Episode 6:
"TAKE THEM DOWN! ROC!" Bellerophon and Roc slammed into each other, the attack and defense type beys kicking up a bunch of sparks as they collided towards the edge of the stadium's slope. Bellerophon was sent flying after a brief struggle, Batal gasping in alarm as his bey got sent over his shoulder, hitting the ground behind him. Rin growled in frustration from across.
"You're not focused, Batal! If you're gonna beat Lukas you have to get out of your own head! Now again!" They had been going like this for hours. A day had passed since Batal and Lukas's original confrontation, and both Batal and Rin had been training without falter. They had been nearly evenly split in terms of a win-loss ratio, with Rin having the advantage. Batal's thoughts raced. This upcoming battle was everything to him. If he lost here-
'No!' The word echoed throughout the Bellerophon Blader's head. He couldn't let himself lose, for Rin's sake, for his sake, and for every blader in Beigoma's sake. Despite all his training, he still couldn't find a way to counter Lukas's tactics! 'What if he does the blinding launch again?! Or what if he finds some other way to make Bellerophon and I lose?!' From afar, Rin's expression softened slightly. His face took on a worried expression.
"Kid, we can take a break if you need-"
"No! I'm not resting until I stop Lukas! This battle means everything to me, and I'm not just going to "relax" and let Lukas continue terrorizing Beigoma!!!" A low growl of frustration rose in Rin's throat, his worried expression remaining on his face. He never knew that Batal could be like this. The klutz was more determined that he thought, and he already knew Batal's infamy for being incredibly stubborn.
"All right then! Lets keep going then! I wanna beat him as much as you do, but you've gotta knock him down a couple pegs first! Bring it on, Batal!" Not far off, Gigi and Iki both watched, worried expressions on their faces, their eyes darting to and fro from the two bladers and Iki's tablet. The screen portrayed a news article that had been pulled up on the Beytube website. Lukas had publicly announced the battle to WBBA insiders the day before, and in no time flat it was all over the news. Almost as if it had been set in stone would a ping popped down from the top of the screen.
"Uhhhh, guys, you need to see this!" Right before launching, Batal and Rin both gave confused looks to Iki, a "Huh?" coming from each of them. They walked over and behind Iki, watching as a video of Lukas was clicked on by the owner of the tablet. Batal growled in anger as the video loaded. What was Lukas up to this time? At last the video began, revealing Lukas Grant in all of his "glory." From what could be inferred he was in the middle of an interview with WBBA reporters.
"Mr. Grant, from what I heard, you, an A Rank blader, have challenged an unknown blader to an official WBBA approved battle to decide a possible surge in the rankings. Tell us, Mr. Grant, why is it that you have done this?" It was apparent that Lukas was not paying attention. His bling clacked against each other as he shifted, putting his feet on the table in front of him. Disrespect for the WBBA members whom had worked so hard to get the interview set up was apparent. It disgusted everyone who was watching. What truly surprised, them, however, was the mention of Lukas's rank.
"Lukas Grant is A-Rank?" Gigi's tone was one of curiosity and surprise. To think a cheating lunatic like Lukas Grant had made it up this far in the rankings was quite disturbing, and showed several key flaws in the WBBA's anti cheating protocols. It was either that, or the Ladon blader may or may not have some actual skill underneath his slimy cheating hide. The revelation that the Ladon blader was A-Rank meant that this battle was going to be far more interesting than the others had thought. If Batal won, Lukas would drop down a rank, and Batal would take his 130 overall rank. If he lost, though...
"Lukas... Grrrrr!" Batal was close to losing it. He was already sick of hearing Lukas's disrespectful tone, but things only took a turn for the worse when Lukas finally responded to the reporter's question.
"Do I really gotta explain it to ya?" Lukas stated, shrugging casually. His feet lightly shifted as his legs flattened, completely raised and rested on the table in a lazy manner. "Ya see, I was a newbie once. Weak, pathetic, steppen' into a whole new world. Tha bladin' world. I used to be like that. Couldn't win a single battle, believe it or not." None of the blader's watching the video were buying Lukas's "pity story." Rin cringed as Lukas flat out lied to the reporter. This guy was an absolute joke. The Roc blader's mind raced with feelings of anger and shame. How the hell was he foolish enough to fall into the Ladon blader's trap?! The video continued, Lukas continuing his sob story about his past, eventually ending it. "I think all bladers deserve a chance to be great, ya know? So I decided, why not let him take me on."
"Such generosity!" One of the reporters cried out. Batal and Rin both growled as a horde of reporters continued to question Lukas, only for their positive viewpoint of the Ladon blader to be utterly shattered by his next phrase.
"HA! Only an absolute chump would mean those words!" All the reporters gasped in shock, startled by this. The story was a lie?! It was quite ironic. The media always believed everything that was said. With the Grant Gang behind him, Lukas grinned gleefully, one of his followers snatching up the camera of a reporter. The screen became a closeup of the Ladon's blader face, all four of the bladers watching the video gasping in shock as Lukas made his ominous proclamation. "Listen up, Batal Hiro! I know you're watching this video right now. You stand no chance against my Ladon, and when I obliterate your pathetic bey, you'll never blade again!"
"That jerk..." Batal growled, puffs of steam coming from his nose and ears. His anger was rising, and it was only a matter of time before it reached its boiling point.
"Ya know, I was gonna keep your pathetic Belleraphin as a trophy at first," the Ladon blader said from the screen, this snide remark as well as the purposeful mispronunciation of Bellerophon only making Batal even angrier, a low growl coming from his throat. "But then I realized that a second rate blader like you ain't worth keeping your bey as a trophy. So when I crush you, I'm gonna smash that pathetic piece of trash into a million pieces! HAHAHAHAHA-" THIS was the last straw. Batal's anger had reached its boiling point, and he had snapped. The moment the video ended, Batal's outburst was in full swing.
"WHY YOU! THAT'S IT! I'M TAKING HIM DOWN NOWWWW!!!!!" Instantly sprinting towards the door, yelling with anger as he did so. Batal was acting on pure impulse. Rin, seeing this, instantly spring into action, grabbing Batal by the back of his green athletic jacket and around the back of his shirt's scruff to attempt to hold him back.
"Batal, you aren't ready to take on Lukas right now!" Rin yelled at the Bellerophon blader, who was having none of Rin's intervention.
"LET ME GO! I'M GONNA BURST OUT IN OVERDRIVE AND WIPE THAT STUPID SMILE OFF THAT CHEATER'S FACE!!!!" It was clear Batal wasn't going to listen to Rin. Despite Rin's strength, it was clear even he was struggling to keep Batal from running off. Their yelling reached the ears of Valt Aoi, who walked in after opening the side door.
"Hey everyone- uhhhhhh... is everyone ok?" Batal and Rin immediately stopped their arguing, and Batal instantly stopped his squirming to get out of Rin's halting grip.
"Valt?!" Everyone in the room called out, Valt's confused expression changing into his signature wide grin as he entered. A backpack was strung over his shoulder, filled to the brim with beybread.
"I heard about your match with that Lukas guy, Batal," Valt said, placing the bag down on one of the chairs, still grinning widely as he explained why he was here. "If you're gonna take down a blader that uses underhanded tactics, I know the perfect guy to help you!" Valt exclaimed.
"HUH?! ANOTHER TRAINING SESSION WITH YOU?!" Batal yelled, his eyes sparkling and his shocked expression turning into a wide grin as he ran to Valt. He hopped excitedly, while doing so, excited to take on his idol once more.
"Uh... not exactly..." Batal let out a loud "HUH," puzzled as to what Valt meant as the Valkyrie blader chuckled sheepishly. A loud bang rang out through the room, all bladers save for Valt, leaping up in surprised, all letting out a yell.
"So, you're that Batal kid Valt's been goin' on about! Good to meet ya'!" As the bladers looked over to the doorway, the discovered the sound had been made by a closed fan slamming against the floor of the room. They saw a tall blader with bright blonde hair, a black gakuran jacket slung around the blader's shoulders like a cape. A bright sky blue lollipop rested in his mouth.
"WOAH! That's Rantaro Kiyama!" Gigi exclaimed in surprise, Iki's shocked expression immediately turning into a fanboy grin as he snapped a picture of the legendary blader. Rantaro let out a light chuckle, walking over to Valt and giving him a fistbump. Batal's mouth was completely agape, staring dumbfoundedly at the Ragnaruk blader.
"Valt told me about your match. Told me you're goin' up against a cheater. Well you're in luck, because Honcho is in the house!" As Batal, Gigi, and Iki grinned with excitement and awe, Rin's eyes narrowed, an unamused expression on his face.
"You seriously brought the weakest legendary blader to help Batal? I think Free would have been-"
"WEAKEST LEGENDARY BLADER?!" Rantaro yelled at Rin, ticked off by the Roc blader's rude remark about Kiyama's skill compared to bladers like Valt and Free. "NOW LISTEN HERE, BUD, I'M STILL A LEGENDARY BLADER YOU JERK!" Rin growled anxiously, startled by Rantaro's sudden outburst as an anime sweat drop immediately appeared above the foreheads of the observers.
"You didn't have to say that, Rin..." Iki said, embarrassed by Rin's comment on Rantaro's skill level.
"Say what exactly?" A calm, monotonous voice rang out. All the bladers turned, once more the four non legendary bladers' jaws dropping. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Slouching slightly with his signature blank expression on his face, it was the Golden Boy himself: Free de La Hoya. Valt grinned, Rantaro scoffing slightly upon seeing Free enter.
"Free, late to the party as always," Rantaro said in a bitter tone, still irritated by Rin's comment. Batal's turned to Valt, his body shaking as his nervous yet awe filled grin widened, a small sequel coming from him.
"Y-you mean that I get to train with Rantaro Kiyama and Free de La Hoya?!" Batal yelled out, getting close to Valt's face, causing the Valkyrie blader to lean back, raising his hands up as a sign of wanting some space, a small laugh coming from him.
"Yeah. Free took a bit of convincing, but I managed to get them both here to help train you for your battle with Lukas!" Batal, overjoyed by this news, leapt up into the air and pumped his fist upwards.
"ALLLL RIIIIGGGHHHHHTTTT!!!!!" Grinning, Rantaro immediately walked over to the stadium, opening his fan and swinging his left arm as a way to flash the fan. Closing it again, he would point to Batal with it as a way to beckon him over.
"Yo, Batal. How about we get started? I've been itching for a battle ever since I got off the plane!" Batal grinned eagerly, leaping over to the Ragnaruk blader. Rin would rise up, trying to follow Batal over to Rantaro, only to feel Valt's hand come down on his shoulder as a way to stop him.
"Don't worry, you can sit this one out. Free and Rantaro got this!" His signature grin was still on his face as Rin sighed, reluctantly nodding before taking a seat in one of the chairs by the table. His bright blue eyes narrowing. This may be a blessing in disguise. Valt and the two Hanawa siblings both sat down in the chairs next to him while Free observed from the side of the room.
"This is my Heroic Bellerophon!" Batal yelled out to Rantaro, holding the yellow attack type out to the Legendary blader. Rantaro leaned closer to get a better look of Bellerophon.
"So ya got a Densetsu bey! I gotta say, it's a nice lookin' one... but can it beat the awesomeness of my Gale Ragnaruk?!" Rantaro stated. Reaching to his belt to his bey's holster, his hand clenched around the newly evolved Ragnaruk. Valt's eyes widened in surprise. Gale Ragnaruk? Wait... that meant...
"Nice Honcho! You evolved Ragnaruk!" The legend of legends yelled, smiling as he did so with immense excitement. Rantaro grinned, responding to Valt's exclamation. Free gave a knowing smirk. This new Ragnaruk had been heavily upgraded. The three stamina wings from Glide had become four, and with its incredibly aerodynamic shape its tornados had become even stronger.
"Had Raul tune it up for me before I came over! Now then, Batal, lets see how well you can do against me!" Rantaro yelled, dropping his fan and attaching his newly evolved Densetsu bey onto his launcher. Batal responded by doing the same. "Yo, Valt! Mind if you referee for a bit?"
"Of course!" Valt exclaimed back, leaping back on his feet. Stopping a foot from the stadium, Valt initiated the countdown. "Ready... SET!"
"THREE! TWO! ONE! GOOOO SHOOT!!!!" Both bladers tugged on their launcher's strings as Rantaro utilized his Sparking Launch he had developed over a year prior. A Orange-Yellow burst of light, along with the avatar's depiction of the demon Ragnaruk appearing with a quick flash. Batal's own launcher flashed its signature bright yellow, Bellerophon being unleashed and landing in the outer ring of the stadium, the Surge driver in its middle height. As Bellerophon's yellow trail of light followed it, Ragnaruk's four stamina rings were thrust outwards, a small air current flowing around Ragnaruk as it slammed into the stadium, bouncing once before heading to the center, an orange-yellow trail of light following it.
"ALL RIGHT BELLEROPHON! HEROIC SHOOT!" Batal called out. Bellerophon charged down the slope of the stadium, slamming into the Densetsu Stamina type once before breaking into a flower pattern, battering Ragnaruk with blows. Ragnaruk's heavy weight kept it in the center, completely stabilized to to the non angled attacks of Bellerophon, as well as the cone shaped freespinning ring of the eternal driver it utilized.
"Not bad, but you're gonna have to do more than that to take us down!" Rantaro yelled, extending his hand outwards. As Bellerophon went in for another strike, going to the edge of the tornado ridge and then making its descent. "Now Ragnaruk! Gale Tornado!" Bellerophon's constant flower pattern was a grave error, its most recent attack spelling doom for it. An vortex of wind surrounded Ragnaruk, the four stamina wings of the Gale Densetsu layer glowing a bright orange as it did so. Batal knew that he wasn't breaking through that tornado the moment it began.
"AH! BELLEROPHON!" It was useless to resist the power of Ragnaruk's tornado, the attack type instantly being swept up, much to Batal's dismay. Even if Rantaro was the weakest of the legends as Rin had said, he was still a legendary blader. The power gap between the two of them was quite massive as of now. The wind sent Bellerophon flying upwards, the Blade disc's prongs sliding clockwise until they reached the opposite end. The moment the wind subsided, Bellerophon burst, its parts falling and clattering onto the stadium's floor.
"Gale Ragnaruk, with a burst finish! Rantaro Kiyama is the winner!" Valt yelled out, pointing to Rantaro. Batal, still shocked at his sudden defeat, snatched up his bey's burst pieces. Looking up with a grin, Batal noticing Rantaro's face dressed with a slight frown.
"You're not launching like you should with an attack type," Rantaro said. Batal's eyebrow would raise, confused as to what Rantaro meant. "You know how Valt's launch is angled slightly?" Rantaro asked the Bellerophon blader.
"Angled what now?" Batal asked pondering his thought. Rantaro stumbled comedically as one did when reacting to obliviousness, practically yelling at Batal.
"What do you mean "Angled what now?!" You've literally trained with him! Haven't you noticed how he angles his launcher!?" Valt, hearing this, would look at the oblivious Bellerophon blader, facepalming while he smiled. Rin groaned in annoyance from his spot at his seat. Of course Batal hadn't noticed Valt angling his launch for more speed. Rantaro himself would sigh, walking over to Batal and standing beside him with his launcher in front of him. If this Batal kid was as oblivious as Hyuga or Drum, this was going to be far more difficult than he had thought. "All right, kid. You see my launcher?" Batal nodded, his confused look shifting into a poker face as he listened to Rantaro. "If you want to gain some more momentum, the best way to do so is to angle it, like this!" He said, tilting his launcher down, his wrist twisting slightly as he did so.
"Oh! Like this?!" Batal asked, tilting his launcher in a manner similar to Rantaro's. While he got the angle right, he hadn't noticed he was holding the launcher upside down.
"YOU NUMBSKULL! YOU'RE HOLDING THE LAUNCHER UPSIDE DOWN!" Gigi yelled at Batal, causing the Bellerophon blader to look down. A shocked gasp came from him as he shifted his launcher to the position it was supposed to be, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. Rantaro's face was bright red, steam coming out of his ears in frustration as he thought to himself.
'This kid's even more oblivious than that bamboo shoot!' He thought to himself, referring back to his training of Hyuga. While he had enjoyed coaching the twins, that experience had its own severe ups and downs.
"Heh-heh! Sorry! I do have a question though. How am I able to prevent myself from being blinded?" At this, Rantaro's brows furrowed, confused as to why Batal had asked that question.
"Hold on, didn't that Lukas guy use a blinding shoot against you?" Rin piped up, Rantaro's eyes widening in shock and anger. A blinding shoot?! Whoever this Lukas Grant guy was, he was not a true blader.
"A blinding shoot?!" Valt and Rantaro yelled at the same time, both of the legendary bladers growling in anger. Multiple memories were resurfacing. The two legends both recalled the time that Diana had done the infamous shoot during his battle with Yugo Nansui, a flashback of the event going through their heads like a photo reel. All legendary bladers despised this shoot for multiple different reasons. Even bladers infamous for their cruelty, such as Phi and the recently promoted Legend, Hearts, frowned upon the usage of it. Valt also recalled Shu's first round match against Jin Aizawa during the national tournament over 6 years ago. Naoki Minamo, the scientist blader, had attempted to frame Aizawa by utilizing a devise to mimic the effects of a blinding shoot. Following a string of incidents about two years ago, the WBBA had commissioned a proposal to crack down on the usage of the blinding shoot and make it a punishable offense. Unfortunately, the proposal did not gain enough support. To hear that a blader was running around and using this move without consequence made Rantaro's blood boil.
"There is only one way to counter a blinding shoot, but its not something you can easily pull off..." Rantaro said. From afar, Free watched the others carefully. It was time for him to act.
"You will have to launch with your eyes closed." Batal turned to see Free walking towards the group. Rin raised his hand in front, about to make a point, only to immediately go quiet as the bored tone of the Fafnir blader reached his ears. "Doing so requires immense focus and concentration," Free explained. Batal growled in shock, believing the task impossible.
"Launch with my eyes closed?! How am I gonna do that?!" Batal yelled out.
"That's one thing the klutz and I agree on..." Rin muttered from afar. Unfortunately for the Roc blader, his words reached the ears of Batal, instantly initiating another argument.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A KLUTZ, KLUTZ!"
"ME?! A KLUTZ! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE ATTENTION SPAN OF A FRUIT FLY!" Valt's worried expression immediately returned to his face as Rantaro's annoyance grew. Free stared blankly at the two arguing bladers, an unamused look on his face as usual. It was at this moment that Albert had returned from picking up dinner, his car's horn honking.
"So sorry for the delay, everyone!" The old man would say, speaking up with a cheerful smile on his face. "The restaurant's line was incredibly lo-" Albert, noticing that Rin and Batal were locked in another argument, sighed, not noticing that Valt, Free, and Rantaro were in the room as well. "What is it this time?" Albert asked Gigi and Iki, both immediately shaking their heads and pointing to behind the beytrainer. Valt smiled weakly, giving a wave to Albert. Free tilted his head to the side with his signature blank expression on his face. Albert also noticed Rantaro, who attempted to intervene in the argument between the Roc and Bellerophon bladers. "F-Free de La Hoya?! Rantaro Kiyama?! Valt?!" Looking down at the bags in his hand, which were filled to the brim with a ton of food, including multiple bowls of ramen from the restaurant, Albert yelled out in distress. "OH MY GOODNESS! YOU ALL MUST BE SO HUNGRY! I AM SO SORRY! I'LL GET SO-"
"Don't worry Mr. Hikari!" Despite Albert's frantic mannerisms from being underprepared, Valt still remained calm and cheerful. They HAD arrived unannounced after all. "Free and Rantaro ate earlier today. Plus, I brought some beybread!" Valt exclaimed, grinning eagerly before reaching into his unzipped bag. The smell instantly caught Batal's attention, his mouth watering eagerly as he saw the food.
"YAY! FOOD'S HERE!" Rantaro and Rin gave a puzzled look to each other. Rantaro suddenly grinned. He had the perfect idea. Reaching out to the Bellerophon blader, Rantaro grinned before stating his proposal.
"Nuh-uh. Not yet bud. I think I found the perfect way to teach you patience and focus so you can pull off that launch ya want!" Confused, Batal looked up with an expression of frustration and disappointment.
"But ramen-"
"No buts, Batal! Let's get to trainin'!"
(A few minutes later)
Everything had been set up. Rantaro sat a bowl of ramen down in front of Batal, opening it to reveal the delicious ingredients found within it. Batal's mouth watered almost on instinct, drool practically coming from his mouth.. It was true that Batal was a difficult blader to teach the meaning of focus, but with this idea, he knew that it could work out. Noticing that Batal was reaching for the ramen, Rantaro chuckled slightly before using his closed fan to stop Batal's hand in his tracks.
"I don't think so. Not yet. You get the ramen once you finish training!" It was a different teaching strategy he had come up with. Instead of just full on training him overall, Rantaro had decided to establish a goal due to the specifics. That goal? Batal's mind would be on the ramen. He WANTED that ramen, but in order to get it, he had to complete Rantaro's training. Food was the perfect driving force for Batal.
"Awww maaaaannnnnn!" Batal yelled out, looking up towards the ceiling and letting out a groan of annoyance.
"Do you wanna defeat Lukas or not?!" Rantaro said, pointing his fan to Batal. Batal gasped in realization, growling as he remembered the Ladon blader. The determination was practically oozing off of the Bellerophon blader, just like Rantaro wanted. "Heh! All right! Now! Give me five hundred pushups!" From afar, the others watched eagerly, save for Free; who's bored expression remained on his face, though he was indeed watching Batal's training closely. Valt's excitement was showing as he watched Batal's resolve come back. Turns out that food could be an excellent motivator.
"Now six hundred sit-ups!" Rantaro yelled out, pointing to Batal with his fan once more. Batal groaned, panting tiredly. He needed something to refresh himself... something yummy. He couldn't resist, and would reach for the bowl of ramen on the ground. "THIS ISN'T A TIME TO REST! YOU GET THE RAMEN ONCE YOU FINISH YOUR TRAINING!" Batal let out a squeal of surprise, leaping at least a few feet in the air and landing on his butt, chuckling embarrassedly before reluctantly beginning the sit-ups. This continued on for at least an hour. Batal's stomach grumbled, but his focus was unwavering. After finishing the final exercise, completely exhausted, Rantaro at last called for a break. "All right! Ten minute break! Feel free to have some water, but you're not having any of your ramen until you complete your final exercise!" Batal nodded, completely wasted, but still determined to get his hands on the ramen.
"Yo Batal!" Rin yelled out, tossing the Bellerophon blader a towel from the other part of Albert's home. "Ya look like hell right now. Definitely best to dry off."
"Thanks..." Batal said tiredly. Looking to Valt, he noticed the Valkyrie blader was talking to Rantaro and Iki, who was holding up a picture of Jinx Ladon. The Ragnaruk blader suddenly turned, beckoning to Rin to come on over. Rin raised his eyebrow, confused as to why he was needed, but would oblige. When the rest was over, Rantaro explained what was next.
"Jinx Ladon's a tricky one. Its a clockwise balance type that can alternate between a seven bladed attack mode and a fourteen bladed defense mode. Its driver also has the capability to switch modes between attack and defense as well. Lucky for you, we have the perfect beys to help prepare you for each mode!" He said, grinning confidently and holding out his left hand to Valt and Rin, both the Valkyrie and Roc bladers having determined grins on their faces.
"ALL RIGHT! I GET TO BATTLE VALT AGAIN!!!" Batal yelled, instantly taking out his launcher and attaching Bellerophon to it.
"But you'll be at a handicap, Batal." Rantaro stated. "From what I can infer, Lukas is going to try to take you down with another blinding shoot! If ya wanna take him down, you gotta learn to launch with your eyes closed!" Batal's face now wore an expression of shock, though he soon after let out a grunt of determination, his yellow aura rising behind him.
"Then I'm gonna master it: To take down Lukas, and to get that Ramen!" Batal yelled out, Rin stepping up to the stadium and taunting him playfully. A perfect distraction to make Batal work even harder to master the shoot. Free smirked as he watched from afar. Rantaro had really outdone himself this time.
"I know you're already a klutz, but launching with your eyes closed?! Ha! I can't wait to send Bellerophon flying out of the stadium!" Batal growled when hearing this, but he knew he needed to focus... focus........
'AAAAGH! I'M GONNA BURST THIS GUY INTO OVERDRIVE!' Batal's thoughts rang in his head, his calm expression shifting into one of pure frustration. Valt instantly recognized this, trying to calm Batal down or else this Launch wasn't going to go well.
"Batal! Focus on the battle-"
"GOOO SHOOOOT!" The countdown had already happened, Batal's eyes remaining closed as yellow light was unleashed from his launcher, signifying a blazing shoot... unfortunately for Batal, he had no sense of aiming in this state, and Bellerophon would go flying upwards. "AH! BELLEROPHON!!!!!!" The attack type flew through the air, about to slam into the floor, possibly being damaged by it. It was fortunate that Free had seen this coming, and with his cat-like reflexes snatched the bey out of midair, saving it from being damaged. Running to Free, Batal grinned as he attempted to grabbed Bellerophon. "Thank y-Huh?" Free did not return the attack type to Batal, instead walking over to the stadium. Valt's eyebrow raised, confused as to what the Fafnir blader was doing.
"Your launch was unstable due to your anger. You cannot allow distractions to cloud your vision," The Fafnir blader said, attaching Bellerophon to Batal's launcher as he closed his eyes, suddenly tugging hard on the launcher's ripcord, a burst of yellow light erupting from the LED in the launcher: generating a depiction of the Bellerophon avatar. Bellerophon landed in the stadium, breaking into a flower pattern. Batal gasped in surprise. Free stepped off the the side, handing back Batal's launcher to him. Rantaro chuckled with Valt, each of them giving a knowing smirk. Free was doing his thing. Rin stared completely surprised at how proficiently Free was able to launch the clockwise attack type, even though Fafnir was a completely different beast compared to Bellerophon. "If you wish to defeat Lukas, you must block out all distractions, regardless of his insults. Ensure your launcher remains steady and tilted for increased momentum." Batal gulped in surprise, but nodded eagerly as Rin stepped back up to the edge of the stadium. "Let Bellerophon guide you, Batal." Free said in his signature calm and collected manner. Batal grinned in response, reattaching Bellerophon to his launcher.
'Let Bellerophon guide me...' Free's words echoed through the Bellerophon blader's mind... he closed his eyes, nothing but darkness clouding his vision. 'Focus...' His thoughts remained on that one word. Rin stepped up to the opposite end of the stadium, smirking and taunting the Bellerophon blader, but everything he said couldn't be heard.
"Ready... SET!" Rantaro yelled out, acting as the referee of the battle, using his closed fan as a way to help initiate the countdown. Batal's darkness clouded his vision, his doubts creeping in. 'What if I can't do it?! What if I fail to beat Lukas-'
"Batal!" There it was... the voice in his head once more, but it was stronger, more refined. A bright yellow light overtook the Bellerophon blader. The darkness gave way to light, revealing some kind of heaven like mindscape, shades of bright yellow, green, pink and white surrounded the boy, a grey and yellow mist flowing around him. And then he saw it: the origin of the voice. A tall warrior sat proudly on his winged horse, his armor shining brilliantly from the light within this mindscape.
"W-WHA?! W-WHERE AM I?!" Batal yelled out. His heart raced with anticipation, terrified yet curious of his surroundings. As he saw the avatar, his eyes went wide with shock and awe. "B-Bellerophon...?!"
"Yes, Batal. It is I." Batal's green eyes shimmered with excitement, completely filled with wonder as he stared upwards. Bellerophon towered over him, the avatar's cyan eyes glowing warmly, as if it was looking fondly at an old friend. "Do not be afraid, Batal-"
"THIS IS SOOO AWESOME!!!!!" Batal yelled out, Bellerophon giving out a surprised grunt as Batal leapt up, bouncing up and down. The steed of the avatar, Pegasus, suddenly spoke up, startling the Bellerophon blader and snapping him out of his excited state.
"You seem pretty excited, dude!" The winged horse yelled, letting out a cheerful laugh soon after. Batal's astonishment grew, his smile growing wider.
"WOAH! YOU CAN SPEAK TOO! THIS IS EVEN AWESOMER!!!!!" The winged horse looked up at its rider, chuckling. Bellerophon cracked a smile under its helmeted head. Once Batal had calmed himself, Bellerophon continued its speech.
"Batal, we have been waiting for this moment ever since you forged us. We are honored to be your bey." Batal grinned, his grin suddenly turned to an expression of surprise as the avatar's spear was extended, the tip glowing a brilliant gold as Batal's eyes sparked with amazement. "Even so, we still have much to learn if we are to become the strongest." The boy nodded, agreeing with the avatar's statement.
"I know... I'm just so... frustrated. I really want to beat Lukas, but I don't know if I-"
"What's with the downtrodden attitude? Cheer up! We get to battle with legendary bladers; legendary bladers who have willingly gone to great lengths to help us take that cheating jerk down! So lets not doubt ourselves because we couldn't get it first try! We can do this!" Pegasus called out.
"We can do this..." Batal repeated several times, each time his voice ringing out louder every time he did so. "We can do this. We can do this! WE CAN DO THIS!!!" The mindscape parted, but the glow was still there. He could sense everything around him, from the stadium in front of him to everyone watching around him. He felt himself move his launcher downwards in an angle, the spirit of Bellerophon using the point of its spear to guide Batal. Valt gasped in surprise. Batal was...
"GOOOOOO SHOOOOOT!!!!!!!" Both Batal and Rin yelled out, each of them tugging on their launchers' strings. Both Bellerophon and Roc landed in the center of the stadium, Bellerophon in its driver's low height mode and Roc in its Ultra defense mode. Both unleashed a blinding burst of light from their launchers, though Batal's shone far more brightly, comparable to a launch similar to Valt's or Rantaro's. Batal's eyes remained closed the entire time. He had done it!
"HE DID IT!" Iki called out, Gigi doing the same besides him, laughing heartily as she pounded her fist into her hand.
"I knew that numbskull had it in him!"
"What the?!" Rin yelled out, startled that his taunting hadn't worked, though part of him was quite impressed by this... even if he did hate to admit it. "Ha! Won't matter! Take your hold in the center, Roc!" If Batal had launched normally like he previously had done, this would have instantly succeeded. Unfortunately for Roc, Batal had tilted his launch, meaning Bellerophon had entered an automatic rush shoot like trajectory. With its surge driver in its lowest height, it would be a direct hit to the casing for Bellerophon as it crashed into Roc.
"Take them down with your Heroic Shoot!!!!" Batal yelled as he punched forwards, his eyes opening. His green irises shined vibrantly a gold sparkle coming from them. Bellerophon's movements were precise as well for the first time, as if Batal was able to perfectly control Bellerophon's every move. Valt and Rantaro grinned while seeing this. Their training had paid off! Free's eyebrow raised slightly as he leaned against the wall, watching the battle. Something seemed... familiar about this. Bellerophon battering Roc without mercy. Rin growled, calling out his own special move as a counter, but it failed.
'What?! Why isn't it working?!' Bellerophon charged once again as it constantly battered Roc, sending the defense type back every time it hit. Roc began to wobble slightly. Because it was in its upward 10 bladed ultra defense mode, it had no protection from upper attacks! Rin has made a fatal error in this battle.
"I see! With a lower center of gravity, Bellerophon is able to increase its speed while also being able to scoop underneath Roc to knock it off balance! He can use this against Ladon too!" Iki yelled out. The data coming from Bellerophon was incredible. The boy grinned as he watched his friends battle, and it eventually came to the final blow once Roc was knocked out of the center.
"Grrrrr! Indomitable Charge!" Rin called out as Roc's avatar screeched, charging down towards Bellerophon with its talons expanding, its golden armor shimmering as it did so.
"BURST THEM INTO OVERDRIVE!!!!!!!" Batal yelled, Bellerophon's avatar rising up and letting out a powerful battle cry, Pegasus also doing so after a loud neigh. The avatar brought the spear back as Pegasus galloped towards Roc, thrusting it upwards to signify Batal's special move.
"HEROIC UPPER!!!!" Batal and both of his avatars yelled out as Bellerophon charged Roc, meeting it in the center of the stadium with a loud clash, a shockwave being sent up, causing all the surrounding bladers to brace against it. Batal suddenly swung his arm upwards, a yellow glow surrounding it like a gauntlet as his green eyes shifted into a golden color. Valt and Free's eyes shot wide open in alarm from their already attentive states.
'That's...' Valt's face grew into an expression of worry... Batal and Bellerophon were overclocking themselves, just like- "AH!" While Valt's gasp was drowned out by the noise of the explosion, his vision wasn't. As if on instinct, a mirage of a dark shadowy figure appeared, orange and crimson hair flowing behind them as if they were surrounded by a fiery inferno. A bright orange glow erupted from the mirage's eyes as a deep battle cry came from them, crimson bursts of light erupting from a cross like marking on their forehead and six flame like markings ran diagonally up his cheeks towards his eyes. As the explosion subsided, the sound of a bey bursting was heard, the bursted bey's parts flying up into the air. It was Roc. Rin let out a startled cry the moment Valt's mirage disappeared.
"ALL RIGHT! WE DID IT BELLEROPHON!" Batal said, Gigi and Iki letting out triumphant yells. Rantaro grinned, obviously not seeing any similarities between Batal and the mirage of the mysterious blader Valt had seen, patting the excited Bellerophon blader's shoulder.
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" The Ragnaruk blader yelled, scooping up the bowl of ramen on the ground and handing it to Batal. "Eat up! You're gonna need some energy for some more training!" Rantaro said. Rin looked down at Roc, his startled expression changing into an inspired grin.
"Not bad, klutz. Not bad at all."
From inside of the house, Buck's barking could be heard, Albert chuckling as he went to grab the dog for a walk, but not before noticing Free leaving the room as Batal and co. celebrated, Rin eventually walking over with another challenge the moment Batal was about to bite into his ramen. Albert dismissed it as nothing, leaving the moment Batal took his first bite.
"EWWW!!! ITS SO SOGGY!!!!" Valt could hear Batal cry out as he took a bite of the cold ramen. It was dark out now, and he could see Free looking up at the moon above them, clutching his Mirage Fafnir in his hand. The Fafnir blader heard the Valkyrie blader's footsteps over the yelling, cheering, and eventual par-for-the-course argument beginning.
"You ok, Free?" Valt asked, a concerned look came across his face as Free's dark black-grey eyes glanced back at him, almost as if he was peering into Valt's mind and soul.
"You saw that as well, didn't you?" Free asked Valt, who looked confused until Free sparked his memory back up with a single word. "It was Blaze." Valt let out a small gasp followed by a low growl of frustration. That vision he had... there was no mistake that Batal shared the same special ability of his former protégé...
"Just like Chen's..." Free shook his head upon hearing this.
"You are partially correct. It was like Chen's when it began... it hasn't developed further..." Free said, his bored expression cracking slightly to one of concern, yet maintaining a tone of determination. Mirage Fafnir sparkled in Free's hand, prompting the Fafnir blader to hold it closer to him. "We'll make sure he goes down the right path, Valt." Free said reassuringly, Valt smiling slightly, something coming to his mind.
"You said that you wanted to do something after you helped with Batal's training?" Valt asked, walking next to Free with a curious tone in his voice. Free looked back up to the moon, extending his hand out to have Mirage Fafnir face the moon above them.
"If we're going to keep up with the ever changing beyblade world, Fafnir and I will have to grow stronger, together." Free said, Valt giving an excited gasp of realization.
"You and Fafnir are going Densetsu?!" Valt exclaimed, grinning soon after. Free smirked, still holding Fafnir up to the moon as he nodded. Valt's brown eyes shone with joy for his friend.
"All right! Valkyrie and I will be waiting for you when you do! We're gonna have an epic battle!" Valt said, holding out Might Valkyrie to Free, who did the same with Mirage after turning, their blue and gold auras rising respectively. The two bladers suddenly heard a voice ring out from behind them: Rantaro.
"Yo, Valt! Batal wants to take you on! Ya better get back in here or he's gonna start another argument with Rin!" Valt grinned, running back over and waving to Free to follow. The Fafnir blader obliged, smiling gently before slowly walking behind them. The door shut as the yells of Valt and Batal rang out.
"THREE! TWO! ONE! GOOOO SHOOT!"