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: I've got one pairing worked out and the drama is on its way. xD I'm still work the rest. If you want to find out, 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"
/talking with bitbeast via mind link/
Chapter 8 – Clash of the Ancients (Part II) – (Proofread and Edited – Please read the Re-Posted Author's Note beneath the original one. Thanks!)
Reine's POVI watched carefully as Kai released his blade, sending it careening dangerously into the dish. Mariah's eyes slitted dangerously as her pink beyblade spun quickly on the peak of the mountain. I remember Mariah telling me about growing up in an isolated village up in the mountains of China so she should feel perfectly at home in this dish, but I had a feeling that Kai wasn't completely out of the loop. He probably had some sort of training or experience similar to hers as she grew up. You ask me how I know? Well, considering the fact that he just tore up the mountain and over the white slush, dogging the rocks without problems, as if it's nothing, I would think he knows what he's doing.
"Wait for it Galux!" Mariah shouted, her eyes trained on Kai's blue blade as it hurtled closer. (AN: I will be mixing the attacks of the bitbeasts from seasons one through three.)
"Dranzer! Slam her off the peak!" Kai shouted as he urged his blade to speed up. As his blade picked up speed and was almost upon Mariah's pink blade, Mariah shouted, "Galux! Cat Scratch Attack!"
Leaping off its stationary spot, her blade hurtled down and left a large gash on Kai's blue blade, nearly toppling it off the peak.
"Oooh! That's gotta hurt, folks!" Max called into the mike, wincing at the damage Kai's blade sustained. I watched as Kai clenched his teeth forcefully just like he did when I was playing possum at the beginning of school year.
'That must be the way he shows frustration,' I noted, mentally putting it down for future reference. Kai wasn't easy to read like other bladers so I need as much information on his as possible so I can have an advantage if I battle him.
"Enough playing! Dranzer! Fire arrow!" Kai called as his blade found its balance on the mountain after reeling from Mariah's devastating attack. Quickly zigzagging down the mountain, his blade collided strongly against Mariah's, catching her off guard. Fire suddenly spiraled out of his blade as his rotational speed increased even more.
"It looks like Kai isn't taking any prisoners!" Max shouted his commentary loudly, "He's really turning up the heat!"
I could feel the heat get to me. I felt slightly lightheaded as beads of sweat crawled down my forehead and the nape of my neck. Tamayo wasn't faring much better. The only ones who seemed unaffected were Brooklyn and Loréndoz. Even Sai looked a little beaten by the heat.
"Now Dranzer! Flame Saber!" Kai shouted causing his blade to release even more fire. The snow was rapidly melting off the mountain, surrounding it in a makeshift moat.
"Galux! Dodge it!" Mariah shouted desperately, her hair damp with sweat.
'It must be worse there than here. She's a lot closer than we are.'
As Dranzer moved in for the kill, Galux pulled a Houdini as she suddenly disappeared.
"What? Galux just disappeared! How's that possible?" Max cried as he scanned the stadium.
"Cat Bite, Galux!" Mariah suddenly shouted, pointing a finger at the confused Dranzer. Suddenly a blob of pink hurtled through the air and slammed onto Kai's blade, creating a cloud of smoke.
"Whoa! That was unexpected! Mariah isn't out of the game yet!"
As the dust cloud disappeared, it revealed the two blades still spinning strongly.
'Wow, they're so good! No wonder they're professionals!'
"I'm not giving up so easily, Kai," Mariah said, panting heavily as an equally exhausted Kai glared back at her.
"End it Galux! CAT SCRATCH ATTACK!"
Galux tilted on her axial slightly before jumping up and hurtling towards Dranzer again.
"I'm not going to fall for that again! Dranzer! Spiral Survivor!"
Just as Galux was about to land on Dranzer, Dranzer burst out into a swirling fire tornado.
"Galux!" Mariah cried worriedly just as a pink blade flew out of the flaming vortex and past her shoulder to land with a 'click' on the stadium floor.
"And Kai takes the round!" Max yelled excitedly into the mike, trying to be heard over the cheering of the crazed crowd.
"That was intense! No wonder they're professionals!" Tamayo said wide-eyed.
"My thoughts exactly," I replied.
Exchanging brief words over the stadium, Kai and Mariah headed back towards us.
"That was fucking awesome!" Tyson shouted excitedly, "You almost beat him, Mariah!"
Mariah grinned widely, "Next time I will defeat him," then turning to Kai, "Better watch out Hiwatari. You will meet your match soon."
Kai only grunted in reply before leaning back on his heels, crossing his arms, and closing his eyes. Shrugging at each other, we turned our attention back to the ever-optimistic Max.
"Alright folks! We're moving onto the next match. Let's see who the next two challengers will be!"
Quickly spinning across the screen, the pictures suddenly stopped to reveal...
"And the next battle will be fought between Sai Okayama and Tyson Kinomiya!"
"Alright! It's finally my turn!" Tyson whooped, running up the steps to the stadium. Sai followed silently, her face devoid of any emotion. Glancing quickly at the screen, I realized it had already chosen the dish. It seemed to be dense, tropical rainforest. With a rumble, the stadium floor opened to reveal the actual dish.
"This is no easy dish to maneuver through considering all the trees and undergrowth, not to mention hidden roots and vines. Bladers ready?"
Sai quickly whipped out her crimson blade, stringing her ripcord expertly through the launcher and clipping her crimson blade onto the base, followed shortly by Tyson.
"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"
Releasing their blade with expert ease, the blades were enveloped with a sea of green. Their movements can only be spotted by the slight rustling and swaying of the bushes. A yell from Tyson is the only thing that tipped others off that he was being attacked.
"Dragoon! Lose her!"
The rustling became louder as a small object created a trail in the dense undergrowth. No one could tell which blade it was due to the obstructing foliage.
"Now! Attack!" Sai cried, still keeping her face blank.
"Dodge Dragoon!" Tyson shouted in retaliation as Dragoon revved forward only to be sent flipping through the air from tripping over a hidden tree root, "NO! DRAGOON!"
Suddenly the crimson blade shot out of a near by tree, hitting Dragoon as he was twisting through the air and knocking him clean out the arena.
"And the winner is Sai!" Max said into the microphone, dumbfounded that Tyson lost so easily, not even having the time to call out his bitbeast. Walking calmly down the steps of the stadium, Sai sauntered over to the rest of the group.
"Wow. That was quick Sai," I said slowly, narrowing my eyes her slightly.
"Yeah! You defeated Tyson without breaking a sweat and he's the world champ!" Tamayo stated excitedly, "You know what that makes you? Better than the world champ of course!"
Shrugging nonchalantly, Sai stared at Loréndoz out of the corner of her eye.
'There's something about her. Tyson might have been cocky and overconfident, but even so, the match shouldn't have ended that quickly. She has more power than she's letting on, and that brings me back to the bitbeast theory.'
/You know it's possible. She's never said anything otherwise./
'True. We'll find out eventually.'
"Now that leaves our two remained bladers! Please step up to the stadium!" Max's voice floated out of the speakers overhead. Making my way quickly over to Brooklyn, I whispered into his ear, "Brooklyn, be careful. I have a bad feeling about him. According to Eris he defeated Garland without breaking a sweat. There are weird vibes rolling off his aura."
Without letting anything slip past his placid mask, he nodded as if what I said was something he hears everyday.
'He's a good actor,' I thought absently as Tamayo went up to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek and whispered into his ear.
'She must be telling him good luck and giving him a lucky kiss to go with it,' came my idle thought as I watched with a small smile, 'So she must know about Brooklyn's feelings but not Tala's. Well, that's strange.'
I looked into the crowd and noticed Tala leaning forward tensely, his hands clenched tightly around his seat's armrest making his knuckles white.
'Hmm, looks like Tala saw that little kiss.'
"Let's reveal what dish they'll be using!" Max shouted into the mike as different pictures started to flash across the computer screen to land on a unique dish with tons of pillars spread throughout the dish, standing at great heights. The dish rose slowly out of the stadium floor, white smoke billowing out of the gaping hole. As it reached the surface, the white smoke was so thick that the floor of the dish wasn't visible.
"Behold the 'Pathway to Heaven' dish!" Max said, "It may not be anywhere on earth but sure is unusual! The bottom of the dish is hidden by the smoke so it remains unknown. Would the bladers take the chance and go down there? Bladers ready?"
Brooklyn slowly slid his ripcord into his launcher before attaching a black beyblade. Loréndoz pulled a deep blue blade and black launcher from one of the pockets of his trench coat. Slipping into launching position, they looked to Max for the countdown.
"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"
"Go Zeus," Brooklyn called lazily as he willed his black beyblade to jump from column to column effortlessly. Loréndoz launched silently sending his blade to balance precariously on one of the lower columns. Both blades stood spinning, staring each other down with neither backing off as Brooklyn and Loréndoz waited for the other to begin attacking. Finally growing bored of the current situation, Brooklyn called languidly, "I'm getting bored. Zeus! Attack!"
The black blade shot at the deep blue blade with deadly precision.
"Avoid him," Loréndoz commanded quietly, keeping his piercing gaze on the calm Brooklyn across from him, slightly narrowing his eyes. Tilting slightly the deep blue blade managed to avoid defeat by mere centimeters as Brooklyn's blade came crashing down on the column it was previously occupying.
"That was quick!" Max commented, watching the battle avidly.
"How'd he jump so fast? He's even faster than Brooklyn!" shouted Tamayo, alarmed. I only watched on silently, studying his moves. I had a feeling that he would reach the finals and that whoever faces him will be in some deep shit. Turning to exam Brooklyn's face, I noticed that he held a peeved expression instead of the placid one that he usually held.
"Zeus!" he called, irritated, "Attack again!"
Once more Loréndoz's deep blue blade avoided the attack by mere centimeters.
'It's as if Loréndoz is toying with him.'
Brooklyn was openly fuming now. No one has ever cleanly avoided his attacks, not even Kai!
"Zeus!" he roared as a black light shot out of his beyblade revealing a centaur-like bitbeast with a face of a dog, its black wings unfurling from its shoulder blades.
"Brooklyn has brought out the big guns!" Max shouted worriedly into his mike, remembering the BEGA incident and hoping feverishly that what happened back then wouldn't happen again considering where they are and the citizens in the city.
"King of Darkness!" he commanded in a crazed voice as he lost the last traces of his cool.
"Brookyln!" Tamayo shouted worriedly. Putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, preventing her from running up to him, I shook my head.
"Let him handle it. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He knows what's at risk if a repeat of the BEGA incident were to happen."
"I hope so," she replied anxiously, never letting her eyes leave Brooklyn's hunched form as Zeus charged the deep blue blade.
"Clytem! Dodge him!" Loréndoz shouted, feeling the shift of power in the air as Brooklyn gathered all the negative energy into his blade.
"No chance!" Brooklyn shouted insanely as his black blade grinded into Loréndoz's deep blue one, giving him no opportunity to retaliate, "Attack him! King of Darkness!"
A black light aura gathered around Zeus as black bolts struck the already wobbling blade.
"No! Clytem!" Loréndoz called worriedly, openly showing emotion for the first time since the tournament started. Feeling as if he's left no choice, Loréndoz resorted to calling on his bitbeast's powers.
"Clytem! Arise!"
A navy glow filled the stadium as tendrils of steam made its way out of his now rapidly spinning blade. Slowly, the mist rose until it covered even the highest of the columns obstructing everything from view.
"What's happening down there?" Max cried as he leaned over his raised platform, trying to see through the smoke.
"Binding Vice!" called Loréndoz as a roar of pain came from Zeus. Suddenly, a tentacle shot out of the smoke, wrapped tightly around a struggling Zeus as it continued to squeeze him. Zeus cried out again as his left wing was crushed.
"Zeus!" Brooklyn cried, aghast at the turn of events. Loréndoz's bitbeast had tilted the tables in his favor.
"What the hell is that thing?" Mariah whispered, staring at the huge tentacle wrapped around the helpless bitbeast.
"An octopus or maybe a squid?" Tyson guessed, staring in disbelief as Zeus was tossed around like a rag doll. By now, Kai had even opened his eyes to stare in wonder at the unfolding scene. It had taken Kai every ounce of his strength to outwit and overpower Zeus in his battle in the Justice 5 tournament while Loréndoz made it seem like child play.
"No. It's a kraken," Sai said quietly, gazing steadily at the now calm Loréndoz.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Tamayo asked, afraid to find the answer.
'That's a good question. Who is this guy and why does he seem so familiar?'
I felt Esilé shift restlessly in the back of my mind, even more agitated than before for some unknown reason, or one that I couldn't see.
"That's enough, now finish him," Loréndoz commanded, almost offhandedly, as the tentacle tightened its hold on the flailing centaur, crushing the bitbeast and causing it to disintegrate back into its blade.
"And the winner is Loréndoz!" Max said, surprised, to a deafening silence. No one had expected that to happen. Sure a couple of people expected Brooklyn to loose but not in an utterly devastating way that he did. Loréndoz had made it look as if it was easy to defeat the beyblading prodigy.
"As announced before, there will be a brief intermission between the quarterfinals and the semifinals for the bladers to collect their wits and repair any broken parts. Please use the restrooms or get snacks at this time. The intermission will last for fifteen minutes. Thank you!" and with that said, Max jumped off his platform and raced to the, now, kneeling and broken Brooklyn.
"Brooky!" Tamayo shouted before running up to the stadium, now unrestrained by my hand.
"Poor Brooklyn," Mariah whispered as she turned to join Tamayo and Max in helping Brooklyn down the steps of the stadium and into the dim hall where they will be hidden from prying eyes. I turned my cold gaze onto a smug Loréndoz, glaring a hole into his head. Sai turned away and followed the devastated group into the hall.
"Come on, Tanaka. We're going," Kai murmured softly, glaring heatedly at the smirking blader. Nodding slightly, I allowed Kai to place his hand on the nape of my neck and steer me away from the stadium, followed by a fuming Tyson. Once we were all in the safe sanctuary of the locker room, excluding Loréndoz of course, Tyson released the scream of frustration he was holding.
"ARGH! That son of a bitch! If I was still in the tournament, I'd kick his sorry ass all the way to Mexico!"
"Why Mexico?" Tamayo asked curiously even though it was inappropriate in the current situation.
"Because it's on the other side of the world… and…well…I DON'T KNOW, but that's beside the point! Whoever gets to battle him next should show no mercy!"
A lot of heads nodded in the room. With a sigh, I leaned back, wary of the upcoming battles. When I leaned back, I noticed that I was leaning onto something warm…something alive. I froze as I felt something fall from the back of my neck and crawl around my waist, holding onto me securely. Slowly raising my eyes, I spotted familiar crimson eyes staring, preoccupied, at an angry Tyson.
'Damn! How did I get in this position and with him no less!'
Trying to slip discreetly out of Kai's hold, I felt his grip tightened.
"Eep!" I squeaked as he hit a ticklish spot, alerting him to our current predicament.
"What the hell?" he shouted as he quickly withdrew his hand and stepped back from me.
"You came onto me you bastard!" I said hotly, altering the truth a little as I felt myself flush, "Remember our discussion earlier about personal space? Well I would appreciate it if you stay out!"
"So you're saying it's my fault?" he asked heatedly.
"Yes. Got a problem with that? You're the one with your hand around my waist!" I shot back, leaning forward to stare at him straight into the eyes, daring him to challenge my statement.
"Yeah! I have a problem with that!" he answered, leaning to stare right back into my eyes.
"You guys look like you're about to kiss," Tamayo commented suddenly, causing us to rear back and take a few steps away from each other. I felt myself pink at the statement. I had forgotten we weren't the only ones in the room.
'And that means they heard and saw everything,' I thought, mortified.
"It's not what it looks like!" I said desperately, trying to find my way out of this situation.
"Sure it's not," Mariah drawled, looking at us mischievously. Even Brooklyn snapped out of his reverie to look at us with a spark of interest in his dead eyes.
"It isn't!" we retorted simultaneously before turning to glare at each other.
"Ah! Young love," Tyson teased, poking Kai in the arm.
"Tyson…you might want to stop that. You don't know when he's going to bl-" Mariah tried to warn, but she her warning came too late when Kai whacked Tyson, hard, on the head.
"You should learn to shut up," Tamayo snickered, laughing at Tyson's unfortunate dilemma. Suddenly the door shot open as Max's head popped in, interrupting our conversation.
"Hey guys! Intermission's over so you guys better hurry up and get your arses out there or Loréndoz will win by default."
Relieved that Max managed to get me out of that situation, I hurried out of the room and toward the stadium. I immediately caught sight of Loréndoz as I walked into the brightly lit room, blinding me temporarily.
"I've got to stop doing that," I muttered under my breath as I shielded my eyes from the harsh glare.
"Stop doing what?" asked Tamayo as stepped out beside me, "Jesus that's bright!"
"That's what," I answered simply as my eyes adjusted to the bright light. Tamayo blinked rapidly, trying to rid her vision of the dancing light motes. (AN: Don't you hate it when that happens?)
"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen!" Max started, once again back on his raised platform, "We'll be starting the semi-finals so please finish your businesses at this time! Okay, introducing the semi-finalists, please bring your hands together for Reine Tanaka, Kai Hiwatari, Sai Okayama, and last but certainly not least Loréndoz!"
Cheering filled the stadium as we stepped forward from the rest of our group.
"Break a leg Reine!" Tamayo cried encouragingly as she walked away with the rest of the quarterfinalists to the VIP seats, set up for them by Mr. Dickenson, to watch the rest of the tournament.
"Now the computer shall choose the next to competitors! Who shall be the lucky bladers?" Max asked as he gestured towards the large screen hanging above the stadium as our pictures flashed quickly across the screen. With a loud beep the screen stopped and I felt my breath hitch in my throat.
'Great. JUST great. I guess he will get his rematch after all.'
I turned my head to stare at Kai, I saw him smirk challengingly at me.
'I guess I can't just opt to loose now, can I?'
"And the next battle will be Kai Hiwatari vs. Reine Tanaka!" Max cried excitedly into the mike as the computer started to choose the dish. It stopped and blinked revealing a red dish that looked rather plain.
"It seems they will be battling out in the Mars Dish!" Max explained, "This particular dish is adjusted to Mars' special gravity field and it'll be tricky to maneuver with the adjusted friction and soil texture. There may be some hidden booby-traps hidden under the red sand. Can the bladers avoid them? Now, bladers take your positions!"
Kai and I made our way up to the stadium, staring intently at the rather plain yet unusual dish we'll be battling in. Whipping out my blade and attaching it to my launcher, I waited patiently for Max to start counting down.
"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"
Pulling hard on my ripcord, my orange blade landed without much problem into the dish causing the red dust to billow at its impact, and to my astonishment, it bounced.
'It must be the reduced gravitational field,' I concluded as my blade finally settled without bouncing anymore. It looked like Kai was having as much trouble as I was as Dranzer bounced a couple of times before settling. Taking advantage of his currently preoccupied state, I called to Esilé, "Slam Esilé!"
My orange blade left a trail of red dust as it shot forward, barreling straight into an unsuspecting Kai and almost pushing Dranzer out of the dish.
"Push back, Dranzer!" Kai commanded as Dranzer regained her footing and started to shove back.
"Break away!" I quickly commanded as Kai suddenly channeled a blast of energy into his blade, giving it a power boost. Obeying my command, Esilé shot away causing Dranzer to almost careen out the dish. Kai started to grit his teeth.
'Getting frustrated, aren't we, Kai? Goading you seemed to work earlier, but will it work again? Might as well try.'
"You're slacking behind, Kai," I called tauntingly, "What's the matter? Getting slow in your old age?"
Kai growled at me, warning me that I was over-stepping myself. Ignoring him, I continued.
"It seems to me you're loosing your touch, but don't worry, we'll put you out of your misery. Esilé!"
My orange blade started to circle his menacingly, looking for an opportunity to attack.
"Those will be your last words Tanaka," Kai gritted out, obviously riled up now.
'Good. Now he won't be able to think as straight.'
I felt a sudden raise in his power levels.
'What the! Oh shit! I forgot he could channel his anger into raw power. No matter, I have him where I want him.'
"Dranzer! Flame Gigs Turbo!"
Dranzer emerged from her blade with a loud screech. His blade started to spin quicker, causing sparks fly with his ever increasing friction. With a sudden roar, his blade was aflame.
"Attack! DRANZER!" he screamed as his phoenix swooped down onto my blade, slamming into it powerfully. I felt the air get hotter and hotter. Pulling on the color of my shirt, I tried to cool myself down. Sweat crept down my forehead and into my eyes, blurring my vision. Closing my eyes and quickly shaking my head, I tried to keep my head level and clear. As the temperature reached optimum levels and my blade parts started to melt, I snapped my eyes open.
'It's time. Are you ready?'
/Yes. Let's win this./
"ESILÉ!" I called, "ARISE! SERPENT'S TWISTER!"The water that was transpired by everyone began to gather around my blade, evaporating upon contact creating a thick fog. A cerulean beam shot out of my blade, dimmed by the fog. I felt the temperature drop drastically as more water gathered around the stadium.
"What's going on?" Kai asked confusedly, he hadn't called off his attack, yet the temperature was dropping instead of increasing, as it should've been. Silently, like a phantom, Esilé rose from her blade knowing that she has the element of surprise. Not bothering to disperse the concealing fog, she slid forward and reared up, ready to attack the confused phoenix. A twister of water started to gather around my blade as Esilé's eyes began to glow.
"Now! Release the twister!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Obeying my command, the huge column of water was released from Esilé's control, trapping a startled Dranzer in the middle, extinguishing her burning flames. More steam was released from the towering structure as water evaporated, making the fog thicker than it already was.
"No Dranzer! Break free!" Kai called desperately, trying to see through the dense fog, feeling his bitbeast's despair.
"It's no good Kai, she's completely trapped now," I spoke tauntingly before turning back to Esilé, "Finish her!"
All seven her Esilé's heads lunged into the twister, unfazed by the pressure of the water. They wrapped themselves around Dranzer and started to squeeze her mercilessly, giving her no room to retaliate. As Dranzer's panic escalated to an unbearable level, she gave one final cry before returning to her blade as it came to a stop.
"Dranzer!" Kai cried as he felt her retreat. Esilé quickly withdrew from the raging water and retreated back into her blade, knowing that she can't be revealed until the final round. The fog slowly dispersed, sending a cool breeze throughout the hot stadium. Sighs of relief were heard as the breeze reached the audience, purging them from the accursed heat. When Max leaned over his platform to examine the dish, his eyes widened at the results.
"And we have a winner! Give it up for Reine Tanaka!"
The audience broke out into raging applause, pleased that one of the locals made it into the finals. Waiting for Kai to retrieve his blade, I followed him off the stadium floor.
"That was a good match," I called to him as he started away causing him to pause.
"Don't expect to win so easily next time. Actually, don't expect to win at all. The outcome will be different the next time we battle."
Turning away, he walked towards the VIP seats as I shook my head at his retreating back.
'He's just like a phoenix. Rising out of its ashes, it's reborn stronger than before.'
/Dranzer is well suited with him./
Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw Sai and Loréndoz step up to the dish.
'Good luck, Sai. You will need it against this guy, no matter how easily or quickly you defeated the world champion.'
"Let's see what the next dish will be!"
Pictures flashed across the screen, stopping with an enlarged picture of tundra dish.
"The final semifinal battle will be fought in an arctic dish! This slippery dish is hard to maneuver over not mention what would happen if they happen to cross some thin ice. Bladers take your positions!"
Sai readied her launcher, copying Loréndoz's swift actions.
"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"
With a flourish both blades landed on separate sides of the dish, one crimson and one deep blue.
"You're making a mistake," Sai spoke icily, eyeing Loréndoz with a confident air.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he sneered, not tearing his eyes of her stationary blade, "Don't think that your talking will distract me from the battle! Attack Clytem!"
"I'm not trying to distract you, just giving you a warning. It would not end up the way you planned. It's too dangerous," Sai stated seriously.
'What the hell is Sai going on about?'
"You really think that your warning will stop the activity of the Skullz? Well think again!"
'So he's the one sent by the Skullz! My suspicions were correct, but how did Sai know?'
Sai looked on unfazed, hiding her confusion.
"If you won't take my warning, then you shall fall," she finally said, avoiding his comment on being a Skullz member, "I'm done talking, let's battle!"
"Clytem! Finish her quickly so we can get on with our business!"
Loréndoz's blade slammed viciously into Sai's at his urgings while Sai just kept looking ahead stonily.
"Are you quite done?" she asked boredly as he snarled back at her, "I guess it's my turn. Keira! Attack!"
Backing away from Loréndoz's onslaught, the crimson blade doubled-back and slammed viciously into him, causing him to wobble on the unsteady ice.
"I guess you're not all bark no bite, but you've to do better than that to defeat me! Clytem! Emerge and use Binding Vice!" he commanded.
'He's not taking any chances. Did what Sai say unnerve him?'
The mist from earlier filled the dish, distorting the navy light shining out of his bitchip. Tendrils of the mist curled around Sai and her crimson blade threateningly. A distinct screech filled the arena as his giant bitbeast reared its ugly head.
"Cripes! That thing is huge!" I vaguely heard Tamayo shout from her seat in the audience and I have to agree. It's about the same size as Esilé, and that's big. I watched, mesmerized, as the kraken reached out, with one of its many tentacles, and attempted to crush Sai's blade.
"Keira!" Sai cried sharply as a red glow was seen emitting from her blade, shining out of Clytem's thick tentacle. With a loud cry, a huge lizard was seen rearing out her blade.
'Just as I thought! She does have a bitbeast!'
The rose-colored lizard turned out to be one of the largest in the world, only found on Java Island in the Philippines. (AN: If you guessed Komodo Dragon, then you're right.) It's thick, black claws clicked dangerously on the ice as it stared down the giant kraken.
"Now Keira! Psychic Blast!"
The dragon's eyes shown white for a split second before they returned to their original black color. It seemed as if nothing happened, but that's when I realized Loréndoz's bitbeast acting strangely. It seemed to be attacking itself.
'What! Why is it doing that? Did Sai's bitbeast make it attack itself?'
"Clytem! What are you doing! STOP!" Loréndoz shouted desperately at his bitbeast as he failed to control it.
"Like my attack? It allows me to control part of your bitbeast. Nifty, uh?" Sai said tauntingly, her eyes gleaming dangerously.
"Shut up! Clytem! Enough fooling around! Show her what happens when you mess with an Ancient!"
'An Ancient?' I thought questioningly. I felt Esilé shift uncomfortably. Getting suspicious at her behavior, I decided to ask her.
'Esilé, you wouldn't happen to know what an Ancient is, do you? You've been acting strange throughout the tournament and even stranger when Loréndoz released Clytem. Is there something you're not telling me?'
/It's nothing important, little one/ she said uneasily, her scales rustling as she moved restlessly in the back of my mind.
'I won't pry, but I will find out sooner or later whether you like it or not,' I threatened. Esilé hummed lowly in reply showing that she understood. Loréndoz's shout brought me back to Earth as I watched in horror filled fascination at his display of power.
"Clytem!" Loréndoz called as his bitbeast lifted one of its tentacles and crushed the ice, creating a large hole through the ice and revealing the murky water underneath. It kept repeating the same action until an entire half of the dish was destroyed and only water remained. The kraken eased itself into the subzero waters, submerging completely. Sai and her bitbeast just stood back, observing silently. Suddenly a loud rumbling was heard as the rest of the ice collapsed, pulled underwater by Clytem. Sai's blade skipped through pieces of falling debris, landing smoothly on a floating iceberg.
'What's he doing?' I thought, confused at the bitbeast's actions.
/He's preparing for his attack/ came Esilé's solemn reply as she watched the kraken build up his power.
"NOW CLYTEM! RIPTIDE!"
With a loud whoosh, the entire body of water was pulled back, creating a ten-foot wave that towered over Sai's helpless blade.
"Keira!" Sai shouted, "Stop the wave!"
Her rose-colored Komodo Dragon started to glow a faint purple as he focused his mind, mentally trying to force the attack back.
"It's no good. Your puny bitbeast doesn't stand a chance against an Ancient. Show her true power! Release it now!"
With a loud splash, the wave crashed over the crimson blade and its bitbeast, dragging the floating piece of ice, that her blade was balancing on, underwater. The water started to pry the blade apart as strong currents flowed in different directions, tugging on the helpless blade. Keira wasn't faring any better than his blade. He tried to swim through the water only to be grabbed by one muscled tentacle.
"Destroy him!" Loréndoz called ruthlessly as the kraken tightened his hold on the struggling lizard.
"NO! KEIRA!"
Now it was Sai's turn to panic, her cool façade completely gone. With one final cry, Keira disappeared back into his bitchip as the blade was torn apart by the sheer power of the riptide.
"The winner is Loréndoz!" Max cried to a quiet audience, stunned to silence by his ruthlessness. Sai silently made her way into the dish, retrieving the pieces of her blade. Loréndoz waited patiently by the dish, staring at me challenging.
'So it turns out that I'm the one in deep ship,' I thought to myself, remembering my silent comment from earlier.
"Do you need a break from your battle, Loréndoz?" Max asked, acting unbiased, which was expected for his job as referee.
"No. I can take on this little girl without any rest," he sneered, leering at me.
"Well, if you say so," Max said uncertainly, scratching the back of his head, "What about you, Reine? Do you need a brief intermission to fix up your blade?"
'I guess I can use this time to ask Sai.'
I nodded showing I would like a brief intermission. As Max announced my decision to the audience, I hurried over to Sai.
"Hey Sai," I called getting her attention, "There's a couple of things I have to ask you."
"Okay, ask away," she said quietly, staring intently at her bitchip.
"How did you know he was a Skullz member?"
She looked up, confused.
"I didn't. I don't even know what he meant by that."
'Okay, that's strange. She doesn't know about the Skullz? Didn't she hear about them growing up he– Wait! I don't even know if she grew up here! She probably didn't if she doesn't know about them.'
"Okay then," I started hesitatingly, "What did you warn him about? And what did you mean by 'It would not end up the way you planned. It's too dangerous'?"
Her eyes lit up as I asked her these questions.
"I was hoping you would ask that. I've been meaning to tell you, but it's not my place to unless you ask," she started excitedly.
'Okay, I've never seen this side of Sai before. This must be big to get her worked up.'
"I was warning him about the outcome of the tournament," she started, "I only entered the tournament to stop him from reaching the finals, but it turned out to be futile attempt, uh? Destiny will always have her way."
I stared confusedly at her.
"It's the Ancient inside his blade," she explained, "I needed to stop it from battling you."
"What? Why? Wait, rewind. First of all, explain what an ancient is."
Taking a deep breath, Sai started to explain to me something that would make me never look at Esilé the same way again.
"An Ancient is a bitbeast that's been on Earth since the beginning of time. There are only a few out there. One of them happened to be Clytem, the kraken. Then there is Esilé, the hydra. There are many more out there, but that's not important now. From what I can see, Loréndoz just wants to win the tournament and scare the audience shitless. The reason I had to stop them from battling is because of an age-old feud between the two. They've always quarreled and fought for the position as the Ruler of the Seas. When humans started to be aware of the two bitbeasts a few hundred years ago, they were given the terms 'kraken' and 'hydra'. Clytem was known for attacking and destroying ships as they sailed across the open waters while Esilé was known to protect the ships from various bad happenings, such as pirate raids and storms. They were the undetermined Rulers of the Open Waters and still are. It would be devastating if they were to fight again. The damage may be too great to be reversed. All of land may be submerged underwater again like many millennia ago."
I was stunned speechless. I knew Esilé was powerful, but not this powerful. It's a lot of power to be able to submerge all of land underwater.
'I guess that blonde idiot doesn't know the full extent of his bitbeast's power otherwise he wouldn't be competing in small-fry tournaments like this one. I guess that's one thing to be thankful for especially when the Skullz have such a strong weapon in their midst.'
/So now you know, little one. I didn't wish for you to know in case you treat me differently. I'm happy at my current position as your partner and equal./ Esilé said worriedly.
'I guess I really am a little one compared to you. I finally understand now. Don't worry, I won't treat you any differently. You're still my closest friend and I will never give you up for anything.'
Esilé thrummed happily, finally still after the entire day.
'What do you say about kicking some kraken butt?' I asked cheerfully.
/More than ready to/ came her tart reply.
'Just what I wanted to hear!'
I heard Max call for Loréndoz and me to head back to the arena. Remembering my final question, I called out to Sai again.
"Wait a sec! How do you know this?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Keira. He can see into the future and he usually tells me when something big is coming. I didn't get to see the complete vision, this time, so I only worked with the bit I saw."
Nodding in reply, I headed back towards the stadium.
"Good luck!" I heard her call.
Working my way up the stadium and onto the arena, I watched Max for him to determine which one of us get to choose the dish.
"I'm surprised you didn't back out," Loréndoz sneered, "Do you honestly think you can defeat the awesome power of my Ancient, the Terror of the Deep as they used to call him?"
"I don't think, I know," I answered shortly, glaring coldly at the smirking Skullz member.
"Don't go crying to Mommy when I defeat you," he taunted, "I need to set an example to show these people what would happen if someone messes with the Skullz and you're the perfect guinea pig. They've been rowdy and fighting back lately. One even got Destruction arrested. Destruction was a fool and I'm not going to end up like him! Prepare to fight for your life, little girl!"
"Well folks! Welcome to the final round of the Bakuten Citywide Tournament!" Max cried into his microphone, "It's being fought between two local bladers! Please give it up for Loréndoz and Reine Tanaka!"
Applause broke out as the computer screen started to choose which one of us would be lucky and get to choose a dish. I held my breath as the computer started to slow down. With one final beep, I saw my picture flashing victoriously. Releasing my breath slowly, I felt a grin starting to crawl across my face.
"It's decided! Reine Tanaka gets to choose the next dish type while Mr. Dickenson chooses the dish! So Reine, what would it be?"
"Water base dish, no land," I answered immediately, having thought out my course of action. You must think I'm crazy to put Loréndoz in his element, but you forget that I'm also in mine. Max looked skeptically at me.
"Okay! You heard her folks, so Mr. Dickenson, what will the next dish be?"
"Well, I was thinking the 'Deep Ravine' dish," answered the old man cheerfully, "I'm expecting a good battle, kids."
I nodded slightly at the kindly old man.
'That's perfect! You know what to do, right Esilé?'
/Everything's going according to plan, young one. Do not fret yourself. All will be well./
"The 'Deep Ravine' dish is a specialized dish filled completely with water! It's fashioned after the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench! Many unknown creatures lurk in the deep fathoms. Will the bladers be able to survive the dish?"
Quickly readying my blade, I waited for Max's countdown.
"Bladers ready? Three! Two! One! LET IT RIP!"
(AN: Should I stop here? Nah! I'm not that mean. :D)
I released Esilé onto the water, watching her glide smoothly over the mirror-like surface. Loréndoz followed my example as he sent Clytem into the water, landing just as smoothly before remaining stationary on the water's smooth surface. Then it hit me why he seemed so familiar.
'He's one of the Skullz leader's right-hand men! I remember his water technique anywhere!'
I had watched him take out some of the other members during my attack on them last summer. He was close with their leader, very close. Max's voice snapped me out of my musings.
"Whoa! Would you look at that! I've never seen a blade sit on the water without sinking before!" Max cried, "This will be an amazing battle!"
'It'll be the 'Clash of the Ancients',' I thought to myself as I commanded Esilé to start attacking the opposing blade.
"Is that all you got?" Loréndoz sneered at me as his blade absorbed every hit, "It'll be too easy to defeat you! Clytem!"
'Good. He's getting overconfident. Are you gathering power fast enough, Esilé?'
/I'm fine. He's not noticing anything. I'll be ready by the time you call for me. Don't try to stall him longer than necessary, little one, I'm not going to put you in danger./
'Roger Esilé,' I teased as she glared annoyed at me, reminding me it's not the time to be fooling around.
I dodged his attacks whenever I could and absorbed some of his weaker hits as I felt Esilé gathering her energy and the energy from the surrounding water.
'We're almost fully charged. We're going to go out with a bang!'
"Well, I'm bored," I heard Loréndoz yawn, "Time to get this over with. CLYTEM! BINDING VICE!"
I watched apprehensively as the mist rose out of his blade, his giant kraken bitbeast appearing faster than the last two times.
"Scared yet?" he taunted. I didn't reply because I was busy watching his bitbeast and trying to dodge his many tentacles. Without warning, I felt my shirt rip and a gash appear on my side.
'What the hell!
"Again Clytem!" I heard Loréndoz command again as another gash appeared on my right arm.
"It appears that Reine is being attack but I can't see the attacker! Mr. Dickenson is conversing with the judging committee to settle on a decision," Max stated anxiously, eyeing me worriedly, "And we have a verdict. The battle will remain in motion because there's no evidence that anything is really attacking the blader."
"WHAT! THAT'S COMPLETE BULLSHIT!" I heard Tamayo shout indignantly. I saw the others try to calm her from the corner of my eyes.
'Don't worry about me Tamayo, I'm fine,' I silently thought, hoping Tamayo will somehow get a drift of my thoughts and calm down. Another gash appearing on my thigh brought me back to the battle.
"Give up yet?" Loréndoz asked haughtily, obviously believing the battle was in the bag.
"Over my dead body," I gritted out. He laughed at my answer before turning to stare at me with crazed eyes.
"As you wish! It's your death! CLYTEM! BINDING VICE!"
This time I caught sight of, or rather felt, the attack as it hurtled towards me.
'So that's how he's doing it! Smart, but not smart enough.'
Taking the hit again, I felt a welt appear on my cheek from where the water lashed me.
'He's clever for using the dish's element and using the dish, itself, to attack me, I'll give him that, but creating thin whips made of water particles, invisible to the human eye, to attack the opponent is playing really dirty.'
He probably would've won the battle this way, but he didn't know my special bond with Esilé allowed me to feel the water particles around me. I'll be ready for his next attack. Glancing briefly at my blade, I saw it was still spinning strongly.
'I won't be as easy to defeat as you believe.'
I felt the shift in the particles around me as the whip hurtled toward me once again. As it neared me, I quickly jumped back causing the whip to miss.
"What!" I heard him scream at my reaction to his attack as I crouched down on my spot, ready to spring away if he attempted to attack me again.
"You won't escape again! Clytem! Attack again! Don't miss this time."
Again, I sensed the shift of water particles around me before a line of them headed quickly at my left calf. Leaping up, I avoided the attack again causing Loréndoz to growl in frustration.
"Come and get me, you coward! You're not manly enough to beat me in a battle fair and square so you resort to dirty and cheap tricks. Unfortunately for you, I'm immune to them," I taunted him.
'Now it's my turn.'
"COWARD! Who do you take me for! I'll show you who's a coward! CLYTEM! DESTORY HER BLADE!"
I grinned as his blade headed towards mine, intent on ripping it apart.
"Now Esilé! Reveal yourself!"
A cerulean light erupted from my blade as a light fog appeared, shimmering over the water of the dish. With a magnificent roar, all seven heads appeared followed by her muscled torso and powerful tail. The audience was awed into silence at her beauty. Many of the bladers, who have never seen her before, were slack-jawed as they stared wide-eyed at her gargantuan size. Roaring angrily, Esilé divided smoothly into the still waters and swum powerfully towards the semi-submerged kraken. It hissed in response, showing its rows upon rows of sharp teeth, before lashing out with all of its tentacles, attempting to grab Esilé and squeeze her to death.
"Not good enough! Esilé! Hold him down and complete charging!" I commanded. In one graceful movement, Esilé grabbed the kraken with her finned tail, squeezing it tightly as her seven heads reared back, mouths agape with balls of energy visibly gathering.
"You might want to step back," I warned Max seriously, never taking my eyes off of Esilé as she finished charging. Max nodded nervously, stepping off his platform and backing up to the VIP seats.
'I want you to blast him with your attack in its original form, not the one we usually use.'
/I was thinking along the same line, little one. I'm ready whenever you are./
Nodding slightly, I raised my arm and pointed at Loréndoz, speaking in a cold voice.
"This is the only warning I'm giving you. The Skullz should back off before I come and get all of you. Oh, and by the way, I was the one who got Destruction arrested, and you will be joining him in jail when I'm through with you."
Loréndoz stared at me in astonishment as I called my final attack.
"Esilé! JUDGEMENT OF THE DEEP!"All the orbs of energy gathered in the middle head, the hydrogen balls mixing with the charge water particles creating a powerful water beam.
"FIRE THE AQUA RAY!"
On my command, the charged beam was released, hitting the helpless kraken head on. There was loud explosion as water erupted everywhere, drenching everyone within a 20-foot radius. With a final cry of pain, Clytem retreated back into his blade. Slowly, Loréndoz's blade came to a stop and sunk to the bottom of the dish. Max took a tentative step forward. After a quick glance at the dish and catching sight of the obvious outcome, he raised the mike and shouted loudly, "AND WE HAVE A WINNER! GIVE IT UP FOR REINE TANAKA, THE NEW BAKUTEN CHAMPION!"
Cheers erupted out of the stands as the audience snapped out of their trances. A pair of policemen stepped forward before handcuffing Loréndoz before leading him away, using his confessions, from during the battle, as evidence to convict him for criminal activities. Slipping into the dish and ignoring my, now, wet jeans, I scooped his blade out of the water and slipped it into my pocket.
'A blade this powerful isn't safe in the hands of the Skullz. I'll keep it, for now. What do you think, Esilé?'
/You make a good choice. I believe you're growing up./
"Great job, Reine!" I heard Tamayo shout before glomping me and hugging me from behind. The rest of the bladers followed behind more slowly. I saw Mr. Dickenson approaching me with a huge smile on his face.
"I would like to congratulate you on your win," he began cheerfully, "I'm proud to inform you of your free trip for you and your guests. It will last a week in the middle of November, during Fall Break as Max has informed me. I've also been told, briefly, on these rogue blader organizations. I promise not to interfere and bring attention to these matters unless it's absolutely necessary, such as a life-threatening situation. I will happily fund any of your exertions to bring down this unknown organization. So with that stuff cleared up, do you have any idea where you want to go?"
"Bern, Switzerland," I said immediately. Mr. Dickenson chuckled heartily.
"It seems you've been thinking about this for a while. Very well, Bern, Switzerland it is. How many guests will you be bringing? Don't bother to include the bladers because they will be accompanying you whether you like it or not."
"Four, Tamayo, Eris, Toji, and me. Is that okay, Mr. Dickenson?"
"Absolutely. I'll see you during fall break then. Good-bye kids," he called cheerfully over his shoulder as he walked away.
"Nice guy," Tamayo commented idly, still hanging off my back.
"So Max, didn't I tell you not to tell anyone?" I asked dangerously, turning to glare at an uncomfortable Max.
"I…uh…It just slipped! I'm sorry!" Max yelped before dashing off. Chuckling to myself, I turned back to the others.
'I guess no harm's done if Mr. Dickenson doesn't leak it to anyone else in the BBA.'
"I guess the tournament is a success and we can leave without any explanations."
Nodding my head at everyone, I headed back to the locker room, checking to see if I forgot anything back here.
"Hey, what's this?"
I picked up the phoenix plushie I saw earlier in one of the booths. I noticed a note attached to its front.
Reine Tanaka,
Congratulations on winning your tournament.
Anonymous
Author's Note:
I'm finally done with the tournament! These two chapters took me quite a while! xD I hope you guys liked them.
Hmm, I wonder who the plushie was from. ;D
I have reached 500 hits! Yay! –does a happy dance– Thanks to those who have reviewed, it means a lot to me. I'm kind of sad at the minimum amount of reviews I'm getting, but I'm glad that people are actually reading this fic!
Re-Posted AN: I finished typing and uploading this fic at 12 at night…er…morning and I never had a chance to proofread and edit it. This is a slightly altered and improved version. Thanks for reading!
I would like to thank whyamidoingthis01, DaCow Takao, Ms. Controversy, Sweet-Plum, Soldier4Christ, and last but certainly not least Crownowa for leaving awesome reviews. :D I really appreciate your time and effort!
Please R&R!
Rand-chan