Beyblade: A New Era

The Crack in the Ceiling

He stood across from her, arms crossed and eyes directly at her. He had a grin so menacingly that she couldn't even look him in the eye. Eli and Rodolpho both caught notice of this and so did Ace and Jaime. Jaime, watching through the monitor, tried to read what was on Kyle's mind that was making Maya so uncomfortable, but minds are hard to read when they're through a television screen. Jaime grunted with frustration and muttered, "Why is Maya so nervous now?"
Concerned for her, Ace wondered the same. What is Kyle doing now? Ace thought. Eli was the most worried and he shouted, "You can do this, Maya! Believe in yourself!"
Rodolpho, observing this, whispered to himself, "There's a definite intimidation going on, but how strong is it? Can Maya get through this?"
Ace started clenching onto Flaremane and Jaime discovered something private and unusual of the quiet boy. He stared at the quiet kid and wondered, Could he be really thinking that?
Back to the free-for-all, Maya had been telling herself not to look at Kyle's eyes for she would fear the worst, and she did: eye-to-eye contact during the heat of the moment. Suddenly, she felt stiff and frigid, frightened and particularly cautious of every move she would make. Please, don't let this happen...
Kyle chuckled, "What's wrong, girly? Cat caught your tongue?"
Ah, he's onto me! She was terrified, making exaggerations in her mind about what he could be thinking of her. Kyle, cocky as he was, thought, This is easier than I thought. All I gotta do is push that little spinner outta there and hello returning champ!
Ooh...
She tried to break out of it. Maya! Stop this! Remember what you came here for...hold on. Suddenly, it became clear to her. She looked at the spinning Pixolon, which was gradually slowing down, and then spotted Kyle's bulky bey. Then something clicked in her and she suddenly found the light.
"Alright, Pixolon!" Her voice started to crescendo. "Let's give the crowd something to think about!" As Pixolon revolved around the dish, it started to speed up, passing and swerving through the other beys. The fellow beybladers were amazed by such speed. Rodolpho was amazed as well. In his experience and time in Piyorka Town, he's never seen such a fast beyblade other than his own. He exclaimed, "What speed! Where is she getting this from?"
Eli gasped with amazement and triumph. He shouted proudly, "Yes! Maya finally got her groove back!"
At that moment, there were twenty beys left in the dish and all were an easy obstacle for Pixolon to evade. Kyle was the most shocked, as well as Jaime who could spot Maya's spark and read Ace's mind. He looked at Ace and back at Maya, glancing subtly. He thought, Man, the things I could do with my mind! However, there comes a price...but I'll pay it when it comes!
Kyle gasped, "How is this possible?"
"You may have intimidated me," Maya responded with confidence, "but there's one thing I got that you don't."
Kyle growled, "And what's that?"
"You got no faith in your bey!"
"What?"
"That's right. No faith!"
"The hell do you mean?"
Ace inched toward the screen, confused as well. "What is she doing?" he asked himself. Jaime watched the screen with intense fear and wondered, "I hope you know what you're doing, Maya. Kyle is one tough cookie."
Maya stared down at Kyle and smirked, "All your life, for the past two years, you've had this champ title...but now, it's getting predictable, right?"
"Uh..." He started to lose concentration. "I guess so."
As they conversed about having faith in the sport, a perplexed Charlie Boncal announced the commotion bit by bit and then watched the timer for quick second. Then his eyes stayed on the timer, stunned by the countdown's progress. Rodolpho gasped, "That's it."
Eli turned back and asked, "What's going on?"
Rodolpho laughed, "Well, Miss Maya here is one smart blader, isn't she? Just watch and observe, Eli."
"Oh," Eli responded, confused at his response. He turned back and watched with his family, who were sleeping at the moment. He then discovered that his father was snoring and that Trisha was gone. He freaked out, "Where's Mrs. MacArthur? Oh no, this ain't good!"
His phone vibrated and it was a short message from Trisha. "B Back Soon."
"What does this mean?" Eli asked himself. He then remembered when Trisha came running to them, hugging her bag. Was she carrying something for Maya? What were they planning?
During the free-for-all, Kyle soon found out that he was wasting time and discovered Maya's trick. He baffled, "Agh, you were playing me all along!"
Maya smirked, "I was wondering when it was gonna catch up to you!" She started to laugh and Kyle got angry. "That's it," he yelled furiously. "You'll feel the wrath—"
The bell rang, resonating and vibrating throughout the stadium and arena.
Charlie Boncal proudly called the end of the third round of free-for-all and announced that there were twenty beys left in the dish, the highest number today. Eli and George cheered as Rodolpho stood back, amazed and impressed. Jaime was astonished as well, thinking of how clever and interesting that tactic was. Ace was blown away as well.
"She got through by just wasting time?" Ace scoffed. He crossed his arms and turned away in disappointment. "How lame."
But Jaime knew otherwise. He chuckled so creepily as he went behind Ace's back and whispered into his ear, "I know what you were thinking!"
Ace freaked out and jumped, landing in front of Jaime face-to-face. He gasped out of fright and then recognized him. "Wait, I know you from somewhere. Don't you go to my school?"
Jaime chuckled, leaving for the waiting room. "I guess word goes around," he snickered. Ace thought, What a strange guy...
He then spotted a woman gasping for air near another waiting room. She saw him and asked, "Son, please tell me this is where the waiting room is."
"Uh, yeah," Ace answered. She sighed of relief. They heard footsteps pounding against the ground and found that it was Maya. Wanting to congratulate her, Ace thought he had found his chance but then the woman cut into his direction and followed Maya into the waiting room, slamming the door and locking it. Jaime and Carl joined Ace's side and Carl noted, "Well, that was strange."
"Seems like Maya has more than just an unconventional approach to this competition," Jaime added on. Ace and Carl looked at Jaime as he finished, "But then again, I could be reading someone's mind."
Carl gasped, "How are you doing that?"
The mind reader laughed and said, "It's a talent that few acquire on their own. See you guys in the rounds." He returned to the waiting room for boys. Ace and Carl looked at each other in pure confusion. Then Trisha came out with a loaded bag and wished good luck to her daughter. Maya called out, "Thank you, Mom! I owe you one!" As the door was closing, the boys could hear her say, "Alright, Pixolon, let's see how this works."
"She's fixing her bey?" Ace asked. Carl took note to that and complimented, "That is a sign of a smart blader. She may be new to our town, but she's definitely not new to the game. She must have a very good trainer to get to where she is."
Charlie Boncal called into the intercom: "Alright beybladers, the matches have been set so take a look!"
Jaime, along with the crowd, joined Ace and Carl by the board to see the matchups. Before being pushed over by the "almighty" Kyle, Ace saw that his match was near Maya's and Carl's was a little while after and the last match was Jaime's. Jaime smirked, thinking, This should be easy, since I'm the last one for the day and all I have to do is watch everyone's match and figure out their blading technique. I highly doubt Carl has any power of his own. But what of Ace and Maya? Are they up to snuff? I'll have to find out for myself.
As Kyle bent toward the board to find his name, he was shocked. He shouted, "Are you serious? You put me up against that girl?"
"You got a problem?" Maya said, silencing the crowd in the hallway. They made way for her to walk through to meet up with the frustrated Kyle. Jaime, Ace and Carl all backed off with the other competitors. Carl shivered, "This ain't good."
They then noticed something else: Maya had completely transformed into another outfit, but why? Instead of being in the jeans and a blue shirt like she wore for school that day, she found herself more comfortable in black sweatpants, yellow tank top and dark-colored gloves that look like leather. Her long, fuschia hair was tied into two braids. Jaime gasped, "Whoa, how can she do that in five minutes? Not even my cousin can handle that and he's a makeup artist!"
As she walked, the boys admired her every move, the way she moved with pride and confidence. It didn't seem to faze Kyle but this year, the game has reached a new level and everybody had to get with it. When Maya finally came up to Kyle, she asked, "I repeat myself. You got a problem?"
"No," Kyle said with bravado. "Unless of course, you knock me out of the game, which I highly doubt you could do."
Maya smirked, "You sound awfully confident, especially after I almost knocked out your bey."
He growled and snapped, "Well, if you didn't!"
He was cut off by an elderly man in a suit and small glasses. The humble old man pleaded, "Please no fighting. We must get the rounds underway. Come on, first match to the block in five minutes!"
"Yes, Mr. Dickinson," Kyle affirmed. He gave Maya a stink eye and left. Maya crossed her arms and growled, feeling furiated by his presence. Carl came by her side and rationed, "Hey Maya, it's alright. In the match, you'll show him who's boss."
Jaime popped up. "Yeah, and maybe, just maybe, we'll see a new face as our champion."
Feeling comforted by them, Maya was pleased to know that she had people besides her family to support her. She responded with a calm voice, "Thank you, guys, for being there. It's tough, being the only girl here but I came here for a reason and I intend to keep that."
"Oh," Jaime said, unaware of this new thought. It seemed to have come off from the whim, like suddenly getting slapped in the face by a harsh cold wind. "And what reason is that?"
As Maya went into the waiting room for girls, she turned over her shoulder with a big smile and slyly responded, "You'll see."
Jaime became confused as they watched her descend and Carl asked him, "What's up?"
Jaime, thinking hard, muttered, "How did I not read that? This girl is strange, but I like it."
"Wah," Carl responded, not being surprised by this fact, "you got a distinct taste, don't you now?"
Charlie Boncal got on the mic and announced the first match. Ace, watching the screen, found a seat by the wall and decided to get comfortable until his match. Carl and Jaime joined him. Carl, intently watching into the screen, said eagerly, "Man, the wait for your match can be troubling to face, isn't it?"
Jaime agreed, noting that he could sense the boys' nervousness. He turned over to the quiet Ace and asked, "You're probably the most nervous, aren't you?"
He looked down and gave a subtly affirmative grunt. Jaime leaned back, sensing his signal for solitude. "Okay, I won't bother you, dude," Jaime said, watching at the screen. Soon Maya joined their side and asked, "So what are we watching?"
"The first match," Carl said. Realizing the schedule, Carl noted, "Hey, that means your match is next. Are you nervous?"
She took a deep breath and responded, "My whole life, I've prepared myself for this. I'm more than nervous."
One of the WBBA officials ran over to Maya, alerting her that she would be on deck. She affirmed his order and said goodbye to her new friends. They returned it with words of good luck. As she made her way to the big doors before the stage, she started to reconcile what she had been through. She thought, I can't believe it. My years of beyblading in the backyard and playing with my friends in New Lights and Amarnia and here I am, entering the stadium in a new town. I've already met some great yet interesting people here, like Carl the genius, Jaime the mindreader, Rodolpho the teacher, and Ace...well, I don't know what he is yet but we'll soon find out when I fulfill his promise at the stadium.
Through the big doors that shielded the vast, powerful lights, Maya could hear the crowd roaring and the slight sounds of metal clashing against each other. Just imagine, Maya thought, this will be my moment. She looked at her beyblade and whispered, "This is for everyone, Pixolon."
Out of the blue, she heard someone guffaw and she squealed, scared out of her skin. "Who was that?" Maya gasped. The voice scoffed, "It's me, girly. Your opponent."
"Oh," Maya said. "Kyle Vorte. You ready?"
"That depends," Kyle said, walking from the darkness. Charlie Boncal was heard announcing the end of the match. Kyle continued, "Are you ready?"
That's when the big doors came open and the light broke through. Maya was nearly blinded but caught herself. She saw the two beybladers that played before her, one in defeat and the other with a victorious smile, walk between them and it was cue for Maya and Kyle to enter the light. Under his breath, Kyle said, "Good luck."
Maya was caught off-guard by the statement, but pushed it aside. They entered the stadium and Charlie Boncal, taking a slight glance at Maya, once again announced the history-breaker: "And here comes the crack in the glass ceiling, Maya MacArthur, and her opponent, returning champion, Kyle Vorte! Who will win and will the ceiling be broken? Oh, the excitement is just excruciating!"
As they made their way to the beydish, Maya heard in the distant someone calling out her name. She looked over and saw her family cheering for her and a vaguely familiar face sitting next to Rodolpho. She couldn't tell who it was, but something in her heart was wanting her to believe that it was the real deal. She digressed from the mystery and waited for Charlie Boncal to reveal the rules: three-round match, one with two wins takes it.
"Got it?" he asked them. Both beybladers affirmed it, getting out their launchers and beys ready for launch. Maya was determined to get her name out there, proving that she could do something on her own. She connected her mind with that of Pixolon's, reminding herself of her goal. Charlie Boncal spoke into his mic, "Alrighty then! Three...two...one!"
On cue, at the exact same moment, the two bladers released their beys. "Let's go, Pixolon!" Maya shouted, watching as Pixolon nearly touched Kyle's bey as they landed in the dish. Charlie observed, "Whoo, let at them go, racing like a bunch of speedsters! Don't worry about a speeding ticket!"
Maya, though she was extremely nervous, kept her ground for she knew how powerful Pixolon is, considering that Kyle didn't have a Bit Beast. Therefore, she would have more power than Kyle could possibly think. She soon felt comfortable with that thought and waited for her chance. She spoke to herself, "Huh, this will be like my battle with Carl."
As the beys raced about the dish, Kyle got flustered with waiting and decided to go in for the attack. The bulky bey, obeying his command, slammed into Pixolon, causing panic to the boys that were watching. Carl expressed his concern: "Oh no, can Maya's bey handle that power?"
Jaime smirked, "Nah, she's got it..."
Kyle, confident with his attack, laughed, "Ha, take that!"
Maya grinned, "Think again."
Kyle gasped, caught off-guard by the sight. He looked at the dish, witnessing Pixolon holding its ground up against the bulky bey. He looked up at Maya in shock and Maya continued, "It takes more than size to take down Pixolon, and I haven't even released my full power yet."
Kyle gasped out of disbelief. Maya fired up and shouted, "Pixolon, push him back!" She had a style when she stepped back with her left and swooped her right arm forth, tilting her head with a sly smile.
Pixolon, listening to the command, gave in a little bit and pushed the bulky bey off the curved incline of the huge dish. At the rim, Pixolon gave one last shove and the opponent's bey had left the dish and onto the floor. Kyle gasped, as well as the crowd. Ace and Carl got up at the same time and Carl shuddered, "How did she do that?"
Jaime responded cleverly, "Who knows? Even I can't tell."
"Whoa," Charlie Boncal shouted into his mic. "At his first match, the returning champ has been knocked out at the first round! Can he make a comeback or will the ceiling start cracking?"
Rodolpho became very intrigued in the competition for the first time. "This girl is amazing. She can hold up against a hefty beyblade such as Kyle's and was able to knock it out in the first round...but can she do it again?"
Eli turned around to Rodolpho and responded, "It's my stepsister we're talking about, she'll think of something. She can be unpredictable."
"I would hope so," Rodolpho responded with uncertainty. He sat back with some degree of comfort, muttering, "She is one peculiar character."
The person who sat next to Rodolpho chuckled and responded, "She thought the same of me."
Rodolpho replied, "Then you must've trained her well. What is your name, by the way?"
The woman chuckled, lowering her head so that her frizzy blonde hair covered the sides of her faces, which was also shielded by her shades. Only one person knew who she was and how much she wouldn't miss it to see Maya and Pixolon battle it out on the stage, but that's all there was to know at this moment.
Kyle, in complete shock, slowly walked over to his fallen bey and examined its features. It was slightly scratched, but all it would take is some saliva on the finger to wipe it off. He looked over to the proud Maya, who was checking her bey. He thought, She's got skill. I better watch out and start thinking straight. She's more than what she says.
He walked over to the dish and called out to Maya, "Hey, that was a round!"
Maya, caught off-guard by this response, looked up and grunted in confusion. Kyle continued, "No, really. I've never seen someone push my bey like that. I wanna see what you got, okay?"
Understanding what he was saying, Maya took it as a mutual respect and shouted back, "Ready when you are!" Kyle smirked and Ace, noticing this, thought, What are you doing, Kyle?
They both prepared their beys for launch and Charlie started the countdown. As Charlie announced the countdown, Kyle thought, This time, she won't know what's coming to her.
Maya thought, I already got one win under my belt, but that doesn't mean anything! Pixolon, let's do this!
"One!" Charlie Boncal shouted, starting the command to release the beys. This time, with a little direction to the left, Maya was able to cross Kyle's bey in midair. They scratched each other over the midsection of the dish and landed on opposite sides of the dish and away, they started revolving around the dish.
Eli, excited and eager for his stepsister, grabbed onto his seat and shouted, "Come on! Do it, Maya!"
George and Trisha cheered and the mysterious woman shouted for Maya as well. As the second round went underway, Kyle decided to go in for the offense, ramming his bey into Pixolon. It started off as tailgating, and soon the bulky bey ended slowing Pixolon down from the rear. Maya gasped, "Oh no, Pixolon!"
The boys by the screen gasped. Carl shuddered, "This isn't good!"
Jaime pouted, "And I was just getting to know her..."
Maya was scared, afraid that Pixolon won't be able to handle it, and that's when she remembered the notes she had for Pixolon. Running through the names, she stopped on one of the very first ones. She commanded, "Alright, Pixolon! Use Defense!"
Pixolon, being pushed harshly by the bulky bey, understood the command and rearranged itself. Ace, observing this action, remarked, "Why is she using a defense stance? She should be pushing back!"
Carl noticed his anguish and pointed out, "Well, you're pumped for one thing, aren't you?"
Ace turned back and said, "Huh?"
Jaime laughed, knowing the real reason, and Ace sat back down and watched. Carl looked on and thought, Ace is acting weird. He's usually quiet and never bothers anyone, except Rodolpho. Why is he acting like...?
Carl thought of something and shook his head in negativity, doubting it could ever be that. Jaime, reading his thoughts, chuckled to himself and thought, Man, are these two a crack or what? I can't wait to start blading with these two!
Now with a round top piece, Pixolon found the acceleration to continue, causing Kyle's bey to slow down. Kyle gasped and Maya chuckled cleverly. "You may think I'm weak because I'm smaller," Maya said, "but you forgot about my experience."
"What?" Kyle gasped. Maya stood up tall, looking down and had her eyes closed. Charlie Boncal observed, "What is this? What is happening?"
Maya, concentrating and removing everything from her mind, could only see Pixolon in the pitch-black room. There was no sound, excepting for her soft breathing and the gentle repetition of her heart. Soon, she could see a bright, glowing aura radiating out of the violet spinning top. The aura began to take shape and formed a hand that grasped onto Maya's. Maya, looking at the enigmatic figure, affirmed, "Let's do this!"
Pixolon, with all its might, spun faster like never before and slammed into Kyle's bey. The boys gasped as well as the MacArthur family. Rodolpho was amazed and gasped, "How can she do that with a defense ring?"
The mysterious woman chuckled and casually explained, "It's called friction."
Rodolpho sounded confused and she continued, "I can't believe you're a teacher and you still haven't figured it out."
"The friction...?" Rodolpho tried to figure it out himself.
They went back to watching the second round, where Pixolon was winning once again. Maya pumped her fist in the air and shouted, "Full force, Pixolon!"
Ramming it up to the rim, it became the same situation and Pixolon gave it one last push and boom, Kyle was out of the game! The crowd gasped and Charlie Boncal was shocked. He was so speechless that he forgot his position and announced Maya to be the winner of her first match. The crowd erupted. Maya was slightly exhausted but when Pixolon came to her hand, she suddenly realized the outcome. She squealed, "I won? I won! I won!"
Eli screamed from the stands, "She won!"
He then looked around at the people who were staring at him and he explained, "She's my sister."
"Huh?" they asked. Eli sighed, "My father and her mother."
"Oh," they realized, returning their eyes to the stage. As Maya cheered, Charlie Boncal hollered, "Well, this is amazing! With two wins, Maya MacArthur has beaten the returning champ Kyle in just one match!"
"No, this can't be..." Kyle shuddered, falling to his knees. He was in total disbelief as he cradled his scratched beyblade in his hands. Maya walked over to him, noticing his despair. He looked up and saw her smile. "Cheer up," Maya said. "It's not the end. It's only the beginning."
Kyle seemed confused at first, but he slowly understood. He got up and shook Maya's hand. "Good luck to you," Kyle said. "You really had me on the run for my money. There's some awesome bladers in this tournament, so treat them well."
"Hey, thanks," Maya said, shaking his hand. They left the stage and the officials prepared for the next match. Ace started to feel nervous for his match, since it was coming up next. Jaime rubbed his shoulder and comforted, "Hey, don't fret, pal. We all get nervous. Just have faith in your Bit-Beast."
Ace jumped up and snapped, "How did you know about my Bit-Beast?"
As if it was obvious, Jaime shrugged and uttered, "Duh, I can read minds."
Ace rambled, "Alright, wise guy! Let's see if you can read this!" He barged his face in front of Jaime's and challenged him to a mind match. With ease, Jaime casually responded, "Your mother's necklace is a turquoise gem attached by a gold-plated chain, you hate the sound of the ocean even though your home is twenty minutes from Ranroth Beach, and you got a crush on a girl, but I won't say who..."
Realizing that he was correct, Ace ranted, "How do you do this?"
Jaime chuckled, "You'll find out soon..."
Carl, while witnessing this scuffle, also spotted Maya and pointed her out. The boys got themselves in position to greet her, congratulating her on her first victory. Maya smiled passionately and said, "Thank you, guys. Y'all are a real gem."
Jaime whispered into Ace's ear, "Hey, she just complimented you."
Ace, hiding his blush, whispered back, "Will you quit it? You're real annoying, sometimes!"
Jaime laughed. Maya smiled, laughing a little bit and explained, "You know, I was afraid to come here and then when I met you guys, you made feel me comfortable here in Piyorka Town."
Carl smiled and responded, "I'm glad you feel happy here, Maya. And once again, congratulations on your victory. Kyle is one tough customer."
"Yeah, but it takes more than just size to knock me down," Maya said. She excused herself to the bathroom and the boys stayed by the huge screen. Carl noticed that Jaime was thinking of something. He asked, "And now what are you thinking about?"
"Well," Jaime started. "Now that Maya has defeated Kyle, that leaves the throne wide open...and it just came to me that Maya could face any one of us."
"Oh yeah..." Carl said and Ace realized it too. The boys got to thinking and really starting prepping themselves for the challenge named Maya. Who could she be facing next?
Will it be the clever genius Carl?
The mischievous mind-reader Jaime?
Or the silent yet fiery Ace?
Who knows?