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 12 – What is this Feeling?

Quick AN: Sorry to interrupt before you start the chapter, but it would be easier for you to understand the chapter if you read this. :-) The point-of-view doesn't change after each flashback and the flashback is always in the current point-of-view. Have a great read!

Reine's POV

'Now you know how I feel!' I crowed silently as Tamayo struggled, in vain I might add, against Eris and Mariah as they tried to fix her up for her little "date" with a certain red-haired Russian.

"Let go of me! I don't need your help getting ready!" Tamayo shouted stubbornly as she tried to hit away Eris' hand.

"Quit fidgeting!" Mariah snapped as she carefully placed mascara onto Tamayo's lashes.

"But I don't need all this stuff," Tamayo whined as she finally stopped struggling, slumping down in her seat.

"I don't see why I have to dress up for him," she added the last part under her breath. Eris and Mariah pretended not to hear her.

"You need this stuff to look nice for your date. You don't want to disappoint him, do you?" Eris asked as she brushed Tamayo's hair back and started to pin it up in a French twist with an intricately carved, dark brown chopstick. Mariah finished glossing Tamayo's lips with cherry-flavored lip-gloss just as Eris put the finishing touches in her hair. Standing back and viewing their handy work, Mariah and Eris high-fived each other. I pulled Tamayo onto her feet as I led her to the full-length mirror.

"Oh," was all she could say as she saw herself. The change was remarkable, if I must say so myself. In place of her usual style, her wavy, red hair was twisted up expertly on the back of her head while a few stray bangs fell around her face, framing it prettily and bringing out the green in her eyes. The make-up Mariah applied to her face made her shine with an ethereal quality, bringing out her high cheekbones. Surveying my own handiwork, I must say I did a good job picking out her clothes. They're not as casual are her regular outfits but not too formal for an outing. She was wearing a white blouse with a pair of nice, black slacks. Taking Switzerland's cold climate into consideration, I gave her a black, silk jacket, to wear. Looking over her outfit one last time, I noted that her clothes were simple and comfortable, yet stylish and sexy.

'Just like Tamayo,' I thought as I compared her looks to her personality.

"I don't know what to say," Tamayo trailed off. Her eyes were full of unshed tears.

"Don't you dare cry," Mariah warned, "I didn't waste my time applying your mascara for nothing."

Tamayo sniffed a little as she stared at herself in the mirror once more.

"You are the best friends any girl can have," she said tearfully as she turned to regard us. I couldn't help but smile at my petite friend.

"We are happy to help you," Eris replied, satisfied with her work.

"You just wanted to play dress-up," I muttered under my breath as Eris glared at me.

"He's not worth your trouble," Tamayo said as she walked back towards us, her black, leather 2-inch heal shoes clicking on the wooden floor of our ski lodge, "This is just a dare. It's not like a real date anyway."

Mariah 'tsk'ed at her.

"Don't say that! He wouldn't have made you do the dare if he didn't want a date in the first place."

"He's just doing this to get on my nerves. This is probably caused by a bet we made a while back. It was the day Durby attacked us; he thought I was Tala's girlfriend," Tamayo said ruefully as she remembered the incident.

Flashback

"How dare you say that I'm that asshole's girlfriend! I'll castrate you with my bare hands!"

"You should be happy to be labeled as such. You wouldn't be able to get a boyfriend anyway," Tala snapped back, wondering why he's so worked up over something like that.

"Shut up, Valcov. I sure as hell can get a boyfriend, one that will be much better than you!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Yeah! Got a problem with that?"

"Hell no! You're on!"

(AN: If you want to reread the entire scene check out Chapter 6 – Of Koalas and Bobcats.)

Shaking her head slightly, she turned to regard her friends with determined eyes.

"I'll try to make this date as nice as possible for your sakes."

"Go get him, Tiger! Or should I say Bobcat?" Mariah joked as Eris looked on, pleased by the outcome of events.

"Don't hurt him too much if he pisses you off," was my advice as I nodded at her. An abrupt knocking on our suite door alerted us to Tala's arrival.

"Knock him off his feet," Mariah whispered as Tamayo went to open the door. Tala stood there casually, his white turtleneck sweater striking against his navy and orange sweatpants. In his arm was a small bouquet of multi-colored lilies, freshly picked from the floral shop on the main floor. His gaze lazily traveled from the ground to take in Tamayo's appearance. I saw his eyes widen at what his saw, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

'Good, Tala's struck speechless. He bought her flowers, that's definitely a plus. There's hope for him yet. Maybe Brooklyn wouldn't be the one to steal her heart after all.' I mused thoughtfully, comparing Tala's chances to Brooklyn's, 'His chances would be a lot better if he stops annoying her all the time.'

Tala tinted pink when he realized he was staring. Tamayo smirked at his reaction.

"Let's get this dare over with," she drawled lazily as she took the flowers, bringing them to her nose and inhaling their sweet aroma.

"These flowers are wonderful," she breathed, astounded by their sweet scent. Tala grinned at her reaction as he snapped out of his trance.

"Come on, wench, time is ticking."

She glared balefully at him. She had tried to be nice but look where that got her.

'Nice Tala,' I thought sarcastically as I watched her expression turn dark, 'You're not even on your date yet and you already pissed her off. At this rate, you won't get far before she explodes on you.'

Eris disappeared into the kitchen only to reappear with a vase for Tamayo's bouquet. Tamayo smiled appreciatively at her before placing the lilies inside.

"Let's go," she said shortly as she followed Tala outside, closing the door softly behind them.

"This will be interesting," Eris commented softly before retiring to her room, "I'll be sleeping off my jetlag if anyone needs me."

"I'll also be sleeping off my jetlag. Overpowering Tamayo is exhausting!" Mariah exclaimed with a loud yawn before walking into her room, closing it with a soft click.

'I guess that leaves me by myself then. I guess I can check out this place.'

We had arrived in Bern, Switzerland at one in the morning. That was when I met Kenny and Hilary for the first time. It was right after I conked out for the entire three-hour flight from Paris. I was feeling bad for falling asleep on Max, when he was answering my questions about America, and was apologizing profusely for my rudeness as we walked out of the plane and into the airport.

Flashback

"Hey guys!" I heard someone yell as I turned to regard two teens waving frantically at us. I raised an eyebrow.

'Who the hell are these people and why are they waving at us?'

"Hilary! Kenny!" Max yelled cheerfully, waving back.

'Oh, so those two are Kenny and Hilary? Hm, they don't look too bad. Maybe we can tell them after all.'

"Move, you're blocking the way," someone grunted behind me. I turned around and sneered at a grumpy Kai.

"You know, you can just walk around me. It's not as if I'm ten feet wide."

He shot me a nasty glare as he turned and started to walk around me.

"You'll get fat by being lazy. I'm just giving you some exercise," I tossed out languidly, watching as he glowered at me. I smirked triumphantly as I riled him up.

'It's fun to infuriate him, I must admit.'

"KAI!"

I looked to my right, started by Hilary's loud yell. She rushed past me and gave him a big hug, clinging tightly to his embrace. I felt a strange feeling starting to bubble in the pit of my stomach as I drilled holes into her back with my glare.

"It's great to see you again!" she chattered on, not noticing my vengeful aura shimmering behind her.

/No need to get jealous, little one/ I heard Esilé murmur as I started to fume.

'I'm not jealous!'

She only hummed good-naturedly as she shifted in the back of my mind, her scales clinking melodiously.

'Ok, so we didn't get off to a great start,' I thought peevishly, still aggravated by my feelings at her intimate greeting with the cold captain. The bus ride to Sunshine Lodge was slightly better. We were quite annoyed when we found out that we had to wait one more hour before we reach our lodgings. (AN: A skiing inn isn't really a hotel, right? Well, I couldn't find a better word than 'lodgings'. It sounds so weird.) It turns out that in order to ski, we have to drive to a distant city called Wengen. The ride wasn't too bad until Hilary started to yell at Tyson.

Flashback

"Gosh guys," Tyson moaned as he clutched his stomach in anguish, "I'm so hungry!"

Shortly following his outburst as a long and loud growl from his stomach, agreeing with its lamenting master.

"You're always hungry, Tyson," Hilary snapped from her seat behind him, glaring at the indignant teen.

"But I'm a growing boy!" he whined as he stared at his belly mournfully as it gave another growl.

"You ate on the plane just a couple of hours ago!" Tala snapped, exasperated with his seatmate.

'Poor Tala, he'll have to deal with this all week,' I thought as I looked on with an emotionless face.

I informed the group that we would be returning to Bern in four days time to complete Operation D.T.S. I had finally relented and told Hilary and Kenny about our current situation, and what we were doing in Switzerland, on the bus ride here. Mr. Dickenson had set up our rooms in a hotel in Bern for our last three days in Switzerland. It turns out that Mr. Dickenson had booked us, in groups, for individual suites. A suite had six separate bedrooms, plus a living room and bathroom. There were only fifty-one of us while all nine suites could hold a grand total of fifty-four so we ended up forming a group of three and a group of five. Spencer, Bryan, and Ian shared a suite while King, Zeo, Gordo, Toji, and Kenny shared another. The groups were separated on gender leaving the girls on the third floor and the guys on the second. Immediately upon arrival, Tala was separated from his group to join Tyson's as a part of his bet.

I snickered recalling Enrique's look of relief as he switched with Tala. It was unfair how life was cruel towards him. Walking out of the living room, I entered my room to change into warmer clothes for my outing remembering that the inn was made up of several buildings. The gym was on the side, all by itself, while the cafeteria and suites are in the largest one. There is also a skiing and snowboarding rental shop in on top of the next hill. I dug through my suitcase until I came up with a long-sleeve, black turtleneck sweater along with matching black sweatpants. I wore a red tracksuit jacket over my sweater before pulling on forest-green, fingerless gloves. I hesitated before grabbing my beanie, hoping that it wouldn't be cold enough for me to wear it.

Just as I was about to walk out of the suite, I ran into the devil himself.

"Watch where you're going, Tanaka," he grunted as he picked himself up from the floor. I glared at him coldly.

"What're you doing here?" I asked snidely, "If I remember correctly, this is the girl's floor. All the boys are on the second floor."

"Kai! You're here!" I heard Hilary call from behind me. I stiffened slightly at her tone.

'Why am I reacting this way? It doesn't make any sense!'

"I'm here to talk over the training schedule for my team with Hilary," he answered coldly, "Now will you move aside so I can come in?"

I numbly stepped aside as he strode past me, barely noticing the curious stare Hilary sent my way.

"I'm going out," I muttered to her as I walked out the door, turning quickly to the left and hurrying towards the elevator. Pushing the button, I waited impatiently for it to reach the third floor. After what seemed to be an eternity, I heard the distinct 'ding' as the elevator doors slid open and I stepped inside, pushing the button for the lobby.

"Hi Reine," I heard someone greet. My gaze rose from the colorless tiles below my feet to stare at Kenny. He fidgeted nervously, unnerved by my stare. Softening my look, I replied, "Hello Kenny. Where are you headed to?"

"Oh, I was just heading over to the gym. I heard they had a great beyblading facility there," Kenny blabbered, going excitedly on about how it will help the Bladebreakers' training regime and scoping out the competition. After a moment's pause, I spoke.

"Do you mind if I join you? I was going to look around but what you propose sounds even better."

Kenny brightened.

"Ah! Of course! I've been meaning to analyze your blade. From what I've heard from the others, it's very powerful. They were also saying something about your bitbeast being an Ancient."

I nodded at his statement intriguing him even more.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked eagerly, clutching his laptop tightly. Shrugging with indifference, I pulled a one of the blades out of my pocket, careful to make sure it's my orange and white one. (AN: Remember she has two. :D)

'I can't let anyone know I still have Clytem. He'll be my secret weapon if anything happens.'

Kenny 'ah'ed in appreciation as he examined my blade, careful to note what my bitbeast looked like. The elevator doors opened with a slight 'ding' as we reached the ground floor. I waited for Kenny to walk through first before following him, allowing myself to examine my surroundings.

'No suspicious characters so far.'

I've been on alert ever since we landed in Switzerland, cautious so that the Skullz wouldn't suspect us until it's too late.

"Hey Reine, do you mind stopping for a bit? I'm going to look up Esilé on the net real quick then we'll head over to the gym."

I nodded in reply, not really caring where I go as long as I'm away from my suite when he is there. I vaguely noticed Kenny plop down into one of the lobby's chairs.

'They're probably making out now,' I thought with a sneer. Startled at my train of thoughts, I mentally smacked myself.

'What's gotten into me lately? I'm not acting like myself!'

I heard, rather than saw, Kenny get to work as his fingers flew over the keyboard with short, sharp clicks.

"Eureka!" he shouted excitedly as he found what he was looking for, "Come here and take a look at this!"

I walked over to Kenny's chair and looked over his shoulder to examine the screen of his laptop. It showed a newspaper clipping from several years ago. I immediately noticed the date.

'That's about the time the rogue bladers started to organize into teams like the Skullz. Is this a coincidence?'

I quickly scanned the article.

Ancient Inscription found in Roman Mausoleum

September 22, 1997

Written by A. Nara

An ancient scroll and tablet was uncovered my Dr. Marino, one of Italy's leading archeologists, in an ancient mausoleum. The mausoleum was thought to have burned down over five thousand years ago. It is thought that this particular scroll was taken from Alexandria's library before the great burning due to the fact that the scroll was written in ancient Greek text. Dr. Lombardi, of the Ancient Roman and Greek History department, was able to translate the first text on the scroll. It mainly spoke about ancient bitbeasts that were sighted in the days of the Roman Empire. The following paragraphs are Dr. Lombardi's translation, even though some text may be have been lost, and the actual text on the scroll.

Here lies the sealed spirits of ancient, destructive forces.
These great beasts are larger than the largest temples and more powerful than the largest tempests.
The souls that have been put to eternal sleep will be set free once more to reek havoc upon our planet if this safe sanctuary was ever disturbed.

Εδώ βρίσκεται τα σφραγισμένα πνεύματα των αρχαίων, καταστρεπτικών δυνάμεων.
Αυτά τα μεγάλα κτήνη είναι μεγαλύτερα από τους μεγαλύτερους ναούς και ισχυρότερα από τις μεγαλύτερες θύελλες.
Οι ψυχές που έχουν τεθεί στον αιώνιο ύπνο θα απελευθερωθούν ακόμα μια φορά στον όλεθρο δυσωδιών επάνω στον πλανήτη μας εάν αυτό το ασφαλές άδυτο ήταν πάντα διαταραγμένο.

So far, none of the predictions have been fulfilled. Many archeologists and specialists are skeptical about the contents of this scroll. Although the first passage had been deciphered, the remaining contents remain unknown even though most translators are almost certain it's connected to these colossal, ancient spirits. Found underneath the scroll was a tablet depicted with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, none of which any of specialists can currently identify. They appear to be one of a kind. The tablet seems to have a connection with the scroll above because from what we were able to tell, these strange hieroglyphics seem to refer to the actual bitbeasts themselves. A picture of the tablet is shown below.

I leaned closer and examined the picture. Two particular hieroglyphics seem to jump out at me.

'That's Clytem and Esilé!'

The two hieroglyphics were side by side depicting two warring beasts. The first seemed to have multiple tentacles wrapped around a serpent like beast that was depicted in the second. I paled as I reread the article.

'The scroll was referring to the Ancients, but what did they mean by 'reek havoc upon our planet if this safe sanctuary was ever disturbed'? Wasn't it disturbed 5000 years ago when it burned down? Maybe my heirloom has something to do with this.'

I unconsciously fiddled with the hydra charm around my neck. Come to think of it, it looked eerily like the hieroglyphic, if only a bit.

"This is very…interesting," I said faintly, looking back at Kenny.

"It's rather disturbing how your bitbeasts seems to look like the hieroglyphic and how the inscription seemed to describe these bitbeasts," Kenny said excitedly, closing his laptop with a snap, "Well, that's all I wanted to check out. I remember reading this article a few years back and once I heard about your bitbeast, I just had to check. Now that that's done and over with, let's head to the gym."

Following Kenny absently out of the building and into the next, I lost myself in my thoughts.

'Esilé, what happened five thousand years ago?'

/I do not remember little one. I have lost all memories before I was awoken and dropped into the sea./

I immediately perked up.

'Dropped into the sea?'

/Yes. I don't ever remember how I was sealed into the charm around your neck, but the next thing I realize was that I was dropped into the sea. The water regenerated me and I awoke. That's when sighting of me began and the mythical beast, the hydra, was created. I traveled around the globe, bringing the charm with me wherever I went. I finally gave it to your ancestors, sensing there was something about them. That's how I ended up here, with you./

She shifted slightly as she finished, humming softly in the back of my mind.

'Do you think others were awaken wherever they are?'

/Not that I know of, little one. All I know is what I am, how I was awakened, and that Clytem is awakened, him being inside your pocket right now./

I chewed on this for a bit as I watched Kenny sit on a bench, opening his laptop to record some data from some bladers that were currently battling it out in the beydish. After a while, I turned to leave only to have Kenny stop me.

"Um…Reine? Do you mind if you battle once so I can record some data on your blade and give you a tune-up?"

I thought for a while. I didn't like anyone messing with Esilé other than me, but Kenny was trustworthy since all the Bladebreakers, even Kai, lets him touch their blades.

"As long as I'm there when you when you mess with my blade," I conceded, looking around for a decent opponent. I wanted to give Kenny some good data.

'Not that it will help his team defeat me,' I added silently. I finally spotted a violet-haired teen with several piercings on his ears. He seemed to be a decent blader. I watched him finish his battle with a sturdy, blonde-haired teen as he rammed the unfortunate boy's blade out the dish.

'Not bad for an amateur. He'll probably get good with more practice. We all have to start somewhere.'

That's exactly what she had told me many years ago. Remembering this brought back my first memory of beyblading, also the fateful day I met Aliahe.

Flashback

It was my birthday. I had just turned seven and just received my mother's present. I tore at the neatly wrapped package causing green wrapping paper to fly everywhere. I finally uncovered a velvety blue box. I sucked in my breath as I opened it. Inside laid a beautiful necklace glistening in the morning sun. I examined the charm lying at the center, gently stroking the seven heads of the sea serpent. For a moment, I thought I saw it glow, but it must've been my imagination.

"Thanks Mommy!" I squealed happily as Eris ignored me, quickly unwrapping her present. She had a similar velvet box only it had a pair of feather-like earrings.

"They are so pretty," she cooed, smiling brightly at out mom.

"I'm glad you like them. I'm sorry I can't pass down the family heirloom to you so I bought them for you," Mom apologized, hugging Eris briefly.

"It's okay, Mommy. I love them whether or not they're family heirlooms or not."

Suddenly my dad strolled into the room.

"Who are my big girls?" he shouted as we ran into his arms, giving him a big hug. Pulling out two presents, he handed one to each of us.

"Come on, open it," he urged as his eyes held a mischievous twinkle, watching us as we ripped the colorful wrapping paper to reveal two, top-of-the-line beyblades. I beamed happily. It's what I've always wanted.

"We thought it's about time for you two to start learning to beyblade," I heard Mom say as she walked over to Dad, placing an arm lovingly around his shoulder.

"This is the best birthday present ever!" I squealed, running over and giving them a big hug. Eris stared at her blade. She wasn't really into the sport and she found it rather pointless.

"You'll be starting your lessons today," Mom said happily as she kissed both our foreheads, "If you don't like it, you can drop it."

Eris nodded, knowing that the statement was directed at her. The drive seemed to last forever as I bounced excitedly in my seat, eyes wide as I took in the scenery flashing by my window.

"We're here," Dad announced as the car came to a stop, pulling into a parking spot near the local BBA building. I clambered out of the car quickly and ran over to the doors, looking back anxiously, waiting for my family to catch up.

"Whoa there, kiddo!" my Dad laughed, catching up to me and putting me on his shoulders, his silver hair dancing in the wind. It was from him that I got my hair. I giggled as I clung to his head, one hand clutching my beyblade tightly. He put me down when Mom and Eris caught up before heading inside.

"Hello! You must be the Tanaka family," a raven-haired woman stated as she walked towards us, a pleasant smile on her face.

"My name is Aliahe Nara and I will be the mentor of both your daughters."

I peered up at her, astounded by her beauty.

"You're really pretty," I told her shyly, shielding myself from view by hiding behind Dad's legs. She laughed melodically at my comment before leaning down and staring me in the eyes.

"You're cute yourself," she replied, flicking my nose lightly before straightening back up, "Are you girls ready for your first lesson?"

"Yes!" I chirped as Eris nodded shyly, clinging to Mom's hand.

"Well, come along then. The training room is this way."

"Have fun kids!" Dad called as he grabbed Mom's waste, gently steering her back out the lobby, "We'll pick you up in an hour."

For me, the hour passed quickly, too fast for my liking. For my first lesson, I've learned how to hold a launcher and the proper position for launching a blade. Then we were taught how to launch a blade. Even after many tries, I couldn't launch it properly. Crying out in frustration, I plopped myself onto the floor and began to sulk.

"What's the matter, Reiniki?" Aliahe asked, squatting down beside me. It was Aliahe who first called me by my nickname.

"I can't launch a blade! I'll never good at this rate."

She laughed at me as I pouted, frustrated at my inability to even launch a blade correctly.

"What's so funny?"

She quieted down before regarding me seriously and speaking in a gentle tone, "We aren't good when we first start. We need to practice to improve. This is your first lesson and I would say that you're making excellent progress. We all have to start somewhere."

Sending me one last smile, she left to check on Eris, leaving me to think about what she'd said.

'We all have to start somewhere, uh? I might as well start here,' I thought determinedly as I stood up once more. I continued to practice launching my blade until the end of the lesson. I still had a problem with the landing but it had improved drastically.

"Good job! You are a natural," Aliahe complimented me, patting me softly on my head, "I'll see you here next week then. Don't forget to practice!"

I waved good-bye as I walked out the door with my family, watching Aliahe walk back inside. That was the start of our relationship between mentor and student. She encouraged me with her wise words while I used my stubbornness and determination to succeed to continuously push myself. Eris dropped out after two more lessons claiming that the sport just wasn't for her. Aliahe had taught me an important lesson. She had taught me that we all have to improve and in order to do that, we have to start somewhere. There are no shortcuts in life so you have to make your own way.

"Hello? Reine! Are you in there?"

I snapped out of my memories as I saw Kevin wave his hand in front of my face. Kevin was the short, spunky kid of the White Tiger X. I met him when I happened to fall for one of his many pranks that was intended for Mariah.

"What is it?" I asked absently, still feeling disoriented after remembering Aliahe.

"Kenny asked you if you wanted to battle me since he wants some data on your blade, so do you want to battle?" he asked impatiently, hopping from foot to foot.

"I was going to ask that guy over there (I pointed towards the violet-haired teen with many piercings) but since you came along, I'll kick your butt instead."

"Not if Galmon and I can help it!" he retorted, running over to an empty dish, "Come on! Let's get started already!"

"You really are anxious to loose aren't you?" I asked as I sauntered over to the dish lazily, amused by his antics.

"We'll see who loses by the end of this battle," he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Right. Kenny, will you do the honors?"

"Okay," Kenny replied as he adjusted his glasses, hurrying over with his laptop under his arm. Once he was beside the dish, he raised his arm and declared the rules.

"This is a sudden death match. You loose if your blade stop spinning or is out of the dish. No attacking the opponent or you're disqualified. Bladers ready?"

Quickly loading my launcher, I waited patiently for Kenny's countdown.

"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"

I released Esilé into the dish with a sharp yank on my ripcord. I barely noticed the amateur bladers gathering around to watch the match until I heard snatches of their conversation.

"Hey! Isn't that the guy from the White Tigers X?"

"Yeah! It's Kevin!"

"He's going to roast that amateur!"

I snorted at the last statement.

'I'll show you who'll roast whom.'

"Galmon!" I heard Kevin shout as his purple blade closed in on mine, "Slam her out of the dish!"

Esilé quickly evaded his attack before returning to spin in the middle of the dish.

"You have to do better than that to get me out of the game," I taunted the green-haired Asian.

"Fine! If you want power, we'll give you power! GALMON! CRAZY MONKEY ATTACK!"

Suddenly, Kevin's blade split into five separate blades, each taking a turn to slam into Esilé. I looked on, amused.

"You call this power?" I asked as I stared at his blades' assault.

"What's that suppose to mean?" he yelled, thoroughly frustrated that I'm not loosing any spin even after he called out his special attack.

"Maybe with your bitbeast out, I'll actually have a challenge," I goaded.

'If I'm not mistaken, Esilé had gotten a lot stronger after defeating Loréndoz and I'm just about to test that theory. If I can defeat his blade and bitbeast without Esilé it means both Esilé and I have improved.'

"If you wanted to loose so bad, you could've just told me!" Kevin said with a toothy smirk, "You heard her Galmon, ARISE!"

With a bright, yellow light five giant baboons rose out of Kevin's blades screeching insanely.

"Crazy Monkey attack!"

"Dodge them, Esilé," I replied calmly, keeping a sharp eye out for weaknesses.

'His left-most blade is spinning differently from the others. That must be his real blade.'

"Attack the left-most one!"

Swerving sharply, my orange blade headed full speed for the stunned Galmon before knocking him clean out of the dish.

"I guess I win, Kevin. I didn't even have to call on my bitbeast," I said smugly sending him a cocky smirk. Fine, sue me for relishing the moment! I didn't get to gloat after I defeated Loréndoz.

"Whatever," he mumbled as he picked up his blade from the floor, "I'll defeat you next time!"

"Fine, but you're going to loose again if you don't fix your attack. I noticed a difference between you copies and original," I said loosely, sending him a discreet wink as he blushed.

"You must be slacking again," I heard a reprimanding voice say before Lee appeared out of the crowd of onlookers.

'Aww crap! I didn't know there was so many people watching! Now I've majorly embarrassed Kevin. He'll never forgive me!'

Kevin hung his head in shame.

"Sorry Lee," he mumbled as he trudged towards his team leader. Lee's eyes softened a bit.

"Don't worry Kevin. I would've lost, too, against her. She's powerful not to mention her bitbeast. Even when Garland and Brooklyn couldn't defeat Loréndoz, she defeated him without breaking a sweat."

I blinked at his statement.

"What tournament were you watching?" I asked, peeved at Lee for exaggerating my win, "I sweated a lot and he was no cupcake."

"All right! All right!" Lee laughed, "I'm sorry for exaggerating the truth a bit, but you did defeat him."

"Yeah," I mumbled as I caught sight of the two people I did not want to see here, "Well I'm going to go. I hope you got the data you wanted, Kenny."

"Yeah! It was great!" he chirped as he typed excitedly on his laptop.

"Slow down Chief! You're going to break my keyboard!"

I stopped at looked back at Kenny.

"Who was that?" I asked, confused, as I looked around. Seeing that there was no one else but Kenny, I raised an eyebrow.

'Was that my imagination or what?'

"Oh, that was Dizzi," Kenny answered nonchalantly as he continued to type furiously, "She's my bitbeast who's stuck inside my laptop."

I stared at him, bug-eyed.

"You're bitbeast is stuck inside you laptop?" I repeated slowly making sure I heard him correctly.

"Uh huh," he mumbled absently as he continued to type. I shook my head and decided not to comment. As I headed outside, I brushed past Kai and Hilary.

"I hope you enjoyed the show," I said sarcastically, sending a pointed glare in Kai's direction. Hilary returned my glare, but I could care less.

'He's always trying to scope out my moves. Is he really desperate to win in our rematch? Sheesh! At the rate he's going, I'll just throw in the match to make him happy and leave me the fuck alone.'

I wandered around the snowy hills, not really caring where I'm going or where I'll end up. Yelling broke me out of my reverie.

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SAID I COULDN'T GET A BETTER BOYFRIEND AND NOW YOU'RE ANGRY AT ME FOR BEING WRONG? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"I JUST DON'T LIKE YOU BEING NEAR HIM!"

"MY LIFE IS NOT FOR YOU TO CONTROL!"

Hiding myself behind a snowdrift, I peeked over to find myself looked at a flushed Tamayo and a red Tala.

'Oh boy. Why do I get the feeling their date didn't turn out as planned?'

Author's Note:

Once again I did not elaborate on Tala and Tamayo's date. xD I'm pure evil! –runs away from mob of angry readers– Before you decide to kill me, you should know that it will result in no more new chapters. xD I love being the evil authoress!

Do I sense jealousy! Sorry to you Hilary fans. I'll just have you guys know that she's not, and I repeat not, acting like a slut. It's Reine's point of view and she's really paranoid. x3 I wonder why? –hint hint–

Sorry for the constant breaks in the story line. I know it's hard to follow considering the flashbacks and all. I just didn't know where to fit it all in. -.- I finally got in another flashback with Aliahe for all you curious readers out there. :D She does play a significant role in Reine's life, but you will have to just keep reading and see what it is.

Next chapter, I will backtrack and actually talk about how Tamayo and Tala ended up with that argument. ;D Until then, be tortured by the suspense! Bwhahaha! I'm evil! (AN: Ignore me. I was given chocolate.)

I have reached over 670 hits and I'm one review away from the 40 reviews mark! xD I can't believe how far I got!

I would like to thank fruit salad02, whyamidoingthis01, DaCow Takao, and last but certainly not least Sweet-Plum for being so understanding about my lack of inspiration. :D You guys are awesome and you make my day with all your reviews!

Please R&R!

Rand-chan