I chocked on my strawberry.
"What?" I spluttered, coughing. "Why?"
"If you feel like you have to practice six hours straight the night before a match, you probably aren't prepared to 'blade in the finals. Max will take your place." I felt numb with shock. Not prepared? I thought bewildered. Where did that come from? And why was Hiro suddenly concerned about my beyblading habits?
I stared into each of the Bladebreakers until my eyes finally rested on Kai. My pulse quickened. He hadn't said something…right?
Kai never looked up, but continued to eat his piece of toast quietly. I sent him a dark look, but he merely stopped chewing to take a drink of milk. I contented myself with sending vibes of anger in his direction.
"Sorry, Sandy," Max murmured, interrupting my silent rage. My face morphed into surprise and I quickly smiled to reassure him.
"Don't worry about it, Max," I said. My voice almost showed my disappointment, but I tried to keep it cheerful. "I'll get it next time." Max still looked crestfallen, but he nodded with a new look of relief. My mask had worked.
"Hey, guys!" Hilary called. Behind her were Emily, Kenny, and a sleepy Daichi. "What are you up to?"
"Just talking about the finals," Tyson answered, managing to fit a whole egg in his mouth at once. The four new arrivals sat down at the table with their plates of food. Daichi's eyes lit up at the word.
"The other teams don't stand a chance," he exclaimed. "Just show me who I'm taking down." Hilary glared in annoyance at the short, red-haired boy.
"You're not even 'blading today. Remember the plan Hiro went over with us?" She said. The boy shrugged, not looking impressed.
"So," Daichi said. "I'll still take them down anyway." I wanted to say something to them, but words failed me when I tried. Instead I stuck my hand into the beyblade compartment on my belt. Nothing was there. Kenny noticed the gesture and pulled something small out of his pocket.
"I've increased Nyclix's spin so she'll be able to attack with more speed and power," Kenny said, handing Nyclix to me. "I've also given you a new tip that should make your moves even more unpredictable. But you should practice with it first, before trying it out in a match." I thanked him quietly and studied my beyblade's new design. She was still gold-and-green with sharp, curved blades creating her attack ring. However, new hints of red were present on the attack ring and her tip now had an unusual angle to it.
I was tempted to leave off eating breakfast to try out my new bey, but practicing was what had gotten me removed from the first match of the finals. I paused, before putting Nyclix back into her compartment.
An hour later both the All-Stars and the Bladebreakers boarded the bus. Not wanting to be lectured by Emily again, I choose a seat in the center of my team. A few minutes into the ride, however, I was silently staring out the window.
Buildings and green trees flew by while white clouds slowly moved in the other direction. It created an odd affect, as if the world was spinning and moving in different ways. The bus lurched as it hit a bump in the road and my focus became centered on the window's reflection. To my surprise, my own gray eyes were suddenly staring back at me.
"I'm sorry, Sandy, but you can't 'blade in the match today." I froze, recognizing Lee's voice. My own voice joined in sounding disappointed and complaining.
"But why not?" I asked. "I've worked so hard. I even ran four miles yesterday." Lee nodded, but his face never changed.
"I'm sorry, Sandy," Lee repeated. "But we only put forward the Daredevil's best 'bladers in the match." I glared at him, crossing my arms angrily.
"How is that fair? I'm never going to get better if you don't let me participate in any matches," I said. Lee met my gaze calmly and firmly.
"Would it be fair to our opponents if we don't play our best?" I opened my mouth to reply, but couldn't find a good response. Lee continued, "A lot of beybladers are very serious about these tournaments, Sandy. They've come from miles around to 'blade against the top beybladers from around the world. If we don't put up our team's best against them, that would make their journey for nothing, right?" I looked down, not meeting his eyes.
"Yeah, but…" Lee clapped a hand on my shoulder. I reluctantly looked up at him.
"If you want to participate in matches, then work hard and practice. You'll get your turn. I promise."
"Okay, Lee."
The memory faded away, leaving my gray eyes in its place. My anger at losing my place in the match had vanished. Then I noticed a pair of bright amber eyes next to mine, watching. I turned to find Rei sitting next to me.
"You zoned out again," he said. "Are you okay?" I nodded, staring at him reflectively.
"I'm not one of the best 'bladers on the Bladebreaker team, am I?" I asked. Rei frowned in confusion. He looked a bit unnerved, as if wondering where this was coming from.
"What are you talking about?"
"So I shouldn't take place in our matches until I've earned it," I said in conclusion. Rei's brow furrowed deeper and he didn't respond. I finally realized I was talking nonsense and laughed.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought," I said. "Just thinking about one of the rules my old team had." Rei nodded and an awkward silence filled the air.
"You know," Rei began, "Hiro wasn't trying to make you feel like you weren't good enough or anything. He just wanted to make sure you were ready to compete."
"I know that," I said, looking at Rei like he had said something obvious. "I was just explaining that I understood, right?" Rei ignored my outburst and continued.
"Hiro probably felt you were worried about it. And I don't think he likes you overexerting yourself on training exercises." Kenny turned around from the seat in front of us and nodded.
"He's right, Sandy. You aren't being punished for something you did wrong. We just don't want you to feel pressured. You'll probably get put in next time," Kenny said.
"Of course she will," Max broke in. He smiled kindly, "The truth is, you would have done well even if Hiro had put you in today." My face felt hot by now and I shook my head.
"No, that's not what I –" I started. Then I laughed. "I really should just stop, shouldn't I?" Rei smiled teasingly.
"Yep." I smiled back before returning to the window. Not long after, a large domed building loomed in front of us.