of the water as he could. He couldn't even hear DJ's commentary over the noise. The two blades demolished the dish as all of the pillars and temple fell from the elemental forces coming out of their beyblades. A wall of water spilled out of the dish that drenched Max but Mystel simply jumped out of the way.
They even got a bit wet from where they were sitting from the surge of water. The wave of water also brought a surprise to both bladers. "Mystel and Max's blades are both out!" DJ announced, "A simultaneous exit means the third match of this tournament ends in a tie! It seems that BEGA and G-Revolutions are still in a heated deadlock and our last two matches will be the ones that will decide it all!" Brooklyn turned to look at Garland who remained calm even from the added pressure as they saw Mystel hanging from one of the support beams.
He jumped down a moment later to congratulate Max on the match. They shook hands much to the crowds delight as they began to cheer for the both of them. Brooklyn smiled from the display of good sport. "Just as I envisioned," he murmured as Daichi ran forward to congratulate Mystel along with Raul, "It only takes one to change the world." "As well as you know," Hiro added, smiling down at him, "you have definitely changed mine."
R & R
Astera Snape