Persephone shuffled her feet, the crowd of beyblade fans humming around her. Anticipation for the match hung thick in the air, and she could feel the sweat on her palms. The Bladebreakers were set to have their second match of the Asian Tournament later that afternoon. But first, The White Tigers were taking on The Spin-Shepards.
Persephone bit her lip, opening her laptop and scanning through her research for the opposing team name.
"Do you know anything about them?" Kai asked, keeping his eyes on the dish in front of them.
"Yeah I do. According to my data they have some special trick with their blades called 'Wool Defense', but I'm not quite sure what that means."
"I bet it's not as good of a defense than my Draciel," Max giggled from a few seats over.
Before Persephone could respond, the match had begun. Gary was up first, facing off against Bobby from The Spin Shepards. It should have been an easy win for The White Tigers according to Persephone's research, but Gary became distracted by the prospect of food and swiftly lost the first round. Persephone could hear Mariah fussing at her teammate as she stepped up to the dish.
Persephone wasn't going to say it aloud, but she was secretly hoping the White Tigers would be defeated before they could take on the Bladebreakers. Not only were they a strong team, but she knew facing them would be emotionally draining for Ray.
Mariah had no problem taking on Doug, Galux's cat scratch tearing the poor boy's blade to shreds, the crowd going wild. She turned back to her teammates with a smirk, tossing her pink hair over her shoulder victoriously before taking her seat back on the bench.
Persephone watched Lee step up to the dish next, feeling palms grow sweaty from nerves.
Please lose. Please lose.
Much to her dismay, the universe denied her internal pleas, Lee defeating the White Tigers's final opponent with ease. Though, the match wasn't uneventful, Lee revealing the story of Ray receiving his family's bit beast instead of him, and promptly leaving with it, shocking everyone in the crowd, including the Bladebreakers.
Ray tensed in his seat, gritting his teeth and hanging his head slightly.
Persephone put a hand on his arm, looking up at him with a determined expression.
"Don't let him get to you. He's not getting Driger. You earned that bitbeast fair and square," she said firmly.
Ray eyed her for a moment before shaking his head with a small smile, ruffling her hair gently.
"Thanks, P," was all he said in response, turning his attention back to his old teammate below.
————
"Okay everyone. Your next opponent are the Charming Princes. They're royalty from India," Persephone said as the group prepared for their oncoming match in the locker room.
"Princes or not, they're not getting the royal treatment from me," Tyson said, gripping Dragoon in his palm.
"Just do your bests," Persephone said with a nod as DJ Jazzman called for them to head out to the stadium.
To her surprise, Ray seemed oddly upbeat, a fire in his eyes as they walked out of the tunnel and to the bench.
"Ready to kick some ass?" she asked softly, sitting between him and Kai on the bench, hugging her laptop to her chest.
He nodded, giving her a fanged smile.
"You know it."
Persephone was thrilled to see Tyson and Max defeat their opponents despite the differences in size of their blades.
"Good luck Ray!" she called as he stepped up to the dish.
Even if he lost, she was relieved they at least got two out of the three rounds under their belts, securing their advancement into the next round.
Kai watched the match with his arms crossed, his brows slightly furrowed. He wasn't convinced Ray was much of a threat without his bitbeast, but he didn't comment on it. He glanced down at the brown haired girl beside him, satisfied with the competitive gleam in her eyes.
She wants to win just as much as we do, and she's not even competing herself.
Ray held his own for most of the match, the team manager barely able to tear her eyes away from his blade in the dish.
"Driger! Tiger Claw Attack!" the fanged blader called, fully confident in his strategy.
"But Ray doesn't have Driger anymore!" Max said, staring at his teammate absolutely, dumbfounded.
Persephone's breath hitched in her throat as green light filled the stadium, pouring into Ray's blade.
"Driger.." she mumbled, watching his bitbeast return with starry eyes, in awe.
Ray successfully completed his special move, absolutely thrilled to have his bitbeast back by his side, winning the match with no hiccups.
————
Once the Bladebreakers had returned to the hotel, Ray was swarmed by his teammates, minus Kai and Persephone, receiving praise for his win and the reunion with Driger.
Once Max, Tyson and Kenny had finally settled and decided to run off to the cafeteria for some well earned dinner, Persephone stepped up the Chinese blader.
"That was amazing Ray. You're so talented," she said with a soft smile.
Ray grinned, ruffling her hair gently with a small chuckle.
"Thanks, P. Couldn't have done it without you guys," he said proudly before trotting downstairs after the others for dinner.
Persephone nodded, watching him go before turning to go back to the bedroom, craving a nap after the day's events.
However, she was stopped by their team captain, Kai looking down at her with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Come with me," he said firmly, the phrase more so an order than a request.
She didn't argue, setting her laptop bag on her bed before following him out of the room and back onto the streets of China. To her surprise, he led her back to the same clearing in the woods he had brought her to previously.
He wants me to watch him train again?
Just as she opened her mouth to question him, the boy gently took her wrist, flipping her hand face up before setting something in her palm.
Persephone blinked at him, her eyes widening as she looked down to see an old version of Dranzer in her hand, of course the bitbeast replaced with a normal bit piece.
"Kai...what-"
"You said you weren't any good at it, right?" he asked, looking at her with a serious expression.
Persephone nodded, eyes still locked on the beyblade in her hand.
"Yeah...I just could never get it right.." she said, her voice a bit softer.
Kai pulled out an extra launcher, handing it to her and gesturing to the clearing.
"Alright then. Show me what you can do."
She bit her lip, twisting the blade into the launcher before stepping forward. She hesitated, slipping her middle and pointer fingers through the hole of the ripcord, holding the launcher out in front of her.
"Let it rip," she mumbled under breath as she yanked the ripcord back with all her might, watching the blade shoot out and hit a nearby tree, knocking it to the dirt and causing it to lose all rotation.
Persephone flinched a bit at the loud thud before hanging her head, too embarrassed to turn and face the blader behind her.
"I-I'm sorry...I-"
"It's fine," Kai said with a soft sigh, walking up and gathering the beyblade, dusting the dirt off of it before handing it back to her.
"Try again."
Persephone put the blade back into the launcher, a determined look in her eyes as she launched it, the blue top once again bouncing around their surroundings before hitting the ground.
"Your form is all wrong," he said bluntly, grabbing the blade once more and putting it in her palm.
This time he moved behind her, putting his hands over hers and adjusting her stance.
"Feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your shoulders relaxed," he said, before moving her hands to the correct position on the launcher.
Persephone's whole face turned bright red, feeling a bit dizzy with his voice in her ear. She wasn't used to anyone this close to her, especially someone that she found very intimidating at times.
Once she had adjusted her posture, his grip on her hand tightened a bit.
"Alright, now take a deep breath and..."
He pulled his arm back, the two of them moving in synch perfectly, the old version of Dranzer landing on the ground gracefully and spinning at full speed.
Persephone stared at it, a grin slowly appearing on her face.
"It's...spinning," she whispered to herself, a bit in disbelief.
She turned around to face him, excitement written all over her face.
"Kai! It's spinning!" she giggled, bouncing up and down on her heels slightly.
Kai rolled his eyes, flicking her forehead.
"Of course it's spinning, idiot," he mumbled, glancing back at the blade, no real venom present in his tone.
She put her hand to her forehead, and for a split second could've sworn she spotted a pink hue dusting the blader's cheeks.
She brushed it off, summoning the blade back and smiling as it returned to her palm with ease.
"Now do it again. Don't stop practicing until you get it perfect," he said, taking a step back and crossing his arms.
"Perfect. Right," the dark haired girl repeated, gearing up for another launch.
Kai watched her shoot his old blade over and over, each shot better than the last.
She's not half bad. Just needed a little guidance.
Though, he quickly noticed her laboured breathing, Persephone having no training to hold up the physical toll the sport takes on a blader.
"Again?" she asked, looking over at him with a determined look in her eyes, her normal shyness gone for the moment.
He smirked just slightly and shook his head.
"That's enough for the day. It's getting dark."
He lead her back to their hotel, offering her a bottle of water from the fridge, their fellow teammates already settled in bed, their chatting echoing into the main room.
"Thank you," Persephone said, still slightly out of breath as she took a swig from the bottle, the cool liquid refreshing and comforting.
Her eyes widened a bit as the team captain turned to walk towards the bedroom, and she grabbed his wrist gently and turned him around.
"Kai wait! You forgot your beyblade," she mumbled sheepishly, digging the older version of Dranzer out of her pocket and holding it out to him.
Kai shook his head, gently pushing her hand back before looking away, feeling his face heat up a bit.
"Keep it. I have no use for an old model like that," he muttered.
Her breath hitched in her throat, both hands holding the blade, almost cradling it to her chest and looking down at it with a shocked expression.
"You're giving it to me...? That's...thank you. You're very kind," she said, looking up at him with a warm smile, tearing up a bit.
Whether Kai realised it or not, that was one of the very few gifts anyone had ever given her, the gesture warming her heart. Her shy nature prevented her from making many friends, and even the ones she did manage to make weren't close relationships. She wasn't used to genuine kindness, and even if it meant nothing to him, it meant the world to her.
"I'll take good care of it. I promise," she said softly, wiping her teary eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.
Kai felt the warmth in his cheeks only worsen, turning away from her and hesitantly ruffling her hair.
"It's no big deal. Get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow," he mumbled retreating to the bedroom before he could embarrass himself any further.
Persephone just stared down at the blade in her hand, running her fingers over the edges, noting the wear and tear from countless battles. She tucked it away in her bag for safe keeping before getting ready for bed. She could feel the adrenaline still coursing in her veins, and she had a whole new fire in her belly, anxiously awaiting the semifinals and determined to help lead the Bladebreakers to victory.
A/N: Here's the new chapter! Chapter 10 is already in the works! Let me know what you guys think <3