Chapter Six: Leone vs Pegasus

With a soft thud, both beys landed on the dry, rocky terrain and began to circle around. Ginga's friendliness seemed to vanish; of course, that was expected. He had to focus on the battle now and give it his all.

The beys had been circling for a few minutes, carving a path in the dusty ground with their performance tips. It was as if each blader was assessing the other's strength before launching their first move.

Kyoya had crossed his arms again, and his head was tipped to one side. "I'm surprised at you, Ginga. You haven't attacked yet," he said. "So I will."

Leone swerved around and, picking up speed, charged toward Ginga's bey, kicking up dust and little stones behind it. Before Pegasus could dodge, Leone crashed into it with a little clink. Ginga's bey was thrown back in a gust of wind. Leone kept attacking, giving Ginga no chance of rebound, and a series of metallic clanks echoed in the air. Leone did seem to have much more attack power than before.

Kyoya…his Leone is a lot more powerful. If he keeps this up, he can win before Ginga even makes a move! Ginga's child-like voice jerked her out of her thoughts.

"Go Pegasus! Fly high!" Pegasus just barely veered away in time to escape Leone's next attack and using a large rock as a ramp, thrust itself into the air. It soared high, hidden among the dark gray clouds. If the sun had been high in the sky, it would have gleamed on the bey and given its location away. But as Kyoya stared carelessly up, he didn't seem to mind that he couldn't see Pegasus. He had the whole thing planned, and knew exactly what move he would make when the time came.

"Pegasus! Starblast Attack!" He smiled a satisfied smile as the bey crashed toward the ground, surrounded by blue fire.

"I don't think so." Kyoya let out a deep-throated growl. "Leone!" The bey's rotation speed increased, and with it, the wind circulating around it grew more and more powerful. "King Lion Tearing Blast!" His voice echoed in the canyon nearby.

One tornado sprung up from the wind produced by Kyoya's bey, followed by another, and then one more. Three thin cyclones whirled up into the sky, swallowing Pegasus in all the wind. Pegasus was flung mercilessly against each tornado as they spun and wove together ferociously.

"What is that?" Ginga shouted in surprise, lifting an arm in front of his face to block out the battering wind.

Kyoya smiled and looked up. The sun had completely vanished, and the only light came from the moon and the stars that shone down from the dark blue sky. Shadows danced across his face as his hair thrashed wildly in the wind. He opened his mouth to speak, his fang glinting in the silver moonlight. His blue eyes glittered with cold amusement.

He kept his gaze fixed on the moon as he spoke. "I wasn't going to fall for that same trick twice." He turned to Ginga. "Are you surprised by Leone's newfound power?"

Hikaru could hear the bey crashing against the tornadoes, over and over again. Surely there was no way Pegasus could still be spinning after such an attack? She squinted against the gust of wind that threw dust in her face. Just hurry and end it, Kyoya!

"You have gotten a lot stronger; that will just make this more fun!" Ginga replied. He wasn't ready to admit defeat. "Pegasus!"

The bey somehow managed to escape the whirlwind and bounced on the ground. After a moment of wobbling, it regained its strength. The violently strong cyclones vanished into a thin, wispy cloud.

But before Leone could go after Pegasus again, Pegasus clashed into it fiercely. Ginga's bey struck hard, pulled away, and came in again for another brutal attack from a different direction. Now Kyoya was on the defense.

Hikaru's heart lurched. No, Kyoya! You'll lose!

But Kyoya's stance showed that he was completely calm. He didn't seem to care about the series of attacks that Pegasus unleashed on Leone. He stood there, motionless, allowing Pegasus to push Leone around.

Ginga looked up from the beys to Kyoya. Hikaru shifted where she knelt behind the shrub.

Kyoya had been chuckling quietly, barely loud enough for the others to hear. But now, as Pegasus struck Leone again and again, Kyoya threw his head back, closed his eyes, and laughed to his heart's content. After well over a minute, he fell quiet and jerked his head to Ginga. There was nothing innocent about him now. His eyes flashed with all the ferocity of that of an untamed lion. He held out his arm and clenched his fist, flexing his muscles. Instead of a laugh, a feral snarl escaped from his throat. Dark shadows fell over his face. He met Ginga's gaze with an icy stare.

"Play time is over, Ginga Hagane!" Kyoya howled. "I'll end this with Leone's other special move!"

"Huh?" Hikaru gasped.

"There's another one?" Ginga's voice was high pitch in shock.

"Go Leone!" Kyoya ordered, his eyes gleaming with the darkness that was within him. "Lion Wild Wind Fang Dance!"

And the wind danced, throwing rocks in the air. Some of the weaker plants, even small trees nearby, were pulled up by the roots and tossed into the canyon. They crashed against the canyon walls, the branches snapping and crackling to pieces. Ginga struggled to stay standing on his feet. Kyoya was clenching his fists and staring up at the moon again, while his coat and hair fluttered in the wind.

The fat tornado Leone had created whipped up Pegasus and sent it flying. But despite Leone's strength, Pegasus landed with a tiny thud, bounced a few times, and continued to spin.

Kyoya took a step back, uncertainty flashing in his eyes. He blinked, and it was gone. "Smash it apart, Leone!" he shouted.

The bey headed toward Pegasus, with the tornado's winds getting stronger with each passing second. Pegasus veered away, and Leone crashed into a large boulder, leaving a painfully noticeable crater in the side. But that didn't stop Leone. It continued striking out for Pegasus and missing it by millimeters. Kyoya narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Pegasus, go!" Ginga's voice rang out above the wind. The spirit within the bey, the winged horse, seemed to emerge. It majestically flapped its wings and galloped forward. "Haha!" Ginga laughed, as Pegasus charged for Leone.

"Grrr…..Leone!" Kyoya yowled. The golden lion, the king of the jungle, rose from the gale with a might roar. Shaking its mane, it bounded forward on heavy paws.

The beys headed for each other - Leone glowing green, Pegasus glowing blue - and clashed hard. Kyoya didn't flinch, didn't even blink; his eyes were filled with hunger for power. Ginga was knocked to the ground in a gust of wind.

Kyoya was obviously surprised that Pegasus could stand its ground for so long. But Pegasus was weak. With each spin, Ginga's bey wobbled more and more. Kyoya was quite disappointed. The battle had pretty much been one sided, but then, he was proud of himself for stopping Ginga's special move. Not only that; Pegasus didn't inflict much damage on Leone during its constant attacks. It was as if Ginga hadn't even tried to beat him.

The whistling wind suddenly grew still, and the tornado faded in the air. The only sound that could be heard was the distinct noise of two beys, which retreated to their owners' sides.

"Kyoya, something's different about you-" Ginga began softly, clearly concerned, but Kyoya's harsh voice silenced him.

"I'll give you credit, Ginga." Kyoya spat out the words with an annoyed edge in his voice. "Pegasus withstood Leone for quite some time. But before I win, we have a little unfinished business." Kyoya smirked, and turned to look at the little shrub behind which Hikaru was hiding. "Hey!"

Hikaru felt her blood run cold. Oh no!

"Come on out!" he ordered impatiently.

She stood and took a few steps to stand out in the open. She was a few yards from Kyoya, and her heart screamed to run up to him. But as she watched Ginga scramble to his feet, she found herself unable to realize which of the two would be the better decision. She brushed dirt from her light colored shorts as Kyoya spoke to her menacingly.

"Well, Hikaru. It's time for you to make your choice."

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(:Mizune