All rights reserved to Hiro Morita. Alright, fair warning, this one might be a bit rough on the grammar side, long story short, my computer's busted and I can't access my Grammarly properly.
Shu knew that meeting Lean would be like walking up to a tornado. Regardless, he needed to keep his cool if he wanted to reel him in.
"What do you want?" The pink-haired boy said with narrowed eyes and a clench of his teeth.
The spiky-haired boy seemed practically live and breath anger and hatred. That strange resonance he had made it all the worse. Shu had spent the last few days watching his matches. Each one left the white-haired guy turning his head in disgust.
Lean and his First Uranus shattered Bey after Bey, some from kids even as old as five. The tears and cries of his opponents always ghosted through him.
It pained him to think about it, but Shu remembered a time when he was no better when the world knew him as the monstrous Blader, Red Eye.
But that was the thing. Shu had moved past that and never looked back. Being Red Eye was just a slow-motion death spiral into obsession, he was lucky to have someone who could snap him out of it.
Lean wasn't.
Alright, focus. Shu told himself. Eyes straight, keep calm.
"My name's Shu Kurenai. Leader and captain of New York's Raging Bulls." He reached out a gloved hand to the boy who stood on the steps of the local Blading arena in the dusk light. "Nice to meet you."
Lean rolled his ringed yellow eyes. "Wish I could say the same."
Shu kept his hand out. He knew the kid wouldn't play ball from the start. Man, did he know.
"Saw your fights back at the arena. A little rougher than I'd like, but your skills can't exactly go unnoticed, can they?"
Lean scoffed. "There's no such thing as skill when it comes to tearing up those losers."
"Hey, come on now, no need to throw that on anybody. Everyone's got something to offer in a Beybattle."
"Not all too convincing coming from a Legend." Shu couldn't fault him for that. Being one of the top Bladers in the world led to mixed reactions from people outside that bubble. Some days he'd go out in public and be swarmed with clamors for autographs, battles, etc. Another day on another side of the city, people would break for it like he was some kind of monster. But the last thing he'd want people to think was that he looked down on them.
"Maybe not. That aside, I think you'd do some good work batting for my team." 'After ironing out that temper.' Shu decided to leave out. Having the kid on the team would be the best way to watch him. If Shu was ever going to find out what was wrong with Lean, he'd need him at arm's length.
Lean gave him a skeptical look before scoffing."Not exactly in the mood to be playing boot camp." He turned to leave.
"Not even for a shot at the World Championship?"
The boy stopped mid-turn. "What was that?"
Shu's stern look masked his tensing shoulders. He'd let the cat out of the bag now. And he knew Lean would take it. Lording your strength over people who couldn't fight back could only fill you with so much joy before playing itself out. But fighting and defeating someone with some real power never got old.
"If you're good enough for my team, you'll be able to shoot for the roster of our championship lineup. If you want to fight to the top of the world, there's your best shot."
Lean's skeptical look returned. "Where do I start?"
"Well, I said you'd get there if you were good enough." Shu pointed to the Beystadium. "Know one of these that isn't shut down?"
Lean nodded.
The two of them walked along the sidewalk through New York with Lean in front. Shu's red eyes squinted slightly as the sunlight glared down at him.
He was starting to get a bit nervous. The two of them had been walking for an hour. Where did this kid live, exactly? If nothing else, he could use this time to see what made Lean tick, especially given the atrocity of a walk they'd had up to this point.
While taking a shortcut through the park, a ball from a few kids playing next to them happened to land right near Lean's feet. Just as the kids politely asked for it back, Lean jammed his left foot into the ball and caused it to burst. The spiky-haired boy's usually flat or sneering mouth curled into a smile as the kids began to wail. When Shu tried to introduce him to a new street vendor he had enjoyed, Lean toppled the guy's vendor with a kick and kept walking, his mouth again, delighted in the owner's frustration.
The weirdest thing about all of it was that it was completely unprompted. Lean just did it on a whim. Shu just stood there and took it all in through tightening lips and boiling blood. He just had to know what was wrong with him.
"So, what's an average day like for you, Lean?"
The pink-haired boy didn't even turn to him to respond. "What's it to you?"
"Well, if you're serious about getting into the world championship, you're going to be on a team, and the last kind of team anyone wants to be on is one full of strangers, so—-" He waited for a response.
"None of your business." Shu winced internally at that. There had to be some way of getting this kid out of his shell. If trying to find some common ground didn't pry his shell open, maybe using some already-established ground would.
"Now that I think about it, what got you interested in the Blading in the first place?"
"What else? Being the best." Shu knew that was just a half-truth. Sure, everyone entered the sport to shoot for the top, but Lean was different. Lean destroyed Beys. Shu knew from experience that when you did that to a Blader's Bey, it wasn't just because you wanted to. It was because you wanted to stick something to them. With Lui and Nightmare Longinus, it was revenge. With Norman and Twin Nemesis, Shu's superior skills. As far as he had seen, Lean destroyed every Bey he came across.
What kind of circumstances could lead him to feel like he had to prove something to everyone?
As the two turned into an alleyway to see a flight of stairs leading below ground, Shu was beginning to think he was about to find out.
Walking down the stairs, the dim lights of New York slowly began to fall away and be replaced with shadowy concrete occasionally illuminated by a single, dingey lightbulb. Shu could vaguely make out the swerves and squiggles of rainbow-colored drawings on the walls through the flashes. From what the white-haired boy could make out, the drawings had pretty...upsetting subject material.
Turning back to Lean, the boy had stopped right before the point of hitting solid ground again. Shu gave a puzzled look as the sounds of bashing and clattering came from the small rectangular entrance at the end of the staircase.
Shu saw Lean tense and let out a growl.
"No you, don't..." The boy seethed as a dark aura brimmed around him before running down the stairs toward the commotion as Shu followed.
The room was as dark and stoney as the rest of the place. It had a stale, yellowed mattress off in the corner and walls lined with pipes and a Beystadium in the middle. A group of boys Lean remembered from the arena ran about, trashing the place as the pink-haired boy stood there and seethed. His eyes narrowed as the boys slammed boxes to the floor and kicked up dust, and let it shower down, laughing like the brats they were.
"Get out..." Lean snarled.
"No way!" One of them shouted while crumpling up a box. "You destroyed our Beyblades for no reason. Let's see how you like it when the shoe's on your foot!"
"Get out," Lean was about to jump for the boy before Shu got in front of him, locking his hand together in front of his mouth like a megaphone.
"That's enough!" The boys all stopped at the amplified sound. Shu dropped his hands down and sighed. "Look, I get how you guys feel, but getting at Lean's throat won't bring your Beys back. The best you can do is look for some new ones instead of rev–" And that's when Lean stepped in front of him, aura flaring higher than before as his eyes lit and he growled. His words were low and dark.
"Or, you could shut your trap and get out!" His voice amplified at that last part as his aura flared higher and crackled. The dingy lights around them began to flicker on and off as the boys screamed and bailed out of the room through the flashes. The lights began stabilizing when only Lean and Shu were in the room.
Lean felt hands on his shoulders as Shu turned him around, his red eyes narrowed.
"That's enough from you too. All this lashing out you're doing, all those Beys you broke, I want answers. Now." Lean sneered at him. He didn't have to pour his heart out for anyone, and definitely not some Legend. All Shu was to him was an outlet to get to the world stage. There he'd be able to tear all of those so-called Legends apart.
"Then go look somewhere else." Lean shirked his way out of Shu's grip and backed up. The guy's annoying glare kept up as he folded his arms.
"If that's how it's going to be, then forget about being on my team. Our opponents are going to be tough enough. The last thing we need on our side is a bomb waiting to go off. You can spill it now, or I'll be the next one up those stairs."
Lean sneered harder. He saw Shu's eyebrow fidget slightly as he stared him down. The guy's body seemed to tense up while he waited for Lean's response. A pang of confusion rang through the pink-haired boy as the stare-down continued. What did this guy have to feel worried about? He was the one threatening him. Deciding to rub it off as the loser being scared of his Flare, Lean let out a growl as he refocused on the real issue. As much as he didn't want to do it, he needed that spot in the tournament.
"Because of those smiles," He flatly answered. Shu seemed to loosen up as his brow creased before Lean went on.
"Those smiles and how stupidly cheery they all are. It makes me sick." He could feel his aura flaring again as he spread his arms out. " Every day, I wake up to this garbage. Why should they be so happy when I have to suffer? I'll show them one day. I'll show them all! I'll crush their Beys, shred their hopes, and show them just how I feel!"
Shu's sternness melted away at that. He looked about as miserable as Lean wanted to make him look. The guy walked up to Lean and opened his mouth. His tone went from angry to sad.
"I-I'm sorry. Sorry that it's been this way for you." He said before kneeling to match Lean's height. "But you can't go about your life thinking like that. I know you feel wronged and think lashing out is the only option, but it's not. You can have better. You can feel better. Tell you what, work with me, and we can get you over this. Just promise me you'll work for this, okay?"
Lean said nothing. He didn't buy what the guy was selling for a second. The two of them barely knew each other. He didn't know what Lean needed. He was just some stranger. Personal thoughts aside, that tournament was still a top priority.
With that, he gave a nod.
"Alright," Shu composed himself as he straightened himself."I think I've seen enough for now. Let's get down to the practical side of things." He pointed over to the Beystadium in the center of the room. "Let's see how you fight, Lean."
Lean couldn't help but smirk internally at that. Finally, he'd get his spot on the Raging Bulls and tear apart a Legend as a bonus. And as a second bonus, he'd show said Legend to shut his trap about his life choices.
They made their way over to the stadium and raised their launchers. The face of Shu's Bey was a somewhat boxy circle with two parallel red ax-like blades and two parallel golden heads, all of which were divided in the middle by two sets of black blades.
"Meet Cho-Z Spriggan." He twisted the Bey to its launcher.
Lean looked down at First Uranus. The pale, six-bladed Bey's glassy blue eyes gleamed before he twisted his Bey into his launcher.
"Hmph, it's nothing against my First Uranus."The two angled their Beys at the stadium, ready for a fight.
"3," They said.
"2,"
"1,"
"Go Shoot!" They pulled their ripcords, and the Beys fell into the stadium and chased each other. Uranus eventually raced down to the center as its downward cone-like Driver stuck to the floor. Cho-Z Spriggan gave off a click as its two sets of black blades shot out slightly.
Shu whipped his right arm back. "Alright, Spriggan, let's show him what we've got!" The red and gold Bey circled down to its opponent for a strike, causing Lean to narrow his eyes.
"Uranus, Burn Counter!" Uranus glowed purple before its six blades whirled out a wall of black and purple flames. Spriggan slammed into it, only for the fire to singe it as it bounced off the barrier as flames flickered off it.
Shu reeled back as Lean smirked. If that freaked him out, he'd be huddling in the corner by the time they finished.
Shu tried to steel himself as he smirked in kind. "Don't think you'll knock me down like that. Spriggan, pick up the pace!" The Bey ground its red rectangular driver into the floor as it shot off with an orange aura. The Bey dove for Uranus and smashed into it.
The pale Bey's flames dissipated as it was knocked up the slope. Spriggan chased after it as it lifted itself upward, slamming its black, studded frame into Uranus's Layer, knocking the Bey on its side.
Lean grit his teeth and let out a low growl. "Back off, Uranus!" The Bey fell onto its Mobius Driver. A pale pink aura whirled around it as it raced off from Spriggan. The red and gold Bey ground against the floor again as it blasted off for its opponent again with snake-like movements. The Bey raced up on Uranus and smacked it around, keeping up its strange attack pattern. Uranus began to lose its spin strength as the strikes kept up.
Lean sneered as his aura flared up. Shu's confident smirk was like poison to his eyes. He should be frowning. He should be screaming as Lean and Uranus tore Spriggan to bits. He should walk out of here, hanging his head in shame as the pink-haired boy welcomed his new spot on the Raging Bulls and his new path of turning the other Legends to dust. But he was standing right across from Lean, smiling like an eyesore.
Lean's aura grew wilder as he roared. "Uranus!" The Bey gained a pale purple glow as Spriggan tried to attack again, only to get bounced off down the slope. Uranus ground on its Driver before rushing for it.
Shu clenched his fists and crouched as an orange aura lit around him. His white hair blew as he narrowed his eyes.
"Let's go, Spriggan!" Spriggan erupted a wall of flame. A red, hulking ogre slashed away at the flames as it let out a roar. The monster wore orange, crystal-studded armor and gripped a golden battle ax.
The two Beys clashed in the center as red and purple bolts flew from the point of impact. They bounced off each other and up the slopes, where they raced down to clash again and again as traveled the stadium with their aura streaked off them. Through the flurry of it all, neither side gave an inch, giving Lean all the frustration he needed to end this as he concentrated a black flame in his hand before slamming his palm to the floor.
"Uranus, Violent Orbit!" The Bey clashed with Spriggan again before letting out a wall of dark flames to push its opponent back. The flames slowly consumed the stadium as Spriggan struggled to keep them back. Shu grimaced with all the agony that Lean could hope for. Unfortunately, the frustration gave way to a second wind as Spriggan's aura intensified, and its black blades began to glow. Shu wrapped his left hand in an orange aura and whipped it back.
"Spriggan, push back! Super Spiggan Slash!" The Bey erupted with power as it slowly began to push the flames back. The top pressed forward as it slowly moved against the flame barrier. Lean growled, and his aura redoubled. His growl gave way to a full-on roar as his Bey pulsed with power again. The flames redoubled as well, shoving Spriggan back as the two Bey's clashed and gave way to a massive explosion. As the light blinded him, Lean shut his eyes. His ears picked up on the sound of two clicks as he heard a Bey burst.
The smoke cleared to reveal Shu, his eyes were shadowed as Spriggan was cleaved in half and clattered to the stadium floor. Lean smirked as he retrieved Uranus, he felt his chest swell with pride. He felt great. One legend drowned in despair and the rest would be sinking with him once the pink-haired boy got to the world stage.
Staring longer to drink in Shu's despair, Lean noticed something off from his expectations. Shu didn't start sulking or bawling or shaking in fear like all the other losers he'd crushed up to this point, instead he just seemed to breath in deep and accept it as he picked up his partner's pieces before looking at Lean.
"Well I'm a man of my word. You're on my team. Keep up your work, keep that temper down and you'll be on my team in no time. Now come on, let's go to my place and get you all set up." With that, he went up the stairs.
Lean stared for a bit before feeling the pride in his chest vanish.
Where was the pain? Where was the terror? And why didn't he feel the warmth that he always felt after winning?