Wow! Ten reviews already? You guys are awesome! I'll try to reply to reviews from now on, and thank you all again. Please enjoy this longer than usual chapter. (Actually, I think it's longer than the other two combined!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade Metal Fight.


Hyoma's Problem

"The coast's clear." A figure in the shadows sprinted to the door of the house in Koma Village and unlocked it, shutting and re-locking it behind himself. Talk about paranoid... Once in the house, however, he realized that – gasp – he was not alone!

"Gingka, what in the universe are you doing here?"

Gingka looked up from the fire pit, where he had been kneeling. "I am asking the bey spirits in the sky to look down upon me in favor. I need their staryness to help me."

"And why did you come to my house to do so? Isn't your own place in Koma just as good?"

"No, no." Gingka rocked back and forth moaning. "I'm being haunted!"

"Haunted?!" Gingka's friend made a gesture to ward away evil. "Leave here at once!"

"No! Please Hyoma!" Gingka flung himself at the Ares blader's feet. "You need to protect me! I can never go home, ever!"

"And why not? I'd much rather you spread your evil luck there than here," Hyoma retorted. Suddenly, his vision went blurry, but he soon recovered enough to make out what Gingka was saying about Kyoya and Nile threatening to stay at his home until he came back and paid them for the burger they bought for Tsubasa.

His vision now cleared, Hyoma said, "Gingka, I see not what the problem is. It's just a burger. How much did it cost?"

"Two dollars!" moaned Gingka.

"And how much money do you have with you right now?"

"Two dollars... I can't give up the only money I have!"

"Just relax, Gingka. You can just ask Ryo for more money. He's got a high-paying job, right?"

"Right." Gingka was calming down. He walked over to his own home, with Hyoma along for support, and knocked on the door.

"Dude, it's your own home. Why don't you just walk in?" Hyoma curiously asked.

"My dad insists on protocol," Gingka said, shrugging. "He must get it from working as Director of the WBBA."

Hyoma's answer was cut off as Ryo Hagane opened the door. "Hello kids. Gingka, you've been out past curfew! Why didn't you come home on time? And with guests over and all!" Ryo led the two boys into the sitting room, where – surprise! - Kyoya and Nile were waiting.

"Yo Gingka. Cough up the cash," Kyoya demanded, not even bothering to 'properly greet' the Pegasus wielder.

Nile took a kinder approach. "Gingka, Ryo told us you get a weekly allowance of twenty dollars. It's only Tuesday, so you've got to have some money left. Besides, the burger was only two dollars."

Gingka sighed and then launched into the speech he had prepared on the walk over. "Kyoya Tategami and Nile – I don't know your last name, please forgive me – I am truly sorry for wasting your time and money like I did. If I had been in the correct state of mind, I would most certainly have given you the due pay you deserved for buying Tsubasa a second burger. In fact, I myself should have bought my dear friend a burger, due to the fact that I-" here he sighed tragically, "-stole it from him." Gingka pulled out two dollars and handed one to Kyoya and one to Nile.

"I guess that wraps up our visit here," Nile announced, standing to leave.

Ryo pleaded with them, "But guys, I was just about to tell you the story about the time I-"

"Oh! Look at the time, let's go, Nile!" Kyoya dragged the Egyptian out of the room before Ryo began to regale them with yet another – probably dull – tale.

Hyoma followed them, feeling slightly bad for leaving Gingka. But he had a headache, and no doubt one of Ryo's stories would only make it worse.

"You know Kyoya, Gingka sure does give good apology speeches," Nile said once the Leone blader had finally slowed the pace.

Kyoya grunted. "As much as I hate to admit my rival is good at anything, I have to give him credit for that." As he and Nile walked back toward Metal Bey City, they hardly noticed that Hyoma was still following them, let alone the fact that his eyes were glowing an eerie red color. But as the two prepared to head their separate ways, Kyoya noticed it out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Nile," he whispered. "Why'd Hyoma follow us here? He lives back in Koma."

"I know," Nile replied, also whispering. "And why are his eyes glowing red?"

"It must be that problem we were talking about at the diner this afternoon. He's been acting strange lately and all." Kyoya turned to face Hyoma. "Hyoma! Where are you going this evening?"

"Must find it," Hyoma rasped in a voice not like his own. "Kyoya, where is the star fragment?"

"Um... Here in Leone?" Kyoya wasn't sure where Hyoma was going with this... yet.

Hyoma blinked. His red eyes faded back to normal. "Huh? Kyoya? Nile? What am I doing here?"

"That's a good question," Nile said. "We were just trying to figure it out ourselves. Tell me, what's the last memory you have?"

"I left Gingka's place and intended to go to my own home, but somehow ended up following you," Hyoma said. "And it's worse than that. I keep having... blackouts. Yes, that's the word. I forget what's happening around me for a period of time and then suddenly 'wake up' somewhere and I have no idea how I got there!" Hyoma was getting hysterical.

Kyoya thought for a moment. "Hyoma, do you remember anything that happened at the diner this afternoon?"

An owl hooted before Hyoma responded. "No."

"Hmm... Nile, we'll look into this tomorrow," Kyoya told his friend, who nodded in agreement. "Hyoma, you can crash at my place tonight if you want. It's a long way back to Koma Village and it's nearly midnight. We'll try to sort out your problem in the morning."

- In a secluded cave in the mountains -

A dark figure looked into a purple orb. "Yes, yes. With my mind-controlling orb, the fragments shall finally be mine! No one will ever suspect Hyoma..."

Hmm... Guess the orb didn't show everything...

- In the morning -

Kyoya yawned and headed over to his abandoned warehouse where he and the Face Hunters had used to hold meetings. Now that his group had disbanded, it was used only by Kyoya himself. Hyoma followed along meekly. There had been no red eye incidents while at the Tategami residence, but Kyoya was keeping a close eye on him to be sure.

Aha! There it was! Hyoma's eyes glowed red, and though he continued to follow Kyoya, his eyes no longer surveyed the scenery around him. They were focused on one area around Kyoya's torso... Kyoya removed his bey from that spot and held it out to one side. Hyoma's eyes followed it. He held it out to another side. Hyoma's head turned to follow it again. Kyoya held Leone in his right hand and moved it slowly in a circle. Then faster and faster, as Hyoma's eyes still followed it with singular purpose. Once Kyoya was moving his arm as fast as he could in a circle, however, Hyoma's still-red eyes suddenly found a new target.

"Oy, Kyoya. What in the blazes are you doing to your bey?" came a new voice. "And why is sheep-boy practically drooling on me?"

"Ryuga!" Kyoya exclaimed, stopping his arm (which was getting tired) and watching curiously as Hyoma stared at the Dragon Emperor.

"Star fragment," Hyoma rasped, reaching for Ryuga's arm. Said arm's owner jerked it back in disgust.

"Kyoya, you haven't answered my question yet," Ryuga growled rather impatiently. "What. Is Wrong. With. Sheep-boy!"

"That's exactly what Kyoya and I are trying to figure out." Nile had arrived on the scene at last.

Kyoya entered the abandoned warehouse with Nile, Ryuga, and subsequently Hyoma behind him. "Ryuga, have you heard the rumors about Hyoma lately?" Kyoya asked.

"No," Ryuga responded. "I just got back into town today from mine and Ldrago's latest training session in a secluded volcanic region. So no, I haven't heard the town's latest gossip."

Kyoya and Nile quickly explained what they knew about Hyoma. His eyes glowed red, he stalked legendary bladers' beys with his eyes. "And that's about it," Nile wrapped up.

"Not much to go on, I know," Kyoya said. "But we'll figure something out."

"No kidding, Sherwood," Ryuga grunted.

"Don't you mean Sherlock?" asked Nile.

"Well yeah, but that would be copyright infringement."

Kyoya and Nile face-palmed. And now back to the main topic! "Hey guys, why am I here?" Hyoma was asking.

"Wait, he doesn't even remember coming here?" Ryuga asked.

"Nope," said Kyoya.

"Ryuga? How did you get here?" Hyoma was now asking. "Actually, never mind. Just figure out what's wrong with me, okay?" With that he became silent.

Kyoya, Nile, and Ryuga talked in earnest. Nile just so happened to be looking right at Hyoma when the mysterious red-eye thing took over his body again.

"Guys, Hyoma's eyes looked up before they turned red. Don't people look up generally when they're trying to recall a memory?" Nile felt he was on to something.

"Right," Kyoya said slowly.

"So you think that this has something to do with his mind? Like, he's being controlled?" Ryuga sounded sort-of excited. Probably thinking of all the people he could somehow control.

Nile snapped his fingers. "That's it, Ryuga! You're a genius!"

"Well, I've always known..."

Nile continued, "It makes sense. Hyoma keeps forgetting. His mind is being controlled by someone else. Those blackouts must be caused by whoever is taking over Hyoma's mind."

"Someone who wants the star fragments," Kyoya added.

Ryuga immediately became suspicious. "Doji," he spat, with every ounce of certainty in him.

"Alright. Primary suspect: Doji. Now to locate him..." This was the tricky part. And then they came up with an ingenious idea...

- An hour later -

"I can sense it this way, sort of," Hyoma said, pointing to the right, which led to a sheer cliff wall.

"Sort of?" Ryuga scoffed. He hoped this idea wasn't a wild goose chase. It had seemed reasonable at the time that Hyoma would have some sort of connection to Doji; a lingering trail in his mind that would lead them to his hideout. But so far they had encountered only obstacles and dead ends. Not to mention that Doji seemed to be hiding out in a remote section of the mountains surrounding Koma Village, which seemed too close for comfort. But then again, Doji was Doji.

Kyoya blasted the sheer cliff into rough hewed steps with Fang Leone and Hyoma led the way up. Near the top of the cliffs, Hyoma's eyes once again turned red and progress halted as he strained to get a hold of Ldrago and Leone. But something was different this time.

Ryuga looked around warily as Ldrago began to quake slightly in his hand. "Kyoya, Ldrago senses an evil presence in the area."

"Doji?" Kyoya asked.

"No. But perhaps whatever Doji is using to control Hyoma like this." Ryuga set off, confident now. Kyoya and Nile followed along; Hyoma also, muttering under his breath about the star fragments. Soon the group reached a secluded ledge which dead ended into cliffs on three sides and a wall of rocks on the other.

Ryuga's Ldrago soon blasted the wall to smithereens and everyone realized that it was actually a cave. A dark figure in the back looked up at them from a dark rock that he was holding. "Ah, Master Ryuga. And puppet-Hyoma as well! I knew you would be arriving, just not so soon."

"Hey, what about us?" asked Kyoya. He and Nile hadn't been mentioned, after all.

"Hnn?" Doji looked at them as if realizing their presence for the first time. "Oh, aren't you the guy who couldn't beat Gingka? I have no use for you and your little friend." Doji ignored Kyoya's angry protest and went on. "After I use this dark crystal orb to control Master Ryuga, I will have all of Ldrago Destructor's power at my disposal! Muahahaha! Master Rago may have failed to control the great power of the god of destruction, but I will not fail this time! Using Ldrago's power, I can do battle with each of the other legendary bladers and gain their power as well! So good luck stopping me!"

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME! I AM THE DRAGON EMPEROR. ONLY MYSELF IN MY TRUE MIND CAN CONTROL LDRAGO!" Ryuga shrieked across the cavern.

"Well, we'll see about that," Doji said softly. He began speaking words into the crystal that made no sense. Inside the orb, a small red dot formed, steadily growing outward. Hyoma suddenly collapsed to the floor as Doji's control left him and prepared to power up enough to control Ryuga.

Kyoya and Nile had mere seconds to process all this as Ryuga continued screaming obscenities at Doji. The crystal orb. It is his power. In a split second, Nile's Horuseus was on his launcher and then headed at full speed toward the crystal. Doji was laughing too hard to even notice before it turned the very orb he was holding into dangerous shards of knife-sharp crystals fragments.

"NOOOOOOO!" he wailed, his evil plan ruined in an instant. Now it was Ryuga laughing as he launched Ldrago and said something along the lines of 'now it's time to destroy you!' Kyoya and Nile figured a big explosion would soon occur and quickly headed back down the mountain with Hyoma in tow. Once they reached the bottom, there it was.

The whole mountain imploded. Birds took to the air and ground critters scurried away. A figure on top of the rubble was visible for just a second as the dust cleared, but then vanished in a flash of red lighting. Hyoma yawned. "What just happened?"

Kyoya and Nile anime-fell. They had nearly forgotten that he wouldn't remember a thing.


Kyoya: [looking at the story summary] Hmm... this looks like it fits under the 'mystery' category.

Nile: Yep. And I'm the one who saved the day!

Kyoya: I wonder if Doji's gone for good now...

Nile: [shrugs] Maybe. Maybe not.

Me: Well, he's gone for now. You guys had better get going on saving the world. That's the next one-shot.

Kyoya & Nile: [sarcastically] Oh goody...