Sorry for the shorter chapter. It's a tense one, but as I like to do with my writing, I tend to make things seem really short when in fact there's a lot more to it. I'm trying to improve on that.

But I hope you won't be disappointed by it. I think it's a good chapter. Only thing is, there is kind of a cliffhanger at the end like I tend to do with my stories. Meh, who cares? There's gonna be a cliffhanger at the end of this book anyway, leading into the sequel.

Anyway, read, favorite, and review! CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS A MUST UNLESS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CHAPTER!

-Idol

(P.S. To kittylove3120 (Guest), Going disappeared for a reason which you'll find out in the end. Thanks for the feedback on the Yuto and Yuri chapter too! It really made by day! And to Friend (Guest), thank you for following the story continuously and reviewing on every chapter. It really brings my spirits up, especially since this is my first story that I am actually updating on.)

Zarc put his bey in his launcher. Shu recognized it. It looked like a Bey that the WBBA had announced of, but it wasn't released yet. Supreme Z-Arc, Balance type. It was the first Bey that had a "gimmick", as the WBBA called it. Shu wondered what it was, and how Zarc got such an advanced Bey, one that wasn't even released yet.

Well, the Bey fit Zarc perfectly. It was gray with green spikes, 10 to be exact. Because of that it was very balanced. It had the Polish disk and the Xtreme driver. Shu didn't see how in the world Polish and Xtreme fit in a Bey, but obviously Zarc had a plan that Shu couldn't figure out. Shu fitted Spriggan into his launcher and got into his stance, ready for the worst.

"How much?" Shu asked.

Zarc was taken aback a bit by this random question. "How much what?"

Shu fought the urge to facepalm. "How much are we playing to?"

Zarc's mouth rounded into an O shape, then he smiled evilly again. "We're playing up to three. If nobody Bursts by that time, we'll keep going until the first one."

Shu nodded his assent.

Akaba Reiji had hid in the meanwhile, watching the events with interest. What he knew was that if Shu won, it would have more consequences than just defeating Zarc. He had to be ready to step in once things got out of hand. He fingered his own Bey, Doom Armageddon. It was the same kind of bey as Zarcs, but it was circular with hidden spikes. It gleamed in the darkness. Reiji smiled, for he knew that within the Bey lies the spirit of his most trusted card, D/D/D Doom Armageddon. He looked to Shu and Zarc as their battle started.

"Ready...Set!"

"3...2...1...GO SHOOT!"

Spriggan moved in a circle around the tornado ridge while Z-Arc went absolutely crazy. It was the fastest Rush Launch that Shu had ever seen. Z-Arc was going so fast that it was bouncing off the stadium walls to keep track of where it was going. Shu also recognized that the spin was very similar to that of his rival, Lui Shirasagijou. Left Spin!

Zarc laughed. "How will you stand up to THIS, fire boy?" In one hit Z-Arc sent Spriggan flying.

No, Shu gasped. He couldn't lose here. Not when he had so many people counting on him. He heard and felt five voices in his heart, saying that they were with Shu. He recognized them as Valt, Kumicho, Daina, Yuya, and...Spriggan? Even Spriggan was with him! That gave Shu all the courage and reassurance he needed.

"SPRIGGAN!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He heard Spriggan's voice again. Don't worry, I won't let you down this easy!

Spriggan bounced off the wall with a sickening crack but managed to keep spinning, although a bit wobbly. "That's it!" Shu encouraged. "Don't give up!"

"You might as well," Zarc retorted, Z-Arc flying towards Spriggan. "Z-Arc! Burst him now with Supreme Dragon Crush!"

Z-Arc collided hard with Spriggan. Shu caught sight of some blades moving under the Bey's layer. "What are those!?"

Zarc smiled. "That's my Bey's gimmick! When it's clashing with something, the blades hidden under it move, so it deals you extra damage!" He explained to a horrified Shu.

Shu gritted his teeth. "Endure it Spriggan!" He shouted. Sparks were really flying now. Zarc was damaging Spriggan badly, but Spriggan had not burst yet.

"AAAAHHHH!" Shu screamed as he felt Spriggan's pain, and then tried to push the pain outwards towards Zarc. "YOU CAN DO IT SPRIGGAN!"

The two Beys pulled apart, Spriggan being pushed to the edge. Shu felt the opportunity in his heart. "Now Spriggan!"

Spriggan's Unite driver rolled on the edge a bit before reversing the spin. "COUNTER STRIKE!"

Spriggan crashed into Z-Arc and a burst of light engulfed the room for a moment. When it receded, Shu found Spriggan had Burst at his feet. Luckily Z-Arc had also Burst, so Shu didn't lose the round. He sighed in relief as he picked up Spriggan's parts and put him back together.

"Draw, it seems." Zarc said with an edge in his voice. Shu picked up a hint of pain, but it only lasted for a second, so he wondered if he was imagining it. I didn't matter if it was or it wasn't anyway; he had to keep fighting.

They both got into their launching positions again. "Ready?" Shu asked.

"Set," Zarc answered smugly.

"3...2...1...Go SHOOT!"

Shu cried out in pain as his shoulder stretched. It felt like it was on fire. It wasn't nearly this bad in the District Tournaments. He held his shoulder as Zarc looked at him, surprised. "You're injured?"

Shu frowned as another flash of pain went up his shoulder. "So what if I am? Go, Spriggan!"

Spriggan was going all over the place. It was completely out of control. But It's unpredictable orbit allowed it to hit Z-Arc many times and with lots of force. Z-Arc had almost run out of stamina.

Zarc screamed. Shu wasn't sure if he was calling his Bey of if he was in pain. But the answer soon became clear as Spriggan hit Z-Arc once again. Zarc was feeling his Bey's pain.

"Spriggan!" Shu called out to his Bey, feeling a red aura envelop him. He could see Spriggan's spirit ready for anything Z-Arc threw at him. Spriggan picked up speed.

After a particularly bad hit from Spriggan, Zarc howled. "Z-ARC!" A lime green and black aura washed over him, and Z-Arc's spirit appeared. Shu could only stare. It was majestic. Z-Arc was a huge black dragon with glowing patches of green. It's legs were bulky and looked like they were made of metal. Two enormous golden horns protruded from it's head. It had a gold flattened ellipse on it's back, and from that sprang its tail.Z-Arc's tail was huge and black, covered with glowing green and gold dragon roared out it's challenge to Spriggan's demonic spirit.

Z-Arc suddenly picked up speed and dodged Spriggan's next attack. He then circled around to Spriggan, which was heading for the wall.

Shu realized what was about to happen. "No, Spriggan! Get out of there!"

But it was too late.

Spriggan collided with the wall with Z-Arc bashing into Spriggan's side at the same time. Sparks flew as Spriggan was attacked by the two forces.

"SPRIGGAN!" Shu screamed. He would have just screamed in pain since he obviously could feel Spriggan's pain if you considered that both his sides felt like they were being torn apart, but he couldn't show weakness. "ENDURE IT!"

"Very good!" Zarc encouraged his Bey. "Crush the opponent under your claws!"

After much clashing, Z-Arc pulled away with almost nothing left in it. "No!" Zarc gasped. But Spriggan had endured the attack with almost no stamina left either. It was going to be close.

Both bladers tensed as their Beys came to their final rotations. Seconds ticked by as they watched with bated breath.

Z-Arc and Spriggan both slowed to a stop eventually. It was impossible to tell who had stopped first.

"Draw," Shu sighed as he fell on his knees panting. That battle had taken a huge toll on his body and he was cramped everywhere. Zarc seemed to also be in the same condition as him, but he wasn't showing it. Shu could only tell by the way he moved that he was tired. Shu slowly got up and picked up Spriggan.

Shu had to restrain from gasping aloud. There was a crack on Spriggan's energy layer! This was bad. Small cracks eventually grow to huge sizes until your Bey snaps in half. Spriggan was wounded, Shu was tired, and he didn't know how much longer he would last.

He was cut off from his thoughts by a yell from Zarc. "Stop it!" Shu looked at Zarc, whose eyes were glowing even more golden than they were before. "You'll never overtake me!"

Zarc's face flickered and turned into Valt's. "Shu!" He screamed.

"Valt!" Shu ran towards him, but was pushed back by an invisible force. He fell on his back and groaned as Zarc screamed again. This time, his face melted into Yuya's.

"We got this!" Yuya yelled. "He's almost broken! Just hold on a bit lo-" He screamed, holding his head while Shu watched in horror. When he rose again, his face was back to the creepy mixture of Yuya's and Valt's.

"Sorry for the interruption," Zarc stated. "Let's get on with it, shall we? The fans are wai- no, what am I saying? Let's just continue."

Shu consented and got into position, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. Zarc's energy was almost spent, and it was showing; his entertainment instincts were showing, just like Yuya's. He was also eager to battle, just like Valt. If Shu could hold out a bit longer and beat Zarc, his friends might be freed.

"Ready...Set!"

"3...2...1...GO SHOOT!"