With Venni saying the name of his Bey, Takeru went silent for a bit, somewhat dumbstruck as to why he referred to his Bey as a woman.
Venni: Something wrong?
Takeru: You called your Bey 'her' right?
Venni: Uh, yeah? It spoke to me earlier...
I think what I said might make me look crazy.
Takeru: So you can hear the voice of your Bey. I've heard of cases of some people talking to their Beys, mainly with the Legends. I could speak with mine as well.
That's interesting, but it probably wouldn't bother me that much anyway.
Takeru: Also, mind if I take a closer look?
Venni glanced at his Bey for a moment before passing it to Takeru.
Venni: Here, it's not like I'm gonna use it that much though.
Takeru: Okay... wait what?
The two boys stood silent for a bit, then Takeru broke the silence.
Takeru: Why?
Venni: What's up with that?
Takeru: I mean, I know you're from abroad but... never mind that.
Venni: I suppose you were going to ask me as to why I wasn't gonna use Vainamoinen, weren't you?
Takeru: Err... yes.
Venni: Well, let's say I didn't come here for Beyblades. I came here because I was given a scholarship here in Japan.
Takeru nodded as he took apart Vainanmoinen's parts. With the dissection of Venni's Bey, he seemed impressed and a little baffled at the same time.
Takeru: Hey, this system is mine isn't it?
It's his creation, eh? I don't think it's too complex, but I wanna hear about it.
Venni: So you made this system huh? It's quite simple though, and it looks like there's been just one thing added to it though.
Takeru: I-it wasn't really meant to be anything special though... it was more like an extension.
An extension?
Venni: Just that?
Takeru: Not exactly... well never mind, I'd be overcomplicating it if I explained it to you.
Fair enough, he'll probably be talking about the Ace Combat lore if he explained it anyways.
Takeru: But seriously though, how'd you know about this?
Venni: I didn't make this, my mother did.
Takeru (prolonged): Ah... I see.
Venni: It's pretty amazing how much effort she put into this, even if I'm not going to use it that much. I might not even use it, to begin with.
Takeru nodded, before speaking again.
Takeru: Well uh... say, Venni.
Venni: Yeah?
Takeru: Wanna come to my workshop?
Venni stared at him for a while, thinking for a bit about whether to come or not.
I'm still sorta tired after all that travel, but my body might get stiff if I don't really walk around, so I might as well have a little trip around the area.
Venni: Sure, and while I'm at it, can I explore the town?
Takeru: That'd be a good idea since you're new here. Before we leave, I'll pick up my gear, and I think you should too.
Venni: Why should I...?
Takeru: I wanna do some testing with your Bey, so mind if I borrow it later on too?
Venni: Mhm, it's okay.
Takeru: Alright, I'll go head to my room real quick. You can go wait outside,
With that, Venni nods and heads downstairs in advance, running in place for a couple of seconds outside to warm up his legs. By that time, Aina also finished the laundry and noticed Venni leaving the door.
Aina: My, my. You're heading out?
Venni: Yeah, Takeru wanted me to go to his workshop.
Aina: Ah, good! Have you two got along with each other?
Venni: Yeah, we're getting along pretty well. From the looks of it, he's a pretty smart guy.
Aina tilted her head and smiled widely.
Aina: Great! You know, Takeru's a very shy kid. So it's nice hearing that he's made a friend!
A friend? Just one?
Venni: Just one friend?
Aina: Well, no! But, he's the type to avoid crowds and attention, so he hasn't really made many friends along the way. This is the first time he's made an effort to be friends with someone and succeed.
Ah, that... that sounds pretty sad, no offense.
Aina: I did advise him to become friends with you though, I'm just happy that it went out well.
While the two were speaking, Takeru found his gear and was downstairs.
Takeru: Oh hey, Venni. Are we gonna go now?
Venni: Yeah, we'll be back, täti.
Aina: Stay safe!
Aina waved the two boys goodbye as they left the house.
My first friend is a person who's barely made any friends before? Sounds familiar.
Takeru: You said 'täti' to Mom earlier right? What does it mean?
Venni: It's Finnish for aunt, that's pretty much it.
Takeru: Ah, alright. Now, onwards to our tour of Odawara.
Odawara? Wasn't this place called Hakone or something?
Venni: Odawara?
Takeru: You... don't know what place this is?
Scratching his head, he'd reply.
Venni: Yeah, I'm not too familiar with the places around here in Japan...
Takeru: Ah, did Mom send the wrong location?
Venni fell silent for a while, staring at Takeru awkwardly.
Takeru: V-Venni, why are you looking at me?
Venni facepalmed, confusing Takeru with this series of events.
She did that? Why did I even trust her for directions...?
But then again, it's not like there's anyone else I know of that can lead me to this place.
...
But maybe it was my fault since I was quite tired when I arrived in Tokyo. 9 hours of travel time really does something.
Venni: I probably was tired to read it right, so that might've been my own mistake.
Takeru: Y-you don't really need to think about it too much.
Venni: Yeah, that's irrelevant now. Well then, let the tour commence.
Takeru: Eh?
Venni: We're going to explore Odawara aren't we?
Takeru: Oh, o-okay. Well, here we go then.
The two walked around for quite a while, with Takeru acting as Venni's tour guide across Odawara.
The place is bustling with a fair amount of people. Not too many people, and not too little. The atmosphere around here feels nice as well.
Takeru: Now for the last stop, my workshop.
After the main tour, they arrived at the place, and it was a shop that sold Beyblade parts.
This is it? Looks like they sell stuff here.
Takeru: Well, it's not exactly mine since a friend lent me this place.
Makes sense, I don't think a 15-year old can just suddenly start a business all of a sudden.
Venni: Are we gonna go in?
Takeru: Oh! Y-yeah.
The two enter and the doors chime upon entering. A person called out to the two, greeting them at the counter.
Yo, Takeru!
Takeru: H-hey, Akio.
The boy was taller than Venni, with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail and sharp teeth.
Is this the guy running the shop?
Akio: I see you've brought someone with ya'. Who's he?
Akio leaves the counter to get up close to the two.
Takeru: He's a cousin of mine from Finland. He went here to attend high school since he's landed himself a scholarship around here.
Akio: Ah, so he's a relative!
He'd wrap his arm around Venni's shoulder, much to Venni's chagrin.
Akio: You got a scholarship as well? You're one lucky guy, aren't you?
This is the second time someone's been uncomfortably close to me today, strange.
Venni: You're way too close.
Akio lets go of Venni, backing off a bit.
Akio: Well, my bad. Any problem with giving you a little hug?
Venni: Probably because it was random, and I don't know you too much.
Akio: Ah, where are my manners. Name's Akio Kanayama, nice to meet you!
Akio would give off a wide smile to Venni.
Venni: Well then, my name is Venni Lehtinen. I suppose that's all you need to know.
Akio: That's a pretty nice name, anyways...
Looking towards Takeru, he'd talk.
Akio: Why'd you come here today?
Takeru: Same old business, just found out Venni here used the Formula system we were working on-
Akio burst out shouting, interrupting whatever Takeru was saying.
Akio (shouting): HUH?! How'd he get his hands on the schematics?
You're loud as hell, damn it.
Raising both of his hands in front of him, Takeru would respond nervously.
Takeru: Y-you see, Mom probably sent the blueprints to my aunt, s-since Venni's mother made his Bey.
Akio immediately calmed down with that statement.
Akio: Ah, got it! So was it a birthday present or something?
Venni: I don't know, Mom gave it to me before I left for Japan. I've never seen it in the house, not once.
Takeru: She probably kept it as a secret or something.
That wouldn't make any sense now, would it?
Venni: Why would she? It's just a Beyblade isn't it?
Akio: Yeah, you're probably overcomplicating things Takeru.
Takeru: Yeah, I've read too much manga.
Takeru and Akio chuckle and Venni lets off a little smile before he'd return back to normal.
Venni: What did you wanna do to my Bey again, Takeru?
Takeru: A bit of testing on your Bey, m-mind if I borrow it?
Venni: Never said you couldn't.
With that response, he'd throw his Bey to Takeru. He'd fumble trying to catch it, but he'd eventually hold it by its tip.
Takeru: A free-spinning rubber ring with a low cone tip sticking out in the center. And two tabs on the side which would probably do...
He'd pull the tabs on the side of the tip, resulting in the ring locking up. Takeru then lets it go, and it'd return back to its original state.
Takeru: Just as I thought, it's an automatic gimmick change.
Why is everyone fawning over my Bey? Is it really that high-quality?
Akio suddenly got up close to Takeru and snatched Vainamoinen from his hand.
Akio: This is pretty nice, isn't it?
Takeru got startled with Takeru appearing beside him.
Takeru: Ah! Akio, you scared me!
Akio: Sorry Takeru. But I have to say, Venni's mom is a great engineer.
Taking the Bey from Takeru's hand, he'd observe the Bey up close.
Akio: Yeah, this is pretty cool! I can see the quality of the metal, there are barely any weak spots on it, and for the metal...
He'd flick the Blade, letting off a small and short clanking noise.
Akio: Seems like it, it doesn't sound hollow. Let's go downstairs, I wanna check this thing out.
Takeru: Alright then, while we're at it, let's have a battle!
Venni: Wait.
Venni followed but called out to the two, stopping them.
Venni: Why are you two obsessing over my Bey? Is it that good?
In unison, the two boys loudly spoke.
(In unison): Yeah!
Really? It's that special to them, I suppose. They're those engineer types that go crazy over stuff like these, I can understand though. I used to be like that back in the day.
Venni: Well then, let's go.
Akio: Alright! And also, here's your Bey.
Akio threw Vainamoinen back to Venni, which he'd catch.
Venni: Yeah, thanks.
The trio went downstairs to Takeru's workshop.
It's a pretty spacious basement actually, on the side there's a big stadium and there are a couple of desks with equipment too.
Takeru: Here's our workshop, it's nothing much, but...
Venni was looking at the equipment and the materials, impressed by what was there.
Venni: Nah, it's pretty good. It's quite big and the equipment is advanced over here.
Takeru: I-is that so?
Takeru got a little flustered.
Yeah, these are some advanced tools. Anyways, these two make Beys right? What do they have?
Venni: I wanna ask as well, have you two got Beys?
Takeru: Oh, yeah. We have Beys, Akio's one is still in progress though.
Akio: Nah, I just finished it!
Takeru: Really?
Akio: Yeah, it's here.
Heading towards his desk, he'd grab his Bey. It was a right-spinning Bey with an elliptical shape and four blades, two of which were large blades covered in rubber.
Akio: Say hello to Wraith Amarok!
It looks like an Attack-type, and those blades have jagged rubber blades on them. It should be interesting in action.
Takeru: Woah, that looks pretty cool! But...
Pulling out something from his pocket, it was revealed to be a red Bey, his own Bey.
Takeru: How will it fare against Skyline Tennin?
Do you need to give everything crazy names? Anyways, so that's Takeru's Bey isn't it? Three blades, but it's a perfect circle since they connect with each other and don't even stick out.
Akio: So this is gonna be Amarok's first battle then, come on!
The two of them headed towards the stadium, preparing their Beys.
Akio: Sorry Takeru, but you're gonna get trashed by my Bey!
Takeru: I'm not expecting to win but... you're way off the mark with that conclusion.
Venni: Well, since I'm on the sidelines, are we gonna start now?
Akio: Yeah!
Takeru: You can start counting down if you like.
Venni: Alright, three... two... one...
(In unison): Go shoot!
The two Bladers launch their Beys with great force, both of which land smoothly without losing speed or bouncing.
Those launches are really smooth, there's no loss in speed whatsoever. I can see that they've got great skill.
Takeru: Take the center, Tennin!
Tennin rushes towards the center and it'd stabilize. Immediately after, it'd spin faster in the center.
Akio: We haven't seen each of our Beys in action, so this is gonna be fun!
After gaining enough momentum, the rubber spikes on Amarok's driver would grind the floor, causing it to suddenly accelerate.
Akio: Tear him down, Amarok!
Charging towards Tennin, Amarok sends a powerful strike towards it. It'd absorb the impact, but Amarok would chain its first hit with another, pushing Tennin off the center.
Akio: Good, keep on going!
Takeru: Tennin, hold him back!
Tennin defends against Amarok as it's being pushed back, swerving around to weaken Amarok's attacks.
Amarok's rubber is quite effective, I've never seen anything like it in the past. It grips against the opponent's layer to deal more damage against it and avoid it from slipping away. But this doesn't mean Tennin is weak, from the looks of it, it's absorbing all of Amarok's attacks perfectly. The stamina loss on it is minimal, and Takeru has a great understanding of his opponent's Bey, let's see how this plays out.
Akio: Alright, it's over now! Bring em' down, Amarok!
Amarok hits Tennin with a non-rubber part, allowing it to slip past.
Akio: What?
Takeru: Nice one Tennin, now it's our turn!
Tennin would be surrounded by a red aura, and it'd take a sharp turn to attack against Amarok.
Takeru: Tennin, Quantum Drift!
As Tennin attacked, all of its weight shifted towards Amarok, pushing it down and flipping it over to send it mid-air.
Akio: Well, I was wrong then. It ain't over yet!
Takeru: Double time Tennin!
Amarok lands on the outer ridge of the stadium and recovers quickly, Takeru took notice of this and immediately had Tennin speed up to catch up with Amarok.
Takeru: Now, fight back partner!
Akio: Amarok, prepare!
The two Beys meet up at the center, and Tennin dodges Amarok twice to gain more momentum.
Akio: Come on, hit me!
Takeru's still dodging... he prefers dodging I suppose.
After dodging, the two Beys collide. This time Amarok was getting overpowered with the increased amount of force Tennin had.
Takeru: Hit em' harder!
Akio: Heh, not bad Takeru! But we're not giving up as well, Amarok!
After a short while, Amarok had gained back more momentum and gradually attacked with more force. With each hit, Tennin was getting pushed back more and more.
Takeru: Tennin, get ready!
Akio: Your Bey can't do jack anymore! I'll end this quickly!
As it attacked, one of Amarok's blades was engulfed by a golden aura.
Akio: Wraith Claw!
Tennin recovered and charged towards its opponent. Amarok then struck Tennin with great force, but the impact would be absorbed by Tennin's blades. While it absorbed the impact, Tennin's balance was broken for a moment.
Takeru: Now, Tennin!
With Tennin suddenly losing a bit of stamina, the wings on the inside of Tennin would be pushed out, hardening the overall structure of Tennin's layer.
There are wings on the inside? Pretty smart, but I think they're doing this in the standard format, so I think Akio's got the gist of how Tennin works.
Takeru: Skyline Counter!
Both Beys would get pushed away from each other. Tennin was pushed away slightly, while Amarok was completely thrown out of the stadium.
Venni: Huh, not bad. Takeru, Over Finish.
Akio: Come on, put some more enthusiasm in your commentary!
Venni: I don't care, I'm not David Croft.
Akio: Man, you're no fun at all.
I'm bad at commentating, don't force me to do so.
He'd pick up his Bey and get into position.
Akio: What are you waiting for Takeru? Let's go again!
Takeru: I think I've got a proposition.
Akio calms down and lets his launcher down.
Akio: What is it?
Takeru: I suggest having Venni go against you!
What?
Akio: Hmm, that'd be interesting!
Venni: No, I don't wanna.
The room would go silent for a second, with the silence broken by Takeru's voice.
Takeru: What?
Venni: What's the point?
Akio: It's fun!
Venni: Anything else?
Takeru: Why are you asking for reasons, Venni?
Venni sighed before he spoke.
Venni: What's the point of joining in a sport where your career ends early?
Takeru: It's just one game though, does it really bug you that much?
Venni: I'll lose with this though, I'm not a good Blader.
Takeru walks up to Venni.
Takeru: I know you're lying.
Lying? How does he know?
Takeru stared at Venni, with his eyes peeking through his bangs.
Takeru: You're just wasting a gift, you know?
Venni's eyes widened with that statement, it seemed like Takeru struck a nerve in him.
Takeru: Sure you don't want to use it? Your mother made that Bey for you to use it.
Venni: No, she probably brought in here by mistake.
What's up with this guy? Shut up, will you?
Venni looked at the ground for a moment, before he felt warmth in his pocket.
What the...
He'd pull out something in his pocket and it was Vainamoinen, glowing and producing a purple aura.
I'm not a decoration, I'm your partner.
Vainamoinen?
Use me, as I am willing to be with you.
Clenching his Bey in his fist, his eyebrows would furrow.
Venni: Alright then...
Letting off a sigh, he'd calm down.
Venni: I'll do it, for now.
Takeru: Alright then... Akio, can you go on the sidelines for now?
Akio: Hell no, I wanna go up against Venni. He should be interesting to fight against!
Takeru paused for a moment and thought about it. He then came to a conclusion.
Takeru: N-no offense, but I think you're gonna be a pain to argue with, but... He's my cousin, so I wanna go up against him.
I expected this to happen.
Akio (sighing): Well, I'll let you go next. Venni, get over here man!
Venni: Yeah, yeah.
Unenthusiastically, Venni got into position and prepared his Bey.
Akio: Alright, here goes. Three, two, one...
(In unison): Go shoot!
Both of them launched with great power, and both Beys landed smoothly just like earlier. Upon launching, the rubber ring on Vainamoinen would lock up as well.
Now, I believe his Bey is a Stamina-type, so his first move would be taking the center. Vainamoinen is a Defense-type if I remember correctly, and if that's so then...
Takeru: Take the center, Tennin!
Venni: Knew it.
The two Beys rush towards the center and grind against each other, not giving Tennin any time to build up stamina.
Takeru: So you knew what I was gonna do, huh?
Venni: That was my first course of action as a Defense-type user anyways.
Takeru: Your Bey won't last that long sadly, I'll defeat you!
Venni: You're getting a little cocky aren't you? If you wanna beat me then, be my guest.
Vainamoinen slips past Tennin, much to Takeru's surprise. It'd then climb up the slopes and gain more momentum in order to attack Tennin.
Takeru: He's attacking... Tennin, defend!
His Bey is circular and has good defenses but, there's no such thing as an invincible Bey.
Vainamoinen attacked Tennin with a barrage of quick attacks, only attacking its rigid parts.
Venni: Vainamoinen, you're ready to be used... aren't you?
Yes, as your mother wills it.
Venni: Mom, eh? Alright then, Vainamoinen!
Vainamoinen sped up more, pummeling Tennin with each hit.
Takeru: Hold on, Tennin!
As it was being pummeled, Tennin's wings would be pushed out, thus fortifying its defenses.
Takeru: Tennin, to the right! Quantum Drift!
The base on Tennin's tip would grind the floor and it'd accelerate, dodging Vainamoinen in the nick of time.
Venni: Not bad, so you're going on the offensive now.
Takeru: You know about this as well, eh? There's more to you than I thought.
The two Beys race around the stadium and Vainamoinen follows Tennin, going up beside it and pushing it against the wall.
Takeru: Don't let up now!
With its circular shape, Tennin breaks free from Vainamoinen.
He slipped past... that should've wasted a lot of his stamina though.
Takeru: Save your strength and defend, Tennin!
Tennin takes the center, and the four metal balls in its tip would be pushed out as well, causing it to spin faster.
Takeru: Tennin! Skyline Spin!
A red aura surrounds Tennin, then it spins faster than before. Two red rings made of light then surround it as it spun faster.
He's going on the defensive again, there's one way to finish this then.
The ring on Vainamoinen's tip would become free-spinning and it'd charge towards Tennin with great force.
Takeru: You're not getting through!
Venni: Well, I am.
Vainamoinen closes in on Tennin, causing Takeru to get nervous.
Takeru: Brace for impact!
Vainamoinen tilts and hits both of its rings with a light tap, nullifying them.
Venni: Breaking your flow is enough.
Takeru: What?!
As Vainamoinen gets past Tennin, and its rubber comes into contact with the ground, causing it to shift directions with great speed.
Venni: Feint Trigger.
It crashes into the opposing Bey with great force, and its spring-loaded Blade pushes against Tennin. The hidden blades within Vainamoinen would appear and Burst Tennin.
Takeru: Tennin...
Takeru would get shocked by his Bey's loss, but he'd smile afterward, knowing he had a great battle.
Takeru: That was a great battle, even though I lost.
Venni: Yeah, I suppose. You're not half bad Takeru-
Knocking was heard from the door, interrupting Venni.
Oi! Is there anyone here? This looks really suspicious...
From the door, there was a girl's voice.
That voice...
Akio: Ah, a customer. I'll go upstairs.
Since no one's answering, I might as well bust through the door!
Akio opened the door.
Akio: What do you- AH!
Akio's stomach would get kicked by the girl, causing him to fall on the floor.
Ah, sorry! I didn't know you were there!
Akio: Ow... what the hell did you do that for?!
That face and that blue hair, could that be her?
Venni: Beniko?
Pausing, the girl looked towards Venni and her eyes widened.
Beniko: Venni?!
(To Be Continued...)
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