HI GUYS

Man it's been a long time.

I regret nothing.

This story is made of two parts. Or maybe more. But right now, two parts. Enjoy yourselves.

Tsubasa stared out the window of the plane into the blank white sky. It was going to be a long trip.

"Ginkieeee! Give me some of your candy!" Yes, a very long trip indeed.
"Get your own candy! This one is mine!"

"Would you guys please stop yelling? We're attracting the attention of the entire plane!"

"Sorry, Madoka."

"Hey, Tsubasa." Tsubasa turned to see Kenta staring at him. "Are you okay? You've been pretty quiet." Tsubasa offered him a smile.

"It's nothing, Kenta," he said. "I was just thinking about something."

"What do you mean, nothing?" Ginka leaned over. "You just said something. You're contradicting yourself."

"Come on, Tsubasa, we're going to Hawaii," said Madoka cheerfully. "It's time to let loose a little."

"That's the thing," said Tsubasa. "The last time I went to Hawaii was a long time ago."

"Ooh, are you gonna tell us a story?" Yu clasped his hands together. "I love Tsubasa's stories."

"I never said that," Tsubasa told him.

"But you obviously have a story, so why not just tell us already?!" he yelled.

"Okay, okay calm down. Sheesh." Tsubasa looked out the window again. Hawaii…it was a place he wanted to remember and forget at the same time.

It was around a year after the defeat of Dr. Zigurat. He had been requested by the WBBA to monitor an area of suspicious blader activity. There had been a lot of battling, and little sleep, and he began too get very, very stressed. And that's when he felt it. The dark force that he had tried so hard in order to control was beginning to break free. Frightening memories of the Beyblade World Championships flooded his head. He decided that there would be no time to wait. He needed a break. That was when he decided to fly out to Hawaii, thinking that he would be able to de-stress and calm the dark force from there. He spent a few days relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the tropical islands, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from beyblade for long. He decided to visit a local stadium to see what was happening there.

"Hello?" he called as he entered the stadium. A few people were inside cleaning up, but other than that it was empty.

"Can I help you?" said a voice behind him. Tsubasa turned to see a man standing there.

"There aren't any tournaments going on right now, are there?" he asked.

"You just missed it," he said. "There was a big one just yesterday. Tanna won that one."

"Tanna?" he asked.

"She's a local girl. Doesn't do much battling, but she's definitely a powerful blader."

"Where can I find her?" If she's as powerful as he says, then I want to face her. The man laughed.

"You probably wouldn't be able to find her on your own," he told him. "But her brother, Christian, owns a surf shop nearby. He'll probably know where she is." Tsubasa thanked the man and left.

He found the surf shop at the corner of the street. Surfboards of every size and color lined the walls. A young man with blonde hair stood at the counter. "Hi there," he greeted. "Are you looking for something?"

"Someone, actually," he said. "Are you Christian?"

"That would be me." He gestured to the rest of the shop. "This is my shop. How can I help you?"

"I was actually wondering if you could help me find someone," Tsubasa told him. "Your sister is Tanna, right?" Christian nodded. "Do you know where she is?"

"She's down by the beach," Christian replied. "Probably sleeping. But if you want to go and find her, be my guest."

"Thanks," said Tsubasa, turning to leave.

"Wait a second," Christian called. "I've seen you before. You won the World Championships, didn't you?" Tsubasa stopped.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess I did." The bad memories started to return. "I'll see you around." And with that, he left.

He found her where he thought she'd be, at the beach, sleeping at a table under a palm tree. He stood a few feet away from her, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do. After a few moments of staring at her unmoving body, he walked over to a line of food carts that were parked nearby. Moments later, he returned with a mouthwatering skewer in his hand, which he put down next to her head. A few seconds passed, and her eyes opened. She lifted her head and stared at the skewer. "You brought me food?"

"It usually works," he said with a shrug. "Are you Tanna?"

"Yes," she said wearily. "Wait, don't tell me. You're Tsubasa. I saw you on TV."
"That's me," he said. "Why are you so tired?" She just shrugged.
"I don't really get much sleep, I guess."

"Alright then," he said. "I hear that you won the big tournament yesterday." She nodded slowly. "Then I challenge you to a battle!"

"You challenge me?" She looked confused. "Why? You're so good."

"I'm always up to battle someone new," he told her. "So what do you say?" She thought for a moment, and then smiled, shaking her head.
"Boring old bey battles aren't really my thing," she said. "But if you really want a challenge, I can teach you how to surf."
"Surf?" he asked, confused.
"Yeah," she grinned. "Are you up for it?"
"Uhh, I guess," he said hesitantly.
"Great!" She looked a bit more perked up. "Meet me here at midnight."
"Midnight?" he asked, surprised.
"You heard me," she said, putting her head back down. "Midnight. Unless you want to miss the moon." And with that, she was asleep once again. He stared at her. What's with this girl?

"You came!" The moon shone brightly in the sky and the stars were points of light being tossed through the peaceful waves of the ocean. "And you have a board!"

"Your brother gave it to me," he said, scratching his head. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Sure I'm sure," she replied. "Everyone should know how to surf. Come on." They ran to the shoreline. "The first thing you need to learn is how to pop up quickly from your board. The faster you can pop up, the more accurately you can catch the wave. Here, I'll show you." She got down onto her board and then jumped up. "You need to keep your balance too, or the wave will knock you over. Now you try!" Tsubasa got down on his board and tried to imitate her swift style of movement. "That's the way to do it." He tried it a few more times. "Okay, let's go now!"

"Already?" He looked confused.

"Yeah, sure! In order to learn, you have to face the biggest waves. Once you've mastered that, the smaller waves will be a piece of cake."

"What kind of crazy logic is that?" He picked up the board. "Sounds like a recipe for defeat to me."

"I think that you've been so busy being the best at everything that you've forgotten how to learn," she remarked. "But that's okay. It looks like surfing won't be the only thing I'll be teaching you tonight."

"You're going to teach me how to learn?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That's the way it seems," she said. "But it you're too prideful then pretend I never said that."

"I'm not prideful," he told her. "Tell me what to do."

"Tell you what to do?" She laughed. "What you do is go!" She grabbed her board and ran into the waves. Tsubasa reluctantly followed her in. Someday she is going to get herself killed. But she seems so much more alive than she did in the afternoon. Weird. The two of the paddled out from the shore. "See those small oncoming waves?" Tanna pointed out to the steady rolling waves. "When they get to us, just duck down into the water to get past them, or they'll sweep you away." They continued the paddle further in. "That's the one!" Tsubasa looked out towards a large wave moving towards them. "Alright, turn your board around!" They paddled to face the shore. "Wait for it…" The wave approached them quickly and steadily. "And go!" The wave hit them, and they were launched forward. Tsubasa jumped to his feet, just like they had practiced on the shore. They rode the wave for a few meters before it crashed down. Tanna's eyes lit up. "That was fun, wasn't it? Let's go further this time." Tsubasa paddled behind her as they made their way through the waves. The calm waters began to get rougher the further they went. Then they stopped. "Alright, are you ready?" To his surprise, she suddenly stood up and pulled out a bey. He stared at her. "What are you doing?"
"What's wrong?" she asked over the roar of the waves. "You have your bey, don't you?"
"Yeah, but we can't battle out here," he called.
"I can," she smirked. "Can you?" After a moment of hesitation, he pulled out his bey.
"Alright." His competitive side kicked in. "Let's do this." Her eyes lit up and she positioned her rip launcher.
"Three!" Tsubasa adjusted his Eagle. "Two!" The ocean rumbled and he struggled to keep his balance. "One!" The waves roared as the two beys were launched into the water. Eagle was instantly swallowed up in the churning waves, but Tanna's bey dove down into the water and was launched back up again into the air. Tanna stood expertly on her surfboard as she calmly maneuvered through the waves to keep her balance. "This is Diamond Delphinus," she said. "My pride and joy. Sort of. It's specially designed to fight the waves, and its opponents." Delphinus sped across the surface of the ocean and headed straight for Eagle. "Need a boost?" Delphinus struck it cleanly, hurling it into the air. "You're a bird, right? Fly then!"

"Alright, you asked for it," said Tsubasa. "Fly, Eagle!" Eagle screeched as it glided over the water. "Metal Wing Smash!" Eagle glowed and rocketed towards Delphinus.

"Not so fast," said Tanna with a grin. Delphinus submerged completely into the water and Eagle's attack got lost. Tsubasa gritted his teeth with frustration.

"Now it's our turn!" Tanna ducked through a wave. "Wild Whirlwind!" The water around Eagle began to churn, swallowing up the purple bey in a massive whirlpool.

"Fight it, Eagle!" called Tsubasa. Eagle began to spin faster, but it couldn't escape the whirlpool.

"Go, Delphinus!" Tanna's bey flew through the air, striking Eagle over and over again as it struggled to get out of the water. Tsubasa clenched his fists. The familiar pounding sensation of the dark force returned. No, not now… He stared at Eagle as it was attacked by its strong opponent, powerless against the potent ocean. No…there has to be something I can do! His vision blurred and a roaring sound surrounded him. I can't believe…I can't help Eagle… He felt the rage begin to emulate and a searing pain struck through his head. No…! The roaring grew louder as he was about to slip away.

Suddenly, water filled his ears and mouth as he was knocked into the water. Flailing his arms desperately, he broke through the surface with a gasp, coughing and choking. He looked up to see Tanna paddling past him, her big blue eyes reflecting the ocean waves. Breathing heavily, he climbed back onto his board. No way…I'm…I'm okay… He faced Tanna evenly. She pressed her lips together, gesturing to the beys. "They're still moving," she pointed out. Tsubasa stared at Eagle. The whirpool had disappeared and the bey was spinning on the surface, perfectly in tact. Delphinus dove through the waves, clicking and squeaking. "Tsubasa," said Tanna. "You don't have to be a burning flame to possess power." He stared at her, confused. "The ocean waves are calm and graceful, but they can destroy any flame that dares to face them." Tsubasa looked out at the waves. The ocean possesses power… "If we are like the ocean, then who could ever defeat us?" she added. "Maybe that's what you'll need to learn, before you can battle against me." She smiled, drawing Delphinus closer to her. "So? What's your move?" Tsubasa stared at the sky. Calm…like the ocean. He looked down at Eagle, who was awaiting his command. A spark of motivation ignited inside of him. "Alright," he said with a smile. "Let's do this." Eagle flew into the air and dove at Delphinus once again, this time hitting it right on the spot. Delphinus thrashed through the water, its sleek design keeping itself balanced. "You're getting better!" called Tanna. "But not good enough!" Delphinus started back towards Eagle. "Wild Whirpool!" The water began to churn again, but this time Tsubasa was prepared. "Go, Eagle!" Eagle took off into the sky, flying higher and higher.

"We know what's coming," Tanna remarked. "Ready, Delphinus? Breach!" With a click and a squeak, Delphinus leaped out of the water. Simultaneously, Eagle shot down from the sky. The two beys collided, causing a giant explosion. The waves threw Tsubasa to a side. He gripped the board, shielding his eyes from the oncoming spray. The water died down and the two bladers looked eagerly out onto the outcome in front of them. Both beys were still spinning. Tsubasa smirked, getting onto his feet again. "Hey, Tanna!" he called. "This whole water battling thing has been fun and all, but what do you say we take it to the shore?" Tanna grinned.

"If you say so," she replied. "Alright, Delphinus! Special move: Colossal Tidal Crusher!" Tsubasa stared as a giant wave rose up behind them. "Hang ten, Tsubasa!" Tanna yelled. The wave crashed down onto the surface and the two bladers were swept up. Tsubasa crouched down, grabbing the sides of the board with his hand. As they reached the shore, Tsubasa tumbled onto the beach, gasping for breath. "It's not over yet," called Tanna. The two beys were spinning steadily in the sand. Tsubasa stood up. "Great," he said. "Because the land is my forte." The two beys rammed against each other. "Let's settle this!" The battle raged on and the two opponents raced through the beach and up to a cliff. Both bladers were exhausted. "You put up quite a fight for a fish out of water," he said breathlessly.

"You're not so bad yourself," she replied. "For a bird in the water."

"Well, we're not in the water now," he said. "So I'm going to finish this! Eagle, Metal Wing Smash!" Eagle charged into the air and dove down towards Delphinus at top speed, smashing into it. There was another explosion and Delphinus flew off the cliff and into the water, sinking beneath the surface. Eagle returned to Tsubasa, who looked up at Tanna. "It looks like I win." Tanna's face broke into a smile.

"That was amazing," she said, shaking her head. She glanced at the sky. "It's almost sunrise. Let's go!" Before Tsubasa could say a word, she grabbed his arm and dove off the cliff into the water.

The ocean was filled with colorful schools of fish and shells and beautiful coral. Tsubasa's eyes widened as they swam deeper down into the clear water. It was so peaceful, so silent. For once his world was perfectly calm. They reached the ocean floor and Tanna scooped Delphinus out of the sand. She glanced at him, a look of pure joy on her face. A golden glow lit up the sky above them as they swam upwards. The light…it's so beautiful… They broke the surface with a gasp. The giant sun rose over the water, reflecting its light across the surface. Tsubasa basked in the warm glow. I was right. This was the place to go. They swam to the shore and sat in the sand, watching the sunrise. "Bet you never get any of that in the city, do you?" Tanna asked quietly.

"Not even close," he replied. "Maybe it was just what I was missing." In the warmth of the sun, he fell asleep, and for once his heart was at peace.

"Wow, Tsubasa," said Gingka. "That was some story."

"Told ya Tsubasa's stories are the best," Yu grinned.

"Hey, maybe you'll see Tanna in Hawaii," Gingka suggested.

"Maybe." Tsubasa nodded slowly. "If the odds are in our favor."

"Wait, is that just where it ends?" asked Kenta anxiously. "Did you even say goodbye to her?"

"I did, actually," Tsubasa replied. "I left the next day, but we did part ways peacefully." He closed his eyes, reminiscing the scene in his head. The morning had passed by smoothly, and Tsubasa had been making his way to the airport when he saw her again.

"You're really leaving?" she had asked him.

"Yeah," he said. "Maybe someday I'll come back here."

"You better." She blinked expressionlessly. After the night ended, she had reverted back to her tired, lifeless self. "I'll train extra hard so we can battle again when you do." He smiled, remembering the events of last night.

"If I was anything less than myself," he told her. "I would never want to battle you again, because I know that there would never be a battle that would ever be as beautiful as that one."

"But you'll still battle me because you're always up for the challenge." She offered him a weary smile. "I admire you." He shook his head.

"You taught me how to be calm like the ocean. I owe you that." He smiled back at her. "You are the ocean."

"Someday you can be the ocean too," she replied. "It takes practice…and patience." Practice…and patience. It had been a bitter farewell, but Tsubasa had to move on. There was still so much work to do, and there was no doubt that the dark force would return. Someday I'll become the ocean. And when that day comes, I won't have to worry anymore.

Kenta stared at Tsubasa in awe. "So did you ever learn how to be the ocean?" Tsubasa smiled.

"In order to learn, you have to face the biggest waves," he said. "Which is what I'm always doing, isn't it?" Kenta looked at him, awestruck.

"Yeah, definitely!" he said enthusiastically. "I'm going to learn like that too!"

The plane landed at the Hawaii airport. It was time for a vacation. And maybe, a new adventure.