"Aw, sphinx … that Squishy. What'd that to go like that?" Seita mispronounced, too spaced out to realize what was coming out of his lips or even what was going on in his own mind, his thoughts too busy with the image of the strange girl.

He had been walking around aimlessly for a while until he spotted a city clock that indicated it was nearing midnight. "I guess Squishy was sort of right," Seita let out a tired sigh as he realized that wandering around wasn't something he would've preferred to do – he hadn't the slightest idea of where to begin the search either. "It isn't like I'm in some show where action happens every second of my life. I need to take a step back sometimes." With that, the boy continued walking through the silent city, finding himself downtown by a bus stop.

He glanced around and his gaze fell on a flickering light near the small bench; there were moths floating about and Seita considered sitting due to how sleepy he was growing with each passing second, but kept on going before he heard a distant clock chimes that signaled that it was already 12 am.

However, the reigning peace soon found itself disrupted by a louder, chaotic sound that soon reached his ears. Did he hear right? It seemed like something similar to an explosion and, when he looked in the direction it had come from, he could see debris floating up in the distance before falling down with a force. Though he was without Squishy, he felt strong enough to make a run toward whatever was taking place, without giving much thought to the risks.

It took him a couple of minutes to reach the place but as soon as he reached the now partially burnt building, he spotted a girl with a hood down and pink hair waving about from the other side of the fence separating it from the streets.

His eyes could not deceive him – she was the same one from earlier that night.

"It's her! There's no way I'll let her get away now!" Seita grabbed at the fence, doing his best to climb over onto it, but tripped forward at the last second when he reached the top. He fell, rolling across the floor but stood up swiftly, dusting himself and cursing his bad luck since he seemed to be tripping more than usual lately. With no time left to waste he took off after her, his legs using all of the adrenaline his body was producing to make the chase shorter. The closer Seita got, however, the more he realized there was something latched onto her, attacking her.

Yet she wasn't moving. She was totally unresponsive, an odd choice of action he thought. There was a bit-beast battling it as she ran, and it seemed to be protecting her but it found itself thrashed aside as it broke apart with a loud smack, forced to return to its beyblade. A second one of the artifacts that Seita recalled belonging to the girl dropped to the ground, making her stop in her tracks. The first beyblade he'd seen was of 'Tizara'; Seita remembered the name and watched as someone swooped to take the Beyblade and disappeared into the shadows of a nearby abandoned building. He ran after her, only to stop when he saw her standing right in front of a big winged bit-beast that looked like some sort of chimera; it had its fangs bared at her, small droplets of saliva falling quietly to the ground as it lowly growled.

"What the… a bit-beast attacking her? But I thought she was evil," from the looks of the bit-beast, he could tell it had a foul aura that indicated it was a corrupt bit-beast. "Hey! Watch out!" His shout appeared to have finally alerted the beast of his presence and before he could do anything else it scooped down, flapping its wings furiously. Its first descent almost succeeded in scooping her up but Seita noticed that it had been too heavily injured across its bat like wings, forcing it to take flight into the night sky again until it was completely out of sight.

He tried to scream again to catch her attention but it was no use as she seemed to be in some sort of trance. "Run feet, RUN!" he gasped urgently, taking the risk of diving in case the beast came back without him seeing it on time. He slid over to her, even going as far as to embrace her as he saw the wide shadow cast from above blocking the moon that'd been shining. He had no time to jump aside, and instead he turned his back to it while still holding the girl. It came down straight for them with a loud screech and the boy braced himself for the worse but the creature's flight was suddenly interrupted.

Seita found that around him, the area gleamed a bright green. Cold waves of wind pierced across his whole body and at his feet, he saw the form of the unconscious beast clear as day. What had happened? Something blitzed in, blasting the bit-beast onto the building's walls as cars honked around thanks to the small shock wave the incident created.

Instead of getting up immediately, he looked around cautiously until, on top of a construction hook, he noticed a green-eyed fellow looking down at them. Those eyes, Seita recognized without a single shadow of doubt. "Chaz…?" The name left his lips as his acquaintance took a step off of the hook and graciously fell down, landing on what Seita could only describe as a Wyvern.

The creature made of nothing but green bursting flames landed down, with Chaz's beyblade arriving in front of the two kids on the ground. Chaz silently stared at the girl in Seita's arm but didn't question it for the time being. The beyblade that belonged to the defeated bit-beast dropped from the sky, crashing into a car's windshield which caused it to start honking too.

"He went this way! Mad dogs, get over there and get him!" Masculine voices were heard, catching up quickly to their location from somewhere close. The two boys managed to turn around in their direction just as ten men were seen reaching the fencing Seita had cleared earlier, before they managed to spot their targets and started to run after them. While Seita didn't exactly have the whole situation's context, it was as if Chaz was being chased by no more than fifty bladers of various ages, appearing from every nook and cranny in the area. He only watched as the area filled with them, unable to move.

"And… I don't even have Squishy," he lamented before looking up at the other boy with both anger and a bit of fear, something he'd never admit. "Great – what did I get myself into?" Seita glanced down to the girl, who was passed out and the peaceful expression on her face greatly contrasted against what was going on. The mark on her face somehow seemed deeper than he remembered. He couldn't help but wonder what was happening with her, all her erratic actions puzzling him beyond belief.

Seita glanced to the beyblade he recognized as her own and leaned over after grabbing it gently, struggling to get her to slump onto his back to carry her somewhere safe. It appeared that all of the bladers were focused on Chaz, something he was thankful for. Around ten blades were shot his friend's way, all being swept by Emialous as Seita stared up at Chaz who was still standing on top of his bit-beast.

A wild green flame washed about, knocking all of the bladers that tried to force their way to Chaz; it looked like a fire yet it felt as cold as a winter's day. The boys both waited a moment to see if anyone else would come their way but nothing happened, only the silence that began to fill the space again.

"You have a bit-beast?!" Seita shouted, wondering how he had never noticed that fact before.

Chaz stayed silent for a moment, still glancing at the unconscious girl Seita had in his arms as if weighing the words before they left him. "When we fought, it was asleep," is all Chaz let out, and he then diverted his gaze and glanced down to the bit-beast with what seemed like adoration mixed with determination.

"Chaz, you damn brat!" Someone shouted from behind the lines of fallen men, some of them starting to groan and trying to get up again.

"Hanayama?!" shouted one of the bladers in surprise before being grabbed by the large 6'4" man that shoved them all aside with only a swat of his hand. His steps were potent and his voice even more so, and Seita was sure that it could be heard many blocks away.

"You won't make a joke out of me any further," his tone was threatening and deep, and as he stood on the front line his gaze was solely fixed on Chaz, completely ignoring Seita and the girl's presence. A malicious grin appeared on his face, a few crooked teeth bared. "Now, stay still and fight so I can finally defeat you… and capture you. That Key-Blade in your possession is ours now! Hand it over and I won't break your legs as bad as I will the rest of your body; you'd still be able to walk away!"

All attention now turned to the boy who only looked at the boss unfazed, as if he was nothing more than a crazed man spouting nonsense. "As if," Chaz replied defiantly, enraging Hanayama all the more before he turned around – Seita could only run and hide from the starting battle, desiring more than ever he was able to help in some way.

"Attack him all at once!"

Five bladers took Hanayama's cue to let their beyblades rip after Chaz, who only glanced back once; a bright flash of green flames flew at them blocking their sight before their weapons came raining down before them, burned to a crisp by the time the flash subsided. Seita watched on in shock. This is the guy I fought?! Seita thought as he watched Chaz step off of Emialous; it became clear that the 16 year-old wasn't only relying on his bit-beast but battling himself with those that stepped up to the challenge. Bats, pipes, brass knuckles… everything thrown at him was met with combinations of knees and elbows, quickly deflecting every object with grace and swiftness.

"ORSIS FEROCIOUS!" Seita followed the shout over to the towering Hanayama, who appeared right behind Chaz unnoticed. The teen dove aside just in time to avoid his crushing attack, rushing across the open parking lot as Hanayama reached for his wrist launcher. Fifteen blades of his own men went flying as the dented crystal-like black beyblade slammed against Emialous, and then a large rhinoceros-like bit-beast crashed by the green one who took flight and then charged for Orsis.

"That… Chaz… I-I would… have lost," Seita spoke softly as he felt sweat profusely run across his eyebrows, prompting him to wipe it with the side of his hand. He felt nothing more than admiration for the teen at that point, something that overshadowed anything else in his mind. "If Chaz put that bit-beast up against Poseidon…"

"FERMENTATION O-"

"Blare." At that mere word that escaped Chaz' lips Hanayama was taken aback, as the ground floor he intended to break down soon found itself engulfed on a bright green light that invaded his sights and the characteristic rippling wind that forced even the giant to step back and cover his eyes. By the time he looked back up, Chaz was gone again.

At least, that's what he initially thought. His target had flown up onto Emialous as the spinning beyblade hovered at the center of the raging Wyvern's flames. "Not this again! Get down here and fight me like a man!"

"Emialous," Chaz looked down at his companion below him while he scanned the visible area. "Are these the only ones tracking us?"

The creature seemed to think for a moment but its expression denoted complete calm despite its surroundings. "No, there's a stronger one 50 meters to our right; let's get it so I can grow stronger, Chaz, before the sun comes up. That other one down there is too much for now. We'll have to go into hiding again if we keep this up now."

After having discovered his bit-beast could talk, seeing Chaz have a small conversation with his own made Seita feel less strange about it. "We have the whole night," Chaz muttered with a small smile and then carefully grabbed onto Emialous as it flew off as fast as it could, putting an end to its brief appearance for now.

"Wait, where are you going?! Give me a ride!" Seita shouted and waved one hand up, but Chaz didn't bother glancing back. It was only as he felt the stares on his back that he realized what he had done, and slowly turned around to see many of Hanayama's men closing in on them. Holding onto the unconscious girl just a little bit tighter, he regretted ever going out of his house in the first place.

"Give you a ride?! Who are these two?!" One guy spoke up, observing Seita who gulped as he started preparing his gear to get back into action when he was cut off by his boss' shouts.

"Never mind the kid – go after that mad dog, bring him to me as soon as possible!" Hanayama swung his fists to his chest. Only then did everyone back off, running on the direction Chaz had disappeared towards after picking up all of their weapons.

Seita held his breath until they were all out of sight, amazed at the speed at which the men would stand at the orders given to them. There was no way he'd be able to do what Chaz did, he thought. "What am I going to do?" Seita said out loud, the weight of the girl on his back becoming noticeable again as he started making his way back home, the ideas running through his mind at a train's pace. He knew he was supposed to let Simon know so that his father could be notified as well, but there was nothing that he wanted more at that moment than to go back home to have some rest, even if it meant carrying her with him.

Though there was one thing that did worry him even more than having a criminal back at his house – the way his sisters would react to both him running off in the middle of the night and daring to bring a passed out girl with him.

It was a fairly long walk back home but as he finally approached his porch, the outside lights turned on automatically, and in no time Hilary opened the door. Am I a psychic or am I a psychic? Seita questioned himself as he watched the bright red that painted her face, and she did absolutely nothing to hide the anger that he was sure was now bubbling up inside her. On her hands was the house's old broom and in less than a second, it was whacked down on his head, his hat nearly knocked off.

Hilary struck Seita a few more times before letting out a disappointed groan. "What are you doing outside at this hour?! What if mom came back and saw you were missing?! This is becoming too stressful, Seita – either you calm down or I'll have to punish you!"

"Sis, mind keeping it down? I've got a sleeping girl on my back in case you hadn't noticed," Seita squinted one of his eyes, pointing to the person in question before he placed her by the wall near the front steps of their home.

With an almost incredulous look, Hilary grasped the broom a bit tighter, her knuckles turning a faint white. She breathed in and out before speaking again, this time lowering her voice a few notches. "Well, would you mind letting me know who is she then!? Explain to me why you suddenly disappear from your room, come back at home at almost 1 in the morning with an unknown girl and even then expect everything to be okay?"

Her brother looked back at her before turning his attention to the girl once more. "She's the one that attacked the museum earlier tonight," he said simply as he got up, dusting his clothes before trying to lift her up once more. Behind him, Hilary's face turned to a confused expression but she helped him get her inside anyways. Both placed her on the living room's couch and backed away from her, their sights fixed on her without really knowing how to proceed from there.

After a short talk about how he can't just go around pursuing dangerous criminals (he decided to avoid mentioning he was without his beyblade though, as he knew it would've only made matters worse), she sent him off to bed without saying much more and while Seita was sure he had done the right thing, there was so much more that he knew she wanted to tell him.

In the morning, she settled for calling a local doctor so the little girl could be taken to a hospital, partly out of worry and partly to get rid of any other bigger problems that could arise out of having someone like her in her own home. She then contacted Kenny who in turn got in contact with Sakura, and in the meantime Seita woke up for school. "Did she sleep all night?" was the only thing he asked as he ate breakfast, to which his sister gave a positive answer. Deep inside, it worried him that something else was wrong with her.

The day passed in the blink of an eye and he was back before 3, and waiting for him on the kitchen table was a small note with Hilary's handwriting letting him know that the BABA had come for the girl and to pay Kenny a visit if he'd like to have more info on what happened. As impulsive as ever, he dropped his bag and rushed out of the house as fast as he could.

Kenny's place wasn't far from his and as he arrived he was greeted with a familiar smile. "Oh, look who came around!" the man said reaching his hand out but Seita ignored him, walking past him and into the house. "Well, you were never one for manners," the owner said on the low before closing the door and following the kid. "To what do I owe the pleasure of you being here?"

"The girl, where is she?"

A sad grimace appeared on the man's face and Seita knew something was wrong right away. "I, ah… should've guessed you'd come for that. We ran some tests on her and it seems like the attack did leave her mind quite weak. She… she has temporal amnesia." The diagnosis shocked the boy, whose eyes opened wide at those words. "The BABA actually showed up earlier too, to take her into custody and actually strike a deal with her assistance as her background is looked at. She's at Yumbo hospital. They said they still couldn't figure out where she hid the two remaining blades, so they need as much help as they can get."

"If they're to get those blades back... before something happens. It has to be done soon, since it's Neptune."

"Neptune?"

"One of the spinning tops, i it landed on earth two years ago, it's trajectory calculated to be from that planet... and it was placed that name because of that."

"The second spinning top is from greece... or at least it was found there, reported to be a remnant of Atlantis."

"What's that?"

"For now, don't worry about it."

There was something off about the whole situation, but Seita couldn't quite place his finger on it. He looked down at his feet as he bit on his lower lip, and then resolve washed over him and dissipated every ounce of doubt he had in him. "Take me to her," he replied looking back up at Kenny, a small glimmer of determination in his eyes.

[Engagement is crucial, so do let us know your perspective on events so far. Webtoon for the Beyblade Augmented Reality story is coming soon.]