The King of Blades

Chapter 8: It First Comes With the Need


Drigo returned to his team bench. "I honestly didn't think it could be this dire." He admitted. "In order to win this you three have to win the remaining matches. Good luck with that. They're at a total advantage. They can counter our blades with anything because they've built one for every situation."

Victor mused before speaking. "Hmm, not necessarily."

"What's on your head?" Daniel asked.

He knew that what Victor lacked in beyblading strength, speed and even defence, he often made up for in his vision. Not physical sight, but observation of his opponents behaviour and understanding of the physical mechanics, reach and limitations of their abilities. It was the only reason he could accept him as captain despite the fact that as far as he was concerned, he could beat Victor in the dish.

"They're not at an absolute advantage." Victor continued. "They have no information on us because this is our first official match so they do the next best thing." He paused.

"Out with it!" Drigo snapped more than a little frustrated from his loss. "We're in big trouble so forget about Daniel's 'Let revelations hang a bit' tendencies." Despite the truth of it, Daniel smirked at that.

Vic continued. "Okay okay, they seem to wait for us to draw first then visually assess our blades before picking what they think is a suitable counter. Both Lauren and Todd just did it with Craig and Drigo and they were right on the mark. There's a bit of luck involved of course but isn't that just like everything else?"

"Really eh? So this variable threat response style only works if they can identify the threat. Heh heh, I have an idea." Inga said smiling openly as she stood to approach the arena.

"For the Next-Gen's it's Inga going against Terry-Anne of the Tech's!" Jazzman came with the announcement. "Will both the bladers get ready!"

Inga took out her launcher and loaded her rip-cord into it then clicked her blade, Tavi HMS-Reflex into position. Terry-Anne, a red head with green eyes, watched for a few seconds then realization hit her and she visibly tensed. Inga still had one hand clasped around the blade and Terry-Anne couldn't see what it looked like never mind what style she used or what she did.

"Terry-Anne? Please draw your blade." Said Jazzman. Even then she still held her launcher without picking from the four blades holstered on her hip.

"What's wrong?" Inga asked unable to contain her mirth. "You know, you could always just guess and pick one."

Jazzman had enough and started the countdown regardless. Terry-Anne knowing she would forfeit if she didn't launch had no choice but to pick one and launch just in time. Hers was lime green with a gold attack ring. Their blades circled the dish for a bit.

"Hope she didn't guess right. Okay Tavi let's not waste time, I don't even want to know what this one can do. Reflex Feint!" Tavi's centre glowed red and the orange mongoose emerged in it's brilliant red aura. It bolted towards Terry-Anne's blade from the left then switched right at seemingly the last moment catching Terry-Anne completely off guard and sending her blade out of the beydish.

"Wow, what a short battle there and Inga wastes no time in bringing one back for her team!" Jazzman shouted with a roar from the crowd.

Terry-Anne recovered her blade. "I didn't even get to react, not that this was the blade for the job anyway." She turned back to her bench.

"Guess you were right then Vic." Inga said as she returned to her now relieved team mates.

"Yeah well done. you wrapped that up with aplomb. But they must have something up their sleeve now that we know though. We've been surprised by their smarts once, let's try to stay ahead by assuming the worst." Victor advised.

"Doesn't matter, I'll take this round." Daniel declared rising and making his way over to the edge of the arena.

"It's Daniel of the Next-Gens versus Troy of the Tech's."

As they prepared their gear Troy spoke first. He was relatively tall compared to Daniel but not by much and had shoulder length brown hair and eyes. "I know you think hiding you blade will help..." He stopped when he saw Daniel hold his blade in open air. "I see, that confident eh?" He took out his blue blade that turned white halfway down the base.

Jazzman counted down and they both got off to flying start attacking each other right off the mark. Sparks flew as they collided again and again. Fenrir had a little bit more power though and pushed the opposing blade back towards the edge of the arena and with one big hit sent it to the edge.

"Fenrir finish it now." The black blade charged forward and just before hitting the blue one Troy pressed a button on his launcher.

"Jump gear!" He shouted and his blade shot up very high into the air, about four metres, as Fenrir missed and ended up at the edge itself while Troy's blade landed safely in the centre of the dish.

"That's a nice trick." came Daniel's sarcastic reply hiding that he had been caught off guard. Shit, beyblades don't just jump.

"Glad you like it." Troy returned smoothly. "This is Hydro-coil VTR-Jump, my engine gear is now a 'jump gear' of sorts made of a spring loaded micro hydraulic piston which provides tremendous jumping power. It provides defence against your blade's two dimensional ground movement."

"Nice nice," Daniel said seemingly unfazed as Fenrir shot towards the opposite end of the dish and ramped not quite as high as Hydro-coil jumped, then came back down the ramp hurtling towards it across the dish. "The trouble with something like that is you probably can't give an encore!"

Fenrir zipped under Hydro-coil as it once again shot up high into the air leaving Daniel flabbergasted. Troy smirked.

"Ha! You think such a tiny technicality could escape me. Sorry but your thinking is not in the same league." His blade then tilted mid air and came down the ramp at higher velocity than Fenrir did with the same boomerang technique and slammed Fenrir so hard it was sent to the edge of the dish where it teetered almost leaving the dish before it recovered.

"How? That's a spring loaded hydraulic, it should only load once?" Daniel asked.

"True but the same latch that releases it when re-attached also connects it to a screw shaft that uses the beyblades spin to literally screw back the mini piston thus recompressing it until I release the latch again." Troy replied smugly.

Daniel wasn't about to admit it, but he found himself increasingly impressed with this team and their methods. I'm not about to lose this after showing such confidence or to give this guy the satisfaction. Seems I have to get serious now.

"Okay now I'll show you what Fenrir's all about."

Black wisps came out of the top of the black blade followed by the eruption of the black wolf as it charged towards Hydro-coil with a black aura surrounding the blade like smoke, not thick but wispy. Troy wasn't about to find what that would do and once again released the jump gear sending Hydro-coil into the air. But Fenrir moved directly onto the spot where he had been and was placed directly under Troy's blade.

"Nether Switch." Daniel barked as two thin tendrils of the black energy had reached out to surrounded Hydro-coil in the same wispy aura around Fenrir within less than a split second, and in that very moment Fenrir was Hydro-coil and Hydro-coil was Fenrir.

The rest of the Tech's and even the NG's opened their eyes wide in shock.

"They switched." Victor said in astonishment. "That's why his few losses have never been ring outs."

Troy couldn't close his mouth as Fenrir was now soaring above Hydro-coil when it should have been vice versa.

"I'm not done yet." Declared Daniel now confident. "Finish it Fenrir, Black Fang."

Increased gravity overwhelmed Fenrir and sent it zooming down crashing onto Hydro-coil heavily and causing a shower of sparks. A little piece of Troy's blade chipped off as it was seen lying on it's side in the ring with Fenrir spinning beside it.

"Winner Daniel!" Came Jazzman. "And done with style too, even I can't be sure what happened there. It's now a tie for points at two per team. The final match will decide who receives what could be that single vital point at a later stage."

Troy retrieved his blade and saw that large crack in it and looked up to see Daniel's back as he walked off to his team bench.

"Well done man, at least now we made a comeback." Said Craig happily.

"Yeah." Daniel replied passively. "Now it's up to Captain here to finish it up."

Bastard. Vic thought, although in jest. That's why he so quickly avoided taking the last match. Now I'm the one with the responsibility of breaking a tie in our favour.

"For the last battle in this match we have Victor going up against Jason."

Jason stepped up. He was only slightly shorter than Troy but more muscular despite his seemingly scholarly and spectacled face. Victor loaded Carbuncle onto his launcher then was surprised when Jason didn't even give his blade a look but instead pull out a large weird launcher that seemed like a small motor and loaded an orange blade with a stainless steel attack ring onto it.

Victor was now worried. "What the hell is that?" He asked.

Jason smiled happily, but it didn't seem smug, more like he was genuinely glad someone had asked. "Why this is my Hi-Rev VTR-assault and my custom launcher. It turns up the revolutions through the roof."

Vic just stared. Barely legal Daniel said? "That can't be legal." He stated.

"It is. Just as legal as that wolf of your friend back there, just as legal as your bit-beast, not true?"

Before Vic could reply Jazzman counted down. "Here we go. Three, two, one, let it rip!"

Victor launched Carbuncle into the large arena and Jason did the same with his launcher sounding like a chainsaw and Hi-rev shooting into the dish like a bullet. Carbuncle attacked but Hi-rev dodged it before doubling around and hitting Carbuncle solidly.

Holy crap, this is just like fighting Inga except his blade's rev's are putting out a lot more power so it's actually worse. "Come on Carbuncle." He cheered his blade.

This trend went on for a while longer and it was very clear that Victor was getting out-matched badly, seeing as he couldn't hit Hi-rev but he couldn't evade it either.

"I'm not the type to taunt so I'll try to wrap this up." Jason spoke sincerely then let loose with a barrage of knocks on Carbuncle clearly intending to finish it off and doing a great job of it.

Damn. Vic thought. I can't do anything to defend against him. I'm going to lose this for my team. It's only one point, but what if it's important later? No, I can't let them down, not now I refuse, but I just wish I could find a way to make him stop hitting me!

At that point a bluish/green glow shot out from the top of Victor's blade and spread when Carbuncle erupted from it. The mouse-like creature had long bristles for a tail, long ears and hind legs and a large red ruby embedded in it's forehead.

"Wow." Jason said admiring Carbuncle. But his blade charged forward anyway.

Even Victor was staring at it. Carbuncle then curled into a ball and disappeared in a green coruscation and so did the blade.

"Huh it vanished?" Jason was bewildered as he scanned the area not seeing him. Carbuncle reappeared at the other end of the dish.

Hi-rev dashed over to it quickly but it disappeared again and Hi-rev missed. Carbuncle appeared yet again in the centre of the dish. "What's happening?" Jason seemed baffled.

Victor on the other hand was just getting to understand his situation. I see now. Carbuncle activated simply because I was so desperate not to lose and I needed Carbuncle. 'It first comes with the need.' That idiot was actually right about it. Both times just now, I unintentionally willed Carbuncle to disappear because I didn't want to get hit, lets see if I can do the same if I don't want him to see me coming.

Carbuncle moved towards Hi-rev and Vic willed it to vanish mid distance and it did. He then veered off to the left and struck Hi-rev from there. Hi-rev came with a counter attack only to meet fresh air as Carbuncle turned invisible and evaded yet again. Vic repeated this process multiple times in order to frustrate Jason until finally making Carbuncle appear near the edge of the dish. Jason aggressively steered his blade towards Carbuncle who then proceeded to vanish and move around Hi-rev then came at the unsuspecting blade hard from behind sending him to the edge and out of the dish.

"Winner by ring out, Victor!" Jazzman exclaimed. "And an exciting match it was, what a comeback victory from the Next-Gen Rippers but not a bad consolation for Tech heads either, they leave with two well earned points." The spectators roared in acknowledgement and Victor soaked it like a sponge.

Victor called Carbuncle back to him and kissed the bit-chip. "You've finally awakened. I don't know what else you can do but we'll learn together." The bit-chip gave a cyan glow in acknowledgement.

"Woo hoo you did it." Inga rejoiced as she approached with the rest of the team.

"Our first victory. Alright!" Craig and Drigo cheered while Daniel approached Vic and spoke.

"Interesting ability that was. This tournament's already full of surprises. But right now someone mentioned us eating out if we won today."

"Yup." Inga chirped. "To celebrate our first victory, we're going to a place called Maloney's."

Just then the opposing team approached.

Lauren looked at them then broke into a smile. "Well done you guys."

Victor responded. "Thanks, but the real kudos goes to you for your extraordinary talents with blades. We might not have won if we'd had any matches before this and you'd seen our blades."

Drigo apologised to Todd. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted earlier...I.."

"Relax." Todd broke in. "It's an awful style of play I know. It gets results but it is awful, don't sweat it."

Terry-Anne was already exchanging words an giggles with Inga.

Troy approached Daniel. "You tosser. You damaged my blade. This isn't just a replaceable toy like yours, I made it myself. It's a true mechanical marvel." He spoke in an unserious manner.

"Hey, you should be glad I did that for you pal. I give it only to opponents I respect. The 'Mark of the Wolves' is proof of my Fang. A souvenir to remind you that you lost to me." Daniel joked back.

Craig walked over to Lauren. "Hey if you don't have other plans for the night, why don't you come out with us?"

Everyone stopped and stared at Craig including Lauren.

"Your whole team that is...that's what I meant. Ahem." Craig quickly corrected.

"That's no a bad idea." Lauren replied as they all left the noise of the arena.


Author's Notes:Well that's that battle done. Phew! It had to be detailed so you could understand just how the Tech Heads equipment worked and in truth it was quite fun to write but I'm glad to have finished it. Anyway please please please review! It takes only a second and I'd like to know what you think of the story so far. I'm trying to update as fast as I can but it's a little disheartening with no responses, hell even flames are welcome. Never the less, I shall continue.