I watched Hikaru's back retreat before glancing up at the screen again. Kato, Killer Hydra.

His partner was a brunette boy, whose's smile seemed to cover his whole part of the screen. Grayson. I spared a fleeting glance at the display of his beyblade- a Virgo.

"Tess and Shaun verus Kato and Grayson!" Blader DJ boomed, and the crowd clapped as my two opponents walked out.

Grayson still had that amused, easy-going smile present on his face, which lit up his grey eyes. Kato was impassive as ever, his hands shoved in his pockets as he shot a glance at me.

"You over-slept?"

"Zzzz," I replied, enjoying the glimpse of annoyance seeping through his gaze. "Kidding. Just didn't care about Rehn." I shivered at the thought of his creepy-as-hell smile.

"I was going to end up with an idiot anyway," he said breezily, and Grayson responded with a smack to the back of his head.

"I'm not an idiot!"

Shaun looked almost amused at the turn of events, and crossed his arms, one hand clutching his Aries as he watched.

Kato muttered something under his breath, but pulled out his white launcher, firmly setting his Hydra inside. Grayson, Shaun, and I all mirrored his action, aiming.

"Three!" Grayson yelled.

"Two," Shaun said, his body tensing.

"One."

"Let it rip!" I yelled as the spectators chanted with him, feeling my Eagle shoot from my launcher into the stadium.

"Virgo, attack now!"

I resisted the urge to grimace as Grayson's beyblade made a mad dash for Shaun's Aries. "So quick to attack?" I mused, pursing my lips as I debated the option of attacking Kato. Nah. "Eagle!"

It followed my command wordlessly, and zipped away towards where Virgo was repeatedly bashing Aries and hit it full-on.

Kato stood off to the side, his cheek pressed against his palm, seeming to be content that he didn't have to make a move yet.

Also, here's a tip: when it's clear that someone's beating your partner who possibly might be better then you, don't recklessly engage in combat with them. I learned that the hard way.

Grayson met my gaze with his, another lazy grin flickering across his lips. "Tess Rixen, huh? I've heard a lot about you."

Virgo forcefully collided with Eagle, slowly but surely pushing my beyblade back in terms of strength.

Shaun sighed. "You people forget this is a team battle."

I gave him a look that said 'Really, bro?' but doubted he could read it. Aries hit Virgo in the side, the second barrage plus Eagle fighting back causing the said beyblade to bounce off to the side.

"Team attack, Tess?" My brother asked, and I nodded.

Eagle hit. Aries hit. Repeat.

"Kato..." Grayson whined, and I held back a laugh at his pouting face and childish tone. "They're being meanies!"

I liked this guy.

"And I'm perfectly happy with that," Kato responded dryly. "But if I must..."

Clang.

My beyblade narrowly avoided another hit by Kato's Hydra, but on the way back, it wasn't so lucky. It was batted away from Virgo, leaving Aries to fend on its own.

"Hydra," Kato said calmly, and his beyblade followed his silent command, driving Eagle up towards the edge of the stadium.

A look at the fight between Virgo and Aries told me Shaun wouldn't be able to help me, and I swore under my breath. "Hikaru, help me now..."

"Say what? Praying to the gods?" Grayson asked, but his eyes didn't leave the battle. "Virgo, push it back!"

"Shut up," both my brother and I responded.

"Hydra, finish this." Kato utterly smoothly with a nod. Calm. So calm. So damn calm. Damn him!

"I agree," Grayson said, his tone light despite the seriousness lurking behind his grey eyes. "Virgo!"

I met Kato's gaze across the stadium- dark green looking into blue-grey. "What'd Timon do?"

He didn't answer, his eyes trained on Hydra who spun lazily in the middle of the stadium, and who had withdrawn from pushing my Eagle. He hadn't made a move to finish this battle like Grayson had- no nod, no muted command.

So I went in.

Thunder Eagle shot towards it, narrowly avoiding Aries (who was doing this strange loop around the stadium with Virgo- almost like a race).

With a mute command from Kato, Hydra flicked off to the side, the fusion wheel just barely making a clink sound as it brushed against Eagle's.

It was done almost like he wasn't even trying.

Dammit...

The Hydra blader crossed his arms before nodding to Hydra, who in turn made a circle around the stadium before coming to a stop in the middle of the stadium.

"Hydra," Kato said calmly. "Hooked Claw."

Hydra obeyed, zipping towards Eagle.

"Again," Shaun sighed. "Whenever I'm left alone, I have the ability to-" clang. "interfere."

His Aries bumped Hydra, causing the dark purple beyblade to spin off track (haha, spin track...) and collide with Virgo.

"Kato!"

The said blader didn't respond to his name, eyes narrowed to slits. "Hydra, go."

Pulling itself back to the middle, Hydra warily circled for a moment before once again heading for Eagle.

But it didn't attack fiercely.

After making the slightest clink noise of metal, Hydra encircled Eagle, almost a blur and trapping my beyblade.

"Hooked Claw."

"Kato, that move doesn't work more then- you'll only done it correctly twice!" Grayson protested, looking uneasy. His partner ignored him (psh, what teamwork. On the other hand, Shaun and I aren't the best pair...), and nodded.

There was a grating noise as Hydra seemed to hook onto Eagle and taking it spinning with it.

"What the hell?" I yelled, and glowered at Hydra. "This isn't...!"

"Language," my brother muttered before mumbling a few swears of his own.

"Hydra, now!"

It was one of the first times I heard Kato raise his voice. Hydra (and Eagle) was spinning at the edge of the stadium and Eagle suddenly was unhooked and hurled out of the stadium.

Before smacking straight into the wall behind Shaun and I.

"Kato and Grayson are the winner! They both earn 5,000 points for winning!"

Both the Virgo and Hydra blader raised their Bey-Point-keeper thing, and on screen, I watched Grayson's points jump up to 31,000 while Kato's went up to 37,000.

I'm only at 7,000...why are they so freaking high?

As I turned on my heel to retrieve Eagle, I skimmed the crowd. Hikaru was in a seat, easily recognizable by her bright-blue hair. A few seats over from her...

Kyoya meet my gaze without backing down, his lip curled into a scowl.

Picking up my Eagle, I shot him a glare myself.

"Don't forget that the next tournament is in about two hours with another 5,000 point-prize!"

I pointed at him, then myself, then Blader DJ.

You. Me. Next tournament.

A/N~
We haven't gotten to see our green-haired Leone user in awhile...
Kimi up top (without her highlights). I own Grayson.

I'm hoping to get up to the twenty chapter mark before summer comes around.
Hope you enjoy! Comment, vote, share, eat- wait, what?
~ Rio