Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with Beyblade.

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At the BBA's main training facility in Los Angeles, California, Stanley Dickenson was hard at work, personally overseeing what he felt to be a very important project. With his age quickly catching up to him, this was rare. He typically oversaw day to day business, while sending teams of trusted agents to handle projects such as these.

However, this was something different.

There was something about the tension in the main arena that bristled everyone except one woman, whose blade was at the ready, despite the itchiness of the sensors on both her forehead, heart, and wrists. The man across from her looked uncertain, but not afraid. She could feel the pack clipped to the back of her jeans with a transmitter that went to one of the many computers in the lookout her left.

Hilary Tachibana could practically taste the nervousness of the team in the booth above them. She knew this was definitely one of those strange things that could only happen to the group of friends she had accumulated over the years, even though she hadn't seen any of them in what felt like forever. They had called in a special team just to analyze her and her beyblade, not to mention spent months researching the history of this whole ordeal before they even permitted her to practice on more than simulators.

"If we notice the littlest thing get out of hand, we're going to stop the battle. If you feel yourself start to lose control, just say the word and we'll shut it down." Her earpiece carried the chairman's voice, and she was sure her opponent was privy to the same.

A second voice came through the receiver. "There's no shame in this, you've gone much farther than any of us have thought."

She scoffed back. "I've been in control the whole time. Everyone relax, and lets finish this, shall we?" Speaking more to her opponent, she regarded the man across the bey-dish. "Hiro, I'm ready when you are."

Receiving a smile in return, he readied himself, and she bent her knees, locking in her blade, and pushing the rip cord in until it clicked. "On my count," He breathed, louder in her earpiece than the whisper it was.

The countdown was quick and without much thought, their battle was underway. "Metal Drigger, get her."

"We don't want you to call your bit beast," The second voice in her ear, Bruce Granger, said calmly. Use only the power of your beyblade."

"That's just stupid," She huffed. "Hiro, I bet it'll take you five minutes to beat me. Any longer and I'll buy lunch."

Hiro smirked at her in return.

"This isn't a laughing matter." This was punctuated with the clash of beyblades. Mr. Dickenson continued. "If you wish to participate, we need to see this."

"I don't mean to lose my cool, but we've been doing this for nine months now. I'm positive that if my bit beast were looking to possess me in order to do it's evil bidding, it would've happened by now."

She was rewarded with an understanding smile by Hiro, though she expected it was mostly just to get her to let her guard down.

"If your beast has even the slightest control over you, you won't be able to compete, Hilary," Mr. Dickenson's voice was firm now. "I will not allow any more atrocities to befall the BBA. And I most certainly will not allow you to just walk into a tournament without being sure that there is no chance-"

"You have to trust me." She sighed and looked at her beyblade, feeling the warmth of her beast, knowing it wished to emerge and claim victory from their opponent. "Not this time," She whispered under her breath, as Hiro called upon his metallic beast and finished the battle.

"Three minutes and thirty two seconds, squirt."

"And here I thought you'd stall," She smirked as she slid on her knees to the bottom of the dish to reclaim her beyblade. "Thanks for not decimating my blade."

"It wasn't like you were trying," Hiro offered in reply.

Flipping long brown hair over her shoulder, Hilary shrugged. "It's not like I only rely upon my bit beast to win a battle," She examined the bit before continuing. "I've undergone how many different kinds of tests now? I know all about what's happened in the past, that's what it is, the past. I'm not about to start bragging about my skills, but I do have something to prove. And so does she."

A cackle in their links indicated Stanley clearing his throat. "Go ahead," He sighed, still not completely won over. "You can battle, all out."

Hilary's smile seemed infectious, and Hiro locked his blade back into the launcher.

"You are so going down," She chimed, giving him a determined smirk. "I've been practicing."

"I hadn't noticed," The older blader replied, removing his trainer's jacket. "So what are we betting this time?"

Their ear pieces buzzed again. "Loser buys us all lunch."

"Dad," Hiro huffed. "C'mon, that's expensive."

"Only if you lose," Hilary reminded him with a smile.

The bladers could only imagine the look on Dickenson's face when he spoke through their link. "Now that we've got that important matter settled-" Hilary covered a giggle with her sleeve, "Let's be mindful of the equipment, you hear me?"

Hilary rolled her eyes. "I presume that warning is for me."

"I don't think you knew your own strength."

"That was one time, Mr. D! I'll be careful, I promise!"

"You caused one hundred thousand dollars in structural damage."

Dejected, Hil scuffed her left boot against the ground. "My bad," she murmured.

"Just be careful," The chairman reiterated. "And same rules apply. Call off the match if you feel the slightest bit out of control. I'd rather deal with more damages than the alternative."

"Your faith in me is just unbelievable," The woman grumbled. All these tests, psychiatric evaluations, training, simulations, and she was still getting flack for it. She didn't pick her partner, nor would she trade her for the world. And she'd make them all see.

"Ready?"

"I was born ready," she confirmed.

"Three,"

"Two,"

"One-"

"Let. It. Rip!"

Her blade seemed to emit a small shock wave as it left her launcher, a newly frequent occurrence. Waiting to get her bearings, she evaluated and regarded her opponent and long time friend and coach with a look that screamed of patience finally paying off.

"Tomorrow," Hilary heard Mr. Granger say, "We'll call in Robert to spar with her. He's always up for a challenge."

"Looks like they're almost done with you, Squirt," Hiro said through the monitor. She nodded and followed his gaze back to their match. "I'll hurry up and finish you off so you can rest before tomorrow."

Laughing, Hilary cast her arm out toward her blade. "I think you got that backwards. This match is almost over, but I'm going to be wiping the floor with you, Hiro."

"I don't think so. Metal Drigger!"

Both bladers could hear someone's breath catch over the ear piece, and if they cared, neither let it show. As the large metallic tiger rose from its bit, Hilary's silver blade began to glow and the static cackled in everyone's ears as she spoke.

"Black Dranzer, Shadow Storm!"

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Ending Notes: So, hope you enjoyed my prologue, and I hope you stick with this story. Please feel free to leave any comments and critique as you see fit, this is unbeta'd and could probably use more than a little work. Any ideas or feedback is also welcome. Thanks for reading!