Author's Note: Okay, time for chapter 4! Now you'll finally get to see the Temporal Knights in action. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. I just own my OCs…but I wish I owned Tala!
Chapter 4: First Strike
'All right, Wolborg, do you mind explaining to me why we have to go to Eri's house at 9 in the morning?' Tala asked irritably as he pulled the car into her driveway.
I'm not exactly sure myself, but something Seaborg and Falborg said about yesterday didn't set well with me, Wolborg replied honestly. It's mostly just a nagging feeling.
'Great. So, when Eri is spouting death threats and asking why on earth I've resorted to stalking her in her own house, I can tell her it's because you've been restless and don't know why.'
I don't see you complaining as much as I had expected.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
Tala, you're blushing.
Silence. Followed by 'I hate you.'
I'm touched.
Tala blocked his mental link to Wolborg to forestall further embarrassment as he got out of the car and walked up to Eri's front door. He tried knocking. No answer. He knocked louder. Still nothing, not even a sound. He finally tried the doorbell. Once, twice, three times for good measure. Silent as a tomb.
I don't sense Pyrix or any of their other bit beasts, Wolborg commented.
'You know, you could have told me that five minutes ago.'
But what's the fun in that?
Tala ignored his bit beast for the time being. Right now another question was plaguing his mind.
Why had the Temporal Knights vanished so suddenly?
"Tala, I seriously think you're overreacting," Spencer remarked when Tala returned to report on what he had found…or neglected to find.
"Yeah, they're just a bunch of girls that we barely know. Why should we care?" Bryan added.
"It's just the manner in which they left. So suddenly and without a trace. Something's not right," Tala replied.
"Oh brother, don't tell me you've got a crush on one of them. I bet it's Eri," Ian teased.
Tala shot Ian a withering death glare. "Zip it, Ian. This is no time for jokes."
"I think we should listen to Tala on this one." Bryan, Spencer, and Ian abruptly turned in their seats to look at Kai, who was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed in his typical Kai pose. "Dranzer's been uneasy lately as well." Kai's right hand drifted to his pocket where his Beyblade resided. The bit chip was emitting a faint heat, betraying Dranzer's restless state. Tala was somewhat surprised at Kai's comment. He rarely took sides in an argument, and when he did, it was for a good reason.
"Well, even if something's fishy, there's nothing we can do about it right now except to get ready for the World Championships," Ian stated.
"For once the shrimp says something useful," Bryan said sarcastically.
"What did you say, Bryan?" Ian asked in a dangerous undertone.
"Okay, Eri, I am sick and tired of you giving us the silent treatment. Now do you mind explaining why we had to get up in the middle of the night to catch a 5 AM flight to Ireland?" Nakia asked irritably. The rest of the team knew that the best way to get on Nakia's bad side was to disrupt her sleep, and right now Eri was skating on thin ice. The girls had just arrived at the airport in Dublin and were heading to the baggage claim.
"I'll explain everything once we get to the hotel," Eri replied quickly as she kept striding forward purposefully. "Just keep moving, stay close, and keep your launchers at hand." The warning shocked the rest of the team into silence, and their hands drifted to their coat pockets or belts, where their Beyblades and launchers resided.
Sonja, knowing Eri better than Nakia or Hina, had noticed a change in their captain's behavior. She seemed more on edge than usual, like a stretched rubber band ready to snap at any moment. The Greek blader had noticed how Eri's eyes constantly darted from side to side, as if expecting an attack at any moment. Not even Lunash could offer any insight, and Pyrix was keeping quiet as well. 'Just what's gotten into you, Eri?' Sonja wondered.
One taxi ride later, the team was gathered in the hotel room, ready to hear Eri's explanation for their sudden departure. The answer they received was the last one they expected. "Xhaiden caught wind of our location."
"What?" Hina asked. "But how? We've been so careful!"
"The thugs that attacked you and Nakia yesterday were Xhaiden's agents in disguise," Eri explained. "Uskadu and Arashi sensed it and warned me last night. Do you have any idea what might have happened if we hadn't left when we did?'
Reality slowly started to set in for Hina and Nakia. If Spencer and Bryan hadn't come along, they could have been taken back to Xhaiden. The thought sent shivers down their spines.
"The first qualifying tournament is here in Dublin. We'll have to keep a low profile until then," Eri said.
One month later…
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the finals of the Irish qualifiers in the Beyblade World Championship Tournament Series!" DJ Jazzman shouted. "The winning team will be one step closer to representing their country in the rapidly approaching World Championships!" The crowd cheered raucously in anticipation of yet another exciting battle. "And so, without any further ado, let's bring out the teams for our final battle! Please welcome the Temporal Knights and Tetra Phalanx!"
The crowd cheered even louder as the Temporal Knights re-entered the stadium opposite a team of four Irish teenagers, two boys and two girls. "Bladers, please take your positions!"
Hina was the first to take her place across the dish. Her opponent was a tall, dark-haired girl named Caitlin. DJ Jazzman waited until the girls had readied their launchers before beginning the countdown: "3…2…1…"
"Let it Rip!" both girls shouted as they jerked the ripcords, sending their Beyblades into the dish.
"Arashi, don't give her a chance to counter! Attack now!" The white blade reacted instantly, outpacing the opponent's aqua green blade easily to deliver a series of quick strikes to knock it off balance.
"Don't give up! Attack!" Caitlin called to her blade. It picked up some torque to deliver a counter slam, but without a bit beast governing the blade, the attack barely had an effect.
'It's time to finish this, Arashi.'
Understood. Suddenly, Arashi's blade darted away from the opponent and out of the dish. However, the dish's natural curve allowed the eagle bit beast to re-direct his trajectory and flip over mid-air, making a beeline for his opponent. Hina's Beyblade actually appeared to be flying. Caitlin looked up and trembled slightly as she saw the silhouette of Arashi surrounding his blade, wings outspread and beak agape in a fierce battle cry. One forceful slam from above was all it took to send the aqua green beyblade clattering out of the dish.
"And Hina from the Temporal Knights takes the first round!" DJ Jazzman shouted excitedly, eliciting another round of applause from the audience. Hina walked back to her team bench and was greeted with high fives and hugs from her teammates. "Let's not waste anymore time! Get ready for round two!" This time Nakia stepped up to face a blond-haired boy named Alan. One countdown later saw Nakia's black and red beyblade facing a light orange one.
'Okay, I just have to remember to keep my cool,' Nakia reminded herself. Uskadu's true potential lay in patience and waiting for the opponent to exhaust itself. "Uskadu, evasive maneuvers!" The black cat dodged the opponent's initial strike and took up a position in the center of the dish.
Nakia's sudden move took the boy by surprise. Over and over his blade tried to attack, but each attempt was met with failure as Uskadu continued to dodge each blow using the least amount of energy possible. Once Nakia was certain he was good and frustrated, she decided that the time was right to finish the job. "Finish him, Uskadu!" The next time her blade dodged, it also countered with a reverse slam that sent the orange one careening into defeat.
Meanwhile…back in Moscow…
"Tala, get in here!" Ian called from the living room. He had decided to check the sports channel for any news updates on the upcoming World Championships, and, needless to say, he was surprised by what he had found. When his captain didn't answer, he yelled louder. "TALA!"
"WHAT?!" Tala called back grumpily.
"I said get in here! The Temporal Knights are in the finals of the Irish qualifiers!"
That got Tala's attention. He hurried into the living room to see the crowd cheering for Nakia's victory. 'So that's where you've been hiding all this time, Eri,' he mused quietly.
Back at the tournament…
"And Nakia of the Temporal Knights takes round 2!" DJ Jazzman announced. Even though the Temporal Knights had already won the best of three rounds, they still had to compete in the third round as a formality and to see if the Irish team could save face.
Nakia walked back to the team bench grinning from ear to ear, obviously pleased with the results. "Looks like you're up last, Eri," she said. "Good luck, and don't thrash your opponent too badly."
Eri smirked slightly. "Heh, I'll try." As she got up and approached the beydish, however, her calm, light-hearted façade was replaced by a serious, thoughtful expression. 'This is it, Pyrix. From here, there's no going back.'
I know, mistress. We will no longer be able to hide in the shadows from Xhaiden.
"Bladers, take your stances!" Eri took her launch position across from the Irish team's captain, a curly-haired brunette boy named Joe. "And 3…2…1…"
"LET IT RIP!" Eri and Joe shouted in unison.
"Pyrix, don't waste any time! Attack now!" Eri ordered. Her red and gold blade picked up speed and rammed Joe's blue blade with a series of forceful strikes.
"I'm not finished yet! Counterattack!" Joe shouted. As his team's captain, he felt the pressure to try and win at least this one match. However, his attempt was futile as Pyrix matched him move for move.
'I see no need to drag this out. What do you think?' Eri inquired of her bit beast.
I say we finish this now.
"Ethereal Flames!" Eri shouted, calling upon a special attack. Her Beyblade shrouded itself in flames, and Pyrix materialized briefly with a fierce howl as she charged for the attack, slamming into Joe's Beyblade with a fiery explosion and knocking it out of the dish. Smoke continued to emanate from the attack ring as the blue blade clattered to a stop.
Eri paid no attention to the round of applause that followed her victory. As her Beyblade flew back to her hand, she thought savagely, 'I hope you're watching, Xhaiden, because you're in for much worse.'
With the Blitzkrieg Boys…
"Eh…I don't see what all the fuss is about," Ian commented to his captain. "We can take 'em, right?" However, Tala remained silent as if lost in thought. "Uh…Tala?" When he still didn't answer, Ian sighed in frustration and complained, "I swear, I've had it with you and your moodiness. You're worse than Bryan these days!" He got off the couch and stomped upstairs to his room, muttering complaints in Russian about his "boring team mates" under his breath.
As Tala watched Eri return to her team bench, he thought privately, 'Not bad, Eri. Not bad at all. But I don't think you've shown us your full power.'
Meanwhile, Bryan and Spencer were downstairs in the basement locked in a training battle. The team had long since converted their basement into their personal training center, complete with cardio equipment, weight benches, and a beydish.
"Falborg, attack!" Bryan ordered.
"Seaborg, defense!" Spencer countered. Seaborg took up a defensive position in the center of the ring while Falborg pelted it with lightning-fast strikes. Bryan had recently decreased his blade's weight to amp up his speed, while Spencer had added a heavier weight disk to take advantage of Seaborg's natural power and defense.
Spencer looked across the dish at his team mate and frowned. Bryan's game was off today. His face didn't hold his usual mask of concentration; instead, he seemed distracted. Without warning, Bryan's blade pulled back and returned to his outstretched hand. "Sorry, Spencer, but my head's just not in it today." Spencer nodded in reply and watched as his teammate headed back upstairs.
Bryan returned to his room and lay on his back on his bed, hands pillowed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Master, what's wrong? Falborg asked. He had noticed the recent change in Bryan's mood and was getting concerned. You haven't been yourself lately.
Bryan didn't respond but instead kept letting his thoughts drift back in time to a month ago. As much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about the one time when he and Spencer had rescued Nakia and Hina. The way the small, petite girlhad clung to him made him feel almost…protective. He had never felt protective of anyone except his teammates, but now it was as if the floodgate holding back his hormones had broken and was giving him a much-delayed dose of reality. When it came to women, Bryan was clueless. Boris hadn't exactly allowed any form of interaction with the opposite sex back at the Abbey, and even after getting out, his team's constant travels had prevented any of them from establishing any sort of relationships.
All these thoughts flowed freely to Falborg through their mental link, who was finally better able to understand the source of his master's unease. What you're feeling is perfectly natural and expected, Master Bryan. You do not need to continue living in fear of your emotions.
'I know, Falborg. It's just…some habits are hard to break.' Bryan had always been the most emotionless one of the team. The only emotion he had ever expressed was anger when he was back in the Abbey, and all the lessons he had learned about suppressing all other emotions had been deeply ingrained into his mind by Boris' whip. While he would never admit this out loud to his team, the thought of finally letting go and allowing his suppressed emotions to express themselves absolutely terrified him.
Later that night…
The Temporal Knights were gathered in their hotel room trying to unwind after a long day at the tournament. Eri was propped up in the bed she shared with Nakia surfing the internet on her laptop. Said Egyptian was trying to find something interesting to watch…and failing miserably.
"For goodness' sakes, Nakia, would you just pick a channel?" Hina asked in exasperation from the bed she shared with Sonja. "You're gone through the channels four times already, and it's giving me a headache!"
"Why not just order a movie on Pay-Per-View?" Sonja suggested.
Nakia and Hina immediately stopped bickering and turned to look at Sonja with an expression that said, "Gee, why didn't I think of that sooner?" Well, at least that was one problem solved.
Meanwhile, Eri had just logged into her email account and noticed that she had a new message from the BBA. "Hey, Mr. Dickenson just sent us the schedule for our next qualifier."
"What's the time and place?" Sonja asked.
"Holland in three days."
"WHAT? Three days?" Nakia asked in disbelief. "That's not a lot of time!"
"We don't have much choice. We're an unknown team right now, so we'll have to take what we can get," Hina stated logically, trying to calm down her frustrated teammate.
After watching a movie, the girls decided to call it a day and get some sleep. They had a plane to catch the next day and wanted to be well-rested. Eri lay on her side facing the door, all her senses alert for any possible intruders. Their victory today had been broadcast on every major international sports broadcast, so if Xhaiden had been tracking them, he knew their location now.
Eri lay awake for another half hour and was certain that her teammates were sleeping soundly before calling up Pyrix in her mind. 'Do you sense anything?'
Everything seems to be clear, the fire wolf reported, much to Eri's relief. You should get some rest now, mistress. I'll keep watch tonight.
'Thanks, Pyrix,' Eri replied gratefully. Assured that her loyal bit beast was alert for danger, Eri finally fell into an uneasy sleep, her hand unconsciously clutching her beyblade tighter.
Meanwhile…
Xhaiden smirked deviously as he replayed the footage he had gathered from the Irish qualifiers. His students had certainly come a long way since their time under his wing. 'So that's your game, Eri. Very bold, but very foolish.' He hit a speed dial on his speaker phone and waited for the person to answer. "Boris, we've located them. They're trying to lure us out into the open by entering the World Championships."
"Ah yes, just as I expected," Boris replied in an unconcerned tone. "Well, if that's how they want to play, the least we can do is play along, right?"
"Yes sir."
"Excellent. Proceed to the next phase immediately."
"I shall do so right away."
"Very good. I shall be eagerly awaiting a good report from you." Then the line went dead, indicating that Boris had hung up.
Xhaiden clenched his one fist together until his knuckles turned white from anger. He abruptly turned around to face four figures that stood at attention in front of him, their faces hidden by the shadows cast in the gloomy, poorly lit room. "I trust you heard my little exchange with Boris. Are you prepared to carry out your mission?"
"We understand perfectly, sir," a feminine voice replied in a dangerous, icy undertone. "I'm looking forward to seeing Eri again. And this time I'm taking her down permanently."
Please review and tell me how you liked it! Anonymous reviews are more than welcome as well!