Ok, I am finally back after two whole months of not updating! Thank you guys for not flaming me, I had a ton of schoolwork to catch up on and was banned from writing until I got that done. But, I am back now, and would like to dedicate this chapter to OnePieceFan2012 for being patient after messaging me, and to all of you other people who were also patient and waited for this update! Gingka?
Gingka: GalaxyPegasus14 still does not own MFB, as usual.
Me: You don't seem to be mad anymore about you-know-what.
Gingka: -_- I'm still upset, I just choose not to show it.
-later that night-
Madoka was still seated in a chair next to Gingka's bed, her chin resting on one hand as she slept. Her other hand was clasped tightly in Gingka's. pale blue moonlight streamed in from the window, bathing them both in an almost eerie light. Madoka jerked awake as an owl hooted just outside the window, then watched as it's black form flew away. She got up and closed the curtains, then lit a small lamp, allowing it to bathe the room in a golden light.
As Madoka sat back down, Gingka let out a slight moan.
"Gingka? Can you hear me?" Madoka whispered, grabbing his hand.
"mm?" Gingka half-opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Gingka!" Madoka exclaimed softly, "you're alright!" she pressed his hand to her face, grasping it in both hands.
The redhead let out a slight moan, causing Madoka to instantly lay his arm back at his side.
"Gingka…" Madoka trailed off.
Gingka closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "what happened?" he asked quietly.
"you fell out of the tree and injured yourself" Madoka replied softly, laying one hand on the bandages wrapped around his chest, her other hand reaching up to stroke his face.
"guess that's what I get for being stupid…" Gingka muttered, biting his lip in pain.
"just relax, I have a painkiller here if you want it" Madoka reached for the bottle, but Gingka shook his head.
"I hate the taste of those things, I'll just go without"
"are you sure? You got beat up pretty bad"
"yes, I'm sure"
"okay then, but tell me if you change your mind. Just rest now, go back to sleep"
Gingka closed his eyes. Madoka sighed. "Just rest, it will be fine" she sighed, mostly to reassure herself.
-the next morning-
"Ahh! Kyoya! Not there! No, that piece goes- You know what? I don't know why I let you try to help with this!" Yuki's voice broke the silence.
Madoka got up and looked out the window just in time to see Yuki chase Kyoya out of the house that was serving as his workshop.
"Fine then! I'll just go do something else!" the green-haired blader yelled after his blue-clad comrade.
Madoka glanced down at Gingka, who let out a low moan and rolled over onto his side, still sound asleep. "Mmm, smash it Pegasus…" he muttered. Madoka snickered as Ryo opened the door.
"How is he doing?" the older redhead asked, his face full of concern.
"Just fine, judging by the fact that he is talking in his sleep" Madoka replied.
"Mmm… Pegasus, the other way!" Gingka muttered.
Ryo chuckled. "Sounds like he is battling someone."
A knock sounded on the front door. Ryo went to answer it. "Madoka, it's for you!" he called.
The brunette went to the door. Kenta was waiting outside.
"Hey Kenta!" she greeted the Legend Blader.
"Hey Madoka! How's it going?" he asked.
"Gingka is doing fine" Madoka replied.
"Wha- how did you know my next question?" Kenta asked.
"Well, everyone seems to be worried about him anyway" Madoka replied.
Kenta laughed. "Yeah, that's true, everyone except for Ryuga."
"That's because I happen to already know that he's fine" Ryuga's voice called down from a nearby tree. Madoka looked up, startled, and saw the white-haired blader seated casually on a branch, his arms crossed behind his head. "Hagane's tough, he won't be stopped just because he fell out of a tree" the Dragon Emperor continued.
"Was that… a compliment Ryuga?" Kenta asked, surprised.
Ryuga shrugged. "Call it what you like" he replied.
"Ahh! Titi! Stop!" shouting erupted from the backyard of the house that Dunamis had been sleeping in. A couple of seconds later, the Jupiter wielder ran out the gate, followed closely by the shorter fuchsia-haired blader, who was holding a hose. Dunamis was soaked, but Titi soon ran out of hose, allowing the lavender-haired blader to escape into the forest nearby.
"I so got you!" Titi yelled, dropping the hose and doing a victory dance. A couple of seconds later however, the young blader found himself soaked through. He looked up, along with everyone else. Ryuga was standing on the roof, his signature smirk across his face, holding an empty bucket. Madoka and Kenta glanced at the branch the blader had been sitting on, wondering how he had gotten over there so fast.
"This is war!" Titi called up at the older blader.
"So? I could take you all on and still win!" Ryuga taunted.
"Guys, the last thing we really need right now is a water war, we need to keep moving and be ready for the DNA just in case they attack again!" Chris called, stepping out of the house Ryuga was standing on.
"Yeah, good point. Just because Gingka is down doesn't mean we are all immobilized, we have to keep moving! He would definitely be telling us to keep our heads up right now!"
"Actually, I would probably be joining you guys in a water war, then telling you to get back to work"
Madoka turned, surprised. Gingka was leaning casually against the doorway of his house, arms crossed. "Gingka! You get back inside right now!" Madoka yelled, striding towards the redhead.
"If I could run right now, I would. Lucky for you, I am a bit too tired to do that." Gingka replied, turning and allowing Madoka to escort him back to bed.
As the two disappeared inside, Kenta turned back to Ryuga. "You know, we could make this a competition!" he said.
"I think I see what you are saying, Kenta. If we turn it into a competition to see who can get the most done towards getting our network back up, a lot will get done!" Chris exclaimed.
Kenta nodded. "Exactly" he replied. "We just need to tell the others."
-At the DNA HQ-
"So, we did drive them out, now our problem is finding them again" Argo said.
"Yeah, we should have concentrated on tracking and chasing them rather than raiding their headquarters, which proved to be completely useless, since they took everything" Selen commented.
"Sir, another battalion is ready for inspection" Merci's voice cut in.
"Excellent, I will see to it right away" Ian replied.
"Good, while he is doing that, Selen, you get me a map of all the Bey Parks, Stadiums, and other places involved with Beyblade in Metal Bey City and within a ten-mile radius of it" Argo ordered.
Selen nodded and went to her work station.
"Enzo, you go check on the training of our bladers, we will need them to combat the WBBA's bladers while we keep the Legendary Bladers occupied with our robot battalions"
"Of course, it will be simply amazing!" Enzo exclaimed as he exited the room.
"Merci, you put all your resources towards searching for the Legendary Bladers, I want them found!"
"Of course, Master" the electronic voice replied.
-Downstairs-
As Ian Garcia entered the large room, several workers snapped to attention.
"The new battalions?" Ian said coldly.
"Right this way sir, they have been specially programmed and designed to be as close of a match as we could get to the suits of the Legendary Bladers, and to combat them as well" one worker said, leading him towards several rows of shining metallic figures.
Ian cast a critical gaze over the rows of motionless robots. All of them were exactly the same in shape and size, the only difference being a number engraved on their right shoulders. "Show me" he said.
The worker nodded and led Ian aside into a small room with a large window at the front. At the press of a button, one of the figures left its position at the front of the line and entered a testing area. Ian sat down in a chair and watched, looking disinterested, but fascinated as the robot performed its capabilities. The only thing it could not do? Fly.
"I thought you said that it was a match to their suits!" Ian growled.
"W-well, as close as we could get sir, we could not figure out how the Legendary Bladers managed to make their own jetpacks work" the worker stammered.
"Then give them engines, like an airplane!" Ian yelled, storming out.
"Y-yes sir!" the worker replied, scuttling out of the room.
Ian strode back upstairs, quickly reaching the main office.
"And?" Argo said, glancing up from Selen's screen as his brother entered.
"Perfect! With the exception of not being able to fly, we now have a very formidable opponent for them." Ian reported.
"Excellent!" Argo was obviously pleased.
-Back in Koma Village-
"Ok, this piece goes here, and that one goes there…" Yuki muttered to himself as he continued repairing Ryuga's mask. "Aww man! Aguma, could you find my electronic wiring testers?"
"Your what?" Aguma asked, confused.
"The thingie that tells me if a wire is working properly" Yuki sighed.
"Oh, that thing." Aguma went to look for it in one of the many crates around the house.
Yuki turned and sifted through a pile of loose parts for another wire, then continued on with his repair work.
Outside, Koma Village was a flurry of activity as the other Legendary Bladers, minus Gingka, opened crates, set up equipment, and taunted each other as they set their network back up.
Gingka watched from the window as his comrades engaged in a flurry of activity.
Madoka, watching nearby, thought for probably the millionth time about the man her friend had now become. When she had first met him, he was reckless, crazy, seemingly half-insane, and immature. But now, he was, well, still reckless, crazy, and half-insane at times, but a strong leader, well-suited for the job he held as the strongest blader in the world. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her cellphone ringing.
"Hello?" Madoka said, answering her phone.
"Hey Madoka! It's Tsubasa, are you guys okay?" Tsubasa's voice came from the other end of the line.
"Yeah, we're fine! Why do you ask?"
"Well, I just hadn't heard from you in a while and Maru was freaking out"
"Oh, sorry about that. Is she there?"
"No, she left with Zero about an hour ago, headed for Bey Park."
"Just as usual, I see. We will probably be here indefinitely, something came up."
"Something like what?"
Madoka glanced at Gingka, who was snoring away peacefully. "Something like a DNA attack that nearly crippled the Network" she said. "They found Yuki's observatory, everyone is in Koma Village right now trying to recover resources and connections."
"Are they all alright?"
"Yeah, with the exception of most of them being really tired and Gingka, Ryuga, and Kyoya having mnor injuries."
"Well, hopefully they will be back in action soon!"
"Yeah, I should probably go now, I hear Ryuga yelling at someone"
"Alright, see you later Madoka! Be careful!"
Madoka hung up, glanced at Gingka, and went outside to find Kyoya and Ryuga locked in a staring contest.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked, stepping between them.
"He started it" both bladers said at once, pointing at each other.
"Started what?" Madoka sighed.
"He bumped into me after I told him not to" Kyoya complained.
"Hey! You got in my way Tategami, don't put the blame on me!" Ryuga growled.
Both bladers glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes, fangs bared. Madoka could almost feel the tension in the air. "Umm, guys? Stop glaring, just get back to work!" Madoka said, but the two ignored her.
"Let's settle this!" Kyoya growled, whipping out his launcher.
"Yeah!" Ryuga pulled out his own launcher.
"G-guys, don't start fighting!" Madoka pleaded, but they still ignored her.
"You ready, Tategami?" Ryuga taunted.
"Ready whenever!" Kyoya growled.
"G-guys?" Madoka whispered.
"Kyoya, Ryuga, stop! Launchers down, now!" Gingka shouted from the porch, striding over. The redhead got between his two rivals and pushed them apart. "This is not important right now, I know that a challenge is a challenge, but we can't risk it, now get back to whatever you were doing before!"
Kyoya sighed and lowered his launcher, but Ryuga remained in launching position.
"Why should I listen to you, Hagane?" the dragon growled, tightening his grip on his launcher.
Gingka turned and looked the other blader in the eye. "Ryuga." he said, an undertone of disapproval in his voice. However, as usual, Ryuga was not one to back down. Gold clashed with golden-brown as the two strongest bladers in the world stared each other down.
Much to Ryuga's surprise, however, Gingka could now match him in a staredown.
Madoka was so surprised at this fact that she forgot to yell at Gingka to go back inside. Eventually, Ryuga broke off and lowered his launcher, then turned back to what he had been doing before. Gingka, after making sure Ryuga was actually getting back to work, turned and strode back to the porch, then sat down on the step, leaning against the post.
Madoka went and sat down beside him. "Uh-oh" she thought, noting the fiery look in his eyes that was left over from the staredown with Ryuga. "Don't you dare do anything reckless, I will tie you up" she threatened.
Gingka looked startled for a moment, then chuckled. "Don't worry about me, I plan on staying right here for a couple of hours at least" he muttered.
"Good" Madoka replied, getting up. "Then I will just go see about breakfast"
"Hyoma probably needs help in the kitchen" Gingka commented, watching the wind blowing through the trees. "Kenta! That box needs to go in the other house with the other medical supplies!"
"Oh, sorry!" the younger blader called, turning around.
Madoka smiled and left Gingka on the porch to direct his team, heading inside to help Hyoma out. She found the Aries blader scrambling around the kitchen, trying to figure out what to cook for ten hungry bladers, not to mention himself, Ryo, Madoka, and Hokuto. "Need help?" the brunette asked.
Hyome turned, looking relieved once he saw her. "Yeah, can you start cracking these eggs? Knowing Gingka, we are going to need a lot of food."
Madoka laughed and took the stack of egg cartons from him. "Sure, I'll get right to it!" she said.
Hyoma smiled and went back to the large mixing bowl on the other side of the kitchen.
After what seemed like an eternity of cracking eggs, Madoka was finally finished. Outside, everything was mostly silent, with the exception of a few birds and Titi whistling. Madoka went outside to check on Gingka, and was pleased to find him still sitting where she had left him, sound asleep.
"Hey Aguma, come help me with this" a voice caught her attention. Madoka looked over and saw Ryuga and Aguma lifting a rather large crate with something inside that clinked as they walked.
"Man, just how much metal does Yuki need anyway?" Aguma grunted.
"No kidding" Ryuga muttered, straining to not drop the crate. Suddenly, the white-haired blader was pummeled by several water baloons, soaking his back. He nearly dropped the crate in surprise. "Titi!" he growled.
The owner of the name yelped and scuttled away to help Kenta with another crate, trying to hide his brightly-colored hair and golden outfit from the Dragon Emperor's line of vision. Minutes later, Gingka jerked awake as yelling erupted from the streets in the center where everyone was working. Ryuga had caught Titi around the waist, and was carrying him slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey! Put me down right now Ryuga!" Titi yelled.
Ryuga said nothing, only hung the younger blader from a tree branch by his belt and walked off.
"Hey! Let me down right now!" Titi yelled, thrashing around.
"No way, you deserve it for soaking me!" Ryuga shouted back.
Gingka chuckled and stood up. "Ryuga, let him down. That's enough" he called, trying not to laugh out loud at the scene in front of him."
"I think I'll leave him there for a while" Ryuga replied, picking up a sack of tools and walking off.
Gingka sighed and face palmed. "Great, why can't he just listen all the time?" he muttered, stepping off the porch.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Madoka called.
"To help Titi!" Gingka replied, heading for the younger blader.
"No, you are going to have someone else do it!" Madoka said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back towards the porch.
Gingka sighed. "Fine, as you wish your highness" he said. "Hey Kyoya, could you get Titi down from the tree?"
"Sure" Kyoya muttered, setting down the crate he was holding and heading for the younger blader. "Stop struggling, just hold still and give me a second" he said.
Titi became still, his legs hanging down. The Venus blader placed his hands on his hips. "Now how long do you consider a second?" he asked after a few moments.
"This long" Kyoya replied, reaching up and pressing the button to release Titi's belt buckle. The teen fell, landing on the ground, hard.
"Ow.." he muttered, standing up and brushing himself off, then retrieving his belt and threading it back through the loops on his coat. "Warn me next time you decide to do that, okay?"
Kyoya shrugged and stalked off.
Gingka chuckled. "As if one of us falling on our face out of a tree wasn't enough"
"One of you was way more than enough" Madoka said, sitting down next to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Gingka reached across her shoulders and wrapped his arm around them, hugging her tight. Together, the two sat and watched the other nine Legendary Bladers wind up their work and disappear into the forest and various other places around the village.
Gingka: -does victory dance- She didn't kill me!
Me: Well, why would I? You are my favorite.
Gingka: Yeah, that's why you mess with me so much in your stories, isn't it.
Me: Yup. Now, everyone enjoy a slice of virtual cake for not flaming me!