The Other Side of the Story

Summary: After the BEGA incident, Reine finds herself unable to cope with the blind side of the world which turning away from all that's been done and will happen with the sport of beyblade. As a new BBA program was set into action, she finds herself, along with her beyblade-hating town, stuck as the proto-type. The BBA program was made to help blader-haters all over the world to cope and even get to love beyblading as a sport. Reine finds herself in the middle of things when the bladers chose her school for their first experiment? What would happen when you throw beybladers at blader-hating mobs? Nothing pretty.

Disclaimer: I don't earn Beyblade. I do own my OC's as well as the plot.

Pairings: Still uncertain but I'll work it out soon so just keep reading. ;-D

Rating: T for mild swearing

Quick AN: This story is told in multiple point-of-views so the key below should help to determine what's being said. I hope it's not too confusing.

(action)
'thoughts'
"talking"

Chapter 3 – Semester of Hell

Reine's POV

The shrill call of a whistle broke through the steely silence of my concentration. Groaning softly, I stood up from doing the splits for the last minute. Catching sight of Eris waving good-bye at Tamayo, I jogged over to join her.

"Lucky bitch. Athletics is so much better than gym."

I cocked an eyebrow at Tamayo's comment.

"How is she 'luckier' to have Athletics? They run more and barely get any breaks. Gym is a knock-off class."

Tamayo turned and stared at me.

"You mean you haven't heard?"

I looked at her questioningly.

"Heard what?"

Tamayo sighed.

"We're learning to beyblade for the first semester. It's a must. They're also opening a blading club," Tamayo told me in a monotonous voice, obviously displeased at this turn of events. "The only people who aren't forced to learn are the people in Athletics, which brings me back to my current point: Eris is lucky to have Athletics instead of gym."

I openly winced at my unlucky position.

'Damn! I'll have to blade now!'

Another shrill call of the whistle stopped interrupted our impromptu conversation.

'Here we go. Time to face hell,' I thought remorsefully. I was looking forward to archery, which is usually what we start off the first semester with in gym.

"Alright people! Line up along the wall for role call!" the gym teacher, Coach Kukasaki shouted. People mumbled under their breath as they did what they were told, everyone trying to keep a good distance away from the bladers, so in the end, the line had a large gap in the middle separating the regular students of Tochinomaki high from the foreign bladers. Coach Kukasaki just ignored the gap and called role call like he did everyday for the past year.

"Reine Tanaka!" he called.

"Here," I mumbled, trying to sound as small as possible, avoiding attention in any possible way.

"Tamayo Tsukai!" he belted.

"Here," Tamayo drawled slowly, obviously bored by the routine.

This procedure continued for another minute before he called the last name on the list.

"Tala Valkov!"

"Here," a cold voice answered. Coach Kukasaki looked up briefly and saw the lazy yet cold look given to him by a vibrant red-haired youth. He quickly placed a check next to the name before putting the clipboard down.

"Alright kiddos! This is what we're going to do this semester. I know you will not like it, most of you," he quickly corrected, shooting a quick glance at the bladers before continuing, "and I don't want to hear any complaints." He paused for effect before he announced the dreaded statement that will make the current semester of their gym course a living hell.

"This semester, we'll be doing something new. This was recommended to the school board by the BBA organization. We are the beta-testers for this new program to promote beyblading so for this entire semester, we will all be learning to blade." He placed an extra emphasize on 'all' to let everyone know that this class isn't the only one that's suffering.

"The BBA has kindly sent us some professional bladers to tutor us. I will be splitting you into different groups to work with individual bladers. Bladers, please step forward."

The entire half of the role call line separated by the gap stepped forward. The coach cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Please step forward one at a time and introduce yourself. Let's start with you, sir, at the end of the line."

Coach Kukasaki gestured to Max, who stood at the farthest end away from him. Max smiled cheerfully and stepped forward.

"Max Mizuhara at your service!" He grinned happily before stepping back. Next up was Kane. He had a dour look on his face as he stepped forward.

"Kane(1)," he said blandly, obviously not wanting to be here. As Kane stepped back, Johnny sauntered forward.

"Johnny McGregor," the Scot drawled in his lisp before smirking challengingly at the blader-haters. He stepped back into line and up stepped a silver-haired adolescent.

"Garland," he said shortly before stepping back in line. A purpled-haired German stepped forward.

"Robert Jurgen," he said stiffly in an English accent before retreating back along the ranks.

'He must've grew up in the United Kingdom,' I thought as I made a mental note to myself on his upbringing and nationality.

Then the dual-haired blader stepped forward.

"Kai Hiwatari," he said in a cold voice, glaring at everyone and daring them to make a comment. He stepped back to let a red-haired Russian step forward.

"Tala Valkov," the Russian said icily, a smirk plastered on his pale face. As he stepped back, one of the two Chinese bladers I met earlier stepped forward. Her pink hair framed her face prettily.

"My name's Mao Chou but you can call me Mariah," she said cheerfully, ignoring the hostility directed at her. As she stepped back, the stoic, dark-skinned Chinese stepped forward.

"Rai Chou but you can call me Lee," he said shortly. He was obviously her brother by the look of things. Once he stepped back into line, Coach Kukasaki stepped forward once more.

"Please treat these bladers with the utmost respect. Some of the bladers are juniors and seniors and they are using their study break to teach you." He paused to see if anyone had any comments. Seeing no direct hostility, he continued, "When I call your names, please step forward."

"Sukie Maori, Sakura Tang, Fey Wong, Ty Ishikawa, and Sora Shizuoka. You all will be working with Max Mizuhara." Sukie looked sadly at Tamayo and me before walking off to join the four other students crowding around Max.

"Tsuki Yamagata, Lei Chiba, Tao…." Coach Kukasaki's voice trailed off as he called the names of the unfortunate people on the list before him.

"…Tamayo Miyagi, Saito Yamaguchi, Fuko Miyazaki, Ryouta Yamanashi, and Rin Saitama. You all will be working with Tala Valkov." Tamayo groaned.

"Hey, I thought you like Tala," I teased, smirking at her obvious discomfort. Tamayo just growled at me before shuffling off to join her group.

"Yami Mie, Reine Tanaka, Sai Okayama, Osaka Niigata, and Yume Kochi. You all will be working with Kai Hiwatari."

I groaned inwardly.

'Great. Just perfect. I have to work with the egotistic fool.'

I walked as slowly as possible over to the dual-haired blader and stood uncomfortably between Yume and Sai. Just then, the coach's voice was heard over the silent heads of the gloomy students.

"Okay, if you don't have your own blades and launchers, proceed in a single file line to these bags and grab one of each. Choose carefully. Take one that looks like your style or one that calls out to you. They don't have to be your favorite color or anything like that. Don't damage these because you will be using them until the end of the semester. They are yours to keep and practice with."

Mumbling under my breath, I joined the long line of 50 students, the number of people who don't have blades or launchers (which is basically everyone except the bladers), and waited for my turn. As I reached the crates, I hesitantly peered inside. I caught sight of an orange and white blade that seems to be more based on endurance and speed rather than attack and defense. I reached out and grabbed it, feeling its weight in the center of my palm. I grinned to myself.

'Perfect. Just the way I like it.'

Then I peered into the launcher crate and spotted the corresponding launcher. Thankfully no one has selected it yet. It was equipped with an extra long ripcord so it will give the blade more spin but less power. I grabbed it and walked away, back to my group. Yume and Osaka had already grabbed their blades and launchers. Yume had picked a dark violet blade that seems more offensive than defensive. It didn't look too balanced so she must've just picked it for its color. Osaka had gotten and bright green blade. It seemed to have its weight evenly distributed throughout the base. It's definitely more defensive than offensive and a bit on the slow side.

I unconsciously fingered my launcher, testing the way it felt in my hand. My knuckles tightened around the grip and adjusted to the unfamiliar weight.

'This launcher is heavier than what I'm used to. Maybe they added more to these launchers.'

I caught sight of Kai eyeing my blade and launcher. His face had turned from stoically cold to thoughtful.

'Crap! He's getting suspicious. Maybe I shouldn't have gone with my style and just choose a random, crappy blade like Yume and Osaka.' Cursing my bad luck, I failed to noticed the two final members of our group join us.

Quickly realizing everyone's here, I did a quick analysis. Sai had chosen a dull crimson blade that's more offense and speed than endurance. It will have great power but it will stop spinning faster than the average blades. Yami clutched a black and white blade in his hand. He had chosen a balanced blade between offense and defense. He must have some experience in beyblading to do that. He must be one of those strategists who balance themselves equally so that they can be prepared for anything, but in my opinion, that's the weakest combination. A good blade must excel somewhere and a good blader will come up with a strategy to counter the blade's weaknesses.

Coach Kukasaki interrupted my thoughts as he shouted the final announcement before class started.

"We aren't going to start blading until you have done your fitness forms. We need to see how fit you are so that your tutors will come up with a balanced training regime for you. We will start in 10 minutes so spend your time getting to know your group because you will be stuck with them for the rest of the semester."

I sighed as I turned to face my group. It wasn't too bad. I don't have many people who dislike me, unlike Tamayo who, I might add, is having a hard time getting along with her fellow group mates. I heard Yume take a deep breath before taking the plunge. I would say that she's one of the more talkative ones of the group, which is not a lot. My group consists of the people who are usually quiet. Yume and Yami are the only ones that are average talkers and even then, they aren't too bad.

"Well, my name is Yume Kochi and I'm a sophomore in 2B. My hobbies are dancing and writing. My favorite artist is Avril Lavigne. I'm the middle child in my family of five. My favorite color is purple and it's great to meet you all, even though I know most of you since childhood." After finishing her introduction, she shrugged and looked visibly more relaxed.

'So I was right. She only chose her blade because of the color.' I was so deep into my thought that I didn't notice Yami starting his introduction.

"Konichiwa! My name is Yami Mie. I was born in Hiroshima and moved to Bakuten(2) at the age of 7. My hobby is skateboarding and my favorite band is Greenday. I'm an only child but I do have a cat. My favorite colors are black and white. I guess I can make this situation the best it could be so I say we give it a try regardless of the…history." Yami paused before adding the last part. I saw Kai cock an eyebrow at him but Yami just looked away.

'He better not tell an outsider, let alone a blader.' I thought vehemently. Everyone in the group was glaring at Yami except for Kai who had no clue what he was blabbering about. A soft voice broke the tension as Osaka started to introduce herself.

"Hi. My name is Osaka Niigata. I was named after my hometown and I moved here at the age of 4. My hobbies are volleyball and hiking. I listen to classical music," she blushed as she said this. Not a lot of people listen to classical music anymore. She continued on with a wavering voice, "My favorite colors are sky blue and light green. It'll be my pleasure to be your group mate." She smiled innocently at her last sentence before turning red and looking at her feet.

'She's so brave. She feels so shy and uncomfortable yet she took the initiative to introduce herself.' I looked at Osaka proudly. Sai and I glanced at each other reluctantly, neither one of us wants to introduce ourselves. Finally, she relented and spoke in a monotonous voice.

"Name's Sai Okayama. Born and raised in Bakuten. Listens to punk, rock, and hard metal. Don't really have a favorite band. My hobbies are my business so don't ask. I have an older brother that works in the garage in town. I don't have a favorite color. All I have to say is mess with me or my friends, and you're going down."

I sweatdropped at her introduction. It was short and blunt, just like Sai. She's really cool once you get to know her, but the first impression is that she's a cold bitch. I sighed. I guess I have to go now. Taking in a large breath, I started.

"My name's Reine Tanaka. I'm also born and raised in Bakuten. My hobbies are tennis, drawing, and singing. I play the electric guitar as well as the piano. I listen to all sorts of music. I have no real preference. My favorite band is Evanescence. I have a twin sister who is lucky enough to be in Athletics," I added the last part softly to myself before continuing in a louder voice, "I'll work with all of you as a team even though I hate this sport."

After I finished my introduction, everyone looked at everyone else (excluding the blader Kai) and nodded, a silent agreement made.

'We won't learn to love Beyblading, but we will be respectful to those who teach us.'

The silence was deafening in our group since we finished our introductions. Suddenly, a gruff, cold voice spoke.

"Kai Hiwatari. I'm a junior in 3D. My hobby is Beyblading and I have a bitbeast named Dranzer. She's a phoenix not a flaming chicken. Anyone who calls her as so will meet a painful death. I'm an only child and I have no real preferences to music. If you don't already know, I'm half Russian, half Japanese. I won't go easy on training and I will make you a top-notch team. If you want to complain, complain now because after today, you won't be allowed to."

A shrill whistle pierced the silence that had once again fallen on the group. Coach Kurasaki's voice was heard yelling instructions.

"Everyone! Listen up! Line up at the back wall of the gym. We will be doing timed pacer tests to see your endurance and speed. Then we will see your muscle stamina and strength with sit-ups and push-ups. Then you will be told what to do by your tutor."

People were grumbling about how "unfair" it was that we are forced to do this but I bore the treatment in silence. The silent pact made by our group members surfacing in my mind. I faintly heard the beep that indicates that the pacer test had started. My body went into motion by itself as my mind wandered by previous encounters with this sport. Believe it or not, I didn't use to hate it. There were happy memories such as when I first learned how to spin a blade and the first battle I won. The bad ones started when they came. I faintly noticed only a couple of us were still running to the beat for the majority of the 60 students had stopped, unable to keep running. I realized that all the bladers were still running and they weren't breaking a sweat, just like me. I raised my eyebrows in admiration. Not many can keep up with me and my stamina and speed. They must train a lot to get this good.

"Wahoo! Go Reine! Show 'em who's boss!" I heard Tamayo and a lot of my classmates urging me on. They knew that I'm the top runner in the entire gym class and Coach Kukasaki was surprised I wasn't doing Athletics, like Eris, since I'm much better than her. I guess I just like the gym blow-off class way more (and there was archery to consider). I noticed another couple of people drop out during my musings. I smirked. The machine was upping the speed.

'Now it gets interesting.'

I always loved a good challenge. I always try to last longer in the pacer test each time. It seems like some of the bladers were finding it hard to keep up. I sourly noticed that Kai Hiwatari hasn't broken a sweat yet, neither did Tala Valkov. They were keeping up with me pretty well. I would say we three were in the best condition so far. I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. I have the urge to do better than them and show them up. I wanted to prove that I could be good as any blader.

Soon, it was down to just Kai, Tala, and me. All three of us were panting heavily as we neared the end of the test. I've never made it all the way to the end before and if I have to, in order to prove I'm just as good as those bladers, I will. I can hear my classmates cheering wildly as the eight bladers watched on. They looked impressed that I was keeping up with the two Russians. Apparently they were the best of the best.

"149."

I heard the machine call out in its monotonous voice. I was so close to completing the course and neither Kai nor Tala have fallen out yet. I gritted my teeth for the last court I have to run.

"150."

I gathered all my strength and sprinted down the court, Kai and Tala hot on my heels. It was a silent agreement that whoever reaches the far out-of-bonds basketball line first wins. I felt the blood rushing in my ears as the cheering of my classmates became deafening. I can hear Kai's ragged breaths just behind me and I plan to keep it that way. Time seemed to stop as my foot crossed the line, my short hair floating behind me.

A deafening roar rocked the gym as I stopped and stooped over to hold my knees while I panted. My throat felt raw and sore. Coach Kukasaki looked impressed at my performance. It was then that I realized what my classmates were shouting.

"You beat 'em Reine!"

"You're da bomb!"

"Way to rock them, girl!"

I looked up dazedly and I realized Kai and Tala standing off to the side, holding their knees and panting like I was just a couple of minutes before. Sweat dripped down their faces just like I felt mine. I could feel the large grin erupting over my face as I realized my victory. Suddenly, I felt someone glomp me from behind. I heard Tamayo's voice yell into my ear. It was something like, "You kicked some major blader ass, Reiniki! Whoot! Whose da man? Eh? Who's DA man!"

In a long time, I laughed at Tamayo's antics and I felt myself relaxing.

'Maybe this semester won't be so bad.'

I turned around and saw Max run up to me.

"Way to go, Reine! That was great! I've never seen anyone show Kai up like that!"

I grinned lopsidedly at him. I guess I decided then and there that he wasn't too bad, that's if you don't give him too much sugar. I looked around and noticed the approving and astonished faces of various bladers. Even Kai looked impressed. I guess what Max said was true.

Coach Kukasaki's voice rose above the cheering as he shouted, "Alright kids! Enough!" He waded through the crowd of cheering teens and reached me. He said gruffly, "Nice job Reine. You make this school proud."

I beamed at his compliment. Then turned around and faced the masses of students wanting to congratulate me and shouted, "We still have push-up and sit-up session. Get back into your groups of six and grab a partner.

"Damn," I heard Tamayo curse, "I wanted to work with you." I smiled sympathetically get her.

"Don't worry. The worst thing that can happen is that you're stuck with Valcov," I said encouragingly. She openly grimaced at that thought. I don't blame her. I mean, if I get stuck with Hiwatari, I don't know what I would do. I bet if I did get paired with him, he'll try to show me up like I did him in this pacer test. As I wandered back to the group, I wondered if anyone is still open or I'll be stuck with Hiwatari. Luckily, they haven't made the groups yet so I managed to snag Yume as my partner. Unluckily for Sai, she got stuck with Hiwatari.

I shot her a sympathetic look. She didn't look that disturbed but that's Sai for you. She doesn't really care as long as she gets whatever she has to do done. Each pair grabbed a mat. As I headed to grab one, I saw Tamayo glaring sourly at her group. Apparently she did get paired with Valkov. I snickered at her unfortunate predicament.

"What're you snickering at, Tanaka?" I heard a cold voice break through my thoughts. I turned and looked up into a pair of cold crimson eyes. I cocked an eyebrow at his question.

"Why do you care? If it makes you feel better, it's not about you or the pacer test," I said calmly before grabbing a mat and hauling it to mine and Yume's place, which is as far away as physically possible from Sai and Kai possible.

He just stared as I walked away, an unreadable expression on his stoic face.

Once again, I gave it my all as I completed every set of push-ups and sit-ups, just like Kai and Tala. Apparently we were all evenly matched except for the pacer test. Surprisingly, I found that I was more physically healthy than most of the bladers.

As I sat up heaving from the mat, I saw Kai standing in front of me. I hesitated and then looked up and I found myself meeting his crimson gaze as he stared scrutinizingly at me. It's as if he's trying to see beneath the surface. Apparently, there aren't many people out there who were this athletic without a reason to be. I found myself asking, "What? Is there something on my face, Hiwatari?"

I saw him raise an eyebrow at my usage of his last name. I found myself speaking again, "If there isn't, do you mind moving so I can get up?"

He complied by stepping back one step but no more. I sighed in defeat. It's obvious that's as much as he'll give me.

"Battle me," I heard him commanded rather than asked. I stared at him, surprised. I looked around to make sure he's talking to me and not someone behind or next to me. Seeing that I'm alone, I looked at him incredulously again.

"Me?" I spluttered in surprise, "Why? I don't know how to blade!"

"I don't believe that," he commented quietly, keeping his intense gaze focused on me. I felt myself starting to sweat. When I managed to find my voice after my initial shock, I managed to ask, "Why do you think I know how to blade?"

He looked at me as if the answer's obvious, probably to him it is.

"One, your blade is obviously an endurance and speed blade, one of the more uncommon combinations. Two, your launcher is the perfect partner not only compatible in style but also able to counter your blade's weaknesses. No ordinary beginner would've knowledgeable enough to get the combo right because it's one of the harder styles to master. Besides, the chance that you would grab both the right blade and launcher is one in a million. There were at least a hundred blades in that crate along with the same number of launchers. Don't you dare tell me that it's all coincidence. Aside from the obvious gear details, how many people are that athletic who isn't into a serious sport? I know your tennis covers that but I really doubt you need all that strength in volleying the ball over the net since you need to hit it within a certain area."

As he finished handing me all the evidence, I felt my throat dry at each his observations.

'I knew I should've just chosen a crappy blade.'

My thought was interrupted as Kai pulled out his launcher and blade before asking in a condescending voice, "Are you going to willingly battle me or will I have to force you?"

Side-notes to parts of the fic:

(1) Kane wasn't given a last name and I don't have any ideas what last name to give him so I'll always refer to him as Kane. The same goes for any other character who wasn't given a last name in the series.

(2) Reine lives in Bakuten City and goes to Tochinomaki High, which is more of a specialized school instead of the local Bakuten High. :-D I thought I might clarify that fact. If you're wondering where the rest of the teams are, they are coaching at Bakuten High so that would be teams like F-Dynasty, Barthez Battalion, PPB All Starz, Saint Shields, Team Zeo, and etc.)

Author's Note:

It's a cliffy! Don't kill me! –ducks under desk– Do you think Reine will accept the challenge? Who will win? Will Reine's secret be exposed? (Hint of foreshadow there) :-D

Please R&R and I will probably be motivated to update faster.

I want to send out a special thanks to tennisgurl for supporting my fics! I want you to know I really appreciate the time you take to read them! Don't stop writing your 1-800-Where-R-U fic! I will always review each chapter.

Rand-chan