EPISODE 51: THE SERPENT'S TERROR.

"Welcome back folks, and here we are again with another round of Battle Bladers! We're now entering the second half of this tournament's first round!" D J said. "The 6'th battle is Kumasukei Kumadae VS Kyoya!"

-IN THE STANDS-

"You can do it, Kyoya! This battle should be way too easy!" Minette said.

-ON STAGE-

"Here i go! LION GALE FORCE WALL!" Kyoya said. Leone formed a wall of wind around it that sent Rock Orso out of the stadium. Kyoya recalled Leone. "That was too easy."

"The 7'th battle is Reiki VS Tsubasa!" D J said.

Eagle flew up out of the stadium and into the sky. "EAGLE! METAL WING SMASH! DON'T HESITATE!" Tsubasa said. Eagle made a direct hit with Gemios and landed next to Dan, who wasn't in the stadium, but intrusting his brother from a distance.

"No!" Reiki fell to his hands and knees. The crowd burst into cheers.

"Well, there you have it! Kyoya defeats Kumasukei, and in the other match, the talented Tsubasa defeats his opponent, Reiki! They're off to the second round, so let's give it up for them!" D J said.

-WITH GINGKA AND FRIENDS-

The gang was all high-fiving Tsubasa.

"Well done, Tsubasa." Gingka said.

"Congratulations on your first win, Tsubasa." Sierra added.

"Well, if i couldn't win these battles, i'd have no chance of beating Ryuga." Tsubasa said.

"Everyone seems to be winning so easily." Madoka said.

"Well, not everyone." Mikey said as he looked at Tommy and Zoe.

"Oh yeah, that's right, i forgot. Tommy and Zoe lost to Annie and Oakly in the 5'th round. I totally forgot all about that." Madoka said.

"Are you guys alright?" Amber asked.

"Yeah, we're fine. It's only one loss." Zoe said.

"Yeah, and it's not like the Dark Nebula has any chance of beating us. We only have one loss. They suffered six losses." Tommy added.

"But you guys won't get to compete in the tournament anymore." Nene said.

"Well that may be true, but that doesn't mean we cant cheer you guys on in the rest of the tournament, does it?" Zoe said.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Kenta said.

"And from here on in, we're gonna keep winning easily, right?" Pence said.

"Yeah, of course we are! We're not gonna let those Dark Nebula Organization guys stop us now, are we?!" Benkei added.

"No we're not!" Minette said.

"It's true. Even their number two, Yu, was already totally defeated by Gingka." Hyoma said.

"The only ones left are Iron Mouse, Lead Crow, Tin Nyanko, Astranema and Ryuga." Kenta said.

"Oh, and don't forget the two Dark Nebula spies who beat me and Tommy." Zoe added.

"Well, yeah, but Annie lost in the 5'th round too, remember? So that just leaves Oakly." Killua reminded.

"I still can't believe Annie's own partner did her in like that. Talk about heartless." Hikaru said.

"And then there's...Riku." Amber said.

"Riku?" Christopher said.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, i forgot. Riku is with the Dark Nebula as well." Gingka said.

"Don't worry, Amber. When this tournament is over, we'll bring Riku back to his sences. I promise." Leo said.

"Thanks, Leo." Amber said.

"And then there's Ruutaro with his Thermal Pisces." Tsubasa said.

"Not Ruutaro. Why did he join the Dark Nebula Organization?" Gingka said.

"Birds of a feather fly together, Gingka. Fortunetellers are evil!" Minette said.

"Not all fortunetellers are evil." Cameron said.

"Yes they are! You can't make me change my mind!" Minette said.

"I just don't get what it is with you and fortunetellers. I'll never understand." Kyoya said.

"I know you won't, but i don't care. I still think fortunetellers are evil!" Minette said.

"Well, i'm facing Ruutaro in the second round, so leave him to me, okay?" Tsubasa said.

"Yeah, that's right, and that guy's nothing to worry about anyway. If we combine all our power, we'll be able to beat Ryuga too, no problem! No problem at all! Isn't that right, Kyoya?" Benkei said.

"Yeah, sure." Kyoya said. Galaxia walked past Gingka and his friends. She bumped into Minette. The feeling she got from just that one encounter sent shiveres down her spine. Galaxia looked at Minette and glared with her orange eyes, and for a second they looked red, like Ryuga's he was battling. It was absolutely terrifying.

"Uh, um, sorry." Minette said. Galaxia glared at her and walked off. The girl was obviously a few years older then her, but Minette was absolutely terrified of her.

Kyoya noticed this as the others were talking. "You okay, Minette?"

"There's something about her that i just don't like. Something cold and hard." Minette said.

"It's still really important for everyone to focus and go after him step by step." Madoka said.

"Check." Hikaru said.

"I guess you're up first, Hikaru. So good luck." Gingka said.

"Sorry, but you guys won't even get a turn, cause this girl," Hikaru got out her bey, "and Storm Aquario will defeat Ryuga!"

"Well it looks like i'll have to win the next battle as quickly as i can and clear the way for Hikaru to battle." Hyoma said.

"Aw man, now that you mention it, you still haven't had your first battle yet. I forgot about that!" Gingka said.

"Wh-wh-what'd ya mean you forgot, Gingka?" Hyoma asked.

Gingka nervously laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Just kidding, i don't have to worry about anything when it comes to you, right buddy?""

"Yeah, right. So if i win my first battle in the first round, then my next opponent will be you, Gingka. I'm really looking forward to it." Hyoma said.

"Get in line, dude. Gingka's all mine. Right, Gingka?" Cameron said.

"Right! I'll be waiting for you! Both of you!" Gingka said. Everyone started laughing, short of Kyoya. Hyoma sensed someone with malefic intentions staring at him. He immediately turned around. "Is something wrong, Hyoma?"

Hyoma kept looking, but saw nothing, so he shook his head. "Nuh, uh. It's nothing at all."

-WITH DOJI-

Doji's butler poored him some orange juice while Dark Phantom just sat in his seat, holding a glass of red apple juice.

"So, after Yu, Siren, Annie, Kumasukei and Reiki lost as well. Very disappointing. However, they were not part of the final plan anyway." He took a sip of his orange juice. "Gingka and his little friends will discover the truth as well, and Minette and her friends, including her poor, sweet brother, will find that their own has turned on them. They should celebrate their wins while they can, because the happiness of their victories is just a temporary illusion. Soon they will see the true power of the Dark Nebula Organization." He looked down at Hyoma and Reji, who were getting ready for their battle. He started laughing like a maniac.

-WITH YU-

Yu was at a vendor buying ice-cream. Since he couldn't steal Tsubasa's wallet anymore, he stole Reiki's, and Reiki didn't even notice.

"Yu, is that your mony to spend?" Came a voice from behind.

Yu turned around and saw his sister. "Nene? What are you doing here?"

"I'm making sure you're not getting too much junk food with other people's money. I care about you, Yu. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to find out something so terrible without at least having some sort of prior knowledge so that you can prepair yourself." Nene said.

Yu huffed at Nene. "I still don't believe you!"

"Look, Yu," Nene bent down to his angle and put both her hands on his shoulders. "you're just a little boy. You're impressionable. You were so impressed by Ryuga's skills that you can't see what's right in front of you. You're so blinded by your gratitude, or what you think is gratitude, to Doji that you can't see what is right in front on you. You're not able to see him and Ryuga for the monsters that they are. Many of the Dark Nebula bladers are monsters, but you aren't. You're just a kid who made the wrong choice. Kids aren't exactly the best judges of character. Yu, i know how the Dark Nebula is, and i want you out of it."

Yu shook his head vigorously, wrenching his shoulders out of Nene's grasp. "NO! The Dark Nebula will never betray me! Ryuga is too cool for that! He's too awesome! And i'm the second best blader there! They'll never betray me!" He started running away.

"YUU!" Nene shed a tear. No one had the ability to hurt her more than Yu right now. He didn't even realize how he was tearing her heart two. Plus he was her little brother. And that's what hurt the most.

-LATER IN THE STANDS-

Gingka and his friends were all sitting in the stands.

"Good luck, Hyoma!" Gingka said.

"It's gonna be an easy win!" Benkei said.

-ON STAGE-

"It's time to begin the next match-up in the 8'th round of Battle Bladers! Give it up for, with Rock Aries, Hyoma!" D J said. The crowd cheered for Hyoma. "And his opponent, Reji!" On the screens, the Dark Nebula symbol appeared.

"So, he's with the Dark Nebula too, huh?" Hyoma said. Reji started laughing with an evil green aura around him.

-IN THE STANDS-

"That guy gives me the willies." Tommy said.

"I know. Talk about tall, dark and creepy." Zoe added.

"So he's another blader from the Dark Nebula." Gingka said.

"Yes, but i've never heard any name like Reji mentioned before now." Madoka said.

"Neither have i. I thought that maybe it meant that Reji is a weak blader, but if he's Dark Nebula, then there could be something that i don't see." Mikey said.

"It's Reji." Leo said.

"Not him again. I thought we'd seen the last of him back in San McGale." Pence added.

"You two know this guy?" Cameron asked.

"Pence and i battled him in a small western town called San McGale. But Pence lost to him in a bey battle, so i battled him and i won." Leo said.

-WITH TSUBASA-

Tsubasa looked pretty concerned, because he didn't know anything about this Reji guy. "Who in the world is this guy anyway, huh? He has no data in the Dark Nebula database. We know nothing about him."

"That's not true." Came a voice from behind.

Tsubasa turned to see Sarah. "Sarah."

"When i first became a member of the Dark Nebula, my Uncle Doji trusted me a lot more then i realized. He had me under his thumb, and i would've done anything he asked without hesitation. I still would. And because i'm family, he thought he could trust me. Apparently, he couldn't. Reji is a very dangerous blader. Uncle Doji did everything he could to keep Reji off of anyone's rader except for a small few people within the Dark Nebula. I barely know anything about him, but if Reji's here, then my uncle must've planted him somehow without tipping off the WBBA." Sarah said.

"But why? Why would Doji do that?" Tsubasa asked.

"Because a known evil you can't beat can keep people scared, but an unknown evil is far more terrifying when revealed." Sarah said.

"Why are you telling me all of this? I thought you said you never wanted to see me again." Tsubasa said.

"I may have said that. But i say a lot of things." Sarah said.

"So does this mean we're friends again?" Tsubasa asked.

"No, Tsubasa, it does not. I just thought i should warn you about who your friend is up against." Sarah said.

"Hey, thanks. Wanna watch the battle with me?" Tsubasa asked.

"Don't get the wrong idea, i'm still mad at you for using me like you did to get to my uncle. But in this case, i'll make an acception." Sarah said.

"So is that a yes?" Tsubasa asked.

"Sure, why not." Sarah said.

-ON STAGE-

"It is unclear how Reji earned 50,000 bey points because there is no record of him competing in any of the challenge matches. All we do know is that the bey he uses is," Reji slowly lifted up his arm to show everyone his bey, "Poison Serpent! Who knows what kind of battle tactics he will show us!" D J said.

Hyoma put Rock Aries in it's launcher. "It doesn't make any difference who my opponent is because i have friends, friends whom have gotton me here and are counting on me to win." Reji very slowly put Poison Serpent into it's launcher.

-WITH DOJI-

Doji chuckled evilly as Dark Phantom watched in silence.

-WITH PEGASUS-

Pegasus, Lady Venus and Darts were watching from the balcony.

"Poison Serpent? I've never heard of such a bey. Have you, Venus?" Pegasus said.

"No sir. I haven't heard anything about this bey, nor that Reji guy, until now." Lady Venus answered.

"What about you, Darts? Have you heard anything about this Reji boy?" Pegasus asked.

"I'm afraid not, sir." Darts said.

"Well that settels it then. We'll just have to wait and see what happens." Pegasus said.

"I agree, sir, but keep in mind that he's with the Dark Nebula. This won't end well." Lady Venus said.

-ON STAGE-

"Time to rock and roll, everyone! Get ready! 3-!" D J said.

"2-!"

"1-!"

"LET IT RIP!" Hyoma said as he and Reji launched their beys. "Now then, first let's just see what kind of power you have, shall we?" Aries clashed with Serpent several times.

"And so it begins! The first to make a move is Hyoma! Aries is testing Serpent with some attacks, but Reji isn't moving at all!" D J said. Reji gave a dark smile.

-IN THE STANDS-

"Looks like that Poison Serpent bey has really strong defensive power, doesn't it?" Gingka turned to Mikey and Madoka, who were busily typing on her laptop.

"Uh huh. The fifteen blades on it's fusion wheel are blocking the attacks. But...it doesn't seem to be simply a defense type. And that's it. I can't find anymore information about it at all." Madoka said.

Sierra looked at Mikey. "If they're blades, can they be used for attack?"

"I don't know. That's just the technical term from anything jutting out of the fusion wheel really, like those jutting out parts of Venus Leone's wheel, even though they're made for the defense part of Venus Leone's all around balance type bey, but they're still considered blades, even though they have relatively no attack use. I'll run it through anyway and...what? It says no data! That's it! I can't find anymore information about it at all!" Mikey said.

"Then he should quit playing it safe and just hit him hard and get rid of him! Give it all you got, Hyoma!" Benkei said.

"Yeah, that's right! He's with the Dark Nebula Organization, so go ahead and crush him!" Kenta said.

"Kenta, are you really going that way? What about Yu, Sarah, Tsubasa and Riku? Were they evil? Did they deserve to be crushed?" Amber asked.

"Well, no, they weren't and didn't." Kenta said.

"So don't go and start shouting stuff like that! We don't know why he's with the Dark Nebula yet. If he's in it for the same reasons that others are in it, then yes, you can say that, but until we know for sure, don't." Amber said.

"You are way too optimistic." Killua said.

"I try." Amber said.

"But, Poison Serpent doesn't seem to have very much actual strength at all. Why would Doji go to such lengths to put such a weak blader into this tournament? It just doesn't make any sense." Nene said.

Christopher looked at Nene. "How can you tell it's strength?"

"When one bey attacks another, the bey being attacked uses it's own strength to repel the opponent bey, but Aries is Barely moving away at all. It was like that a lot whenever i battled anyone with my bey, Sparrowmon, because we didn't connect well, but this seems to be just pure lack of strength. Hyoma can probably beat that Reji guy with ease, but there's still just something that i don't like about this. The way that Reji is acting, it's not good. And his smile is really creeping me out. He's so weak, but he acts like he wants to be weak." Nene said.

"He's not weak." Everyone Pence. "When i battled him in San McGale, he didn't waste a minute in battle. In fact, he actually beat me."

"That's right. And when i battled Reji, he did absolutely everything in his power to make sure i wouldn't win. Yet he doesn't attack Hyoma's Aries right away. He's just standing there doing nothing as his bey takes a lot of damage from Aries. He's waiting for something. But what?" Leo said.

-ON STAGE-

Hyoma kept on observing Serpent's power. "I know this much, it's defensive power is high, but i don't feel any real strength in this bey. If that's all it's got, Aries will easily be able to push it out!" Aries went in for another attack.

"Aries continues to attack, but Serpent is on defense!" D J said. Aries repeatedly attacked Serpent. "Is Serpent planning to keep this up and make this a battle of pure stamina?" Reji was swaying back and forth in a really creepy way. Then, he started laughing. Suddenly, Serpent went into an attack on Aries. "Hold the phone! Reji finally strikes back! Poison Serpent delivers a series of attacks with it's fifteen blades!"

-IN THE STANDS-

"Don't worry." Madoka started looking at the battle through pure data. "It seems that Serpent's attacks don't have very much power at all."

"Alright!" Benkei said.

Minette breathed out a sigh of relief. "I guess there isn't anything to worry about. If his attacks aren't that powerful, then he can't be that much of a problem."

"Dodge it, Hyoma!" Gingka said.

-ON STAGE-

"ARIES! WIND STORM ASSUALT!" Hyoma said. Aries used it's Eternal Defense Spin Track to push Serpent away.

-IN THE STANDS-

"Oh yeah! He can read the opponent's movements like the back of his hand." Gingka said.

Benkei stood up. "HYOMA! TIME FOR A COUNTER ATTACK!"

-ON STAGE-

Aries turned around and started attacking Serpent again.

"As far as we can tell, with it's Eternal Defense Spin Track, Aries has evaded Serpent's attacks, and now it has begun attacking fiercely again! Have Serpent's series of attacks produced no damage to Aries at all?" D J said. Serpent attacked Aries, and this time, Aries was pushed back much harder.

"Huh? Wa-what? What's going on?" Hyoma gasped.

-IN THE STANDS-

Gingka looked solemn.

-WITH DOJI-

Doji and Dark Phantom looked pretty happy about what was happening. They then started laughing.

-ON STAGE-

Serpent attacked harder, seemingly with more strength. "Those attacks aren't very strong, and Aries isn't taking very much damage either, but still, something, something isn't right here." Hyoma said.

-IN THE STANDS-

"Wow, this is a really boring battle." Said a boy.

"Yeah." Added another boy.

"How long are they gonna waste time like this? Hurry up and finish it already!" Said another boy.

"This is Battle Bladers! What do you think you're doing out there?" Added another boy.

"Yeah, that's right. He stinks. My own sister could mop the floor with you." Said another boy.

"Uh-oh. Don't look now, but it looks like the crowd is starting to grow tired of this long, drawn out battle. What do we now, guys?" Tommy said.

"Don't worry, i'm sure the battle will get intresting soon." Killua said.

"AH! That's enough, Hyoma! Now it's time to send this guy flying out of here!" Benkei said.

"He probably won't listen. You know how Hyoma likes to battle cauciously, Benkei." Madoka said.

"He might suprise us." Gingka said.

"Huh?" Tommy, Zoe, Killua, Benkei, Kenta, Madoka and Mikey looked at Gingka.

"Hyoma seems strange somehow. To me, it looks like he isn't sure how to defeat this opponent." Gingka said.

"But that should be all the more reason for him to keep to his battle style." Cameron added.

"Yes. I have a bad feeling about this." Kyoya said.

Leo looked, and it was almost as if a giant green snake was coiling around the stadium circling around Hyoma, who looked uncomfortable.

-ON STAGE-

"I can't shake this uneasy feeling. I can't think straight, but why? It's just another battle." Hyoma thought. Then it was like the snake had Hyoma, from his arms, from his legs, from his neck, and Hyoma was actually terrified. "This...this guy! Who is he?!" He gasped. Hyoma was now paralyzed in fear.

-IN THE STANDS-

"Keep it together, Hyoma! Don't let him get inside your head!" Gingka said.

-ON STAGE-

Hyoma felt as if a giant snake was about to attack him, but, like some sort of shield, the thought seemed to dissipate into nothing. "Take a deep breath. Calm down. Obviously, Poison Serpent can't be defeated with normal attacks. But it's still just a bey with high defensive power." He thought. He pulled Aries away from Serpent. "Now i'll finish this with one big move. ARIES HORN THROW DESTRUCTION!" Aries started charging at Serpent with all of it's strength.

"Batten the hatches, the battle's on the pick up!" D J said. Aries struck Serpent, releasing a large amount of energy. "Whoa! Serpent has completely stopped Aries's Special Move!" Serpent sent Aries flying up in the air. "Aries is the one that's sent flying!"

-IN THE STANDS-

Everyone was shocked.

"Hyoma!" Gingka said.

"No!" Cameron said.

-ON STAGE-

"ARIES!" Hyoma said. Aries landed again, just barely within the stadium.

-IN THE STANDS-

Everyone sighed with relief.

"That was pretty close." Benkei said.

-ON STAGE-

"Aries manages to hang on, but Serpent moves in to attack without delay!" D J said.

"Move on Aries, now! WIND STORM ASSAULT!" Hyoma said. Aries used it's spin track to push Serpent away, but the serpent went right ahead and started circling around Aries while still touching it. "ARIES, NO!"

"Aries can't dodge it! What is going on? Serpent's series of attacks that had no affect before are now giving Aries some serious damage!" D J said.

Hyoma was in complete shock. "But...but how?!"

-IN THE STANDS-

"Did Serpent's attack powe increase some how?" Gingka asked.

"No, the power of it's attacks is the same as before. Serpent hasn't gotton any stronger, Aries has actually gotton weaker." Madoka said.

"How can that be?" Benkei asked.

"Yeah, i don't get it. Up until now, Serpent's attack had no attack on Aries at all. Isn't that right, you guys?" Kenta said.

"He should've never battled." Came a voice.

"Huh?" Everyone said. They looked and saw Lady Shadow sitting in the stands.

"Lady Shadow? What are you doing here?" Minette said.

"I'm here to clarify a few things for you. Aries is being poisoned." Lady Shadow said.

"Poisoned?" Minette said.

"Serpent is a snake, and a very dangerous one, not because of it's attack strength, but because of it's poison." Lady Shadow said.

"But Lady Shadow, that doesn't make any sense! They're beys, and beys don't get affected by things like poison!" Nene said.

"That's how it is. The beys act how the spirits inside are affected." Lady Shadow said.

"But why are you telling us this?" Gingka asked.

"He has been blessed by a darker one, and his blessing will be your curse, not affecting you, but poisoning you at the same time." Lady Shadow said.

"She's right, it's poison." Kyoya said. Everyone focused their attention on him. "Every time that Serpent struck, it injected some poison to slowly weaken Aries."

"Poison?" Kenta questioned.

-ON STAGE-

"I see now. So it looks like i've been playing into your hands this whole time, haven't i? Each attack you made was weak, so i didn't pay attention to them, and because of my carelessness, i completely missed that all those small hits that Aries kept taking caused a lot of damage, which has now weakened Aries's rotation! Each time you attacked your bey managed to drive something, some kind of poison, deep into Aries, and it's all part of your plan to defeat me! Isn't that the case?" Hyoma said.

"You're wrong." Reji finally spoke.

"Huh?" Hyoma said.

"It's not so i can defeat you. It's so i can destroy your entire being!" Reji laughed evilly with his hand held up, partially in front of his face. Serpent kept doing that circuler attack.

"ARIES NO!" Hyoma said.

"Serpent delievers another series of harsh attacks! Aries is at it's mercy! Is it possible that Reji has been hiding all this amazing power until now?" D J said.

"ARIES WIND STORM!" Hyoma said.

"It's useless." Reji said. Serpent kept striking Aries, destroying it.

"Aries, but, but, Wind Storm!" Hyoma gasped. He didn't even sound like himself. Even his voice was different because of this guy.

-WITH PEGASUS-

Pegasus, Lady Venus and Darts gasped in horror as they watched Hyoma and Reji's battle.

-WITH DOJI AND DARK PHANTOM-

While Doji and Dark Phantom were watching the battle, Dark Phantom was laughing like he had lost his mind. "WEEEEEE! AHAHAHAHAHA! WEEEEE! AHA! AHAHAHA!"

-IN THE STANDS-

"Hyoma!" Gingka said.

"Are you telling me that Serpent's attack is the same one that he's been using since the very beginning?" Benkei said.

Madoka found something on her laptop. "Oh no! Check it out! This time Serpent is using it's real strength!"

"What's that?" Gingka asked.

"It's real strength?" Pence and Leo gasped.

"Each hit from those attacks from those series of attacks was nothing compared to the power of the attack now!" Madoka said.

"Huh? What?" Benkei and Kenta gasped.

"What does that mean?" Benkei asked.

"That snake," Everyone turned to Kyoya. "he was completely hiding it in order to make Hyoma let his guard down."

"Huh?" Everyone said.

"That is definitely not a nice guy." Kyoya said.

"I didn't know it was so obvious." Amber said sarcasticly.

"Leo, Pence, you said that each of you had battled Reji before. Were the battles anything like this?" Madoka asked.

"No. I mean he was a jerk and everything, but he wasn't this ruthless in battle, no way." Leo said.

"What about you, Pence?" Mikey asked.

"It's like Leo said. Other then being a total jerk, Reji was never this cold when he battled with me and Leo." Pence said.

"I don't understand. I was able to defeat Reji in San McGale. Why didn't he act like this back then?" Leo asked.

"You just don't get it, do you. Reji held back his true strength when he battled with you. He wanted you to win that battle." Lady Shadow revealed to Leo.

"WHAT?!" Leo and Pence gasped.

-ON STAGE-

"COUNTER ATTACK, ARIES! DON'T LOSE TO A GUY LIKE THIS!" Hyoma couldn't do nothing because of the way Serpent was attacking. "ARIES!"

Reji laughed again. "This can't be the end of this. Entertain me more, pretty please? At this point, there's no fun in breaking you."

Hyoma saw Serpent break pieces off of Aries. "LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU DON'T FIGHT TO WIN! YOU TO BREAK PEOPLE! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! STOP IT! CAN THIS GUY EVEN BE DEFEATED?! ENOUGH!"

-WITH PEGASUS-

"Hey!" Pegasus and Darts said.

"Oh my goodness!" Lady Venus added.

-ON STAGE-

Reji started laughing. "You've started to fall apart nicely. More, struggle more!" He showed his evil yellow eyes. "More, more! Become more frightened, and then give up!" Serpent was tearing Aries apart. "You should stop trying and become nothing, just like that worthless beys."

"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT! I WON'T ALLOW A BLADER LIKE YOU TO WIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?! BEYBLADE ISN'T SOMETHING YOU DO IN ORDER TO BREAK YOUR OPPONENT! BEYBLADE IS...BEYBLADE IS..." Hyoma couldn't finish it.

"What is beyblade you ask, huh?" Reji laughed. "Do tell me then, Hyoma. You're scared. You're just so scared that you don't know what to do next, do you?" For Hyoma, it was like Reji was on every side of him. "Too bad, because you can't run from me anymore, that's a fact. I'll defeat you so completely that you'll never be able to pick up a bey again."

"I WON'T LET YOU! I'LL BET MY BLADERS SPIRIT ON IT! EVEN IF I LOSE, I WILL BE ABLE TO BATTLE ONCE AGAIN! BUT EVEN SO, I'M GOING TO DEFEAT YOU NO MATTER WHAT!" Hyoma said.

-WITH DOJI AND DARK PHANTOM-

As Doji and Dark Phantom watched the terrifying scene, Dark Phantom was still laughing like a mad man as he danced around in circles like a ballerina.

-IN THE STANDS-

"Hyoma." Kenta couldn't believe how Hyoma was acting.

"This isn't the kind of Hyoma we know." Madoka said.

"Yeah, i know." Cameron said.

"It's like watching a person lose themselves completely. This is just cruel and sick!" Mikey said.

Minette remembered the words of her mother: "Beyblade has been misused throughout the ages as a pawn in a game of destruction, but that's not the case. It's a pawn in the game of peace. Use your new bey that you and Cody have made to bring about that peace, and to make friends everywhere. Never use beyblade for revenge, only to seek peace and friendship." Minette knew she broke her promise to her mother that she'd never use beyblade for revenge, but still.

"Beyblade is a pawn in the game of peace, not in the game of destruction!" Minette said.

"I've never seen him act like this before. Get a grip out there, Hyoma! It's not like you go and lose your cool!" Gingka said.

-ON STAGE-

Hyoma was screaming as Reji laughed. Serpent threw Aries up in the air.

"Oh my, Aries has been flown into the air! This one doesn't look good for Hyoma. Will this finally end this epic battle?" D J said.

"No it won't. Not quite yet." Reji started laughing as Aries fell down. But before Aries could even reach the ground, Serpent attacked it repeatedly.

"What is this? Aries is helpless, but Serpent to attack mercilessly!" D J said.

"AH! ARIES!" Hyoma said. Reji had his hair on his face, more so on his forehead, as he laughed. Serpent kept attacking, making sure that Aries could never hit the ground. "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP! PLEASE!"

-WITH DOJI AND DARK PHANTOM-

"ON AND ON, REJI'S CRUELTY GOES! WHEN HE STOPS, NOBODY KNOWS! AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dark Phantom said.

-IN THE STANDS-

"This is...this is horrible!" Kenta said.

"The battle has already been decided! Can't anyone stop him?!" Benkei said.

"No one can! In a bey battle, until there is a stadium out or a bey completely stops with a sleep out, there is no loser. Serpent is playing with Aries, not even allowing it to fall to the ground at all, so Aries hasn't stopped yet." Kyoya said.

"That's twisted!" Kenta said.

"It's more then twisted, it's psycho!" Amber said.

"Oh, Hyoma!" Benkei said.

"Aries has probably stopped spinning. But because of the attacks, no one can see, and even if Aries is no longer spinning, no one can make that call, and Serpent can completely destroy Aries." Lady Shadow said in her usual calm calculated tone.

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Sierra asked.

"I can't watch this anymore! I just can't! I can't watch such a strong blader be broken like this!" Minette put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes.

-WITH TSUBASA AND SARAH-

Tsubasa was still watching with Sarah.

"If Hyoma was a weak blader, he wouldn't have been able to hang on so long and it would've been over right away. It is because he's strong that he's being so thoroughly humiliated and toyed with." Tsubasa thought.

"I should've realized how bad Reji was. Even i didn't know that he was this strong, but then again, i've never seen Reji battle more than once, and it was with some pretty weak new recruits. But now, if Uncle Doji can train someone to be this sadistic and cruel, what else is he capable of?" Sarah said.

-ON STAGE-

Reji was laughing as he utterly destroyed Aries.

Hyoma was in tears. "STOP! STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!"

"Dark Move!" Reji said.

"What'd he say?!" Hyoma gasped.

-IN THE STANDS-

"Wait, what did he say?" Leo gasped.

"He said a Dark Move!" Gingka said.

"Yeah, where have we heard that before?" Killua said sacasticly.

-ON STAGE-

"SERPENT VENOM STRIKE!" Reji said. Like a thousand snakes, Serpent attacked Aries and went up into the air with it as it attacked.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Hyoma screamed. Like a bleating, helpless goat, Aries could do absolutely nothing. It fell apart into several pieces before hitting the ground and Hyoma full on cried.

-WITH DOJI AND DARK PHANTOM-

Doji watch while Dark Phantom just laughed at the scene. "AAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

-WITH PEGASUS-

Pegasus, Venus and Darts were too much shocked to even speak.

-ON STAGE-

Reji called back his Serpent. "Well that was a fun battle."

"The winner is...the winner is Reji!" D J said.

"That was the best thing for your bey. Yes." Reji said. He walked away as Hyoma fell to the ground.

"Aries, ARIES!" Hyoma screamed.

Gingka ran towards him. "Hyoma!" Hyoma pushed Gingka away. "Hyoma!" The others stood behind Gingka.

Hyoma picked up the broken Aries, still mostly together, but with large chunks gone. "ARIES!"

-WITH DOJI AND DARK PHANTOM-

Doji laughed as he and Dark Phantom saw Hyoma fall apart. "This is wonderful stuff."

"I don't know why i always have to repeat myself about beys today. They JUST DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THEY USE TO! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!" Dark Phantom screamed so Hyoma, Gingka and the others could hear him.

-LATER-

Gingka closed a door, sighing in relief.

"Gingka, is Hyoma alright?" Kenta asked.

"He'll be okay. He's just gotta rest or something." Gingka said.

"Poor guy." Pence said.

Madoka looked down. "If anyone's bey was treated like that, they couldn't help, but be upset."

"Yeah." Kenta nodded.

"You're all mine, Reji, you got that?! I won't forgive you!" Gingka said.

Suddenly, they heard cheering.

-ON STAGE-

Hikaru walked up to the stadium.

"The first round of Battle Bladers is almost completed! Please welcome to the stadium, the one, the only, Hikaru!" D J said.

-WITH PEGASUS-

"So, the next one up is Hikaru, huh?" Pegasus said.

"Yes. And Ryuga is her opponent." Darts said.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." Venus added.

-ON STAGE-

"Even if the opponent is Ryuga, i will win." Hikaru clutched her bey. "I must not lose this! I will not lose!"

"And Hikaru's opponent is, the fearsome blader who blew through tournaments in a lightning storm, winning all he entered, the seemingly unstoppable Ryuga!" D J said. Ryuga walked into the stadium. As he walked up, Hikaru was suddenly filled this feeling of terror.

"Why did i...why did i think i could win even for a moment against a guy like that?" Hikaru nervously went to get her launcher. Ryuga whipped out his, and Hikaru's courage returned to her. "I'm ready!"

"And 3-!"

"2-!"

"1-!"

"LET IT RIP!" Hikaru and Ryuga launched their beys and Ryuga laughed as Aquario clashed with L-Drago.

"As a little reward for not running away at the sight of me, i'm gonna finish you with my Dark Move!" Ryuga said. L-Drago pushed Aquario away so that it could start it's Dark Move. "DARK MOVE!" Ryuga formed those balls of energy in his hands, putting them together and then shooting it at L-Drago. "DRAGON EMPEROR SOARING BITE STRIKE!" Gingka and the others were all running to the stadium so they could see the battle.

"This is bad! EVERYBODY RUN!" The blader DJ sent everybody into a panic as everyone in the stands ran.

-WITH PEGASUS-

Pegasus, Lady Venus and Darts ran off of the balcony

-ON STAGE-

"Hikaru!" Gingka said.

"GET OUT OF THERE, HIKARU!" Benkei said.

Hikaru screamed as L-Drago first attacked Aquario, then attacked her just like it attacked Siren. It almost destroyed the stadium.

Gingka pushed away a rock that was in the way. "HIKARU!" He and the other all started running towards Hikaru. Gingka got down to the ground and shook her. "Are you alright? Hang on!"

"Is she gonna be okay?" Tommy asked.

"I'm sure she's fine. She just lost conciousness is all." Zoe asured.

Gingka looked up and growled at Ryuga. Ryuga laughed as he recalled L-Drago. "RYUGA!"

"Oh, i'm looking forward to my battle with you, my dear old friend, Gingka, and then, i'll come after you next, and we can become reacquainted, my dear Minette!" Ryuga laughed sadistically.

-WITH DARK PHANTOM-

"It appears i've made the right choice in making Reji and Ryuga opponents for Hyoma and Hikaru as i did with making Annie and Oakly opponents for Tommy and Zoe. Four down...21 to go. Ahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Dark Phantom laughed like the Joker.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you next time in the SEASON 4 finale of BEYBLADE METAL FUSION.