Chapter 2
"Well so much for a "friendly" match." Tyson grumbled when the BladeBreakers returned to his home. Everyone simply shook their head and shrugged.
"I think they left so that you wouldn't be embarrassed, Tyson," Dizzy retorted from her open computer screen. Tyson said nothing, merely snorted.
"We didn't know it meant that much to you."
Everyone jumped, even Kai. They turned their attention over to the open door and the two figures leaning against the doorframe. "What gives you the right to just come barging in here!" Tyson shouted, getting to his feet in a rush.
Amara and Michelle looked at him blankly. "The door was open and we heard you guys talking."
"We called to see if we could come in, but no one answered us," Michelle added, shrugging.
No one said anything at this, just turned to each other quizzically. "Why do you keep following us around?" Rei asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
If the Black Wings were offended, they didn't show it. "You guys are… intriguing," Amara stated, getting a slight shrug from Michelle and a confused look from everybody else.
"Look, we're just trying to make sure you guys stay safe okay?" Michelle said hotly, her anger raising at all the confusion.
"'Stay safe?'" Max mimicked, "What do you mean by that?"
Amara sighed, "Just never mind." She turned to Michelle and they bowed low out of respect again, "We've spent too much time here already. We'll see you at the next tourney if not sooner." With that said, they we gone.
Chapter 2
"Get up you lazy bum!" Hilary shouted in Tyson's ear. He rose with a jump, yawning as he turned to his loudmouth friend.
"What now, Hilary?" He asked through another yawn.
Hilary grumbled out of frustration, "Everyone left to go train hours ago! For once can't you be on time!"
As if sitting on hot coals, Tyson jumped to his feet and ran out the door, grabbing a piece of bread on the way out. "Well, aren't you coming?" He asked through swallows. Hilary just sighed and ran after him.
§§
"Why do you always-" Tyson began, but was stopped short when he saw who joined Kenny, Rei, Kai, and Max near the dish. "Amara! Michelle! What are you two doing here?"
"Hm?" Michelle turned her attention away from the battle between Rei and Kai to see where the shout had come from. "Oh, hello Tyson. Or is good morning more appropriate?"
Amara simply shook her head, "Late as usual."
"Why you-"
"Just forget it, Tyson. Max has been waiting all morning for your battle," Kenny, sitting Indian style on the ground with Dizzy open on his lap, ordered. Tyson grumbled, but made no further argument and hurried over to the dish, Hilary following.
Rei and Kai, never losing focus even when Tyson made his belated appearance, shouted orders to their already summoned bit beasts. The blades hit each other in midair, causing a bright flash of light to explode from the center of contact. The group shielded their eyes until it resided and left their blades spinning in the dish, clearly unharmed.
"Your blade didn't come down straight, Rei. You may want to work on that before it would cost you," Michelle commented, her arms folded across her chest.
"Kai, yours was off balance as well, but not as much as Rei's. You both may want to perfect that," Amara commented from beside Michelle.
Tyson and Max turned to each other, confused on how they could see what was going on with the bright flash blocking their view. They merely shrugged, however, not knowing very much about this duo.
"Right. Drigger, Tiger Claw!" Rei shouted and his bitbeast sped at Kai's with full force.
"Dranzer, Flame Sabre!" Kai commanded, his bitbeast engulfing itself in flames and speeding towards Drigger.
The blades met in another flash of bright light, and when it resided, both blades were now resting in the hands of their owners.
"Well done you two!" Kenny praised as he pushed a few buttons on the keyboard.
"You're both looking better," remarked Dizzy as Kenny added a few more things into her hard drive.
"Well, you'd better be looking better, considering the fact that you have a tournament in the United States in a few weeks." Amara walked over towards Kenny, glancing down at Dizzy to see what he was putting in.
Michelle nodded her agreement before returning her attention to Tyson and Max. "You two up for a match?" Both nodded eagerly and raced over, taking the now-vacant spots on opposite sides of the dish. "Alright then. Kenny, you ready?"
"As ready as we'll every be," grumbled Dizzy.
"Bladers to your marks? Begin." Both BladeBreakers looked at Michelle quizzically when she didn't use the common 3, 2, 1 count and "Let it rip" to start the duel, but began anyway when she made no notion to say anything more.
"Hey!" The bladers stopped short when they heard the shout. All of the group looked to the top of the hill to see the smiling face of an aqua-haired boy named Zeo.
"Zeo!" Tyson said in excitement, having become close to this younger blader since their last battle in the previous world championship.
Zeo ran down to the group, his long hair, braided back, swayed along behind him. He stopped in front of Tyson, embracing him with a handshake, before returning back to the others and nodding a greeting. His attention crossed over to Amara and Michelle. He nodded a hello, though it was clear that he was unsure of what to say.
"I'm Amara and this is my blading partner Michelle." Zeo nodded once again to each of them, getting a nod and a small bow in return.
"What are you doing out here, Zeo? I thought you and your dad went somewhere for the week?" Max spoke up, releasing the tension that was clearly building.
"My dad got called on business work halfway into the week. They said it was an emergency so we had to come back early." He finished with a small sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear that Zeo," Kenny replied, closing Dizzy for the time being.
"It's okay. I'm used to these kinds of things."
"Anyway, on a lighter note, you want to battle?" Tyson asked excitedly, always up for a skirmish with a fellow teammate.
"Nah, not now Tyson. I got to get going. I promised my dad that I'd meet him out to eat. Nice to see you all again! Hopefully I can stay longer next time. Bye!" With that said he raced back up the hill and out of sight.
The team waved until he was gone before returning to their practice.
§§
"Will you guys be around tomorrow?" Kenny asked Michelle, folding up Dizzy after another well-fought battle by Tyson and Max.
"We'll see what's going on," she replied simply.
"Probably not," Amara remarked after Michelle, causing everyone to focus their attention on her. "Michelle and I have a few things to do tomorrow that will take up most of our day." She turned to Michelle when she said this, making direct eye contact. Michelle merely nodded, as if she read her mind. "You guys have another tournament tomorrow correct?"
"Yeah, it's in a town near here. I heard Mr. Dickinson is sending a bus for us. We're suppose to be up at-"
"Seven, I think," Rei finished for Kenny.
"Seven!" Tyson exclaimed, his mouth agape.
"What? Too early for you, Tyson?" Kai remarked, a slight hint of mockery in his tone.
Tyson turned to his fellow comrade, "Yeah." He sighed, following the already retreating Max and Hilary up the hill.
"Well, good luck then," Michelle stated politely. "However, even though you are the "World Champs" it would be wise to be prepared and not take your opponents lightly."
"We'll be fine," Kenny said with all confidence. "Just as long as Tyson gets a good meal in the morning that is."
Kai, Rei, Kenny, and the Black Wings exchanged a small smile at the remark before departing ways.
"That was him wasn't it?" Michelle stated more than asked. "The one with Cerberus."
Amara nodded in response. "We must give him back to his true owner."
"Yes, I think so too. However, if we were to do so then we may get in bad with the BladeBreakers, and that's one thing that we cannot do."
"This I know, but our work must be finished before we make ties with the team." Michelle nodded, following Amara away from the squad and out of sight.
§§
"Tyson c'mon! You're going to make us late again!" Max shouted with a sigh.
Tyson blinked a few times before answering tiredly, "Yeah, yeah. I'm up." He rolled out of his sleeping pallet and got dressed before meeting the rest of the team outside in his front yard. The BBA (Beyblading Association) bus was positioned at the front gate. The BladeBreakers piled inside, taking their seats. Tyson sat next to Max and Hilary took her spot next to Kenny, while Kai and Rei took seats of their own.
"Hey! Wait up! I'm coming too!"
"Huh?" Tyson leaned out of the open window to see Zeo running towards the bus. "Heh, morning Zeo!"
"Morning Tyson," Zeo replied as he climbed into the bus and took a seat in front of him.
With everyone on, the bus started and drove away.
"It figures that would have happened," Michelle scowled as her and Amara watched the bus drive out of sight. "It seems we're going to the tournament after all."
"So it seems…" Amara replied just as grimly. They exchanged one quick nod before leaping out of their hiding spot up in a tree and headed over to the nearest BBA station, hoping to catch another bus before they all left.
"What! You're in the tournament! You should have left at least an hour ago!"
"I know sir and we apologize. Our father was suppose to take us, but he got ill this morning and he wasn't able to." Michelle stood at the counter, telling a story that seemed to be working. Amara stood off to the side, looking wearily around the BBA.
"Well, we do have one bus left that would be able to transport you in time, though it is full of Beyblading fans and may be a bit packed," the clerk said after a long pause.
"That's fine. When does it leave?" Amara asked impatiently.
"In about five minutes."
"Very well then. We'll wait for it outside." Michelle gave a small nod of gratitude before exiting the building and joining Amara outside. "Great," she muttered, "we're stuck with a bunch of annoying idiots."
"At least we're getting somewhere," Amara replied dryly, getting irritated by the whole ordeal.
"You know there was another-"
"We aren't going to use that alternative unless it is absolutely necessary. We are not going to be lollygagging around like that until we are forced to do so. Understand?" Amara turned to Michelle, expecting a nod and an "okay", but what she got was a glare.
"You don't have to tell me the rules, I know them well enough. I was just simply stating our options was all. Sometimes I fear your anger gets the best of you and the only one here to let it out on is me." Michelle turned her attention away to the coming automobile. Without another look at Amara she walked onto the bus and took one of the two last remaining seats.
Amara followed after a short pause, digesting Michelle's words before taking the seat next to her. "I'm just trying to focus."
"Well, don't focus too hard. Instinct is all you need."
§§
"Here's our stop." The bus slowed as Hilary turned and poked Tyson awake.
They filed out with a yawn, no eye not drowsy from the long ride. "Finally!"
"I'll admit that took longer then I thought..." Kenny said with a yawn.
"I couldn't agree more, chief," Rei approved, being the last one off the bus before it drove away.
They turned their attention away from the departing vehicle to the many shouting fans before them. Tyson, wearing his normal happy expression, laughed as some kids ran over to get his autograph. "Watch and learn you guys!"
"I'm glad to see that Tyson's humble about his popularity…" Kai muttered under his breath, causing the other members to only sigh in agreement.
"Welcome one and all to the MidSea tournament, hosted by yours truly!" Everyone turned to regard the announcer for the tourney and welcomed him with cheers. "We are pleased to announce that our very own BladeBreakers are here to enjoy the show!" The crowd cheered again and the BladeBreakers stepped forward.
"It's great to be here! We're all expecting a good show out of ya, so give it your best!" Tyson declared, opening the tournament with a bang.
"Of course he gives all the speeches," Michelle scoffed as she stepped off the bus, Amara following close behind.
"I'm so sorry we missed it," Amara replied mockingly, making her way over to the registration table.
"I have to go sign in. I'll see you guys later!" Zeo announced, racing over to get his seat in the tournament.
Michelle took a sidelong glance at Zeo, but didn't hold it for long. She smirked before walking off in the other direction.
" I thought Amara said that her and Michelle would be busy today?" Max wondered aloud, pointing the others towards the duo.
"Ah, who cares?" Tyson sneered, walking into the area without another word. The others looked at each other and shrugged, following him inside.
§§
Amara yawned, "They always have to make these tournaments so boring."
"I agree…" Michelle replied with a sigh, adjusting the attack ring on her blade. "When do you verse Zeo?"
"Next match." Amara leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
"Are you going to take it with them sitting there?" Michelle stood up and tucked her blade under her cloak.
"I don't have a choice."
"You can always destroy the blade, that way he'll leave on his own and we'll just call him back."
"I guess that would be a wiser move. Easier and wiser."
"All I ask is that you don't fail."
Amara got up in a rush and grabbed the scruff of Michelle's cloak, "What's that suppose to mean!"
Michelle matched her gaze calmly, "All I'm saying is don't lose your head." Amara reluctantly let go and Michelle left without another word.
Amara watched her go with a sigh, "I hate it when she does that."
"She's only worried about you." A voice replied, speaking into Amara's mind.
"I know. That's why I hate it."
"Next up is Amara of the Black Wings verses Zeo, the runner-up of last year's World Championship!"
"That's my cue." Amara stood up and grabbed her blade.
" Our cue."
"Right, our cue."
The crowd roared to life as the two competitors took their positions. "May the best blader win, Amara." Zeo drew his Cerberus and readied to launch.
"Hmpf."
"3... 2... 1... Let it rip!" the DJ announced and watched closely as the blades spun into the dish.
"It figures that Amara would be matched up with Zeo," Tyson grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.
"You make it sound as if it's a bad thing," Michelle shouted up at him, watching the dual from the arena floor. "I think it's a good way for Zeo to get some experience."
"She's got a point you know," Dizzy commented, drawing away from Kenny's stats for a moment. "She may end up helping him."
"However," Michelle went on, ignoring Dizzy's inputs, "it's experience he'll never be able to use."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Kai asked, glaring down at the Black Wing.
Michelle merely smirked and pointed to the match. "See for yourself, Phoenix."
Kai did just that, shifting away from Michelle to watch what was transpiring, but what he saw wasn't what he was expecting. Amara was clothed in a black and red half breastplate with black pants and armored boots. The boots, seeming to be made out of the shadows themselves, went up to just below her knees. Her cloak swayed at her shoulders, blowing her deep crimson-bronze hair, which she brushed back absently with a leather-gloved hand. A blackish-red aura shifted around her, engulfing her in fire and darkness. A shapeless form caught Kai's attention before it altered its form and turned into a pair of, "Dragon wings," Kai confirmed. Though he could not see them, he could feel the fire in Amara's forest green eyes as if she were looking into his very soul. He gasped, coming out of the trance in a flash.
"You alright?" Rei asked, turning to his comrade suspiciously.
"Hmpf," Kai replied simply, turning away from his friend. He looked over at the dish and caught Amara's gaze. He stiffened, seeing the same fire in those eyes as he had just felt a moment before. Amara's eyes narrowed, revealing her pupils as small slits.
"Stop looking around and finish the job!" Michelle shouted, making Kai snap out of his trance once more.
Amara glanced at her companion and shared a nod before returning to Zeo and the match. Zeo encouraged Cerberus confidently, having called him out early to gain the control that he still held. "I'm sorry to crush your spirits, Zeo, but the battle is done." Amara's eyes turned amber, taking the observant Zeo by surprise. "Tiamat!" Amara's blade suddenly charged to life, pushing Cerberus along easily. "This is the end, Zeo." Her blade collided with Zeo's, shattering the blade in one quick movement. Cerberus roared over head, flashing in and out of existence before disappearing entirely.
Zeo stared at the ceiling in disbelief. "C-Cerberus! Cerberus!" he shouted, trying to call his partner back, but knowing it was no use.
§§
"How dare you!" Hilary shouted, running up to Amara with her hands clenched. "How dare you do that to Zeo!"
"How could you do that? You know how much a bitbeast means to its blader!" Max protested, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Why you!" Tyson now joined the fray, stopping right in front of Amara and Michelle. "I can't believe you just did that!"
"Why not?" Michelle asked calmly, the tension leaving in a rush. "Why can't you believe any of this? I know that you never trusted us from the very first time you saw us battling. Why is this a shock?"
No one responded. "We are sorry you had to get involved with this." Amara looked at each one, her eyes slowly returning to their forest green color. "But it was something that needed to be done."
"Needed to be done! You destroyed Zeo's bitbeast! You took something away from him that no one has the right to do!" Hilary advanced on the duo, but Kenny held her back.
"How dare you say that we took Cerberus from him when he was the one-"
"Amara, enough," Michelle ordered, noticing that her companion was changing again. "Now is not the time nor the place for such things. We will hear no more out of any of you."
When they turned to go Tyson reached for Michelle's arm, trying to stop her before they got too far. A shock ran throughout his body, forcing him to let go. He gasped and fought for breath as they walked out of sight.
§§
"Why would you do such a thing!" Kai shouted as he launched his blade. Dranzer bounced off a tree before landing back in front of him still spinning. He picked up the blade and looked at the bitbeast in the center. "I just don't get it, Dranzer."
"We didn't expect you to this soon."
Kai bolted around only to come face to face with Amara. He took a step back, startled. "Why not?"
Amara sighed, "Because things have just been set into motion."
Kai looked at her quizzically, but Amara said nothing more. Kai looked back down at Dranzer, "Then at least tell me why you are here, why you are bothering us."
"Now is not the time."
Kai turned to face her once again, but she was gone. "Hmpf…" He turned and walked away.
§§
"You seem to have taken an interest in that boy." Amara turned to see the ever-observant Michelle sitting up in a tree not far down the path.
"He's kinda like us, you know."
"What? Follows orders because he has no other choice? Or rebels against them not caring about the consequences."
"Both. Like I said just like us." Amara said nothing more, launching an empty blade onto the pavement. She watched it spin for a while before launching her own blade. "Tiamat, we have business to attend to."
"Very well. I will find him."
"Good," Amara said aloud, letting Michelle know that things were progressing smoothly.
Suddenly Amara's blade began to glow a crimson red, which averted Amara's and Michelle's gaze to the blade then upward into the sky. Tiamat was stretched out before them, an elegant yet powerful dragon that turned the sky a dark gray when he emerged. His wings flapped effortlessly at his sides, causing his onyx scales to shimmer slightly with the small amount of light that was touching them. His ruby eyes caught that of his master's before he slowly descended. He touched down lightly and Amara patted his head approvingly as if he was truly a solid being.
Another form glowed brightly in the sky, enveloped in a ring of black fire and screeching in pain. Tiamat snarled loudly, causing the form to cease its struggling and crying. "Well done, Tiamat"
"Thank you."
The empty blade was drawn to Cerberus' essence and drew him in, capturing him inside. The blade stopped its spinning immediately. Amara picked it up and tossed it to Michelle who jumped down from the tree and put it safely under her cloak.
Amara nodded to Tiamat and he disappeared entirely, the sky returning to its beautiful hues of pink and purple and the sun showering its last rays of light upon them.
"A job well done, Amara."
§§
"Ugh! This just doesn't make any sense!" Kenny pulled at his hair, frustration consuming him like a wild fire. "Zeo should have beat Amara ten times over!"
"Maybe you should get some rest, Chief. You have been up all-"
"He clearly had more strength, agility, and dexterity!" Kenny continued despite Dizzy's suggestion. "Amara's blade wasn't even strong enough to beat the weakest blader there, but she shattered Zeo's blade in a matter of seconds!"
"Then she is not as weak as you supposed she was. Clearly she-"
"Should not have won!" Kenny finished, drawing an angry sigh from Dizzy. "Her blade stats didn't even rise when she attacked and Zeo's didn't fall either. It just doesn't add up!" Kenny hands went to his head again, trying to solve something that didn't want to be solved.
"Look here, Chief." Dizzy replayed the final attack done by Amara and stopped just before the blades hit. "There seems to be a small defect in Zeo's defense ring. With enough force on that exact spot, well, you know the outcome." She finished the recording and Kenny had to see the devastating conclusion once more.
"So you're telling me that she saw the weak spot, that small crack, on a spinning blade ten feet from her and that's about the size of her hand!"
"I'm saying that's why Zeo lost. I don't know what she saw, or what she was thinking; I only see what happens when they execute those thoughts."
Kenny watched the replay again before sighing. "I'm going to bed."
"Good idea."
§§
Amara slowly opened her eyes and, to Michelle's amusement, came face to face with a squirrel. "Bug off," she hissed and sat up.
"Not a morning person?" Michelle mused.
"Depends on the morning is all." Amara got to her feet, stretching out the kinks in her back before plopping down next to Michelle.
"This was your idea remember."
"You agreed," Amara responded simply.
"Fair enough." Michelle turned her attention away from Amara to the rising sun in front of her and the clouds that soon covered it. "It's going to rain again."
"I'm overjoyed." Amara replied sarcastically.
"I knew you would be," Michelle said with a smirk.
"Michelle, I was just informed on our next target."
Michelle's expression turned serious as she leaned up against a nearby tree, "Who is it?"
"We must capture and contain the Ice Wolf. He is positioned in the United States."
"At the tournament most likely. Very well, Bahamut. Thank you."
"Be careful, Michelle."
"I will." Michelle turned to Amara, knowing that she had just heard the same news from Tiamat as well. They exchanged a nod before going over to their things.
§§
Kenny arose to the familiar sound of rain hitting against his window. He stood with a groan and rubbed his eyes. He yawned before finally figuring out what day it was. "Ah! It's Monday! School! What time is it!"
"Relax, Chief." Dizzy yawned, Kenny having forgotten to close her the night before. "It's summertime remember?"
Kenny blushed, feeling extremely stupid now. "Well, we'd better head over to Tyson's before he comes barging over here."
"And we know how fun that is…" Dizzy remarked sarcastically.
Kenny rolled out of bed and looked at the clock, "Noon!" He quickly got to his feet and changed, hopping down the stairs while trying to put on his socks and hold on to Dizzy at the same time. "Mom, I'm going out. Bye!" He yelled and slammed the door.
"Why does he always have to leave when it's raining?" Kenny's mom thought aloud.
"Hey dude! You're up late this morning." Grandpa waved a hello as Kenny rushed into the yard.
"Oh, morning Grandpa. Where is everyone?"
"They're all inside. Actin' pretty serious this morning if you ask me."
Kenny thought about what he said for a moment before nodding his thanks and heading off towards Tyson's room. He opened the door slowly and entered. "Morning guys."
Everyone turned to regard him but Max was the first to speak. "Don't you mean good afternoon, Kenny?" he mused and the others added a small smile at the comment.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I was up late last night."
"Weren't we all?" Rei stated more that asked, sighing as he leaned back against the wall behind him. "I barely slept a wink."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I woke up at least every hour," Hillary said with a yawn.
"Did you find anything on Dizzy that might help explain what's going on?" Kai asked from his spot across the room. Like usual he was leaning comfortably against the wall, but walked over once Kenny opened Dizzy.
"Yeah, we did find some stuff, but it still doesn't make any of this easier to understand." Kenny explained about the defect in the defense ring and how Amara seemed to pinpoint it out and use it to her advantage. The bladers looked from one to the other, wondering how she could do such a thing, but then sighed, knowing that it didn't matter anymore.
"What's done is done," Rei recognized at last. "There's nothing we can do about it now."
"I just feel so betrayed." Everyone turned to Max at that statement, looking at him curiously. "I mean they helped us, watched us, and even hung around with us and then…" He let the rest of his sentence linger.
"It's like they used us to get to Zeo," Tyson realized, his hands clenching into fists.
"They probably did. I never trusted them from the start! I mean c'mon, how can you trust anyone that's been stalking you for the past few days!" Hilary blurted.
"They weren't exactly stalking us," Rei put in.
"More like they were merely coincidences," Kai finalized but the others didn't seem as convinced.
"They were always waiting for us to show up. How is that a coincidence!" Hillary shouted again.
No one responded, not knowing how to respond.
"But why would they want to do something like that to Zeo? I mean it as if they did it for the fun of it." Max asked, breaking the silence that had passed between them.
"They'd never do something without having a purpose behind it," Kai remarked again.
"And since when did you have such an insight on what they were doing?" Hillary asked, quite annoyed. Kai made no response.
"Calm down Hillary, I think Kai has a point. If they were truly doing all of that for fun then they would have destroyed every bitbeast that they encountered this far, but they haven't. As far as we know Zeo's the only one." The others nodded at Rei's reasoning and said nothing more on the matter.
"Just to get off the subject, " Kenny began, causing everyone to look at him, "don't you think you should all be training? I mean the United States Tournament is next week already."
"That soon?" Rei asked.
"Yes, and we are leaving the day after tomorrow, Wednesday. So we'd better get a few rounds in today 'cause we're probably going to be packing tomorrow."
Everyone sighed, but knew that Kenny's analysis was right. They stood up and walked outside to begin practice, though they didn't think anyone would be able to stay focused today.