You'ss probably hate me after the first half of this chapter. Then you'll like me again after you read it! YAY!

What can I say? I like killing off characters! *COUGH COUGH HINT COUGH COUGH*

Enjoy! Review! Favorite! Please! It's hard to upload on such a busy schedule!

Olympia facepalmed. "Ugh… I didn't mean for that midget to get involved…"

Shu was going hysterical. "VALT! YUYA!" It took all of Rantaro's strength to keep him from charging straight into the glowing colorful orb while Daina was trying to calm the girls. He noticed that each one of them had a bracelet and they were glowing.

The ball of light pulsed and sent out a wave of energy which knocked everyone off their feet, and then it disappeared.

A beam of light entered the room and out of it emerged...something which I cannot describe without retching. His face combined half of Valt's face and half of Yuya's. His eyes were blue and red, and they were glowing with an eerie light. He didn't have a shirt but you could see the remains of one on his belt. He had ripped jeans and red and blue thin sneakers that looked like they had run 100 miles. His hair was blue on Valt's side and green on Yuya's side. Valt's side's hair was sticking up without his yellow headband and Yuya's side looked like his normal shaggy, tomato-colored green and red hair. And his skin...it was completely gray. There were spikes all over his body, even on his face. His teeth were very sharp and glinted evilly as he smiled at everyone. A chill spread through the room.

Olympia's face looked as if she had gotten a million dollars for Christmas. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, ZARC!"

Zarc's smile suddenly turned upside down. "May I present to you…?

"Well, I was the one who brought you into this world!" Olympia declared. "It is only right that I show you around!"

"By 'show you around', I don't think I get what you mean…" Zarc mused.

Olympia laughed. "Why, isn't it obvious? I want you to be my servant! Together, with your power and my cunning, we can achieve wonders!"

Zarc looked at Olympia as if she was crazy. "You really expect me to just do that?"

Olympia looked confused. "Why, of course! I mean, you owe me a favor since I helped you regain your true-"

"THIS IS NOT MY TRUE FORM!" Zarc lashed out. "My four reincarnations were on the way to creating me yet again, but you polluted my blood by adding that fifth ingredient!"

"Oh, Zarc," Olympia looked positively flustered now. "That was just a mistake! Once we annihilate this dimension-"

"NOTHING WILL CHANGE!" Zarc was furious. "IF ANYTHING, I'LL BE DEFEATED FASTER THIS TIME AROUND! WHY DON'T YOU JUST ANNIHILATE YOURSELF!?"

Zarc pointed at Olympia as his eyes flashed white. A burst of energy came forth from his palm and hit Olympia. She was covered in that white light as her scream echoed through the room.

The spot on the floor where she was standing was charred black.

Everyone looked on in horror. Shu's knees buckled and Rantaro and Daina had to support him while the four bracelet girls were hugging each other.

"What did you do!?" Shu screamed at Zarc, who was laughing.

"Oh, I just sent her to a random part of the galaxy-"

"So you killed her!"

"-with oxygen," Zarc finished a disapproving frown on his face. "My, my, what do they teach the kids these days? They're so rude…"

"Wait a minute," A lightbulb went off in Yuzu's head. "If our bracelets were used to defeat Zarc once then can't we do it again?"

Serena, Ruri, and Rin looked at her in surprise. "Actually, that could work…" Serena pondered.

"Seems like a good plan to me!" Rin confirmed her vote.

"We really have nothing to lose…" Ruri said.

"Yeah!" Shu supported. "If it will bring Valt and Yuya back, go for it!"

"And if it doesn't work, we could try battling him," Daina gave more hope to the team.

"OK, let's do it!" Rantaro cheered.

The girls held up their hands as their bracelets started glowing with an unearthly light. Zarc was horrified. "No, no, no, not so soo-"

The light engulfed the room.

When everyone could see again, Rantaro started jumping for joy, thinking that Zarc was defeated. Only by Shu's distraught face did he know something was wrong.

Shu could only stutter. "H-h-how di"

"I'm back in business," Zarc declared to everyone as he pumped a fist in the air. "I didn't think that would happen, but I think I know the reason. It's because Olympia dirtied my blood, giving me more resistance to your bracelets!" He laughed. "Maybe she'd make a worthy servant for me once I conquer the world…"

Up until then, the Professor had gone by unnoticed. He slowly crept up to the girls, who were kneeling on the floor in defeat, and tentacles wrapped around them as they screamed in surprise.

"No!" Daina ran to the tentacles and tried to punch them to make them release the girls, but his hand sunk through the hard outer shell. The plant became transparent. He tried pulling his hand out, but it was sucking him in it like quicksand.

"Daina!" Rantaro ran to Daina and tried pulling his free arm to free Daina, but he was sinking into the gelatin-like plant quicker. Rantaro wouldn't let go.

"Rantaro, save yourself!" Daina shouted.

"No! I can't lose another friend like how I just lost Valt!" Rantaro retorted.

"No, Ranta-" Daina was about to say something but his face melted into the plant at that very moment, an expression of horror and fear frozen on his face. The plant did not stop and started pulling Rantaro in.

Shu had been standing in place, frozen in fear. He jolted into action once he saw Rantaro getting sucked it. He took Rantaro's hand and held on with two of his, desperate not to let him go.

Zarc was just watching this little drama from where he was standing, silently chuckling to himself, and the Professor was just letting it happen because they might prove a disturbance from his plans with the girls.

Shu's hand was clammy. He was losing control of Rantaro's hands. By this time, Rantaro was up to his neck in plant goo that wouldn't let go. A tear of frustration escaped Shu's eyes as he held onto his last friend.

"Shu," Rantaro whispered. "Let go."

Shu's eyes flew open in surprise. "Don't be stupid! I'm not letting you get killed!"

"Yeah, but you'll get sucked in with me, and then Zarc will run rampant as he pleases!" Rantaro argued. "You're the only one that can defeat him!"

Shu couldn't comprehend what Rantaro just said to him. "I...what?"

"None of us were as close to Valt and Yuya as you were!" Rantaro cried as he started to break down. "Please, Shu! Get them back!"

Shu could only stare at Rantaro as his chin was taken by the carnivorous plant. "Please…" He whispered before his mouth was sealed.

Shu couldn't let him die for nothing. With a heavy heart, he let go. Rantaro couldn't even blink before he was taken by the plant. As the plant's skin turned opaque, Shu fell to his knees.

Zarc laughed. "That was an entertaining show! You guys are good comedians!"

The professor raised his hands as a portal appeared above them. "I have all I need. Now my plan will finally be complete!" The plants had rendered the girls unconscious, so they didn't witness the scene that played out below them or the one that was going to happen.

Zarc rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. The portal closed. A beam of light enveloped the Professor as he screamed in frustration and agony.

"Your plan," Zarc started. "I can't allow it to continue." He balled up his hand as the Professor was enveloped by a blinding light. Once the spots cleared, the Professor was gone. The girls were placed in glass tubes with a tiny hole for airflow.

"Come on, Shu Kurenai!" Zarc taunted. "Aren't you going to battle me! Or are you to scared?"

He hit the nail on the head.

He usually wasn't this scared of anything. He usually was the brave one. But he couldn't move, even though he knew he was the last line of defense that Zarc needed to get through before he took over the universe. The pressure made his head feel as if it were about to burst. He gripped his head and screamed as Zarc laughed.

And then a single clear voice cut through the commotion in his head.

"Shu!"

She was suddenly in a black void of emptiness, looking at the two people who he loved the most.

"Shu!" Valt called.

"Are you alright?" Yuya asked, concerned.

Shu could only stare. "But, wait, you two were-"

"Yeah, I know," Valt sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "My bad!"

"I wasn't strong enough," Yuya looked at the floor. "I'm sorry…"

"But we managed to break through to you!" Valt cheered to break the sad mood.

Shu looked down. "I'm sorry, guys. I can't do anything."

"What do you mean!?" Valt looked shocked. "We're in your mind! We're still here! You still have a chance!"

"Yeah, but against power like that, he could vaporize me whenever he wanted…" Shu mumbled.

"No he couldn't," Yuya stated. Shu looked up at him. "He can only be defeated through a Beyblade battle. Once he challenges you, which he did, he can't destroy you. And once the battle's over, he will automatically be split."

Valt smiled. "Because of me, of course!"

Yuya rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because of you…"

"Wait," She interrupted. "If I can defeat him, you two will come back?"

"Of course!" Valt cheered.

"I also suspect that Rantaro and Daina will come back too. They aren't completely dead yet," Yuya encouraged.

Everything looked good to Shu, until he thought about another thing. "What if I...lose?"

Yuya looked at him incredulously. "Think like that and you're going to lose!" Shu looked at him. "Valt and I managed to break out to you, right? We'll be fighting as you fight!"

Valt joined in. "Don't give up hope Shu! You didn't give up hope when Lui beat you in the Nationals. Why now?"

Those words hit Shu like a ton of bricks. He made up his resolve. "Alright. I'll win for you all."

Valt pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

Yuya nodded. "We'll be supporting you," He encouraged as he and Valt started fading away. "Don't give up…"

Shu returned with a jolt to the real world. Zarc was still laughing at him. It took a few tries to get up because his legs got cramped. Zarc stopped chuckling and looked at him with curiosity as Shu stood up.

Throwing back his head to clear his hair from his eyes, one could clearly see the anger and passion burning in his crimson irises. "Zarc, I accept your challenge," He proclaimed. "Prepare yourself!"