Insert Self, BeyBlade By Ryu Himora
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Chapter 4: A Little Backstory ***
Six Months Ago
Ryu walked into his classroom and was met with a fanfare. Five students overwhelmed him at the door, and a sign at the back displayed "THANK YOU, RYU!".
"What! Is This! For?" Ryu managed to shout over the din. One of the nearby students explained.
"You took out Darion! He was the biggest bully at this school and you made him leave!"
Ryu remembered it then. The fight with Darion, Spirit Dragon bursting from his beyblade - He looked at his left leg, and saw the launch assist attached to his pants. It really had happened.
A lady walked up. Ryu knew her - Amido. They had been friends for a couple years now. She was wearing a thick cloth dress that ended just above her knees and low-heeled calf-length boots. Her hair was straight, shiny black and went down to her shoulders, and she had sparkling blue eyes. Amido gave Ryu a passionate hug, and held it for several seconds before letting go. The crown quieted down considerably after that.
"Is all this really necessary?" Ryu asked.
"Do you know how much trouble Darion caused?" A male student said. "He personally took money from four dozen people! This school is much better off without him."
The door opened again. This time the teacher walked in, an elderly man who looked a bit surprised at what was going on. "All right, settle down." He said. "Let's get on with the lesson and you can finish celebrating afterward."
The entire class groaned, and reluctantly went to their seats and got ready for the day.
***
One Week Later...
Later, Ryu and Amido were sitting just outside a park, waiting for their bus to come in. They talked briefly about Ryu's victory, but otherwise left the topic untouched. After about twenty minutes, Ryu sensed something. He looked around, and saw someone in a strange cloak on the sidewalk, about a hundred yards away. Ryu didn't know why he stood out - he just did.
Ryu noticed he was staring. He turned away, but apparently not soon enough. The person started walking over, and Ryu felt himself instinctively reach for Spirit Dragon.
"Ryu." The cloaked person said. "I challenge you to a beybattle."
Ryu thought about asking him how he knew his name, but decided to protest. "Alright. Let's do this."
The two of them walked over to a nearby beystadium. Ryu got Spirit Dragon ready to launch, testing the launcher to make sure it wouldn't fail. The kid got a black beyblade out, but didn't have a launch assist. This might end soon.
"Three!" The kid said.
"Two!" Ryu responded.
"One! Let It Rip!"
Launch RPMs Spirit Dragon 23000 ? 23000
Spirit Dragon entered the stadium, and Ryu immediately had to dodge right. This kid was fast! Ryu was hard-pressed to keep out of his sights, but managed the agility to do so. He waited for almost a minute, sometimes only passing by millimeters, until he saw a flaw in the attack pattern. Spirit Dragon accelerated and curved, smashing right into the black beyblade! It tumbled in the air and landed an inch from the end of the stadium, then shot right back in to attack Spirit Dragon!
Ryu growled. He'd thought this kid would have been put more off-balance, but he had either expected Ryu's counterattack, or was just that good. Ryu decided he was fed up with evading - he geared up and turned straight into his opponent, meeting him in the exact center of the stadium! The two beyblades ground against each other, sparks flying in all directions. Ryu grunted, forcing more of his power into Spirit Dragon, and began to push the black beyblade away!
"Hmmpf!" The kid said. His beyblade suddenly became enveloped in a pitch-black fire, and pushed Spirit Dragon back! "Flash Leopard! Cross Fire!"
Spirit Dragon suddenly shot from Flash Leopard. Ryu let out a yelp in surprise, and dropped to one knee. He slowly got back up, and stared his opponent down.
"Who are you!" Ryu shouted.
"I am Ozuma!" The kid reached up and took the hood off his head. The image of his face burned into Ryu's mind like a hot iron. "I am here to take your BitBeast! It is the SaintShields' mission to seal away all the BitBeasts in the world!"
"Mission, huh?" Ryu said. "Well too bad - You aren't laying a finger on Spirit Dragon!"
"We'll see about that! Flash Leopard, ATTACK!"
The bit chip on Ozuma's beyblade suddenly began shining white. A beam of light protruded from it and expanded, forming into a vicious, flaming, saber-toothed feline. Flash Leopard smashed into Spirit Dragon, knocking it around the stadium with ease! Ryu struggled to put up a fight, but Ozuma was too strong with his BitBeast engaged!
Ryu felt something grab his free hand. Amido had stepped up and embraced it, and Ryu felt the emotions running between them. He was suddenly no longer aware of the battle - only Amido's physical presence registered in his mind.
"Do you want to win?" She asked.
"Of course." Ryu answered. "Spirit Dragon isn't just some BitBeast - he's my BitBeast. I'll do anything to protect him."
Amido smiled a little. "That's the idea," She said, "But what if there was another reason?"
Ryu didn't know how to answer. He just stared at Amido with a blank face. After what felt like an hour, she raised his hand up and clasped it with both of hers. "Open your mind." She said. A burst of light emanated from their link, bathing Ryu in a glorious power.
The bit chip on Spirit Dragon crackled with energy. It began to shine white, and the Spirit Dragon burst from the beyblade! It let out a roar as it took one of Ozuma's attacks and deflected Flash Leopard!
"Now you're mine!" Ozuma said. "Flash Leopard, SACRED FIRE!"
Flash Leopard was again bathed in the black fire. It made some erratic movements in its attack pattern, then charged straight for Spirit Dragon!
"Not so fast!"
Spirit Dragon paused in the center of the stadium. It began spinning faster and faster, until it created a miniature tornado! The fire on Flash Leopard was extinguished as it began to be pulled toward Spirit Dragon!
"ESPER BLADE BEAM!"
A white aura formed around Spirit Dragon, the beyblade and the BitBeast. The beyblade flashed, and a crescent-shaped blade of energy was launched at Flash Leopard! Ozuma's beyblade was knocked out of the stadium as it impacted! Flash Leopard turned white and managed to retract into the beyblade a second before it stopped spinning.
Ozuma inhaled sharply. He stood there for a second, then ran over to Flash Leopard and picked it up. He briefly turned back to Ryu. "This isn't over yet! I will get your BitBeast!"
Ryu and Amido watched him run off. They followed him to the street corner, where he vanished behind a building. Ryu looked down - Amido was still holding his hand. He returned the embracement, then looked up at her.
"Thanks." He said.
"Don't mention it." She replied. "Come on, let's get home. You have some explaining to do."
Ryu smiled. They walked back to the bench, just as their bus arrived. They boarded, and disappeared into the residential district.
***
Author's notes:
I'm not cruel enough to simply update a chapter without actual new content.
So, it is established that Ozuma has a grudge against Ryu. How will that turn out? Can he hope to match Spirit Dragon Attack Mode's power? It turns out that Honjo's team aren't the only people interested in Ryu...