Chapter 2 – Leone's Roar

"Let it rip!"

Gingka launches his Bey into one of the little mini-stadiums in the WBBA training center along with three others. The shining blue Pegasus knocks all of them out of the stadium with ease, and I laugh.

Gingka's gotten quite famous lately, with his undefeated win streak in the side rooms. He and his Pegasus make a great team, and it's on display here as he defeats the three generic Beys as though it's second nature. It probably is, at this point.

"Whoa! Awesome!"

"So sweet!"

"Gingka is so cool!" exclaims one guy.

"He just sent three Beys flying at the same time!" shouts another. "It's almost as good as Kenta!"

Gingka looks a little miffed at that last part. Nevertheless, the Bladers begin to mob him and me, and it's a while before me and Gingka can escape that place.

We laugh as we lie back in the grass near the railing, where I napped the first night I met him. "So that was fun." I remark.

"Yeah!" says Gingka. "Now that's Beyblading. It was great to be battling again, just for fun."

"I'm just glad you got around the city a little bit." I reply, smiling.

"For sure. Me too! Thanks."

We relax in silence for a little bit. Gingka breaks it. "I have to say, this town isn't so bad after all."

I sit up. I almost forgot about Gingka's nomadic tendencies, and though I hate to say it, I'm a little glad that he's decided to stay. "So you're staying. Sweet! Not to sound like Kyoya, but I'd love to crush you in a battle sometime."

"Whenever you feel worthy enough to face the wrath of my Pegasus," Gingka smirks. "Besides, I think I found another really strong opponent here as well."

"Kyoya? He's mine, bud." I say, laying back down on the soft grass.

"Uh, about that. Do you really think you should be fighting Kyoya?" Gingka asks me, concerned.

"Remember the last time you doubted me?"

"Touche. But Kenta," sighs Gingka. "From what I've heard, Kyoya doesn't stop his Leone until an opponent is completely destroyed. If something bad were to happen…"

"Remember when we talked about Kyoya?" I ask Gingka, and he nods. "Exactly. Kleenex and posturing, nothing more."

"Well, if you're sure," my companion nods to himself, taking out his Bey. "As long as we've got our Beys, nothing will happen to us. Right, Pegasus?" he asks the blue Bey.

"Pegasus?" a more feminine voice breaks into our conversation, and I grin.

"Madoka! I forgot you usually walk by here afternoons, what's up?"

"Look at Gingka's Pegasus!" Madoka snaps, annoyed.

"I know." I groan. "Poor thing."

"What about my Pegasus? Wait, you're Madoka, right?" Gingka asks her. "Nice to meet you, I'm Gingka. Gingka Hagane."

Madoka sighs. "Nice to meet you too." she pulls out her Beytabase (spin-off of database for Beyblades, I made it up. I am a genius) and gently grabs Pegasus from Gingka. The Beytabase scans the Bey, and Madoka gives it back to a confused Gingka. "Just as I thought. Some joints are showing some wear, and this is so dirty. It's a wonder you win anything, considering your balance and attack resistance are drastically reduced by your poor maintenance. You following?"

"Uh, sure." Gingka says, and he is, barely.

"Also, look here," Madoka says. Gingka and I move over to take a look at the Beytabase's blue-tinted screen. "You can't see it with the naked eye, but the surface of its Fusion Wheel is covered in so many scratches! It would be a crime to just leave it like this!"

"I-" Gingka starts, but Madoka doesn't let him finish.

"And this is in the old and new parts! You haven't just been battling one or two opponents lately, have you?"

"More like three to … ten." Gingka tells her sheepishly.

"You can't just ignore it because they're shallow scratches. When the scratches meet with wind resistance, it won't be able to maintain its original rotation or speed." Madoka finishes her rant with a deep breath. "You should be more like Kenta and get regular checkups for your Bey. I will treat its injuries."

"Uh-" starts Gingka, but I'm already dragging him along and chatting with Madoka. Reluctantly, he follows, joining our conversation as well. He is good at that.

"Whoa! Look at these brand-new Bey parts!" Gingka says, the glass of the exhibit getting foggy as he stares into it. "These are top of the line!"

"Don't fog the glass, Gingka, it's gross," says Madoka. Gingka peels his face off of the glass as she takes us into the basement. I wave at Akihiko on the way. "Aki's using the station right now, so I'll just work on your Pegasus in my workshop."

"So does this mean you're a blader, too?" Hagane asks Madoka curiously.

"She has a Bey." I tell him, skipping a step and jumping onto the linoleum of the Bey Pit's basement.

"Yeah. I just prefer to engineer and repair other Beys rather than use mine. Does that make sense?" she smiles at Gingka.

"Yeah, it's all good." he replies, grinning back.

"Swell. Take a seat." my friend says. "I am going to thoroughly examine Pegasus. Ahem." Madoka holds out her hand.

"Uh, um..." stammers Gingka.

"He's very attached." I note.

"Come on! I'm not debating you!" she says, annoyed. "There may be only minor damage now, but if you don't take care of it right now, it could grow into something very serious! This is for Pegasus' own good!"

"For Pegasus?" He asks, looking unnerved. "Hm. I guess Pegasus has been through a lot lately." Conceding, he takes his Bey out of his pocket and gives it to her. "Please be gentle."

"Of course." She smiles, placing Pegasus in the scanning station and surveying the results. "This is more serious than I thought." she explains, rolling her chair over to her toolbox and beginning to work on Pegasus.

"Good serious or bad serious?" Gingka asks, and I snort.

"What other kind of serious is there?" I ask Gingka, smirking.

"Just serious," Madoka explains to Gingka. "It's not just the cracks, there's a lot of debris stuck inside."

Gingka groans, and I smirk. "I've been telling you."

Madoka explains to me and Gingka (it's more like review, in my case) the dangers of liquid and solid debris in Beyblades and finally informs Gingka, to his chagrin, that his beloved Pegasus would have to spend the night.

"What?!" Gingka exclaims.

"Is that a problem?" Madoka asks him, frowning.

"No, no, it's not like we're married or anything."

"Okay! It's settled, then." says Madoka, then frowns as Gingka flops onto her couch. "Um."

"Married or not, Pegasus is still my partner," Gingka decrees. "Kenta, you live here too, right?"

"Just upstairs." I say. "Madoka, is this fine with you?"

"Sure, it isn't like anyone ever uses that couch other than Akihiko when he staggers back here from the bar every year or so." she replies with a wry smile. "Go ahead, crash. No problem."

Gingka's quickly asleep, sleep-babbling about his Beyblade.

"I'll go up to my room. Night." I say, and start to climb the stairs.

"No," says Madoka. "I need to talk to you."

"You're done?"

"I just need to adjust the balance, but this is more important, anyway." she spins her chair around to face me. "Are you okay?"

Oh. Oh god.

Does she know? I carefully rearrange my face into a confused expression, trying not to overdo it when I inject my voice with cavalier confidence. "Yep. I need to ice my launching arm, but other than that, it's all good. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure." I nod.

"I didn't want to ask you this before, but I feel like I have the right to know now that we've been friends, practically family, for what? A year and a half?"

"Spill." I say easily, but it takes all of the self-control I possess not to grit my teeth as my mind races through the possibilities. What's the million-dollar question?

"You scream in your sleep some nights," Madoka takes a deep breath. "I just want to know why. I'm sorry if I'm...overstepping or whatever, but I'm worried. About you."

This can't be happening. Bile rises in my throat, adrenaline courses through my veins, my heart races at light speed, and my brain just shuts down. I've studied this before, somewhere, somehow. It's the fight or flight response. Either I fight and tell my well-wishing friend the truth, or I run. I hide from my problems.

I can't deal with this right now.

"Don't ask me that." I manage.

"I'm worried." She repeats.

"I know. I'm sorry." and I am. I feel horrible that whatever I went through in my formative years has grown to impact me and Madoka as well. She doesn't deserve to deal with this. And what I've been coming to terms with ever since I got out of therapy? Neither do I. I need to deal with this like a responsible person, and if that entails putting this discussion off till a later date, then so be it.

"You'll tell me one day, right?" the brown haired girl smiles at me, but it isn't one of her usual, cheery social butterfly grins. It's tinted with sadness, concern, and I don't want to see that look on her face ever again.

"I promise."

"Great!" Madoka's smile flips sunny-side-up again, and just like that, we are back where we were, no awkwardness, just two friends hanging out again. That's what I love about Madoka and myself – we're never ones for sitting around and letting things fester. "I'll just finish up here."

"God. Madoka, promise me you won't stay up all night refurbishing Pegasus." I groan.

"Nope." grins Madoka, but yawns and sets her head on the table. "Okay, fine. Just resting for a..." Yawn. "Minute."

And she's asleep. Smirking, I tiptoe up the stairs, then run another flight up to my bedroom.

I close the door behind me and flip the light switch on. My room is pretty bare bones – you wouldn't be able to tell whose it was by looking at it. The walls are a pale green, a bookshelf stands in the corner, and a desk, bureau, chair, and bed occupy the rest of the space in the room. Another door leads to a small adjoining bathroom. All of my other stuff is in my trunk under the bed. My living quarters are small, but suit me fine. I unlatch my belt and place it on my desk. "Night, Sagittario."

After brushing my teeth, I lie back on my bed, pull up the covers, and pick up my copy of Catch 22. It's every man's dream – having a bed within arm's reach of the light switch so that you can get cozy under the covers and read without the fear of having to face the cold air outside your blankets again. I'm only able to read a few pages before my eyelids start to close of their own accord.

I slide a bookmark back into the paperback and set it on the desk beside my bed. Flicking off the light, I let myself drift off.

I'm awoken by someone shaking me. Groaning, I roll over to witness Gingka Hagane, already up and hyperactive. "Go away."

"No!" growls Gingka. "Benkei just texted me. Kyoya wants to meet you on top of Metal Tower in like half an hour."

"Is he even human?" I burrow my face into my pillow until Gingka throws the covers off of me. "Fine, just let me change."

I change into a form-fitting, dark blue muscle shirt and black cargo shorts. After I brush my teeth to get the bad taste out of my mouth and grab the belt with all of my Bey equipment, I tie my shoes, get my backpack, and am out the door, accompanied by Gingka. We run to the basement to check in with Madoka, who's working on some toast as she adjusts the performance tip on Hagane's Bey.

"Can I have Pegasus now?" Gingka requests. Madoka glances at him and me.

"Good morning to you guys too," she laughs. "No, there's still some balance issues I need to sort out."

"We don't have time for that now!" retorts my companion.

"Yes we do," I snicker. "I'm the one battling, remember? You won't need your Bey."

"Still…" Gingka shakes his head.

Madoka rolls her eyes. "Fine."

"Sweet."

"Now that that's settled." I smirk. "Metal Tower, here we come."

We start at a brisk pace, stopping only for traffic. Metal Tower is on the south side of town, quite a ways away from the Bey Pit actually, so I decide that we're taking the town bus. After a very crammed ride, the bus deposits us in front of an appliance shop behind the tower.

"We're lucky there's an elevator." I mutter, looking up at the massive building.

"Benkei's lucky," says Gingka. "I bet he has to carry Kyoya everywhere he needs to go." we laugh at the jibe as we step into the elevator and I punch the button for the top floor.

"That's probably accurate," I snicker. "Man, I need to pop my ears." the elevator's been going up at a relatively quick rate, and the pressure's been building up.

"Me too." agrees Madoka. "Metal Tower is the tallest building in the city, it makes sense."

"It won't be after they finish up with that building we did the hundred Bey battle in."

"The one on the west side of town?" I nod at Madoka's question. "Of course they'd want to do the Battle there. Of all the stupid and dangerous places -" Before Madoka can continue, the elevator doors open and the three of us walk out, me leading them.

As soon as I step out of the elevator, I regret it. Wind buffets me, and it takes all the strength I have to remain in place. "This has got to be illegal or something." I grumble. "How am I even supposed to hold my launcher straight?"

"What a pleasant surprise, Kenta Yumiya." says a familiar gruff voice.

"You too, Benkei, minus the surprise part." I say cordially.

"Face Hunters!" Gingka exclaims. All of a sudden, the wind grows stronger. It's all I can do to keep my Sagittario in its carton, but Hagane isn't so lucky. The container that holds his Pegasus snaps open, and the Bey is suddenly tossed in the air. I lunge, but Benkei's got it first. He cackles.

"Give me back my Pegasus!" Gingka yells over the wind, clenching his fists.

"Sure! Just as soon as he beats Kyoya in a battle. No big deal, right?" Benkei taunts, grinning. Oh, he's enjoying this alright.

"Anytime," I retort with a matching easy smile. "Where's Kyoya, anyway?"

"Your worst nightmare? Right here." the Face Hunters part, and Kyoya strides confidently up to the railing overlooking our little trio. "I can handle someone like you all by myself. But can you handle it? Let's do this, right now."

"Are you sure you want to do this Kenta? You don't have t-" Gingka begins, but is interrupted by Tategami.

"Hey, Kenta. Look over there." he taunts, and I oblige.

It's Benkei. His hand is poised over the edge of the railing, and he holds Pegasus in his fist. At any moment, anything could cause his fingers to slip and drop Pegasus off of Metal Tower. "Yoohoo!" he laughs, clearly enjoying this. "If you won't fight, I'll drop the Bey!" he chuckles. "Say bye bye to your Bey Bey!"

"Oh, I'm fighting. No need for that." I smirk as Gingka clenches his fists.

"What's wrong with you?" he yells. "Stop it!"

"Don't worry, Gingka," I sneer at Kyoya. "I've got this in the bag."

We stand on the rooftop stadium, wind tousling my hair. I'm glad I didn't gel it up today, because no amount would be able to slick it permanently, here on the roof of Metal Tower. I assemble my launcher as best as I can in the strong winds, twist my Bey onto it, and hold it ready.

"Okay, three." growls Kyoya.

"Two." I say, grinning. Despite the circumstances, despite the cold, despite Benkei poising Gingka's Bey over a hundred foot drop – I'm enjoying this. And nothing is going to change that fact, because Beyblade is in my veins.

"One!" we both shout. "Let it rip!"

Leone and Sagittario shoot into the stadium, not making the initial impact but circling around each other warily. Leone, however, quickly makes a beeline for the center of the stadium, attempting to find its niche. I can see Tategami's brow furrowing in concentration. It's a smart move – one I won't fall for. I arc my Bey around, slamming it into Leone's fusion wheel to prevent it from gathering power in the center.

Leone was an ideal defense type. Kyoya had confidence in its repelling capabilities. It was very windy up here, and Kyoya would use that wind in order to build up a sort of invisible wall around his Rock Leone. It was a twisted ploy, but it worked. I smirked. It was a good attempt, but it would not move me.

Leone once again slid towards the center, and yet again I batted it away, instead taking up the spot in the center of the stadium as I built up power. "What are you doing?" Kyoya spat. "Leone, go!" The Bey once again charged towards me, but this time I did something that Kyoya didn't expect. I moved for him. Rather than clash fusion wheels with Leone, I spun out of the way so that its extra momentum would carry it further than it intended to go. Once Leone had overshot, I curved back in, smashing its fusion wheel from the underside.

It wobbled a little bit, circling me as Kyoya snarled. "That's alright, I don't need to stay in one place to build up momentum." He shoots his right arm out to the side as Leone begins circling his Bey faster and faster. "Special Move – Lion Gale Force Wall!"

"Hang in there, Kenta!" Gingka yells as the strong wind envelops me and my Sagittario. But I smirk.

"I'm hanging just fine." In fact, I'm hanging perfectly. Sagittario is right in the eye of Leone's storm – the exact center, the powerhouse, the command center. Which means Sagittario is in the perfect position to overcome Kyoya.

"Kyoya Tategami!" I bellow, and even Gingka and Madoka take a step back at the power that my voice holds. "Why don't I show you MY special move?" I bring both of my arms up and swing them down at the same time, creating an X with my forearms. "SAGITTARIO – LIGHTSTORM!"

Everything is still for a moment. And then it happens.

A supernova of light erupts from Sagittario's very core, and the entire building shakes. Leone's tornado is impressive, but it's nothing compared to mine. A swirling mass of pure photon beams seems to rupture the wind, overwhelming the Lion Gale Force Wall as if it were child's play. Leone seems to crumble under its own lost momentum, pathetically wobbling around my Bey, until finally-

It stops.

It's a bit of an anticlimax. The light reenters my Bey, and my Bey returns to my hand. Leone is still in the center of the stadium, tipped on its side. The wind's stopped, and the sun is out.

"All right!" Gingka pumps his fist and grins. "Kenta won!" Madoka hugs him and they bounce on their heels in excitement.

Kyoya, in the meantime, has sunken to his knees. He slams his fists into the ground. "Nrgh! That is...impossible. My plan was flawless. It was a lock! But why- unless. You planned this from the beginning?" he asks me, looking up.

I smirk. "I never plan my battles. But even in the midst of a hurricane, the winds are always weak at the eye of the storm."

"Did I just...see that?" One of the Face Hunters ask. I nod at him, smirking.

"Either Kyoya lost, or I gotta get my eyes checked." Benkei grumbles, handing a happy Gingka his Pegasus.

"Awesome! That was epic, Kenta!" Gingka says, full of energy and practically bouncing out of the stadium. "Thanks to you, I was able to get my Pegasus back?"

"No problem." I grin. It's nice, having friends.