Beyblade Burst: The Legend of the Thunderbird

Chapter Three: Meeting Aiger Akabane

Happened During "Blading Together! Turbo Awakening!":
Erica was practicing by the riverbank and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the stadium that stands before her. She wants some bey launching practice by herself before she faces off anyone else. She closed her eyes as she thought about the launching her bey in specific spot, wait for the outcome of her bey launch, and correct her errors. She's been doing this for three hours, but she decided to do one more practice before she headed towards the hotel that she's staying at for the moment before she leaves for Spain.
"Three!" Erica lowered on her legs. "Two!" Erica relaxed her muscles, but her legs became tensed and grinned excitedly in new hope of her bey launching skills. "One! Let it rip!" Erica jumped into the air and released her electric bey into the stadium, her launcher sparking with electricity like lightning. Erica landed on the grass with her hands and shoes like she had done a great deal of times.
Tempest had hit the stadium hard and started zooming around in the stadium in a bright golden light tailing behind it. Erica smiled at the sight of it, she always admired the way her bey lights up and powers through the stadium. It's almost like Tempest has the power of thunder and the speed of lightning built in her, which always makes Erica proud of her bey.
"Keep it up Tempest!" called out Erica.
Tempest zoomed in the stadium in good speed, but Erica knew she could do better. Tempest hit the stadium walls a few times, causing some electrical sparks to fly out behind Tempest's and continued zooming around the stadium with electric sparks flying behind it, almost like Valtryek during a Rush Launch or something. But that didn't stop Tempest, it continued zooming around the stadium as fast as it can.
"Not too bad. But could be better." Erica looked down at her launcher with a slight frown. "I probably moved my hand a bit too much and it sort of tipped off my launch." Erica watched as Tempest zoomed around excitedly in the stadium and smiled at her bey before she refocused on her errors. "I was probably off-balance too, I have to work on that." Erica glanced at the amber sunset and the river that's shimmering the reflections off of the sunset.
"Okay, partner." Erica gave a tired smile to Tempest and raised a hand to pick up her bey. "That's enough practice for today. We can practice more tomorrow." Tempest hit the left side of the stadium and came flying into Erica's gloved hand, in which she calmly caught and looked down at Tempest with a smile. "Atta girl, Tempest. We've gotten pretty far today, but it's time for some shut eye." Erica cleaned her bey before she pocketed Tempest away and looked down at the stadium thoughtfully.
She hasn't been in many tournaments yet, but she worked in some national tag team battles with a few others. Erica apparently has a keen eye when it comes to know what's going to happen in battles and which opponent they're going to send out first. She has worked with Maya and her logical sense of battle strategy, and Kit's determination and observate nature. But Erica felt as if she was stuck in her training, though she knows that it's teamwork between her and Tempest. Erica has high hopes for her and her partner's beyblading career, so she decided to keep practicing and see if she can make it to the national tournaments.
Erica took out Tempest and showed her the sunset as she said with a determined smile, "When the time is right, we'll show everybody what we can do by ourselves."
"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE PHI FOR WHAT HE'S DONE!" At that, Erica fumbled with Tempest and caught her bey before she could accidentally drop it onto the grass or into the river. She quickly regained her footing before she had a chance to fall too.
"Land to the sky!" exclaimed Erica in shock and looked around incredulously after she regained her hold on Tempest. "What in the heck was that?"
She pocketed Tempest again and stood in the shade of a tree to see a fiery eleven year old boy standing on top of the white staircase, shouting his frustration loudly and looking down at his bey in worry. The boy has light skin, tied spiky maroon hair and eyebrows, and rebellious turquoise eyes. He has a red letter "A" tattooed on his left cheek, and several bandage strips on his face: a horizontal one on his right cheek, two horizontal ones placed vertically on his right temple, and a horizontal one over an "X" shaped bandage on his left temple. He's wearing a white shirt, jet black shorts with blue-buckled suspenders, a short-sleeved burgundy Letterman's jacket with a black-striped white collar, tomato sleeves, border and pocket lining, and burgundy sneakers with a tomato border, white laces, and white toe caps. His jacket has a light cyan circle with an upside-down dark-blue "A" on the back and three yellow buttons on the front: one on the right side with a dark blue Beyblade symbol, and two on the left, the upper one an upside-down dark blue "A," and the bottom a dark blue star. He also has a dark blue hand brace on his left hand and wrist.
Erica recognizes the kid, he's Aiger Akabane from the Lúinor Cup. Valt had told her about him after his forest trip to Akabane residence to evolve Valtryek and she had watched the BeyShow during the Beyblade Cruise on TV. She also heard that he has a strong resonance, but he was corrupted by Phi. Though, he snapped out of it after Phi had broke his bey, Achilles, at the Dark Tower. Erica felt sympathetic and proud towards the newest rookie Blader and deeply disgusted for the lack of honor on Phil's side as well as his taste for breaking beys during beybattles. But, at the moment, Aiger seemed to be having an inward battle with himself.
"You're Aiger Akabane, aren't you?" Erica stepped out of hiding from the shade of the tree and looked up at Aiger with a sympathetic smile.
"Gah!" Aiger jumped in place, but he saw her and rushed up in front of her as he pointed his finger at her. "Who are you?!"
Erica at him in concern at Aiger's troubled expression and didn't answer Aiger's question, since that'll keep some troubles out of the way. "Are you okay?"
"I-I don't know!" Aiger sounded frustrated and anger with himself. "I just don't know what to do!"
Erica suddenly realized that Aiger was trying cover up his fear of Achilles being shattered into pieces again by Phi with his angered frustration. Back then, Erica used to be really anxious before the national tag team battles and she hid it with her gruff side till one day that changed...
Erica looked at the door that'll lead her and her team into the next tag team competition. She was keeping a fair distance from her teammates, so she won't snap at them again. But despite this, her nerves were getting the best of her and anxiety has begun to rise. She felt herself trembling in fear and anxiety, but she felt snapped out of it as a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder.
"Focus on the fun you're having in the battle and embrace the passion you have for beyblading." Erica turned to look at Free De La Hoya, the temporary captain of the team. "That's how you can become a champion."
Erica tilted her head in confusion and gave him a doubtful look to which he chuckled at. It's like he can see past her defenses and see that she's actually anxious and doesn't want everybody to know that fact.
"After all, Valt has taught me that in the International Blader's Cup," said Free with a smile.
Erica was surprised to hear that, but she felt herself relaxed and smiled back at Free as she suddenly felt the warmth of excitement washed over her as Free led her, Maya, and Kit out to the lit stage.
"You're scared," said Erica with an air of realization, that made Aiger spun around to look at her with wide eyes. "You're scared of seeing Achilles being broken by the same person again."
Aiger look angry at first and looked ready to yell again, but one calm look from Erica and he quickly relented. He looked down at his red bey in his trembling hand and he clutched it protectively. He closed his eyes and struggled to hold back his tears. But Erica knew Aiger has to get it out of his system or he'll be in a heap of trouble.
"You're right," said Aiger. "I'm terrified of losing Achilles again, but..."
"But what?" Aiger opened his eyes and cleared his tears with his arm to look at Erica, who watched him with a calm expression.
"But I have to do it," Aiger said as Achilles gleamed at him. "I don't want anyone to feel the same pain of losing their beys as I did."
"You are quite braver than you take credit for," admitted Erica with a proud smile. "You're willing to face your fears when others would be going into hiding by now." Erica chuckled quietly at the irony of the situation and added to herself more softly, "Probably what that phoenix feather brain would do by now."
"Thanks." Aiger gave her a brief smile, but he frowned at his bey as worry ran through his turquoise eyes. "But I... just don't know how to take Phi down yet."
"Your bey is a balance type, correct?" Erica had seen Achilles attacked before, but doesn't lean into his other skills yet.
"Yes." Aiger looked at Erica in confusion, clearly not understanding of what she's trying to say to him and confirming her question.
Just like mine, thought Erica and said, "Then, maybe, you should lean into your bey's other talents other than just attack."
"What do you mean?" asked Aiger.
"Try and find the reason why there's a balance type is known for its own strengths," Erica explained. "After all, it has more than one strength." She smiled at him in slight amusement. "It has the combination of the three bey types: Attack has extreme speed and strong hits. Defense can't be knocked out easily and can do counter-attacks after strong hits. Lastly, Stamina can endure all attacks and can keep spinning." Erica met Aiger's gaze calmly. "In order to defeat Phi, you should lean into your bey's other strengths that you haven't tapped in yet."
"I think I get it." Aiger smiled at the idea of it, but he still looked puzzled and unsure. "But I don't know how to tap into yet and I didn't have much practice with it either."
"You're friends with Ranjiro and Fubuki, right?" asked Erica, remembering Rantaro's younger brother and Shu's first student.
"Yeah, so what?" Aiger looked at her challengingly, to which Erica smiled at his assertive and protective spirit.
"So, let them help you," Erica replied. "After all, I've noticed how worried they are about you."
Aiger looked towards the direction he had came from and said, "I guess you're right. I'm just not used to making friends before. Back then, it was just me, my little sister, and our parents out in the woods with our farm." Aiger shook his head with a small smile and looked towards the school. "But now... I'm glad I've met them."
"Just remember your friends want to help you because they care about you Aiger," said Erica with a smile.
"I will. Thanks." Aiger smiled at Erica and she nodded to him with a warm smile.
Erica glanced up at the approaching dark blue night sky and the first stars had started to appear in the appearing night sky. The moon is started to appear in the faint color of arriving silver, while the sun started to look like fading ember in the amber sky.
"It's getting late," muttered Erica and Aiger nodded his agreement. "We better head home now." Erica looked at Aiger with sisterly concern. "Come on, lets take you back to your tent."
"Okay." Aiger pocketed Achilles and followed Erica with a calmer and happier expression as they both walked towards the Beigoma Academy. Erica's thoughts had wandered back to the bey match between Phi and Hyde. She was disgusted with Phi's performance in that battle against Hyde and was more than a little angry that he has taken the main piece of Hyde's Hades away from him. What she had seen on the TV was the most dishonorable and disgusting battle she had seen in her whole entire Blading career. Sure, Hyde was a little odd and obsessed with beybattles, but nobody deserves having their beys destroyed like that. Not mention Erica was angry at Phi on the behalf of Free and Shu after their beys have been wrecked to pieces too after their battles against Phi.
But he soon noticed Erica's downright furious expression and decided to ask her about it. "Are you okay?"
"Uh?" Erica snapped out of her thoughts and looked at a concerned Aiger. "Yeah. I'm just disgusted by Phi's performance in battle against Hyde. I mean, seriously, that guy has no honor of whatsoever." She shook her head at the thought of it.
"Yeah, I would know," admitted Aiger with a frown.
"That's why I had solemnly sworn to never ever break a single bey in my whole entire Blading career no matter what," Erica said fiercely, her blue eyes flashed with a fierce light like lightning.
"Wow, you do have more honor than I first thought," said Aiger, in awe by her.
"No matter how bad my opponent may be," Erica continued fiercely. "I will not destroy their bey. Besides—" Erica tossed her hair over her shoulder and smoothed it a bit from the wind. "That'll make me as bad as them and there's no way I'll be snooping down to their level of thinking."
Aiger smiled up at her, both in awe and pride of Erica's fierce honor and mercy that she gives to both her opponents and rivals.
She's really honorable and merciful, thought Aiger. Maybe I should do that to Phi and maybe that show him the true way of beyblading.
"Well, here we are." The two of them both stopped by the petting zoo, though Erica raised an amused eyebrow at the sight of the sleeping sheep and chickens surrounding the orange camping tent.
Aiger yawned and started to look drowsy, he looked at her as he swung over the fence and said, "Night Wise Eye."
Erica blinked in surprise and started to walk away as she thought, Did he just give me a nickname?
But she soon heard a thump with a bit of low beating and clucking, Erica came back to see Aiger was fast asleep with a couple of sheep and chickens surrounding him in the wooden shed. She bit back a laugh at the sight and only shook her head in amusement as as she started to walk away from the school with a fond, amused smile.
Something tells me Aiger Akabane might start reminding me of Valt Aoi, thought Erica as she headed towards the hotel.