"Back to your seats, Beyfans! Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" the commenter said, eager for the upcoming battle. "Please give it up for our competitors! In the red corner, we have Blackbird--the unusual, plucky challenger!"
The smoke cleared, revealing the mysterious Blackbird. They wore their trademark ebony attire: combat boots, a loose shirt, and gauntlets. A silver girdle equip with a spacer-pouch, which contained the powerful attack type Beyblade Tala Zmaj, completed their gothic disguise.
On Blackbird's chest was the white emblem of the zburator or wolf-dragon. It glaringly clashed with their black clothing, and Blackbird sported a fluttery white scarf around their neck. Blackbird's disguise appeared deadly, but hesitation marked their demeanor--shaky hands, shifting feet, and poor posture. As talented and as courageous Blackbird was to challenge the White Dragon King himself, Blackbird did not believe in their abilities.
The commenter continued, "And in the blue corner, ready to claim an unprecedented five straight championships, the one and only Lui Shirosagi!"
Lui Shirosagi straightened his back and stood taller. His teal hair flamed as his purple eyes gleamed. Lui adjusted his white feather boa and tidied his dark purple tie, yet his expression remained emotionless as he closely examined Blackbird.
Blackbird watched Lui quietly.
Lui grunted. It annoyed him that his opponent had lost their tongue, especially after the massive spectacle they had caused earlier. After Valt lost to Lui due to a bizarre accident, Blackbird invoked a WBBA loophole to challenge the legitimacy of Lui's national title.
Lui scowled as Valt and the rest of the Beigoma Academy Beyclub started screaming, "Let's go, Blackbird! Let's go, Blackbird! Let's go, Blackbird!" His sixth sense told him that the Beyclub knew Blackbird's secret identity, which annoyed him to no end. Lui found it ridiculous and offensive that the Beyclub believed that the nervous wreck Blackbird could defeat him.
"They think that you're going to win, but the outcome is already decided," Lui said smugly, and Blackbird acknowledged his words by merely dipping their head. The unknown individual's gesture overflowed with despair, regret, and uncertainty, and Lui fed off the negative emotions like a ravenous vampire. His Beyblade Lost Luinor roared, ready to crush its opponent.
"Wowzers! Lui claims that he's going to win before the battle has even begun! Well, only one of these bladers can walk away victorious. Which one is it going to be?!" the commenter stated.
Blackbird slowly prepared their launcher and attached their Beyblade to it. Their gradual movements suggested that they wanted to delay the battle; it was uncommon to witness a blader on National TV who carried themselves with tremendous apprehension.
"First battle!" the referee called.
"Ready, set. Three--"
Blackbird took a deep breath and jumped upward effortlessly. Their white scarf quivered.
"--Two--"
Blackbird pointed their launcher vertically.
"--One--"
Blackbird paused as if they seemed unsure about their strategy.
"Let it, rip!"
Blackbird pulled back on their winder, and after a backflip, they landed on their feet. Their launch was successful but lacked full capacity and confidence. Despite challenging Lui to a battle, Blackbird was holding back.
Lui was livid. How dare this blader not use their full power against him! How insulting!
"What is that?!" the commenter said. Tala Zmaj ascended into the air, while Lost Luinor roughly shot into the stadium. "Incredible! Blackbird's mysterious Beyblade is zooming up into the skies, while Lui has gone with his Nightmare Boost!"
Tala Zmaj zipped high above the stadium before tucking its blades in and plummeting rapidly. The Bey slammed into the stadium and bounced up, narrowly evading Luinor. Crap, Blackbird thought. Of course, this has to be the one time DMeteor Launch misses!
The commenter remarked, "Blackbird's Bey hops over Luinor and dodges the attack!"
You're wrong. Zmaj lost momentum from that failed attack, and things aren't looking good for us, Blackbird thought, assessing the situation in the Beyblade stadium. But we can't afford to lose. Give it everything you've got! Flugilo Attack!
Tala Zmaj--the nightmarish wolf-dragon with scarlet eyes--shimmered into existence. She roared ferociously and swung her gigantic, gem-studded tail; she was ready to fight fire with fire. The Beyblade glowed an enigmatic dark purple and zipped into an erratic hyper-attack of zig-zags. It was on collision course with Lost Luinor, yet sensing its blader's misery, it faltered.
"Lost Spiral!" Lui cried out. His booming voice overshadowed Blackbird's silence, and Zmaj and Luinor made contact, flinging the former Bey high into the air.
Blackbird gritted their teeth as Zmaj burst, and the pieces plunged like a gray cloud suddenly expelling lightning rods in a murky sky.
"Burst finish! Lost Luinor wins the battle. The score is two to zero!" the referee said.
"They took the action to the skies, and victory is now raining down on Lui! How in the world is Blackbird going to recover from this?!" the commenter said, and the crowd erupted into a mixture of cheering and booing.
From his seat, Valt Aoi yelled, "The battle isn't over until it's over!"
"You can still beat him!" Shu Kurenai said, holding his hands up.
Since Blackbird lost the first battle in a landslide, Lui paid no mind to Blackbird's aggravating supporters. He smirked and caught his Beyblade easily. On the other hand, a humiliated Blackbird clumsily reached out with their hands to catch the falling parts.
CRACK!
Tala Zmaj's sharp-bladed piece dug into Blackbird's wolf mask, breaking through the luscious black leather. The Bey part and mask clattered on the ground, and Blackbird stared at the shattered mask, which reminded her of fragmented memories.
She gulped, feeling completely exposed under the stage lights, under the judgment of Beyfans worldwide. She was not a no-name in the blading world as she had tagged along with the Beigoma Academy Beyclub for the team battles and supported them in strategizing and training, but she had never done an official match until now.
"Are you getting this, folks?!" the commenter gasped. As the ratings and revenue drastically climbed, the commenter chuckled and said, "I can't believe my eyes! Blackbird is...actually Valt's older sister Ferox Aoi!? Ferox has never done an official battle until now, so she is an absolute dark horse challenger. Whatever happens today, the history books will remember that a female blader mustered the courage to battle the Lui Shirosagi in a heroic stand for her younger sibling!"
Ferox wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. The pressure to win against Lui was now unimaginable. She not only had a bone to pick with the teal-haired boy, but the world was watching her every move because she was, unfortunately, the first prominent female blader and a clever idiot who had arrived here semi-legitimately.
There was also a more pressing problem.
"Ferox Aoi!?" Lui said. He stared at Ferox--with her large, doe brown eyes and silky, shoulder-length brown hair--and his face twisted with confused rage.
Ferox sighed and said sheepishly, "That's me."
She had not wanted her secret identity to be revealed abruptly. Everything hinged on her power to compose herself and fight back, yet everything hinged on what had happened in the past. Onerous memories followed Ferox wherever she wandered and caught up with her no matter what; even after all this time, the past still hurt.
And Lui Shirosagi was a key part of her pain.
NINE YEARS AGO...
"I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!" Lui Shirosagi giggled, and the six-year-old jumped up and down. His purple eyes shimmered, and he balled his small fists.
"You and your Lost Luinor are unstoppable, but I'll beat you eventually!" Ferox said, pouting and placing her hands on her hips. She then bent down, picked up her Beyblade, and put it back in its pouch, while Lui grabbed his own Beyblade and stowed it away.
"You'll never beat me, Muffin!" Lui said. He tackled Ferox, and the two friends rolled across the ground and guffawed. They poked and prodded each other in the stomachs.
"You're lying, Blueberry!" Ferox said.
Lui stuck out his tongue, but as they laid together on the grassy field, Ferox smiled and admitted, "Hey, Blueberry, do you think we'll ever partake in actual tournaments?"
"Of course, we'll be the finalists. Me, Blueberry, and you, Muffin. What would a blueberry muffin without blueberry or muffin?" Lui said with a cheeky grin, and he hugged Ferox.
"Now, that's a plan!" Ferox said, fist-bumping Lui.
"Blueberry Muffin, forever!" Ferox and Lui said in unison. They wrapped their arms around each other, and they tumbled to the ground again; the two giggled and squealed. Her joy bubbling through the air, Ferox pressed her cheek against Lui's face.
BACK TO PRESENT...
Things were so wonderful when Ferox and Lui were young and lacked extensive knowledge about the world's horrors. Even as tragedy struck Ferox's life, she could always rely on Lui to remain by her side. But everything ended when they were fourteen.
If you are excited to see the rest of the showdown between Lui and Ferox, please consider giving the prologue a vote and a comment!
Last Edited: 7/19/2022