"How is he?" Max asked.

Takao sighed. "Still in a bit of a shock, but otherwise he's fine. I would be, too, if I were in Lei's shoes."

"It's just so awful…" Tsukiyo had her hand to her chin. "Who were those people…"

"That crazy lunatic declared himself as one of the Black Tiger Clan," Professor said, typing away furiously on his laptop. "Lei didn't tell us about them, maybe he was just thinking of a lot of things that was why he didn't say anything."

"I guess so." SD Tsukiyo blinked. "What are you doing, Professor?"

"Oh, a little bit of new data that need to be 'polished'. The fight went by so fast I almost didn't have enough time to record it down here. But it was a good thing Dizzi was just being super attentive."

"What did you find out?" Takao asked, looking over Professor's shoulder.

"Zero Garrox…Mao's new Bey…it's a far cry from the Garrox Lei defeated 4 years ago in the last Asian Tournament Finals. It's become faster, deadlier, and its attacking power is quite unlike anything I've EVER seen before." Professor typed a few keys on his laptop and the new data for Zero Garrox appeared onscreen. The Bey Blade had gone through a dramatic change, from its wicked-looking sharp blades on the ring's rim to its improved crimson armor.

"Whoever worked on Zero Garrox must be one incredible genius," Professor mused. "He managed to put in everything that made Garrox a tough blade in the first place and enhanced it a little more…look, the armor on this Bey is quite heavy-looking, but I'll bet you that it's made of a tough new material that's sturdy, light, yet incredibly tough to take any kind of beating down pat. Those sharp blades aren't made for just knocking Beys off the face of a stadium…it's been reworked to DESTROY them. I've made some further calculations…Zero Garrox's new armor is about thrice as strong as that of Draciel's. And its speed is about 5 times as that of Driger's…and it's attacking power is like that of Dragoon and Dranzer combined…"

"Stop it Professor, I'm becoming FAINT," Takao said, looking pale and clammy.

"It's nothing compared to Asura. Its armor is quite like that of Zero Garrox's, but what it lacks in speed, it makes up by means of its attacking power. It's really UNBELIEVABLE. I mean, to make that kind of explosion, it takes unbelievable strength to really throw us off our feet. It's like…some sort of gigantic wrecking ball falling at 0 gravity at the speed of light or something…a Bey in its line of fire could be worse than crushed. It would be PULVERIZED."

"Oh no…" Takao looked like he was about to be sick.

"And…Asaya's Sigismund…?" Max ventured.

"…" Professor shook his head. "Dizzi is still working on it, but I've a feeling if the PBB should get hold of Sigismund's data…their supercomputers would be vaporized into OBLIVION."

"Wow." Max shook his head. "The way Sigismund beat Zero Garrox…it's as if its speed or attacking power was NOTHING to it."

"Exactly." Professor blinked. "Uh…anyone for a cup of tea? I just brewed some in the pot…"

"Black Tiger Clan." Kai looked over the limestone hills he could see from the balcony of the hospital. His eyes were narrowed. "They're ruthless."

"Involved in a couple of big-time felonies in Hong Kong, including drugs trafficking, extortion, white slavery, and their personal favorite: becoming assassins for hire." Asaya was quiet. "They've been around as long as the White Tiger Clan. Their leader is Shao Fei, the man who did that exploding Bey trick a while ago. He hates the White Tigers as much as we hate our worst enemy."

"…" Kai looks over at Asaya. "He seems to know you quite well."

"He's an –Auran-, like me. But very unstable and dangerous. The Guild uses him if they want to do some hell raising in whatever part of the globe. If I weren't here, he could've easily dispatched you all. When he kills, he does it in a spree. My friends and I keep him pretty much in check if he becomes a little wilder than expected."

"Aren't you part of the Guild, too?"

"Yes." Asaya nodded. "That I am."

"So…"

"It was the Guild's idea to massacre the entire White Tiger Clan. They want to become sure of something. And that is for me to come back to France."

"France?"

"That's where the Guild is based, Mr. Hiwatari. Of course, you did your homework already. The Guild is into little 'experiments'…'experiments' that include Shao and I."

"…"

"The Black Tigers would definitely be in the World Bey Blade Championships. I'm pretty sure Shao wouldn't like it if you Blade Breakers won't come. He's been itching to kill Lei ever since the day he knew he went away somewhere." Asaya nodded. "But I'll understand if you guys don't come to France…they almost had you killed here."

"…I don't think that would be an option."

Both of them looked up to see Lei standing by the doorway, the left side of his chest swathed in bandages, his top draped loosely about his shoulders. His amber yellow eyes were narrowed.

"I want to meet that Shao again. He can't get away from what he did to the village…or Mao for that matter. I'll kill him even if that's the last thing I'll do."

"Even if it means we all get killed?" Kai asked him.

"…" Lei just nodded.

"So then, we head to France." Asaya nodded. "To the World Bey Blade Championships."

"…" Kai just slowly smiled, then looked over again at the limestone hills. This was going to be one very interesting tournament.