Alright, let's get this story going! Let's bring in some more awesome characters :D
"Congratulations, Gingka!" The gang raised their cans of Pepsi in the air in honor of their very skillful friend. "You win again!" After the tournament, they had headed down to the local burger place for a celebratory meal.
"Aw, thanks guys," Gingka said humbly. "But the real credit goes all of you for all your help and support!"
"You all did so great!" Madoka commended. "It's great that you all made it to the semi-finals!"
"Yeah, I could have totally won this if Tsubasa hadn't totally turned on me," Yu put in sourly.
"Hey, it's a tournament," Tsubasa said, smiling. "Turning is what you're supposed to do."
"But I didn't even get to battle Ken-chi!" Yu complained.
"We can battle tomorrow, Yu," Kenta suggested. "After the stadium is fixed. Right, Tsubasa?"
"I think it should be fine," Tsubasa nodded. "I'll give Hikaru a heads up."
"Wow, you guys are the best!" Yu hugged Kenta happily. "I can't wait till tomorrow, Ken-chi!"
"Seriously? You guys still haven't had enough excitement?" said Madoka, shaking her head.
"You can never have enough excitement, Madoka," Gingka told her. "Especially with beyblade! This is gonna be such an awesome battle! We'll come watch, Yu, Kenta!"
"You in, Natsumi? Tsubasa asked.
"Sure, whatever," Natsumi replied. "It does seem like this is all you guys ever do though."
"It pretty much is," Madoka told her. "But everyone lives for something." Nods and murmurs rose up as they all dug into their burgers. Natsumi sighed and picked at her fries. Everyone except me.
"Are you ready, Yu?" called Kenta excitedly.
"Ready!" Yu called back, grinning.
"Alright!" Kenta positioned Flash Sagittario in front of him. "Three!"
"Two!" Yu pulled out Flame Libra and held it out.
"One!" The two beys were launched into the stadium at top speed, immediately clashing against each other. Sparks flew out of the stadium, landed as glowing hot spots on the ground. In the stands, Gingka sat at the edge of his seat, yelling passionately.
"He is really loud," Natsumi muttered.
"You should have seen him when he didn't get Pegasus back yet," Madoka laughed. "It was terrible."
"Go, Sagittario, Diving Claw!" Kenta called.
"Libra, Final Inferno Blast!" Yu yelled. The two beys collided at full power, the energy bursting out from the stadium.
Suddenly, the doors flew open and a huge gust of wind blew the attacks away. When it died down, both beys had stopped spinning.
"Sagittario!" Kenta gasped. "What happened?" Everyone ran down from the stands to investigate. Standing at the door were none other than Kyoya and Benkei.
"Kyoya!" Gingka yelled. "What are you doing here?"
"And why'd you kill our battle, huh?" Yu exclaimed angrily, running over. "What's your problem, Yo-yo?" Kyoya bristled, but didn't reply. His sharp gaze swept the stadium until it landed on Natsumi.
"You!" he growled. "You're the one I'm looking for!"
"Great," Natsumi muttered. "More people are looking for me."
"What do you need her for, Yo-yo?" Yu asked, confused. "She's not even a blader."
"Oh really?" Kyoya swept over to them. "I was out training in down in South America when I had an unexpected encounter with Ryuga." Natsumi flinched at the name. "I demanded that he battle me, of course, and after a bit of running around he agreed."
"And did he win?" asked Gingka.
"Yes," Kyoya turned away, annoyed. "It was a fluke. But that's not important."
…
The dust settled and Kyoya, exhausted, ran to retrieve his bey. Ryuga stood a few feet away, facing the other direction. Kyoya grabbed Rock Leone and glared angrily at Ryuga.
"You're strong," Ryuga remarked coldly. "But not nearly strong enough."
"I will be," Kyoya growled. "In time."
"I'm not going to wait around for that to happen," Ryuga replied as he started to walk away. "Run back to your little friends in Japan and come find me when you think you can actually give me a bit of a challenge." He stopped suddenly and turned around. "Oh, and if you see Natsumi, tell her the next time we meet, she will battle me." Kyoya stared at him, confused. Natsumi?
…
"Wow," Natsumi said under her breath. "I am not going to battle him."
"So what's the big deal, Yo-yo?" Yu demanded. "We all know Ryuga wants to battle Natsumi because of one thing or another."
"The big deal," Kyoya began, jabbing a finger in Natsumi's direction. "Is that if Ryuga wants to battle you, then you must really be something special." Natsumi stared at him nonchalantly.
"No, no," she said sarcastically. "Don't think that."
"It's too late now," Kyoya yelled. "I don't know who you are, or what business you have with Ryuga, but if he wants to battle you, then you must be a really strong blader! And if you're a strong blader, then you are going to battle me!" He pulled out Rock Leone and positioned it in front of him.
"Okay, uh, how do I put this?" Natsumi narrowed her eyes. "No. I am not going to battle you."
"Lay off, Kyoya," said Tsubasa. "She doesn't want to battle."
"I made a vow to myself that I would crush every strong blader that I encountered," Kyoya snapped. "And that includes you!"
"You're delusional," Natsumi shot at him. "I'm not a strong blader, and I'm not going to battle you!" Kyoya growled with frustration.
"You leave me no choice. Go, Leone!" Leone flew from the launcher towards Natsumi, who dodged out of the way. She bolted instantly. For a split second, her eyes met with Tsubasa's, and a look of disappointment flashed across her face. But the second passed by, and she was gone.
Silence filled the stadium as everyone just stood there, staring. "Wow," Gingka said at last. "Nice going, Kyoya."
Running. Always running.
The roads and trees flashed by. She didn't care. Why are people so stupid? A train pulled into a nearby station and she jumped on. Let's see how far this will take me. A loud horn went off and the train pulled away, the tracks clacking loudly underneath. Natsumi sat restlessly inside, staring out the window. I have no idea where I'm going. She slowly fell asleep to the rumbling of the train, and didn't wake up until a few hours later. The train had stopped at a station, and the car that she was sitting in was now empty. She hopped off the train and looked around. It was late afternoon and she was in a mountainous region. Reminds me of home. She made her way from the station into the mountain paths and began to trek. Maybe I'll find something worthwhile up here. She walked through trees, past rock faces, around lakes…in fact after a while she wondered if the mountains would ever end. Or maybe I'm going in circles. Either way, I'm getting nowhere. She arrived at a shallow stream and spotted a cave on the other side. That looks like a good place to rest. She hopped onto a rock sticking out of the water. Then another. Then another. Then her foot slipped and she fell on her side into the stream. Ugh… Suddenly, she heard a cough and looked up to see a guy standing over her, holding out a hand. She took it graciously and he helped her up.
"You'd better dry off," he told her. "Unless you want to catch a cold."
"Thanks," she said as he handed her a towel that he had drawn from his shoulder bag.
"So what are you doing up here all by yourself anyway?" he asked her.
"Nothing in particular," she replied. "Just wandering around, I suppose. What about you?"
"Oh, I live nearby here," he explained simply.
"That's cool," she said. "I used to live in the mountains too."
"Oh, really?" They walked to the cave together and sat down inside. "Are you looking for a new home or something?"
"No, I'm not," she told him. "I really just needed to get away for a bit."
"Get away from what?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Nah, it's alright," she said. "Just a whole lot of problems, mostly concerning beyblade, and people I don't like, and honestly…I don't really do anything to solve problems…except run."
"I see." The guy offered her a piece of bread, which she accepted. "So what are you planning to do now?"
"Walk around, I guess," she said. "Look for stuff."
"There isn't really anything up here," he warned her.
"That's alright," she said. "I don't really care."
"In that case, I'll come with you," he said. "To make sure you don't get horribly lost or something."
"Suit yourself." With that, they started out. The sun moved across the sky as they got deeper and deeper into the mountains.
"Hmm," she murmured glancing in the direction that the sun was setting. "Is that a tunnel…?"
"Hey, I think I see another cave over there!" The guy pointed in the opposite direction. "Come on, let's check it out." He ran off before she could reply. She followed him, and they ran until they reached a small waterfall coming down against a cliff face. "Oh, it was just a hole in the cliff." He looked disappointed.
"Don't sweat it," she told him. "I'm not really looking for anything, remember?"
"Alright," he said. "Let's keep going." After a while of walking around, the arrived at a fork in the path.
"Left?" she asked him.
"Let's go right," he suggested, gesturing to the alternative path. She pressed her lips together.
"Okay then." They turned right and continued to walk. Soon, Natsumi began to get suspicious. He acts all passive and claims that he's following me, but he's actually very subtly leading, and I'm the one following him. Her ears pricked as she heard a rushing sound. "I hear water," she told him. "Let's check it out." She started towards the sound.
"It's probably just the stream," he called to her, not moving. "Let's go this way instead. I think I saw something move over there." Natsumi turned around, narrowing her eyes.
"I want to go to the water," she said. "I'm thirsty, anyway." She started again in that direction and he followed her silently. Soon, they arrived at the stream and she knelt down for a drink. The cool mountain water ran down her chin, and she wiped it off and stood up.
"Let's go back to the path now," the guy said, standing behind her.
"Wait, I want to see what's upstream," she told him.
"I don't think there's anything there," he said. There was an edge to his voice.
"I told you, I'm not looking for anything," she said sharply. "And you don't have to follow me everywhere." She turned around, only to find her path blocked.
"What are you doing?" she snapped. "I thought you were just 'coming along to make sure I don't get horribly lost?'"
"I get the feeling you're about to get horribly lost," he said simply, but his tone of voice implied that he was dropping the act. She opened to her mouth to ask who exactly he was, but closed it before she said a word, deciding that she didn't care.
"Out of my way," she snapped, shoving past him. She managed to take a few steps before the ground in front of her ruptured, dust rising into the air. After it cleared, she saw a bey spinning calmly in front of her. "Of course," she muttered. "You're a blader."
"So are you," he called from behind her. "Right?"
"No!" She turned to face him. "Not right! So let me go, okay?"
"I feel like we both have some explaining to do," he said. "Battling is the best way for two bladers to have a conversation."
"I'm not going to battle!" She pressed her lips together, staring at him desperately. "I'm tired, okay? Please just let me go." He stared back at her evenly, not moving. She clenched her fists together, looking around for anywhere she could run. Suddenly, a voice came down from the trees.
"That's enough," it said. Both Natsumi and the guy looked up as Tsubasa jumped down from a tree branch. Natsumi gaped at him as the man withdrew his bey. "What are you doing here?" she asked in disbelief.
"Did you really think I wouldn't follow you?" he said calmly. "I figured that if you were heading up here, Hyoma would give you some trouble." Natsumi glanced at the guy, who shrugged.
"It's been a while, Tsubasa," he said quietly.
"I can't believe this," Natsumi sighed, storming over to Hyoma. "Wherever we go, he always knows everyone."
"Alright, alright," said Hyoma. "What are both of you doing up here?"
"She speaks the truth," Tsubasa told him. "You're the one who's been lying here."
"I haven't been lying," Hyoma replied. "I haven't been saying much at all."
"Natsumi," Tsuabsa said, ignoring Hyoma. "Are you going to come back now?"
"Is that guy gone?" Natsumi asked, annoyed.
"Yeah, long gone," he told her. "Not exactly happy, but gone. He's not a fan of runners, nor are any of us." Natsumi rolled her eyes.
"Fine, whatever," she said. "Let's get out of here."
"Looks like you found your way out on you own," Hyoma said cheerfully.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," Natsumi snapped. "What were you trying to do, anyway?"
"He was trying to keep you away from KomaVillage," Tsubasa informed her. "There are a bunch of secret passageways that lead there, and he was afraid that you would discover one."
"Seriously?" She stared at Hyoma. "You could have just told me to leave, you know."
"Hey, you work how you want, I'll work how I want," he said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm off. Say hi to Gingka and the others for me, alright?" He gave them a short wave and trekked off through the trees.
"What a guy," Natsumi muttered. "I can't believe you guys are friends."
"He is kind of weird at times," Tsubasa agreed.
"Kind of?" She waved her arms. "What kind of person acts all friendly and travels with you and then suddenly attacks you out of the blue?"
"Sounds like something I would do," said Tsubasa. The two of them made their way down from the mountain and boarded the train once again. "Maybe we can get back before sundown." The train pulled away and began to rumble over the tracks into the sun. The mountains soon disappeared behind them and the tall skyscrapers of MetalCity came into view. They parted ways as the sun sank beneath the horizon, marking the end of another day.
"You got to see Hyoma?" Gingka stared at them in disbelief. "No fair! I should have gone with you!" Six friends sat in a diner enjoying a mid-afternoon snack.
"No way," Natsumi scoffed. "How can you be friends with a guy like that? He's crazy."
"Uh, Gingka, I have to agree," Madoka put in. "Remember the first time we met him? What a headache."
"He is a little over the top at times," said Gingka with a nod. "But that's just his way of doing things. I guess he thought he would just let you wander around, but he didn't want you to find the village, especially since you weren't looking for it."
"Sometimes you have to be bit crazy to do things right," Kenta added. "When we went to look for Gingka, Hyoma didn't know who we were. He wanted to make sure that we were actually good friends with Gingka before he let us come to the village."
"I feel like he's justified," said Tsubasa with a smile. "We're all good people, Natsumi."
"Yet the number of bladers surprise attacking me is increasing," Natsumi muttered. "You sure I shouldn't just leave?"
"You could leave, but would that stop them?" he reminded her. "Running isn't the answer."
"Spare me your life lessons," she sighed, putting her head down. "I don't want to hear them."
"Suit yourself," he replied. "Most people find my life lessons useful."
"I'm not saying they're not," she remarked. "I'm just saying I don't want to hear them."
"Like a bratty kid," he said with a smirk.
"Yes," she replied with a small smile. "Like a bratty kid."
Far away, red lightening flashed in the sky as storm clouds churned. A lone bey spun in the dirt, puncturing rocks and trees and the ground itself. Ryuga stood a few feet away, staring wildly at his bey. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, exhaling sharply. L-Drago rammed against another rock, but instead of breaking it, fell back onto the ground. Ryuga held out his hand and L-Drago flew towards it. About a foot away from his hand, the powerful bey slowed to a stop and fell onto its side. Cursing angrily, Ryuga grabbed the bey and stared at it. The metal was hot in his hands. He slammed it into the launcher and launched it again. The giant figure of a red dragon rose into the sky, circling menacingly. L-Drago wreaked destruction in the area, mowing down trees and plants and setting fire to everything in sight. And then, just like before, it wobbled to an unsteady stop and tipped over. The lightning flashed again and Ryuga let out a yell, falling to the ground. He clutched his sides, gritting his teeth, and called out to his bey. More lightening. More failure. Ryuga clambered over to where his bey had fell, pain searing through his head. He grabbed the bey and shoved it aggressively into his pocket.
Then he ran.
Oooh I wonder what's happeninggggg. Hyoma is amazing. Anyway, this story takes place a bit after Metal Fury (4D), but it's not really technically correct cause the world is not in ruins and beyblade is still reigning strong and Ryuga is still materialistically present. So it's basically as if nothing happened except cooler beys and awesome characters like Yuki. That's right, Yuki's awesome. So...yeah, hope you liked this chapter. Leave a review to tell me what you think!