Hey everyone! Wow, it's now 2005. I have a feeling lots of great things are going to happen this year. Don't you? Well, I'm trying my hardest to get this story rolling. I hope to be able to update more often. I don't expect to really get going till after exams are over, but we'll see about that. Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 13 – Darke

When Kai came around he was in a small dark room. There wasn't much in the room at all. A cot had been placed in the corner. There was a side table next to it with a glass of water, a loaf of bread, and his launcher. There was also a small slit window that for some strange reason had bars on it. Kai sat up with a groan and looked around.

'What happened?' he thought. 'Where the heck am I?'

Then it came back to him. Boris and those guards! They had shown up and attacked him and Sanka last night at the river. Sanka had been knocked unconscious and then Boris had gotten him to drink some of that nasty potion. That was the last that Kai could remember. He found himself wondering where Sanka was. Was she ok? He then wondered what Boris was planning. What was that freaky gogglehead up to now? Kai felt himself getting a headache, so he pushed these questions out of his mind, and instead focused them on how he would get out of here. He grabbed a hold of his launcher off the side table and reached into his pocket for his beyblade, but it wasn't there.

'That's strange. I always keep Dranzer with me in my pocket.'

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kai turned his attention to it, wondering who it could be. Though something told him that he already knew. There was a twist of a key in the lock and then Boris walked into the room. Boris smirked at him.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said. He held up a blue beyblade. "I suppose you were looking for this."

"Dranzer!" Kai cried. "How did you get that?!"

"Now Kai, you really should have a better place for your precious beyblade you know. Someone could steal it."

"Yeah. You. Now hand it over!"

"No. I can't do that."

Kai stared at Boris suspiciously. "Why not?"

"Because you won't need Dranzer after we give you the beyblade that we have designed for you here. You'll see. Dranzer will look like third-rate loser compared to our top-of-the-line Darke blade."

"Darke?"

"Yes, that's right. Come with me and I'll show it to you."

Boris motioned with his left hand for Kai to follow him. Kai frowned, his warning sensers working overtime. Should he go? And how was this Darke different from Dranzer anyway? Was there really a beyblade that was even more powerful that Black Dranzer? Kai's head was swimming with questions. Curiosity getting the better of him, he headed off with Boris.

Soon, they arrived at a training room. Some beybladers were already there training diligently on the equipment. Boris led Kai over to an office in the far corner. He opened a cupboard and took out a black silk bag. Out of it, he took a black, blue, and silver beyblade. On the bit was a pretty angel, with turquoise flowing hair and a black wing and a white wing. Boris could tell that Kai was still not that impressed.

"It looks just like any other beyblade I've seen, Boris." Kai said. "What's so special about this one?"

"Ah, come here," said Boris simply. "Let me show you."

Kai followed Boris over to a spare dish. Boris attached Darke to a standard launcher. Three robots appeared opposite him and released three beyblades each. Boris then released Darke. It spun around the dish for a while. Kai watched, still not sure that this blade was anything special. But then again, he had thought the same thing when he had seen Black Dranzer tested as a child. It hadn't looked like much either. At first anyway, but then Black Dranzer had gotten to work and destroyed six beyblades with ease. Kai snapped back to the present and focused his attention on Darke. He had to make sure he didn't blink so he wouldn't miss what happened next. Darke suddenly started to glow, unleashed a major shockwave, and a few seconds later, the nine grey beyblades had been reduced to nothing but scrap metal. Kai hated to admit it, but he was impressed.

Boris then pulled out beyblade that Kai remembered quite clearly. It was Black Dranzer! He attached it to a launcher and released it too. Black Dranzer charged head on at Darke and attacked with Black Ember. Darke avoided it with ease and counterattacked with a jet of water. She followed up with a huge sonic shockwave. It shook the whole room, shattering several mirrors and making a few quakes. Kai lost his balance and fell to floor. He quickly got back to his feet and looked at the dish. The whole plate was split right down the middle. Nothing remained of the once all-powerful Black Dranzer. Darke was perched on a pillar and spinning like there was no tomorrow. Kai absentmindedly held out his hand and she zipped right into it. He stared at it surprised.

"It's incredible… such power…" was all he could manage to say.

"Yes Kai, it is," Boris agreed. "And I'm giving it to you, but on one condition: you must abandon Dranzer and the BladeBreakers."

Kai's head shot up. "What?!"

"You heard me. Abandon them and join us. You can already feel Darke's power surging through you. And you want that power, don't you? You want to still be the best blader on the planet, don't you?"

Kai didn't want to admit it. But he knew that partially, Boris was right. He did still strive for perfection and to be the best there is. And a part of him did want to wield Darke. Her power and strength are awesome and with her as his new bit-beast, he would be unstoppable. What about Dranzer? They'd been through so much together lately, through ups and downs. He had battled with Koji in order to keep Dranzer with him forever. And then there was the BladeBreakers. They had helped him through so much and he finally called them his true friends. Their gifts to him after the world tournament were his treasures. How could he just abandon everything now? Kai sighed. This was all too confusing.

Boris frowned impatiently next to him. "I can see it's going to take you awhile to reach the right conclusion. It's not that difficult to decide you know. It's right there in your heart, your desire to wield Darke and be the strongest there is. And she's yours Kai. All you have to do is abandon your foolish friends and your pathetic Dranzer."

Kai thought about it for a moment. His hand clutched tightly around the blade of Darke and he frowned determinedly at Boris. ''All right, I'm in. I'll join you. But I have a condition too: let me hold on to Dranzer as well as Darke."

Boris smirked. "You drive a hard bargain, Young Master Kai. But I accept your condition. Dranzer does still have value after all, right?" He handed Dranzer back to Kai, who stuffed it and Darke into his pocket. "Now that that's settled, follow me. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who?" Kai asked.

"My partner. And he has a really strong interest in your potential."

'In my potential? His partner? What's going on?' Kai wondered.

He dutifully followed Boris to a big, spacious office. Boris opened the door and he and Kai walked in. There was a man seated in the cushy red chair behind the oak desk. He was a skinny man with beady brown eyes and spiky blue hair. He was wearing a grey coloured suit, plus a very stern frown across his face. Kai had the strangest feeling that he seen the man before.

"Hello there, Kai," the man said. "You were very difficult to get a hold of. But Boris tells me that you've decided to join us and wield Darke."

Kai nodded, returning the man's frown. "What's this all about? Who are you?"

"My name is Arek. And as for what this is about, you'll find out eventually."

"Really? How about you just save me the trouble and tell me now?"

"Now what fun would that be, Kai?" Boris put in.

"Look," Kai growled irritated, "I don't have time to play your little games. Tell me what is going on or I'm outta here."

"Fine," said Arek. "We'll tell you. After you prove you can handle Darke."

Kai gave an impatient growl. "Fine."

Boris and Arek brought Kai to a dimly lit room with a big beystadium in it. Kai noticed that lots of destroyed beyblades littered the floor. Some powerful blades were obviously used and tested in here. Kai pulled out his launcher and Darke. With a yell, he released it, and got blown backward by a force of wind. Darke landed on the edge of the dish, wobbled, and stopped spinning. Kai picked it up, staring and wondering what he'd done wrong.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arek interrupted. "Try again!"

Kai glared at him. "I don't take orders for you, you got that?"

"You don't have a choice. If you want to wield Darke and her power, you must achieve it. She doesn't gain her strength from the weak. Now get up and try again!"

"I'm not weak! I'm going to be the best there is again and this is going to help me!" He attached Darke to his launcher again and released. 'If Boris can do this, then so can I. I'm way better than he will ever be.'

Darke managed to land and keep spinning this time. It unleashed a big shockwave that shook the room and caused Kai to lose his balance. He toppled to the floor and groaned in frustration. This was turning out to be a lot harder than he had first thought it to be. Darke was powerful, perhaps too powerful for him to control. But he couldn't let Boris show him up. Maybe there was something else he was missing in order to control this new beyblade.

Kai tried many times over the next two hours trying to get it right. Darke kept sending out shockwaves and each time he lost his balance. Boris and Arek were getting impatient with him. Kai attached her to his launcher for what felt like the hundredth time and released again. She unleashed a bunch of shockwaves again and then sent a big tornado whipping around the room. Kai cried out in pain as some of the sharp edges of the shockwaves came in contact with his body. Soon, his clothes were torn up in a dozen places and he was feeling very exhausted.

"Keep trying Kai!" Arek commanded. "You must be able to control Darke. Get up and try again!"

Boris grabbed a rod and hit Kai across the back with it. Kai winced and then stood up again. He wretched the rod from Boris's hand and tossed into a corner. He gave him a sharp look of what his friends like to call his 'death glare'.

"Don't you ever do that again!" he shouted. "I agreed to join you for one reason, to be the best! I didn't join you to be your puppet and tool again, Boris! Got it?!" He turned to Arek. "And you, it's apparent that Darke is more than your telling me. What are you up to? I want answers, and I want them right now!"

Arek grinned. "Well, well, it's seems you still have a good voice for making demands. But I'm the leader here not you. I'm the only one who makes the demands around here. Now pick up that beyblade and try again!"

Kai did. He tried again and again. But Darke's power still seemed far out of reach. He was now very sore and wondered why it was so important for him to have and control Darke anyway. Finally, he couldn't take anymore of the shockwaves and he fainted. Growling in annoyance, Arek stomped from the room. Boris called two guards and had them take Kai back to his room.

Kai awoke some hours later on the cot in his room. It took him awhile to remember what happened. He hadn't been able to control Darke's power and had passed out. He reached into his pocket to take her out and get a good look at her. Instead his fist wrapped around Dranzer and he took it out and looked at it. Dranzer had always been with him. He'd agreed to use Darke, but he still couldn't abandon Dranzer. Not now. He would hold on to it not to use, but just to have it close by, just in case. Kai then took out Darke. Her power and strength was incredible. He knew that a part of him want to have it all, to control her, to use her. Kai frowned determinedly and headed off to the training room. He would find a way to control her power. Somehow.

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Ooh, another cliff-hanger. Well, there I'm going to leave it for today. Please remember to review, as I really love getting your feedback. I hope to continue this again soon. Cya then!