The next day, everyone was staring at Daigo and Robin as they walked down the hall. They had agreed that morning not to be super obvious about their relationship, but it seemed like Honcho and Wakiya decided to spread the news.

"So..." Daigo said, opening his locker. " You're going up against Valt today. Ready?" He stuffed an anatomy book into his backpack.

"Guess so. I hope. He gets so overconfident, but I think he could beat me by just screaming, 'Let it rip!!!'"

The neko took his math book from his backpack. "True. So, we just pretend nothing happened?"

Robin noticed people were still staring at them. "Doesn't look like that's an option."

Daigo closed his locker and gave the onlookers a feral growl. "What are you looking at?"

Everyone scattered.

He returned to searching through his notebook. "I don't see anyone." Daigo kissed her on the cheek gently. "So no one saw that."

Just then, Valt skidded to a stop in front of him, wisps of smoke trailing behind the excited boy. "YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS!!! THE PRINCIPAL LET IS HAVE TODAY OFF TO PRACTICE FOR LATER'S TOURNAMENT!!! SOO COOL!!"

"Except for Sonic," Daigo muttered.

Robin waited a few seconds to make sure her ears weren't bleeding before asking, "How did you convince the old man to give us the day off? He wouldn't have done that on his own."

Shu walked up to them. "I'm very persuasive."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Sonic, did you tell Rantarikiya yet?

Thank you for using the ship name!

Why are all beys such fangirls???

Some are fanboys. And hot ones, too.

"What's a Rantarikiya?" Valt asked, head tilted to the side.

"Never mind. Let's go!"

Shu made to leave with Daigo and Valt, but Robin grabbed the back of his tie, and also some of his hair. "Nope."

He sighed and turned around. "What is it?"

"When are you going to ask Valt out?" Robin questioned. "I can tell that he's too innocent to know what he feels, so if you think you'll be rejected —

"I KNOW THAT!" Shu roared. People stared at him, and he lowered his voice to normal speech. "I know he's too innocent to realize. I love him, but I can't tell him yet. Maybe I'm being a coward."

She smiled mischievously and knocked her brother on the shoulder playfully. "I've got an idea. I'll— hey, you alright?"

When she had hit him on the shoulder, Shu's teeth had briefly clenched, and his eyes squeezed shut.

"I'm fine."

Robin gently prodded it again, and he winced. "You sure?"

"Yes," he snapped, in a way that indicated the discussion was over. "Let's go, before they get suspicious."He started down the hall

But Robin had never been good at taking a hint. The bell rang, and everyone disappeared into their classes.

"Have you gotten over him yet?"

Shu stopped and slowly turned around. "What?"

"You know who I'm talking about." Robin gestured to her backpack. "I've got footage."

The albino's shoulders slumped. "I'm not sure I ever will."

Robin hesitated. "It's not my place to tell you--"

"It sure isn't--"

"--but I think the he was a mistake. He broke your heart. This is your second chance. Don't break Valt's heart."

An annoyed look came over Shu's face. "Thanks, but I think I can handle my problems without a counselor." He started walking down the hallway again.

Realizing she needed to go the same way, she raced after her brother.

Robin and Valt had faced each other several times during practice, so even thought they would be going up against each other in three and a half hours, the girl saw no reason why they couldn't still practice with each other. Valt didn't mind, didn't care, or was too oblivious.

Likely the second.

"Three! Two! One! Let it... Rip!"

Valt's bey landed on top of hers and Phoenix burst.

"Da--" Robin cut off the curse before mini Sonic figured out the curse. Toko and Nika, who had recently started watching from the side, sighed in unison.

"Sometimes, it's like we're babysitting them," Toko told Nika.

"Yeah."

"Let it rip!"

Valt's bey burst on contact.

"Aww!" He pouted. "Again!"

Robin laughed gently. "Shouldn't you let Shu have a turn?"

"Yeah!" Wakiya shouldered his way between Ken and Daigo, the latter who snarled at him. "Besides, I want him in top shape when I destroy Shu in the nationals! Now! The rest of you! Pushups!"

Daigo kicked him in the shins, but dropped to do push-ups.

Honcho, however, didn't give up so easily. "Who made you captain? I say we should practice launching!"

"Well, guess what? I'm the captain, so you do what I say!"

"Well--"

Daigo pushed them apart. "Enough, both of you. Wakiya, buy Honcho some lollipops. Honcho, pushups."

Both were unhappy with that, which made it a perfect compromise.

After about an hour of pushups, sit ups, laps, and a bunch jumping jacks, Shu said, "Stop."

Grateful, Robin collapsed onto the bench and took a gulp of water. "That was painful, and I trained with Yugo.:

"Even Doomscyther training me wasn't this bad," Daigo muttered. "At least Doomscyther did the stuff instead."

"Now! Launches!" Honcho yelled.

Valt launched, but Valtryek turned only twice before falling to the stadium floor. The same results for Daigo, Honcho, and Ken.

Robin's bey moved fast, but without the usual power driving it. After about thirty seconds Phoenix's steam ran out, and it circled weakly before stopping.

"WHAT?" Valt yelled.

"You're exhausted," Shu told him. "You might not realize it, but you're shaking. That is affecting your launch."

"No way!" Valt retorted, while the Aoi twins rolled their eyes. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

Shu looked unimpressed. "Everyone has limits." Valt looked doubtful, and Shu ran his right hand through his hair. "Try to launch."

"Let it.. Rip!" Valtryek circled a few more times, but stopped in a few seconds.

"See? We've got about two hours left. What should we do... Captain?"

Valt blinked, but smiled proudly. "Take a break for an hour!"

Everyone but Shu groaned. In Ken's case, Keru and Besu opened their mouths and tilted their heads down.

"Also, Daigo," Valt continued. "Can I try on your headband?"

Robin saw the panic flash across his face as he replied, "No."

The smol bean pouted. "Why?"

Daigo hesitated, and Robin jumped in. "It's sweaty, and you have your own. And it's a bandanna"

"Oh. Yeah, right." He bounced up and down. "Is an hour up yet?"

Shu facepalmed."No. It's been one and a half minutes. And captains stick to their decisions. Fifty eight minutes left."

At the tournament, Valt and Robin waited beside Orochi and Shu.

Orochi was of a medium height, with dreadlocks and dark blue eyes. He wore a plain white tee under a purple jacket with piano keys on the end where the zipper was. Other than that, plain jeans and white shoes. From her minimal research, Robin know he had a beyblade called Odax, which responded only to certain voices. At the moment he was wearing giant headphones over his ears,

While Shu and Valt talked, Robin turned to the other boy, who was sitting quietly, eyes closed. As she approached, he looked up and took off the headphones. "The crowds are cheering. You'll be up soon, Robin."

Robin listened. "I can't hear anything."

Orochi waited.

He's a Descendant with perfect hearing, even better than Daigo's, Robin. Honestly! Try googling it!

"Perfect hearing, sound waves," she repeated to the boy.

"Yes."

He didn't seem friendly, or unfriendly. Orochi was just there. Though he was a bit unnerving. "Think you'll beat Shu?"

"I have to believe it," he responded.

"True." Robin considered him. "You're kind of scary, you know that?"

A hint of a smile. "I try." He turned to look at her. "You're going to be at that contest tonight. I saw the list."

"Mm-hm." Robin stretched. "And?"

"You don't seem like the fangirl-y type."

She snorted. "Never. I already have a boyfriend."

The stage manager came into the room. "Valt and Robin, you'll be up in twenty seconds."

Robin stood up. "I'll see you tonight."

***

"Are you all excited!" Hanami yelled. "Well, let's start the battle!" The fans screamed and cheered and waved mini flags around. "In the red corner, it's the underdog who clawed his way to the top. It's Valt Aoi!!! "

Valt waved at the crowds, then said, "What's an underdog?"

Toko and Nika rolled their eyes.

As he approached the beystadium, she saw the ref speak quickly to him, likely telling him what an underdog was.

"And the rising star, Robin Kurenai!"

Robin stepped out, smiling a bit at the rising star part. Fans--mostly boys-- cheered. It seemed the news about her and Daigo hadn't spread past the people at school yet. Wait. I've got fans? This feels so strange...

Focus, Robin.

Sorry.

"I'm going to win this!" Valt exclaimed, swinging his arm around and around.

"Sure buddy," she replied. "Your Rush Launch can't get you out of everything, you know."

Valt's face started to turn red. "Well, Shu said it was a fifty-fifty for who wins!"

"That means I have the same chance of winning as you." Robin gave him a teasing smile. "So how can you claim you'll win if we have an equal chance?"

"Because Valtryek believes in me," Valt declared.

How does he know that? Ramos wondered. He can't communicate with her.

Her?

Valtryek is also called Valkyrie. So yes, she's a she.

They settled in their launch positions.

"Huh?" Valt pointed at her hands with his launcher. "Why're you launching with your left hand?"

She saw Daigo facepalm.

Robin mimicked her boyfriend's actions. "I'm left handed."

"... oh."

This conversation may have gone on for some time, but the referee stepped in. "Could we start the match now?"

"Three!" Robin tilted her launcher steep.

"Two!"

"One!" She could've sworn she saw violet orbs staring at her.

"Let it... Rip!"

Phoenix zoomed to the center fast, where it spun faster and faster. Valtryek spun with extreme speed around the outer edge and screamed in towards Phoenix.

"Valtryek, attack!" Valt yelled.

"Phoenix, let's test this out!"

Phoenix left center and spun around the outer edge like Valt's bey previously was, and started spinning counterclockwise.

"It changed directions?" Hanami yelled. "You saw it here first, guys. This battle is heating up fast, and the beys haven't even collided yet!"

"How are you doing that?" Valt gasped.

She debated an answer, finally deciding on; "Beybread superpowers."

The crowd laughed.

"Okay, fine. I launched at a steep angle for a reason. It made Phoenix go faster. Usually, a beyblade can only go counterclockwise when it runs out of energy, but there are some dual-spin beys. The extra power slowed her down a bit, but Phoenix regains speed fast."

"But yours is a defense type. Only balance types are dual. Right?"

She grinned. "Simple. Phoenix's tip wore down. It's now a balance type. Attack!"

The red bey flew around the stadium, towards Valt's bey, which seemed painfully slow. "Now!"

Phoenix missed.

Valtryek circled down and around and hit her bey form behind-- the exact same move she had used on her first opponent.

Phoenix hit the wall and bounced back into the stadium, tip making different pitched scratching sounds again.

Help me!

Robin closed her eyes, trusting her bey, and whispered;

I was there for you

In your darkest time

I was there for you

In your darkest night.

Oh, you of so little faith,

Don't doubt it; Don't doubt it.

The second part she added from a different song, one that carried her bey's name. Phoenix gained extra speed as it collided with Valtryek.

Blasts of energy came from the two beyblades as each fought. Valt yelled as he was knocked back. Robin remained standing as Valt got to his feet again, leaning against the wind. "Come on, Valtryek! Finish it!"

"Phoenix!" Robin yelled. "Come on!"

The blades broke apart and crashed into each other one again. The blue bey's spirit rose up: a warrior in a mask that looked a lot like the Thunder Helm from Breath of the Wild. He rode a blue horse.

In response, Ramos's spirit surged from her bey: a magnificent phoenix, blazing with everlasting flames.

They crashed one more time, Victory Valtryek's sword against Phoenix's magic and talons.

Phoenix burst.

Daigo's jaw dropped.

Toko and Nika cheered.

Everyone else was silent.

Robin, for her part, was irritated. She had felt Victory Valtryek about to burst, and then her concentration broke. She had felt someone stare at he from backstage again, someone she knew, hated for breaking Shu's heart. Robin turned and saw him watching her from the corner.

It was him.

He sneered at her, then dropped a piece of paper and disappeared, almost as well as Ukyo.

"Victory Valtryek with a burst finish! The score is two to zero. Valt Aoi is the winner!"

Valt stood there, stunned. Robin laughed at his expression and put Ramos back together.

Sorry, Ramos. I got distracted.

I know who it was. I don't blame you. I blame that midget!

I'll find him, one day.

As she left the stage, as she went to Daigo in the crowd, as she kissed him, she was still thinking: Why was he here?

---

Try to answer these questions before reading on!

So... what was the second part of that song?

And who was the person watching her from backstage?

There will be a part two for Orochi and Shu's battle, because reasons of me.

I forgot about Orochi until now and have to reread and change Jiin to Orochi. I feel like an idiot for forgetting him.

Robin out!