Ryuga x King Chapter 13 - Partner Troubles
(Cover art is by Zadi Jyne)
King’s POV
“Go Variares!”
“L-Drago!”
The two beys flew through the air side by side like a pair of swans, crashing into the boulder at the same time. Upon impact, the huge rock instantly split into pieces. King instinctively shielded his face. Pebbles landed all around Ryuga and King, none of them hitting them. King looked up. Variares and L-Drago were spinning side by side on the other side of the rocky remains.
“Woo!” King cheered, holding his hand up for a high five.
Ryuga rolled his eyes. “We’ve done this a million times, King.”
“And it’s cool every time!” King insisted, still waiting for his high five. “Work with me, will ya?”
Ryuga sighed. However, he finally returned the high five. King inwardly squealed. He and Ryuga had registered for the tournament that morning and had spent most of the day training together. Ryuga’s idea of training could be a little intense but it was fun nonetheless.
“King!” Masamune’s voice suddenly called. King looked up. His friend was dashing toward him, a frantic look on his face. “There you are! Are you free?”
King gestured to Ryuga. “What do you think?” he asked, not taking his eyes off Masamune.
“Please?!” Masamune’s eyes were huge and there was a note of desperation in his voice. “I really need your help!”
King let out a sigh, snatching up his bey. “What is it?”
Masamune looked away. “I… I need a partner.” King gestured to Ryuga again. “I mean I need your help finding a partner. I’ve asked around but Gingka’s already teaming with Kenta, Tsubasa and Yu are a team, Zeo and Toby-”
“What about Kyoya?” King suggested. It was an ambitious idea, but not completely out there.
“He’s with Benkei,” Ryuga replied, crushing King’s hopes.
“Ugh, see what I mean?!” Masamune exclaimed, pacing in small circles in front of them. “All the good ones are taken and there's only one spot left in the tournament! I have to find someone!”
“We’ll ask around town,” King turned to Ryuga. “Ryuga, wanna meet up later today?” he suggested, with a smile.
Ryuga dipped his head.
“Great, thanks.” King nodded to him before turning back to Masamune. “Let’s go.”
“Thank you so much, King.” Masamune smiled at him.
King shrugged. “No problem, man. To be honest, Ryuga and I needed to take a break anyways. That guy doesn’t know when to quit sometimes.”
“Or he’s just stronger than you,” Masamune replied with a smirk.
King’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?!”
Masamune just giggled into his hand. King nudged him. Masamune nudged him back. The two of them continued through the city, looking for anyone and everyone who could’ve been a blader. A clashing sound suddenly echoed in the distance. King perked up. The sound repeated again and again like the beat of a drum.
“Hey, that sounds like a battle!” Masamune exclaimed, charging in the direction of the sound. King trailed after him.
They made their way to the top of an incline, with a hill leading down to a bey stadium. Four people King had never seen before stood around it. On one side, stood a dark-haired girl wearing pink and a much taller boy with a stream of dark hair. On the other side, were two more boys: one with scruffy brown hair and the other with purple hair pulled into an immaculate braid. Their four beys travelled around the stadium in two separate formations. When the two pairs crossed paths, they sent up sparks as they began clashing with each other.
Beside King, Masamune let out a gasp. “It’s Wang Fu Zhong!”
“Who?” King asked, turning to his friend.
“Team China, from the world tournament.” Masamune pointed to the boys on the right side. “See that guy in the tank top?”
King gazed at the boy with scruffy brown hair. He nodded.
Masamune smiled in a gloating way. “I kicked his butt,” he informed, pointing to himself.
King rolled his eyes. “Pft, yeah right.”
“I did!” Masamune exclaimed, stiffening with anger. “His name is Chao Xin, you can ask him!”
“Okay.”
King started walking down the hill. However, the incline made his feet slide down as if he were on ice. Once he reached the bottom, he caught his breath. Then he made his way toward the bladers.
“Hi!” King greeted, with a wave.
The four bladers paused, meeting his gaze with varying expressions. The boy with dark hair had a neutral expression. The girl and the brunet boy tilted their heads to the side.
The boy with the braid glared at him. “What’s the meaning of this?” he grumbled, “Can’t you see Chi-Yun and the others are in the middle of training?”
King took a step back. *Rude…*
“Hey, chill man,” the brunet boy cut in, gesturing for his friend to calm down. “He was just saying hi.”
“Uh yeah,” King smiled again. “I’m King.”
The boy with long dark hair dipped his head. “Yes, we know who you are, Legendary Blader of Mars.” He had an air of authority around him, making King think he was some sort of leader.
“Heh…” King rested his hand on the back of his beck. “I guess I would be famous now…”
“Hey, guys!” Masamune, waving and running in
“Masamune!” The four kids exclaimed in unison. They began snatching up their beys one by one as they approached Masamune.
“You guys are here for the tournament I’m guessing?” Masamune asked.
The dark-haired girl nodded. “Yeah, Gingka told us about it and we just had to come.”
“Hey uh…” King approached the brunet boy. “Chao Xin right? Did Masamune really beat you at the world tournament?”
Chao Xin let out a grunt. “He told you that, huh?”
“Oh, he didn’t just make that up then…”
King gazed at Masamune, expecting a reaction. Masamune didn’t even gaze at him, making King frown in disappointment.
“So uh, I’m looking for a teammate for this tournament. Are any of you by chance available?” He gazed at them hopefully.
“Sorry, Masamune,” Chao Xin replied, “I’ve already teamed with Chi-Yun and Da Xiang has already teamed with Mei Mei.” He gestured to each person accordingly.
Masamune let out a groan.
“Why can’t you two be a team?” Da Xiang asked, gesturing to King and Masamune.
“He already has a partner,” Masamune grumbled, folding his arms. “I’m the odd man out.”
“Who’s your teammate, King?” Mei Mei asked, smiling curiously.
“Ryuga.”
“Ryuga?!” All four members of Wang Fu Zhong gasped in unison.
“Uh…” King took a step back. *Oh yeah, I can’t just mention him casually to people…* “Yeah, he’s good now, don’t worry,” King explained hastily.
“Huh…” Da Xiang dipped his head. “So the rumours are true.”
“Ryuga and King…” Chi-Yun had his finger on his chin as if he were musing aloud. “Two legendary bladers on one team…”
“Well, technically Ryuga isn't-”
King smacked his hand over Masamune's mouth. “Yeah, he and I are gonna be an unstoppable team. You guys better watch out.” He smirked competitively, remembering he was talking to participants from the World Tournament. “Actually… you look like you'd be fun opponents. Wanna battle?” King held up his launcher.
“King, we're trying to find a partner so I'm not left out of this tournament!” Masamune exclaimed.
“Right, right.” King lowered his launcher. “Later then?” he asked, gazing at the team hopefully.
Da Xiang smiled. “I'm sure at least one of our teams will get to battle you in the tournament.”
“Yes!” Mei Mei’s eyes lit up. “It would be awesome to get the chance to crush legendary bladers like you and Ryuga!”
Chao Xin and Chi-Yun nodded.
“Sounds like a deal!” King called as he walked away with Masamune. “See you then!”
“Bye! Can’t wait for the battle!” They called after him.
“I should’ve known they’d be fully teamed already,” Masamune grumbled, glaring at the ground.
“It was still worth a try,” King replied with a shrug. “Come on, let’s go see who else is around.”
Masamune let out a sigh but still nodded. They asked around the city for what felt like hours, making multiple laps around the more dense areas and asking pretty much anyone who crossed their path, whether they were Beyblading or not.
They found several other bladers already training with their teammates, just as Wang Fu Zhong had been doing. King had to fight the temptation to battle every single one of them now. It felt like he hadn’t had a truly exciting new battle since he and Ryuga’s tag battle against Gingka and Kenta and it was eating him up inside.
“This is starting to feel like a lost cause,” Masamune complained, resting his hand on his forehead.
“There has to be someone,” King insisted, his eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to sit this tournament out, do you?”
Masamune glared at him. “No, of course not!” There was new passion in his voice.
King looked around. The sidewalk in this area was quiet besides the two of them. He looked around. Two people were sitting on a bench out in the grass. Both appeared to be boys. One of them had dark hair and was wearing a traditional Japanese outfit and the other had the poofiest blond hair King had ever seen. There was enough space between them on the bench for another person.
“Those guys look cool.” King gestured to them. “Maybe they're bladers.”
Masamune let out a sigh. “They are. Go ask them if you really want to.”
King froze. *How does he know that?* However, Masamune didn’t seem in the mood to answer that. King made his way toward the two.
“Hi,” he greeted with a wave. “Are you guys bladers?”
The two boys looked up at him with looks of confusion plastered on their faces.
“We are…?”
“Hey…” The blond-haired boy raised an eyebrow. “Wait a second… I've seen you somewhere before.”
“Oh, uh…” King shifted in place. “My name's King. Maybe you saw me on TV? I helped defeat Nemesis.”
“Yeah…” The blond boy nodded. “That's probably it.”
The boy beside him nodded as well, hiding the bottom half of his face behind a paper fan.
“Uh… so what’s your name?” King prompted, gazing at the blond-haired boy.
“Tobio.”
King gazed at the dark-haired boy. “And you?”
“Ryutaro Fukami.”
King dipped his head. “Nice to meet both of you.”
“Not from around here I'm guessing?” Tobio asked, raising an eyebrow.
King took a step back. “How'd you guess?”
Tobio shrugged. “Easy. You're speaking English.”
“Oh… right…” King chuckled a little.
“Here for the tag team tournament, I'm guessing?” Ryutaro asked. He folded his fan, and King noticed that the boy was wearing dark blue lipstick.
“Yeah,” King replied with a nod. “Do either of you need a partner?”
“We’re already a team, but our…” Tobio let out a grunt. “Buddy still needs a partner.”
“Did you want to team up with him?” Ryutaro asked.
Before King could answer, Masamune charged in, stopping beside him.
“Oh my gosh yes please!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide and almost crazed. “Where is this guy?!” He looked around wildly. “Is he here?! Can I meet him now?!”
“Oh, it's you…” There was a prick of annoyance in Ryutaro’s voice.
“Haven't seen you in a while,” Tobio added, raising an eyebrow.
King’s gaze shifted between them. *How do these two know Masamune?*
“Yeah, I was back in America,” Masamune replied, still looking around. “Where's your buddy? Have I met them before?”
“He's getting food for the three of us,” Tobio answered.
Ryutaro nodded, opening his fan again. “He should be back soon.”
Before anyone could continue, the sound of loud hard footsteps echoed through the air. King looked up. A third boy was dashing toward them. He looked like, well, a homeless person: long unkempt hair, torn clothes, and the crazed look of someone who would attack you in an alleyway. King instantly felt uneasy.
“Hellooooo!” the boy exclaimed.
“Ah, there he is now.” Tobio’s tone was casual as the crazy guy stopped in front of them.
“Hello ally-crabs. Wha?!” The boy’s eyes went wide when he noticed Masamune and King. “Stranger crab alert!” he exclaimed, dropping the take out boxes he was carrying to point at them. Tobio caught the boxes in one swift movement.
Ryutaro folded his fan. “Tetsuya, we found you a partner,” he informed, gesturing to King and Masasamune with his fan.
“What?!” Tetsuya’s eyes lit up. “Yes! So which of these crabs is gonna be my partner-crab?” he asked, gazing at them.
King took a step back.
“Uh…” Masamune trembled as he raised his hand. “Heeey… Long time no see, crab-guy.”
“Crab-guy?” Tetsuya laughed. “You're speaking my language, crab. Come along. Let's go register for the tournament, crab!” He grabbed Masamune by the wrist and began dashing away. King stiffened.
“Wha- wait a second!” Masamune exclaimed, struggling to keep up with the weird crab guy.
KIng’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to Tobio and Rytuato, expecting them to do something. However, they remained on the bench.
“Hm…” Tobio was gazing at the take out boxes. “I guess he won't be wanting this.” He reached toward it. Before he could reach it, Ryutaro smacked Tobio’s hand away with his fan.
“Aren't you guys gonna go after them?” King prompted, tapping his foot anxiously.
“He'll come back eventually,” Tobio replied, rubbing his hand.
“Well, I should go after him. It was nice meeting you guys,” King called, as he ran in the direction Tetsuya and Masamune had disappeared. “I'll see you at the tournament tomorrow!”
King rushed through the city, looking around for any sign of his friend or that weird “Tetsuya” guy. Finally, he spotted Masamune in front of the main stadium.
“Hey, Masamune!” he exclaimed, dashing toward him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Masamune smiled and shrugged. “We just signed up for the tournament. Were… you worried?”
“Well, yeah, that guy made me uneasy,” King replied bluntly. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”
“What was I supposed to do?!” Masamune exclaimed, “I couldn’t find anyone else!”
“You sure it’s a good idea to team up with him?” King asked, raising an eyebrow.
Masamune shrugged. “No, but most of my ideas aren’t good ones anyways.” King stared at him doubtfully. “It’ll be fine! Tetsuya’s not the best blader but I can carry the entire tournament on my back if I have to! Just wait and see!”
“That’s not really the point of-”
“Anyways, thanks for the help!” Masamune cut him off as he dashed away. “See you at the tournament tomorrow!”
King gazed up at the sky. The sun had dipped so low in the sky it had almost gone completely dark. He made his way toward Ryuga’s house. As he walked, he couldn’t help but think about tomorrow’s tournament. He trembled with excitement. *So many cool opponents… I can’t wait to battle all of them!* King tried to remind himself that it was unlikely he would be able to battle everyone he’d met today in one tournament. However, he couldn’t help but imagine it anyway…
----------------------------------
King went to sleep on the couch that night. The next morning, he felt someone rest a hand on his shoulder and shake him slightly.
“King…” It was Ryuga’s voice. “Wake up.”
King just grunted tiredly in response. His eyelids, along with his arms and legs, felt too heavy to lift right now.
“King!” Ryuga raised his voice. “The tournament is starting soon!”
“Just… just a few… more…” King struggled to get the words out.
“King!” Ryuga exclaimed.
“King!” Now that was Kenta’s voice, sounding equally annoyed.
King just grunted in response again, rolling onto his side. Ryuga pinched King’s arm. When King didn’t respond, Ryuga let out an annoyed sigh. His hand brushed against King’s stomach, making him flinch instinctively. A giggle slipped past his lips. There was a moment of silence.
Then Ryuga was suddenly tickling King’s stomach. King’s eyes popped wide open. He yelped in alarm, trying to squirm away. Ryuga grabbed King’s shoulder, holding him in place as he used his other hand to tickle him. His expression twisted into one of sadistic joy.
“Ah, stop!” King squealed, kicking and squirming in an attempt to escape. “Ryuga! STOP!”
Ryuga stared at him, completely unfazed. “You didn’t say please.”
“Ryuga-”
“PLEASE!” King exclaimed without thinking. “PLEASE I BEG YOU!”
Ryuga retracted his hand. King gasped, gripping his stomach and curling into a ball to further guard himself. He shivered, his heart pounding out of his chest.
“Ryuga, come on,” Kenta was scolding Ryuga like a parent. “There was no need to do that.”
“It’s fine… I’m fine…” King sat up, still gripping his stomach. “Let me just… get some food and we can go.” He stumbled to his feet.
Ryuga stepped to King’s side, not meeting his gaze. “Are you…” he murmured in his ear.
King smiled at him. “I’m fine…”
For a moment, he considered kissing him. However, he pushed that idea away quickly, remembering what happened the last time King kissed him. So instead he nuzzled his head against Ryuga’s shoulder like a cat.
“Don’t worry about me, tough guy.”
Ryuga sighed in exasperation. King moved away before Ryuga could make him, grinning widely.
(Author’s Note: For anyone confused, Masamune met Ryutaro and Tetsuya in the Beyblade movie: Sol Blaze, The Scorching Hot Invader. That’s why they’re familiar with him.)
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