Atlas had barely taken two steps away from his bed when suddenly, a loud catchy song began to play through the previously quiet room, causing him to flinch in surprise as he looked around.
"Holy, okay, that's loud," he muttered, glancing around until he spotted the source. On the nightstand, a sleek personal tablet lit up, vibrating against the wooden surface like it was trying to escape.
He quickly walked to and picked up the tablet, spotting the Caller ID which was flashing in big, bold letters:
💙 Mom 💙
A smile tugged at his lips as he thought about his parents in this world, the scientist duo. He quickly cleared his throat, and smoothed his hair without thinking, before finally tapping the glowing screen.
The camera flickered on, and his mother's face appeared first, warm brown skin, deep hazel eyes, curly black hair pulled into a bun, and an effortlessly gentle aura that glowed right through the pixels.
"Good morning, sweetheart!" she chimed, beaming so brightly Atlas thought the sun had competition.
A moment later, his father leaned into frame: tall, bespectacled, with sharp cheekbones and soft black hair tied back in a small ponytail. His voice was calm, but warm, "Good morning, Atlas."
Atlas straightened a bit, "Morning, Mom! Morning, Dad!"
His mom's eyes softened as she looked at him, "You look so refreshed today! Did you sleep well? You have that cute little glow again, maybe you finally hit a growth spurt, or a girlfriend? Have you met a girl, make sure to bring her back to meet me, I want to.."
"Hannah, don't embarrass him, he probably just doesn't want to tell us yet," His dad, Hayato said.
Atlas' facial expression went from immense excitement to resignation as he remembered the personalities of his parents in this life.
His father cleared his throat lightly, slipping into his usual calm, professional tone, "Atlas, we're calling with some news. Important news."
Atlas tensed, but kept smiling, "Okay, shoot."
"We'll be heading to England today, well, we're already on our way seeing as you didn't find us home this morning," Hannah said, clasping her hands together with a soft sigh.
"There's a rather sudden research opportunity regarding ancient energy sources found in old European ruins, your father was requested personally."
"A collaborative project," his dad added. "Archaeologists in London uncovered something unusual. We were asked to investigate the properties."
Atlas blinked as he heard that.
Ancient ruins, Archaeologists and Strange energy sources.
If this were the anime, then it would certainly be related to the Legendary Bladers, but this wasn't that world. There wasn't Nemesis, or Star Fragments, no mad prophecy nonsense.
Just genuine scientific work.
His mother continued, "We'll be gone for… well, we're not entirely sure. A few months are guaranteed, but we should be back before Christmas,"
Atlas nodded slowly, "I get it. Big job."
His dad gave a small, approving smile. "You're very mature about this. We knew you'd understand."
His mother leaned closer to the camera and whispered dramatically, "Probably because he takes after me."
His dad deadpanned, "Debatable."
Atlas snorted.
Then his mother straightened, adopting her Serious Mom Voice, "Now, while we're away, we don't want you to feel lonely or restricted. You're sixteen now, and you've always been responsible."
"Extremely responsible," his dad agreed.
His mother nodded firmly, "We've left money for you to handle all your expenses, and there'll be biweekly deposits, so have fun. Also, we know how much you like working on Beys, so we've contacted an old friend in Metal Bey City, you can check him out, he's the owner of a store called the B-Pit, so check it out,"
Atlas blinked. Money every two weeks was great. In the original series, Money was mostly a glossed over issue, and topics such as where the main characters sleep, how do they afford food etc were mostly glossed over.
But Atlas knew in the real world, all those plot-holes would naturally be filled. Still, there was one thing that caught his attention.
B-Pit!
If he remembered correctly, B-Pit was owned by Madoka's father in the Anime, though the man never appeared himself, but now it seems like fate had put Atlas on a crash course with one of his favorite characters in the series, and his idol when it comes to being a Bey Mechanic.
He kept a calm face for his parents, barely holding in his excitement as he spoke, "Oh, uh, yeah! Thank you! I'll go there as soon as possible,"
His mother nodded and added, "Call us anytime. Message us if you need anything, and please eat something other than instant noodles or burgers with fries,"
"No promises," Atlas said.
She gasped, "Atlas Kurosawa!"
"I mean, yes, ma'am. Balanced diet. Got it."
"That's better." She relaxed again, warmth returning instantly, "We love you, sweetheart."
"Love you too," Atlas said, waving.
His father nodded, "We'll call again when we land."
And with that, the call ended.
Atlas set the tablet down, the quiet room buzzing with the weight of it all, "…Holy crap, I'm living every teenager's dream," he said to the ceiling.
He inhaled deeply and turned slowly toward the desk, toward the diagrams and the tools he'd be using for the future, excited to test them out.
***
Half an hour had passed, and Atlas was looking at himself in the mirror before he left his house.
"Man, I'm really handsome," he muttered to himself as he saw his new look.
The most striking feature of this new look was his hair, a vivid shade of lavender that seemed to glow faintly and has a soft, luminous quality. The hair texture is thick and voluminous, falling in tousled waves, with strands that are fluffy.
After that, the most noticeable aspect were his heterochromia eyes, with his left eye being a striking, almost electric blue while his right eye is a magnificent purple. They contrast beautifully, and result in an enrapturing gaze that is both piercing and gentle.
He was still 16 in this world, and so he wasn't fully mature, his face still possessing youthful features, though he had a lean yet muscular build. Strangely, he never had any memories of this body exercising, so he chalked it up to anime logic.
He was wearing a long, oversized white coat that is loose and open, draping over him like a lab coat with glossy fabric that enhances his silhouette. Underneath the coat, Atlas was wearing a Black Track-Suit, with his launcher and bey-holder connected to his waist.
Around his neck hangs a thin, understated gold chain that reflects light subtly. From it dangles a small, rectangular pendant, icy blue in color, almost reminiscent of a gemstone or a symbolic charm.
The pendant stands out against his skin and draws the eye upward. Its color complements his eyes and hair, subtly tying his entire visual motif together.
Once he had dressed, he grabbed his messenger bag, placing all his tools, notes and his laptop + tablet inside, tossing it over his shoulder before he left, planning to head to Metal Bey City, to meet up with Madoka's father.
With everything ready, he left his house and headed to the nearest train station, purchasing a ticket and entering, taking a window seat before he pulled out his laptop and checked the internet, looking for more detailed info of the time period.
It seemed like this was just around the time Gingka had claimed Galaxy Pegasus, and the BeyBlade World Championship was just announced.
The old Legendary Bladers, like Aguma & Chris weren't famous at the moment. Atlas thought for a while and decided to join Team Gan Gan Galaxy, wanting to interact with the plot to some degree.
He doubted he'd join every battle, but he'd certainly dip his toes in a few, as he was excited to meet some of the characters he'd grown to love watching the Anime in his past life.
He thought about heading straight to B-Pit and meeting Madoka's father, getting training in being a Bey Mechanic while he battled, but another idea tugged at his mind. Something he had been itching to do since the moment he woke up in this world.
"Testing," Atlas murmured, tapping the case, "I need to test Jupiter."
He couldn't go to B-Pit without reacquainting himself with the Bey he idolized, without feeling that weight, that spin, that elegant movement he'd memorized a hundred times yet had never truly witnessed in reality until now.
The outskirts of Metal Bey City had an abandoned stadium where Benkei had trained Kenta back in Metal Fusion. Barely anyone ever went there, so it would be a perfect training spot.
Once the train rolled into the city's station, Atlas hopped off with renewed energy. He cut through a few streets, passed by a half-renovated plaza, then veered toward the older industrial edge of the city.
The stadium came into view on a hill just beyond the last row of buildings, rusted gates, cracked concrete, and wild vines creeping up its supports. A relic of the early days of metal beys.
Perfect.
Atlas's boots crunched lightly on the gravel path as he approached. His hand drifted to his launcher, the excitement in his chest almost fizzy.
"Alright," he whispered, smiling wide. "Let's see what you can really do, Jade Jupiter."
He stepped through the warped entrance archway.
And then froze.
Someone was already there and Atlas' eyes widened as he noticed who it was, and what they were doing.