Switchblade Beta - Zero-Two.
X X X
Cities always looked the same when it rained - they had the same grey, drizzled atmosphere.
St. Petersburg was no different.
There were umbrellas to be seen everywhere; endless coloured shapes that hid the heads of the people who bustled along the path. Not even rain could stop the busy life of city folk. Those who weren't in such a hurry and lacked the good fortune to be armed with such water-repelling items scurried towards the closest sheltered spot, fearful of the moment when the light rain turned to something much harder.
On the border of uncharacteristically, one Russian Blader deigned fit to do something similar; steering himself off of the main drag and to a closeted little alley where he could comfortably wait for the rain to stop before moving on.
The great Kai Hiwatari, he grumbled to himself as he found a suitably dry post, Leader of the Sharks, member of the Demolition boys, coach of the Blade Breakers… Sheltering under a rusted awning, waiting for the rain to stop so he can find some lunch. There was something remarkably pathetic about such a concept, he decided.
As he stood there and waited for the rain to pass, Kai couldn't help a casual surveillance of his damp environment. The alley was more of a dead-end than a thoroughfare; the narrowness of the buildings he stood between giving way to a small but sheltered courtyard. from where he stood Kai could hear rather than see several kids who occupied it, ringed around someone who appeared to be the ringleader.
"That's so cool, Luke! Did you really qualify?"
Despite his wishes of quiet and solitude, it seemed that Kai was not going to be saved from the children's distant conversation. It served him right, he supposed, for sheltering somewhere so closeted - everything echoed.
"Of course I did, kid."
He found himself grimacing at the arrogance of the tone, then wondering if the youth had the skill to match the attitude.
Surely, whatever he had qualified at was something Kai could best him in.
Get a hold of yourself, he chided, They're kids and they're just that. You have better things to do than bully some would-be .
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by instincts which had suddenly started screaming at him - some kind of small airborne missile was coming straight for him. Trusting them blindly, Kai's hand shot out, knocking it away with the back of his hand. The impact stung and he muffled a curse, watching the … whatever it was clatter to the ground and roll a few paces away from him.
With a blink, he realised it was an amateur's Beyblade.
Bending to pick it up, the group of kids came flying around the corner. Lest Kai be trampled, they were forced to stop abruptly, feet finding a slippery purchase on the wet pavement under their feet. From the collective expression of the group, they didn't know what to make of the situation - that this man had stopped the renegade Beyblade, or that he looked weirdly familiar.
Perhaps it was just the predatory aura that naturally surrounded Kai.
They stood like that for some time; this confused group of children and the bemused adult. Finally, it was Kai who straightened, passing the Blade to the nearest child. "Be more careful next time, yeah?" he muttered to them.
"Sorry mister," one of them breathed. "It was Kyle, there -"
An indignant noise was made from the rear; he assumed this was Kyle.
"- he was just showin' off," another finished. Kai recognised it immediately as the arrogant one.
He tilted his head with the same bemusement, crimson eyes studying the boy intently. "To impress you, hm?"
The youth had the grace to look abashed. "I 'spose," he said slowly.
Kyle had had enough. He elbowed his way to the front, huffed, then said in one long breath, "It's just 'cause around here, we don' really have much t'do, 'cause there ain't much money and all we got is Blades, mister, and we ain't too good at it yet but Luke's the firs' one to qualify for anythin' in just ages, so it's gots us thinkin' that maybe we'll be good 'nuff to qualify next year."
At the end of the tirade, Kai had one simple question. "Qualified for what?" he asked, scanning the group.
Each of them looked equally mortified that he didn't know the answer.
"The tourney, mister!"
"For…?"
"The BBA Championships!"
Kai's stomach plummeted to his ankles, all earlier thoughts of lunch abandoned. ".. I forgot it was on," he said after a great length.
It was hard to say whether such a statement was meant for himself or for the children; but from the way that the Russian then turned away and walked out of the alley without so much as a goodbye or good luck, perhaps it was meant for neither.
X X X
Ten minutes later, Kai Hiwatari found himself standing in front of the local BBA Centre. The banner strung over the entrance bid all Bladers welcome and true to form, the boulevard which led to the building itself was littered with athletes of all ages - from the young like the kids in the alley to those closer to his own age. Some of them mingled in groups whilst others warmed up and practised relentlessly: the range of familiar sights and smells had begun to give Kai an uneasy feeling.
In an abrupt decision he stepped forward, walking straight for the main entrance. There was a lengthy queue for those who wanted to spectate; Kai boldly strode past them.
Some years ago, out of what he assumed was pity, the members of the former Blade Breakers were given certain… perks. For the most part it was trivial things - sitting in the Official's box, an automatic invitation to any Black Tie events; most of it consisted of things that Kai would never remotely consider doing.
The only one that came in handy was this: queue-jumping.
When a marshal at the head of the line motioned for him to stop, Kai lifted his hand - in it was the little laminated piece of card that let him go anywhere on BBA grounds.
Allowing himself a private smirk at the marshal's wordless response (a sound of disbelief and awkward gesturing), he swept through and into the building.
In the foyer, a news team had stationed itself just inside the large entrance doors, eagerly capturing as many interviews as they could. Knowing quite well that the media would have a field-day if they knew he was around, Kai swiftly moved through the foyer and into the stadium.
It took little time and even less effort for Kai to find himself a prime spectator's position; the second row (the first held more cameras and more news groups; all of which Kai determinedly kept his head turned away from) and a little to the left of the center, where he'd have enough of an angle to see both sides of the Beydish easily.
He settled down to watch the floor of the stadium, where two Bladers shouted commands (or the occasional insult) whilst their Blades pitted against each other in the plain dish.
Some years ago, the system of the Tournaments had been overhauled - there was now a Singles division and a Team division. Trials for each took place over two days - Teams on the first and Singles on the second. From the emptiness of the Pits on both sides of the arena, Kai judged it to be the latter; which explained some of that Luke's earlier pride.
The battle ended with what Kai recognised as a clever move; the use of evasive tactics until the opponent became too frustrated to pay attention to just how tall the sides of the dish were. All it took was time and some baiting. The nail was in the coffin before another minute passed - the Blade flew out of the dish and landed in a light patter by the loser's feet.
The stadium erupted - Kai found himself jostled and pushed from two sides at once; the seats on either side of him were the hosts of euphoric locals, who where madly jumping on their seats.
In the time it took for the crowds to quieten, the competitors had left and the stage was reset. Kai waited with limited patience to see who would take the next round; though privately he had already decided that this would be another year for raw talent to remain elusive, another year for him to not bother competing in.
Ever since the loss of the World Champion, the pickings in the tournament had been slim at best.
Even if it had been five years.
He still hadn't found anyone truly worthy of the title Champion.
Until he did, Kai refused to enter. He wanted to be the best, sure - that ambition was still a strongly burning one. But he was not going to spend year after year defeating mediocre Bladers and being handed such an empty title for doing so.
To be the Champion meant you were the best; meant you couldn't be defeated. It did not mean that you could defeat every amateur who came along without so much as batting an eyelid.
Kai was still looking for someone of Tyson's skill - someone that would make his blood sing when he fought them; someone who would push and drive him to the brink of defeat; someone who would be worth defeating.
Then the title would mean something.
But pending that… Kai found his gaze drawn downwards, towards the small, blue Blade that had slipped into his hand in the midst of these thoughts. You and me are still in retirement. The Blade glowed softly in response to Kai's words as it replied. Unheard by anyone else, they brought a lopsided smile to his face.
The great Kai Hiwatari; Leader of the Sharks, member of the Demolition boys, coach of the Blade Breakers… retired.
Yeah. There was something most definitely pathetic about that.
That was when he felt something focused on him; something paying more attention than what was necessary. Naturally seeking the source, Kai found it to be one of the cameras a row in front - clearly, he'd been spotted by the man wielding such an infernal machine. With a scowl, Kai folded his arms and looked away; the body language was clear - leave me alone. He could just imagine the commentator's chatter over his spontaneous appearance at such a rudimentary level of the tournament.
Surprisingly, the hint was taken. For that, Kai was grateful. Even after five years, they couldn't think of new questions. Having never been one for publicity even back when he'd actively competed, he had long ago lost patience with questions, cameras, spokespeople and interviews - of all types.
The camera moved away to continue a passing surveillance of the crowds - so it, and the people at the other end, never saw the moment that Kai nearly leapt out of his seat.
He had been waiting (with less and less patience by the moment) for the next round to begin, watching the half-lit corridors from which they would emerge.
When the one almost directly across from him showed its first signs of movement, Kai found himself sitting forward with unexpected anticipation. He felt it, rather than saw it - not something easily explainable, but something that called him to that battlefield; made him wish that he was the final opponent of the day.
It was an old feeling; one he'd forgotten about - the quiet hum of challenge in his bones that seemed to consume the entirety of his rational thoughts.
The youth, definitely male, looked to be tall from a distance, a look which was enhanced by the navy-coloured uniform he wore. It was difficult, really, to see much detail - Kai noted to himself that later, he would have to find a recording of the match and study the male closely.
And then he saw the Blade he was carrying.
The sight of the black metal had Kai out of his seat before he knew what he was doing. Two hands braced his weight against the empty seat in front of him, form leaning towards the arena as he stared in disbelief.
That's just not possible, he told himself. Maybe it's just coincidental. There have to be other Beyblades that colour, after all - it doesn't mean it's Black Dranzer.
Kai had never liked 'maybes' or 'ifs' or 'buts'. Things were exactly as they appeared to be - even at surface value, if you looked at them right. So if the Beyblade looked like Black Dranzer, it was Black Dranzer.
The thought was not a comforting one.
Mystified as to how a Blader had obtained a Bitbeast that was supposed to be under constant protection at Max's lab, Kai turned his attention back to the Blader, searching for details. As he did so, the two opponents arrived at the Dish. The one that Kai was watching had a curious silence to him; a certain trait that he'd learnt over the years to not only be manifested in his own personal style, but almost anyone who passed under the strict training of his Grandfather.
You're behind this, aren't you? he asked of his relative silently. There was no doubt in his mind - only a man like Boris could obtain a Bitbeast that no-one was supposed to have.
The referee performed his usual pre-match routine.
The athletes prepared.
The Blades were launched.
The crowds cheered.
In all of fifteen seconds, a bright green Beyblade flew out of the dish and landed on the ground.
At the loser's mortified groan, it shattered into a million useless pieces.
Kai smiled grimly, his expectations fulfilled.
The crowd was hushed - it didn't know what to do or how to react.
And spinning with perfect innocence in the middle of the dish was Black Dranzer.
X X X
To be continued.