Week 3 - Monday - Mitsuru

[finalguard]

[ Boa's had his own Beyblade for a while and people have probably seen him around with it plenty in the last week, but today he's finally obtained what feels like the holy grail for this godforsaken summer camp - a second set of bey and launcher.

Boa had severely underestimated just how much it is worth to live in a world with other bladers.

But now! Now!

Now probably nothing much would change because nobody here could be such a prodigy at Beyblading... but if there's anyone....

Boa's been meaning to properly demonstrate what he means to Mitsuru anyway.

Let's see if he can find him in Cabin 2. ]

Comments

[finalguard]

Now in it's proper use.

[ Being stored against the wall and potentially hiding the radio are not what this is meant for, gdit. ]

That's the stadium that you battle in. Kicking the other bey out of it is an Over Finish and gives one point. If the other bey stops spinning but yours is still going that is a Spin Finish and also gives one point. If you attack the other bey so much that it bursts into its parts, it's a Burst Finish and gives two points.

Typically, you play until one player gets two points and thus claims the victory.

That's the basic rules, so it's pretty simple. Pulling it off is harder.

[killtheanimals]

[He cups his hand around his chin, the usual indicator that he's thoughtful.]

The rules themselves sound straightforward enough.

[finalguard]

Yeah, it's a lot about precision and strategy in working with those rules.

[ And strength in launching etc. There is a reason Boa's constantly doing push-ups and other bullshit.

Boa picks up the pair of launchers he's left by the stadium and also takes two beyblades out of his pocket - one is Bahamut, obviously, the other has just been recently obtained from Stan for practice purposes. ]

I never had to show this to someone before, but... do you just want to try launching it?

[ This is... really awkward.... but also kind of thrilling. ]

[killtheanimals]

Alright. [And he'll take both.] Anything I should keep in mind?

[Since Boa trained in this thing. He's already turning the pieces over in his hands, getting a good look at them.]

[finalguard]

[ The Beyblade that is newly regained and now handed over to is light blue with orange accents. ]

That's Rising Ragnaruk KY. [ Because names are important probably?? ]

For beginners it's best to go down on a knee before the stadium. You'll want to hold the launcher even and pull the string with your dominant hand. The more force you put into it the better.

[killtheanimals]

Pronounce it a little differently and you'd have the end of the world.

[But he follows Boa's instructions and - honestly I have no idea how beyblade works but Mitsuru is a smart boy so he probably does pretty well for a first launch??]

[finalguard]

[ The launch is weirdly quiet. Boa is so used to people knowing what to shout that it didn't even occur to him that Mitsuru might not do it. But how would he know? In a world without Beyblade.

Boa watches Mitsuru's posture carefully as he goes and it's... really strange. It's amateur. Not bad, but so incredibly obviously newby, so he can't be impressed on any technical level, but... It's nice seeing someone else Beyblade. It's nice seeing someone he admires try it out. So despite its plain nature, the launch is still kind of captivating.

Ragnaruk, the apocalyptically named Beyblade, does about what you expect of a spin-top. It goes around in circles in the stadium and soon settles in the middle in a very even spin. It's more forceful and cooler than regular tops, but on it's own it's unimpressive.

It takes Boa a second to remember to comment. ]

Not bad.

[ Then he played Bahamut in his own launcher. ]

Now, in a battle we'd of course launch at the same time, because everything else would be unfair, but this is just a demonstration.

[ Boa's launching stance is entirely different. He launches in standing and when he pulls the chord he takes a jump forward. ]

GO SHOOT!

[ Bahamut hits the stadium and does a few fast and graceful rounds around in it. How much speed its picking up makes it seem a little as if it is glowing. ]

Final Guard!

[ As Boa yells this out (dramatically gesturing with his hand and all), Bahamut seems to have a red circle glowing at its sides... or is that just a trick of the light?

Either way, it crashes into Ragnaruk as if on command and Ragnaruk bursts into its three parts instantly. ]

... so. That's how it works, in principle.

[killtheanimals]

[Look he doesn't do kiai normally, he's not going to do it for spinning tops. That's more of a Brave's thing, not a sorcerer.

He's also understandably not upset or anything when Boa's beyblade completely destroys his, more observing, a hint of an amused smile on his face because Boa's so into this... spin top thing? He still has no idea why one would train potentially to the death for any of this, but in the context of here and now, it amuses him, so he smiles.]

I feel like I might be at a slight disadvantage.

[He's also probably going to need to put this thing back together, huh.]

[finalguard]

[ The smile is extremely reassuring. For Boa it means that he hasn't lost Mitsuru's attention, which was what he was most afraid of. ]

Maybe a little.

[ He grins and picks up the still-spinning Bahamut from the stadium. Then he grabs Ragnaruk's parts and hands them back to Mitsuru. ]

Ragnaruk's a stamina type, they have advantage over defense types like Bahamut. I chose that on purpose to level the field at least a little. But training simply matters more than what Beyblade you use.

[killtheanimals]

[He takes the pieces, beginning to fit them together again.]

What are the different types in all?

[He's engaged enough to learn more, at least. A good start!]

[finalguard]

Defense, Stamina, Attack and Balance. Balance is, as the name suggests, the one that doesn't have any particular advantage or disadvantage. Attack types are weak against Defense types since their specialty is quickly bursting the opponent. They're strong against Stamina types that outlast any other type but don't have a strong guard. With Defense and Stamina it often comes down to an endurance battle, since neither type is aggressive... That's why Stamina has the upper hand.

In theory, anyway. Technique makes all the difference. Final Guard is a defense move, but as you saw, it can be used aggressively as well.

[killtheanimals]

Like rock paper scissors.

[Interesting, okay.]

Is Final Guard a move you learned when training?

[finalguard]

[ That's... such a trivial comparison. But Boa doesn't have a counter point. Ssssoo moving on to the second. ]

Yes, though it's a pretty recent skill I learned. I didn't actually have Bahamut until a while ago and every Special Move has unique effects depending on which Beyblade you're using.

I used a Ragnaruk like you're holding while I was still a trainee in the Snake Pit. Bahamut's special. I earned it by surviving this long.

[killtheanimals]

How do you do it?

[Because nothing says learning like diving right into things.]

[finalguard]

Final Guard is a difficult move that is specific to Bahamut's make-up. You see, the Beyblade layer shifts tooth by tooth up until the Burst. When Bahamut's layer shifts three times it aligns with the underlying metal layer in a way that creates a powerful defense.

You have to know how and when to use it though, since it also means that Bahamut is very close to bursting itself.

[ Should he be explaining his special move so in depth to anyone? Probably not. But this isn't home, so who cares. ]

But that's Bahamut. Every Beyblade has unique properties and every Blader has their own launching technique that combines with those properties, so special moves come in any kind of variation. It's all about knowing your potential.

With Ragnaruk here, the interesting part is probably it's performance tip. [ You know, the lowest part of the Beyblade. ] It's very low-friction, which makes it prone to slipping out of the stadium. But on the other hand, it means it's less vulnerable to attacks and can just use the push to pick up speed instead of taking damage.

That's what I would work with to come up with a move, but of course there's all kinds of aspects that could amount to one.

[killtheanimals]

Better for evasive action, then?

[If it's both stamina and slick, that's how he's interpreting it.]

In theory it could outlast the other by constantly moving... right?

[finalguard]

[ Boa nods enthusiastically at the assessment.]

Most stamina beys take the center, but there's no reason for you to stick to that. You're already thinking with your bey's assets.

[killtheanimals]

It's still only borrowed.

[A gentle correction; he's sure Boa might want to play with others, so it's not like it's his or anything.]

What's the best way to launch to get some movement, but not enough to send it flying out on its own?

[finalguard]

[ It's only borrowed indeed, which is sad, but there is only so many tickets to get Beyblades for as of now. ]

You have to tilt the launcher so that instead of being completely horizontal, it is parallel to the slop of the stadium. That gives you a good start movement.

[killtheanimals]

[Hm. He takes aim and launches again, another practice run--

Sure enough, it sends it dancing around the arena, though never enough to send itself out of bounds. Hm.]

A bit better.

[Still no shouts, but testing out just what he can do with this beyblade is a worthy pursuit.]

[finalguard]

[ Boa just watches this with a quiet smile. The giddiness caused by Mitsuru actually taking this seriously doesn't wear off the longer they talk - quite the opposite really. ]

You're a quick learner, but I knew that already.

[ All that magic that he just picked up from libraries and all. ]

Do you want to try an actual battle, just to see?

[killtheanimals]

Sure.

[And he'll collect it once more so they can start this battle proper. He's fully expecting a thorough trouncing, but that just means he'll have to push the limits to see how long he can make it last.]

[finalguard]

[ Boa moves his position so he's properly across from Mitsuru. ]

The traditional countdown is "3, 2, 1, Go shoot" with both blader's launching on the word 'shoot' to be in sync.

[killtheanimals]

[Another nod.]

Alright then.

[And, eyes narrowing into something decidedly more determined, he'll repeat those words, his tone rather serious - though not exactly loud.]

3, 2, 1, Go shoot!

[And off it goes, skidding to the sides.]

[finalguard]

[ That's... Boa has to focus in order to not miss his shoot, because seeing this kind of determination in Mitsuru, when he's only introduced the other to the sport for the sake of killing time... that's... It's nice. Really nice. ]

3, 2, 1, GO SHOOT!

[ Boa's volume is definitely louder as he goes in sync with Mitsuru. Bahamut goes in even left spin circles around the stadium for now. It's speed seems to be measuring to try and catch Ragnaruk despite the more uneven movements...? ]

[killtheanimals]

[Boa are you ok

The Ragnaruk skids somewhat more erratically thanks to the tip, but eventually moves to the center. But will it be able to balance there without running into Bahamut-?!]

[finalguard]

[ The beys collide a few times before that but nothing knocks either's spin down significantly.

When Ragnaruk takes the center, Bahamut follows soon after and attacks a few times but it only slows Ragnaruk's spin a little. ]

... sorry to say, but that won't be enough.

[ And with that Bahamut hits Ragnaruk another time and then uses the recoil of that to climb up the slope of the stadium. When it comes back down with renewed force, it seems to glow again...?

Mitsuru, do you have the kiai to connect to your bey and counter on the spot....? ]

[killtheanimals]

[He...

Absolutely doesn't, because this is his first match and his enthusiasm for the game is good but not nearly enough. Instead, he simply frowns, willing the Ragnaruk to stay firm, but...]

[finalguard]

[ Well, that's too bad, because... ]

Go, Bahamut! Final Crash!

[ And there's a strong hit coming at Ragnaruk and it is shoved away from the center, up the slope and.... out of the stadium, landing somewhere by Mitsuru's feet. ]

Over Finish, 1 point for Bahamut.

[killtheanimals]

[Aaaaand there it goes. He's smiling as he picks it up again.]

A predictable end. [And setting it back in the launcher...] Was that another special move?

[finalguard]

A variation of the other one. It works similarly, but it relies on the motion force created by the slope of the stadium so it's more offensive overall.

[ And he may or may not just have wanted to show them both off simply because he can... ]

But that's only 1 point, the match isn't decided yet.

[killtheanimals]

[If he is getting the impression whatsoever that Boa's showing off, he gives no signs of it... probably because he's busy staring down the stadium, studying it.]

That would make sense. Momentum seems to be half the battle.

[Especially for stamina types like the one he has. Hmm...]

[finalguard]

That's why the launch is the most important part of the battle. You anticipate what your opponent is going to do as well as the type of their bey and you try to lay the foundation for a good counterstrategy.

Physical training is definitely a huge part of pulling off a strong launch, but you can't win by brawn alone at all.


[ Which is to say, Beyblading is more interesting and complicated than people in camp give it credit for and Boa loves it for many many reasons. ]

[killtheanimals]

That strength still needs to be tempered though, doesn't it?

[To keep it within the stadium, he'd assume.]

What do you do to control that?

[Not that it matters too much for him, he's definitely not physically powerful. Glass canon and all that.]