Beyblade: A New Era

A Bey to Pick

The Monday after the tournament came to a noisy, boisterous start. The greetings to the new champion Maya was astounding and could be heard from all corners of the School of Piyorka Town. Such cheering and hollering along challenge requests came from all side, but the strong champion stood her ground as she made it to her classes with ease. At the cafeteria, everyone was asking Maya to join their table, but with a small ounce of kindness, Maya rejected them, proceeding to sitting with her group of friends: Jaime, Carl and his friends. Carl's friends asked Maya if they could know the secret to such blading techniques and Maya responded with her fist on her chest, "It's not the power in the bey that decides it. It's the power within."
    They seemed confused and Carl chuckled, "You'll figure it out in time."
     Joining them was Maya's stepbrother Eli, who was as ecstatic as ever. "Hey bro," Maya said. Eli smiled and cheered, "Oh how is my champ of a sis doing? Hey, if there's any paparazzi bothering you, I'll sock them out for ya!"
     He winked and she laughed. She responded, "Oh I can protect myself..." Looking around the table, she noticed something was missing. She noted, "Hey, where's Ace?"
    "Huh," Jaime noticed as well. He looked over to the empty seat and looked back at the curiously concerned Maya. He thought, She seems worried about him.
     Carl was concerned as well. He hasn't been in school since Friday. But then it was just two days that he was gone. Then Carl thought of something else as Maya pointed out, "You know, Mr. Herman has been really quiet as well. He's not as vocal as he used to be since the Tournament ended."
     "Yeah," Carl said, thinking about something that seemed to upset him. Jaime noticed this and read into it. He then thought, Gee, this may be deeper than I thought. What ties could Mr. Herman have with Ace?
     After classes had finished, Carl ran over to Rodolpho's classroom just before the teacher was about to leave. Noticing his rush, Rodolpho was stunned. Before he could speak to the panting genius, Carl spoke, "Tell me what you know!"
    "What?"
     "Ace! You've been training him, haven't you?" Carl figured. Rodolpho found himself in a corner and sighed, realizing that he must reveal his concerns. They both sat down after the door was closed. Carl got out his laptop and pulled up the information on Flaremane. Showing Rodolpho the details, Carl explained, "As you can see here, Flaremane's defense appears unscathed but his attack ring looks like it went through a ringer or something. This was before his match with me. Then after the tournament, I was lucky to clear up some scratches on the attack ring but the defense took a pounding as well..."
    Studying the stats and history of progress, Rodolpho asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
    "You've been training him," Carl pressed. "Haven't you noticed any damages, or any concerns with the bey?"
     Thinking back to their practices, Rodolpho found nothing of the sort but he also mentioned something about a spirit. "A what?" Carl asked. It was almost the same thing that Maya said to his friends.
    Rodolpho cleared his throat. He explained, "Carl, beyblade is a sport, but there are those who choose to take it to the next level. Those who do that have something called a spirit. With that, the power of a bey is unlimited. There's nothing in the world that could put a permanent barrier on the bonds of a blader and their bey."
    "What?" Carl wondered. He thought, That's the same thing Maya said. What are they talking about, a spirit? Could that be what I saw at the tournament? That snake, that lion, that fairy? Were those their spirits? I have so much to learn.
    Rodolpho stood back, checking on his phone. He noticed something and alerted his young student about his business. Carl perked up as well. They both got up and Carl said, "Oh yeah, I promised Maya that I would take her on a tour of Piyorka Town."
    "Oh that sounds fun," Rodolpho said. "Be safe." He led him out of the classroom and they met up with Maya, Eli and Jaime at the entrance. Jaime looked around and asked, "So ready to walk home?"
    "Yeah," Maya said, "but first, a tour of Piyorka Town please." She stared at Carl and he chuckled, blushing a little bit. Rodolpho was about to say goodbye to them just when...
    Whoosh!
    A swift breeze in the air passed through the children and they all blocked themselves from whatever was coming. But for Maya, she felt something was strange or a threat was coming. With ease, she raised her two fingers into the open air and, probably just by magic, a card was caught in the crevice. The wind stopped and everyone lowered their guard. Carl remarked, "What was that?"
    Eli, sensing something bad in the air, looked to Maya's hand and thought, Could that be...?
    "What are you holding there, Maya?" Jaime asked. Maya looked at the card and responded, "Funny that you should ask that, Jaime. It looks weird."
     Eli blurted out of the blue, "Maybe it's a challenge."
     "A what?" Carl asked. Jaime baffled, "But who would challenge Maya?"
     Maya opened up the card and read, "MacArthur, it has come to my attention that you have been messing with my crew. As the leader, I see this to be a threat and would love to teach you a thing or two about my crew. Come meet me where the darkness is our ally -Jackets"
     Carl and Jaime gasped. Jaime uttered, "The Jackets?"
     "Oh no..." Carl stammered. Eli asked, "Who are they?"
     Jaime answered, "They are the meanest beyblading gang in the Town. They've been challenging people and taking their beys when they lose."
     Eli picked up on something. He remembered back to when Maya first met Ace and Rodolpho and she faced up against that weird Denim fellow. Denim...why does that name sound familiar?
     "Well, whoever this person is," Maya said, "I'm not gonna let them threaten me like this and get away with it. I'll meet them!"
     "What?" Carl and Jaime shouted. Carl tried to ration with her, but she kept her confidence and her faith in Pixolon. She took it out of her pouch and looked at it with determination. "But Maya," Carl pleaded. "The Jackets are dangerous! You could get hurt!"
     "Carl," Maya responded to him. "Pixolon and I have come a long way and this is my opportunity to improve my skills. Besides, you can't expect me to sit around and not do anything."
     Carl thought about it. She's right. Unlike me, she has a Bit-Beast and actually has talent. Also I don't even know about her abilities as a beyblader and she may have more than just that Flame Empress thing. Perhaps I should let her go.
    Jaime smiled as he read his thought. He looked to Maya, who rambled, "Yeah, so show me where darkness is their ally and I'll show them what a real pixie can do!"
    Eli chuckled nervously, "Uh Maya...aren't you forgetting that we have homework...and a life?"
    "And also an officer on speed-dial, but I'm not ignoring any chances," Maya back-talked. She turned back to Carl and Jaime, wondering if they knew where the Jackets lived. Rodolpho, realizing what may be, sighed, "I know where it is."
     "You do?" They asked out of shock. Rodolpho nodded, leading them to the path. Eli split ways from there, wanting to get home without getting into trouble. They crossed the highway, took a few turns into the commons and finally, where the clean air became foul, Rodolpho alerted them, "We're near the area."
     Carl, covering his nose, asked, "Mr. Herman, how did you know where the Jackets are stationed?"
    Rodolpho's silence scared them. Carl could easily sense that Rodolpho felt ashamed of something, or if he was ashamed to know of something. Jaime picked up on Rodolpho's silence. He heard him think, This shouldn't be what I have to face, but it is.
    What does he mean by that? Jaime thought. Maya complained, "This place smells weird. At least Amarnia cleans up after themselves."
     Clink!
    They froze, alerted as they heard the sudden sound of metal. Carl wondered, Is that a beyblade?
    Jaime could hear voices and took a chance to step ahead. He crouched down by a corner and listened closely for the inaudible. The group waited in the back by the dumpsters. As they stood in silence, Rodolpho and Maya tightened the grips on their beyblades, waiting for their cue. Jaime relaxed himself, listening for those voices that no one but him could hear, and he suddenly gasped. He rose up and ran back to his group. He reported, "They're on the right of alley, however they're planning a surprise attack."
     "Surprise attack?" Maya asked. Carl sighed, "That sounds just like them."
     "What should we do?" Jaime asked them. Maya sighed, "I'll walk first and you guys can follow me. Jaime, you let me know when they're coming, got it?"
     "Hey," Jaime agreed, "that sounds like a plan!"
    "Be careful, Maya," Carl said. Maya took it in and started the way, making a right. Jaime walked behind her, on her left side and kept his ears open for any voices. Carl and Rodolpho followed them, walking cautiously as well. The alley was quiet, but not the signals or signs the surrounding members gave to each other.
     Suddenly, when all was too quiet, Jaime stopped and the group noticed his halt. He swiftly turned over and launched Toxic Jaw, which was fiercely clashed into an oncoming bey. They gasped and Carl exclaimed, "A surprise attack!"
     "So that's how it is?" Maya challenged. She looked around the alley and shouted, "Alright, show yourselves, Jackets! You wanted to meet me, well here I am!"
     Through the darkness, a familiar face and another face that seemed to have attacked Jaime poked their heads through the garbage heaps. Carl tried to figure out who they were and recognized one of them. He gasped, "Kyle Vorte?"
    "You were with the Jackets?" Maya confronted. Kyle grunted, "You were warned, MacArthur, and we're gonna get back at you for stealing the crown!"
     "Crown?" Maya baffled. "It's called a tournament and I won fair and square."
      "Try proving it with your bey," Kyle growled, raising his launcher with his bey attached toward Maya. Carl pleaded, "Kyle!"
     "Step back, Carl," Maya said. "I understand what he's going through."
     "No, you don't!" Kyle shouted. He released his bey and shouted, "Let it rip!"
     Within a few seconds, Maya effortlessly prepared her launcher and released Pixolon. The beys clashed each other and, immediately, Kyle didn't hold back and launched for his attack. His bulky bey took a few jabs at Pixolon, who already held a defensive stance. Kyle growled, "Err, she has her defenses on!"
      "Then let me try," his partner joined in. He released his bey and they both started attacking Pixolon. They gasped and Maya shouted, "Hey, that's unfair! You can't do a two-on-one battle!"
     "Does it matter?" The partner sneered. "We do what we can to win!"
     "Hell no!" Maya shouted. "If you're gonna play the game, play it fair...by the rules!"
     Jaime agreed, releasing his Toxic Jaw. It attacked the partner's bey and it became a tag-team battle. Jaime cheered on Toxic Jaw as it easily read its opponent's attack, literally. Since the tournament, Jaime's talent to read minds has increased a lot now that his Bit-Beast is able to emerge out of its core. For Maya, it was an easy walk in the park since she knows Kyle's attack patterns and what makes him tick.
     Soon, the battle didn't take another two minutes for the Jackets to take an L. In-sync, Pixolon and Toxic Jaw both knocked out their opponents with such ease. The beys landed in the trash and, as Kyle and his partner searched for them, Maya stepped up to them and ordered, "Show me to your leader."
     Kyle shuddered as he realized who he just lost to again. He and his partner sighed and they agreed to show them to their headquarters. As they made it, they found themselves at the back of an abandoned warehouse with cardboard pieces on the floor at the center and two huge staircases on either side. They could feel the breathing bodies fill the room with intimidation. Rodolpho observed the area and thought dreadfully, So this is where you have been.
    Maya stepped up to the dark room and shouted, "Leader of the Jackets, you say that I'm a threat? Well then, show yourself and I'll prove who's the bigger threat!"
    "Maya," Carl quivered out of fear. But he had to remain calm, for Maya was the champion of the District Tournament and defeated Kyle in the first round. There was no way that she could lose this fight...but then he realized that he never met the leader of the Jackets. This could be a troubling fight. He looked up at Rodolpho, whose silence scared him the most. It was evident that Rodolpho was nervous and frightened for something.
    Noticing his tenseness, Jaime calmed his friend Carl down. "Hey, relax," Jaime said. "Maya's got this in the bag!"
    Carl smiled and said, "I do hope so."
    Suddenly, the lights flashed at them, blinding them for a second. After a moment, Carl, Jaime, and Rodolpho found themselves surrounded by boys with denim jackets and menacing faces. Maya was at the foot of a stadium made up of cardboard pieces. Confused, she questioned, "What is this?"
    "It's called a beydish," a voice pierced the air. They all looked up and saw a silhouette standing on top of a beam. It was a slim figure who seemed to be crossing his arms and part of his hair was sticking out in the front. Rodolpho squinted and realized who it could be.
    Please don't tell me it's you... he thought, Cole.
    He tightened his grip on Serpentine Wasser and Carl noticed. He looked to the mysterious figure and wondered, Who is that guy?
    Maya growled and asked, "Who are you?"
    "I am the leader," he said, jumping off the beam and landing safely on a mountain of pillows. He struggled over to some sturdier boxes and started making his way to meet Maya. However, on his way to meeting his opponent, he accidentally tripped on a box cover and fell over, landing on his face. His members gasped and Rodolpho facepalmed, muttering, "Yep, it's him alright."
    Maya was stunned by this and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"
    The leader poked his finger up to the ceiling and shouted, "I am formidable. I don't need any assistance."
    He picked himself up and finished his walk to the beydish. There he was, a boy of fair skin, jet black hair with a single strand of bright blue that dangled so and his black-covered fist holding out his bey, whose colors correlated with his hair. "Please tell me your name," Maya pleaded.
    The leader sighed, "Alright, if you're so impatient about it, I'll tell ya!"
    He turned over to a wall where some of his followers were standing in front of. He prepared his bey and released it. They saw what he did and jumped out of the way, screaming. Carl and Jaime gasped, "What is he doing?"
    His bey landed on the wall and started maneuvering itself. As it drove on the wall, it left an imprint that could easily be seen. Soon it jumped off the wall and returned to the leader's open palm with ease. Impressed, Maya read what the bey wrote. She read, "Ook?"
    The leader facepalmed and ranted, "It's Cole! Cole, leader of the Jackets!"
    Rodolpho, rigid as he was, alerted Carl, "Get out your laptop."
    "What?" Carl baffled. Rodolpho urged him to and Carl proceeded. He took a sit down and Jaime sat next to him, observing what was about to happen. Jaime asked, "I wonder why Mr. Herman wants you to use your laptop."
    Carl shrugged. Rodolpho kept his eyes on what was happening. Maya prepared her bey and said, "Alright, you said you wanted to teach me a thing or two about your crew. Then let's do it!"
    Cole prepared his bey as well and challenged, "Oh yeah, I'll teach you why you shouldn't mess with us!"
    The Jackets shouted the countdown and at the final number, both beybladers released their beys. They landed on either side of the dish with a slight stumble from Pixolon and Maya shouted, "Pixolon, be careful! This is cardboard, not the regular material!"
    "Ooh," Jaime said, "you think Pixolon can handle that kind of dish?"
    "I hope so," Carl said, noticing Pixolon's stumble at the start of the battle. He glanced over at Cole, who was eagerly laughing. He could tell something was cooking up in his head, especially since it was revenge he wanted. As the beys raced around the handmade beydish, Maya seemed to remain calm and didn't feel quite bothered by the battle. But looks can be deceiving.
    Carl wondered about her stationary position and looked at his readings. He observed the readings on the screen and was quite surprised that Pixolon was using a defensive stance even though it didn't attack yet. What could she be thinking of right now? Carl worried.
    Jaime explained, "She's figuring out something. This is the leader of the Jackets we're facing here, so Maya knows he's gonna be using some tough moves...but then again, I could be just reading too much into it."
    "Well, your mind-reading talents are getting more precise."
    "Tah! You're just jealous..."
    "No—Wah! Oh I despise you on such a level..." Carl pouted. The Jackets were getting tired of watching a boring battle between racing beyblades and they started shouting, "Come on, Cole! Beat her! Show her who's boss!"
    Cole chuckled as he wiped his nose. Alright, you wanna see some action? I'll bring it to ya!
    With such force against the air, he swung his arm around to his side as he shouted, "Let's go! Attack her! Make her pay for making us lose!"
    The black bey with neon blue streaks smashed into Pixolon, which prompted Maya to cross her arms to her chest as she held on the defense. Straining, Maya grunted, "Hang on, Pixolon!"
    The graph on the screen showed an sudden increase in power on Cole's bey as Carl pointed it out. Jaime gasped, "She really knows what she's doing!"
    "Yeah..." Carl agreed. The Jackets gasped at the sight and some murmured, "Is she that good?"
    Cole growled out of frustration and shouted, "You won't hold up that easy! Charge forth!"
    The black bey backed off for a moment and went back in for another attack. Maya kept her stance and noticed that it was pushing Pixolon to the edge. She smirked and commenced her trickshot. Carl watched the battle and discovered what she was about to do. Maya let go of her embrace and pointed her arm to the ceiling, shouting, "Legacy 51!"
    On cue, Pixolon raced near the edge of the beydish and, at the last minute, flipped over the black bey, attacking from the side. Cole gasped out of shock. How does she know that move? Cole thought in disbelief. He looked up at her determined eyes and understood the strength of her ire. Alright? This is the new champion? Well, I'll show her who's the real leader!
    He proceeded to actually putting in effort to his attack. He shouted, "Alright! Give her all you got, Nitro Dranzer!"
    "Nitro what?" Carl gasped. Jaime looked over to Carl and thought, Why does that sound shocking to him? He looked up at Rodolpho, who couldn't believe his ears, and wondered, What's up with a Nitro Dranzer?
    Jaime looked back and noticed something incredible: the black bey started to glow a strange aura as it raced around the dish and he could feel the energy radiating off from Cole's spirit. Jaime, reading into his thoughts, wondered, Is he actually enjoying this? It doesn't seem like he's fighting for his crew at all. And Maya feels just about the same.
    On the opposing side of the raging bey, Maya and Pixolon could feel the heat coming on and she knew what defense to come up with. At this moment, her Bit-Beast needs to make an appearance, just as Carl observed. Maya pumped her fist into the air and shouted, "Come on, Pixolon!"
    Her purple bey started to heat up as the center became a sparkling glow that transformed itself into a pixie ready for action. Cole's bey radiated so greatly that it clouded the exterior of the jet-black coating into a raging ball of cobalt fire. Rodolpho, Carl, and Jaime gasped. The readings from Carl's laptop showed that both beys were reaching their optimal level. It was time for a Bit-Beast fight. The energy and heat of the battle started to change the atmosphere of the warehouse, making the Jackets feel a different kind of air from their leader. One of them pointed out, "Hey, Cole's smiling. Is he feeling okay?"
    Rodolpho took note on that, thinking, Even your comrades are looking at you in a different light...could you have finally found your path?
    "Wow," Cole said to himself, inaudible to anyone, "this feels amazing. I never thought I'd face a strong opponent like you...you're the new champion of Piyorka Town and therefore, that's why you harbor the power that you have. Well, it's time to see what you've got!"
    He raised his voice, "Nitro Dranzer!"
    Maya called out, "Pixolon!"
    The raging ball of bright blue fire and the sparkling pixie clashed into each other, causing numerous amounts of shockwaves that shattered the windows and broke the railings. Mostly everyone lost their balance but they held on safely. "Agh," Rodolpho stammered, "he's even more powerful than I thought he was."
    When the shockwaves disappeared, the beydish that was made of cardboard had decimated and the beyblades were clashing into each other, but not with the force that they had before. Releasing their arms from their faces, the crowd was shocked to see the demolished dish and the smoke that simmered about. One of them murmured, "Whoa, what happened?" while others questioned who the victor was. Jaime latched onto the beam and rubbed his eyes. When they focused, he was stunned to see that Cole and Maya were still standing. He pointed them out, alerting those who were still getting up.
    Carl, who was hugging his laptop from the clash, resumed his data and found that they were both low on power and another attack could wipe them out, especially the beybladers. Carl gasped as he saw how exhausted Maya and Cole were. It was like they had ran the marathon nonstop, no breaks. They were panting, gasping, hunched over their waists, hands on their thighs. What else could they do?
    Before anyone could say a word, Maya sprung up, having her pink ponytail slap her back like a wet towel at the wall or a sheet of glass. It was evident through her sweaty, reddish face that she was nearly out of it, but there's no way she's gonna let it end like this. She hoarsely cleared her throat and croaked, "Pixolon...special move..."
    But she couldn't do it. Cole was bent over his knees and he collapsed first without fail while Maya fell over. At the same time, their battered beyblades lost themselves as they rolled on the floor. The Jackets and Maya's friends gasped. Rodolpho was especially stunned at Cole's performance, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised at how exhausted Cole had become. He could tell that Cole didn't have enough hard training with his beyblade, placing him at the same level as Maya.
    The Jackets, shocked by the tie, jumped over the railings and rushed to their leader. They helped him up and he caught his breath. Carl and Jaime ran over to Maya, who was picking herself up from the ground. She got on her knees and crawled to pick up Pixolon. Noticing the strange edges with her hand, she turned it over and gasped, discovering the massive scars. She dropped her jaw in shock and quietly spoke, "Pixolon..."
    Then she realized it: all this time she spent on training, but too little on maintenance. She then started to think back to all the battles she's had with Pixolon and how much it attacked other beys. She remembered how strong it had to be push back Kyle's hefty bey, how it had to counter Jaime's sneaky bey, and how much strength it took to achieve the Fire Force Armor...and now this fight. She didn't even bring out Pixolon this time, but she was so exhausted! How can it be?
    She was executing such power but she didn't feel any strain...could it be Pixolon that was feeling the stress as well?
    She noticed that Carl was in front of her and quietly gave him the bey. Both concerned for her, Jaime and Carl looked at each other and Jaime asked Maya, "Hey, are you alright?"
    Maya nodded her head slightly, almost tripping on herself. Jaime and Carl caught her by the arms, trying their best to keep her up. Carl looked up to see Rodolpho standing in front of the crew and he could tell that it was serious business. He was looking at Cole's turned back and he sternly spoke, "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
    Cole gasped, turning around to see Rodolpho. He was shocked at first, but he immediately turned cold and shrugged, "Who asked you to be here?"
    Rodolpho tightened his fist and sighed to himself. He continued, "You've gotten a lot stronger since I've last met you. Have you been training with a new bey?"
    "Hey," one of the Jackets intervened. He rambled, "Who are you to start interrogating our chief?"
    "Yeah," another joined in. "He got his own thing to deal with!"
    "Greg, Mark!" Cole called them out. He walked up to Rodolpho and continued, "Start making a run for it. Cops will be here soon...now that an adult knows where we are."
    They gasped. Rodolpho sighed, "I'm not going to call the police. That would've been done sooner had I not seen what kind of power you have built in your beyblade. But still, there's a lot more room for improvement and I haven't seen your full strength yet."
    Cole glared at him in suspicion. He looked to the fallen Maya and questioned, "Have you trained her?"
    He shook his head and responded, "She had a much more intelligent mentor where her training is concerned. As for you..."
    Cole swung his right arm out to the side and sternly spoke, "Whatever you say, I will not leave the Jackets! We have a mission to complete."
    "And what mission is that?" Carl back talked. "Stealing people's beyblades because you feel like it?"
    Ignoring Carl, Cole kept his eyes on the opponent he had just faced. It was hard to believe that someone who could easily defeat two of his members could have a tie with him. He looked at his Nitro Dranzer, only to be stunned by the amount of damage it took against Pixolon. Rodolpho walked over to Cole and noticed the damages. "Well, your bey has taken a lot of pummeling. It is advisable that—"
    "Just stop it, please," Cole cut him off. Rodolpho looked at him with a shocked look. Carl could feel the offense sink into him like pins poking at his heart. Cole covered the battered Nitro Dranzer with his hands and took a few steps back. "I came to the Jackets for a reason and I intend to keep that reason."
    "Cole," Rodolpho pleaded, but Cole kept his ground. Rodolpho sighed in disappointment and led the boys and Maya back outside into the street. As they walked over to the hobby shop and a clinic, Carl wanted to ask Rodolpho about the conversation he had with Cole, but would he crossing the line? Rodolpho is their teacher and beyblading mentor, but could he be a friend to them as well? He knew very well about the strict, fine line between student and teacher, but...oh who knows?
    He bit his tongue and suddenly, a car screeched near them. They looked over and saw Dr. Malani roll down her window, revealing her worried face. She gasped, "Oh no, is Maya alright? What happened? Quick, get in my car!"
    Before Rodolpho could state his doubt, Carl and Jaime made the first move, opening the backseat and resting their friend in the middle. Rodolpho took the front seat. As they were seated, Dr. Malani stated, "I will drive you all to the hospital. They'll take care of it."
    Rodolpho argued, "I highly doubt a hospital is needed..."
    Dr. Malani cut him off. "Don't worry. They can handle whatever we bring to them. I mean, I did take care of Ace, didn't I?"
    "Oh," Rodolpho realized, but kept his cool. "Fine...let's take her."
    "You know, it's doctor's instinct," Dr. Malani tried to explain as she drove. But Rodolpho ignored her, drifting off into his own thoughts. He started to reminisce about this year and how one person's presence could change everything. He remembered when Maya jumped off that bridge to save that kid's beyblade, how confident she was and the faith she kept in herself and Pixolon, and how she broke the glass ceiling. Then her tie with Cole, a person he knows dearly but still can't understand much of his personality or why he is the way he is, let alone how much power he was able to wield in his beyblade.
    They were about to bring out their Bit-Beasts, but it was too much for them to handle... Rodolpho thought, thinking hard. If there was only some way to handle that kind of power...or to even understand it.
    As they turned over the corner, a familiar figure of maroon hair noticed the people in the backseat. Examining the scene with his visibly stable eye, the boy spoke to himself, "Where are they going? Huh..."
    He suddenly got a feeling in his heart and looked over to the other side. He continued, "Could it be...? Hmm, sounds plausible."
    He turned to the inner part of the city and started to walk, meeting up with a pair of twins in their identical clothing. He recognized them as they spoke to him in unison, "Hello there, sir! Can you help us with our mission? We are here to exterminate the gangs of Piyorka Town!"
    Anne and Andrew must be talking about the Jackets, he figured out. He then realized something. Whoa, could Maya had another meeting with them? Could she have met Cole? Hmm, I'll have to figure it out.
    "Hello, sir?" Andrew looked up at Ace with pleading eyes. Ace responded, "Um, yes?"
    "Please," Andrew pleaded, "the illegal confiscation of beyblades in Piyorka Town has increased and it would be most advisable to help us in our search."
    "Um..." Ace had to think about it. He wanted to help them, but he also wanted to meet Cole again. Finally, a decision became clear. He looked at Andrew and responded, "Sorry...I actually had an errand to run and I need to get home quick."
    Andrew fell for his lie and Ace walked away. Anne pushed her brother and pouted, "What did you do that for?"
    "Huh, what?" Andrew was confused. Anne rambled, "I thought you were gonna let me do the guilt trip!"
    "Oh..."
    His twin sister facepalmed. With their backs turned, Ace found his clearance to enter the alley of the Jackets. Cole and Ace were both beybladers with similar pasts, however they had different pyres. As the Jackets would say, they were two pyros just waiting to get at each other: the blazing bird of the ashes against the fiery lion of the pride.