Robin:

She was looking for Lui, but not too well. The place looked simple from the outside, but extremely complex on the inside. Not to mention Robin was still pretty disoriented from the time-space trip.

It had been strange though. It felt like a sense of calm had been added to her emotions, barring rage, boredom, and pissed-off-ness. She felt relaxed, her muscles more calm. Better than she had felt for a long time. Maybe calm enough to face Lui without tearing his head off.

Although she could...

NOT IMPORTANT!

When she rounded a corner, she heard voices. It came from a side door, white. There was a note on it, proclaiming, "Do not disturb me or else."

One voice inside the room spiked, and Robin flinched back. It was so loud, it could be Valt's!

The other one snarled back with a voice that she knew by heart. Lui.

The snap of a whip. That explained the sign. That was Lui's training room. He kept a giant bungee cord launcher in there, with resistance of about a hundred pounds. As the day progressed, and his temper increased, the resistance went up. She had seen it at a maximum of two hundred pounds before.

Robin put her ear to the door. "I'll beat you! I know it!" one voice, the louder one, yelled. That was Valt.

Lui responded, the straightforward answer he always gave. "I don't lose to pipsqueaks like you."

Crushing blow, even for the Sonic, who endured comments about his size, eating habits, and the weird thing where he talked to his beyblade. Robin never understood how that worked, because the blade could hear him, but he couldn't hear the blade.

Or maybe he could.

Her thought process was interrupted by a growl from Valt, followed by stomping. Lui sneered. "You can't possibly use that thing, you--"

He stopped as the whip noise was heard again. That was quickly followed by another one, and a gasp of pain.

Valt yelped. "S-sorry!!! Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry!"

A snarl. "Forget it. I don't need an apology!"

"B-but I hurt you!"

A loud smack and a cry from Valt. "We're even now, got it? And if you want to really make up for it, make sure your boyfriend doesn't know where I am right now."

Was that genuine care in Lui's voice? Despite having hit Valt, it was.

He what?

He hit Valt?

That's it.

Robin slammed open the door. Valt spun around, a fading handprint on his right arm. Lui seemed to have intentionally aimed there instead of his face. The latter didn't even turn. "Kurenai, my training area isn't a zoo. Get out."

"Valt," Robin said, not taking her eyes off Lui's back. "You should go now."

"But--"

"I'm serious. And follow Lui's advice: Don't tell Shu where Lui is. Anything, but where he is."

Valt hesitated, then turned and left.

The calmness sloughed off her as she whipped her backpack at the fire-headed boy. He ducked easily, grasping the straps and stopping it in midair. "Yeah, Azura? Whatsit this time?"

She struggled for words. Lui's fiery aura always seemed to knock her off balance. "I've come to ask a favor."

"A favor?" He threw back his head and laughed. "As if. Let's hear it."

He's in a good mood.

"First --"

"Oh, no," he said in mock horror. "There's more than one? Get out."

She scowled, knowing the last part was serious. "First, when Shu shows up, intimidate him or whatever, but don't try to kill him or insult Valt in front of him."

Silence. Not a yes, but not a no either. That was progress.

"Second, tell me what you saw in Valt."

This got a reaction out of him. "That I will do. Nothing as of now, but he's got a future, at least." Translation: He's got some serious talent, and I'd better be careful if I want to keep my place as top blader in Japan.

"As for the other, I make no promises."

She rolled her eyes, pulling her phone from her pocket. "Oh, come on. Please?"

"If you delete The Video from your phone."

Robin grinned. "Oh, you mean... this?"

The Video started playing. It was a grainy school camera showing two kids kissing in an empty classroom. Name tags over their heads identified them as Shirosagi, Lui and Kurenai, Shu. Robin had found this and erased it from school files before anyone could see it, but kept it for blackmail.

"I suppose I could..." she mused lazily, hand drifting over the "delete" button. "Just as soon as I could do... this." Her finger hovered over the "share to all" option, and Lui's face turned to a brick wall.

Problem solved.

"Fine. Now delete it."

She deleted it.

Lui put his hand on her back and started pushing her out of the room. "Get out, Azura. I'm in a good mood today, so I won't kick your butt if you leave in the next two seconds."

She bolted.

"Where have you been?!" Shu and Daigo demanded at the same time, glaring at the two arrivals. Apparently Valt had been waiting for her in the hallway. Stubborn, loyal, kid.

"Annddd.... Cut!" Klareae yelled, turning off her camera.

Robin ignored her. "I got lost," she replied, lie rolling off her tongue.

"And I found Lui!" Valt exclaimed. "I don't remember where, but..." he continued, and for all Robin knew, the smol bean actually forgot the location.

"And then I guess I made a promise to beat him and walked out," Valt ended, scratching his head awkwardly. "Um... if you filmed that, could you, uh, delete it?"

Klareae shrugged and did that. "Sure."

Now she knew he had lied twice, once to protect Shu, twice to protect her.

The smol bean really was the most loyal person in Japan.

OKAY!!!!! Finally, the last battle in the team tournament can begin. Sorry for not updating. This week is the last week of testing, so I should be back on a regular schedule later.... if you can call my awful timing a schdule. Whatever. Anyways, I'm already working on the third book, skipping the second, becasue it'll transfer to another anime that is ---- and ------------- ---------.

See ya!

Robin out!