A/N: So…this is where it gets good. *Grins hugely* This is all Angel, and it explains even more of her sinister plan (okay, not so sinister :P)! So, yeah, pancakes!

Angel's P.O.V:

I was still roaming the streets of New York aimlessly. I shivered; I was sopping wet and clad in only denim capris and a white tank top, which was soaking up all the moisture. Pair that with the cool afternoon winds and the result was: I was chilled to the bone.

But I ignored my discomfort, still reeling with happiness. My brain felt waterlogged, but overall, I was fine. But when I glanced at a glass window, my physical appearance was quite scary. My long blonde hair was tangled and plastered to my skin, my sidebangs partially covering my face. My eyes were slightly red, which was the result of staying underwater too long with them wide open. My skin was pale.

To say that I looked like a vampire would be just a slight exaggeration, but only that could describe me now.

I sighed, not completely contented, but elated nonetheless. I still couldn't believe that I'd washed up on the shores of New York all the way from Africa in about fourteen hours. There must have been some rapid currents or something.

But now came the hard part.

I scouted the place, searching for HD Academy – where elite bladers from America trained, and presently, where Team Star Breaker resided. I didn't know exactly what I was looking for, so I settled for tall, silver skyscrapers. But soon, I gave in to my exhaustion and accepted that I was hopelessly lost.

When I sat down under a tree, the seriousness of my situation finally dawned to me; I was drenched, broke and wandering through New York entirely. I was acting in a panicky behavior, and not using my wits.

Think, Angel, I urged myself. Think back. I had to think back. I remembered only a few things: a tournament, a park, a gym – wait! That's it!

Dungeon Gym. Of course; why didn't I think of that sooner? What better place to start? After berating myself for being so stupid, I set off.

It didn't take me long to find it. I burst inside, and, not caring about who stared at me as if I were a lunatic, I searched the faces. My heart dropped like a stone. No way.

"Er…do you…want something?" the scruffy voice of Coach Steel asked. He gazed at me funny. Not every day some strange girl walks inside, dripping water all over the place.

"Um…" I couldn't just tell him what I wanted. Then he'd ask why, and I'd just complicate things. Instead I asked, "Does anyone know where HD Academy is?" If not here, then the only other option was that.

The coach glanced at the remaining four students, like they were having a telepathic conversation, and replied, "Sure. Just go straight from here, take a left, and there will be two paths; go for the right one, and then walk about 5 miles. Then you'll find a hill. Take a left from there, and walk on. Eventually you'll see it." Noticing my confused expression, he added, "Or you could always take a taxi. Almost everyone here knows that place."

"Right. Thanks," I told him. I wasn't going to tell him that I didn't have any money. I walked out, shaking my head. So much for my theory.

I charmed a taxi driver into letting me on for free, telling him I'd pay sooner or later. Hopefully.

One hour later…

"Thanks!" I yelled. "My name is Angelique! I'll pay you later!"

I ran towards the building before the driver could reply.

Finally! I thought. So close…I was almost there. To occupy myself, I thought again about Riko. The World Championships were starting first thing tomorrow. She had to be preparing! But knowing her, she was probably unaware of that fact. I stifled a laugh; she might have even forgotten about the whole thing! I suddenly realized that I arrived in America in a nick of time. The World Championships are tomorrow! One day later and I would have missed the chance.

Just then I stopped. In front of me, there were bladers wearing slinky spy-suits. They all launched at the same time.

Suddenly panic seized me; I didn't know if I even had my bey with me! I didn't bother to check after the incident with the sewer. Desperately clawing the inside of my pocket, I sighed in relief as my hand grasped the cool metal. I pulled it out and ripped it.

I could have defeated them without using any special moves, but I didn't want to waste time here. So I shouted, "Cantio, Cursed Oblivion!" My bey started spinning around in circles. Superfast circles. Then it stopped spinning for five seconds, standing balanced, perfectly still on the dry cobblestones. It lurched forward, and an epic wind current rose from the surroundings, tearing at the beys until they flew into the distant scenery. (A/N: Cursed Oblivion is a fancy name for a hurricane move, but I liked it XD)

The bladers yelled out and ran to retrieve them. I ran into the building without hesitation. The metallic exterior was no match for the hardcore interior, cluttered with high-tech equipment and machines. I marveled at everything, wondering what they were used for.

Not sure where I was supposed to go, I walked up random flights of stairs and tried different doors, hoping for luck. Finally my searching paid off as I encountered a huge chamber where hundreds of workers sat in front of computers, typing away. At the top, sat a man with dark sunglasses, wearing a grey suit. I sauntered up all the steps to him and asked, "Who are you?"

The man turned to me with a strange look cast on his face. "I believe I should ask you that question," he said back.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving my hand in the air casually. "Well, I'm Angelique."

"And why are you here?" he questioned suspiciously.

Someone has a strange plot afoot, I thought sarcastically. "Hey, I thought you were going to answer my question!" I protested. When he just looked at me, I rolled my eyes. "I'm here because I want to join Team Star Breaker."

On hearing this, he laughed dryly for a good three minutes. I gave him a weird look. "I don't get what's so amusing," I pointed out to him.

"It isn't that easy," he said finally.

"I know," I told him, "I have to defeat a member first."

He looked slightly distracted, as though thinking of something else. "Yes, yes," he murmured. Then he seemed to snap back to himself. "I'll call someone. Wait in the stadium."

When I failed to move, he pointed to an opening in the bottom. "Oh. Right." I was about to go, but then I realized he still didn't answer my question. "Who are you?"

His sunglasses glinted. "I am Doctor Ziggurat, Team Star Breaker's manager."

I nodded and walked down. Something didn't seem right about him. If he was the manager, who were all those workers, and why were there so many other bladers? I shook off my doubts; the important thing was, I was here.

In about fifteen minutes, a blader walked in. The moment I saw him, butterflies exploded in my stomach. Just a brief eye contact caused chills to rack my spine.

No. He couldn't be here. He shouldn't be here. This wasn't part of my plan! I hadn't even bothered to think of him or include him here; he'd always been the weakest of his friends. How could he have turned up here?

He had his bey ready to launch, and was gazing at me with a faraway look in his eyes. I panicked. He can't remember me!

After what seemed like ages, I finally got Cantio in launching position. I guess we were supposed to wait for Ziggurat to cue us. My mind was processing hundred things a second, and I was starting to feel lightheaded, but I don't know whether it was because of the water or the brunette in front of me.

Because standing in front of me, instead of Shantel, was Zeo.

A/N: Well, I hope this was enjoyable! I hope I didn't reveal too much, but I don't think I did, because you all know that Angel already has something to do with Shantel. Now her plan is ruined again, XD!

Moon: YAY! I finally got to post more! I really liked writing this, mostly because Zeo finally shows up, and from now on he's a major character in the story!

Leslie: I'll do the honors – review and get a clone of any character, except Zeo because Moon keeps all the Zeo clones in her closet. But you can request any plushie or drawing (virtual, of course) and you'll get it!

Moon: Hope you liked! :)