Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“I saw Spryzen glow earlier, in the battle against that team’s owner. You didn’t?”

Shu hated to admit it, but he had been dwelling on that particular line that Free said far too often. The word ‘glow’ kept popping up, and it couldn’t have just been a coincidence. The first time anyone saw, or at least, claimed to have seen, his bey ‘glow’ matched up to its very first battle, Valt had said so. It didn’t make any sense at the time, and still didn’t until he’d reached BC Sol.

After all, if Valt could see it, then why didn’t anyone else tell him? Shu had participated in plenty of local tournaments and events in Japan, and had been in the National Tournament twice, being runner-up in one and winner in the second. He had battled on T.V. multiple times, whether just out of his polite nature or Valt insisting that it would be ‘super awesome’. Thousands, perhaps millions had seen his matches, and if Spryzen glowed this often, then surely someone else would have found out and told him.

And then there was that resonance word Raul had mentioned. He spent a long time searching for it online and in books, but it seemed like a relatively new term. What it meant beyond its generic description wasn’t really anything concrete, each site had a slightly different meaning listed, and it was still being debated whether it should count as an official word used in the professional blading scene or if it was just a superficial fantasy.

The only thing that everyone seemed to agree upon relating to ‘resonance’ was that it had something to do with the bond of a Blader and bey, but that was about it. Shu was certain of that, and the fact that he still couldn’t see the glow himself.

“Uh, hey, Shu? Do you wanna eat breakfast or not? ‘Cause I’m starting to get really hungry, and I’m not gonna wait for you any longer than I have to!”

Shu looked away from the article he was reading. Rantaro had noticeably become more energetic, even more so than usual, and never seemed to have anything to complain about besides his sleeping habits. It was probably because they’d finally heard back from Valt after weeks of radio silence.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Shu placed his phone down, glancing one last time at the last sentence before turning it off entirely.

“Good! ‘Cause I heard Ange is making churros today…!”

…

BC Sol’s cafeteria wasn’t nearly as loud as Shu expected it to be before arriving in Spain. In fact, it wasn’t loud at all. Perhaps he should have suspected that since it was a world-renowned international blading club, but it didn’t exactly seem ‘professional’ either. The quiet looked peaceful on the outside, but as soon as he focused in on the voices, it was clear as day that the team wasn’t very subtle with their gossip and opinions.

Rantaro was still thanking Ange profusely for the food, so Shu decided to sit down by himself on one of the more secluded tables. Usually, they sat along with Kit and Shasa, and while he didn’t mind them, he just preferred being with people he knew. Rantaro was already a handful, anyway. He didn’t mean anything by it, but maybe he should have said something, because he saw Shasa and one of the other veteran BC Sol Bladers, Django, glare at him in an instant.

“Tch, does he think he’s too good to sit with his teammates now?”

“Did we really need another antisocial ‘genius’? Free is one too many in my opinion…”

“He thinks his legendary status in Japan means something here. Wonder what’ll happen once Kris stops fixating on the one compliment Free gave him.”

Rantaro sat down beside him, knocking him out of listening to the whispers around him. “Hey, why’d you sit over here? I thought we were gonna sit with Shasa and the jumpy kid?” He didn’t wait for a response before turning his attention to whatever conversation Shu was eavesdropping on.

“Ugh, these guys really think they’re hot stuff, huh?” Rantaro shot Django a glare of his own, and then an even sharper one at his response. Shu couldn’t tell who was winning, maybe it was more correct to say that neither were. After a minute of their ‘glaring contest,’ Rantaro gave up, crossing his arms and looked back towards Shu again.

“Nevermind, they’re not worth wasting my award-winning glare on,” Rantaro took a sip of his water rather aggressively. “Seriously, though. What’s their deal? They must just be jealous of you or somethin’.”

“I don’t think their concerns are completely unfounded,” Shu sighed, trying to tune out the sounds of BC Sol’s gossip now. “They’ve been in this team much longer than me, they must’ve had to work to get onto the top team.”

Rantaro shook his head. “Oh, c’mon! You practice like, all the time! Until midnight! Honestly, that Free guy is the lazy one, don’t they have a problem with him? He really gets on my nerves…”

“You’ll need to deal with him if you want to participate in the European League, Rantaro. Even if just as professional teammates.” Shu added that last sentence, because truthfully, Free got on his nerves too. He couldn’t stand the way he spoke about his own team, and how he never showed up to any event in El Astro. He didn’t even have the courtesy to eat in the same room as his peers.

“‘Professional teammates.’ Pft, as if! Valt’s more professional than him, and I don’t think he even knows what that word means. Heck, I think I’d rather tolerate Wakiya over that guy!”

“I really don’t think talking bad about BC Sol’s eternal captain in front of them will help our reputation within the team. Better to just not let it escalate too much.”

“You and your manners… well, whatever! The placement matches are comin’ up, right? This time I’ll really show them what it means to mess with Honcho, and I’ll get on the team for real!”

…Right, Rantaro didn’t say it often, but he was still frustrated about the fact that he hadn’t actually made it onto the roster for the friendly match against Sunbat United. It might’ve been better had Wakiya not interfered at all, and Rantaro simply had to watch the battle instead of keep thinking he didn’t deserve his spot on the team. Not only that, it meant if BC Sol ever found out, they would have a real reason to despise both him and Shu.

“Yeah, best of luck.” Shu mumbled.

Rantaro just grinned back. “I don’t need any luck! Plus, you’re gonna compete in the test this time, right? Don’t go around thinkin’ that you’re just gonna be cheering me on! If we get pitted against each other, you gotta bring your A-Game, got that?!”

“Like there’s any battle where I don’t.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! Man, it would be so epic if we got to battle in the placement matches… it’ll be like the old times in the BeyClub all over again!”

“Rantaro, you knocked over your water glass.” Shu gestured to the water that was now trickling slowly but surely onto the floor, and saw Rantaro’s expression change from determined to sheepish in the blink of an eye.

While Shu was helping Rantaro clean up, he swore he heard Django from earlier get up and scoff. “So unserious. I can’t believe those two actually got selected onto the team, let alone on the friendly!”

“Yeah, the yellow-haired one is a real piece of work. All that bark and barely any bite. And don’t get me started on the ‘Japanese National Champion’ over there…” Rixon shook his head in disapproval. “He’s just Free but worse.”

“You guys say that, but,” Shasa cut in, seemingly the only one out of the trio to be willing to give either a shot. “I’ve seen that Shu guy train all the way into the night. Sometimes I’ll take a break and when I come back, he’s still there. And Rantaro isn’t half-bad either.”

“Tch, taking the newbies’ side already, Shasa? I expected more from you.”

“I’m just trying to be open-minded.”

Django stared at Shu and Rantaro who were in the middle of arguing over whether Valt or Free had more naps. Shu was winning, probably because he was the only one with concrete data, while the argument for Free was mostly just guess-work on Rantaro’s part.

“Don’t worry, Rixon. I’ll make sure those two know what it takes to be on BC Sol’s top team when the placement battles commence.”

Only so many Bladers could have the honor of being on BC Sol’s top team, and even less the chance to be considered a part of their first string. Only one spot was ever fixed—Free de la Hoya’s, of course. He didn’t have to prove himself to anyone, rather it was his teammates who had to prove themselves to him.

Even Shu still had to participate in the placement matches today, regardless of his defeat of Lui or his battle against Free on his first day here. He didn’t mind it very much, after all, it meant he’d be able to battle, and gauge how the other members of his team fared.

“Man, can’t they think of a more unique way to decide the placements? I mean, battling is awesome and all, but I feel like shaking it up a little wouldn’t hurt anybody…” Rantaro thought out loud again, much to Shu’s dismay, but not shock.

“If you don’t like it, you can go home any time.” Trad replied immediately, making Rantaro straighten up.

“Nah, not a chance! I’ll still ace this test, just like all the ones I aced at school!”

If Rantaro had actually aced any tests or exams at Beigoma Academy, Shu wasn’t aware of them. Maybe he’d just forgotten, or more likely, Rantaro was just lying through his teeth to make himself seem smarter. Academic prowess didn’t have anything to do with skill at blading, though, Shu knew that very well, as Valt was certainly… not the brightest in school, but still distinctly skilled.

“Leaving?” Kris called out to Free who had already started moving away and towards the door. For some reason, she was still expecting him to stay and watch, despite having never done so in his life.

“It’s not like I have to be here, right?”

“Of course you do, you’re the team captain!” Shu was glad that at least Trad had the decency to call Free out on his actions.

“I win no matter what. That’s how I lead the pack,” Free sighed, then glanced at Shu like he was the faintest bit surprised at his presence there. “You have to battle too?”

At least fifteen separate pairs of eyes must have stared at Shu, including Rantaro. Some awed, most frustrated, all shocked. “...Yes, of course I do. My place isn’t fixed like yours.”

“Huh.” Free turned away again, speaking to Kris and Trad now. “Just let me know how this all plays out.”

Trad watched as Free disappeared into the grounds of BC Sol. “He’s hopeless…”

Kris had already turned back to the crowd. “Free doesn’t think any of you are worthy of his time. That stings, doesn’t it? Get out there and prove him wrong!”

Shu still didn’t think that made much sense. Free should respect all of his peers, regardless of whether they’ve proved themselves or not. Even if he didn’t want to battle them, he should still see how his own teammates blade if he wanted to be a team captain worthy of BC Sol. Apparently, he had already earned that honor from just being the number-one ranked Blader, and didn’t need to be any good at leadership.

Putting aside his team’s questionable management for now, Shu focused more on the actual battling part. Strangely, he hadn’t been able to enter that trance again since the battle with Silas. Perhaps, since he’d gone against the voice, they were reluctant to converse with him? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that these matches were on the shorter side, and he could only activate it in more serious times.

After he had battled a dozen or so Bladers, Shu paused for a minute, observing the others. Rantaro had just entered a battle against Django from earlier, and he was decently interested in seeing it play out, but he should be going back to his own matches by now.

“You want to rest for a moment? No problem, you’re already on the top team anyway.” Kris told him from her seat.

“Me? Oh, no, it’s alright, I don’t need—”

“Really, it’s okay. Take it as official permission from me.”

Shu mumbled a ‘thank you’ in response, looking back at where Rantaro and Django stood. Being given a pass from Kris hadn’t helped his image whatsoever, in fact, he could already hear the whispers from the cafeteria start again.

“He’s getting special treatment now? This really is just Free all over again…”

“I’m on the top team too, and I’ve been here way longer than that guy! What gives?”

“Next thing you know, he’s gonna be wandering on his own like Free and Kris still won’t say anything about it.”

Even Trad disagreed with Kris’s decision, but he didn't voice it out loud, instead just sighing and noting something down on his tablet. Shu ignored it again, watching Rantaro and Django’s battle.

“You’re in for a serious reality check…” Django muttered.

“That’s what you think, but nah! I’m totally gonna wipe the floor with you! Now we can decide who really won that glaring contest at breakfast!”

Is he really still mad about that? Shu chuckled to himself. Rantaro was motivated, and even if that was because of a dumb, made-up competition, it was still nice to see.

“Heh, look at that! Isn’t Roktavor the coolest bey you’ve ever seen? I don’t even think Fafnir or Spryzen come close!” Rantaro’s eyes suddenly went away from the stadium, and looked at Shu instead. “No offense.”

“...None taken. And don’t talk to me in the middle of a battle.”

“Jeez, I was just tryin’ to be nice…” Rantaro shrugged and his focus returned to the stadium, and his grin never quite went away. Shu could tell it was getting under Django’s skin.

“You’re finished, newbie! Right here!” Django said it like he needed to convince himself rather than Rantaro. Roktavor got knocked back once by his bey… and then it promptly attacked back, causing its opponent to burst on impact.

Rantaro’s grin was in full force now, like the one he had after beating Wakiya in the friendly match. “You were sayin’? Now you’ve lost two battles—this one, and that glaring contest!”

“That did not just happen…” Django stared in disbelief at the scattered pieces of his own bey.

Trad noted something again on his tablet. “Disappointing…”

“Hm?” Shu instinctively looked towards him. Actually, he was morbidly curious about what Trad had written about him after Kris gave him permission to take a break. He was hoping to catch a snippet of it, at least, and was feigning confusion in order to sneak a glance at Trad’s tablet.

“What? Didn’t you see that battle? How am I supposed to even note anything on such a nothing match? Honestly, Kris should be less lenient with these things…” Trad grumbled, speaking much more than usual. Free’s leave and the break situation must have made him frustrated, and now he had someone to talk to. “What do you think? Who was better off in that battle?”

Shu froze up. “I don’t really think my opinion should matter in this situation, I’m still pretty new to BC Sol and all.”

“You don’t need to act modest. And since our team captain’s decided that he doesn’t care about his own club, you’re our next best option to look to for a second opinion.”

Shu was backed into a corner again. His own polite demeanor wouldn’t let him say ‘no’ and he was already sure that Kris was watching him now, too. “Well, I’d say Rantaro was better,” Shu answered quietly. “But even I know that I’m biased towards my friend, so you really shouldn’t take it too—”

“Hm, I guess you’re right,” Trad cut him off, and Shu was already dreading the inevitability of another question. “Well, then, how about we focus on the other Blader? What do you think about Django’s performance in that match?”

“That? Er, I…” Shu swallowed. Maybe if he was Valt or Rantaro, he could’ve said some nonsense and gotten away with it. But he had a reputation of being a good observer, and he couldn’t pretend to not understand anything, especially not with Trad. “It was… alright. Well, I was personally expecting more from BC Sol’s top team—but it wasn’t anything to laugh at.”

The last part was useless. As soon as the words “I was expecting more from BC Sol’s top team” had left his mouth, Shu knew there was no going back. Trad nodded once, and typed out a note. Now, alongside Kris, he felt Stan, Django’s best friend, glare at him, this time with something closer to hatred rather than disapproval.

He should’ve just kept his mouth shut. The rest of the team, including Django hadn’t heard their conversation, but Stan did and Shu knew he wasn’t going to let him get away with it. He couldn’t even be mad at Stan, either. That look was the same one Shu had when someone doubted Valt’s skill, after all. Just to add salt to the wound, Trad’s tablet seemed to have some kind of special cover on it that didn’t let anyone looking from the side see the screen, so he had no idea what Trad wrote about him or Django.

“Thank you. That concludes the placement battles,” Trad announced to the entire team this time. Shu quietly slipped away, not wanting to be roped into any more important decisions. “Next, we have a new Blader trying out for the team.”

By the time Shu had stealthily made his way over to where Rantaro was standing, the ‘new’ Blader had already shown himself. The deep green hair with a shock of yellow was very hard to forget.

“Surprise.”

Django stopped his conversation with another veteran BC Sol Blader. “What’s he doing here?”

“Hey, isn’t he on Sunbat United?” Stan chimed in.

“He’s allowed to be on two squads at once?”

Trad shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. As it stands, he’s not on anybody’s roster.”

“Bingo! I’m up for grabs.”

Shu felt Silas lock onto him for a split second, like he was still furious after their last battle. Rantaro talked before either of them could. “But why our team? You tryna spy on us or somethin’ for Wakiya?!”

“No, of course not. Plus, why shouldn’t I join BC Sol? As I see it, I can join any team I want,” Silas laughed. “Plus, I’m practically guaranteed a top spot in this place.”

“You can’t be serious. A man’s greatest foe is his ego.” Rixon replied, already looking away like he’d rejected Silas from the team himself.

“He’s already proven he’s up to the task,” Trad corrected. “I’d be willing to accept him based on past performance.”

Rantaro bumped into Shu in frustration, almost hitting the point where his shoulder was still stubbornly sprained. “Seriously? Silas? I don’t even know this guy but he’s good enough to get accepted on principle? Does ‘National Tournament Champion’ mean nothing to these guys?!”

“Trad probably means that Silas has achievements in other international tournaments or events. Titles in Japan don’t really mean much on the greater World Stage,” Shu answered, moving away enough to keep his shoulder away from any further harm. “And I’m the National Tournament Champion, not you.”

“That’s stupid! Wasn’t blading invented in Japan? They should care about the tournaments if they’re taking place in the country where it all started!” Rantaro crossed his arms. “And I know! I was gettin’ mad for your sake, dude!”

Shu sighed, turning his attention back to Silas. No amount of fame in a country’s specific league really meant anything in the international scene. In fact, Japan was a rare exception, where its top Bladers were at least recognised, due to it being the birthplace of the sport. Other countries’ circuits either had no traction outside the nation’s borders, or they didn’t even have their own league at all. Shu was well-known for defeating Lui Shirosagi, not for being the Japanese National Champion.

“I insisted on trying out. I figured you’d never stop whining if I didn’t,” Silas directed his attention to Rantaro. “Rantaro whatchamacallit, step up to the stadium, ‘cause you’re the chosen one.”

“The name’s Kiyama and I’ll—”

Django stepped in front of him. “Not how it’s going down. I’m the one you’re going to face off against!”

Ivan glanced away. “Hey, Stan, what’s gotten into him? You got any idea?”

Stan didn’t reply, and Shu swore he could feel his shoulder acting up on purpose to net him an excuse to get out of here. It wasn’t, and he was just trying to come up with an excuse for himself.

Django didn’t budge. “Let’s get one thing straight, Kiyama’s a second-tier Blader around here. If you wanna be on BC Sol, you gotta defeat me, someone from the top team!”

Silas blinked before bursting into laughter. “Sure, that’ll give you a chance to prove if you’re half as good as you think you are!” He pointed at Rantaro who was furiously trying to see what was going on from behind Django. “Kiyama, don’t think I’m not coming for you!”

"Don't ignore me!" Django insisted. "I worked my way up to the top, and I'm proud of it! You're bound to lose!"

Silas sighed. “Not sure how your pride is gonna help you win this battle.”

The battle was… short-lived, to say the least. It was even shorter than Django’s battle with Rantaro. At least then, his bey had managed one attack before losing. This time, Satomb had burst its opponent as soon as the two beys collided in the stadium. Shu felt a strange kind of dread creeping up.

“I told you to check your ego at the door,” Silas laughed again, cutting the whispers that had already started up as soon as the battle ended. “You’re up, Kiyama! Show me what you’re made of!”

Rantaro grinned, sprinting to occupy the space where Django had been. “Alright!”

“I don’t get it,” Kit mumbled from Shu’s left. Since when was he here…? Shu was starting to think the kid was also training in stealth or something of the like aside from blading. “Why’s Silas so set on battling Honcho?”

“It’s because Rantaro defeated Wakiya.” Shu answered.

“But you beat that Wakiya guy too, right? Then why doesn’t he wanna go against you? I’d think he’d want to get payback on you for beating him last time…”

“Not sure,” Shu thought about it for a moment. Why didn’t Silas want to battle him again, especially since the memory of losing to him was definitely still fresh in his mind? “Might be because he hasn’t battled Rantaro yet. Who knows, maybe he thinks he won’t be able to qualify for BC Sol if he goes against me.”

“Oh, good theory!” Kit smiled, before turning curious again. “By the way, why do you call Honcho ‘Rantaro’?”

“Because it’s his name…?”

“But you guys are close, aren’t you? I thought you’d call him that too, as like, a friendly nickname. Though I heard it’s a pretty big deal to call people by their first names in Japan…”

“It is,” Shu nodded. “And we are friends. I’ve just never called him Honcho before.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just not my style,” Shu mumbled. “Besides, the whole ‘Honcho’ thing is kind of an inside joke between Rantaro and one of my other friends.”

Kit perked up. “One of your other friends? Who? Are they a Blader too?”

Shu chuckled slightly at that. The kid was apparently, according to Ange, trying to deduce the relationship between him, Rantaro, and Wakiya ever since he found that they all knew each other. “Yeah, he is. But not here, he’s on a different team in a different country.”

“Oh, I see!” Kit nodded, eyes lit up with excitement. “If he’s your friend, then he must be really good at blading, then!”

“Yeah,” Shu replied, glancing at Spryzen in his pocket. “...Really good. I’m sure you’ll get to meet him one day.”

“Really?!”

“Mhm. You two would get along perfectly.” Shu gestured to the stadium. “The battle’s about to start.”

Kit straightened up immediately, locking onto where Silas and Rantaro were standing.

“Y’know, I kinda can’t believe you have the guts to show up here after that embarrassing loss against Shu in the friendly match!”

Silas gritted his teeth. “I went easy on him, even launched right-handed! Unlike him, you won’t be so lucky!”

“Went easy on him? More like underestimated him! And I can tell you’re doin’ the same thing right now,” Rantaro grinned. “It’s alright, though. This way I can show you what happens when you underestimate Honcho!”

Silas didn’t respond after that, just chuckling to himself when he glanced at Rantaro’s launcher. Shu figured he’d probably figured out what strategy Rantaro was going for, but he didn’t interfere, he could have been wrong.

While Roktavor’s spin was practiced, normal, the same it had been in its battle against Wyvron back in the friendly match, Satomb appeared… erratic. It was moving in an irregular, incomplete pattern, like it had a failed launch.

“Huh? How’d Silas mess up his launch?” Kit asked no one in particular, both excited for Rantaro to win and confused at the seemingly incorrect spin.

“He didn’t.” Shu answered. “It’s intentional. Since Satomb is moving irregularly, it’s losing less stamina than Roktavor, gaining speed, and becoming more aggressive all at the same time. That’s why…”

“It’s been real, but I’m getting bored. Sad the show has to end this early!” Shu laughed again. “Show no mercy!”

Just as Shu suspected, only one move from the strangely-moving Satomb burst Roktavor, and the battle was just five seconds longer than Silas’s battle against Django. “...Roktavor burst so easily.” Shu finished his sentence with a sigh.

Kris stood up from her seat. “Welcome, Silas Karlisle! It’s a pleasure to have you on our team.”

“Hey, Silas!” Kit called out, somehow still starry-eyed even though Rantaro lost.

“What are you doing?” Shu mumbled, not very content to see Kit talking to someone as arrogant and mean-spirited as Silas. He was still impressionable, and Shu would hate to see him pick up similar habits.

“Testing your hypothesis, duh!” Kit looked back at Silas. “I was wondering, why didn’t you challenge Shu instead of Honcho?”

“Hey, what kind of question—”

“Oh, now you’re getting kids to ask questions for you, huh? You really are a coward,” Silas interrupted, looking at Shu with the same intensity as earlier. Why was he so fixated on the ‘coward’ thing, anyway? “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. Free was the one who told me to challenge Kiyama instead.”

“You talked with Free?” Shu asked. Free didn’t seem like he had any interest in anyone on Sunbat United during the friendly match, certainly not Silas.

“Yeah, caught him on the way to this training center. I was gonna challenge you to a match, but he said I should try to beat Kiyama first. I had high expectations from him, since Free recommended him as an opponent and all, but turns out he’s nothing more than fodder.”

“...I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call my friend ‘fodder,’ Karlisle.”

“Tch, I don’t care,” Silas shrugged. “You’re next, coward. I don’t wanna see a repeat of whatever you were doing in that first round!”

Rantaro had already sprinted over to Shu, still grumbling about Silas. “Argh, what’s with this guy? Is arrogance his middle name or somethin’? He’s even worse than Free! And what’s with the whole ‘coward’ thing?”

“It’s just something stupid he latched onto.”

Figures,” Rantaro glared at Silas, and then at Shu like he was at some kind of fault in this situation. “Hey, you better wipe the smirk right off that guy’s face when you battle, alright?!”

"Yeah. I will."

“Rantaro, you forgot to play this card.”

Rantaro stared at the mess of cards and tokens on the bed, and then back at his own hand. “Uh… wait, shoot—”

“Honcho, you’ve got like, three cards you don’t need!” Kit giggled, trying to keep a poker face but failing every time Rantaro messed something up.

Shu sighed. Somehow, his training session had gotten interrupted and turned into game night. Rantaro and Kit wanted to play a game, but apparently it just wouldn’t work with two players. Shu must have come up with over a dozen ideas to make it work with just the two of them so he could get back to practice, but they insisted, and it was hard to say no to a pleading Rantaro and a Kit with actual puppy-dog eyes, especially when you’re as much of a people pleaser as Shu was.

He’d tried to escape once or twice after his turn, but quickly realised that it was a lost cause. Kit would always drag him back or insist that he stay for one more round, which inevitably turned into two rounds, and then into three, and so on. Funnily enough, after the thirty-minute mark, Shu was actually starting to enjoy the game… or maybe just starting to enjoy Rantaro’s constant slip-ups and rage at Kit’s ridiculously lucky dice rolls. Plus, it got his friend out of his slump after losing to Silas.

“And I get,” Kit picked up the die, rolling it with an exaggerated twirl. It landed on ‘six.’ “Oh yeah! Another six!”

“Seriously?! This die has gotta be rigged or something,” Rantaro picked it up next, examining it like it was a suspect in a high-profile murder case.

“A die can be ‘loaded,’ not ‘rigged.’ It doesn’t have free will.”

Rantaro shook his head profusely. “Details! I swear, if I look hard enough, I’ll find some kinda mechanism that Kit’s using to—”

“Guys, I’ve got bad news!” Honey’s words interrupted Rantaro’s monologue, her voice shaking like she was both shocked and upset at the same time. She quickly turned confused at the sight in front of her. “...What are you guys even doing?”

“It’s not important,” Shu nudged away the entire board and playing pieces to the side, messing up the arrangement. Kit actually gasped in offense when he did it, but he didn’t care right now. “What happened?”

“It’s Django!”

Shu bit his lip.

“Don’t tell me…” But he knew what had happened already.

…

“Hey, Django! You’re not actually quitting the team, are you?!” Rantaro called after a retreating Django, who already had his suitcase packed. It was a stupid question, he couldn’t have been doing anything else but leaving.

“How can you turn your back on us…?” Stan said, quieter than Rantaro’s voice, but still distinctly hurt.

Django didn’t look back when he responded. “You might not have heard yet, but I got downgraded to the B Team. I can’t accept a demotion like this. I’ve decided to move on and leave BC Sol.”

“There’s some mistake!” Stan insisted, but Django only shook his head in response.

“No, it’s the only way forward. I’m going to a place where my talents will be recognised. I must.”

“You’re transferring to a different team?!” Kit clearly had hundreds of things he wanted to say and ask, but this was the only thing he could get out.

“I have a reputation to rebuild. Goodbye, Stan. This is not the end.”

With that, Django walked away, and no one said anything after that. Shu, for one, hadn’t spoken at all. He was perfectly silent the entire conversation, even when he should have really been the first one to talk. This was his fault, after all. But he didn’t, not until—

“Agh, you ruined everything!” Stan turned directly towards Shu, yelling at him. “If you had just shut up…” He shook his head, running off in the direction of BC Sol’s main building, not looking back even once.

“I…” Shu swallowed. Even if he could say something now, it didn’t matter. Because neither of the people who could benefit from it were here now—not Stan, and certainly not Django. The latter, especially, would never be coming back.

“Uh, Shu?” Rantaro glanced at him now. “What did you do exactly? I mean, I’m sure it’s not your fault that Django left, but why’s Stan so mad at you? Hey, Earth to—”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Shu mumbled, going back towards the building himself. “And Kit?”

“Oh, me? What…?”

“Tell—” Shu stopped. “Nevermind. Just go back to your room, I’ll give you the game back in the morning.”

Rantaro chased after him. “Hey! What’re you doing, dude?! You don’t actually think it’s your fault, do you?!”

It was fruitless. When Rantaro returned to the dorm room, Shu was already ‘asleep’ and the game was already tightly packed into its box, sitting on the bedside table.

And while Shu did give the game back the next day, he never told Rantaro what happened.

“Thank you for the food, Ms. Lopez.”

Ange frowned. “Huh, you’re back to calling me ‘Ms. Lopez.’ Something happen?”

“Ah? Oh, no, nothing happened. I must have just slipped up,” Shu answered, thanking her again before sitting down at the same secluded table as before. This time, Kit was calling for him instead of whispering.

“Hey, Shu! Come sit with us!” He insisted, but Shu didn’t budge. Mostly because he didn’t want to, but also because he could feel Stan and Rixon staring at him, and that would only increase if he sat at the other table.

“Awh, man, what’s gotten into him?” Kit turned towards Rantaro as he sat down next to him. “Hey, Honcho! Can you go talk to Shu? He’s being all distant and I don’t want him to—”

“Just don’t.” Rantaro replied, taking a long sip of water.

Honey perked up then, upset. “What do you mean ‘don’t’? We should talk to him, since we’re friends and all! You especially!”

“What I meant is, just don’t bother him when he’s super quiet like that,” Rantaro gestured to where Shu was silently eating his food. “Talking won’t make it any better, trust me. Shu’s the kinda guy that figures it out on his own, y’know?”

“I don’t get it…” Kit poked at his salad with his fork. “Shouldn’t we be trying to talk to him anyway? Even if he’s avoiding people…”

“Shu’s not avoiding anybody, he just likes being alone when he wants to think about stuff,” Rantaro shrugged. “And I mean, the guy doesn’t even let his best friend help him when he’s like that. What makes you think he’ll let us?”

Shasa stopped mid-bite. “Wait, aren’t you his best friend?”

Rantaro spit out his water. “Oh, that’s a good one! Nah, I’m not.”

“You’re not?!” Kit almost jumped in his seat, earning a reprimand from Ange who had been listening in to their conversation out of boredom.

“Nope. Oh, yeah, I guess Shu didn’t tell you about this either. Classic Shu,” Rantaro chuckled, placing down his spoon. “Me and him are buds, don’t get me wrong! But when it comes to best friend? I’m not even close…”

“Then who is? You’re keeping us in suspense here!” Kit pouted, having given up the idea of eating altogether. Honey was considering it too, but her older sister insisted she at least finish the churros.

“Valt’s his best friend, duh.”

…

“...Who’s that?” Shasa seemed to be the only one brave enough to ask.

Rantaro scratched the back of his head. “You’re not serious, are you? Man, I guess you are! This is gonna be way harder to explain then…”

Rantaro cleared his throat dramatically, like he was starting to deliver some kind of life-changing lecture. “So! Listen up! Basically, Shu and Valt have been friends for like, forever, apparently they met back in kindergarten. And if you ever meet Valt, you’ll definitely go like ‘Hey, this guy isn’t like Shu at all! There’s no way they’re best friends!’ and there’s nothin’ wrong with that, ‘cause I thought that too, but actually, they totally are besties!”

“Shu and Valt are basically complete opposites, you get me? Valt’s all hyper and cheerful, and don’t tell Shu I said this, but he’s pretty much an idiot. We like him anyway, though! And he’s crazy good at blading, too! Actually, he’s on that New York team. The Running Bulls, I think it was called? Dunno exactly, but he’s on their roster!”

Shasa cut in then. “The Raging Bulls?! He’s on that team?! How haven’t I heard of him yet?!”

“Whoa,” Kit lit up again. “One of them’s in BC Sol and the other’s in the Bulls… that’s one heck of a combo!”

“Heh, pretty cool, right?” Rantaro grinned. “And so like, there was this one time Shu got his shoulder completely messed up. Like, the doctor said he had to rest for two months, but he had a tournament match comin’ up and didn’t wanna drop out. So he literally just… powered through it for the whole match! Valt tried to get him to stop, but he didn’t budge. They even kinda had a falling out! But then they got ice cream and there was this whole thing with pasta and then in the National Tournament—”

“I think that’s enough information for now.” Rantaro’s explanation was rudely interrupted by Shu wacking him on the head with his empty tray. “I would be really grateful if you didn’t tell my entire life story to people so loudly, in the cafeteria where anyone could hear it.”

“Hey! I was just being helpful!” Rantaro protested.

“Yes, and you were very helpful indeed. Now eat your food before it gets cold and don’t tell any more random stories.”

Rantaro sighed. “Alright, alright…”

Shu stared at him for a good thirty seconds before sighing himself and turning away. “Just get to the gym at the right time.”

Rantaro nodded, and Shu finally left his trail. “Phew, that was a close one… thanks you guys!”

Honey tilted her head. Maybe she was learning from Free... “Why are you thanking us?”

“‘Cause if you guys weren’t here, I’d have to figure out some other way to get Shu out of his slumpy phase. Now he’s mad, and since he’s mad, he doesn’t have time to mope anymore!” Rantaro scratched the back of his head. “To be fair, if Valt was here, we wouldn’t have needed to do all of this… but you gotta work with what you've got, right?”

Kit nodded in agreement. “Yup! I think we did a pretty good job! But it was mostly you, Honcho!”

“Aw, you flatterer…”

Silas chuckled from his table. Best friend at the Raging Bulls, huh?

“Still not glowing…”

Shu mumbled to himself as he picked up Spryzen for what must have been the five-thousandth time today. Right-handed launch, left-handed launch, dual-handed launch, right-spin, left-spin, this direction or that direction, no matter what he did, the glow he was searching for just wouldn’t appear. It was well past training time, but he needed to see it.

Needed to see if it was true, needed to see if Spryzen really could glow. If it could, then he must be the unluckiest person in the world, to not be able to see his own Beyblade glow, despite how closely he had worked with it. He had battled with this bey for two, almost three years now, and yet he still couldn’t see something about it that everyone else seemingly could.

“You’re weird. You seem like you know everything about your bey, but then sometimes, it’s like you don’t know anything at all.”

He could stop. After all, it was entirely possible that ‘resonance’ really was just a made-up, superficial term for something that didn’t even exist. If the wbba didn’t recognise it, then technically he didn’t need to worry about it at all, and just focus on perfecting his blading.

Shu preferred being alone with Spryzen like this. It was easy to focus on the launcher, on the exact angle to tilt it and how much pressure with which to pull the string. It was simple to look at the bey spinning in the stadium and observe its spin, its direction, its strength. He knew this better than the back of his hand, and it all came naturally to him. He could notice all of the little features and technicalities in a Beyblade’s design that help it in battle, and understand how the slightest difference in launch form or control could completely shift Spryzen’s playstyle.

He was good at understanding complex things like that—maths and science were his favourite subjects when he was younger, and he managed to teach himself most of the intricacies of both. Even his skills in blading were just things he figured out himself because they made sense.

Unlike school subjects, people didn’t make sense to Shu, and he didn’t like doing anything related to something he didn’t fully understand, so he kept away from them. He let Valt do the talking and befriending part, because he did understand people, and it only made sense for someone with a talent like that to use it, rather than Shu learning it himself. Technically, he could’ve been in the training centre, or having dinner in the cafeteria, or helping Rantaro with a new launch style, or doing anything else but this.

Shu didn’t want to. He’d already broken the trust of multiple of his teammates, and it seemed more logical to just ignore it instead of trying to fix a broken bridge. He had accepted it, accepted that Stan would probably hate him forever for causing his friend to leave BC Sol, just the same way he’d accepted that he’d hate Lui forever or that he’d never understand people the way his best friend did. He was starting to accept that he’d never see Spryzen glow, too.

It’s fine. It could be worse.

“How sad,” Silas spoke to him just as he was about to launch Spryzen in left-spin mode again.

“What’s sad?”

“Well, it’s just that… I spent a long time looking things up about you, Kurenai,” Silas chuckled. “You’re popular in Japan, huh? The Crimson Flame, such a flattering title. But look at you now.”

Silas gestured to the stadium. “Practicing all alone in the quiet grounds of BC Sol. How the mighty have fallen, it almost makes me want to cry.”

“What do you want? I don’t need your pity.”

“Oh, nothing. I overheard your spunky sidekick talk to those BC Sol veterans. Something about a best friend that’s in the Raging Bulls?” Silas feigned confusion, but it was clear that he remembered exactly what Rantaro said.

“You…” Shu placed his launcher on the bench. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to let Rantaro ramble on about things so loudly, but he figured that since the first few parts were common knowledge in Japan anyway, it was okay to let some of it slip.

“Oh, and don’t get the wrong idea. I saw videos of your best friend, and honestly? He seems like a complete amateur, really not worth my time. I just thought it was interesting how he’s the one in the Bulls and not you. Maybe you’re much less serious about blading than I thought, since you’d rather slum it here with Kiyama than go to an actual important team. Just my opinion, though.”

“You don’t know anything about Valt and I,” Shu muttered. “Now can you tell me what you’re really here for? If you want to train here, I’ll happily go somewhere else.”

“I want a battle, of course. I wasn’t lying when I said you were next after Kiyama.”

“Then why didn’t you lead with that?”

“I just felt like making small talk with my teammate first, is that so wrong?”

“No,” Shu turned his attention back to the stadium. “I suppose it’s not.”

Whatever Silas had said was definitely not ‘small talk,’ though. The words and the tone of voice made him sick to the stomach. It was a familiar kind of feeling, but he couldn’t place it just yet. All he knew is that it made him dangerously angry and irrational, neither of which he could afford to have right now.

…

The trees seemed oddly still now, when just a moment ago they were flowing in the quiet wind that always surrounded BC Sol. In fact, everything was still, the air, the sounds, even Shu himself. The only thing that appeared alive despite it all were the two beys spinning in the stadium. Strangely, they looked to be slower than usual, not because of a mislaunch or any other such mistake, but rather on purpose. The battle felt grander that way, in this mystical trance he found himself in once again.

Shu tried to knock himself out of it somehow, trying to do what he had done last trance. This time, though, it didn’t seem to budge, like it was stubborn and unwilling to let him go now that he was back there. At this rate, he would make the same mistake as last time, and it would be even worse now. Something could knock him out of this, he was sure. After all, Spryzen didn’t glow, and that was something he was about to come to terms with.

“‘Come to terms with’? Is that your way of telling yourself you’re not just giving up?”

Now that was not him. At first, he’d naturally believed that the voice he heard was just another side of himself, because that was logical, and that made sense to him. But Shu wasn’t talking to himself, because that was not his voice. It wasn’t any voice he’d heard before, not his, not Valt’s, and definitely not Silas’. It was familiar but unknown at the same time.

Spryzen turned erratic in the stadium, similar to how Satomb was in its battle against Roktavor, but it had chosen that itself. Shu didn’t want it that way, and he didn’t launch it that way. The way he had done it should have resulted in a stable, normal left-spin path, but it didn’t work. He wasn’t sure if it counted as a mislaunch, because it wasn’t what he wanted, but it didn’t feel wrong now. So maybe he should just go with it…

Click. Click.

That’s it. Shu must have listened to that strange person again and he had to have made that illogical mistake again and then—

Why is Satomb in three pieces too? He had backed out of the choice at the last minute, so maybe that had saved him from another pathetic mistake.

“Tch, that was just a fluke,” Silas mumbled. “But you know, you looked out of it. You should really get more sleep.” It would’ve been a comforting sentence if Silas didn’t always sound so… frustrating.

“Did you… hear something just now?” Shu asked, staring at Spryzen like it had the answer.

“Uh, no? Are you crazy or something?”

“...It’s nothing,” Shu exhaled. “Let’s just go again.”

Maybe this time he would be normal. Since honestly, he wasn’t even sure he wasn’t crazy himself. Did anyone else just hear things like that?

…

“Why are you so afraid of me? We have known each other for years now.”

The voice flickered again. Unlike in his first battle against Silas, it was real, with an actual pitch and texture to it. Last time, it was just a strange sensation in his mind that seemed like someone talking. Had it grown stronger since then?

Perhaps, Shu pondered, that the more skilled he became, so did the trance. Yet it never happened in a training match or against Free. It should have some kind of condition, but it started abruptly and ended just as fast most of the time, and he could never quite recall what happened during the time he was in that ‘alternate dimension,’ either. It was a distant memory, like something that had been planted in his head rather than an event that happened to him.

But Shu knew this person, right? They said so, and he believed it. They weren’t any of the people he knew in real life, he would’ve recognised the tone by now. He did know this person, but he felt as though he shouldn’t hope to find out who it is.

None of his friendships lasted very long, people lost interest in him eventually and Shu didn’t care to reach out until it was too late—the only one that had survived miraculously long was Valt. They decided that they were best friends the day they met, and each day afterwards only made it more convincing. But that was Valt, and he could be friends with anyone, Shu was just lucky to have been the first kid he spotted on the playground that day. Even his relationships with the rest of the BeyClub only stayed strong because Valt didn’t let them drift apart, he insisted that Shu participate in any dumb activity they did, and kept Ken in the group chat despite no longer being a member.

“You cannot fool me, Shu. You know who I am already, don’t you? You’re just pretending to not hear it.”

They knew his name too… this trance was supposed to make him focus on the battle, but now Shu could barely think about it at all. The words still echoing in his head were far more important. He tried to find the source of the voice, but it was coming from both nowhere and everywhere all at once. There was only him and Silas in this courtyard, and the person was neither, because they could speak, while Shu and his opponent could not.

Shu glanced down at the stadium. The only sign of life was the beys, still attacking and defending with a mind of their own. They were the only objects that moved, and their spinning was the only noise he could hear besides the voice. If the beys were the only thing that were alive here, and since he hadn’t known Silas nor Satomb for more than a few weeks, the person must be…

Shu shook his head, or at least tried to. That doesn’t make any sense.

“Ah, so that is your reason. You don’t want to deal with things you do not understand. It is only natural, I suppose. But, this does not make any sense either, and yet it is still happening. Do you see it now?

How did it know so much? Shu couldn’t speak or move or do anything to indicate whatever he was feeling. He hated to agree with the voice, but something in his gut told him to trust it, that it was on his side.

“Yes, you’re seeing it now. Don’t worry about not understanding. After all, if you knew everything, wouldn’t the world be quite boring?”

Yes, of course it would.

Huh? Why did he agree? No, that wasn’t important right now. Nothing was important right now, not that voice, not his thoughts, not BC Sol or the Raging Bulls, not even that ‘resonance’ nonsense. The only thing that mattered was the battle in front of him. Satomb had taken the centre again, but Spryzen was catching up, like it had gained some kind of second wind.

Shu should go on the defensive, and cause a stamina battle like he had planned to since the start. Spryzen could outlast Satomb, especially after all the hits the Defense Type had already taken. But he knew that method, and the outcome it led to. He didn’t know what would happen if he went through with the erratic motion from earlier, and he wanted to see it. He had to see it.

Just then, he saw Spryzen shimmer the slightest bit.

Click.

“Are you serious…?!” Silas stared at the pieces of his own bey. He was angry, like usual, but now more… upset. That was new. Everything was new.

“You,” Shu let Spryzen spin for a second longer before picking it up. “You were just saying all of that to rile me up, right? Well, it didn’t work.” It had, for a moment too long.

“I… you knew?”

“I guessed,” Shu sighed, stepping off the platform where the beystadium was. “I’ll be going for dinner now. Good luck on getting selected for the European League.”

“...And don’t go around thinking strategies like that will save you.”

“We’re approaching the opening round of the European League!”

Kris glanced at Free who was absently plucking at a loose string on his shirt. “...Free, you’ve been chosen as team captain.” He looked up for a second before returning to the string.

“That leaves two spots. The selections will be based on performance and results!”

Trad nodded. “Anyone with the proper skills may have the honor of representing BC Sol, regardless of their status.”

“Okay, I was jokin’ last time but,” Rantaro sighed, trying to hide the specialised launch-grip he’d stolen from Trad’s office. He asked Shu to vouch for him, but he wasn’t content to be an accessory to theft. “They really need to find some other way of deciding this stuff.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Shu muttered. “Let’s just wait for our turn.”

The tryouts for the European League took the form of an informal tournament, where any two Bladers that had similar performances in earlier events were paired against each other. It was a decent system, but it also meant that Shu and Rantaro were among the last to have a match, since there were far less Bladers that matched up to them. Free, for one, had already fallen asleep and woken back up multiple times, occasionally remarking about one of the veteran members’ playstyle.

Trad swiped on his screen, focusing. “...Next up, Shu Kurenai versus Silas Karlisle!”

“Wait, you get to go against Silas? That’s not fair at all! I want a rematch with that guy to really show him whose boss!” Rantaro pouted, Kit was beside him, trying to cheer him up with a joke, but it wasn’t working.

Right, no one saw their battle in BC Sol’s outdoor beystadium. This was their second time competing. Silas finally got up from where he had been leaning against the wall. “Tch. About time. You’re going—”

“Actually,” Shu interrupted, speaking to Trad. “Could I have a different opponent? I really don’t have any interest in battling Silas again. Anyone else will do just fine.”

The rest of the team didn’t even try to hide their whispers now. Shu never backed down from a battle, not just out of confidence but also because that was the polite thing to do. He handled every match with the same seriousness, regardless of whether it was against a top Blader or a complete amateur.

But truthfully, Shu was sick and tired of Silas after their second fight. He didn’t mind a challenge, but he did mind the idea of having to do it all over again with no change. Battling against Satomb wasn’t the same as against Valtryek—he could do that forever and never get bored, until it was impossible for him to keep going. Continuous matches against Silas sounded like a slog, like if he had to practice with Lui everyday.

Actually, Silas reminded him a lot of Lui. The arrogance, the entitlement, the prideful belief that just because you have skill, you can disrespect and insult anyone lesser than you. They even shared the same sharp teeth and crude, sarcastic speech patterns. The only difference was that Luinor was at least a powerful opponent. That didn’t stop his teammates from theorising at his expense, though.

“He’s trying to boss Trad around now? Who does this guy think he is?”

“He probably just knows that if he goes against Silas, he’ll lose. Didn’t you see their first battle? Shu won, but not even a newbie would make the kind of mistake he did in the first round!”

“Silas was right, this Shu guy really is a coward…”

Trad coughed once. The whispers stopped immediately. “You refuse? You do understand that besides you and Free, Silas is our strongest Blader, yes? I would hope that you would prefer a stronger opponent.”

“Strongest? I disagree.” Shu replied almost instantly. He wasn’t sure who was actually the strongest apart from Free and himself, but it certainly wasn’t Silas.

Rantaro completely forgot about his moping, much to Kit’s delight. “Whoa, you’re saying no? You sure about this, man? I mean, I wanted a shot at Silas again, but that doesn’t mean you gotta back out…”

Rantaro still wants a rematch with Silas. Shu nodded once in his friend’s direction, though it only seemed to confuse him.

“What do you mean you disagree?!” Silas scoffed, gesturing to the rest of the team. “If the strongest isn’t me, then who is? Just tell the truth and say you’re scared of battling me!”

“Yes, I must ask as well,” Trad agreed. “If not Silas, then who is the Blader you wish to battle?”

Shu glanced at the crowd. He didn’t feel very keen on battling anyone, maybe Rantaro. But he couldn’t just say that, people were bound to catch onto the fact that he only wanted that because they were friends. Not just that, even if Shu didn’t want to, he still knew that Rantaro was itching for a do-over.

“How about this,” Shu replied to Trad, ignoring whatever insult Silas had prepared for him. “Silas and Rantaro can battle again, and whoever wins, I’ll go against. Is that alright?”

Trad stared at him for long enough that he was certain he was going to get yelled at. “...If that’s what you want. That settles it, next battle is a rematch between Silas Karlisle and Rantaro Kiyama!”

“Wait, seriously?!” Rantaro almost jumped. “Oh, man, thanks, Shu! You’re the best! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to knock this guy down a peg, and then after that, we’ll have an epic battle!”

"Looking forward to it," Shu smiled, spectating from the wall. He almost kicked Free, though he didn't seem to care very much.

“You sure have a lot of faith in that friend of yours.” Surprisingly, it was Free who started the conversation this time. “If he loses, then you’ll have to battle Silas again. You know that, right? You could’ve just said you wanted to challenge Rantaro directly.”

“I could have.” Shu nodded. “But I really do believe that Rantaro is more skilled than Silas, so why not let him show it?”

“Hm.” Free tilted his head. “You are nothing like Lui.”

“...I’ll take that as a compliment.” Shu said almost instinctively.

Free chuckled the slightest bit, more of a huff than real laughter. “You really hate his guts, huh?” That was a rhetorical question, and so Free didn’t wait for an answer. “Speaking of which, I heard he’s gone MIA. Completely disappeared without a trace. Some say he quit blading.”

Shu froze. The idea of Lui giving up the craft was impossible to think of—he was a natural at it, the very definition of talented, even if he was a bully. He relished the memory of defeating Luinor, but being the reason someone quit their life’s passion didn’t sit right with Shu. The way Free spoke about it was unsettlingly casual, too, like a student sharing meaningless gossip in-between lectures to his classmate which they would both forget once break started.

“Quit? That’s impossible,” Shu insisted. “And why are you just… telling me this? Aren’t you worried?”

“About Lui? I don’t care. Why would I?”

“Isn’t he your friend?”

Once, Shu was ignorant enough to think that he was the only challenge Lui ever had in an opponent. Quickly though, he realised that he wasn’t even close. The rest of the Big Five were the real deal—and Lui was second out of all of them. Ren Wu was a disciplined, stoic Blader currently in SB Rios, the Brazilian team, and from his record, a quiet force to be reckoned with. There was one on Valt’s team as well, Joshua Burns, who was both an exceptional actor and skilled Blader. Even Xander, who Shu thought he knew everything about, was a member.

Despite that, Free and Lui’s rivalry was nothing less than legendary. They were the top two Bladers in the world, one from the supposed Beyblade Capital of Europe in Spain, and the other hailing from the birthplace of the sport. Shu assumed they had to be friends, with how often they were featured in promotions and advertisements together. They reminded him of himself and Valt in a way. It was the kind of ‘way’ that left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was there nonetheless.

“Friend?” This time, Free’s laugh was startlingly real, causing a few other BC Sol Bladers to turn their attention to them before being promptly scolded by Trad. “Oh, that’s a good one. Super hilarious. You should try stand-up comedy some time, I think you’d be great at it.”

“You’re… not?”

“Of course not. I barely know the guy.” Free shrugged. “Don’t want to either. That loss against you was so embarrassing I almost feel bad for him. He’s not even a worthy rival anymore, let alone a friend.”

The way Free brushed Lui off after one loss was… unnerving. Shu had a permanent scar because of him, and still shivered in their last battle, even though he had lied and said he didn’t. In Japan, Lui was considered the greatest Blader to ever play the game in recent years, and yet Free spoke of him like a passing hobby he’d grown bored of.

“...Seriously? You’ve battled him hundreds of times, but you don’t care at all that something might have happened to him? You’ve got to be curious about where he is at the very least.”

Free observed him for a moment. “You’re like the human version of an oxymoron. You seem pretty smart, but you’re still stupidly naive, aren’t you?”

“...Come again?”

“You heard me.” Free sighed. “You know, I wasn’t lying when I said you were good after our battle.”

He wasn’t? Free’s tone had been so insincere and flat that Shu was sure he must’ve been saying it to be sarcastic.

“Your bey is strong and you know how to handle it,” Free muttered. “But you don’t have what it takes to be a professional blader in the International Circuit. Not yet.”

“I don’t have what it takes…?” Shu bit his lip to keep from lashing out. “What am I missing, then?”

“What you’re missing is the obvious,” Free answered quietly. “Don’t you get it? There’s no room for friends in Beyblade. If you keep looking out for everyone else, then you’ll only get tossed aside once they’re done with you. If you put so much trust in someone, they’re bound to break it one day, and then you’ll be left with nothing.”

Free’s words were harsh, to say the least, but not entirely directed at him. It was more like he was trying to make Shu understand something that he believed to be universally true, something that he needed to know to fulfill his dreams of being a top Blader. Free was trying to help him, in his own twisted sort of way.

Shu didn’t understand, and he wouldn’t, though. He didn’t have many friends, most of the people he’d gotten acquainted with in middle and high school he had drifted apart from and forgotten. The BeyClub meant a lot to him, but he was always a little… detached from them, like he was just there to fill the empty space that Ken left behind.

But he had one that would never quite leave his side no matter how many years had passed since they met—Valt. It was more than a decade ago, but they had only gotten closer. Valt was the only reason he decided on BC Sol, the only reason he joined the BeyClub, and the only reason he even started blading at all. Even with both of them now pursuing it professionally, Beyblade was still special to them, like an inside joke or a secret.

Besides, Shu knew that abandoning Valt would make his dreams impossible. After all, one of them was battling his best friend in the finals of the World League. Shu didn’t want to be a World Champion if Valt wasn’t the one he beat in order to get the title.

“...That’s what you think.”

“Oh? You think I’m wrong?” Free chuckled again, more amused than offended. “Go ahead then. Argue and try to change my mind.”

“We’re teammates, de la Hoya. There’s no need for us to bicker and fight,” Shu replied. Ironic, he bickered with Rantaro all the time and yet Shu still considered him a much better peer and friend than Free. “I say it’s better to agree to disagree on these kinds of things.”

Free tilted his head once again, before sighing and looking at the stadium.

“I was trying to help you. Suit yourself.”

Shu didn’t respond after that, focusing on Rantaro and Silas’s battle instead. He and Free must have talked for longer than expected, considering it had already started.

The new grip must have maximised Roktavor’s moment of inertia, its spin was off the charts and rivaled Fafnir’s when Free launched it properly. Moreover, Silas was clearly still underestimating Rantaro’s strength, with how Satomb’s strategy was the exact same as last time.

Click.

“It’s not possible…!”

“Berserk Roktavor, with a Burst Finish. Rantaro Kiyama wins!”

“Aw, yeah! Am I epic or what?!” Rantaro grinned before looking at Shu. “Hey, you saw that, right? Roktavor is way better than it ever has been! You and Spryzen don’t stand a chance!”

“I saw it alright,” Shu chuckled, pushing off the wall and onto the other side of the beystadium where Silas was. “But you’re still going to lose.”

“Hmph! Don’t think that just ‘cause you’re National Champion that you’re guaranteed to win!” Rantaro held out his new, recently-stolen launch-grip yet again, like it was a treasure. “I know I wasn’t in the National Tournament, but with this new grip of mine and Berserk Roktavor, you’ll realise what would’ve happened if I was!”

“I don’t think I’ll win because I’m National Champion,” Shu corrected. “I know I’ll win because I’m better than you.”

“Cut the trash talk! Let’s battle!”

Trad nodded. “The final battle in the tryouts for the European League will have Shu Kurenai against Rantaro Kiyama. First to—”

“Hey, Trad?” Rantaro interrupted. “How about making it first to three this time? It’s the grand finale after all, featuring the Head Honcho and the ‘Crimson Flame’!”

Trad stared at him. “...Sure. Why not? The winner of this match will be the first Blader to reach three points!”

…

Shu had entered this trance in battles against five Bladers now, counting Rantaro. With each one, he had a separate experience with that person. He didn’t hear them at all during his matches with Lui and Valt, and against Wakiya, it was just a faint feeling rather than a voice.

When he battled Silas, he was in a constant state of unease, unsure about whether he could even trust them or not. But he realised it now, in this match against Rantaro, why he had made such a stupid mistake in the first round of that friendly.

It wasn’t because the strategy itself was flawed, but because when Spryzen performed it, Shu had no faith that it would work. The doubt must have gone to his bey as well, weakening its attack and speed and leaving it susceptible to Satomb’s onslaught of moves.

But Shu was sure now—he could trust the voice, and he could trust his bey. Why shouldn’t he? Spryzen had always been his partner, and it would always be that way. No other Beyblade could replace it, not even if it was stronger or faster or just better. It had been that way since the very first time he launched it against his best friend. It was wobbly and amateur back then, standing no chance against the hyper-offensive Valtryek, but Shu didn’t care, it was fun. Really fun.

Just then, he swore he could hear someone chuckle.

Click.

Spryzen had shot up and out of the beystadium, landing in three pieces on Shu’s right. Roktavor must have knocked it out when it tried to take one too many hits that it couldn’t afford to come back from.

“See that? That’s what me and Roktavor can do!” Rantaro laughed. “Say, aren’t you glad I told Trad to make it a three-pointer, Shu? Otherwise, you would’ve been a goner by now!’

He would’ve, but Shu wasn’t sure whether he’d be very upset about that. Even now, having lost two points and being only one away from losing entirely, he didn’t feel the slightest bit disappointed or discouraged. In fact, he felt a strange kind of… excitement, despite the loss.

“It’s not over yet,” Shu corrected, assembling Spryzen. “...That was fun, wasn’t it, Spryzen?”

It didn’t respond, but Shu could just tell it was saying ‘yes’ somehow.

“Second battle!”

This time, Spryzen went on the offensive immediately, hitting Roktavor without waiting for it to reach the centre. Rantaro must have accidentally launched it too lightly, because it flung out of the stadium embarrassingly quickly.

“Legend Spryzen, with a Ring-Out Finish. The score is now two to one.”

“I—” Rantaro pouted. “That was just a Ring-Out! It doesn’t mean anythin’!”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

…

Rantaro was right, actually. A ring-out only made it so Shu was now down a single point instead of two. He needed either a Burst Finish or two more Ring-Outs to win. However, since Spryzen would never win in an endurance match against Roktavor, if he didn’t defeat it in the next round quickly, it would definitely result in a Survivor Finish in Rantaro’s favour, and he would lose.

At least, that’s what Shu would’ve been thinking about, had this battle actually occurred in the National Tournament instead of right now.

Back then, he would surely overthink it to hell and back, considering every possibility with its own outcome. And sure, he would have figured out a strategy, but only after a while of thinking, and he couldn’t waste any time right now.

Shu no longer considered anything that far in the future, though. He only saw Spryzen and Roktavor in the stadium, and only thought about how much fun he was having. Perhaps he could’ve come up with a more reliable method to win if he pondered over it, but that seemed boring. He’d rather just do something unexpected, something that would surprise Rantaro enough to burst Roktavor.

It was like his first battle all over again, back when he didn’t know what tilting the launcher one way would change and when he didn’t understand that Spryzen being a Balance Type didn’t mean it was automatically better than every other bey. Now Shu understood that its jack-of-all-trades nature was more of a puzzle than a strength—though his opinion that Spryzen was the best Beyblade ever created hadn’t changed at all.

Click.

“Legend Spryzen, with a Burst Finish. Shu Kurenai wins with a score of three to two!”

“Whoa…” Rantaro huffed. “You really are a prodigy, Shu! I was sure that Rush Launch was a Valt Aoi Special, but Spryzen nailed that! So cool…”

“Rush Launch? No, you’re getting it wrong, it was called Axe Launch.”

“Uh, that wasn’t an Axe Launch, dude,” Rantaro muttered. “That was like, the definition of a Rush Launch. Y’know, with the whole flower pattern thing that it has? What’s with you and forgetting your own moves? I mean, I guess it was one of Valt’s this time, not yours…”

Before Shu could respond, Rantaro shifted his question. “Actually, since when do you copy Valt’s moves? I thought it was the other way around.”

Spryzen performed a Rush Launch? Shu shook his head, staring at the bey in his hand. That didn’t make any sense, that was Valtryek’s move, not his. He must have done an Axe Launch instead, but the two styles were too distinct to mix up, even for Rantaro. If it really was a Rush Launch, then one question was very apparent now:

Why did he use one of Valt’s moves?

“That is all for today’s tryouts! We will announce the Bladers selected for the European League later in the evening.”

Rantaro sighed, watching the others scatter into their own routine. “Man, I was doing really well there… and then I totally blew it. You think they’ll still select me, Shu?”

Shu nodded. “Of course. I was impressed too. I didn’t expect Roktavor to be able to burst Spryzen so fast. You’ve improved a lot, Rantaro.”

“Shu...” Rantaro put his hand over his face, sniffling. “You’ll make me cry at this rate!”

“You already are crying.”

“Congratulations all of you on an excellent job today,” Trad started his announcement. “Here are the selected Bladers for the European League opening: Free de la Hoya, Shu Kurenai, and Rantaro Kiyama!”

“See? I told you,” Shu smiled. “Congrats, Rantaro.”

“For real?! Oh, let’s go!” Rantaro grinned in response, patting—or perhaps ‘hitting’ was the right word—Shu’s back with far more force than necessary. “You and me in a Team Tournament, just like the good ‘ol days!”

While Rantaro was busy celebrating his placement and reminiscing about the Team Tournament back in Japan, the rest of BC Sol wasn’t all too thrilled about the selected Bladers.

“Are you serious…?!”

“No way Rantaro’s there over Silas... this is a hundred percent rigged!”

“Can’t believe they chose the two newbies over the Bladers that have been here for forever!”

Trad ignored the whispers, continuing his announcement. “Silas, you have been chosen as a sub for the team. Congratulations.”

Silas only grunted in response.

“Now let’s go over the European League proceedings!” Kris stood up from her seat at the very front of the meeting room. “Clubs from various countries compete against each other with their reputations on the line.”

The map zoomed in on Europe, highlighting the different teams from around the continent. Rantaro stared at it intently for a moment. “Hey, where are we on that map?”

“You don’t know?” Shu sighed. “Spain’s over there, on the west side.”

“Huh…” Rantaro looked at it again, before pointing to… Georgia? “This one?”

“That’s not ‘west’, Rantaro,” Shu just pointed at Spain on the map now. “That’s Spain, and Barcelona is over here, which is where BC Sol is based. ‘West’ is the left side of the map. You’re looking at the east.”

“Ugh, it’s so confusing…”

“It’s not really confusing at all, actually.”

“You just have it memorised ‘cause you’re a know-it-all!”

Since when was knowing basic directions tantamount to being a know-it-all? Shu didn’t spend any more time arguing about it, lest he develop another headache.

Thankfully, Trad spoke before Rantaro could ask where America is on the map, and Shu would have to explain that it wasn’t in Europe. “In order to be eligible for the World League, we first must earn points in the European League.”

“All of the teams are very strong, you must be well-prepared! Our first opponent is going to be Top Wand from Germany, they’re always one of the highest-ranking teams.”

…

While the rest of BC Sol left the meeting room, Kris and Trad told the Bladers who would be in the opener to stay behind to be acquainted with the team they’d be battling. Shu caught a death glare from Stan as he was leaving, and Silas was grumbling something about the fact that he ‘couldn’t believe someone as idiotic as Rantaro could make it on the team’ when he hadn’t.

“We’re counting on you to ace this! That’s your only mission, nothing else matters.” Kris’s voice seemed much more commanding when she was speaking directly to a small group of people rather than a crowd, like she was more comfortable with it.

“We’ll ace it, alright!” Rantaro cut in.

“Just keep quiet…” Shu insisted, trying to shut him up before Trad inevitably scolded both of them for interrupting important announcements again.

“Ahem,” Trad stared at them for a second. “We need to cover some specifics about the opposing team.” An image of three eccentric-looking Bladers appeared on the screen. “This is Top Wand.”

Shu studied the image for a moment. Germany’s Top Wand was a sensation there, to say the least. They were both a talented Beyblade club and an entertaining circus troupe at the same time, appealing to anyone who enjoyed either, and quickly increasing the popularity of the sport in the country. The team’s record wasn’t anything to scoff at either, but it wasn’t anywhere close to BC Sol’s.

The screen shifted to a render of a bey. “Cuza Ackermann’s bey is Alter Cognite, a strong Balance Type. It has Ultra Attack and Stamina!”

“But it can’t stand up to my bey! Roktavor has Ultra Ultra Stamina!” Rantaro declared, then looked at Shu. Is he expecting me to vouch for him? “Uh, Shu? You’re next.”

“Next to what?”

“Dude, it’s your turn,” Rantaro nodded very seriously. “You’re supposed to say that Spryzen’s the cooler Balance Type and that Cognite doesn’t stand a chance against it! Why didn’t you say it?”

“I don’t feel the need to.”

Trad glared at them again, with a face that read easily as ’this is your last warning.’ “Here’s the sticking point with Alter Cognite—we can’t know which mode it’s using. Not until the launch and then it’s too late.”

This time, Free was the one to interrupt. “I’ll still win though.”

…

“Bro, Valt’s gonna be so psyched when he realises we’re gonna be in the European League! I wonder if he knows already…”

“He’s got his own team to worry about,” Shu exhaled. “You can’t expect him to know about our affairs too when he’s in a completely separate continent. He’s probably made new friends there.”

“New friends? You mean he’s replaced us already?!” Rantaro gasped, horrified at the prospect of Valt forgetting about the BeyClub to be buddies with a bunch of American Bladers instead. “Don’t joke about things like that!”

“I just said he’s probably made friends, not that he forgot about us.” Shu chuckled. Valt might forget in the heat of the moment, but he’d always come running back to his clubmates eventually. That was just who he was.

“I hope you’re right…”

Shu nodded, and then looked up at a small window at the very top of the training center. “And I suggest you do your research the respectable way instead of spying on your opponents, Ackermann.”

“Huh? Who’re you…” Rantaro looked up then too, and there he was—a boy with black hair wearing a ridiculous circus outfit, a parrot perched on his shoulder. “Hey! You’re Cuza Ackermann from Top Wand! What do you think you’re doin’ watching us like a hawk?!”

Cuza almost tripped from his place on the roof. “Actually, Carl’s a parrot.”

“It was a simile.” Shu sighed.

“Yeah! It was a…” Now Rantaro was confused. “Uh… a smiley! Yup, that! It was that and I totally know what that word means, mhm!”

“You… nevermind.” Shu moved towards the door. “You just stay away from BC Sol until the match. You’re lucky I didn’t catch anything about Cognite from your show a few hours ago.”

Cuza lingered for a moment longer before sighing and skillfully jumping back from the roof. His pout reminded Shu of Valt’s when he didn’t get the item he wanted at a festival or when he had to do extra homework after failing a test.

Well, except the fact that while Shu thought Cuza looked like a petulant child, he found Valt’s pout quite endearing.

Shu watched as Kris delivered the opening speech from the waiting room in El Astro, along with Rantaro. Free apparently didn’t want to be there.

“It’s such an honor to be here today at the opening ceremony. To all you fans out there, brace yourselves—these Bladers are ready to show you what they’re made of! The European League is officially open!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd alongside colorful smoke bombs, and that was when Shu really grasped the reality of it all. He was in one of the most legendary blading arenas in the world, not as a viewer, but as a contestant in a continent-wide event. Moreover, it was the first time Valt wouldn’t be watching one of his official matches in person.

“Seriously, where’s Free? Don’t tell me he’s gonna be late to such an important event too!”

“Rantaro,” Shu mumbled. “He’s right behind you.”

“Jeez!” Rantaro shrunk back immediately. “Dude, you’ve gotta stop being so ghostly like that… it creeps me out!”

But Free didn’t respond, silently making his way to the wings of the arena without looking back. He looked more on edge than usual, but he couldn’t be nervous, since he was Free. Shu shook his head, brushing it off as tournament jitters.

“And in the Red Corner, BC Sol! They’ve got the ultimate champ and number one Blader in the world, Free de la Hoya!”

Free just tilted his head.

“It’s not just Free, though, since BC Sol’s already scored some new talent in the Blading Prodigy from Japan. He’s recently taken down the tyrant Lui Shirosagi in the Japanese Nationals, and isn’t looking to stop anytime soon—it’s Shu Kurenai!”

Shu waved absently to the crowd. It was still strange not seeing his best friend at the very front, cheering him on as he had done since his very first match in the District Tournament last year.

“And finally, this up-and-comer describes himself as bold, brave, and bring it, it’s Rantaro Kiyama!”

“Ugh, why’re you guys’ introductions so much cooler than mine…” Rantaro mumbled, looking sincerely upset.

There was no time to be upset though, the crowd had already erupted into chanting the team’s name. It was natural, being that they were the home team and all, but something about it was exhilarating in a way that even someone as stoic as Shu had to admit. Once, he was worried he wouldn’t even be able to beat Valt, and now he was competing as a member of Spain’s beloved BC Sol. He wondered if his past self would believe it if anyone told him that this was going to be his life.

“Caught up in the feels, Shu? Me too, man, I still can’t believe this is happening!”

“Yeah,” Shu stared at the crowd for a moment longer before looking at the stage before him. “Me neither.”

…

“So, who's going up first? I think that they’ll probably send—”

Shu stopped himself once he saw Free approach the console without a word, placing his launcher onto it to confirm. “...I see. Good luck.”

“Hey, isn’t this the part where the captain is s’posed to say some strategy or words of encouragement? Dude, don’t ignore me!”

“It’s no use.” Shu watched Free climb up the stairs, still with that distant frustration in his eyes. “He’s already made up his mind.”

Top Wand went with their captain as well, a green-haired Blader named Heinrich. He seemed to be more of a ringleader than a captain, though, going along with the whims of his team for the sake of entertainment.

Thankfully, Free was sensible enough to use his launcher in the European League, and when he did, Shu saw it. It reminded him of the face that still haunted his nightmares, but it was nowhere near as terrifying as Lui’s maniacal grin. Instead, Free’s stare was both empty and clear at the same time, with its own kind of unsettling quality to it.

Click.

Shu had barely registered the stats on Heinrich’s bey before it was in three pieces, bursting from the sheer impact of just colliding with Fafnir.

“Drain Fafnir, with a Burst Finish! BC Sol wins with a score of two to zero.”

Just then, Shu spotted the man from the friendly match watching from his own booth at the top of the arena. He still couldn’t place who he was, but it was unnerving nonetheless. He turned his attention to the battle, no need to worry about that right now.

“Dude, that was incredible!”

“Rantaro’s right. Your battle was perfect.”

Free just sat down with a sigh, already looking like he wanted a nap, then pointed weakly to Shu. “You go next.”

Shu nodded.

“Break a leg, man! This Roadrick guy is no match for you!”

Shu chuckled at that, mumbling a correction as he made his way to the stadium. Everything about right now felt surreal. He knew El Astro’s layout and its reputation, but actually battling in it was an entirely separate feeling in and of itself. He couldn’t understand half the things the crowd was yelling, most of it was in Spanish or German after all, but the spirit was definitely there.

“So you’re that Blader that Cuza was talking about,” Rodric spoke suddenly, forcing Shu out of his thoughts. “I saw your battles, too. You really live up to that ruthless reputation of yours, huh?”

Ruthless? Shu blinked in surprise. Back in Japan, he was known for the exact opposite, for battling with grace despite the harsh sport and always offering a handshake to any opponent. It was Lui that was cruel and merciless, not him. When had he become ‘ruthless’?

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“Playing dumb, are you?” Rodric laughed. “Come on, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Both you and Free are such… characters. Fascinating.”

…Maybe conversations just worked differently in Germany, Shu told himself, because he couldn’t understand a word of what he just heard. From the way the crowd reacted, Rodric must have been saying something that people agreed with, but no part of it made any sense to him.

He exhaled once, forgetting about it. This was his first battle in the European League, after all. He had to do well, both for his team and for the people that were cheering their home team on from the stands.

And for Valt, of course.

…

Rodric’s bey was a Defense Type, and it reminded Shu far too much of Satomb. It was the kind that absorbed hits easily and dealt them just as fast. Being a Balance Type, Spryzen’s attack was already nothing special, and so it seemed like no progress was being made at all.

He had beaten this form of hyper-defense with the Slow-Motion Burst technique last time, and it worked perfectly fine, but that didn’t feel right. He should do something interesting in this battle, because…

Why should he do that, again?

“Why? Because you enjoy it, of course. You know this.”

Right, because he enjoyed it. At some point, Shu started agreeing with that voice rather than worrying about it. It was largely because he couldn’t do anything to stop it, and also because it has become strangely comforting to him, a constant, familiar presence when everything in his life had changed and not even his best friend was around to talk to him.

It’s strange to find solace in a disembodied voice, but for some reason he was sure it wasn’t just a hallucination or something. If it was, then Shu had seriously gotten himself into trouble considering he went into this trance regularly now, and heard that person, too.

But they aren’t a stranger. In fact, they’re here right now. They’ve been there for every one of his battles, now holding one over Valt since he wasn’t here. Perhaps, it was the separation from his best friend that made him realise it, because he had no need for this kind of support with Valt around. It had always been there, silently. Why hadn’t he seen it before? Shu was supposed to be a great observer, wasn’t he? Then he should have realised this a long time ago, or at least the first time he’d heard it.

This voice was…

Click.

“Legend Spryzen with a Burst Finish! BC Sol takes game two with a score of two to nothing!”

Shu was about to offer Rodric a handshake right when Spryzen also burst, only around a second after its opponent did. That was close, far too close. If it had been just moments earlier, he would have lost right then and there.

“Hmph, I guess you did technically win,” Rodric admitted with a shrug. “No offense, but you’re no Free de la Hoya. Cool bey, though.”

Shu stared at the stadium for too long before nodding, and turning towards the wings.

“Hey, Shu! That was awesome! Don’t let that Rodnic guy lie to you, you’re definitely way cooler than Free.”

Shu didn’t respond, sitting down without looking away from Spryzen. It was only his first battle in the European League, yet he’d just barely managed a win. He was almost glad Valt wasn’t there to see it.

It mirrored the early days of his career too closely to be comfortable. Back then, Shu never struggled against anyone in the District Tournament or the rounds leading to the finals of the Nationals. He’d even beat Zac without breaking a sweat, and foolishly thought that he was guaranteed to win with a record as flawless as his. And then there was Lui Shirosagi, who destroyed him both in battle and as a person.

Now, he was being foolish again—stupidly believing that just because he won against Lui once, it put him on Free’s level. After seeing their matches one after another, the disconnect between skill was much easier to notice. Free won in one second, but Shu won by one second.

“Dude, don’t worry so much,” Rantaro tapped him on the shoulder. “It’s the first battle of the tournament, it makes total sense that you wouldn’t be at your best, right? I still think Spryzen was awesome in that match!”

“I’m not worried,” Shu mumbled. “Just… thinking.”

“You sure do that a lot,” Rantaro sighed.

Free tilted his head. “You’re up.”

Rantaro lit up, instantly forgetting all about helping Shu. “Oh, let’s go! Watch this, Shu! I’ll beat this Cuza guy and get BC Sol a perfect three-to-nothing win! That’s how you start a tournament!”

Rantaro ran all the way to the stadium, staring with awe at El Astro just like Shu. His amazement was much easier to see, with how quickly he shifted his focus from the stands to the ceiling to the screen and finally to the beystadium, where his opponent waited for him on the other side. It was only then that Shu realised that Cuza must have battled in the arena countless times to seem so… indifferent to his surroundings.

“So, I finally get to battle you, huh! I’ve been waitin’ to teach you a lesson since Shu caught you spying on us in the training center!” Rantaro grinned.

Cuza said absolutely nothing.

“Are you embarrassed? Well, you should be! It’s super uncool to do somethin’ like that, y’know! After this match, you’ll never try to disrespect my team that way ever again!”

Cuza just stared at him with an annoyed expression.

“Uh, are you okay or…?” Rantaro turned sheepish now, sensing that his signature comebacks didn’t work on Cuza. “Dude, say something, you’re—”

“Do you ever shut up?”

Rantaro didn’t have a clever retort or quip after that, and the battle began.

Alter Cognite in Ultra Attack mode was certainly a sight—unlike Spryzen, which just had its first battle in El Astro, it looked like it was a natural at moving in the stadium, treating it as a stage. The quick spin and fast-paced attacks coupled with Cuza’s experimental backflip launching style reminded him of Valt even more, but even then it just wasn’t the same.

Both beys were hyper-offensive attackers, but nothing could really compare to Valtryek’s unpredictability, the way it seemed like a different Beyblade in every match, and somehow appearing to have as much fun as its Blader during a beybattle. Cognite felt… off, like it was trying to emulate that, but it was wrong. All wrong.

Click.

“Alter Cognite, with a Burst Finish! Top Wand wins with a score of two to nothing. The score is now two to one.”

Shu should have been surprised when it landed on the outer rim of the stadium, and collided into Roktavor, but he wasn’t.

“This isn’t happening…”

“You know,” Cuza sighed, already moving back. “I wasn’t spying on you, I was tryna catch a glimpse of Free. I don’t even need to watch you to win.”

Rantaro no longer had anything to say, and quietly walked back to the wings.

“Is that it?” Free tilted his head. “Were you even trying to win? Cognite in Ultra Attack Mode can’t just be bruteforced, especially with a Stamina Type like Roktavor. That’s not even hard to realise.”

“I know! I just…” Rantaro glanced away, staring at the floor. “I can’t believe that was my European League debut. I think I’m gonna sit this one out… I need to just watch for a bit.”

“I wasn’t going to send you anyway,” Free sighed. “Kurenai, you can go up again. I don’t really care about battling Cognite, and they’re definitely going to stay with Cuza, since he’s the only one that’s won.”

Shu nodded, though he was still staring at Spryzen. He pushed himself up from the bench and approached the console. Quietly, he raised his launcher to the screen… and then paused just before it could register him as the next contestant for BC Sol. Instead, he stared at his own reflection in the black void.

“You don’t think you can win, do you?” Free was beside him now, pushing him away from the machine half-heartedly.

“I…”

Free was right—Shu wasn’t sure if he could win against Cognite after his battle with Rodric. Spryzen wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready. How strange, he had the golden opportunity to go toe-to-toe with a world-renowned team, and yet he was now hesitating to participate because of one less than perfect performance. Months ago, he wouldn’t even consider the idea of refusing. He had only won since the National Tournament, right? He should’ve been more confident than ever.

Maybe he actually was a coward after all.

“Disappointing,” Free mumbled, bringing his own launcher to the screen instead. Shu realised that he was intentionally stalling, keeping it at just enough of a distance to make sure the system wouldn’t input him as the participant instead.

“Are you really so scared of losing?”

Shu froze. He wasn’t supposed to hear that voice outside a beybattle. Now it was real, and for once, he knew exactly where it was coming from.

“Spryzen...?”

…

It didn’t talk after that, like a connection had been severed.

Free lifted his hand away, returning to the wings. “If you’re not going to listen to me, at least listen to your bey.”

Shu watched him leave, and then stared at the console once again. Cuza had already been selected for Top Wand, there was no more time for hesitation like this anymore. Losing here, to someone besides Free, felt like a nightmare. It would prove that what Rodric was true, that he was nowhere close to the number-one ranked Blader at all. And if he wasn’t, then what was the point of winning the National Tournament anyway? It would mean that after everything, Lui was still better than him, even if he’d lost, and show that Free’s belief that battles were only fun if you won weren’t unfounded after all.

...Valt would go out there and battle regardless.

Shu exhaled, confirming his own participation in the battle. The crowd had already been reduced to whispers about whether he and Free had an argument or something about who should go next. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed his blatant hesitation just yet.

Cuza had already moved onto absently petting Carl in the time it took for BC Sol to decide on a Blader. “What took you so long?”

“Nothing too important.”

“Eh? Whatever, guess it’s none of my business. Come on, we’ve wasted enough time already, the fans are getting bored!”

The ‘fans’ seemed to be enjoying the supposed drama, actually, but Shu didn’t want to drag it out any further either. It would make him second-guess himself more. And once the battle started, maybe he’d be able to talk to Spryzen again.

…
…
…

It was useless. Shu could still hear Cuza speak, still see the lights flickering faintly in the distance, and still talk without feeling disoriented. The voice—Spryzen, more accurately—had completely stopped talking as well. He had battled this way up until the National Tournament this year, but now its absence felt… wrong.

“Legend Spryzen with a Ring-Out Finish. The score is now tied one to one.”

Cuza said something about Spryzen being a powerful opponent, but Shu was too focused on trying to get it to speak again. It wouldn’t budge, still completely silent even after he tied the points. Had he done something to make it stop? Perhaps it was disappointed with him after he had hesitated to go against Cognite.

“Third battle!”

…Still nothing. Shu turned his attention to the stadium, yet his mind wouldn’t focus. It was caught up in the memory of hearing his bey talk, and now running with possibilities of what would happen if he lost or won the match. Spryzen moved the same as it always did, he couldn’t tell anything about what it was thinking from just looking at it. Someone like Free or Valt could have figured out what was different. He wasn’t the one experienced in this ‘resonance’ thing, anyway. So—

No, Spryzen is Shu’s bey. No one else could ever understand it. It was the only one he ever wanted to battle with, and it had seen everything. Just the same way, Spryzen understood that fear of losing all too well, it had gone against Lui and Luinor, too.

Of course, he still didn’t want to lose at all. That would make the overall score two to two, and have a grave impact on both his and BC Sol’s reputation. He wanted Free to go again, because he would always win without fail, and they would have won the entire game right then and there, and get closer to the World League. Even if they won after this, they would have less points than if the match ended with three to one instead of three to two, and be further away from qualifying.

How was he supposed to just think about the battle? There’s so much more to worry about. There’s everything to worry about. Cognite’s Ultra Stamina Mode seemed like it would go forever, and the constant clashing from the two beys spinning in opposite directions made Spryzen lose its momentum terrifyingly fast. Not to mention that Cognite didn’t even need to burst its opponent to win.

“You don’t need to think about all of that.”

This time, Spryzen sounded almost… pleading, compared to its usual formal, guiding tone. It was difficult to focus now, that ‘trance’ must have spoiled him with how it cut off anything that might distract him from the beybattle. He thought he was good at paying attention, but the way he disappeared from the battle into his own head wasn’t doing much to support that theory.

If you’re not going to listen to me, at least listen to your bey.

‘Listen to your bey,’ huh? Shu recalled advising Valt to do the same thing after he was stressing about losing to Wakiya before their official battle in the District Tournament. He didn’t really know what he was talking about back then, he only knew that his best friend and Valtryek had a strange sort of connection, to the point where he could ask it how it was doing. With how much he told Valt to only worry about his performance in beybattles, and his predicament right now, Shu could easily be labelled a complete hypocrite.

Free is the number-one ranked Blader in the world, after all. Who was Shu to say that he wasn’t also deeply connected with Fafnir the way Valt was with Valtryek? Both Free and Spryzen were really just insisting on the same thing—to try anyway, even if both had very, very different ways of saying it. If he lost, so would Spryzen, they would lose together. It was easier to think of losing in that way, instead of as something that would destroy his entire career.

Clink.

It wasn’t the ‘click’ of a bey bursting that stopped him this time, rather it was the soft sound of Spryzen gradually losing its spin, before settling on the stadium motionlessly.

“Alter Cognite, with a Survivor Finish! Top Wand wins with a score of two to one! The overall score is now tied two to two.”

Shu could vaguely hear the announcer say something like ‘BC Sol has already given up its lead’ and his teammates in the front rows of the arena whisper about how he’d “finally been brought back to Earth, but none of it registered. Once again, he found himself staring at Spryzen, expecting it to also have some choice words for him. It didn’t talk at all.

Yet, he didn’t feel very disappointed or frustrated. He’d lost, now it was anyone’s match, but that only made it more exciting. It didn’t make sense at all how casual he was being, and how normally he sat back down on the bench, even as Rantaro was panicking about their next battle. He couldn’t even understand himself right now.

That was probably why it was so fun. Shu seemed to like things that he couldn’t fully grasp, like the intricacies behind blading or how he still hadn’t managed to figure out how exactly Valt’s little quirks worked.

“You lost.” Free mumbled, disappointed.

“I guess I did,” Shu chuckled lightly. “Sorry about that.”

Free blinked once. “You don’t look very sorry.”

It was true, Shu had, for some reason, been smiling like an idiot after that match. He quickly forced it off his face once Free mentioned it.

Free sighed before going up for real this time, looking as though he was ready to just go home already. Though, the vague frustration in his expression had gone away, replaced by something Shu couldn’t really place his finger on. Contemplation was his best guess.

Cuza perked up, returning to his childish tone of voice once he saw Free approach the stadium. “Heh, I must be super lucky to battle you! That means I’ve gone against every BC Sol Blader today, isn’t that awesome?”

Free said nothing.

“I didn’t see you in the training centre. I guess you’re pretty secretive with that kind of stuff, hm? No biggie, it means our battle will be a real surprise.”

Free stayed silent. Now Cuza was on the receiving end of the silent treatment.

“Hey, if I win against you, does that make me number one?”

“...If you win against me.” Free muttered. “Now stop talking.”

Cognite went with Ultra Attack this time, likely trying to use that as an advantage over the Stamina Type Fafnir. The beys collided once, then twice, and then—

Click.

—it was over, just like last time.

“Drain Fafnir with a Burst Finish! BC Sol wins with a score of two to nothing. The winner of the European League’s opener is BC Sol with three games to two!”

“W-We did it!” Rantaro jumped up, running to where Free was standing. At the very least, he did look like he enjoyed winning beybattles after all, even if every other time he was completely indifferent to it all.

Shu followed after him, laughing slightly. Why is he laughing so much? He just barely won one battle and lost the second. He didn’t care to find out the answer right now, especially not with the entirety of El Astro cheering for BC Sol. They were the home team, after all, even some that supported Top Wand found their battles enjoyable to watch. And of course, Free was nothing less than a beloved icon in Barcelona, he was from there and had led the entire blading scene for years now.

“Yeah. Sure did,” Shu said to himself, and then held up Spryzen as if it could also soak up the support from the crowd. Perhaps it really could, considering it was clearly able to understand and talk to him. “...It’s the first step to the World League, Spryzen. What do you think?”

“It’s a cause for celebration, isn’t it?”

Shu nodded in agreement. He thought Spryzen would be much more like him, but the bey was relatively carefree all things considered. That personality would fit a Beyblade that Rantaro or Valt had, not him. Speaking of which…

“Huh. Since I can talk to you,” Shu peered down at the bey. “I wonder if you’re looking forward to going against Valtryek the way I am.”

…

“Uh, Shu? You’ve been staring at Spryzen like the whole match.” Rantaro was the one that spoke, not his bey. “What’s the deal?”

“It’s nothing,” Shu answered, placing it back in his pocket. He would’ve really liked an answer to his own question, though. Maybe his so-called ‘resonance’ with Spryzen wasn’t strong enough to hold full-on conversations just yet. “Hey, Free?”

“What?” Free looked almost surprised, probably because he’d said ‘Free’ this time instead of ‘de la Hoya’.

“I must have misjudged you. Thanks for letting me go up a second time, even if I lost,” Shu replied.

He didn’t get a response except Free’s slow head tilt.

“And another thing,” Shu continued the conversation anyway. “Our next battle isn’t in a while, right?”

“No, it isn’t.” Free mumbled. “Why? You got a date or something?”

Shu froze. “What? Obviously—”

“Dude, you won’t even answer any of our questions and then you expect Shu to just tell you everything?” Rantaro cut in, suddenly angered like he’d just remembered something. “And say he does have a date. So what?! Y’know, Free, Shu was pretty popular back in Japan, and he has the whole ‘national champion’ thing, plus apparently his hair is cool—but I don’t think any hair even compares to mine—so I wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s already—”

Shu glared at him again, making sure Rantaro had completely shut up before looking back at Free. “Don’t listen to him. And there’s no date.”

“No date?” Free blinked. Wait, that wasn’t a genuine question, was it? Surely he didn’t actually think Shu had a date. “Then what?”

“I was hoping to watch the North American League once it starts.” Shu answered quietly. “There’s no time to catch every game in every league, with it being tournament season and all. But I’d like to see a few.”

“The North American League?” Free shook his head. “I’ve watched it for years. Trust me, it’s really not that interesting. You’re better off watching nature documentaries.”

Shu was sure that had to have been an exaggeration, or Free actually did prefer watching nature documentaries to beybattles. For some reason, it didn’t seem that out-of-character. “I don’t just want to watch it for entertainment.”

“No? What else could you watch it for?”

“The opener this year is in America, right?” Shu smiled. “One of my good friends is on the New York team. I said I’d watch his international debut at the very least.”

Free stayed silent for a moment, trying to remember something. “Oh. You mean that jumpy kid that lost to Lui in the Team Tournament? I don’t think he’s worth losing precious sleep over.”

“Hey, you can’t just—”

“You don’t know him, de la Hoya.” This time, Shu interrupted Rantaro, speaking quietly yet confidently. “I’d argue he’s worth losing quite a lot of sleep over. You might want to actually meet him before jumping to conclusions.”

…

“...Sorry,” Shu mumbled, realising that he might have said a little too much. He turned towards the exit of the arena, exhaling to try to calm himself down.

Rantaro watched him walk away. “...Uh, Free?”

“What’s up with him?” Free asked, now the slightest bit confused.

“You know, you can say anythin’ you want about Shu. He doesn’t get mad easy, and he’s level-headed. He won’t take it to heart,” Rantaro sighed. “But he and Valt go way back. Both of them don’t really like hearing stuff like that about the other, Shu especially. It’s probably better if you don’t talk to him about it.”

“Huh.” Free closed his eyes, thinking, and then looked at the booth where that strange man from earlier had been standing. “This Valt guy, is he any good?”

“Oh, uh,” Rantaro turned sheepish. “I mean, yeah! He’s pretty great at blading, and he’s a quick learner too! He must’ve just gotten better since he went to America.”

“...And you’re sure he’s in the Raging Bulls?”

Rantaro nodded. “Yup! He even sent us a picture and everything!”

Free turned to walk away as well.

“...Interesting.”