The legend returns

Chapter 37

"Look who rose up from the dead." The masked blader sneered, her mask doing nothing to hide her hatred towards the white and gold haired blader who stood across the room. "Katsumi. What have they done to you?" Sora asked, shock very evident on her face. "They've done nothing to me but they have done plenty of things for me. They've helped me get stronger. They've been here for me more than you have ever been. Oh and I go by Scarlet Eye now." Katsumi, now dubbed Scarlet Eye replied. "I know I haven't been the best mentor." Sora said. "You left me alone in the jungle to die. You abandoned me. You said you regretted training me. So no, you haven't even come close to being a good mentor." Scarlet Eye snapped. "Wait, what? I haven't been to Mexico in two years. I've been in New York, Japan, and Spain. I never came here to Mexico." Sora said. "Of course you're going to deny it. You have a reputation to keep. No matter, you'll pay for what you've done." Scarlet Eye said. Sora took a step towards the masked blader. "I've done nothing, Katsumi. Ashtem and Phi are just trying to use you." She said. "No. I'm the one using them to get revenge on you. And my name is Scarlet Eye." Scarlet Eye said. "You're blinded by misguided anger, Katsumi." Sora said. "Misguided she says. I think not." Scarlet Eye growled. "Since, I can't change your mind, how about a deal? I win, you help us free the other bladers." Sora said. "And if you lose, you die. The remainder of the Big Five will join us along with the bladers you've freed." Scarlet Eye said. "Deal." Sora said. "Sora no!" The group yelled, a few running towards the gold eyed blader. A glass panel came down behind Sora, separating her from them. She wasn't surprised at all by it, in fact her gaze was focused on her opponent. "Sora don't do this!" Valt yelled, his voice muffled by the glass. "I have to. I have to help Katsumi and these bladers." Sora said. "But if you lose, she'll kill you!" Toko yelled. "Who says I'm gonna lose?" Sora replied. She walked towards the stadium, keeping her eyes focused on Scarlet Eye despite the blonde's cold glare. She came to a stop in front of the stadium. The blonde haired blader smirked as she pulled out a multi colored bey and held it out for all to see. Sora's eyes narrowed and a collective gasp of shock could be heard from the group. The layer of the bey was made from the parts Phi had stolen from the beys he had shattered, along with the two beys he had stolen from Sora's home in Koma village. "Beautiful isn't it? This is Legend Apocalypse. The bey that will lead to your demise." Scarlet Eye said. "So that's what Phi was stealing beys and parts for. Another one of Ashtem's guinea pig projects. That means they've done more than just train you." Sora said. "Are you afraid of the untold power I have?" Scarlet Eye taunted. "Nope. Not one bit. In fact, I'm a little excited to see what you can do." Sora said. Her words only seemed to anger the masked blader. The two got into their launching positions, and unlike some of the others, they weren't hindered by the lack of space to launch. Sora twisted herself around to where her launcher was on her right side facing the stadium and she crouched down as she prepared to leap into the air. Katsumi was standing far back from the stadium with her hands to her sides, her launcher was in her left hand. She's got a new launch, a new bey, a new name. It feels like I've been gone for a long time. I have no clue how strong she is, or what Ashtem did to her. Sora thought. Her scar began to glow a gold color and her hair changed from white with gold streaks to red with white streaks and began waving around like flames. "I know you have more power than that." Scarlet Eye said. "A wise man once told me, it's not always wise to go all out in the first round." Sora replied. "Then you've just sealed your fate." Scarlet Eye growled. "If fate decided everything then I wouldn't be here. It's not something someone else can control for you, you create it yourself." Sora said. Scarlet Eye only growled in response. "First battle." The monotone voice said over the intercom. "3..." Scarlet Eye ran at the stadium. "2..." She skipped once before beginning to do a series of frontflips towards the stadium. "1..." When her right foot had touched the ground, she lifted up her left and allowed her right leg to bend to where she was almost on the ground. Both bladers sprang into the air, Scarlet Eye twisted her foot to the right to where she was spinning counter-clockwise in the air. Sora began untwisting herself as both bladers prepared to pull the strings of their launchers. "LET IT RIP!" They yelled in unison. Both bladers pulled the strings of their launchers as hard as they could. Sora winced slightly at a sharp pain on her chest. Right, the stitches. It felt like those were the ones on my chest so I'm ok. I better be more careful though. She thought. Draco activated its Cho-z wings and spun around the stadium in right spin with Legend Apocalypse in balanced mode, hot on its tail. The two bladers landed on their feet and watched the beys. Apocalypse was catching up to Draco at a rapid pace, getting ready for its first attack. "Turbo Whip!" Scarlet Eye yelled. Apocalypse struck Draco with Valtreyk's wing, sending the white bey flying into the wall. "Wait, what?!" Sora said, sounding a bit surprised at how familiar the move was. The sound of a bey cracking was heard as the white bey hit the wall. Did Draco just crack? Sora thought. Draco bounced off of the wall and continued to spin around the stadium behind Apocalypse. "Isn't it obvious already? I have the best parts of the four best beys in the world. I can do everything they can and more." Scarlet Eye said. She's gonna use all of the Big Five's abilities against me. But, that puts her at a disadvantage. If I read Apocalypse's movements and Scarlet Eye's body language I can figure out what's coming next. Yugo was a genius. Sora thought. "You just gave me the Golden ticket." She said. "What are you talking about?" Scarlet Eye asked. "I know how to beat you now." Sora replied. "There's no way you've figured Apocalypse out that fast." Scarlet Eye said. "You said it yourself." Sora said. "It doesn't matter. You're done for." Scarlet Eye said. If Draco is cracking then she's not wrong. It would be considered a burst finish and I'd lose. The gold eyed blader mentality slapped herself. What am I thinking?! I'm not done, this battle isn't over! I have to keep fighting until I can't anymore. Until I breathe my last breath I will keep fighting! She thought. "Dragon Slash!" She yelled. Draco picked up speed and charged towards Apocalypse, it's wings prepared to strike. The two beys collided, Apocalypse seemed to be unfazed as it was only knocked forward a few centimeters by Draco's wing. "Is that all you've got?" Scarlet Eye taunted. This bey has more metal in it than mine does. Shoot, it has more metal than Dead Hades. How am I going to beat it? Wait, I can use the extra weight of the metal to unbalance it. Just like Aiger did when he went up against Hearts with Cho-Z Achilles. Sora thought. "Turbo Counter Break!" Scarlet Eye yelled. Apocalypse suddenly changed direction and charged at Draco. "Move Draco!" Sora yelled. Draco changed direction and headed down the slope, dodging Apocalypse. The multi-colored bey hit the wall and bounced off of it, heading straight for Draco. "Turbo Winged Launch!" Scarlet Eye yelled. "Dodge it!" Sora yelled. Draco sped up and charged up the slope before continuing to spin around the stadium, dodging Apocalypse once again. Apocalypse hit the wall and bounced off of it, wobbling this time. It continued to pursue its opponent. "I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to unbalance Apocalypse. It won't work." Scarlet Eye said. "Seems to be working just fine to me." Sora said as she watched the multi-colored bey wobble around the stadium. The edge of Apocalypse's tip scrapped the stadium floor, causing it to change to unbalanced mode. The bey gained incredible speed and rocketed towards Draco. "Wing Ricochet!" Sora yelled. "Geist Claw!" Scarlet Eye yelled. The two collided and both were knocked away into the stadium wall on opposite sides. Draco used it's rubber to cushion the blow and bounced off the wall. Apocalypse hit the wall and bounced off and continued spinning around the stadium, wobbling even worse. The multi colored bey settled in the center while Draco spun around the stadium. Ok, now to outspin it. Sora thought. Apocalypse began to slow down, its balance becoming unstable. Draco began to slow down as well and began to head towards the center. Nonononono don't go to the center! Sora thought. The two beys collided and Draco was knocked back, both were wobbling terribly, almost touching the stadium. Just a little longer. Sora thought. Both beys stopped spinning simultaneously, earning a growl of frustration or a sigh of relief from their respective bladers. "Draw! No points awarded!" The monotone voice said. Sora picked up Draco and examined it. Cracks were scattered across the white bey, some just a few centimeters from touching. The only places with no cracks were near the rubber wings. If I'm not careful, Draco is gonna break. I better focus on deflecting attacks with the wings. Or, I could use Phantom Claw and wait for Apocalypse to stop spinning. Sora thought, switching the spin on her launcher to counter-clockwise. "Trying to figure out how to keep Draco from shattering? It's just a waste of time. No matter what you come up with, I'll counter it and Draco will be destroyed." Scarlet Eye said. What happened to you Katsumi? Sora wondered. The bladers got back into their launching positions. Sora twisted around to where her launcher was on her left side. Veins appeared on her arms and face. "There it is!" Katsumi exclaimed. Sora kept her gaze to the stadium, ignoring the masked blader's comment. This is gonna hurt. She thought. "3..." Scarlet Eye ran at the stadium. "2..." She skipped once before beginning to do a series of frontflips towards the stadium. "1..." When her right foot had touched the ground, she lifted up her left and allowed her right leg to bend to where she was almost on the ground. Both bladers sprang into the air, Scarlet Eye twisted her foot to the right to where she was spinning counter-clockwise in the air. Sora began untwisting herself as both bladers prepared to pull the strings of their launchers. "LET IT RIP!" They yelled in unison once more. Sora winced in pain as she pulled the string of her launcher, her stitches once again under strain. Draco activated it's Cho-Z wings and spun around the stadium in counter-clockwise spin, barey missing clockwise spinning Apocalypse. The two bladers landed back on the ground. "Turbo Counter Break!" Scarlet Eye yelled. Apocalypse suddenly changed direction and charged at Draco. "WIng Ricochet!" Sora yelled. The two beys collided and Apocalypse was knocked back by the rubber wings on Draco. The multi-colored bye landed back where it started and suddenly caught traction, causing it to spin out of control and smash into the stadium wall. The sound of a bey cracking echoed through the room. Apocalypse just... cracked? Sora thought. She quickly looked to Scarlet Eye and judging by the way her mouth was agape, she was just as shocked. Apocalypse just cracked. That must mean they didn't completely join the pieces of the layer together. Sora thought. "Phantom Claw!" Sora yelled. Draco dropped, causing the teeth on it's tip to lock together, giving the bey a massive boost of speed, causing it to vanish. Scarlet Eye scanned the stadium, looking for the invisible bey. Apocalypse was suddenly struck and sent into the stadium wall once again. The force from the impact caused the bey to crack even more. The sound of a bey hitting the floor caught both blader's attention. Sora looked down at her feet and saw her bey lying on the floor. Draco had been sent out of the stadium and to it's blader's feet, where it became visible. "Ring out finish! Scarlet Eye gains one point." The voice said. Sora picked up her bey before looking at Scarlet Eye. "I told you it was useless." The blonde haired blader said. "We'll see how useless it is during the next round." Sora replied calmly. The two bladers got back into their launching positions. This is my last chance. I don't have to win, I just have to get Katsumi back. Even if it's the death of me. Sora thought. "3..." Scarlet Eye ran at the stadium. "2..." She skipped once before beginning to do a series of frontflips towards the stadium. "1..." When her right foot had touched the ground, she lifted up her left and allowed her right leg to bend to where she was almost on the ground. Both bladers sprang into the air, Scarlet Eye twisted her foot to the right to where she was spinning counter-clockwise in the air. Sora began untwisting herself as both bladers prepared to pull the strings of their launchers. "LET IT RIP!" They yelled in unison once more. Sora yelped in pain as a sharp pang shot through her chest. Draco activated its Cho-z wings and spun around the stadium in left spin on a collision course with Apocalypse. I need more momentum before I attack. Sora thought. "Move Draco!" She yelled. Draco changed direction and spun down the slope, dodging Apocalypse. "Run all you want, you're just delaying the inevitable." Scarlet Eye said. Sora stayed silent as she watched her bey spin through the center and up the other slope before it continued to spin around the stadium. "Phantom Claw!" She yelled. Draco dropped allowing the teeth to lock together and give the bey a massive boost of speed, causing it to vanish from sight. Scarlet Eye growled in frustration as she scaned the stadium for the invisable bey. "Tell me Katsumi, what caused you to change so much?" Sora asked. "You. This is your doing." Scarlet Eye answered. "I was never here, Katsumi. If I was, I wouldn't have left you here. I-" The gold eyed blader was cutt off. "Shut up! You left me here! You turned your back on me! You abandoned me!" Scarlet Eye yelled. "Ashtem is messing with your mind. He did the same thing to me two years ago. Whatever he told you, he lied." Sora said. "No, he's helped me. He kept his word." Scarlet Eye said. "How do you think he has kept the Snake Pit hidden for so long?" Sora asked. Scarlet Eye was silent for a moment. "We don't have to finish this battle. We can stop right now and take Ashtem and Phi down. We can shut down the Snake Pit for good." Sora said. "How can I trust you? You could be lying too. Besides, you were here too. You were Ember Eye." Scarlet Eye said. "I left that behind me. Ember Eye is gone. Katsumi, you can take the mask off, you can leave Scarlet Eye behind. Just come and help us stop Ashtem." Sora said. Scarlet Eye was silent. "Please Katsumi. Don't go down the same path I did." Sora said. Scarlet Eye's gaze was focused on the stadium. She smirked. "Giest Claw." She said calmly. Sora's eyes widened as she realized what Scarlet Eye was doing. "Storm Breaker!" She yelled. Apocalypse and Draco collided and both were sent into the air. Draco shattered into several peices and Apocalypse shattered into five pieces. The shards hit the ground but there seemed to be three familiar beys on the ground. Cho-Z Spryzen, Giest Fafnir, and Cho-Z Valtryek were spinning on the floor, side by side. The beys slowed to a halt and it turned out to be the shards that had made up Apocalypse spinning on thier edges. The two bladers looked away from the shards and at each other. "Legend Apocalypse with a burst finish. Scarlet Eye wins with a score of three to one." The monotone voice said. Scarlet Eye smirked before she began to walk around the stadium to Sora. "You lost Sora." She said. Sora let out a sigh, her hair returned to normal, her scar stopped glowing and the veins dissapeared. She looked at the blond haired blader. "That I did. Well, a deal is a deal." She said. The glass muffled the protests of the group. "Goodbye, Sora." Scarlet Eye growled, pulling a gun from behind her back and pointing it at the gold eyed blader's head. "Katsumi!" A fimiluar voice yelled. Scarlet Eye turned her head to look, her mouth falling agape at who she saw. Sora turned her head to see Fubuki standing in front of the glass. "Fubuki? What are you doing here?" Scarlet Eye asked. "That's what I was about to ask you. Ashtem forced me to come here along with the other bladers he controls." Fubuki replied. "Ashtem said he would keep you out of this." Scarlet Eye said. "He lied Katsumi. He lied about keeping me out of this and he lied about Sora." Fubuki said. Scarlet Eye took her mask off and tossed the gun and her mask over the edge before running over to the glass. Sora smiled as she watched from her spot by the stadium. The glass rose, allowing the Sumie twins to engulf each other in a hug. "I was so worried about you. I didn't know where you went or if you were alive." Fubuki said. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I shouldn't have listened to Ashtem, I would've been home sooner." Katsumi said. The two let go of each other, both had tear streaks on thier faces. "So, are we good now?" Sora asked. Katsumi turned to face the white and gold haired blader. "Yeah, I'm sorry for breaking your bey and almost killing you." She said. "Draco wasn't your fault, that was on me. But I do forgive you for trying to kill me. Ashtem can make you see things that tell pretty convincing lies." Sora said. "Hate to break up the reunion, but we need to get going." Lui said. "Right." Sora said. The group carefully walked down the narrow path, around the stadium and towards the door. It slamed shut behind them after they entered the hallway. There was silence as the baders walked down the hallway. They were ready to end this, they were ready for the end of Ashtem and Phi's tyranny, they were ready for the end of the Snake Pit. Katsumi made her way to the front of the group as they drew closer to the door. When it opened, she shoved Sora back and stepped through the doorway. Something flashed past her face and was quickly followed by the girl screaming in pain and bringing her hands up to her face.