Chapter 4: A Little Bit of Thunder Never Hurt Anyone

"Mmmmm, I love it here," Hilary sighed in content, resting her cheek on her crossed arms. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, relishing in the feeling of the sun's rays hitting her back. "Can we just…not go home? Move here instead?"

Next to her Mariah let out a soft giggle and rolled onto her stomach, also resting her cheek on her arms. She closed her eyes and felt her body relax. This was what she needed. How come they hadn't gone on vacation like this before? All she needed was the sun, surf, and sand and she was a happy person. No responsibilities, no crazy beybladers, nothing but peace and relaxation.

"KEVIN!" Mariah's voice suddenly pierced Hilary's daydream. She had been getting a massage from the heavens from one of the hot workers at the hotel. He was just about to tell her his name when Mariah screamed. Startled Hilary shot up and opened her eyes to see what it was that made her pink haired friend scream. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing at the sight.

Mariah had pushed herself up so she was kneeling and shook her head to get the mountain of sand off of her. Kevin stood a few paces away, holding onto a bucket. His free hand was clutching at his stomach as he laughed at his childhood friend.

"Oh my gosh, that's a riot!" He laughed. He brought a hand up to wipe a tear from his eye. "Don't worry, Mariah. I hear that sand has rejuvenating properties in it to help keep your skin looking young."

"And I need it now?" Mariah spluttered while running her fingers through her hair to try and get all of the sand out.

"Well, you are getting older," Kevin said with a shrug.

"Yeah? Let's see how old you get when I kill you!"

Kevin let out a scream and took off down the beach. Mariah let out a guttural scream and chased after him, her pink hair flying out behind her. Hilary laughed and shook her head at the spectacle. She rolled over so she was sitting down and lightly wrapped her arms around her knees. The gentle sea breeze lifted her hair off of her shoulders before settling it back down.

She loved that she was in the Bahamas with her friends but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Something always happened. They couldn't go anywhere without a random blader wanting to battle them to gain information or their bitbeasts alone. Nothing had jumped out at them yet but she felt ready to jump out of her own skin.

She sighed. She hated that she couldn't help them. She hated that she was always put in a damsel in distress situation. She hated that she had to watch on the sidelines while her friends battled for the safety of the sport—not even the sport sometimes, but their bitbeasts, and their friends, and themselves.

She was proud to have friends like them in her life but…she couldn't help but feel like she was a burden. So she was their manager, and? All that consisted of was her having to wrangle Daichi and Tyson, tell them to cool out when they were frustrated, and make a training schedule or two? So what? What'd that do to help them?

Hilary blinked and involuntarily jerked when she felt droplets hit her skin. She looked up. Was it raining? No, she was covered by an umbrella. She turned around and smiled when she noticed the sparkle in Ray's eye as well as the smile that was splayed on his lips. He was crouching behind her, his rat tail in his hands. It wasn't covered in the cloth like it always was; instead it was just one long braid. One long braid that he had squeezed water out of and onto Hilary.

"Hey, where'd Mariah go?" Lee asked as he sat down on the blanket that his sister had previously occupied. He squeezed water out of his ponytail and onto the sand off to the side of the beach towel.

"She's right there," Hilary replied while pointing. As Mariah and Kevin ran down the beach she moved her arm to follow their patch. She dropped it by her side and gave a little laugh. "How was the water?" She asked.

"Crystal clear," Lee answered. "We waded up to our waists and we could still see our toes."

"You should come in next time, Hil," Ray said with a little nudge to her side. "There are a lot of cool shells down there too. And the fish are stunning."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm a beach and suntan kind of girl," Hilary replied. "it also helps when I have a good book," she added while grabbing a magazine that was by her and waved it.

"Let me see it." Ray held out his hand and she snapped the magazine into it. Lee leaned backwards to see what Ray was holding. He took a look at the cover and made an amused scoffing sound. "Blade Boy," he read aloud. "Is this like Playboy? But different?"

"Ray...you live in a remote mountain village, how do you know what Playboy is?" Hilary asked with an arch of her eyebrow. Ray blinked for a couple of seconds before red tinged his cheeks. She grinned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Ah, I'm only teasin' ya," she said while nudging him on the arm. "You're right, though." Ray's head whipped up and he gave her a look. "No, no, it's not like porn or anything. It focuses on the male beybladers, gives us a few posters, and gives us stats and stuff. It's like those magazines for teens, like J-14, but this one is for beybladers. Get it?" Ray and Lee gave her a blank look. "They have one for boys, with female beybladers in it too."

"Is Mariah in there?" Lee asked, a murderous look was in his eyes.

Hilary laughed. "No, silly. You'd know it if she were. They'd have to take her pictures and stuff and interview her for an article." She took the magazine back and started flipping through it. "Though it wouldn't surprise me if they contact Crys soon."

"Oh? Why's that?" Lee asked with a bit of a bite in his words. Ray and Hilary both turned to look at him. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two before he cleared his throat. "I mean, what makes you think that?"

"Well, think about it. An unknown who is skilled. Has a paired bitbeast with Ray. Basically walked onto the G Revolution team. Beat Garland. And is now an official Bladebreaker. Who wouldn't want her in that magazine," Hilary replied.

"So…other guys would be ogling her?" Lee asked.

Hilary gave a little shrug. "I wouldn't go that far, but yes. She's actually pretty…when she wants to stop dressing like a boy."

"You know it's easier to talk about people when they're not here," Crystal announced her presence as she joined them. Her hands were on her hips and a sour expression was on her face.

"Heh heh. Sorry," Hilary muttered.

"Hey, how was the slide?" Ray asked with a smile. He lifted his arm to reach out and give her a hug but stopped in the middle of his movement and, instead, ra his fingers through his bangs to push them out of his face.

"It was awesome!" She gushed with bright eyes. "You go so fast! And there's this one portion where you slide right underneath sharks!"

"You call that fun?" Hilary asked in disbelief.

"It's not like they're shoving us in the tank. We just go sliding underneath it. You don't even know they're there you go so fast. I didn't even realize there were sharks until the guy running the slide pointed it out," Crystal explained. She dropped down on the blanket and squeezed out her braids. "What're you readying?"

"Blade Boy," Hilary replied.

Crystal's eyes widened. "Is that the one with Thunder McKnight?" Hilary's head barely completed her nod when Crystal ripped the magazine out of her hand and started flipping through the pages like rapid fire.

Hilary laughed and shook her head, moving over to make room for Ray on the beach blanket. He stretched, in a very catlike manner to Hilary's amusement, before lying down on his stomach. He rested his chin on his arms and looked out at the water.

"Who's Thunder McKnight?" Lee asked.

"Only the hottest, newest blader to hit the scene," Crystal replied. "I hear Mr. Dickenson might bring him into the BBA."

Lee grunted and took the magazine from her, ignoring her protests. "Let me see," he grunted. His eyes scanned the page and he let out a little scoff. "Doesn't seem so good to me," he mumbled.

"Well you're blind," Crystal replied with a roll of her eyes, taking the magazine back. Lee made a face at her when she turned her head. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out in the distance.

Hilary's eyebrows slid together at his behavior. He had the most sour look on his face and he seemed so happy and full of life before. She wanted to question it but didn't know how to go about it. She still didn't feel like she knew him well enough to ask him anything personal, or talk to him like a friend would for that matter. He either spent his time with Ray or Mariah and, if not them, challenging Tyson, Michael, or Rick to a battle. She never really spent time with anyone outside of her team and her comfort zone.

"Hey Lee. Hey Ray. Where'd you end up disappearing to?" Mariah's voice cut through the silence. She walked back over to the towel and sat down on the free spot in front of Ray. He smiled at her and moved so he was sitting up and to give her more space.

"We just took a walk down the beach," Ray replied, waving his hand in a random direction. "Have you been in the water yet?" Mariah shook her head. "Why not?"

"I don't want to get my hair wet."

"It'll dry," Crystal commented without looking up from the magazine.

"Yes, but it took too long to get it perfect. I don't want to risk it," Mariah replied, bringing her hair over her shoulder. She lightly stroked it for emphasis.

"Where's Kevin?" Ray asked.

"Oh, he's buried in the sand," Mariah replied nonchalantly. She reached in the cooler they had brought along. She was about to pop open her soda when she noticed the look that Ray was giving him. "Gary's with him. Don't worry, I didn't burry him alive," she said with a sigh. "He deserves it though," she added under her breath before taking a sip. "Where are Tyson and Max?"

"Signing autographs last I saw," Crystal replied.

Hilary scoffed. "Won't get Tyson away from them, then. It's a safe bet that we're not going to see him for the rest of the day at least." She added a nearly inaudible hopefully under her breath. Ray smiled at her, having heard what she said with his sensitive ears. She gave a smile and a shrug. "Ray, what do you want for your birthday?" She suddenly asked. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Mariah tense slightly and shift her attention to the sand around her, keeping her ear in his direction. Hilary let out a soft sigh.

Mariah was like a puppy sometimes.

Ray's face twisted in thought. He hadn't given it that much thought. Birthdays for him always pass by without anything special going on, usually because he was back at the village and not with his friends. He did get a special cake from some of the matrons of the village but otherwise the day went by like usual.

What could he possibly want? He had Driger and he had his friends. Ray bit his lip. But there was one thing he's always wanted for his birthday. One thing he always wished for but never received, it never stopped him from wishing for it but deep down he knew that sooner or later he'd have to give up on it but the five-year-old inside of him wouldn't.

He wanted to see his parents again. He wanted to be able to feel safe in his mother's arms and get wrapped up in her flowery scent. He wanted to be able to show his father how much he grew up and be someone that he would be proud of. He wanted to know that they were safe and they were thinking of him. Was it so hard to send a letter? Even Lee and Mariah got letters from their parents every now and then. Albeit they were short letters but at least they got some. It always killed him to see the looks of excitement on their faces when a new one arrived out of the blue but, as the friend that he is, he had to stay supportive of them and plant a happy smile on his face.

But how much longer could he hide until they realized he was hurting?

"Ray?" Hilary's voice pulled Ray out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" He mumbled. "Oh, I, uh…I don't really want anything," he replied with a shrug. "I have everything I could ever want with me right now: my friends. That's all that matters."

"Bor-ring!" Crystal interjected. They turned to see her eyes finishing their roll in her sockets. "You have to want something," she added.

Ray shook his head. "No, I'm content with what I have already."

"So you don't want us to get you anything?"

"I never said that."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, do we have any food? I'm starved!" Tyson announced his presence with an accompanying slap to his belly. A large grin was on his face as well as a sparkle in his eye that always seemed to pop up whenever he was discussing food.

"Where have you been?" Ray asked.

Next to him Max rolled his eyes. "Some kids asked us for autographs. We were happy to give it to them but then they kept asking Tyson about Dragoon and all of his battles and, well, you know Tyson. He couldn't skip over a moment to brag." Max lightly elbowed Tyson in the side for good measure.

"What? They wanted to hear the story of how I took Tala down," Tyson said.

"You didn't have to tell it three times," Max pointed out.

"They wanted to hear it three times!"

"There's such thing as modesty."

"What's that? Some kind of snack?"

"Ugh."

"Don't mind him, Max," Hilary said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He wouldn't have modesty even if he knew what it was."

Tyson crossed his arms over his chest. "I would so!" He protested.

"As much as I love hearing you two go at it like an old married couple, has anyone seen Kai?" Crystal asked while raising a hand to her shield her eyes and looked around. "I figured he'd be out here by now."

"No, we haven't seen him," Ray replied.

"Your friend is a little tied up at the moment."

All at once their heads swiveled around to see who it was that had addressed them. Tyson dropped his arms but his frown deepened slightly as he took in the boy that was standing in front of them. A very tan boy stood in front of them with his hands placed on his hips. Unlike the other beach visitors he was still clothed in jeans and a t-shirt. His silver colored hair fell into his eyes but it didn't hide the grin that sat on his lips.

"What'd you do with Kai?" Tyson demanded, his hands clenched into fists.

"I didn't do anything to him," the boy replied while laughing a little. "He's not in any trouble. I just saw him battling some girl in the lobby of the hotel." He ran his fingers through his bangs and revealed his striking golden eyes. "You must stop jumping to conclusions."

They struck Max deep in the pit of his stomach and shook him to the core. He looked around to see that the others weren't so affected by his eyes like he was. They weren't like the eyes that belonged to the members of the White Tiger Clan, these were different. The pupils didn't dilate in such a way that reminded him of a cat. Instead they were…eerie. Like the eyes of demons or monsters in stories he was told when he was younger.

"Yeah, Tyson," Hilary added, rounding on him. "You should really give people the benefit of the doubt!"

"Wha…? Buh…" Tyson stammered.

"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" Mariah asked while crossing her arms over her chest. She eyed the boy and made a slight face when his bright eyes turned to her. His smile got a little bit wider.

"Oh yes, I have to remember that not everyone in the world knows who I am," he replied calmly. "Though, if you look by your foot I'm sure the name will jump out at you," he added while nodding at the space by her.

Her eyebrows came together and she looked down. She barely had a chance to look at the magazine when she heard a sharp intake of breath near her. Turning her head she took in the slightly amusing sight of Crystal pointing at the guy with wide eyes. For once she has nothing to say, Mariah noted mentally with a slight smile. I wonder how long this'll last.

"You're…you're…you're….," Crystal uttered, her finger shaking slightly. "You're Thunder McKnight."

He lifted an eyebrow. "That I am." His eyebrow lowered and his eyes moved in her direction. "Ah, I know you. You're that…that gemstone girl."

"Her name's Crystal," Lee shot back at him.

"He can call me whatever he wants," Crystal said with a wave of her hand. Lee scowled at the dopey grin that was on her face. "Why're you here?"

"Looking for you of course," Thunder replied. "All of you, I mean. I hear you're the best around, correct?"

"In the whole world, actually," Tyson replied, puffing up his chest. "So, it's a beybattle you want, eh? Just because we're on vacation doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

Thunder pressed his lips together and laughed through his nose. "Oh no, silly boy, not you. I want to battle someone else," Thunder replied. Tyson humphed and shot a glare in Hilary's direction when she started laughing. "How about it?" He asked, setting his sights on Ray. "A quick battle right here, right now?"

"If you really want a battle, hotshot, battle me!" Lee said as his hands clenched into fists.

Thunder laughed again. "Sorry but I'm not into small potatoes."

"Small potatoes?" Mariah snarled, her pupils dilating to reflect the fury that was bubbling inside of her. "How dare you call the White Tigers small potatoes? I'll take you on myself!"

Thunder sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Honestly, you're only embarrassing yourselves. You might want to stop now." He turned to Ray who had stood by silently. "So, how about it Ray? A battle?"

"Hmm," Ray mumbled. As much as he wanted to decline the pride inside of hi was surging. Despite being a Bladebreaker he couldn't stand whenever someone spoke against his village's team. He was still a White Tiger at heart and if one of them was insulted he was insulted as well. Being captain he knew he should put a stop to it, make this Thunder McKnight guy pay for what he said and make him leave with his tail between his legs, but something about the strange made him get the uneasy feeling that it wouldn't be that easy.

"Well?" Thunder urged. "I don't have all day. I have places to go, people to see…"

"Let me deal with this guy, Ray," Tyson begged.

"No," Ray replied calmly. "I'll battle you." He turned to his friends. "Did you bring our blades?" Wordlessly Mariah went over to one of their bags and pulled at the drawstring top. She dug around for a couple of seconds before producing Ray's gray blade, a launcher, and a ripcord. "Thank you," he mumbled before setting up his beyblade. "Are you ready?"

Thunder smiled and nodded. "Follow me," he said as he turned and began to walk away. They followed him a short distance along the beach where a simple rounded beydish had been set up. The children that stood around the dish stopped what they were doing and looked up at them in awe.

"See? See? I told you I met Tyson!" One boy boasted while the other children looked at them with wide eyes.

"I can't believe they're actually here," a little girl squeaked. Her eyes were so wide Hilary wondered how they hadn't popped out of her head yet.

"Beat it, kids, we have some grown up battles to do here," Thunder said as he stepped forward.

"W-we were here first," the smallest boy said, his lower lip began to tremble.

"Yes, but we're here now. Move!"

"There's no need to talk to children like that!" Crystal snapped, pushing past Thunder. She knelt in front of the boy that had tears lining the rims of his eyes. The annoyed look on her face was quickly replaced with one of compassion. "It's okay," she said quietly while reaching out and wiping away his tears. "Don't worry about him. He's just being a little impatient. You can watch the battle with me and my friends okay? Afterwards I'll give you guys a few pointers, is that alright with you?" The boy nodded and allowed her to usher him and his friends away from the beydish. "Alright, Ray, get this battle over with," she sighed.

"Did I strike a nerve?" Thunder asked while blinking innocently.

"I'm going to strike you in a second," she snarled through clenched teeth.

"Relax, Crys, I can handle this," Ray said as he stepped up to the dish and got his launcher ready. "Put your beyblade where your mouth is, McKnight. I'd like to get back to m vacation if you don't mind."

Thunder shrugged and loaded his launcher, getting into a launching stance once he was finished. Ray's eyes narrowed as he felt his muscles tense under Thunder's intense gaze. He shook his head slightly and let out a very slow breath, focusing all of his energy on his blade and on Driger. This kid is an amateur but he he's been getting the attention of others. Don't underestimate him. Stay on your toes and get ready to pounce.

"Bladers ready?" Max asked as he lifted his arm into the air. "Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"

Thunder and Ray yanked on their ripcords and sent their beyblades flying into the dish. Thunder's blade moved to the center of the dish whereas Driger went on the attack almost instantly. He would smash into the opposing blade, back away, and then come in for the hit again.

"Come on, Ray, knock this guy out," Tyson called from the sidelines.

"You can do it, Ray!" Mariah cheered.

"Show this hotshot what the White Tiger Clan can do," Lee added.

"Yes, please, teach me a lesson," Thunder laughed while crossing his arms over his chest.

Ray spat out a breath. "Driger, let's go!" He commanded. His gray beyblade reared back before smashing into Thunder's blade. A sudden boom of thunder echoed across the beach right as the two beyblades collided.

"Whoa!" Hilary uttered, her eyes turning straight to the sky. "Did you guys hear that?" She asked, looking around at her friends. They didn't need to utter a word for her to know that they had heard something as well. She turned her attention to the children that started to whimper around her.

"Something doesn't feel right," Crystal murmured. "Something in the atmosphere is off." She bit her lower lip. "I can't put my finger on it."

Just then another clap of thunder sounded in the sky. The children gathered in around the older teens and let out little cries of fear. Wind started to pick up causing ocean waves to slam against the shore. Dark clouds formed out of nowhere and blocked out the sun, casting an ominous shadow across the whole beach. Before anyone could blink rain came pouring out of the sky as if the clouds had opened up right above their heads. The children began to scream and cry out as another boom of thunder shook the ground.

"Ray, finish this!" Lee yelled over the wind.

Ray nodded. "Driger, come on!" He yelled. Driger began to move around the dish but any attack that he tried to land on Thunder's blade missed. Ray gritted his teeth and curled his fingers until his hands formed fists. Again and again Driger tried to land a hit on Thunder but his blade never made contact, it always spun out of the way as soon as it got too close, as if being repelled by a force field.

"Ray, what's going on with Driger?" Tyson yelled over the booming thunder.

"I don't know!" Ray yelled back. "He hasn't done this before!"

Just then a loud clap of thunder made them all cover their ears with their hands. Ray brought his hands up to his ears and gritted his teeth. Thunder stood across from him looking as cool and composed as ever. This is getting too dangerous; I have to end this now before someone gets hurt.

"Driger, Gatling Claw!" Ray called over the roaring wind.

A bright green beam of light shot out from his gray beyblade and rose straight up into the stormy sky. But Driger didn't come out with it. They all waited on baited breath to see the large white tiger come out roaring but nothing happened. Instead the brightest bolt of lightning that they have ever seen shot out of the sky.

"Move it!" Ray tried to yell but his voice was drowned out from the wind.

It didn't stop the scream of pain that reached his ears and made his heart lurch in a painful way.

And all at once it stopped. T

he wind. The rain. The thunder. The lightning. Everything. The clouds parted as quickly as they had materialized and the sun shone brightly as if nothing that happened. The waves calmed back down and gently lapped at the beach. Breathing heavily Ray slowly lowered his hands and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was that Driger was lying half buried in the sand. Then he noticed that Thunder and his beyblade were now gone. His eyes shifted from where his beyblade lay to where his friends had been standing.

A scream tore itself from Ray's throat at the figure that lay slumped over on the ground.

"MAX!"

A/N:

Here's the next one. Excuse any typos, please, I've been editing this chapter for days. It's part of the reason why it took a little bit for me to update. I've had writer's block on and off and then as soon as I got an idea I wanted t be sure the chapter was at it's best. What do you think? What do you think's wrong with Driger? What about Thunder? What's going on with Kai? You'll have to stick around to find out. Please read and review.

~C.M.