Situated on a boat, a few yards off shore from the Sydney Opera House, a group of teenagers watched intently as a computer screen revealed their competition for the first round of the World Championships. Displayed on the screen were the profiles of five individuals – the representatives for Team Japan.

The driving force of the team consisted of three people.

The first was a girl with voluminous silver hair – Miyako Otori. According to the computer, her partner was Earth Eagle 145WD, the very blade that her father had utilized during his days as a blader. The computer also gave them access to basic information, such as the parts of her bey, her battle history, and her fighting style. All in all, she appeared to be a powerful, headstrong opponent, unlike her collected father.

The second was a small brunette – Anashi Hagane, the heart of Team Japan. According to the WBBA's records, her blade was Burn Fireblaze 135MS, which she had inherited from her grandfather. Given the lore that surrounded the immortal phoenix, Team Australia trusted that she wouldn't be an easy opponent to defeat, for her beyblade's performance tip was made of metal. As such, it was rumoured to create a lot of friction and resistance, indicating that it held a large supply of power that was at Anashi's disposal. They would have to be on their guard, should one of them face her in battle.

The third regular member was Kotomi Hanawa. Her battle history was short, but none of the records hinted at a single loss. Her bey was custom-made: Infinity Taurus H100SD. It didn't look like much, but its fusion wheel hinted at silent, reserved power which could easily transform itself into a deadly opponent.

"Why are they sending girls to fight, Theodore," one of the males muttered, his index finger perfectly aligned with Kotomi's profile. "They can't be serious."

"Perhaps they are; you should never underestimate the power that can lie within another's spirit, J.T.," a second boy replied, his clear eyes trained on the screen as he scrolled down. The remaining individuals consisted of the team's manager, and their captain/sub member.

The manager/athletic supporter wouldn't be battling, but it couldn't hurt to scope out what the other team had to offer. The manager – Rika Yumiya – was the smallest member of Team Japan, and quite possibly the weakest link. They doubted that she would pose a threat, but hadn't everyone else thought so with regards to her father, in previous years? For the longest time, Kenta had been regarded as a weak, insignificant blader; it wasn't until he had accompanied the Dragon Emperor that he gained a new purpose, as well as a new source of unforetold power. That said, Team Australia would definitely be keeping an eye on her, Theo decided as he finally scrolled down to the very bottom.

As they neared the bottom of the page, Theo didn't fail to notice how J.T.'s eyes widened and froze when he saw the statistics revolving around the captain of the opposing team – Hikoya Tategami, the only male on Team Japan. The blonde's hazel eyes seemed to be especially attached to the blade the commander wielded: Storm Leone 100HF, an attack type. When they clicked on the icon, it was revealed that the Beyblade had been created from the designs of three pre-existing bases – Rock Leone 145WB, Storm Aquario 100HF/S, and a single, unknown origin.

Even more surprisingly, when they attempted to conduct a further investigation, regarding his technique and battle history, a small window appeared, along with a set of bold, glowing red letters: ACCESS DENIED.

"Rats," Theo hissed bitterly, whilst glaring at Hikoya's profile. There was no way he could properly prepare the boys if an adequate amount of information couldn't be collected on the Japanese team.

"Relax," J.T. grumbled, overcoming his initial shock. "He's the sub member, too, right? If that's the case, he won't be battling, so chill out."

Turning to face his comrade, Theo's face darkened with hostility.

"Is that right? And just what do you think will happen if even one of the regular members can't compete, huh? The battle order would instantly change to accommodate the entry of the sub – a person who we know next to nothing of."

When phrased that way, J.T. instantly fell silent. His team mate had a valid point. If his parents' battle records could serve as an accurate indication, Hikoya would be a vicious opponent, who specialized in blitzkrieg – rapid, lightning fast attacks which were designed to overpower an opponent.

Swallowing nervously, J.T. turned to the other male, his voice barely above a whisper, "You don't actually think we'll have to face him, do you?"

"Huh?" Theo sounded, as he resurfaced from the depths of his thoughts.

"This 'Hikoya' guy," J.T. clarified.

"If we analyze all their beys, it shouldn't even be an issue. We can customize our blades to match or exceed theirs. If we register and submit all our information three days prior to the first match, it's perfectly legal. The tournament organizers will simply review and approve our request, and they'll make the modifications."

"You're forgetting one thing," a new voice spoke, the somewhat deep alto causing the others to look up and meet the gaze of their commander.

"And what would that be, Dash?"

"They can also modify their blades; the beys you're looking at now may not necessarily be the same ones you face in the stadium."

"Good call," Theo conceded, his frown deepening as he came to terms with his leader's words. It would take more than "tricked-out" Beyblades to go up against Team Japan.

†††

The Japanese team seemed to be at odds with itself as well, for no tangible routine had been established between the teenagers. Kotomi and Rika were quiet, but open minded to reasonable suggestions and training methods, Anashi observed. Miyako, on the other hand, was still as obstinate as ever. So far, she had utilized a plethora of snide comments and refused to conform whenever their captain's name was mentioned. As a result, shortly upon their arrival to Australia, Hikoya headed off on his own without a word.

"Whatever," Miyako huffed while crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "It's not like I told that jerk to leave."

"No," Anashi conceded, "but your actions did."

Frowning, Kotomi nodded and rose to her feet. "I'm inclined to agree with you."

"You're siding with her?" Miyako exclaimed.

"As for you, it should be noted that you're the only one who has been acting like a jerk," Kotomi growled. "Despite the way you treat him, I'm fairly certain Hikoya hasn't even said so much as a single word to you. I'm right, aren't I?"

Snarling softly, Miyako closed her eyes, indicating that she was no longer in the mood to listen or argue. Nor was Kotomi, and as a result she made her way across the expanse of the suite and rejoined Rika.

Sensing the tension within the room, the green haired female softly cleared her throat, gaining the team's attention.

"Behaviour aside, I spoke with Hikoya a little during our flight."

"And?"

"We did some research on the beyblades of the Australian team, and came up with a few strategies," Rika explained. "After thoroughly analyzing all their blades, we concluded that they all have impressive fusion wheels, designed for offensive and defensive maneuvers."

"So … counter mode?" Kotomi determined with a small frown.

"Exactly; in other terms, they're pretty good with regards to attack and defense … but we're better."

"How so?"

"Because we'll be using these …" she added in a mischievous tone as she produced two circular objects from her back pocket. "This is a weight disk, and this one is an attack ring."

"What?" The others said simultaneously.

"Allow me to explain," she persisted, "the weight disk and attack ring were introduced with the beyblades of the 'Engine Gear' and 'Hard Metal' Systems. Eventually, the Hybrid Wheel System was introduced, and new parts arose."

"You mean … the system that our beyblades are based off of?" Anashi guessed.

"Correct. The beyblades of the initial system could utilize up to thirteen different parts in a single bey. Today, only five can be found in a functioning blade: the face bolt, energy ring, fusion wheel, spin track, and performance tip. Naturally, the weight disk and attack ring are somewhat 'out-dated' – as Hikoya put it – but they're still compatible with our beyblades. All of it is legal, and no one ever said that we couldn't spin old school!"

"Thanks for the history lesson," Miyako muttered with a yawn, "but what does any of this have to do with our beys?"

Rolling her eyes, Rika muttered something under her breath about impatience before proceeding to speak, "I took Hikoya's advice, and ran a few battle simulations. The weight disk – as the name implies – provides additional stability, with regards to centrifugal force, and the attack ring increases the overall ferocity of the blade, itself. Similarly to Cosmic Pegasus and Fang Leone 130W²D, this will separate the fusion wheel into a core and a frame. The weight disk and the attack ring will act as said parts, respectively, increasing the bey's performance, significantly."

"One thing though," Miyako added with a sneer. "The weight disk – 'as the name implies' – will only slow down the blade's rotation speed. Have you thought of that?"

"As a matter of fact," Rika responded with a smirk. "Why do you think Hikoya took off in the first place? Of course, the weight disk will provide additional mass to a bey, however, it can be countered by a strong launch technique."

"So that's why he left - to develop a stronger launch," Anashi summarized.

"Yep; he's probably in the middle of training right–"

"Why would he be training," Miyako cut in. "He's the sub, remember?"

"No! Really? I thought he was our cheerleader," Rika exclaimed in mock surprise. "Lest you forget, Hikoya is our commander, as well as the sub. If one of you were to fall ill, or skip practice, it's his job to make up for it. Let that sink in for a moment – you should be able to answer your own question."

†††

Once the boat had been docked, Theo decided to take a break from the others, preferring to complete his analysis on his own. Selecting a small café, which overlooked the harbour, he ordered a cup of coffee and seated himself at a small table. From the corner of his eye, he noted that the sun was bidding the shore farewell, as the stars began to emerge from their celestial nests, twinkling with such a level of royalty that no earthly monarch could compare.

Offering a rare, private smile to no one in particular, he pulled up the profiles of the Japanese team once more. With an idea of perfect clarity nestled in the centre of his mind, he immediately clicked on the icon of Hikoya's blade, for he intended to study all its parts to learn its secrets.

Starting from the bottom, working his way up to the top, Theo finally noted what seemed to be – in his opinion – the most peculiar part of Storm Leone. The face bolt was blank. Even generic beys had perceptible symbols, so why was this one so different? Could it be damage, as a result of rigorous battles and training? Or was it something else entirely?

†††

Clad in her pink nightgown, Anashi watched as the minutes ticked by slowly, and couldn't help but to wonder what was taking Hikoya so long to return. Was he really so upset that he refused to enter the general vicinity of the hotel? Had something terrible happened? She hoped not, but it was a foreign country, after all. Anything could happen, and – more times than not – it did.

Just as she was about to don her shoes, to head downstairs and search for him, the resonating click of the door could be heard. Arching her neck to see who it was, Anashi's eyes widened slightly when she saw Hikoya's exhausted frame. His slate coloured hair concealed his piercing gaze, and his arms were dead at his sides, most likely due to rigorous training.

From what little that she knew of him, Anashi suspected that while Hikoya was a skilled blader, he was also a perfectionist – just like his father. No matter how accurately he had launched, he would probably spend hours adjusting his stance or whatever else he suspected was 'wrong.'

"Hey …" she greeted softly, causing his heliotrope eyes to settle on her.

Offering a fraction of a nod, Anashi watched as her weary captain made his way over to the sectional. Grabbing one of the throw pillows, he punched it so that it was more comfortable for his head – a trait he had adopted from his father – as he settled himself on the sofa.

"Um … goodnight, I guess," she murmured, turning to join her friends, who were currently asleep in the adjacent room.

Grunting his indifference, Hikoya flipped over onto his side, and muttered something under his breath, which vaguely sounded as though he was returning the sentiment.

Smiling to herself, Anashi quietly slipped into the other room, her heart strangely aflutter.