Silvan Arrow: *does happy dance*
Eri: O.o And what, pray tell, are you so happy about?
Silvan Arrow: I got lots of reviews! Wheeeeeee!!!!! You guys are the best! In fact, I'm feeling so good right now that I'll do the disclaimer! I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters, but I do own my OCs. *continues dancing*
Hina: Oh my gosh, she didn't make one of us do the disclaimer!
Nakia: Help! The apocalypse is upon us!
Sonja: *facepalm* Oh brother…
Eri: While we go make sure the world isn't coming to an end, here's chapter 11. Enjoy!
Chapter 11: The Cost of Revenge
Recap:
"I'm honored. Finally I get to face one of the infamous Temporal Knights," Garland taunted, a cocky smirk on his face. Eri glared at him and assumed her launch stance.
'I hope you're ready, Garland, because this is one battle you won't soon forget.'
End recap:
"3…2…1…"
"LET IT RIP!!!!" Eri and Garland shouted as they launched their beyblades. The beydish had been completely demolished from the last two rounds, which would make maneuvering tricky.
Garland wasted no time in making his move. "Apollon, attack!"
"Pyrix, counter!" Eri commanded. Apollon lashed out with a series of quick strikes, but Pyrix matched them move for move. "Heh, is that all you've got, Garland? I guess all the rumors I've heard about you are false," she taunted.
Garland didn't seem fazed by Eri's remarks in the least. If anything, his smirk widened. "Don't you worry, I'm just getting warmed up." Eri watched as Garland slid into a boxer's stance to unleash his infamous shadowboxing technique. "HIYAH!!!" He lashed out with a side kick, and Apollon mimicked his movement by dealing a brutal slam to Pyrix.
Eri grunted as she felt the full force of the blow. "Hmph, not bad."
Meanwhile, up in the stands, Kai glanced at Tala, who was sitting beside him. The redhead bore an emotionless expression, but Kai noticed that he was gripping the armrests so hard that his knuckles were white. 'Tala just wishes he could be out there giving Garland a piece of his mind,' Kai mused, remembering how his best friend had spent so long in a coma after that fateful match with Garland, back when BEGA was still in power.
Back in the dish, Garland was going full-out offense, dealing out a brutal series of punches and kicks. Apollon mimicked his movements, forcing Pyrix back with every slam. Feeling confident, Garland lashed out with another side kick, and Apollon darted in for one more attack. However, this time Pyrix countered, stopping Apollon in its tracks. "What?" Garland asked in surprise. How had Pyrix blocked his attack? He looked across the dish to see Eri holding up her left arm in a block, as if fending off an invisible opponent.
A broad smirk dominated Eri's face. "You're not the only martial artist around, Garland." Without warning, she whirled around and delivered a roundhouse kick. In the dish, Pyrix picked up torque and repelled Apollon, sending him careening dangerously close to the edge. Eri slid into a Tae Kwon Do sparring stance so she would be in a better position to counter Garland's blows. "Let's finish this, martial artist against martial artist."
"Heh, this is starting to get pretty good," Garland remarked as he got back into his boxer's stance. For the audience, the battle was quite a sight to behold. Eri and Garland both began using shadowboxing movements to control their beyblades, yet they stayed on their respective sides of the beydish and never made contact. Garland's style of fighting favored a mix of punches and kicks, while Eri, being trained in Tae Kwon Do, used her legs for offense and her arms for blocking. Even though they never actually touched each other, both beybladers started to feel the affects of the battle through their links with their bit beasts. "Apollon, do it!" His bit beast materialized above the dish with a screeching battle cry.
"Pyrix, attack!" The fire wolf emerged amidst a wall of fire and howled a challenge to her fellow sacred spirit. The two grappled above the dish as their masters continued the battle below.
Ten minutes later…
"Hey…you're…not bad," Eri commented between breaths.
"I could say…the same for you," Garland replied, who was also starting to get short-winded. "But it's time to end this. Apollon, attack!" His beyblade broke away from its deadlock with Pyrix and swerved around the dish, picking up speed before coming in for another attack.
'I've got to end this quickly before Pyrix and I are spent,' Eri thought. "Ethereal Flames!" Pyrix unleashed a ring of red-hot flames from her body that encircled and trapped Apollon, who cried out in pain as the flames continued to burn and drain his strength. 'Let's see you get out of that one, Garland.'
'So that's the secret to her attack. Those flames will keep burning unless I do something,' Garland thought. "Apollon, dispel!" Apollon's body crackled with static electricity and discharged that energy all at once to neutralize the fire. "Attack!" he shouted as he struck out with another kick. Apollon dealt a brutal slam to Pyrix, and Eri grunted in pain as the force of the attack drove the wind out of her lungs.
'How can he still have that much strength?' Eri thought desperately.
"Now do you see? It's pointless to continue this match. My team is already ahead, which means there's no way your team can win. Why don't you just give up and save yourself the trouble?" Garland taunted.
That statement made Eri's blood boil. Garland's overconfident attitude was infuriating enough, but for him to even suggest that she simply quit sent her over the edge. "Give up? Are you kidding me? I could never call myself a beyblader if I gave up just because things were looking bad!" Eri exclaimed. "My teammates are counting on me, and as their captain, I refuse to let them down!" She glanced up in the stands and locked eyes briefly with Raina, who was watching the whole match with a critical eye. 'Besides, I have something to prove to her…and Xhaiden as well. I'm not the same as before.' New determination surged through Eri's body, and she sent that strength to Pyrix. Pyrix glowed red as she fed off Eri's emotions, and her beyblade picked up torque. "ATTACK!!!" Pyrix howled viciously and charged Apollon, her beyblade cloaked in flames.
'This girl's getting on my last nerves!' Garland thought angrily. An angry red aura pulsed around his body as he prepared to unleash his final attack. "I tried giving you a chance to surrender, but now you leave me no choice!" He slowly moved his arms in a graceful arc, gathering and focusing his energy, before lashing out with two punches in quick succession. "Radiant Thunder!"
Garland's beyblade gave off a brilliant screen of light that surrounded the beydish and Eri, stopping her attack in its tracks. The air pulsed with static electricity that Apollon was emitting, and Eri realized with a shock that she couldn't move or even speak. The static in the air had paralyzed her muscles so she couldn't shout an order to Pyrix. Above her, Pyrix struggled to make her irresponsive limbs move, but her efforts were futile. Apollon let out an ear-piercing shriek and charged, and Eri was helpless to stop it…
It took all of Sonja's self-restraint to keep from rushing to Eri's aid as soon as Apollon's light shielded her from view. She, Nakia, and Hina gasped as Eri was suddenly thrown back from the dish and landed roughly on her side. Numerous cuts and scratches covered her arms and legs. Her defeated beyblade followed mere fractions of a second later. Apollon's attack finally subsided, leaving only one beyblade still spinning.
"And there you have it! Garland has defeated Eri in the third round to secure the win for the Justice 5!" DJ Jazzman proclaimed. "It looks like Garland's raw power was just too much for the Temporal Knights' captain!"
Sonja, Nakia, and Hina rushed to their captain's side, who had forced herself to one knee and was barely clinging to consciousness. "Eri, what happened?!" Nakia asked in bewilderment.
"Save the questions for later," Sonja barked, concern for her friend overriding her usual gentle demeanor. She looped one of Eri's arms across her shoulders and slipped an arm around her waist to help her stand. "Right now we need to get her back to the hotel." Sonja glanced down at Eri's badly damaged beyblade, which she clutched in her free hand. 'Hang in there, Eri,' she pleaded silently.
SNAP!
Bryan, Spencer, and Ian gave a start and turned to look at Tala as he snapped off the edge of the armrest. He growled low in his throat and directed a murderous glare toward Garland as his pupils shrunk to angry pinpoints of black.
'This isn't going to end well for Garland,' Kai mused.
"Dragoon, attack!" Tyson shouted, pressing his advantage in the dish.
Raina growled under her breath as Tyson's beyblade grinded viciously against hers, steadily forcing her closer to the edge of the dish. "Hang on, Dregore…"
DJ Jazzman watched the match closely from his position next to the dish. "Wow, Tyson is really on his game today! With Kenny's loss to Ramona and Vala's loss to Daichi, the pressure is on for Tyson and Raina! Whoever wins this match wins the whole round!"
"Go, Dragoon!" Tyson's beyblade pulled back, and the infamous blue dragon coalesced above the dish with a savage battle cry. "Evolution Storm!" Dragoon summoned a vicious swirling tornado and dived for Raina's beyblade from the eye of the storm. The vortex swept up Dregore effortlessly and pummeled him relentlessly with gale-force winds.
"Dregore, fight back!" Raina called, but it was too late. Tyson's attack flung her beyblade skyward, and it landed motionless at her feet with a metallic clatter.
The crowd erupted into applause as Tyson recalled his beyblade and punched a fist into the air victoriously. "Yes! Way to go, Dragoon!" Tyson exclaimed.
"Wow, what a battle! The BBA Revolution breaks out of the deadlock and snatches victory over Omega Platoon!" DJ Jazzman proclaimed.
"Hey, that was a great battle, Raina," Tyson complimented, approaching her and holding out his hand in a friendly manner. "Put 'er there!"
Raina "hmph'd" and turned her back on the defending World Champion, keeping a stoic expression on her face as she returned to her teammates.
"Raina, are you sure this was okay?" Vala asked in a hushed undertone. "You know we could have…"
"Enough," Raina barked, silencing the younger girl with a frozen glare. Vala flinched visibly and lowered her gaze. "Orders are orders, and we will follow them to the letter." Raina's glare intensified as she locked gazes with Ramona and Alannah as well. "That also means that you will follow my orders without question. Is that clear?"
"Yes, captain," all three replied in unison.
"Wow, Daichi and Tyson sure trounced Omega Platoon. They don't look so tough," Ian commented from his seat in the stands with his team.
"Yeah, and to think they seemed to be unbeatable earlier in the tournament," Spencer added. Bryan crossed his arms over his chest and nodded stoically in agreement.
'No, something doesn't feel right,' Kai mused, narrowing his gaze as he watched Omega Platoon stalk out of the stadium. He glanced sideways at Tala, but Kai could tell that he was still too infuriated to think with a clear head. He sensed the coiled tension radiating from the redhead and knew that it was taking all of his self-restraint to simply remain seated. 'I know Tyson has the ability to defeat a powerful opponent like Raina, but I can't help but feel like she was holding back. Otherwise…' Kai glanced down at his beyblade, which he clutched in his hand. Dranzer's bit chip flashed an angry red and emitted faint traces of heat, betraying the phoenix's unease. 'Something fishy is going on here, and I don't like it.'
"She's going to be out for a while, I'm afraid," Sonja stated grimly as she finished bandaging the last of Eri's wounds. The Temporal Knights' captain was sound asleep in her bed, having passed out halfway to the hotel. Once they had returned to the hotel room and were safely away from prying eyes, Pyrix had assumed a physical form and lay on the bed next to her with her head on Eri's chest. She whimpered slightly and licked Eri's face tenderly as she allowed her energy to flow into her mistress. The Temporal Knights were the only ones who knew that Pyrix could take a physical form, and they jealously guarded that secret.
"But we're scheduled to leave Mexico City for India the day after tomorrow," Hina said. "Will she wake up in time?"
"It's still too soon to say," Pyrix replied, speaking aloud for the first time that day. Sonja, Nakia, and Hina turned their gazes to the sacred spirit. "She's going to recover eventually, so all we can do now is wait."
"I still can't believe that Garland did this to her," Nakia deadpanned. "Why didn't she fight back?"
"We won't know until she wakes up," Sonja responded. A knock at the door drew her attention, causing Pyrix to retreat into her bit chip to avoid being discovered. Sonja answered the door, and her eyebrows flew into her forehead upon seeing their visitors. "Spencer? Bryan? What are you guys doing here?"
"We just came to see how Eri was doing," Spencer replied. "This isn't the first time Garland's done something like this. He left Tala in a coma for almost a month last year."
"We appreciate your concern, but Eri's going to be fine. She's resting now, so you don't need to worry," Sonja replied.
"Oh yeah, we also wanted to pass along this little bit of information," Bryan began, drawing the attention of the three remaining Temporal Knights. "After you all left, the BBA Revolution defeated Omega Platoon."
Sonja's eyes widened in silent shock as Nakia gasped and Hina's hand flew to her chest. Nakia frantically grabbed the TV remote and turned on the sports news. "Here are the results of the first day of battles here in sunny Mexico City! The Temporal Knights suffered a crushing defeat to Justice 5 in the first match. Then, the BBA Revolution proved that they are still the team to beat after they soundly claimed a 2-1 victory over the powerful team of rookies, Omega Platoon."
'Well, what do you know…' Sonja thought privately. She couldn't even begin to imagine Xhaiden's reaction to his most prized beyblade soldiers losing such an important battle. All she knew was that he wouldn't tolerate failure in any form. Even though she was as shocked as her teammates, she still forced her expression to remain neutral. "Thank you for the heads-up. This gives us valuable information about the tournament."
"Yeah, we thought you would want to know that," Bryan replied. "Well, we should get going. See ya."
"Later," Spencer added.
Sonja bid them farewell as they left to return to their own room. Pyrix came back out as soon as Sonja closed the door and resumed her position next to Eri. 'Lunash, what does this loss mean for us?' Sonja inquired of her bit beast, suddenly feeling very lost and confused. How can we hope to take down Omega Platoon if we can't even beat Justice 5?'
Hopefully all of you can learn from your mistakes in this round and come back stronger in your next battle, Lunash reasoned.
Sonja sighed quietly in resignation. 'I hope you're right…'
Tala couldn't remember the last time he had been so furious. At present, he was wandering through the streets of Mexico City trying to clear his head, but the solitude only gave his mind more freedom to wander back to Eri's match against Garland. Watching their battle was like viewing a replay of the time when he took on the Justice 5 captain to take down BEGA. The thought of Garland using his bit beast to attack the blader as well as the beyblade was enough to make his blood boil. The rest of the people on the street wisely gave Tala a wide berth to avoid his death glares.
"Well well, look at what we have here." Tala's head snapped up at the sound of that voice, one that he unfortunately knew all too well.
"Garland…" Tala ground out the name between his teeth in disgust. The silver-haired blader stood nonchalantly a few yards in front of Tala, hands shoved in his pockets and that infuriatingly cocky smirk on his face. "You've got some explaining to do."
"Looks like you've still got that bad temper," Garland said carelessly with a sigh. "And what would I have to explain to you?"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Tala snapped. "You know as well as I do that what you did to Eri in your match was completely uncalled for!"
"Oh I get it. You're mad because I trounced your little girlfriend," Garland taunted, giving extra emphasis to that last word. "Or maybe it's because that battle was a nice little reminder of what I did to you and your pathetic teammates last year."
Tala growled. He refused to give Garland the satisfaction of knowing that his statements got under his skin. "No, what makes me furious is that you would stoop so low as to set your bit beast on the blader as well as the beyblade. What kind of beyblader are you?"
That statement rubbed Garland the wrong way, and he shot a nasty glare at Tala. "Listen, Tala, I'm not going to stand here and have you lecture me when it's none of your business." He spun on his heel and started to walk away.
"I'm not done with you yet," Tala called after him. The sound of a beyblade being attached to a launcher reached Garland's ears. "Draw your blade."
Garland half-turned to find Tala in a launch stance in the middle of the street, Wolborg at the ready. The rest of the people nearby started to scatter, sensing a fight was about to break out. Upon seeing Tala's sudden determination, he suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh this is too funny, Tala! You do realize that I could have you disqualified for challenging another blader outside of the stadium, right?"
"But you're not going to," Tala replied evenly, not budging an inch. "Because deep down you want to settle this score just as bad as I do."
Garland turned to face Tala, his hand instinctively reaching for his beyblade. "Heh, come to think of it, I could use a decent challenge, especially since my match today was so boring." He was pleased to see Tala's glare intensify. "Follow me." He led Tala to a park in the middle of the city so they wouldn't draw too much attention. Garland attached Apollon to his launcher and assumed his stance a few yards across from Tala. There was no beydish, so anything would be fair game in this match. "Let's get started, shall we?"
"I couldn't agree more."
"LET IT RIP!!!!"
With the Blitzkrieg Boys…
The door to the bathroom opened, letting out a cloud of steam, as Bryan walked out towel-drying his hair and wearing just his pants. He looked around the hotel room at his teammates and noticed they were still one member short. "Tala's still not back yet?"
"No, and he won't answer his phone either," Spencer replied.
"This isn't like him at all," Ian remarked. "He wasn't here for practice, and we're fighting the Majestics tomorrow." Kai was the only one who didn't seem fazed in the least by their captain's absence. He lay on his back on his bed dozing lightly, hands behind his head.
"Chill out," Kai said, garnering the attention of his teammates. "He'll be back soon enough." However, a sneaking suspicion still nagged at the back of his mind. He called up Dranzer in his mind. 'See if you can get in touch with Wolborg.'
Understood, Master Kai.
"It looks like you've been practicing, Tala. I'll give you that much. But I'm afraid it won't be enough to beat me," Garland stated as Apollon circled Wolborg menacingly.
"We'll see about that," Tala retorted. "Wolborg, attack!" His beyblade picked up speed and dealt a series of quick strikes to Apollon. However, he noticed that Apollon moved in mostly the same manner as it did one year ago, when Garland was still with BEGA. His beyblade let Wolborg's blows barely graze it before swerving away. Tala smirked upon realizing this.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Garland asked.
"Hmph, I was just picturing the look on your face when you lose," Tala retorted. "Wolborg!" The ice wolf erupted from his bit chip with a vicious howl. Tala's beyblade resumed his attack, but this time his blows made solid contact as he could predict Garland's movements.
Garland growled in frustration. He hated to admit it, but Tala had gotten a lot stronger since their fateful match one year ago. Even though this had nothing to do with the tournament, he couldn't afford to take this match lightly. "Don't get cocky, Tala, because I'm just getting warmed up." Garland slid into his boxer's stance, and Tala braced himself for what he knew was coming. "Apollon!" His bit beast appeared with a fierce cry and squared off against Wolborg.
20 minutes later…
'Tala's better than I thought… I didn't expect him to last this long,' Garland thought as he regarded his opponent. His shoulders slumped forward from the effort to maintain his stance as he took deep breaths to try and regain his lost wind
'I don't know how much more I can take,' Tala thought grimly. His breath came in short, painful gasps, and his body was wracked with the pain he felt thanks to his link with Wolborg. Bruises and cuts covered his body, making it hard to stand. If anything, Garland's shadowboxing tactics were even more dangerous than before.
"I must admit, I'm impressed that you've lasted this long, but I'm afraid it ends here," Garland stated as he raised his fists again. "Apollon, attack!"
"Wolborg, stand your ground!" As their beyblades continued to trade blows, Tala had to resist the urge to go all-out and waste what remained of his and Wolborg's energy. Timing would be key if he hoped to pull out a win.
Garland took note of Tala's exhausted appearance and decided that he had worn him down enough. "Well, Tala, you fought well, but I really don't have time to stick around and play anymore." A familiar red aura surrounded Garland as he called upon his final attack.
'This is my chance!' Tala thought. "Do it, Wolborg!" His beyblade kicked up a fierce ice storm that caught Garland off-guard momentarily and interrupted his attack. He poured his last reserves of strength into a last-ditch attack. "Novae Rog!!!!"
"Radiant Thunder!!!!" Apollon and Wolborg clashed in a brilliant tempest of light and ice, forcing Garland and Tala to bring up their arms to shield themselves. When the attacks finally died down, Apollon had stopped spinning. To both bladers' utter shock, Wolborg was still barely wobbling, only to collapse mere seconds later. "But that's…impossible!" Garland gasped. "I lost?" He looked incredulously at Tala, who was barely standing and breathing heavily.
"You'll never…understand…Garland," Tala said between breaths. "You have…no honor…as a beyblader, and that will always…be your downfall." The Russian's knees buckled, and he would have hit the ground had a strong set of arms not caught him.
"And your stubbornness will be yours, Tala," Kai said as he looped his captain's arm across his shoulders to support his weight. He shot a nasty look at Garland. "I suggest you get out of here, unless you want to deal with me as well."
"Heh, sure I'll leave. But just remember that Tala's the one who asked for it," Garland retorted with a smirk. He pocketed his beyblade and walked away.
Once Garland was out of sight, Tala breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kai, I owe you one."
"I'll put it on your tab," Kai replied. He shifted Tala's weight and wrapped an arm around his middle. "Let's go back. The others are worried."
Without warning, Eri sat bolt upright in bed, startling Pyrix, who was still lying beside her, and her teammates, who were scattered around the room. Wordlessly, she got up and made for the door while Pyrix returned to her beyblade.
"Eri?" Sonja called after her. Her captain didn't make any indication that she heard her. "Where are you going? You shouldn't be moving around yet."
Eri finally turned to face her confused-looking teammates and explained, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Then she added under her breath, "He is so dead when I get my hands on him..." She stalked out of the room, letting the door slam behind her with a thud.
"Well that was…unexpected," Nakia remarked. Hina simply nodded in agreement.
Sonja laughed silently to herself. 'I almost feel sorry for Tala,' she joked.
The keyword is almost, right? Lunash asked teasingly.
'You know me too well.'
"Of all the stupid, idiotic, bull-headed things to do!" Eri ranted as she used a cotton swab to apply antiseptic to Tala's arm. The redhead in question was sitting on the edge of his bed while Eri crouched on her knees next to him with a First-Aid kit. He sighed in frustration and gave her his most potent annoyed expression while he waited out her verbal tirade. She pressed down just a tad harder than necessary to make her point and was satisfied when she noticed him barely wince from the sting. "Do you ever use your head, or is it just there for decoration?"
"Yeah well, I don't remember asking for your help," Tala retorted grumpily.
"Too bad, you're getting it anyway. Wolborg sounded like he was about to have a heart attack when he contacted me," Eri replied. That mental alert from Tala's bit beast was what had snapped Eri out of her unconscious state. The only one who didn't look at all surprised to see Eri storm into their room, throwing the door open with a bang, was Kai. "Okay, I need you to take off your shirt so I can treat the rest of your cuts."
Tala gave her a suspicious look and quirked one eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"
Eri rolled her eyes. "Don't get any weird ideas. I'm just making sure you don't keel over from a staff infection."
Tala muttered something about obnoxious women under his breath but obliged anyway by taking off his shirt, revealing a lean, well-toned chest and hard six-pack. Eri fought hard not to blush but was certain her cheeks turned a healthy shade of pink. She had always assumed he was well muscled, but seeing it in person was a whole other matter. She mentally shook her head to clear her thoughts. 'Pull yourself together, Kiryakov. Remember you're hear to treat him, not drool over him.'
Eri started applying the medicine to the cuts and bruises on Tala's chest, but he noticed that her touch was gentler than before. Tala also noticed that she kept glancing downward and refused to make eye contact. 'Hm…interesting,' he thought smugly. Eri could feel the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys' eyes on her and she tended to their captain and tried to ignore them. It was distracting enough having Tala sitting in front of her shirtless. No need to add to her embarrassment.
"Hey, we really do appreciate you coming by to help Tala," Spencer said, trying to break the uneasy silence in the room.
"It's no problem. After all, you guys helped my team mates before, so it's only natural that I return the favor," Eri replied as she shifted positions on the bed so she could treat the wounds on Tala's back.
"Gah, this thing is totally shot!" Everyone in the room turned to look at Ian, who was sitting at a desk with a bunch of beyblade parts, trying to assess the damage done to Wolborg. "There's no way I can fix it by tomorrow!"
"See what happens when you do stupid things?" Eri scolded, earning an eye roll from her patient. She put away the antiseptic and reached for a roll of soft bandages. She spent the next few minutes wrapping his cuts to protect them from infection. "Okay, that should do it. Try not to move your arms too much for the next couple of days." With her task completed, she got up and turned to leave.
"Eri." Tala's voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned back around to face him and cocked one eyebrow quizzically. "Thanks," he said with an almost gentle expression.
A ghost of a smile graced Eri's lips. "Sure thing." Then she left without another word or a second glance backwards.
As soon as Eri got back to her team's room, she collapsed on her bed without even acknowledging her teammates, the day's exhaustion finally catching up to her. "Wake me in time for the matches tomorrow," she mumbled before falling sound asleep.
"Griffolyon, attack!" Robert commanded. His beyblade dealt out a fierce series of blows that forced Falborg to the edge of the dish.
Bryan growled as he struggled to hold his ground. "Hang on, Falborg…"
"Whoa, Robert's really bringing his A-game today, folks!" DJ Jazzman shouted. "It looks like the Blitzkrieg Boys are really hurting without their captain Tala!"
"You're finished! Wing Dagger!" Robert ordered, calling out his final attack. Griffolyon leaped up and sent out wave after wave of razor-sharp feathers from his wings towards Falborg, who hovered in the air above his master.
"Falborg, Stroblitz!" Bryan countered. Falborg screeched and in defiance and charged, cloaked in slicing winds, towards Griffolyon, but Robert's attack completely overwhelmed the falcon and sent Bryan's beyblade careening into defeat.
"There you have it, folks! Robert and Enrique's wins mean that the Majestics take this round!" The crowd erupted into applause.
In the stands, Eri noted the crestfallen look on Nakia's face upon seeing Bryan get his butt kicked. 'This round has really shaken up the leader board.'
Yes, I've noticed, Pyrix replied. This just shows that anything can happen in this tournament.
'We'll just have to come back stronger for the next round.' Eri looked across the stadium at Omega Platoon. 'We can't afford another mistake if we want a chance of facing them.'
End chapter 11
Author's Note: Meh, I'm not too sure how this one came out. I loved writing the first battle scene, but it was tough to write the rest of this chapter. Classes just have a way of sucking the creativity right out of my brain. Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Please let me know what you thought of this one as well! Happy belated Thanksgiving!