Alright! Here's the actual first chappie since the first was a prologue to this story. Also, just as a disclaimer, I do not own MFB. Some of the "facts" that I've used in this story are not officially canon though I like to dream. XD Okay, enough of my blabbing! On to the story! Enjoy!
-S-
"Whoo! Go Zero! Yeah!"
Madoka sweatdropped at the cheers while Zero cornered Ren's Phoenix. Sometimes her favorite redhead got just a little too enthusiastic.
Still completely lost in his excitement, Gingka leaned closer to the massive Zero G stadium, almost close enough to touch. He opened his mouth to cheer again as Zero unleashed Burning Uppercut when his foot suddenly slipped out from under him. Panic swelled fast in the pit of his stomach as Gingka fell fast and hard, barely having time to shout for help when cold air rushed at his arms and he slipped to the bottom of the bowl.
Towering high above, Benkei stared in surprise at the empty blue jacket in his hands before turning wide eyes down towards the blader splayed on his back. A few silent moments passed before Zero, having abandoned his battle with Ren, snickered. Soon Ren, Shinobu, and Madoka had joined in, their light snickers quickly turning into loud guffaws.
Jumping to his feet, Gingka clenched his fists down by his sides as he yelled at them. "It's not funny!"
Benkei chuckled, muttered a quick 'Bull!,' and passed the redhead's jacket to Madoka before reaching down into the pit. Clasping their hands together in a tight trapeze grip, Benkei began to haul his friend to safety. With the help of a still snorting Zero, the Pegasus wielder finally had both feet planted back on the flat platform.
Shooting a rueful look towards his grinning friends, Gingka dusted off his black shirt and blue jeans with a huff. He then began to rearrange his headband that had gone askew during his tumble, somehow making it worse that it was before.
With a soft giggle, Madoka passed Gingka's jacket to the groaning Autumn Blader before she began to help him with his headband, pushing back the prized strip of fabric so that the pegasus's head and wings were centered across the crown of his head. Giving a quick swipe of her thumb to ensure the headband lay smoothly, Madoka stepped back to admire her handiwork.
A quick shrug of his shoulders had the redhead's blue jacket back on, a bright grin adorning his face as he gave a teasing pose for his onlookers.
"Looking sharp Gingka." Benkei smirked, his large hand clapping down on the twenty-one year old's shoulder, nearly knocking Gingka back to the ground.
"Thanks Benkei." Gingka replied, rubbing his shoulder and shooting a look towards the once again snickering younger bladers. "Hey! It's not funny Shinobu! Zero! Ren! Get back here!" The redhead darted after the running bladers, the three tripping over themselves as they tried not to laugh too hard.
Suddenly Zero whirled around, quickly followed by Shinobu and Ren, their launchers raised as they faced Gingka head on. In the blink of an eye, three glowing beys flew towards the Legendary Blader who was still running towards them.
With a glint to his eyes similar to that of the beys that raced towards him, Gingka whipped out his own launcher, Pegasus flying fast to greet his challengers in a daring clash of spirits.
"Guys! You're supposed to use the stadium! What am I going to tell Tsubasa when he sees the damage?!" Madoka screeched, waving her arms in an attempt to stop the four determined bladers as more and more dust was kicked up with each new clang of metal on metal.
Benkei sighed, his arms folded over his chest. "It's no use Madoka. They've challenged each other and none of them are going to back down from a battle like this." The Bull, despite his brave words, winced as Phoenix cornered Salamander before smashing the ninja reptile into the base of the stands, digging a large hole into the cement seats.
Hiding behind her hands, Madoka groaned. "Dumb bladers never using stadiums like they should." She grumbled to herself before turning away from the battle, not wanting to see the damage the four would undoubtedly cause. The brunette sighed heavily and closed her eyes as she felt more than saw Gingka's Starblast Attack.
Quickly following the special move, groans of defeat and demands for a rematch echoed throughout Beypark.
Sucking up her courage, Madoka turned on her heel and gawked at the destruction before her. Holes, cracks, and debris littered the once immaculate arena.
"Please tell me Gingka didn't start this."
Madoka and Benkei turned towards the new voice, smiles lighting their faces at the sight of their silver haired friend as he walked towards them. Facing the battle ground once again, the three groaned in unison at the sight before they began making their way outside, unable to look at the destroyed arena any longer.
"He didn't start it but he sure didn't help it either." Benkei replied, rolling his eyes as the three younger bladers shot past them - yelling about burger eating contests - as they followed Gingka out of Beypark, soon attempting to tackle him to the ground. However, the Pegasus wielder was able to slip out of their reach, much to their annoyance.
"Typical Gingka." Tsubasa chuckled, his hands resting on his hips as he followed Benkei and Madoka along the sidewalk outside of Beypark. Having seen the full extent of the damage, Tsubasa could almost hear the echoing sounds of metal connecting with the concrete, feel the trembling as the building shook with the force. If Tsubasa remembered anything from his childhood adventures with Gingka, it was the raw enthusiastic power in which the Pegasus wielder greeted each new challenge. Beypark had obviously been no exception to that unbridled excitement. "Always passionate about blading, no matter how much stuff he blows up in the process."
"That's only half the fun." Gingka smirked, suddenly appearing in front of the WBBA Director, walking backwards so the group could continue on their way towards Bull Burger.
Tsubasa rolled his eyes as Benkei snorted.
"Sounds like you're itching for a new battle." Madoka laughed.
"But we just got finished fighting off the DNA!" Zero exclaimed from beside Benkei, making the purple haired man jump.
Shinobu looked thoughtful, his hand rising to his chin as he walked at Tsubasa's elbow. "But that was nearly three months ago."
"A whole three months of no battles." Madoka supplied, smirking as a hand rested on her hip. "Poor, poor Gingka."
The redhead whimpered as his shoulders sagged, continuing to walk backwards and agilely missing any obstacles in his path without turning around. "I know!"
Ren blinked in confusion from her position between Madoka and Benkei. "I know we're not very strong but aren't Zero, Shinobu, and I enough of a challenge?"
Benkei smiled as Gingka continued to whine to himself, the others in their group turning towards the Bull blader in order to hear how the restaurant manager would explain this. "It's not that you guys aren't strong enough. I'd imagine Gingka just misses all those intense battles he used to have every day while traveling around the world." The bull let out a sharp laugh and shook his head in amusement. "A few years ago Gingka and Kyoya would battle so hard they'd pass out in the middle of the match. It took them years to finally settle the tie."
"Who finally won?" Shinobu asked.
Zero, huffing in offense for his hero, rolled his eyes at his synchrome partner. "Do you even have to ask?"
"Actually it was a pretty close battle. I remember it wasn't until Gingka had used his full power that he finally beat Kyoya." Madoka said.
Still walking in front of them, Gingka grinned wildly. "The Tie Breaker is one of the greatest battles I've ever been in! Our bey spirits were shining so bright that day!" The redhead suddenly squealed, startling his friends. "I want another right now!"
"Oh! That reminds me." Tsubasa said, stopping as he began fishing around in his pockets before pulling out a silver cell phone and handing it Gingka. "Look over at the messages. There's several addressed to you."
Blinking in confusion, the Pegasus wielder thumbed through the phone. After a few moments, his eyes bulged and he immediately began hunting for his own blue phone. Upon finding the cellular device, Gingka absentmindedly handed Tsubasa back his phone before he speed dialed on his own.
The others watched as a smug Tsubasa pocketed his cell phone, his smirk turning to an almost evil grin as shouting erupted from Gingka's phone. Much to their surprise Gingka's began yelling back, his face soon matching the color of his hair. "This is the first time you called me! You didn't call earlier! … No I challenge you! Anytime, anywhere! … Now?!" Gingka's head snapped up as his eyes widened in shock. The redhead's mouth suddenly dropped open before he bolted down the sidewalk, demanding for the person he was still yelling at to wait for him.
Blinking in utter confusion, Zero weakly pointed towards the running redhead, glancing over his shoulder at his friends and mentors. "What was that all about?"
Tsubasa laughed and began walking after Gingka, somehow knowing exactly where the blader was going even though they had long since lost sight of him. "Come on, I'll show you."
-S-
"What is this place?" Ren breathed, her eyes wide as she drank in the sight of the decaying ruins. As she and her two friends slowly walked towards the massive structure, a nostalgic sigh filled the air.
"This is Bey Coliseum, an old tournament arena they used before Metal Bey City really got developed. Now it's a good place to train and finish old rivalries." Benkei answered.
Tsubasa nodded in agreement. "Lots of bladers have trained here, intertwined their blader's spirits together, battled for titles and rights of passage. Bladers were born here once upon a time. And now it stands as a reminder of those who used to be, a strength to those who are, and a reassurance to those who will be."
Madoka smiled and stretched her arms wide as she stood in front of the younger trio. "In short, welcome to the history of Metal Bey City!"
A sudden loud explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet, nearly sending them all to their knees as a massive mushroom cloud of dust swirled into the sky from the center of the coliseum.
Chuckling at the bewildered expressions on everyone's face, Tsubasa quickly began walking towards the entrance to Bey Coliseum, his friends scrambling after him.
Upon entering the massive arena, gasps fill the air. The dust cleared just enough to reveal Gingka, his teeth grit as he focused on the battle at hand. His opponent, a barely visible figure wrapped up in a brown cloak, stood behind deep skid marks, evidence of him being pushed back by the force of the explosion. Another clash, unseen due to the still swirling dust, filled the arena as the two rivals shielded their faces from the blast of wind and dirt.
This couldn't be happening! Zero mentally screamed. We can't be under attack again!
Swiping at the dirt already on his face, Zero turned towards the three adults. "What's going on?" He yelled over the sound of spirits clashing, his panic slowly rising. Ren and Shinobu also turned, anxiety filling their eyes as they tried to understand if they should go help the redhead who stood below them.
However, none of the adults seemed particularly worried, soon putting the younger bladers' racing hearts at ease. "Watch!" Tsubasa yelled back, a purple fire tinging his glittering golden orbs as he stood enraptured with the match.
Zero and Shinobu blinked at each other. They had never seen the blader's spirit of the Director of the WBBA shine before. Was this what Gingka had meant when he said Tsubasa was always a force to reckon with?
"Were you always a blader?" Zero asked, laying on the familiar grass hill that overlooked the river that ran through the harbor city. Shinobu perked up at the question, also wanting to hear the answer.
Gingka smiled to himself, glancing over at the Ifrit wielder. "For as long as I can remember. I didn't actually earn Pegasus until I was twelve though. But when I got Pegasus I started traveling around Japan to become stronger. I wound up here in Metal Bey City and made some really great friends and rivals. I've been based out of here ever since."
Zero nodded in understanding and stared back out over the river as both he and Shinobu laid back down. The blue eyed blader then began to wiggle in excitement as he turned back to the Legend, barely able to contain his curiosity. "What about Manager? And Madoka?"
"And the Director!" Shinobu chimed in. The two had heard snippets of their mentors' lives but had never gotten the full story. Now seemed like their chance to truly understand the three who had so shaped their lives as bladers.
The redhead laughed, sitting up so that he could face the two excited bladers. "Easy guys. I'll tell you as much as I know okay?" When both had nodded, Gingka turned back to face the sparkling river as he wrapped his arms around his knees. "I don't know much about Madoka before I met her except that she's always preferred repairing beys instead of battling with them. She'll always be a true blader to me of course. Anyway, during our first real adventure she helped us break into the Dark Nebula. She traveled around the world with Gan Gan Galaxy as our mechanic and she was with us on the hunt for the Legendary Bladers. The shop she owns now used to belong to her father but when she turned 21 he gave it to her as a birthday present. Ever since then she's worked at the B-Pit and eventually became the Technical Adviser for the WBBA. For as long as I've known her, it's been Madoka's personal goal to make sure that our beys are always spinning their best." At this the Legend paused, a small smile forming on his lips. "I guess you could kinda say she's been there for me since the very beginning." Gingka grinned, oblivious to the knowing smirks on Zero and Shinobu's faces.
Unaware of the look they'd shared, Gingka continued on. "When I first met Benkei he was in a gang called the Face Hunters and Kyoya Tategami was their leader. Benkei and a couple others had cornered Kenta Yumiya so I stepped in to save Sagittario. A little while later, after a battle with Hikaru Hasama, Kenta needed Benkei to train him. Not long after that, Benkei stopped being a Face Hunter at heart and became really close with Kenta. He then fought with us in Battle Bladers and became the eighth strongest in Japan. During the World Championships he went with Kyoya to compete on Africa's Team Wild Fang. Benkei was also there during the Nemesis Crisis. He still blades and carries his Dark Bull around with him all the time."
The two synchrome partners snapped up into a sitting position, their jaws hanging low as they stared wide-eyed at the blader. "What?! Where?!" Zero exclaimed.
Gingka laughed, nearly snorting at the look on their faces. "Yep. What did you think that bulge under his jacket was?"
Embarrassed, the two dipped their heads and mumbled incoherently, earning more laughter from the redhead.
"Definitely Dark Bull under there." He chuckled, earning a few small giggles from the young rivals. "Anyway, as for Tsubasa, all I really know from before I met him is that he was an agent for the WBBA and went undercover to work for the Dark Nebula. After that, Tsubasa battled in the first Battle Bladers and got to fifth place. He beat Yu Tendo for the position of second regular of Gan Gan Galaxy and traveled the globe with us. You guys already know he was involved with the whole Nemesis fiasco. After a few years of running around as an agent, Tsubasa became the Director of the WBBA and helped to usher in the new beyblade age." The redhead gave a half smile at the memories. "He really knew his bey and always had a strategy to help him beat his opponent. Before all of the Legendary Bladers and our allies really split up, we had a bunch of battle royales and Tsubasa always managed to get into the top five before ever really attacking. His Earth Eagle brought out the best in him, always giving the usually quiet Tsubasa a burning edge that was hard to ignore."
By the time Gingka was finished Shinobu's eyes were practically shining with admiration for the man he looked up to while Zero simply gaped at this new information. Neither of them had ever had any idea how impactful Tsubasa had been in preparing the beyblade world for the Synchrome Generation. Not only had he been one of the creators of synchrome beys but he had also been right there alongside Gingka as he went on the first part of his legendary journey.
"Whoa! I had no idea!" Shinobu breathed as Zero nodded vigorously in agreement beside him. Several moments of silence passed as Gingka allowed the boys to soak in this new information, trying not to laugh at the wide range of emotions that flashed across their faces in the process.
After nearly five minutes of silence, Zero spoke up. "So let me get this straight: Chief Madoka has kinda always been awesome at repairing beys, Manager used to be in a gang before he became one of us, and the Director was this super intense blader agent?" Zero finished, ticking off the different mentors on his fingers.
"That's about it." Nodding, Gingka laid back down, his arms cushioning his head as he smiled up at the sky. "People are really good at hiding their true talents. A mechanic, a restaurant owner, and a businessman may not seem very special on the outside. I'd bet if you'd stop long enough to listen though, you'd hear a fiery blader's spirit hidden behind words of wisdom." He said, watching the two as thoughtful looks appeared on their faces.
Giving each other a quick nod, Zero lept to his feet and started running towards the WBBA headquarters with Shinobu hot on his heels, leaving the Autumn Blader lying in the grass. "Thanks Gingka! Come on Shinobu! Let's find out if we can see Tsubasa's blader's spirit while he signs papers!"
Gingka laughed as he sat up and shouted after them, "Don't forget: a blader is still a blader no matter what they're doing! Tsubasa may not be an active agent anymore but he's still got that passionate spirit every blader has!" Shaking his head as he watched the two friends race off, Gingka laid back down in the grass and sighed in content. "Oh well, someday they'll see it."
That day the boys had gotten distracted by a challenge from Kite and Eight, never making it to the WBBA. But they had never forgotten what Gingka had said despite how hard it was to believe sometimes.
However, as Madoka, Benkei, and Tsubasa watched with baited breath, their hands gripping the crumbling wall that separated them from the battle, the Legend's words made so much more sense. Anyone who had ever launched a bey would easily recognize the passionate blader's spirits burning deep and bright in each of the three adults.
A sudden massive explosion jerked Zero out of his reverie.
-S-
Welp, that's all. Let me know what you think! Tootles!