Chapter 8: Broadening Horizons
The days followed as the district tournaments inched ever closer. In the schoolyard of CHS, a small group of people was gathered. They were huddled around a bey stadium as two bladers were going at it. One of them was none other than the student president, as word got out that she now had a bey. It shocked many, and even more shocking was how much skill she had after recently learning the game.
"Magia, let's finish this!" shouted Twilight to her bey as it was in the center, clashing with her foe.
The bey heard the girl's command as it pushed off its opponent and did a circle back as it was preparing to strike. Twilight's body began to glow as her aura shined. The girl snapped her finger as magic sparkles occurred; she winked as her hair flapped in the wind.
"Scared Aura!" shouted Twilight.
Her bey shined as the creature inside emerged. The sorceress appeared as she wielded her staff and had her book open in her other hand. The bey began to shine with Twilight's aura as it left sparkles in its trail and zoomed ahead. The bey was about to collide as the sorceress powered up her staff and fired her magic.
"Now!" shouted the girl.
Her bey collided with her opponent's bey, and moments later, it shattered. The girl's bey was shown spinning in the center as around it laid the pieces.
"With a Burst Finish, the winner is Twilight." said the student who was the ref.
"Excellent work," said the girl as she picked up her bey to look at it.
The group began to disburse as a few praised Twilight on her latest win.
"Not bad, egghead," said Rainbow as the chromatic-haired girl approached her friend.
"Hi, Rainbow. And for the 12,965th time, I am not an egghead! I am well-read!" shouted Twilight, as she hated her friend calling her that.
"Same thing," justified Rainbow, "Anyways, you seem to be making a name for yourself. How many wins have you gotten?"
"For your information, I just won my 13th match," said Twilight crossing her arms at her friend.
"So, what? Are you gonna enter the district tournament?"
"It would seem so," said the student president, not fully confident.
The girl was still unsure about Emerald's decision to sign her up for the tournament, as she felt she was nowhere near the level to compete on a big stage. But he believed that with all the stuff he spent teaching her and training, she was ready to make her grand debut.
The bell rang as that signaled the end of the free period. The two girls began to head inside to get to their next class.
"So, what made you get into Beyblading all of a sudden? And where did you learn how to play?" asked Rainbow as they walked to class.
"I had a tutor," responded Twilight.
Speaking of Emerald, the boy was at his locker examining his bey, Lunor. Hearing the sound of the bell snapped him out of his confusion. While he didn't like to dwell on past losses, the fact that Flash managed to beat him stuck with him.
The boy shut his locker as he started to head to his next class.
"Hello, Emerald."
"Hey, Fluttershy," said the boy as he saw the girl up ahead, and the pair began to walk together.
What do you plan on making when you get to art class?" Fluttershy asked, and Emerald stroked his chin.
"I'm not sure. I'll see what we get there," he responded, "What about you?" Fluttershy's response was the same as Emerald's, so until they arrived, they were still determining what to make.
They made it to class quickly and took their seats, waiting for their teacher to come in and the rest of the class too. The teacher greeted everyone as soon as everyone was present and accounted for.
"Alright, class. You will pick a painting easel and a picture for today's assignment. It can be anything, so get creative as long as it's appropriate for me to display. And when December rolls around, you can either take your art home with you in a portfolio or leave them with me. Now, please get to your easels and show me how creative your minds are!"
Soon, everyone was working on their paintings; some were rushing to get theirs done so they could have some free time to kill, while others were taking the time to create their pictures and ensure they were done just right.
Five minutes in, the teacher's curiosity hits him like bricks. He wandered around the classroom, checking out what kind of pictures they were painting. His first candidate was Fluttershy. She had already painted the head and face of a bunny rabbit with its eyes closed and a smile on its face.
"Ooh, a lovely piece of art. Keep up the good work," the teacher said, startling Fluttershy. "Oopsies, my apologies. I thought you knew I was here."
"It's okay. I, umm... thank you. That's my pet. His name's Angel Bunny. He makes me happy because he likes to cuddle when he's asleep. He's so cute!" Fluttershy cupped her cheek, flashing a cute smile.
"I'm sure he is. Keep up the good work," The teacher walked away and sighed. "That young lady could probably sell her art and make millions... if that was her choice," he said quietly. "Now, let's see what the other students are making."
The teacher moved around the classroom and again checked painting after painting. Some were pictures of memes, as some students put it; others were making video game characters or cartoon characters, but most were either elementary or middle school leveled. Soon, he walked up to Emerald. He hesitated to see what he was making for some strange reason but then shrugged off whatever was bothering him and approached the young man. The teacher blinked in surprise at the picture he was painting. In the 20 minutes that had passed, Emerald was painting a portrait of his bey.
"Well, well, well. Seems we have a blader on our hands? Care to explain why you chose this as your portrait?" asked the teacher.
"Hmm?" Emerald asked, not turning his attention away from his painting. "Well, I can't explain why or how, but something about blading makes me smile."
"Well then, I'll leave you to your painting," said the professor as he walked over to his desk.
Fluttershy, on the other hand, was nearly finished with her masterpiece. She finished painting her sleeping bunny, and now she was beginning to paint his comfy little bed. Fluttershy couldn't stop smiling and squeed with joy, making her friend Emerald jump.
The boy turned to Fluttershy and saw her adorable expression. He smiled and then added something to his painting to make it more perfect. It didn't take long for Fluttershy to become curious about what Emerald was painting, but she couldn't see what he was painting. She knew that whatever he was painting made him really happy, and she felt happy for him.
Soon...
"Alright, class, time's up. Sign your name on your pictures, so I'll know whose painting belongs to who, and then go ahead and form a single-file line."
Everyone followed their art teacher's instructions, lined up at the door, and got ready to leave. Right on cue, the bell soon rang.
"Alrighty, class, take care. I'll see you all tomorrow!" the teacher said. Mostly everyone waved goodbye and walked out of the classroom.
"Emerald, can we talk for a second?" Fluttershy asked.
"Sure, what's up?"
The two started chatting as they walked toward their lockers. "I was wondering what kind of picture you were painting earlier. I'm very curious. O-Of course, y-y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Well... I think it'd be better if I showed you. When the time is right, that is," he said.
"Oh, okay then. What's your next class?" Emerald checked his daily schedule to find out.
"It says here my next class is drama class," he said.
"Oh, that's nice. Did you choose to be in that class because you want to be on stage?" she asked.
"Honestly, Celestia, just put it on my schedule. Not much of a stage kind of guy." answered Emerald.
"Oh. Well, I hope things go well for you in drama class. I'll see you later. I've got cooking class to go to. Wish me luck."
"Good luck, Fluttershy."
After saying their goodbyes, both headed off to their respective classes. By the end of the day, everyone was finally heading home. Twilight had informed Emerald that she had some student council duties but asked if she could talk to him. The boy asked what it was, but she felt it best to tell him in person. So, while Twilight finished her duties, Emerald decided to head to the roof to get some extra training.
"Three... two... one... Let it rip!" shouted the boy.
He pulled the string on his launcher as his bey shot out. It spun and landed in the stadium with so much force and power as it took off. His bey circled the stadium before landing directly in the center as it spun.
"Nice," said Emerald as he wiped his forehead with a towel around his neck and bent down to grab his bey.
He looked at Lunor as he began to tinker with it, making adjustments when his attention was caught.
"Glad to find you here," said Twilight as she made her presence known.
"Hey, Miss Prez. Tell me, did you punish a troublemaker for something inappropriate on the blackboard?" joked Emerald as he attached his bey to his launcher and prepared to launch.
"Funny. Actually, I'd like to talk to you about something. Do you have a moment?" asked Twilight.
"Fire away," said Emerald as he launched his bey into the stadium.
"So... up until now, I've been the quintessential honor student. I believe I've been handling my position as student council president with ease as well. A-And I don't mean that in a boasting way; that's simply how I've thought about it." said Twilight as she paced back and forth on the other side of the stadium. Emerald was still on a knee as he kept his eyes focused on his bey spinning, but his ears were tuned to what Twilight was saying.
"... But in the end, I was unable to make any impact with other students who weren't in my circle of acquaintances or on the student council. People like you. Turns out there's no use for a rule-abiding honor student when things get rough."
Emerald looked up at Twilight when she said that as he could detect the tone in her voice changing. His bey was spinning in the stadium before it jumped into the air and caught it with one hand without looking. The girl took a deep breath and sat on the bench next to the stadium before continuing.
"Now that I'm a blader, I want to do everything I can to help. All my studying up to this point has kept me quite narrow-minded. I think... I-I will need to broaden my horizons somewhat."
"What brought this on?" asked Emerald as he stood up.
"Well, my Philosophy teacher was going over today's lesson. And he mentioned how people undertake activities to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and each other." explained Twilight, "I guess it got me thinking about my own relationships and how I view the world. I don't really understand the world surrounding me; everything I know comes from books I've read. But... not everything can be understood just by reading. So that's why... If I get out there and experience stuff for myself, then I'll have a better understanding."
"Smart plan, Advisor," chuckled Emerald.
"Advisor...? Hmph, all right," chuckled Twilight, laughing at the joke the boy made as it made her smile, "My first step will be to learn more about other people. But... I struggle with that. There seems to be a disparity between my tastes and those of my peers."
"Well, you're not wrong," responded Emerald.
"I knew it," sighed Twilight, "I don't even know where people like to go for fun... It would be nice to have a group of such concepts. Plus, the student council must be responsible for understanding the student body they serve, right? I don't mean that in a surveillance way; I just want to know them as people. I may be a blader now, but that's no excuse to ignore my presidential duties. Now, back to the topic at hand... Where do people usually go for fun?"
"You ever hear of an arcade?" stated Emerald.
"Ah, I often hear people talking about going to the arcade. To be perfectly honest, I've never been to one myself... Do you think you could take me?" asked Twilight. "I'm not sure if it will broaden my horizons per se, but simply studying won't get me anywhere."
"Consider it a field trip," joked the boy.
"Thank goodness... I think I would have been totally lost in there had I gone by myself," said Twilight, sighing in relief. "Well, let's get going."
Emerald soon packed up his bey and launcher as he grabbed his backpack. The pair then left school and headed to the train station.
"Let it Rip!" shouted Spitfire as she pulled her ripcord, and her bey was sent flying into the stadium.
It landed as it began to collide and pushback with Soarin's bey as the two were going at it.
"Come on, Sky Striker! Show'em how strong you are!" shouted the girl.
Her bey responded to the call as it pushed off of Soarin's bey and began a flurry of attacks attacking Air Volcuris from all directions.
"Stand your ground, Volcuris. Cyclone Spin!" shouted Soarin as he moved his arms to do a full circle rotation.
The bey created an air vortex around it as Strike came in for the attack. Both beys collided as Spitfire managed to break through the defense and landed a hit. The two met as the creatures were shown colliding with each other. The wind from Soarin's bey blew out of the stadium as the teens' clothes fluttered in the wind. The beys landed on the floor next to them as it was a draw.
"Another one?" asked Thunderlane as he was off to the side, with Misty Fly and Fleetfoot as they'd been watching Spitfire go at it for the 25th time.
"What's going on?!" shouted Spitfire as she couldn't seem to burst Soarin's bey. "Why can't I burst anyone?!"
"Seems the battle with Emerald is messing with you," mocked Soarin.
"That kid. No way!" shouted the girl at what her friend said.
"I mean, he beat you rather effectively. And he wiped out everybody else you pitted him against," said Thunderlane.
"Stay out of this, Thunder!" growled Spitfire. "Like I said, the kid got one lucky shot. The next time we battle, it'll be different!"
"All I know is that if he's as good as he showed, he's definitely gonna be a favorite to win the district tournament," said Misty Fly as she got up and pulled out her launcher, preparing to go against Soarin.
"Let's not forget our fearless leader. He's already got a win over him," spoke Fleetfoot.
"You guys talking about me?" said Flash as he arrived.
"Hey, boss," said Thunderlane as he approached his bud and did their guy handshake. "So, I heard your girl has been making waves?"
"Twilight's not my girl. She's just a friend," responded Flash.
"Sure, a girl that you wanna get close to," snickered Soarin as he and Misty Fly pulled their strings on their launchers and fired their beys.
"Okay, fine. But still, I'm glad that she's come around on Beyblading. Nice to see that she's taken an interest in it. Though I am surprised, she signed up for the district tournament."
"Guess she really wants to test her skills," said Spitfire, "Though, I gotta ask, you feeling a bit hurt that she didn't ask you to teach her?"
"What do you mean?" asked Flash.
"I mean, you ain't got any bad blood between you and Emerald. Twilight did go to him instead of you to teach her. I figured she'd trust someone she knew rather than someone who had just transferred. Makes me wonder if he's doing something to her." said Spitfire.
"Twilight can take care of herself. She's not a damsel in distress, plus she's smart to know if Emerald was any threat. And as for Emerald teaching her, I got no problem with that. The dude's chill in my book. Besides, he's good when it comes to blading."
"He almost beat you after going against 100 bladers," snickered Fleetfoot.
"Like I said, he's good. But I'm just better. Besides, shouldn't we be focusing on the tournament." stated Flash as everyone began to pair up and train.
Flash walked to the bench and picked up his launcher and bey. The boy was holding his bey, Leonis, as he recalled the battle with Emerald. The fight between two top predators was a display that many students were still talking about. Some even began to make assumptions that Emerald could be the one to win.
"So, Flash, want to train with me?" asked Thunderlane.
"Sure, bud," said the boy as he attached his bey to his launcher. "I'll be honest, Thunder. I am okay with Emerald teaching Twilight, or she went to him first. But... I can't help but be jealous that she's spending more time with him."
"Well, you still have that "hangout" you two have planned? Plus, if you win the tournament, that'll surely impress her. Who knows, you might get your girl, after all," said Thunderlane with a smile, trying to lift his friend's spirit.
"Thanks, bud," said Flash as they approached one of the spare stadiums and prepared to train.
The train pulled into the station as people got off. Among them were Emerald and Twilight as they walked up the station's stairs and came to the streets. They continued to walk, and they came to their destination moments later. The teens entered as they were welcome to an immediate sound of chatter and video game noises. All of this was normal to Emerald, but to Twilight, it was like discovering that there was life in space.
"So, this is where everyone comes to enjoy themselves... There are more girls here than I expected."
"What, you think girls can't be gamers?" mocked Emerald as Twilight looked away in embarrassment as she twirled a strand of her hair.
"Hey, over there..." called out Twilight, hoping to change the topic.
The girl was looking at the machine as the person at it was holding the gun to the screen as they were firing at the enemies that popped up as their score went up.
"You play by aiming the gun at the screen, right? That actually seems somewhat realistic."
"You can try it, you know," stated Emerald, seeing how Twilight's curiosity was piqued.
"I-If it's okay with you... Do you think you could teach me?" asked the girl to her male companion.
Emerald nodded as the person who was done playing put the gun in the holster. The pair approached the machine as he slotted in a coin and gave one of the blasters to Twilight. The girl felt out of place holding it until Emerald adjusted her stance and positioned her hands on where to hold the thing. Soon the screen flashed with words as the game began.
Emerald took the lead in showing Twilight where the enemies would come from and calling out where to shot. Soon the girl got into the game's rhythm as the pair made some decent progress.
"I did it!" exclaimed Twilight, "Huh? No way! Ahh!"
Just as Twilight was getting engrossed in the game, she failed to see how much health remained on her character as one of the enemies got a strike in as she was shooting the others and down she went. It wasn't long after that Emerald also reached his last bit of health before the game over flashed on the screen. The pair put their guns into the holsters, grabbed their backpacks, and began to head toward the exit of the establishment as it seemed the sun was starting to go down.
"Oh, so this is how it is," stated the student president as they exited the arcade.
"I'll admit. You got some skills when it comes to playing video games. You pick up on it fast." admitted Emerald.
"Thanks. Of course, that was just a game, but... I wonder if I could apply some of the techniques I learned here during battle," wondered Twilight as she had her hand under her chin.
"That might just work. You can find inspiration from almost anything. Even stuff that you generally think wouldn't work." said the boy.
"Perhaps going somewhere I don't normally frequent is what helped me come up with that idea. You know, it may only be a little bit... But I think I'm starting to understand how people pass time. Interesting. I would've never even thought about coming here before."
"That's a new side that I'd never thought I'd see," chuckled the male teen.
"I... Hey, do you think you could help me out again later? I might be able to come up with more ideas on strategies if I can gain increased knowledge outside of my studies." proposed Twilight.
"Sure thing. I look forward to it."
"I need to live up to your expectations now that I've taken up your time. It won't be immediately... but I can be useful."
Emerald gave one last nod as Twilight smiled.
"Well, it's getting late. Let's go home. Just because you helped the student president doesn't mean you'll get special treatment."
"It's fine. I don't need it," chuckled Emerald as he began to walk Twilight back to the train station.
They approached the platform just as the train arrived. They quickly ran to get on as the doors slid behind Twilight, almost catching her sweater as she was directly in front of Emerald's chest. The girl smiled sheepishly before pushing off and standing upright while holding onto one of the overhead hooks.
The train soon pulled into the station as Twilight got off. Emerald remained on as his stop was the next one.
"Thanks again. I really had fun."
"No worries, Miss Prez."
"You don't have to call me that. Just because I'm the student president doesn't mean you have to treat me like I'm some important figure. I get that from everyone else in school; I'd like someone who treats me as just a friend."
"So... does that mean I can skip school tomorrow?" asked Emerald.
"Nice try," stated Twilight.
"Well, it was worth a shot," smiled the boy, "Take care, Twilight. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye," stated the girl as she waved and turned.
Emerald watched her until she ran up the stairs and the doors closed. The train kept chugging down the tracks as it left the station, and the boy was welcomed to a vision of blur.
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Question, is this game based on a specific light gun game, or is it just a generic light gun game?
11488838
Just a generic gun game that you point at the screen and shoot.
11488845
Noted. Would've liked the scene more if the game was a reference to Time Crisis, but it is what it is.
Yeah, youre back, and Im excited for the tournament. Hope Twi can get good wins, but its too soon for her to win it.
Emerald is the MC so he could win, but he had to beat Flash.
Unless someone else beat Flash and fights with Emerald in the finals, and Im guessing a young boy who needs his rematch, wink, wink