Alright, I'm back! I had to cram for a while to get this chapter done on time, but I did it! Enjoy!
Gingka: Galaxy doesn't own MFB.
"I'm sorry Arashi. We couldn't make it." Isamu said as he and the others entered the room where Arashi was waiting, leaning against the pillows with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
"I told you to read the rule book, didn't I?" the bluenette said, opening his eyes and looking at the group.
"What? Did we break a rule or something?" Ren asked nervously.
"No, you didn't know about the Wild Card matches. We're still in this tournament."
"We are?!" the others were surprised.
Arashi grinned and nodded. "We have to wait until the second round is over, then we battle through to the end. If we win the Wild Card, we can face Sheng Zai Shili again, and next time, we will beat them."
"Alright!" Isamu punched the air.
"In the meantime, you are free to stay here while Arashi recovers." Da Xiang said, entering the room. "Once he has recovered, you can go to the Wild Card matches. You have about a week."
"And in the meantime, we can train." Arashi said.
Da Xiang smiled. "Well, you might as well. Although, Sheng Zai Shili will still beat you, even if you do make it through the Wild Card matches."
"Whoa, hang on a second Arashi! I'll tie you to that bed if you dare try to get up and train right now." Isamu threatened.
"Challenge accepted." Arashi replied with a smirk.
A tick mark appeared on Isamu's forehead. "What did you just say?!" he almost shouted.
Arashi closed his eyes and regained his nonchalant composure, but the hint of a smirk remained around his mouth.
Ren and Shinobu looked at each other and sweatdropped.
A few hours later found the group, including Arashi, out in the main training area of Beylin Temple. Despite all of his protesting, Arashi had been confined to a wheelchair, where he was too occupied with pouting to bother launching his bey, which was trapped in his hand. Maru looked at the silver and black Chimera with a longing to take it apart and figure out just how a bey that her computer clearly marked as a stamina type could have such speed and attack power. For the moment, she contented herself with trying to analyze Isamu's bey, which was zipping around rapidly and taking out target after target with varying accuracy.
"Go, Kerbecs!" the bluenette called, nearly missing his next target.
"You need more control, Isamu. How many times do I have to tell you, it's not speed, it's control!" Arashi called after a few more minutes.
"You're one to talk, Mr. I'm-So-Fast-I-Can-Move-At-Nearly-Light-Speed!" Isamu retorted, but slowed his bey down a bit, greatly increasing his accuracy.
"It's not light speed, it's the speed of sound." Arashi retorted. "Plus, skill comes before speed anyway."
"The speed of sound?" Ren and Maru exclaimed.
Shinobu remained silent, but his eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the brunette.
"That should be impossible for a stamina type like Chimera!" Maru exclaimed.
Arashi shrugged. "Apparently it isn't." he replied, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
"Can I see your bey?" Maru asked.
"No." came a slightly growling reply as the teen opened his eyes, narrowing them at Maru.
"Why not?" the pink-haired mechanic asked, pouting. "You'll have to let me repair it sometime."
"I can repair it myself." Arashi replied, ignoring Maru's attempt at using her cuteness to win him over.
"You know bey repair?" Maru raised an eyebrow.
"A little."
"Enough to repair cracks?"
"No."
"Then let me see it. Cracks are the worst type of damage, since they can rip a bey apart." Maru said, reaching for Arashi's bey, but he snatched his hand out of her reach.
"I said no." the bluenette snarled, causing Maru to step back in nervousness.
The young mechanic sighed, wishing that she had Madoka's persistence and seeming fearlessness when it came to convincing bladers about repairing their beys. Perhaps she should call her. After all, it would only take a second. As Maru thought about it, her laptop gave her an alert: Madoka was calling her.
"Hey Chief!"
"Hey Maru! How's it going?" Madoka asked, her turquoise eyes sparkling.
"Well, we lost, but you probably already know that. The others are training, except for Arashi, who's busy pouting in a wheelchair and won't let me see his bey." Maru replied.
"Did you try explaining to him about what the damage can do?"
"Yes. He won't listen."
"Well, if he won't give it to you, then there's not really anything you can do about it." Madoka sighed. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come around eventually. I have to go now. You guys be careful!"
"Will do!" Maru replied cheerfully.
Madoka smiled. "Goodbye Maru. I'll talk to you later."
Maru closed her laptop and sighed.
"Go, Phoenix!" Ren shouted, sending her bey smashing into several targets.
"Hey, Ren! I bet my Kerbecs can smash targets faster than your Phoenix!" Isamu called, sending his silver and red bey to spin alongside Ren's silver and gold one.
Ren smirked. "You're on! I won't lose to a defense type in the speed department, that's for sure!"
"We'll see about that." Isamu grinned.
They seem happy enough without me. There has barely been any mention of my name since the tournament started. Have they already forgotten about me? There was enough worry on their part before, during the selection tournament. The fact that they got mad at Arashi proves that. The only mention of my name has been from Sheng Zai Shili so far. Galaxy Flame seemed to avoid it. Perhaps I've caused them pain by not showing up sooner? Maybe I should have just gone ahead and returned to the spotlight, rather than remaining in the shadows as I was told. However, I don't dare to actually do so, to disobey him. I've seen his temper already, that fiery spirit that burns inside of him doesn't only appear during battles. For now, I'll obey, but I am not sure I can take staying hidden much longer.
"Go, Phoenix!"
"Kerbecs!"
Isamu and Ren smashed through target after target, their beys spinning speed-for-speed, seemingly completely in sync.
"Hey, let me in on this!" Shinobu said, as Salamander joined Phoenix and Kerbecs. The three beys continued on, smashing through targets with near-equal speed and power.
Their skills are improving. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and second by second; Galaxy Flame is growing stronger. Already, they are a huge threat to the DNA team. However, right now, that's all they are: a threat. With more training, and the proper training, they can become the downfall of the DNA team. And they will. Zero and I will wait, to back them up, and when the time comes, we will soar into action, together. Zero is growing antsy just waiting around like this, I can see it in his eyes. Hopefully, he won't have to wait much longer.
"Let it rip!"
"Arashi! You're supposed to be resting!" Isamu protested as the silver and black Chimera joined their group.
"So?" Arashi leaned against a nearby pillar and crossed his arms, grinning.
"It's not like you can stop me."
Isamu sweatdropped. "Are you ever going to listen when anyone tells you to rest?"
"Nope. Chimera!"
"Get it, Phoenix!" Ren called.
Arashi smirked. "That won't work."
Chimera rose quickly and effortlessly out of its bey, sending Ren's Phoenix flying at the moment of impact.
Isamu sighed. "Guess it can't be helped. Kerbecs!"
"Nope." Arashi said, attacking and sending Kerbecs flying as well.
"Salamander! Blazing Ring Shot!"
"Chimera, Triple Storming Fire!"
Chimera quickly surrounded Shinobu's orange flames with a ring of ominous black ones, snuffing out Salamander's flames and extra copies.
Aguma, watching nearby, narrowed his eyes at the attack.
Shinobu growled under his breath in frustration as Chimera tightened his ring, closing in on Salamander.
Arashi suddenly whirled as a silver and dark purple bey came in contact with his own.
"Kronos! Exploding Fist!" Aguma called.
"Run, Chimera!" Arashi reacted, his silver and black synchrom barely evading the debris that Kronos was kicking up.
"What is that?" Isamu asked fearfully as Kerbecs landed at his feet, wobbling dangerously.
"Gahh!" Ren screamed and ducked as Phoenix smashed into a pillar behind her, motionless.
"Wha-?" Shinobu took a step back in fear as Salamander landed at his feet, barely still spinning.
Aguma smirked. "What, afraid of my power? Come on!"
"Attack, Kerbecs!" Isamu called, sending his bey flying at the ring of debris. However, he was easily knocked back, and caught his silver and red bey out of the air as it flew towards him.
"I can't attack head-on or Salamander will end up like Kerbecs." Shinobu thought. "I also only have enough power for one more attack, so I can't waste too much time or Salamander will sleep-out. The only thing I need to do is get around that wall. But how?"
Maru watched silently from the sidelines, her computer scanning Kronos. Ren seemed scared at the sudden outburst of attack power being generated by Aguma's Kronos. Isamu's face held a mixture of awe and disappointment at being knocked out so easily. Shinobu's eyes were filled with fear, surprise, and awe, as they narrowed in concentration. Arashi's face was expressionless, no; near-expressionless. A hint of a smirk was playing around his mouth as his emerald eyes blazed with excitement. He was looking Aguma right in the eye, a move which seemed to surprise the older blader, who had one eyebrow raised slightly.
"Salamander! Special move: Blazing Ring Shot!" Shinobu called suddenly, attracting Aguma's attention to him.
The Kronos blader's eyes widened in surprise at the ring of fiery illusions now surrounding his ring of wind and debris.
"Impressive," he commented, "but it won't get through Kronos's defenses."
"It's worth the try!" Shinobu called as his ring of flames began closing in on Aguma's swirling wall of debris. The two rings pushed against each other for a while, and several of the larger pieces of debris that Aguma was levitating smashed into the ground and walls around them.
Shinobu threw his arms up to protect his face as the two moves exploded. His olive green eyes barely caught the flash of silver and orange that flew past him to smash into a pillar behind him.
As the dust began to settle, Aguma applauded.
"Impressive. You learned from Kerbecs's mistake and nearly broke through the wall by attacking all of it at once, a technique that I did not expect. However, it wasn't enough in the end."
Shinobu fell to his knees in defeat.
"Now, wasn't there one more of you?" Aguma turned back to Arashi, who was leaning calmly against a nearby pillar with his eyes closed and arms crossed.
The wind picked up again as Kronos rapidly repaired the portions of the wall that Shinobu had torn down. Aguma looked around for Chimera, but found no sign of the silver and black bey.
"I doubt you forfeited, since you bothered to dodge." Aguma said, narrowing his eyes at the bluenette who was facing him.
"Of course not. I have no reason to forfeit." Arashi said.
"But where is Chimera?" Maru asked, scanning the area, but finding no sign of the bey.
"I've learned many things as a Legendary Blader." Aguma said. "One of those things, one that Gingka taught me, was this:"
The entire group, minus Arashi, seemed to lean in towards Aguma as he paused and looked up.
"If it's not on the ground, and it's not with the blader, then it's in the sky. Am I correct?"
Arashi opened his eyes and grinned.
"Chimera, Constellation Tornado Strike!" he yelled, stepping away from the pillar as he became surrounded by black flames, Chimera appearing in the sky and roaring from all three heads as it dove down on Kronos.
A huge explosion threw everyone but Aguma to the ground as Chimera collided with Kronos.
"Whoa! What was that?" Maru asked as she got up and dusted herself off.
"Arashi!" Isamu exclaimed, rushing over to his brother, who had managed to get up, but was struggling to remain so as he pressed a hand to his side.
"You have more power than I expected." Aguma said, holding up a hand.
Arashi hissed in pain as he pushed Isamu away.
"Chimera!"
The silver and black bey charged Kronos, but the Saturn bey leapt into Aguma's hand.
Arashi narrowed his eyes at the older blader, panting.
"I've seen enough. You have power, Arashi, but right now, you are in no condition for any level of hard battling. Go rest, and I'll meet you again in battle some other day."
Arashi grunted in response as he fell to his knees, catching Chimera out of the air at the same time.
Isamu and Shinobu quickly slid their arms underneath Arashi's, helping him stand and carefully walking him back to the wheelchair he had left only minutes before.
Later that night, Aguma quietly crept out of his room, careful not to wake up the others sleeping on either side of his walls. The Kronos wielder tiptoed down the hallway, past the rooms of Wang Hu Zhong, Sheng Zai Shili, and Galaxy Flame. He stalked the shadows across the training area, watching the closed doors of the dozens of bladers who regularly trained at Beylin Temple. Eventually, he reached the front gate, and let himself out through a side door.
"I thought you would be here." he called softly.
A figure standing on top of a nearby rock pillar half-turned, the moonlight illuminating his face as he smiled at Aguma. Two long, tattered pieces of white fabric waved slightly in a playful breeze behind him.
"You knew where I was all along, didn't you?" Gingka asked, turning back to his stargazing.
"You aren't that hard to find." Aguma smirked, leaning against the pillar.
Gingka closed his eyes and smiled. "Guess not."
"So, why are you here, instead of in Japan?" Aguma asked, looking up at the redhead.
"Galaxy Flame."
"I guessed that much. Why are you with them?"
"I have to protect them from the DNA. Japan's new Ace, Zero, was attacked about a week and a half ago, and the DNA will surely be after Galaxy Flame now that they're in the Championships. However, this little twist that Sheng Zai Shili pulled will actually be perfect."
"Because the DNA won't take Galaxy Flame's threat as seriously." Aguma guessed.
"Exactly. However, since Sheng Zai Shili defeated Galaxy Flame, they may become DNA's new targets. They should be warned of the danger."
Aguma raised an eyebrow.
"Danger?"
"Yes. I didn't think that anyone could stoop so low, but I found that I was wrong when I had to rescue Zero from their clutches. I myself have now been injured by their attacks, as has Arashi Hikou of Galaxy Flame. Both of us were injured in the exact same way: The DNA bladers attacked us, not our beys."
"I see. Then, I'll travel with Sheng Zai Shili, to protect them." Aguma said.
"You would do well to." Gingka said. "In the meantime, I'll watch over Galaxy Flame. They will make it through the Wild Card, count on it."
"We'll be waiting for you." Aguma smirked, turning back to the door of Beylin Temple.
"See you later, Aguma." Gingka said as the other Legendary Blader disappeared back into the confines of the training school.
Me: So, Galaxy Flame knows that they're still in the tournament, Aguma battles with them, and Gingka shows up!
Arashi: Meanwhile, I'm still injured.
Me: Not to mention you're still a complete enigma.
Arashi: Huh?
Me: Enigma: a puzzling riddle; a baffling situation or person. See Arashi Hikou.
Arashi: Whatever…