Of Love and Death.

The Future Chapter 9: Return of the Masked Blader Pt. 2

     Zusie gritted her teeth as she let Zebra fly into the stadium. She her instinct was to rush right in and start attacking Belfyre, but she knew that would be a bad move. There was a giant hazard zone in the center. If Zebra went straight for Belfyre, and ended up with a glancing blow or even a straight-on collision, there was a chance that the rebound would send her partner straight into the spinning pit of possible doom.

     "And the beys are off!" Hanami Jr shouted, announcing the start of the battle in his typical enthusiastic voice.

     Zusie did not want Zebra to end up in the spinning pit of doom.

     Instead, Zusie took a deep breath, and stuck to her plan. Which required her to wait a few more seconds, until everything was in place. The first piece needed for that plan was that Zebra went to the top of the stadium. True, it was easier for Bel to get her with a ring out finish that way, but it was a worthwhile risk. This way, she could attack Belfyre from above, and wouldn't be as likely to end up hitting the cyclone at a bad angle.

     The black and white haired blader watched the battle, trying to keep both beys in her vision. A bit of a tricky feat, but not impossible. Zebra and Belfyre were exactly opposite from each other, both spinning around the stadium at the exact same speed. Zebra was simply on the very outside of the stadium, and Belfyre a bit inward.

       "Zebra, put your foot on the gas!" Zusie shouted, a call to her partner. Not a desperate one, though. Zusie, even though she knew what Bel was capable of, was calm. A calm that had been forged from battles upon battles against opponents around her same capabilities. She'd learned how to handle herself when she was up against the wall.

      "Now Zebra's speeding up! I wonder what plan Zusie has in store for us?" Beyblade's infamous Mc's son asked.

     Zebra obliged to Zusie's call, speeding up in accordance with their plan. The bey became a blur, moving too fast for even her blader's eyes to track. Zusie risked a glance up from the stadium, to see what Bel's reaction was.

     Bel startled with surprise as Zebra sped up. It became a blur, too quick to follow. More than that, it almost appeared to be lapping itself. The illusion changed. Instead of not being able to see where Zebra was on the bey's path because of her speed, Zebra was unable to be seen for a different reason. The bey was everywhere at once. It looked like twenty, thirty, maybe even fifty Zebra's were all spinning separately, all around the rim of the stadium.

      "OH MY WORD! Zebra's pulling out a never before seen tactic! I count at least 51 clones all a long the stadium! But which one could be the real Zebra?" Hanami Jr. inquired, asking an important question. 

     "This is Zebra's Illusion Spin," Bel's opponent declared, causing him to look up at her. Bel growled a bit, Zusie sounded very smug as she spoke the words. "Just try to find my partner," The striped haired-blader challenged.

      "Challenge accepted," Bel said. His heart was beating faster with excitement. He took a moment to study the state of things before he decided what his and Belfyre's move should be. Zebra was spinning around, waiting for Bel to make a move. Belfyre was spinning around, not quite sure what to do either. So the state of things was very spiny. 

      She's waiting for us to make a move, Bel thought to Belfyre.

      If we attack her at the wrong point, chances are we'll run into the wall, Belfyre continued.

      That was right. Then, there were two ways it could go, both disastrous in this situation. Either Belfyre would hit the stadium wall and go flying out of it, earring Zusie a point and causing Bel to lose the battle, or the other option. Belfyre would bounce off the wall and back toward the center of the stadium, hitting the spinning bit at a bad angle and going out of control. Probably then bouncing into the wall again, and having the cycle repeat itself until Belfyre burst or got knocked out.