Chapter 5
"How many more groups are out there like that?"
"A ton, probably. I could always scout ahead and whistle for backup."
"Sure you'd see 'em, Pipsqueak?"
"I'll roll you off the nearest cliff, Ty."
"Sorry! I meant travel-sized companion!"
…Well, seemed all her concern for the future of their friendship was wasted. Sickly sweetness and disgust curled her lips. Her fault for getting distracted anyway.
Dai looked at the girl sneering off into space. Ayaka could sense the pity oozing from her. "Sure you don't-!"
"Your bey's an Attack Type?"
Dai reeled back but decided to not push, taking out her bey instead. Hopefully Ayaka would talk about it when she was ready. "Yeah. Blast Vesuvius."
She gently looked it over. Blast Vesuvius 125WMF, to be specific. Orange fusion wheel, all other components being bright (in her own humble opinion- garish) red. Two protrusions for attack power. Spin track was a bit on the shorter side, too. A stable build- to survive the idiotic recklessness of his master, clearly. What if…
"How about you two try a spiral barrage? You'd both have to corral your opponents to the top of the dish, then hit 'em at the same time while you head down to the middle. Gives you a lot more power behind every hit."
"I'm down," Tyreese grinned. "We'd have to make it to the next rest stop, though. 'N after that's gonna be the edge of the forest."
Ah, Ayaka mused. People desperate for those last few points would be waiting. Prelims would be over soon. Those who avoided the forest would the least tired of everyone left. Luckily, these two seemed to be an exception.
"The way I see it, we can stay here a bit and train while the others fight it out. We'll have to be quick once we leave, though." She decided on saying.
"Told ya- not my thing. I'll meet up with you guys tomorrow." Dai took her bey and walked ahead.
As the sun slipped lower on the horizon, a plain blue and white building emerged-the rest stop. A few bladers milled around or sat on wooden benches as nurses tended them. The dishes were usually at the back, so the pair circled around as the dark-skinned girl headed in.
"Just a quick test run."
Once Tyreese warms up to me, Dai'll fall in line. After that, I'll get to the top and things will smooth out.
Tyreese nodded, wheeling to the nearest dish, and they launched. From the height of the dish, Lupa dived down, backing up the minimum distance before ramming Ayaka's training bey. The air currents swirled with a fury that made Lupa's wielder grin.
"That's good!"
"Of course. And if you want, you don't even have to disengage when you barrage. Gravity can help you accelerate and make up for the power you lose on the way down."
"Nice, Aya!"
"Mhm."
The burgundy-haired girl smiled in satisfaction, processing what she'd seen. Lupa's movements were slower than Vesuvius, so she guessed at a Balance-type. Moves weren't as precise as a bey with a sharp tip, so probably a round or semi-flat. How would she do in a chase scenario? What gimmick could complement her style? Possibilities danced in her head, and she cracked a smile. It had been a while since she last designed tactics.
"To max things out, make sure Lupa tilts low to cut through the air better. His track's really short, so you shouldn't have that many issues with stability."
"Pretty cool, and then I can do this! LUPA!"
Tyreese's pupils narrowed to pinpricks. The move was set up again. As her eyes widened to the vein-specked whites, a slicing current knocked Ayaka off-balance. Dust and rocks billowed out, while the pale, freckled blader whooped. Ayaka dusted off her clothes and regained her footing.
Sickle Claw without the impact. Reduced friction, and it reduces visibility in natural environments. Impressive.
"I'll call it- the Phantom Slash!"
"Now that's just cheesy."
When Dai returned, Ayaka tried roping her in again, but she really wasn't interested.
"C'mon Dai! Just for a little bit!" Tyreese egged her on.
"Fine."
Tyreese led Dai around the dish a few times, before showing her the original move combination. "And like that, you're done!"
"My Special Move's fine as it is, thanks."
"Better to optimize it before you end up against a tough opponent."
"Haven't met 'em yet! Ves and I go hard, and that's what's gotten us this far!"
"That'll tire you out as you rank up. Better to avoid pushing your limit 'till you really need to. In fact, you should barely even have to use Special Move at all. Save your energy and intimidate people into avoiding you entirely."
"Won't that drop your points?"
"At least try to use your head. You'll have enough stamina to more than make them back up later."
"Eh. I hear Dai on this one. Just smashin 'em to bits is faster."
"Hey-that's not what I meant!"
"Thought you didn't like that idea." Ayaka quirked an eyebrow.
"Yeah- when other people do it!"
"That'll-!"
"Get us disqualified, yea, yea."
"How about we don't do it because -"
"They're a valuable source of information." Ayaka drawled.
Dai blinked. "…Erm, it's the right thing to do? Anyone?"
Tyreese reclined and smiled.
The sky faded from brilliant azure to subtle blue-grey. Shadows wore long on the ground, but were chased by sparks from the clashes. The air howled coldly, but adrenaline served warmth and energy. Others looked on with mild interest as the girls drilled on.
"Can you let up for a minute!?" Dai yelled.
Ayaka barked out a laugh, not looking up once from the stadium. Not after all her lacklustre attacks that evening. The girl was an insult to blading, really- just tagging behind her partner and letting her oh-so-delicate feelings choose her style for her. Regardless, Ayaka needed data (though she was pretty sure she'd figured Dai out entirely). And she knew how she'd get it.
"I'm not taking orders from someone with a bowl cut."
Straightening up to her full height, Ayaka glanced at Tyreese, and tilted her head in Dai's direction.
Follow my lead.
The other girl shrugged, playing along. "It is pretty dumb, honestly."
"What does MY HAIRCUT have to do with ANYTHING?"
Too easy. Veering right and...
Ayaka's training bey dodged smoothly around the oncoming attack. Vesuvius' face bolt glowed and bore down for a slam. Ayaka guided the bey around again, slashing into Vesuvius for an easy victory. Dai walked down to reclaim her bey.
"You're really good even without your bey." Tyreese noted.
"Just comes down to a plan."
A plan I didn't have when trying to battle Kai-Rah.
What possessed her to go against a blader with such a strong spirit without a strategy? She barely had info on her, no backup- no nothing! They'd said she'd been in the magazines. Why hadn't she picked up one? When was the last time she'd picked up a blader magazine?
"Be back in a minute."
Ayaka headed beyond their line of sight, sitting on a bench. Far away, but unmistakable, there was the sound of Beyblades clashing and the bladers commanding them. Two beys materialized in her thoughts- one with stable, perfect form, and the other clinging to existence as cracks ravaged its core. His presence being ripped away, his scream that only she could hear- her best friend a pile of shards in front of her. Her head went foggy, chest tightening.
This isn't getting me anywhere. A new build will, though.
Parts wouldn't be hard to find. But would Mercury…how would she…?
It was more common that people found entirely new beys to bond with. But there was no way in heck she could do that well enough and in time to win. But how did one...call back their bey spirit? Where did these spirits even come from?
Well, no matter what, Mercury needs a bey he can fight in.
She returned to the clearing. "Alright! Ready for round…5?"
Dai was, again, nowhere to be found.
"Ugh. What is wrong with that girl?"
Tyreese took a gulp from her soda can. "She'll tell you when she tells you if she tells you."
"Very informative, Tyreese. Thanks."
She rolled her eyes and wheeled away. Ayaka headed into the rest stop, wondering if she could pick up an iced chamomile.
A/N: There are some issues with chapter one that I will soon be correcting and reposting. I'm also aiming to post more consistently, as I do have other projects in mind. Other than that, thank you for reading!