The five members of Team Core-Tech were settled in a small forest. They'd finally gotten out of the desert, and thankfully, Chase had Lock back in his Core and back in his control.
Though things weren't all great especially between two members of the group.
Things had gotten different. There was a bit of a competition now between the two polar opposite members because of one thing: they both liked Jinja. One tried to impress her, the other tried to stay himself and not go out of his way. Beyal had already tried the tough-guy thing, and everyone agreed that it just didn't work out for him. He stayed how he was while Dax, on the other hand, tried his hardest to get the only girl of the group's attention. He didn't get much, that's for sure. Jinja seemed to be more and more crazy about Beyal with each passing day, which made Dax a bit irked and envious.
The second night they were in the forest, Dax sat near the fire Chase had built to keep them warm. He and Bren had been left at camp while the others investigated their surroundings. Bren had fallen asleep pretty quickly, so Dax was pretty much on his own. Irritation flickered in Dax's eyes, and he was trying his hardest to figure out what to do about the tug-of-war him and the little monk were in regarding Jinja. He suddenly facepalmed.
"Of course!" he muttered to himself and grabbed Airswitch and Boost's Cores off of the clips on the strap that was slung across him. He narrowed his eyes and stood, glancing at the Cores in his hands and putting them back in their clips. The teen crossed the clearing and woke Bren by shaking his shoulder.
"Augh. What is it, Dax?" Bren muttered, blinking awake.
"I think I heard somethin' nearby. Somethin' may be goin' down somewhere around here. Mind keepin' an eye on camp while I investigate?" Dax lied convincingly.
Bren raised an eyebrow. "You sure you wanna go out alone, Dax? There's strength in numbers," the nerdy boy asked. Yeah, he wasn't a big fan of Dax, but he was part of the team. He'd defend any of them.
"Don't worry about it, Glasses. I've got it all covered," Dax said as Bren got to his feet.
"Alright…" Bren sighed, a glint of suspicion in his brown eyes.
"Trust me, Glasses. I'm not gonna vanish anymore," Dax scoffed. "See you and the others in a bit!" He ran off into the forest, a smirk crossing his face. His plan was to find some way to lure Beyal to him in some way or another and fight. This was probably going to be one of the craziest eight minutes of his life! But it'd all be worth it. He knew Airswitch and Boost could overpower Glowblade and Arachneblade. They were faster than them and stronger than them. There was no way he could lose! He managed to find a huge clearing. Perfect for a Monsuno Battle. He grabbed Boost's Core and drew his arm back.
"Boost, launch!" he called, spinning the blue Core-Tech Core. It impacted a rock, and the blue and white furred, wolf-like Monsuno appeared, snarling and baring his teeth.
"Alright, Boost. Make some noise. We need to lure someone here," Dax smirked.
Boost eyed his Controller before howling and roaring, purposely jumping around and letting his paws thunder down onto the ground. He kept at it until he heard something. His blue ears perked and he looked at Dax.
Knowing that look, Dax quickly realized that the plan had worked. "Boost, return!" he called hurriedly. About a minute after Boost was back inside his Core, Dax caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of his eye.
"Dax?"
A wicked smirk crossed Dax's face. He knew that voice from anywhere. His plan had worked! He turned to face Beyal, the smirk fading from his face.
"Hey, monk boy," Dax responded, flipping his Cores in his hand.
"We heard some noise that sounded like a Monsuno. Did anyone attack?" Beyal asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. No one attacked. It was just me," Dax replied with a shrug. "But just because someone didn't attack, doesn't mean someone hasn't attacked yet."
"What do you mean by that, Dax?" Beyal replied.
"What I mean? Ha ha! You're so clueless, little monkfish! I know you like Jinja, but you're too clueless to truly realize it!"
"How is Jinja involved in this in the least?" Beyal replied tensely, uncertainty in his dark gray eyes. He didn't like where this was going.
"She's mine, monk boy. And I'm gonna prove it. Fight me. Winner gets Jinja. Loser stays a loner," Dax sneered.
"I would rather let her decide who she wants rather than fight for her. We do not make Jinja's decisions for her. If it is meant for one of us, regardless of which one of us it is, to be with her, so be it!" Beyal replied, trying hard to keep his composure. He didn't want to fight, but of course, he didn't want to seem cowardly. This was a pretty bad spot to be put in, and Beyal didn't like this in the least.
"You know, little monkfish, I'm gettin' kinda tired of hearing bull like that. One of us has to make our move. Only one can have her," Dax growled, narrowing his eyes and drawing Airswitch's Core.
Beyal saw him grab his Core and instinctively grabbed Glowblade's in return. "Dax! I do not want to fight!" he called stubbornly, his gray eyes showing an emotion they almost never showed: irritation. It took a lot to get on this teenager's nerves. No one on Team Core-Tech had managed to irritate the young monk. At least, not until now. Dax had successfully gotten to Beyal.
"Fine then. I guess I get Jinja, then," Dax smirked, crossing his arms. "You're too easy to get to. You don't fight. You don't pay attention to the fact that you could possibly get a girl. Actually, let me shorten that. You don't pay attention anyways!"
Beyal's calmness was gone. He could no longer ignore the insults. They definitely hit home. He blinked and narrowed his eyes, clutching Glowblade's Core. He tried to keep his cool, but failed miserably.
"Ha ha! I've cracked ya, monkfish! Just know somethin'. Jinja. Is. MINE!" Dax sneered, his eyes narrowing and his grip tightening on his Core. He drew his arm back, smirking.
"Airswitch, LAUNCH!" he shouted, spinning the Core.
Beyal knew that it was now or never to decide. He clutched the dark blue Core in his hand, unsure what to think. The insults and challenges echoed in his head, and Beyal drew his right hand back, clutching the Core and calling the command as loudly and defiantly as his voice would allow.
"GLOWBLADE, LAUNCH!"