#gingka visit

“Well, it’s not about the physical parts. It’s the power and spirit inside of them. Each bey carries its own being within it. The more awake it is, and the more in tune you are with it, the more power the bey can unleash! That power also protects it, so it can last while doing all those amazing, crazy things!”

“But that protection isn’t absolute, and I’m still going to need to check on Pegasus,” Madoka reminds him, admittedly still annoyed he hasn’t handed it over yet. “Especially if you’re going around crashing through walls now.”

“Ah, y-yeah! Soon as we get back, promise!”

I heard the media harasses famous bladers all the time, do you ever wear disguises outside so people dont bother you or your friends?

“Oh, yeah, they can be a huge pain. But it’s surprisingly easy to hide from them. I just wear a red hoodie and take off my headband.”

“The glasses still throw people off too. Shouldn’t, since he’s had them for ages now, but they do.”

Gingka: “Haha, yeah! I don’t think the others get bugged as much as I do, but Chris and Yu typically wear hats now when we’re not doing public appearance stuff. Dynamis is able to keep people from noticing him or Tithi... And I think Yuki keeps his head down enough no one really sees him.”

Madoka: “Meanwhile Kyoya doesn’t bother, King’s hair is enough to confuse people, and Aguma just scowls slightly and people leave him alone.”

Gingka: “I dunno what Kenta does, but it’s enough we’ve never heard of him being spotted... Hey, speaking of Kenta, do you know if he’ll show up at the training camp?”

Madoka: “I’ve been forwarding him the emails about it, but last time he answered he said he probably couldn’t make it.”

Gingka: “Ah... That stinks. I miss him.”

“Hmmm...”

“For the love of God give me the kid, because at least three of those Kyoyas wouldn’t survive. And I’m not just talking about infighting from clashing egos.”

Gingka: “Same. I mean, not for the same reason, but 5 year old Kyoya. Yeah.”

Madoka: “Huh, really?”

Gingka: “Yeah, for sure. Kids are a lot more open and I could probably get to know him a lot better!”

A long-standing tradition that Madoka had kept throughout her life was the acquiring of ice cream every two weeks. It had started with her foster mother and continued on with her dad after her adoption. Though her occasional travels meant she couldn’t always visit the ‘right’ store for it, she’d improvise whenever she had to.

After the Crisis, the tradition had expanded to include her friends. On a particularly difficult day of the group having to practically sneak into the B-Pit after a meeting at the WBBA, Madoka had looked at her friends and decided it was time for drastic measures. A couple of hours and several disguised bladers later, she and her dad had marched them all over to good old Frozen Treasures and spent way too much money on way too much ice cream.

These days, Madoka would either run into some of her friends on the way there or see them inside. They’d gained a knack for knowing when she’d be there, even though she didn’t have a strict schedule for it. She didn’t mind, though. It gave her a chance to catch up with them that didn’t include press conference preparations or damaged beys.

None of their friends were among the customers inside when they entered, but they got a wave from one of the shop’s nicest scoopers. Gingka spent some time deliberating on flavors as they waited in line, but Madoka had to stick to her brand.

One acquisition of strawberry and chocolate later, the two started the short walk to the park. As the number of people around them thinned, Madoka finally said, “So the training camp’s next week, huh? Think everyone will make it?”

“After Kyoya’s incident? I think they’re smart enough not to take the risk. It’ll be nice to see Dynamis and Tithi again! Last time was the anniversary conference, so obviously no fun at all.”

Madoka nodded. “I’m looking forward to seeing Aguma’s progress. Both with his powers and with the whole ‘reviving the Beylin Fist while still arguing over traditions with the main school’ thing. You think they’ve set up their own place yet?”

“Last I heard, I think they were scouting out a different mountain,” Gingka mused. “But that was, again, the anniversary conference. So three months ago.”

“...Two years already.” It still snuck up on her every once in a while. Sometimes it felt like the battle was just yesterday, while other times it felt like lifetimes ago. “It feels...crazy. You know?”

“Yeah.”

“Twenty-seven whole months.”

“Yup.”

“Wow.”

“Mhm.”

They didn’t say much more until they’d reached Madoka’s usual bench and sat down. “Don’t suppose you’ve heard from Kenta?” Gingka asked hopefully.

Madoka reluctantly shook her head. “He hasn’t called or answered my emails since before my birthday. I don’t think he’ll be there. All that firepower must be hard for him to handle.”

“...21 months.”

“Oh God, don’t put a number to it, I’ll cry.” Madoka’s heart ached whenever she thought about Kenta’s departure. “Do you think he’s doing okay...?”

“He’s got one of the brightest spirits I’ve ever seen. I’m sure he’s fine.” Gingka sounded about as convinced as she felt—which was to say, not much.

It was hard not to think of Kenta as that sweet little kid that would sing about beyblade parts and scream about fighting spirit. She knew he was more than that—his efforts to recruit Ryuga had more than proven it—but the thought of him out on his own for so long hurt for more reasons than she could count. Was he eating enough? Sleeping? Had he managed to quiet L-Drago’s voice? What sort of shape was Sagittario in? How much was he not telling them over the phone?

“Hey.” Gingka tapped her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts. Though he was clearly as worried as she was, he tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Three more months. He said he’d visit for at least a couple days after the two year mark, and I’m sure by then he’ll have enough control to stick around more.”

“Seriously though, it’s so weird seeing you without goggles,” he insisted as they left the store. “Pigtails are super adorable though, points for that.”

Madoka giggled. “I got recognized for the first time while I was visiting Yuki a while back because of my ‘trademark goggles’. By three people. On separate days. I figure breaking my friends’ brains is better than being mobbed.”

“What? I know you were on Gan Gan Galaxy, but it’s not like you got TV time.”

“No, but I’m the girl who was with the 9 male legendary bladers as they defeated Nemesis, and everyone knows the end of the world is when people desperately confess to their long-time crushes before it’s too late to do so. Everyone’s gotta know if their ship is canon.” She rolled her eyes, trying not to look completely exasperated, but definitely feeling it. “Anyway, if leaving my goggles at home means I can get ice cream with my friend in peace, I’ll take it.”

Gingka shook his head and winced. “Man, people can be crazy. Once you and Yuki get that stadium thing figured out, you should head up to Koma and take a vacation. You definitely deserve one.”

At her heavy sigh, he raised a concerned eyebrow. “Something more than that?”

“No, it’s just... Well, kind of.” Frustration began creeping onto Madoka’s face. “I mean, it was just a comment from they-who-will-not-be-named. Like, an actual simple comment. But I can’t get it out of my head.”

“Uh-oh. Those guys left you the parting gift of an eternal headache, huh?”

“People aren’t battling like they used to. They’re scared of beyblade because people keep trying to take over the world with them. ‘Maybe chucking the whole system and starting from scratch would help’, I quote.” There was another sigh as they turned to detour around a shop that had never been cleaned up after the Crisis. She really needed to report that rubble, actually. Mental note for later. “And that makes sense, you know? It’s not like I’m against it. Not for the business, but because thinking about a world without beyblade just feels wrong. If people stop battling... What’s left?”

Gingka shuddered at the thought. “You’re gonna make me get all existential, Madoka. Please don’t say such blasphemy.”

“But seriously! I barely see any kids at Bey Park anymore, or even battling in the regular park. If we don’t think of something, we could hit the end of the beyblade era without a new one to leave for the future.”

As they stopped in front of a crosswalk, Gingka stared at the sky in contemplation. It wasn’t like the thought had never crossed his own mind. In fact, it had been one of the only things on his mind a few weeks ago. As someone who was raised in a bey-centered place like Koma Village, the thought of beyblade becoming obsolete was more terrifying than the actual end of the world.

With recent events, however, he’d found himself not worrying about that so much.

“I might have an idea,” he admitted, “but I think that’s more of a post-ice cream conversation.”

“Huh? Uh, I dunno. Hang on, let meeee...”

-About 4 minutes later-

“I have no idea what’s going on but I love the energy in this song.”

“I love those outfits. Like, basically all of them, but mostly the ones in the dance sequence parts. Oh my gosh.”

Gingka: “Oh yeah, they’re really cute!”

Madoka: “I want them. Hang on, I need to go make some calls.”