UniGirl: Okay, guys, I know I haven't updated. My computer's files all got lost during a freak accident, and I was done my chapter. I couldn't type it up again until now. [I've been told that before I send my computer for fixing, I should burn my files onto a disk. I've been told about ten times. Don't tell me again, save my time and yours.] And Homework's driving me nuts. I thank all of you for bearing with me until I back up all my files again. Sorry for the long wait, sorry for the cliffhanger.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to [in no particular order] Phoenix the 1st, Nessi, SilverWingPhoenix, and Dranzen. Let's just say that you guys read very carefully, aren't afraid to make assumptions, and tell the authoress in her face. I could do the first two, I couldn't rack up the courage to do the third.

I'm not so intimidating, am I?

Feya: Sometimes.

UniGirl: You haven't seen Kerobe at his best yet. Right, I wouldn't want to know what Desiree was like too. At least she doesn't sound too complicated.

The Glory of the Phoenix

The Bladebreakers were sitting together. Tyson stared straight, unable to say anything, Kenny looked shocked, Ray had his head in his hands, refusing to look up, and Lin was leaning against Ray, her head against his shoulder. Hilary was pacing in a corner, and Max sitting at the table, looking very solemn. Then, when he could not take the silence any longer, Tyson started crying.

"I hate him…I hate him for everything he's done…" he said between sobs.

Hilary went over to comfort him.

"He betrayed us before…I thought he would not do it a second time…he knows…knows…knows our…"

Hilary put a hand on his shoulder, "It's hard for all of us to swallow."

Tyson could only nod.

Max stood up and walked over to his best friend. "Tyson…it's…it's okay."

"It's not okay," said a voice quietly in the corner, "He betrayed us once, we forgave him. He can't expect us to do that again."

Ray still had his head in his hands.

"And I thought, after all the years that we had been together, he learned a thing or two about team spirit," commented Kenny. The mood was so tense that there was not a word from his laptop.

"All this time…he's been a power hungry freak."

There was a knock at the door. Max ran to get it, yet, as he saw Mr. Dickinson, he was suspicious. "We didn't want visitors."

Mr. Dickinson regarded him with a strange look. It might have even been pity. "Still, I have someone who would like to meet you."

Ray got up and glared, his features suddenly becoming cat like. "Now is not the right time."

A voice said quietly, "There will never be a right time."

All of the Bladebreakers' heads snapped up as Kai appeared from behind Mr. Dickinson.

Lin was first to speak. "You're Kai Hiwatari…"

Kai nodded.

Mr. Dickinson left the room, closing the door behind him. Tyson opened his mouth.

"Yes, I have a lot of explaining to do." Kai said, before he could say anything.

He closed his mouth again.

Kai walked to the window and, crossing his arms, he leaned against it, and closed his eyes.

After about thirty seconds of silence, he opened them again, and he caught the room all staring at him, waiting.

With a deep breath, he started with a question. "Do you want the long version or the short one?"

Kenny considered this for a while, and replied, "Short."

"It wasn't me."

The eyes of the Bladebreakers, if possible, went even wider than they were before.

"Then who was it?" demanded Tyson.

"Wing."

"How did she get your bit beast?"

"She didn't."

Tyson backed off, a puzzled expression on his face.

Hilary expressed the thoughts of everyone in that room. "I don't think I get it."

Kai's reply was exactly the opposite of what everyone had expected. "I don't either."

Kenny was the first person to put all the logic together. "You had Dranzer the whole time."

A slight nod was seen.

Looking around, Kai was certain that they didn't believe him. He didn't blame them, they had a right to be skeptical.

Ray tried to change the subject, as he noticed that Kai was getting uncomfortable, "Have you heard from Carolyn?"

Kai almost jumped. "Why?"

"Oh, I saw her a few days ago."

"You did?"

"Okay, I saw Aquilla."

Kai decided to tell a half truth, "Not very recently."

Tyson looked disappointed. "Why? I thought she would be calling you every night and confessing her undying love to you."

Kai wanted to puke. Him and Carolyn? Never. They didn't even know half the story.

"Carolyn and I have been rivals from the day we set eyes upon each other."

"You only knew her for a few months before she left."

Kai knew it was too late to take it back. He mentally hit himself. Why did I have to let that slip? Now of all times? He thought. He chose not to speak.

Max looked at him reproachfully. "Why aren't you answering? Did you make a mistake and tell us something that you didn't want us to know? Is that what you have been doing all this time, talking to Carolyn, plotting against us…"

Kai gave him a death glare. "I want nothing to do with Carolyn, understand?"

Max kept silent.

Flashback

"You look lost."

"No."

"Are you new to Tokyo?"

"Just leave me alone, will you?"

"I can't leave you alone here, it's pouring and freezing."

"It's not as cold as where I come from."

"Come on, I'll take you back to where I'm staying, you can dry off, and be on your way again."

"What are you plotting, because I'm sure not falling for it."

"Okay, let's start again. What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know? Just let me go."

"Mine's Max. Max Tate."

"Wait a minute. You're the Max Tate?"

"Huh?"

"Judy Tate's son? From the Bladebreakers?"

"That's me."

"Oh. Mine's Carolyn."

"Carolyn…"

"Carolyn's all you need to know right now."

End Flashback

She just wanted to use all of them. She just wanted to gain their trust and use it against them. She was mean and rude. He knew that. But he knew something else that none of the other Bladebreakers, not even Kai, knew: Carolyn could not be trusted, at all costs.

Some of his tension must have shown on Max's face, because Tyson asked, "What's up, Maxie?"

"Oh, nothing."

Tyson's stomach rumbled. "Let's go for dinner."

"I'm not hungry," said Kai immediately.

"Can't you come along?"

"I'm not going to pay."

Tyson pouted.

Max arrived back in the hotel room, tired and exhausted. He needed his sleep.

Unluckily, his wish was not fulfilled.

A woman stood on the balcony, her figure looking seemingly mysterious as white became grey in the night. Her hair covered her face; her expression was unreadable. Max blinked. She was gone.

Lin crossed the room.

When she left, Max looked back at the balcony, to see the short, slender figure.

She lifted her head and looked toward him, as if beckoning him to come closer.

He didn't want to. He knew he shouldn't have. But he did anyway.

"Who are you?"

The woman did not respond.

"Huh?"

Finally, she spoke. "You may have heard of me."

"What's your name?"

"I am known by many names, but you may call me Eltila."

Max racked his brains. "Eltila…Ray's talked about you…wait…Aren't you one of the bosses of those people who can talk to bit beasts?"

"We hardly think of it that way, but now that you mention it, it is partly true."

"What do you want with me?"

"I just want you to pass a message on to Ray."

"Why not tell him yourself?"

Eltila shot him a glare. Obviously, she was not used to being retorted to.

"Because…because I would not like him to ask me questions I cannot answer."

"So what is it you want to tell him?"

"There is a betrayer among us. A betrayer of the worst kind."

"Right, sounds like something from a sappy film."

Again, Eltila shot him a glare.

"Tell him in the exact words I said them. Farewell."

"Wait. Where do you think…?"

Eltila had vanished.

It was a habit of Ray's to get up early and take a shower before everyone else. It was much easier to do now, since Kai wasn't here. He was always up earlier.

After a short shower, Ray stepped out and dressed. Then he started on his hair. That was another reason to get up so early. He usually spent around half an hour doing his hair. The perk? It hardly every got loose. Even when he was blading. There was the exception that his opponent's name was Bryan, of course.

He was doing up the last part when Max woke up.

"Good Morning, Max."

"Morning." He yawned.

Ray finished with his hair. He eyed Max curiously.

"What?"

"Fascinating woman, isn't she?"

"Huh?"

"C'mon Max, tell me about Eltila."

"How did you know?"

"Not many people get to see her. And she always leaves an impact."

"Oh, she told me to tell you that there's a betrayer among you, the worst betrayer."

"Right. And why did she ask you to pass the message?"

"She didn't want you asking questions."

Ray raised an eyebrow. What does she mean by the "worst betrayer?" Does that mean it's someone I would never expect? He wondered to himself.

Tension was building up between the two teams as the Demolition Boys and the Celestials walked onto the stage. Jazzman explained the new rules, stating that every blader battled in a best out of three match, and, should it be necessary, the whole teams would battle in the same dish for the tiebreaker.

Flame would battle first with Spencer, then Aqua with Ian, Storm with Bryan, and Wing with Tomas. How BioVolt persuaded the leader vs. leader rule to change is beyond anyone's comprehension, but, as we all say, the world revolves on cash.

He gritted his teeth. Okay, don't panic.

Why would you?

Because…

Snap out of it, you're good and you know it.

Never in my life would I ever think to hear Wing say that.

Wing smirked.

The two of them "let it rip," and their blades landed squarely on the dish.

Before Flame let his opponent have any time to think, he was pounding him with a shower of attacks.

Spencer held his ground, slowly he started pushing back.

Flame only smirked.

"SEABORG"

Flame bit his lip. "ATTACK" he screamed.

The two of them rammed at each other. Finally Flame's blade got pushed off the lip of the dish.

It was still spinning when Flame caught it in his hand, sweating, and Jazzman announced him the winner of the round.

Needless to say, that match was not a relaxing one.

Spencer walked back to his team.

He's good. Remarked Aqua

We kind of all know that.

Still.

"That was close," said Tyson

"Who are you rooting for?"

"I hate both of them."

"Speaking of hate, where did Kai go to?"

"Not sure."

"Probably grouching in a corner like he always is."

"Tyson, we all know you care."

"Me? Care? Never."

"I hope he comes back, the team's not the same without him."

"Lin, you've never even seen the team without him."

Lin shrugged.

"I have a theory. I think he's in the movies with his girlfriend."

"Ty, if Kai ever finds out you refer to Carolyn as his girlfriend, you are dead meat."

"Pah, who cares?"

"I think he does."

"Don't sweat chief, I can beat him any day?"

Kenny sighed.

Ray was thinking about what Max had said earlier. Well, if one of us is a traitor, it's probably the one that hasn't come yet, the second mage of water. He looked around. Which of the bladers have a bit beast of water?

Flame walked back up onto the stadium. It was not like him to underestimate his opponents, so he was still tense.

Spencer walked up on the other side.

"3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

The cords got pulled, and the blades flew in, nearly hitting the sound barrier.

At first, it was a wild goose chase. Spencer chased him around the stadium a few times, and then vice versa. When they made contact, sparks flew in the air.

Flame gritted his teeth. Hang on there… he thought silently to himself.

"SEABORG ATTACK" the whale bit beast sprouted from its chip.

Flame had to keep himself from stepping back. It had gotten stronger over these years. How was he ever going to defeat it without his last resort?

"What? Are you scared?"

"You wish." He said through gritted teeth.

It pushed him back toward the lip.

Okay, time to use a trick Wing taught me.

With a small backwards motion, his blade shot out of the way, and the force almost made Seaborg fall off the dish. Luckily for Spencer, it pulled back just in time.

Flame clenched his fists. He was giving everything he had. And that guy still didn't back down.

Spencer rammed against Flame's blade. He could practically feel it slowing down.

Flame weighed his choices. He was either to win this, or keep his secret safe. He had the ability to defeat Spencer. He knew it. But…the others wouldn't be so lucky. He was almost certain that Bryan, for one, wouldn't be defeated. He only had so much time.

Wing watched her teammate. She hoped he would make the best choice. Whatever it was, she would approve.

Flame scanned the crowd until he found what he was looking for.

"Tyson."

"What?"

"Can't you see? Flame's staring straight at us."

"Why would that be?"

"I don't know."

I hope they will understand. I know what being betrayed feels like. Then he looked back at Wing, who caught his eye and nodded.

"What are you doing?"

Flame looked down at his dish. His blade was almost pushed off.

"Plotting."

"What? How to walk out of here in shame?"

"No. How to get my revenge."

Spencer eyed him curiously.

Good, he's puzzled.

"Revenge? You do need grammar lessons. But after I'm done. SEABORG FINISH HIM!"

"Really? COUNTER!"

They met in the center of the dish, and Spencer started pushing him again.

"I don't fall for the same trick twice, let alone four times." He summoned all his strength inside his body, and called out his spirit. "You haven't changed. I would have thought you improved."

"What?"

"I'll show you. You might find him shockingly familiar. DRANZER FLAME SABRE ATTACK!"

And the phoenix rose out of the chip, and gave its all too familiar battle call.

Reviewers: (running with knives and random sharp objects at UniGirl)

UniGirl: (running away) Sorry for the cliffhanger. This one I had planned out ever since I started the fic. And that's why I dedicated this chapter to you four. You all, at one point, even though you may have taken it back, guessed the truth about Flame's identity. I admit, it was very, very obvious, but you said it to my face and I'm acknowledging you for that. Sorry about not updating for almost a month. Reason at the top of this page.

REVIEW PLEASE! [gets on knees and begs] Oh, and if you're going to make predictions, you can, guess right, and get a chapter dedicated to you! I like seeing how my readers interpret my fic.

SDSilverDragon: I'm not pushing it. Really. Oh, there are so many bad fics out there it's not even funny. I have a hard time finding a really good one. And when I do, they almost never update (shakes fist at Ice Archer Girl, and Shadou-sama) Some people here have seen my reviews where I try to give constructive criticism and be nice at the same time. No one here has seen my flames.

Nessi: You're confused? Good!

Dranzen: Did you get my review? I hope I didn't scare you, I'm not good at writing constructive criticism and not be offensive at the same time.

Britt: Detail and Description…you know me very well. Yes, I am a description writer. I'm thinking of putting more fluff in the sequel, since this one has such a defined plot, where as the next one (spoiler alert) doesn't.

Demon's-gurl: Then I guess you'd hate me for this chapter too, ne? Wow, at least you could elaborate more on the "all this happen and stuff"

Phoenix the 1st: I'm trying. I think now I can start updating sooner since my (gasp) projects are done, no promises. Wing is not going to clear up for another three chapters. I think. You hate her? Good.

Feya: I know, it's driving me nuts. Was Erik with you when you wrote that? I know there are MS supporters. I am (partly) one myself, I mean, look at all my fave books. Well, I'm more of a GS by definition. HP, Eragon, Artemis Fowl, etc. ME NEEDS IY FIC BACK SOON!