Evening rolled in as Gingka and the others finished their training for the day. As the sky got darker, they sat down on the edge of a sand crater. The impromptu stadium was hardened by water and heat from the beyblades.
"Good job today, guys." Gingka said.
"No, it wasn't." Msaka pouted. "I was terrible."
"I'll say." Chikara snorted. "Learn to control your bey!"
"Now, now! No one was terrible." Gingka told them. "I'm still getting used to battling again, myself."
Kenta nodded. "I believe it's the same with everyone. And we still have a few more days until the battle."
Tsubasa stood up, causing Yu to be concerned. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes."
"Already?"
He didn't answer. "I'll meet you at the hotel."
"I'll come too."
"You don't have to. Please, stay and relax." Tsubasa left before Yu could argue.
Gingka took out his tablet. "You know, I'll go too." He started tapping the screen. "If you guys come up with a strategy, that would be great. Or practice or something. It's up to you." He stood up. "Goodnight!"
Masamune looked at the others and shrugged. "I suggest that we get technical. If we're going to battle, we need to have brains and brawns." He said. "Let's talk beys."
"Is there really anything to talk about?" Chikara asked. "My beyblade rotates to the left. It's strong enough to catch anyone off guard."
"It's not just the bey that wins the battle, Masamune." Kenta said. "Remember, it's in the spirit."
"Oh right!" He said. "I knew that. You young ones probably never had that discussion before." Msaka and Chikara shook their heads. "It's becoming one with your beyblade through spirit."
"You guys are a team now." Kenta told them. "You have to have faith because..." He pointed to his heart. "A beyblade attacks you here."
"You don't say." Msaka said sarcastically.
"Yes, I do." Kenta said. "Gingka taught me that."
"So let's work on using that blader's spirit." Masamune told them.
While they got started, Gingka was just catching up with Tsubasa. Unlike what they said, they weren't going back to the hotel. Instead, the two were venturing off into the middle of nowhere. "Are we going to the same place?" Gingka asked, breaking the silence.
"Maybe." He answered. They kept walking.
"He's this way." Gingka pointed towards their left.
"Who?"
"Mamoru." He said. "That's who you're looking for, right?"
Tsubasa nodded. "How did you know?"
"He's your son, and I'm your friend. I'll help you look." He shot the older man a smile. It was filled with truth and determination.
"Thank you, Gingka." He said.
Finally, they reached the building. It was dark, moldy, and rundown. The only sign of life was the sound of rattling chains and something scraping the floor. The two poked a head in, but they couldn't make out anything. The sun was also no help because it set minutes ago.
"Cr...cr...crabby...!" They heard.
"Tetsuya Watarigani?" Gingka asked. Tsubasa only nodded. "Fine. Let's handle it." He set up his launcher. "Let it...!"
"Shh!" Tsubasa hissed, covering the other's mouth. "Not yet." He stood up and opened the door. Poking around with his cane, he felt around for anything unusual before stepping inside the building. Gingka followed him inside, keeping one hand on his shoulder. Every time Tsubasa hit something with his cane, he gave it an extra tap to see if it would move and continue in a different direction. Eventually, they made it to a door where light was spilling through the cracks.
Cautiously, Tsubasa opened it and peaked before going into the lit hallway. As soon and as quietly as they could, the two men dashed into another room. In there were broken boxes, a computer, and chains; all shrouded by a dim light.
"What do you think the computer's for?" Gingka asked.
"I don't know."Tsubasa answered. "Cover me. I'm going to have a look."
"Roger that!"
Tsubasa sat at the desk of what looked like a rusty office and typed in a random password: Dark Nebula. Wrong. Doji. And he was in. From there, Tsubasa accessed the current database of the organization. However, it didn't have a lot of information, so he turned it off.
"Nothing." He said. "Let's go."
"Wait. I hear someone." Gingka whispered. "We need to find another way out."
"There is no other way." Tsubasa looked around.
"Someone's coming!" Gingka looked with him. "Up there!" He pointed to the air duct that was sitting over the desk.
"We're too big for that."
"No, no, not that." Gingka climbed onto the desk and opened the duct. Then, he got out his launcher and Pegasus. "Let it rip!" He launched the beyblade, making a noise throughout the building. "That should throw everyone off guard."
"Good idea, Gingka!" Tsubasa did the same with Eagle.
Gingka listened for more footsteps, but they went into opposite directions. "It worked! Let's get out of here."
The two raced out of the room and down the hall as Gingka got out his tablet. He tapped and scrolled as fast as he could while Tsubasa slowed down. "Stop, Gingka." He whispered as he came to a stop.
Just as he stopped to check on his friend, Gingka heard more footsteps coming. "We can't stop. They'll capture us too."
"I can't..." He wheezed. "I can't...breathe... My back..."
Thinking quickly, Gingka took him to the nearest room. It just happened to be an empty supply closet. He sat him down and crouched next to him. "What happened?"
"It locked up." He said. "It hurts to move."
"What do I do?"
"Go without me. Find my son. Don't worry about me."
Gingka shook his head. "I can't." He said. "I can't leave you here alone. Let's go back to the hotel and come back here tomorrow. You'll be better then, so we don't have to worry about it."
"No. I need my son here now." Tsubasa painfully stood up. "Let's go."
"No, Tsubasa, you can't..."
Those last two words rang in his ears. "I can't?" He asked. "I can't?" He asked louder and angrier. "Don't count me out!"
"Tsubasa..." Gingka stood up, but Tsubasa pushed him into the rack.
"You don't understand!" He roared at him seconds before the vicious heartbeat. "I will get him back and I will win!"
That's when Gingka saw it. It was a dark aura covering Tsubasa's body. It was the same one from all those years ago. "Tsubasa, stop...!"
But it was too late. Tsubasa dashed out of the closet. "Come to me, Eagle!" Suddenly, there was a rattling in the air duct above them. The violent shaking eventually caused it to break. Earth Eagle and Cosmic Pegasus fell, but only Eagle was still spinning. Tsubasa took the beyblade and headed out.
"Tsubasa, no!" Gingka called after him. But when that didn't work, he went for the last resort: he threw the cane at him. The cane hit him in the head, knocking him out instantly. "It worked." He sighed.
"We barely made it out alive. He went crazy on me so I had to do what I did. I guess I'll get Mamoru back myself." Gingka said. "The darkness controlled him again." He took a shot of alcohol.
"So he did do it." Yu said, sitting across from him at the gentlemen's table. He rubbed the bottle with his sleeve and took a swig out of one of the bottles and passed it on.
"Did what?" Kenta asked, passing the bottle without drinking any.
"He was telling me about waking that power to help our chances of winning." Yu passed it to Masamune.
"But he couldn't control it before." Masamune drank from the bottle in the same routine, swiping the lip with his sleeve. "And now that he's older, he could destroy us all."
"I don't think that's it." Gingka took the bottle from Masamune before he could take another shot. "It's his children. Think about it: one's missing, one's sick, and the other is dead." He drank and passed it to Kenta who passed it to Yu.
"What are you doing?" Masamune asked.
"What?"
"You aren't even drinking." Yu explained. "We're not gonna get you sick. Or are you going to let us get drunk by ourselves?"
He nodded. "I've been drunk so many times already. It's good to actually be sober for a change."
Yu shrugged. "Suit yourself, Kenchi." He gulped some down.
"But Gingka's right." Masamune continued. "The dark power is obviously coming back on him. There's no doubt that it's up to us to stop him before it gets too bad."
"Right." Gingka said. "But how?" Right after he asked, his head dropped onto the table.
Masamune began to laugh drunkenly. "Gingka...go home. You're drunk!"
"So it does work." Kenta took a look at the label on the bottle. "How come this doesn't work for me?" Yu shrugged. From there, he was quiet and fuming.
The next morning, Gingka, Masamune, and Yu were passed out by the table while Kenta was in his bed. Just like before, he was woken up by Chikara. "Come on, Kenta Yumiya. Wake up."
"What is it?"
"Time to train. Remember you said that we'll work on form first thing in the morning?"
"Yes, but..."
"So far it's not the first thing. Waking you up was the first thing, so you owe me!"
Kenta sighed. "Fine alright. Let's get ready to go."
"What?" Masamune pulled himself onto the table. "No breakfast first? How lame."
Meanwhile, Tsubasa woke up in his bed with a strange headache. He looked around to reclaim his memory. "Mamoru?"
"He's not here." Chieko said, brushing Asami's hair in the bed next to his. The younger girl was still and quiet with an occasional yelp here and there. "You didn't get him last night."
"I didn't?" He asked. "Why not? Do you know?"
"No." She answered before Asami cried out. "Mr. Gingka had to bring you in because you got hurt or something. Don't you remember?"
"Ow!" Asami yelled.
"Quiet! There are people that are still sleeping."
Tsubasa sat completely up, trying to remember last night. All he could think about was his back giving out. "I must've blacked out." He mumbled. Why else wouldn't he be able to remember?
There was a knock at the door, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Wake up call!" Gingka awkwardly called.
"We're up."
Asami ran across the room and opened the door. "Thank you, ma'am." Gingka tipped an imaginary hat.
"Come here." Chieko commanded. "I'm not finished yet." Asami wiped away her tears and did just that.
"What's the matter?" Gingka asked.
"She has a tender head and thick hair like Dad's." She explained.
Gingka chuckled. "That's a tough combination! But anyway," he turned to Tsubasa, "I want to talk about today if you don't mind."
"Can we do that when I'm a bit more...presentable?" He asked.
"Sure! I'll wait with the girls." As soon as Tsubasa fled into the bathroom, Gingka gave his children a smile. "How was your night?"
"Fine." Chieko answered. A few seconds of silence went by. "Mr. Gingka, is my father...? Does he...? What's wrong with him? Why was he like that when you brought him back?"
Gingka let the question soak in before taking a deep breath and answering. "It's...a long story..."
"I like long stories." She answered, giving him her full attention. "Please?"
Gingka glanced at the bathroom door and back at her. He couldn't believe Tsubasa never told them. "Well..."
"Let's go, Gingka." Tsubasa interrupted. He was fully dressed and ready.
"Um...right." He gave a nod. "But what about the girls?"
"They'll be fine if they remember to stay here." He turned to them. "I'm counting on you, Chieko."
Chieko swallowed. "Dad, I think..." She started. "I think you should stay."
"I can't."
"Please?"
"Chieko, what's going on with you?" Tsubasa frowned. "Everything will be okay."
"I think she's right." Gingka said. "We need to talk about this first. Remember, you're the one who likes to talk strategy. I'm the one that rushes in."
"Can I help?" Chieko asked, putting Asami's hair into a low ponytail. "I can come up with a good strategy!"
Gingka flashed Tsubasa a pleading smile. Tsubasa's expression softened. "Yeah. Okay." Then to his daughter, he said "So what's the plan?"
"First, share with me what you know."
While they came up with a plan and Kenta was out training Chikara and Msaka, Masamune was sitting anxiously by the phone. "Luz? It's Masamune." He said. "I just wanted to ask you how you and Cherimoya are doing. Nothing much is happening here, so...call back at any time!" He paused. "I love you." He hung up the phone and sighed.
"What's with that?" Yu asked. At the time, he was doing a few stretches.
Masamune didn't answer. He waited for the phone to ring, which it did seconds later. "Hello? Luz?"
"No, we'll win!" The other line said.
"Wait. Who is this?"
"Don't you recognize me, Masamune? It's your old buddy, Chao Xin!"
"Chao Xin?!" He exclaimed loud enough for the others to hear and gather around the phone. "I haven't heard from you in a while! Of course I didn't recognize you. Last time we talked, we were competing in the tournament."
"Yeah, and you haven't gone through puberty yet!" He laughed.
Masamune rolled his eyes. "What made you want to call so suddenly?"
"It's kind of personal... Are you alone?"
Masamune looked up at the others. Gingka shook his head and waved his hands, mouthing the words "We're not here!"
Confused, he said "Yes."
"I don't know if you knew this, but I have kids."
"What? Me too! Well, I have one on the way. I was trying to contact my wife when you called."
"So you understand why I don't want this war to continue." He sighed. "I did something terrible."
"Oh, it can't be that bad."
"I killed Da Xian."
"What?!" Everyone shouted.
Chao Xin laughed. "I knew you weren't alone! Is the rest of Gan Gan Galaxy there?"
"Yes." Masamune answered. "So are a few non-bladers." He referred to Izumi and Chieko.
"Fine. I might as well tell you all." Chao Xin cleared his throat. "Mei Mei and I have decided to leave the Baylin Temple. Da Xian has been out of control with all of the power entrusted to the winner. We want to join your side because I know your team is strong enough to beat China."
"Chao Xin..." Masamune looked up at Gingka who nodded.
"Of course we'll have you on board!" Gingka said. "Are you in Tunisia?"
"Yes."
"Great! I'll give you some information on where to meet us. You can help us with a hostage situation later."
"Alright cool!"
Night came faster than they expected. Msaka and Chikara just finished up another battle. The number of wins became even. "What are we doing wrong?" Msaka growled.
"Nothing." Kenta laughed. "You're both doing a great job! I'd say you're ready."
"Being ready isn't good enough." Chikara said. "We have to rise above everyone!"
"And there's plenty of time tomorrow." Kenta said. "Let's go."
"You go." Msaka said. "We'll train harder."
"Fine." Kenta shrugged. He stayed and watched anyway.
"Three...two...one! Let it rip!"
But as they were battling far away from the building, Shou could hear every clash. He was sleeping at the time, wincing every time he heard the clank. Every time, it got louder as they collided harder. Suddenly, his eyes flew open as he gasped. Without any warning, he threw his covers off his thin body and slowly rose to his feet.
"Where? Where is it?" He asked himself. With a dash, Shou ran out of the room. He ran down the hall, out of the hotel, and into the wild.
That's when another sound went off. It was an ominous crying sound. "What is it? Where are you?" it was so familiar to him, but it was a sound he's never heard before.
He stumbled into a field of tall grass. Anything could've been on the other side. The crying got louder. His chest started to compress, causing him to double over and cough. But then he got the feeling that he wasn't alone. There was something behind him. Shou kept running despite his symptoms. He finally got out of the grass towards the howling cry.
Finally, he found it.
It was a beyblade that wobbled violently before falling over. Shou dropped to his knees next to it. "It was you." He whispered, reaching for it. "A Fang Leone 130W2D..." But something stopped him.
It was a manly figure with wild hair standing with a torch in hand. His face was covered in dirt and scars, fangs escaped his lips, his eyes stared daggers at the boy. Shou dropped to his bottom and looked up at the beast. He bent down and took the beyblade.
"Please..." Shou said to him. He couldn't tell if it was the fear or the fever holding him back, but he couldn't get himself to speak.
The man took a step towards him just as Shou was losing consciousness. As his eyes began to close, the man picked up the child and put him in his arms. The rest of the night, Shou slept. But he wasn't in his bed. That morning, he found himself under a tree in the middle of nowhere.
"Where am I?" He asked. He wasn't able to recall anything from last night. All he remembered was the sound of the crying beyblade. "Someone, please help me!"
The man maneuvered around the trees so swiftly as if he weren't human. "Keep calm." He told him. "Don't yell."
"Who are you?"
"Where did you come from?"
"The...hotel a few miles from here. I think..." The man picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. "Please don't kill me." He still never answered.
"You shouldn't be out." He said. "Stay inside."
"But...Fang Leone 130W2D, you're a legend, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
"Can you at least tell me your name?"
"If I'm such a legend, you should know." The man dropped him off by the front door as he thought about it.
"Fang Leone 130W2D... That means you're...!" Shou turned around and saw him gone. He wasn't walking away, he was just gone. "K...Kyoya Tategami..."
