BBA Team VS Team Portugal

"Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!"

"Coming through!"

"OUCH!"

"Sorry…"

"Your elbow is in my FACE!"

Takao blinked, as he watched the chaos that was unfolding his very eyes as soon as they stepped through the new Eiffel Stadium, with Chairman Daitenji in tow. "Wow, I didn't realize we'd all be this MANY…"

There were kids around his age as far as their eyes can see. Some of them were younger, but not much: and there were lots of talk going on around them, in several languages. Some of them were finished registering and were fixing a bit of their Beys here and there; still others talked on with interpreters and others who looked like they were going to be really sick in a minute.

Takao was still wide-eyed when he hears his name being called. He turns to look.

"TTTAAAKKKKAAAAOOOOO~~~!!!" SD Yuri Ivanova (Tala) came running towards him and glomped him in full view of the other wide-eyed members of the BBA Team. He grinned. "Hey, I was beginning to worry you won't be showing up."

"What…you've registered here TOO?!" SD Takao asked, wide-eyed.

"Nah, I'm here for my sister's team," Yuri replies with a grin. "She plays for the Iceland Team."

"Iceland…?!" SD Takao has now become VERY wide-eyed. "You MEAN~~~?!"

"Hey…Takao Kinogu, isn't it?" Freyja Stross smiled at him, her twin gold and cream streaked red-haired pigtails bobbing at either side of her head. "Wow. You're registered here too?"

"Y-yeah." SD Takao looked over at Yuri. "She's your sister?"

"We got separated when the Abbey took me in," Yuri explained. "My mom left for Iceland when my dad died, and she met Uncle Sven and had Freyja. I only learned about it 4 years ago, after ***that*** tournament. I'm living there with them right now, and I'm really happy. Uncle Sven's really cool."

"Of course you remember Lei, Kai, Max, Professor?" Takao said, gesturing to the rest of the BBA Team. Max grinned as always, Lei smiled a little, Professor was nodding, while Kai was quiet.

"Still quiet as always, Hiwatari. Balkov (Boris) said you were the strongest one among us, and yes, I could still see that now." Yuri nodded. "So how are you guys all doing?"

"Fine, never better!" SD Max was grinning happily. "I'm living with my mom in the States, and I'm here on vacation. And…well…I know she'd be delighted to hear that, considering I'm a little behind Bey Blading…"

"Delighted, I am. Behind, you're NOT." Judy Mizuhara smiled. "Hello, Max."

"MOM! What are you doing HERE?" SD Max asked in surprise.

"I'm here on the Guild's invitation." Mrs. Mizuhara was smiling at them warmly. "My, you've ALL grown so much since the last time I remembered." She changed a lot, too, her blond hair, so like Max's, was now longer and reached the middle of her back. She has it tied back in a low ponytail at her nape, and she was wearing a periwinkle blue business suit with 2 strands of pearls about her neck.

"Hi Mrs. Mizuhara!" Takao grinend and elbowed Professor in the ribs, who has now become beet red. "Do you by any chance have Emily (Emily) in your set of travelling companions?"

"Actually, I came here by myself," Mrs. Mizuhara says with a small frown on her face. SD Takao became wide-eyed.

"???"

"Emily's disappeared 4 years ago," Max said, looking grave. "She just took off one day and we never saw her again. Mom said she might be somewhere on this planet, taking up further studies…but from what we've heard about her, she left MIT to become the youngest graduate ever at the age of 15 and took off to the Bermuda Triangle…that is, she's completely disappeared."

"WHAT?! You were in Japan the whole time and you didn't tell US?!" Takao was very wide-eyed.

"Sorry, slipped my mind, is all. Things were just a little too hectic on the PBB side of things." Max bit his lip. "But it is strange. Emily's so dead-set on becoming the next diector of the PBB. I wonder what changed her mind?"

They were all quiet for a while. Chairman Daitenji clears his throat. "Well, it seems that it would be best to leave things at that for now. You boys have a match to settle."

"Oh, yes!" Takao blinked. "We have to register. Chairman Daitenji, who are we up against?"

"Team Portugal," Chairman Daitenji replies with a twinkle in his eye. "They've proven themselves the best of the South American League, and I've seen how they Bey. You're going to face a very tough opponent in their team."

"OK! That's more LIKE it!" SD Takao rubbed his hands together in glee. "Alright, let's make mincemeat out of those guys."

They all set out for the registration booth, with Yuri, Freyja, Mrs. Mizuhara and Chairman Daitenji in tow. Little did they know, someone was watching them from behind the shadows.

She smiled.

"Yup, things are going to be a little more interesting from this point ON."