“Who is left to mourn us when we are gone? Even the dead can die from the sadness of being forgotten.”

– Henning Mankell

🔗

The afternoon sun bathed the streets in a warm glow as Valt and the others decided to join a mini bey tournament happening down the block. The air buzzed with excitement and the sounds of spinning tops colliding. Valt watched as Hyuga and Hikaru bickered playfully, their sibling rivalry evident in every exchange. Chuck and Gus faced off with fierce determination, clearly eager to catch up to the Asahi brothers’ level.

Valt's attention shifted to Reika, who stood apart, watching the matches intently.

"You're not joining the match?" Valt asked, raising an eyebrow.

Reika shook her head, her gaze never leaving the spinning tops. "I'm content watching from the sidelines."

Valt nodded. If that's what she wanted, who was he to confront her? He turned his attention back to the matches, but his thoughts lingered on Reika.

Suddenly, a small black cat appeared out of nowhere, weaving through the crowd with surprising agility. Reika's face lit up, a wide smile breaking out as she let out a coo. "Awww, pspspsps, come here, kitty!" She knelt down, extending a hand towards the cat. But the cat hissed in fear, causing Reika to pout sadly.

Valt chuckled and knelt beside her, holding out a skewer of leftover meat he had from earlier. The cat sniffed it cautiously before starting to eat.

Reika folded her arms, still pouting. "Hmph, you only like humans you can get benefits from, unlike me, who can shower you with love."

Valt sweatdropped, finding her jealousy amusing but endearing. "Don't be like that. How about you try petting the kitty gently?" he suggested.

Reika hesitated but then reached out, stroking the cat softly. The cat purred at the gentle touch, and Reika's eyes sparkled with delight.

Valt smiled at the sight. "See? It’s not about the benefits."

Reika muttered under her breath, "But still, the kitty will choose you because you can give it more..."

Valt sighed, sensing a deeper meaning in her words. "Sometimes that's just how it works. But you can't judge others' choices in life..."

A flicker of sadness washed over Reika's face as Valt smiled genuinely with understanding on his eyes. "But sometimes, others will remember your compassion and feel grateful for it."

As if on cue, the cat finished eating and curled up by Reika’s leg, resting its head on her knee. Reika gasped and squealed in delight, her earlier sadness momentarily forgotten.

Valt watched the scene unfold, they were still kids so it's normal for them to think like this.

🔗

Valt walked over to Gus and Chuck, taking a brief look back to check on Reika, who was crouched a few steps away, gently scratching the chin of a stray cat she’d found. A warm smile tugged at his lips before he turned to her two exhausted teammates, their faces flushed and chests heaving after an intense practice session.

“Hey, guys,” Valt greeted, offering each of them a bottle of cool water. As they took the bottles, he chuckled at the way their eyes went wide, like he’d just handed them some sacred treasure.

“Thank you! Valt-sama! You’re like… like an angel!” they exclaimed, voices overflowing with genuine gratitude.

Valt chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “Heheh… It’s no big deal, really. And, uh, maybe drop the whole ‘sama’ thing, okay? It’s just me, guys.”

Guy shook his head, his expression earnest. “Nah, you’ve earned it, Valt. You’re a legend. You deserve the respect, you know?”

“Yeah,” Chuck chimed in, his gaze falling slightly, “... unlike us…"

Chuck murmured, his voice trailing off as a dark shadow passed over his face. The change in mood was palpable. A tight tension settled around them, and Valt's cheerful expression faltered as he felt a pang of sadness twist through his heart. He knew what it was like to chase a dream, to battle doubts, to face setbacks. Not everyone achieved the heights they aimed for; fate could be an unyielding opponent. But he could see something else in them—an untapped strength they weren’t using, maybe even suppressing without realizing it.

“Guys…” Valt began, carefully picking his words, "Have you ever thought that… maybe the reason you’re not improving isn’t because you’re not talented but because you’re trying too hard to copy the Asahi brothers?”

The question seemed to hit Guy and Chuck like a gust of icy wind, stunning them into silence. They stared at him, mouths slightly agape, as if his words had cracked open a door they’d been keeping locked for a long time.

“Chuck,” Valt continued, keeping his tone gentle, “you have this incredible instinct to wait, to find just the right moment before you attack. You’re a lot more patient than you give yourself credit for. But then, you get caught up in trying to rush, hoping it’ll have the same explosive power as Hyuga’s style.”

He turned to Guy, who looked down, his expression uncertain. “And Gus, you’ve got a defensive bey—a bey meant to stand its ground and conserve stamina. But I see you trying to copy Hikaru, circling your opponent, feinting, then attacking when they least expect it. That’s Hikaru’s strength, not yours.”

Valt’s voice softened, his gaze intent. “You two have your own strengths, special talents that make you unique. You’re just… not giving them a chance to grow because you’re trying to be like someone else.”

Gus squeezed his water bottle, his fingers trembling slightly. His voice came out low, barely a whisper. “But the last time we tried to do things our way, we… we got rejected. They said we weren’t good enough.”

Chuck’s expression darkened, and he looked down at his hands, a sad, almost defeated look on his face. “Yeah… Reika tried to cheer us up, but it didn’t change how much it hurt.”

Valt’s heart clenched, his mind drifted back to the conversation he’d had with Honcho about the Comets.

(Honcho had sighed, an almost uncharacteristic heaviness in his tone.

“Look, Valt, the Comets… they didn’t have it easy. It used to be a solid team, had loads of members. But then, the coach? He up and left when he got a better offer from another club—better pay, better perks, you know how it goes. Money talks.” Honcho’s voice dropped, and Valt could almost see his friend’s frown. “The average WBBA salary’s no joke—it varies based on the rank of the bladers you train. The higher the rank, the higher the paycheck. So, no surprise when he left to cash in on a more ‘high profile’ team.”

Valt listened, feeling the weight of Honcho’s words settle over him like a heavy blanket.

“After that, everything fell apart. Most members dipped, leaving just Chuck, Guy, and Reika. And, get this—Reika wasn’t even a blader back then. She was more like a manager, organizing practices, cheering them on. But the new WBBA rules came out, and now every club has to have a minimum of three bladers to stay open. So… she picked up a bey and jumped in just so they wouldn’t lose their club altogether.”

Valt felt a pang in his chest, picturing Reika, who’d always been so supportive and bright, forced into the ring just to keep things from falling apart. But Honcho’s story wasn’t over.

“And here’s the kicker,” Honcho went on, his voice softening with something almost like pity. “Gus and Chuck got offers to join other clubs too, but they got rejected last minute. It’s like… they had this tiny taste of hope, and then it got ripped away. Their high expectations were crushed. I mean, they’re out here giving it their all, Valt, trying to prove they’re worth something. But sometimes… sometimes life’s just brutal like that.”)

As the memory faded, Honcho’s words lingering in his mind. The reality of what his little friends had been through hit hard, their quiet strength masking a pain they rarely let anyone see.

Valt clenched his fists, feeling the weight of their story press against his heart. With a deep breath, he looked back at his friends, determination filling his voice.

“Listen… just because one door closes doesn’t mean it’s the end. Life isn’t always a straight path, you know? Sometimes it throws unexpected twists at you, but who’s to say the right path isn’t just around the corner?”

Gus lifted his head, his eyes shimmering with a vulnerability Valt hadn’t seen before. “But… what if we keep failing? What if… we’re just not good enough to be the bladers we want to be?”

Valt took a step closer, meeting Gus’s gaze firmly. “Then keep fighting, one match at a time. You have so much potential, both of you. Don’t give up on yourselves. You don’t need to be the Asahi brothers; you need to be Guy and Chuck. That’s more than enough.”

Gus’s hand clenched into a fist, and he looked over at Chuck, his gaze filled with something stronger, a resolve that hadn’t been there before. He took a shaky breath, his voice quiet but firm. “You’re right… it’s better to try than to just give up.”

Chuck met his gaze, his own eyes bright with new determination. A small smile curved his lips, and he nodded. They shared a quiet look, a sense of renewed camaraderie passing between them, before they bumped fists.

“Nothing is impossible if we work hard,” they said together, their voices steady, carrying a strength that left Valt smiling in relief.

In that moment, Valt’s heart swelled with pride for his friends. Their determination shone like a spark in the darkness, but even as hope surged within him, an uncomfortable thought lingered at the back of his mind.

Behind their smiles and new resolve, he sensed a painful shadow still clinging to them. Beneath the Comets’ cheerful exterior lay a story darker than he had realized, one they were keeping from everyone—even him.

And though Valt couldn’t say why, he felt a strange, prickling certainty that between Hyuga, Hikaru, Guy, Chuck, and Reika…

someone was lying straight to his face.

🔗

Azul: How the heck I turn a simple bit of lore canon of show into sad backstory??