A Loyal Mutt

Burning On

It took the entire day just to get back to the WBBA. The sun had already set and Tsubasa convinced them, Kenta included, to stay the night there.

In her room, Chi looked down on herself. The burns are going to take a while to heal... Well, if she couldn't go out to search, she might as well do something productive.

With all the sitting and resting from the boat to the plane to the car, she was barely sleepy. She knew she couldn't sleep, but her wounds won't let her go anywhere either.

She took out a kit from her bag and began stitching the jacket again. A few rips appeared thanks to that android, so she might as well fix it up before giving it back. After making sure the door is locked, she took off her shirt and began to stitch it too. She fixed up everything she was wearing before checking the clock again.

Nearly 3 am.

It's been over 24 hours since she was attacked. A sigh escaped her lips as she pondered on what else could keep her mind busy. She went to the glass doors and stared out at the spread of the city.

It was dull. It had always been dull. The lights are too small and you can barely see anything on the ground. She had always prefered going to the training room when she was younger.

The flashes of lightning he summons were much brighter and their irregular patterns were far more interesting. The flames he has now were no different. Both were bright and beautiful.

If I could just... Right as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a tingle on her spine. She looked back to the bed and found her bey glowing. He's near!

Then came the sound of a bey spinning. It appeared on the balcony in front of her, going around in circles to make a small whirlwind. When she opened the door to reach for it, the wind disappeared with the bey that caused it, leaving behind a note attached to a battered L-Drago.

~~~~~

"What?! They left without us?!" Ginga yelled, earning a sigh from Tsubasa.

"Only to the B-Pit, Ginga. Madoka's fixing up L-Drago as we speak." The director replied.

"They still could've waited for us! I want to see the note too! Did you read it, Tsubasa?"

"No. Chi hadn't either. We were a bit too focused on L-Drago."

"Then let's go down to the B-Pit right now." Kenta said. "If we hurry, Chi might still be there."

"You don't actually think she'd run off on her own again, do you?" Maru said worriedly.

"We haven't known her for long, but it seems that she may just be that type of person." Shinobu concluded.

"Only if Ryuga's involved..." Tsubasa muttered, remembering well what she was like in the Dark Nebula.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ginga led them all out. Some ran after him while others simply walked.

Sakyo and Takanosuke were left quite far behind, but they weren't in a rush. The red head felt the need to distance himself from the group for a while. Seeing Ryuga for the first time since he began his journey made him think hard about his decisions. That man was able to grow so strong due to intense training.

He was different from Ryuga, he had acknowledged that. That man underwent training that no regular human could withstand from such a young age. He, on the other hand, was raised in the city, with shelter given to him by his parents. Still, he had been on this journey for nearly three years and he had grown well. Perhaps he should start travelling the world again.

His eyes landed on Takanosuke for a second. Kenta Yumiya followed him during his training and grew significantly in such a short time... If we go on that journey together, both our beys and our synchrome would become exponentially stronger.

Once this whole mess is over, he'll tell Takanosuke about his plans.

~~~~~

When they arrived at the B-Pit, everyone sighed in relief at Chi's presence. She gave them a questioning look, which they pretend to not notice.

"So how's L-Drago? Can I see it?" Kenta said, walking up to Madoka's chair.

The brunette shook her head. "Not good. We've been working on it for the past two hours and it's only half way done. Nemesis really did a number on it."

"It probably lost some pieces too after giving part of its power to Sagittario and Dragoon." Chi stated from her side of the desk. "To top it off, it's been resting for so long, it's probably rusty... skill-wise."

"So is there anyway to get it back to its original shape?" Ginga asked.

"Physically? We're working on it." The mechanic replied. "But Ryuga's the only one who could control L-Drago well enough for us to actually know how well it works. And he's..."

Chi took out the note from her pocket and handed it to the nearest person, which was Ren. The blonde opened it and read it out loud. "'Dearest little Chi, your master is in good hands. Have a parting gift, I'm not a man without manners.'..."

They all turned to her for answers, but all she did was stare back at them. "Well, whoever they are, they clearly know you, Chi." Zyro stated.

"They don't seem to have any kind of grudge for her though." Kite said, rereading the note. "This makes it sound like they're in it for Ryuga, and are simply giving her a heads-up about it."

"Well, they should still know that we wouldn't leave him like that, right?" Ginga stated. "Ryuga may not be our friend, but he means something to each of us, right? So at the very least, even if he doesn't want our help, we should still take his bey back to him. That way, he could help himself."

And they made a silent agreement to do just that.