A flock of birds flew across the deep blue skies that hovered over all of Japan. Down in Tokyo below, people prospered peaceably amongst each other. Cars rode across the city roads. Adults preferred to walk across the sidewalks. Children were playing together, especially one specific game; Beyblade. Their spinning tops attacked one another briskly in the Beystadium they fought in. The kids cheered happily and ecstatically as they enjoyed the 'most popular sport in Japan.'

Meanwhile, in the biggest park of Tokyo, a large gathering of people were there together for some sort of event. On several banners and stickers, it promoted the message, 'Celebrate the Coming of the Lunar Eclipse!' Nearly every citizen came to see this phenomenon. Sitting against a nearby tree was a young brown-haired boy in a white shirt, black vest, brown shorts, and a laptop sitting with him. He had small glasses in his hair and his eyes were hidden from the world under his long bangs of hair. He wore an ecstatic smile as he opened his laptop and aimed the small camera on the side of its monitor toward the disappearing sun. The eclipse was taking effect, and the sun was gradually turning black as coal. The boy pulled down his glasses over his nose and watched the eclipse as his computer recorded the whole thing. The sun, the moon, and the earth dramatically began to align…

"…It was this day that it happened…"

Finally, the eclipse was complete. Then suddenly, a large beam of light shone from the aligned sun and moon! The light flew like a shooting star across the skies. It looked as if the beam was guided somewhere in particular. Soon enough, the beam soared over the rocky plains of a mountainous region, its white shadow blanketing over it. The ray of light was heading at the ground at incredible speed. As it neared inevitable impact over the earth, its shadow shone over a strange symbol of a roaring beast embedded into it. The beam was drawn to this marked plain. Finally, in a great flash of light, the beam struck the symbol! A great shockwave of white light flew across the land, breaking every mountain or every bit of evolved rock formations in its path. Dramatically, the light dissipated. There was a huge crater in the ground that looked bottomless. Lightning sparked around the gigantic hole, and strange growling was heard from deep inside it. There was no other sound besides the growling from underground. Then, after a few moments, thousands of spirits flew out the hole! They flew over the monstrous crater they came out of. They looked like they were celebrating their freedom from deep in the Earth. There were a myriad of spirits flying about until one flew by with a hideous and frightening roar…

Beyblade Lunar Eclipse

Episode 1: "Prologue"

The darkness of night shadowed the city below. There were several lights from light poles and buildings large and small. There were still people out on the streets. But, there were also many spirits flying around under the night sky. A couple walked side by side together, hand in hand, under one light pole. Then, suddenly, the bulb that gave off the light suddenly exploded! The couple gasped and looked up. There was an enormous silhouette with large wings under the full moon. Suddenly, the shadowed figure flew downwards at them with a violent shriek! The couple gasped and quickly ran away as it swooped over the streets with a strong wind trailing after it. It was quiet once more. Nothing was moving…

…The running of feet began to echo throughout the dark alleys. A pair of legs quickly dashed past a garbage can, knocking it over. Feminine panting escaped the figure's lips as she ran. Right behind her, two other figures pursued her. A gun was aimed at her and the dark alley was given brief light as the bullet flew from that gun. The gunshot pierced through the cloak the pursued figure was wearing and turned a corner. The two figures took that same direction, but they found no one around. Whoever it was they chased after, she disappeared. It was a dead end, and there were no doors of any kind on the brick walls. There was no way she could be hiding there. Defeated, the two mysterious figures ran off elsewhere. After they left, the silhouetted girl stepped out of the shadows with no logical explanation. It was as if she could cloak herself in darkness. She panted wearily and staggered off to her next destination…if she had one.

The girl looked out from the alley to the empty streets of Tokyo. Alone and afraid, she limped out into the open as drops of water gradually fell upon her. Giving in to exhaustion, she quickly collapsed hard into the sidewalk. The light from a light pole flickered violently, either hiding the girl away or revealing her to the cruel world around her. Then, someone stepped in front of her. The girl looked up to see a silhouetted figure under an umbrella hovering over her. Then, she dropped her head into the wet floor under her. The light from the pole then began to glisten along with hope's brilliant radiance…

"Kyouju!"

In front of a glowing laptop screen, the same young boy with the brown hair and hidden eyes looked up in surprise, yelping. He calmed down and looked up to see a young female adolescent. She had brown eyes, spiky brown hair, an orange shirt with a crescent moon symbol and a star in the middle of it, a jacket with a lighter shade of red, and a hot pink skirt. "Oh, Hiromi!" Kyouju gasped.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" Hiromi pouted. "You spend way too much time in that laptop. I might as well take it away."

"Oh no! Don't do that!"

Hiromi grinned mischievously, "I'm just kidding."

Under the deep blue sky, Hiromi then sat down on the black bench Kyouju was already sitting on and looked at the glowing monitor. "What are you doing anyway?" she asked.

"I was starting a virtual diary," Kyouju replied. "Did you read my first entry?"

"Sure. You're talking about the lunar eclipse from yesterday."

Then, Hiromi turned her back on Kyouju and crossed her arms, twitching angrily. "And he was supposed to take me to the park to see it. And did he? No! I had to come to the park all by myself! I'm gonna get him for this!"

Kyouju chuckled uneasily, "Who?"

Laughter caught both their attention. Hiromi and Kyouju looked across the city streets to see two kids battling with Beyblades over the sidewalk. Kyouju smiled, "At least there are still things that are normal."

Hiromi looked questionably and murmured, "Um, shouldn't they Beyblade away from the street?"

"Huh? Ahh!"

Kyouju shut his laptop and stood from the bench in a panic. "Hey, kids! You shouldn't be playing near the street!" he cried. Both kids looked over to Kyouju, not paying attention as one Beyblade hit the other out on the street. And at that moment, a car was heading right for it! "Oh no!" one kid cried. Hiromi and Kyouju gasped as the car threatened to crush the spinning top. Then, suddenly, one silver-colored Beyblade with sharp blades within the attack ring soared through the air and knocked the blade out of the street and into the kid's hand. Then, it turned around in blinding speed to avoid getting crushed by the passing car itself and leapt up into someone's hand. "The streets are not the place to Beyblade, all right?" Hiromi and Kyouju looked to their left to see the savior with a familiar voice and gasped simultaneously. Together, they saw the hero's black shirt, red-orange jacket with fire markings around the edges, navy blue pants, black fingerless gloves, spiky blue hair, brown eyes, and a red and blue hat wore backwards. "TAKAO!" Hiromi and Kyouju exclaimed. The young adolescent looked over to the right and gasped once he set his eyes over them. Without a second thought, he quickly ran off with a trail of smoke following his tracks. Hiromi gasped incredulously while a big drop of sweat fell over Kyouju's head. "That…was random," he murmured.

Hiromi pouted angrily, "Why that…! How DARE he run away like that!"

Upon the girl's scream, Kyouju jumped away with a nervous chuckle.

As he walked down the sidewalk, Kinomiya Takao desperately tried to catch his breath. He looked back and moaned, "Geez, Hiromi had to be there. I can't face her right now." The young boy sighed and steered himself into a dojo in the sheltering part of Tokyo, 'Kinomiya Dojo.' He looked around his foreign setting and walked toward the left side. There, he found someone kneeling down to the small pool that was in front of the dojo boardwalk. With feminine humming in the background, the soft wind carried this girl's long black mane. Then, the humming stopped and the young girl looked over to see Takao walking to her, her aquamarine eyes sparkling magnificently. The girl stood up in her tan-colored shirt, red shorts, and a yellow blanket with triangle symbols on it tied around her upper body. "Welcome back, Takao-san," she greeted.

Takao took his hand behind his head and chuckled. "Not a lot of people call me that. But, just 'Takao' is fine, really."

"Very well. I will call you…'Takao.'"

"That reminds me. What do I call you?"

"I don't know. All I remember is…'LUNA.'"

"'Luna' is a nice name. Why not use that one?"

The girl looked at Takao strangely and tilted her head at him. "Why must you want to name everything? The sky doesn't need a name, does it?" she said.

Takao shook his head. "You are a strange girl. But, anyway…well…things and people need names."

"Very well. I will be known as 'Luna.'"

"Then, it's settled!"

"What is that in your hand?"

Takao looked in his right hand to see he still held his silver-colored Beyblade. "Oh, this is…a Beyblade," the young boy replied wearily.

"What's a…Beyblade?" Luna wondered.

"Well, since you don't know your real name, it's no surprise you don't this either. Beyblade is a sport where two people battle with spinning tops. The last blade still spinning is the winner."

Pointing at the blade parts, Takao continued his explanation. "The Beyblade is made up of five parts: the Bit Chip, the Attack Ring, the Weight Disk, the Spin Gear, and the Blade Base. These parts can be customized with similar parts to make the blade better, as long as it's legal. Some parts even have special gimmicks it can use in battle. See the blades along the Attack Ring? Once the blade is hit in such a way, the blades will open and add a bit more attack power in the ring itself. You understand?"

Luna nodded, "Yes. It sounds…interesting."

"Think so? Heh, most girls around here don't like this game, even a certain someone at one point."


"ACHOO!"

As she and Kyouju walked the sidewalks of Tokyo to Kinomiya Dojo, Hiromi sneezed immediately. "Feeling ill?" Kyouju wondered.

"No way. I was feeling fine this morning," she replied.


Still looking at Takao's blade, Luna pointed to the Bit Chip on top of it. "That chip there doesn't seem to have a real purpose," she said.

"Yeah, some Bit Chips are there for decoration, but mine is special," Takao replied.

"Can I see?"

Takao gladly handed his Beyblade to Luna for her to look at the Bit Chip. On it, she saw a picture of a ferocious blue dragon. Her eyes widened as she continued staring at it. "Seiryuu…"

"What's that?" Takao exclaimed in surprise.

"TAKAO!"

POW! Hiromi suddenly appeared and punched Takao over his head while Kyouju looked from a distance in fright! "OW! What was that for!" Takao cried, rubbing over his head.

Hiromi came at his face and exclaimed, "You think you can just appear out of nowhere as if nothing happened! Have you forgotten what you did to me! Some friend you are!"

"Look, I would've called earlier, but…I was busy."

After he said that, Hiromi looked behind him to notice Luna still looking at his Beyblade. "Hey! Who is this!" she exclaimed.

"Well, uh…" Takao tried to say.

"You lech! How could you keep her a secret from me! I hate you!"

"Hiromi, I just met her yesterday! Let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain! I understand what's going on perfectly well!"

While they were arguing, a mystified Luna continued to stare at the blue dragon. Then, she involuntarily dropped the Beyblade onto the ground before she passed out. After she fell, both Takao and Hiromi noticed and gasped simultaneously, "Oh no! Help her!"

Inside Takao's room in the dojo, Luna was sleeping in Takao's bed with a wet towel over her forehead. As she rested, Takao, Hiromi, and Kyouju watched over her. "So, you found her unconscious yesterday?" Kyouju said.

"That's right," Takao nodded. "She must've been sick. She was wearing nothing but a dirty brown cloak when I found her. So, I gave her some of my old clothes to wear."

"And she doesn't know her name or where she came from or anything?" Hiromi added.

"No. But, she did react when she saw Seiryuu," Takao answered.

Kyouju had the Beyblade Takao had before and examined it carefully. "This is a first for you, Takao. I gave you this new Beyblade, Dragoon Eclipse, three days ago, but it still looks like it has never been used." Takao looked away solemnly and sighed, and Kyouju and Hiromi stared after him in curiosity. "Takao?"

Takao replied gravely, "I've made up my mind. I think it's about time for me…to quit Beyblading for good."

Kyouju exclaimed, "WHAT!"

"Yeah. I think it's about that time."

Takao managed to crack a smile and laughed heartily. "It's no big deal! Let someone else be champion this time around!" As Takao laughed, both Hiromi and Kyouju stared at him in complete disbelief. Even Hiromi thought to herself, "Takao…quit Beyblade?"


On the opposite side of the Earth, night blanketed over the empty streets of New York City. As littered newspapers were blown across the sidewalks, faint cheering was heard from outside a large stadium that had light beaming from its windows.

Inside, the cheering swelled up as young children and adolescents alike stood from their seats in excitement. In the middle of the filled stands of the stadium walls, there was a Beyblade arena with a single man wearing a black bandanna and black clothing underneath a red T-shirt standing before it. With a microphone in hand, he exclaimed to the crowd. "It is the final match of New York City's Regional Tournament! I, Blader DJ, am proud to be your host for this evening! Now, is everyone ready to see how will be named the regional champ!" Immediately, the crowd of children exploded into a collective cheer that shook the entire stadium. Blader DJ continued, "All right then! Here, on my right, is the defending regional champion, our very own Mizuhara Max!" As the crowd cheered, a young, blond-haired adolescent with mischievous sapphire eyes walked up to the ring as he cheerfully waved to the crowd, wearing an emerald-colored shirt, reddish-orange jeans, and a red jacket tied around his waist. After he made it to the stadium, Max faintly heard people in the crowd chanting his name. "MAX! MAX! MAX!"

"Yes, this famous Beyblader's reputation precedes him," Blader DJ announced. "He made it all the way to the semifinals in last year's World Championship. It is true that he lost to the former champion, Kinomiya Takao, but he still looks forward in becoming the World Champ this year!"

The crowd enthusiastically cheered once more. But, Max took a brief moment to collect his thoughts. "Takao…a former champion. It's still kinda hard to believe after knowing for this long, but I guess it had to happen some day. But, what kinda Beyblader is this guy to best someone like Takao?"

Blader DJ continued, "Now then, let's meet another Beyblader who's gradually becoming a fan favorite to win this match! He's new to the Beyblading scene, but I've never shown so much hardcore skill from any newbie! Everyone, to my left, give up for Alexander Masters!"

From the left side of the stadium, Max's opponent made his way to the ring. As the boy's long crimson mane swayed behind him, he wore white jeans and a purple shirt with the number '1' on his left shoulder and long black sleeves that extended from under the shirt. His eyes were mysteriously hidden under the visor of his white and navy cap that had headphones hanging from behind his head. After he stopped before the Beystadium, he pointed to the front of his cap that read "ALEX" with a wide grin. "Just 'Alex' is fine," he said.

Blader DJ replied, "Yes. Alex Masters."

Whimsically, Max greeted his opponent as he scratched the back of his head. "I've been watching you throughout this tournament. I was hoping I would face you in the finals."

Alex chuckled, "It's nice to hear that from the soon-to-be former Regional Champ."

"We'll see about that!"

With that, Max pulled out a green Custom Grip shooter and a red ripcord from under his jacket. Next, he revealed an aquamarine Beyblade that reached 1.4 inches and secured it in his shooter. Alex was already holding up a purple Custom Grip shooter before him with an orange-colored Beyblade that came to about the same size as Max's. As the two Beybladers prepared to battle, Blader DJ began the countdown. "3…2…1…"

Simultaneously, Max and Alex cried, "GO SHOOT!"

They both pulled their ripcords, and with a powerful spin, both Beyblades were released to the wide blue Beystadium below them. The battle had begun.

Both Beyblades entered the Beystadium, and they both circled around the edge, awaiting the right moment to attack. Alex was first. "Let's see how tough you really are." With that, the orange Beyblade's pace grew exponentially and caught up with Max's blade. It went to attack it, but the moment it touched, the orange blade was sent backward instantly! "Huh?" Alex wondered.

Max grinned, "Surprised you, huh? That's my new blade, Draciel Endless. Four sides of the blade base are guarded with metal bars built inside of it. Any attacks made toward will do you no good. And since that makes my blade a bit heavier, you won't be able to send me out the ring so easily. That's why my defense…is endless!"

With that, the aquamarine blade, Draciel E, briefly went on the attack and tackled the orange blade, sending it back hard! "Whoa! Looks like I can't fool around here," Alex said. "Go, Red Salamander Atlas!" Alex's blade quickly went back after Draciel E. "Jump!" he cried. Red Salamander A leapt in midair and hovered over Max's blade as Alex shouted, "And attack!" The orange blade flew down at the green blade and smashed over the top of it, pushing it back. "You sacrifice your speed, Max! If I can't knock you out, I'll wear you down!" Red Salamander A leapt up once more and went after Draciel E from its top once more. But, Draciel E suddenly circled away, leaving Red Salamander A to hit the floor behind them! Then, the green blade went after the orange blade as quick as it could and grinded against it, its powerful weight heavily depleting its opponent's spin power. Max replied, "I know my speed is average. So, I just have to anticipate you!" Draciel E brashly knocked Red Salamander A back to the edge of the Beystadium. "Oh! Is this it!" Blader DJ exclaimed excitedly. Max cried out, "Draciel!" It was Draciel E's turn to leap into the air with a stunned Red Salamander A below it. "Finish it!" Max's blade quickly dropped down at Red Salamander A, threatening to finish it off. But, it stood its ground, strangely awaiting its defeat. But, unbeknownst to Max, Alex wore the slyest grin, as if he was up to something. Finally, Draciel E impacted Red Salamander A, creating a giant explosion of green light! As the cloud of brown debris the attack made dissipated, Draciel Endless was severely off balance, but Red Salamander A was literally buried in the Beystadium, defeated.

Under the burning limelight, Max wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Boy, that was close. Somehow, that blade made me lose balance on that impact. I held too much back. If he managed to survive that attack, I would've been the loser."

"Red Salamander Atlas, sleep out!" Blader DJ exclaimed. "Max is the win…!"

"Not so fast!"

Alex suddenly stopped Blader DJ in his announcement and pointed down to the Beystadium. Max looked down and gasped at what he saw. Below Alex was another, smaller Red Salamander Atlas! "How can that be!" Max exclaimed. He looked to his left and found the first Red Salamander A still stuck in the Beystadium beside his unstable Draciel E. "Oh, wait! Alex is still in the game! He had just demonstrated Red Salamander A's special ability to split into two blades! The officials know about this move, so it's perfectly legal! But, this is the first time he's ever used it in this whole tournament!"

"You tricked me…and everyone else," Max said to Alex. "Because we didn't know about this move, the element of surprise was yours."

"Heh, heh. Exactly," Alex grinned. "Like a lizard who sheds its skin, Red Salamander A has the special gimmick to split into two blades. I didn't think I had to use this crude move to defeat you."

"What?"

Max looked down to be reminded that Draciel E was terribly off balance, its speed quickly dying. Then, finally, it had stopped spinning. Max gasped, "NO!" But, it was true. With the second Red Salamander A still spinning, Max and Draciel Endless was defeated.

Blader DJ and the crowd were astounded by the outcome of the match, briefly silencing them all. But, Blader DJ quickly regained his composure and cried out the final verdict. "It's over! Alex is the winner by sleep out!" As most of the crowd cheered, Max's fans in the stands were bewildered by their idol's defeat. But, Max himself was shocked at his loss. "Unbelievable," he thought. "He deliberately sacrificed his primary Beyblade to kill my spin power to its very limit. Then, his secondary blade would out-spin my weakened Draciel Endless easily." Max clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in quiet frustration. "I should be able to stomach a loss, but losing like this…" The diminutive Red Salamander A flew out the Beystadium and into Alex's hand. The boy with the cap grinned once more. "I guess your defense isn't so endless after all." Then, he went down to pick up his real Red Salamander A. But, he stopped once he spotted Draciel E's Bit Chip. On it was a picture of a giant purple turtle with a black armored shell. Alex proceeded to take his blade and silently walked off. Blader DJ announced to the crowd, "Now, stay put in your seats for the ceremony that will acknowledge Alex Masters as the new Regional Champion!" Max frowned and watched as Alex silently walked away. "How can I hope to face Takao or his successor again if I lost to someone like that?"

As he headed towards the locker room walkway, a single blue eye sparkled from under Alex's visor. "There's no doubt about it. That was Genbu," he murmured. As his long red mane waved along with his movement, the mysterious young boy disappeared into the shadows of the walkway, with intentions unknown…

"Mizuhara Max, be prepared for our next Beybattle."


Back in Tokyo, while Luna still slept in his bed, Takao was in his room, looking over his Dragoon E silently. "I don't even know why I had you with me, even though you helped save another kid's blade," he thought with a halfhearted grin. Suddenly, Hiromi discreetly came into Takao's room. With worry in her voice, she spoke to Takao, "Takao, this isn't like you at all. What is this all of a sudden?"

"Why do you care? You never even liked Beyblade," Takao scowled irritably.

"That doesn't matter anymore. I never wanted you to give up something you love, especially since it's obvious you don't want to."

Takao looked over to Hiromi who had an honest gleam in her eyes. Accepting her comfort, he decided to open up to her. "You don't have to worry, Hiromi. I just finally met the one Beyblader I could never beat. I'm not even the World Champion anymore, remember? He managed to defeat me in last year's tournament. A week ago, I found out that he lives around here, and I wanted a rematch. I couldn't beat him…four times! I figured I should stop before I embarrass myself even more. He's just…better than me."

"That shouldn't make you quit just like that," Hiromi replied. "Whenever your opponent is tougher than expected, you always get tougher. Just try to get better."

"What do you think I've been doing after each loss? I trained a bit more after he beat me and learned plenty of new tricks. But, he still gets the best of me. It's best if I forget about it."

Takao placed his Beyblade on top of his dresser and sighed once more. "Excuse me," he said. Then, he quietly walked past Hiromi. The girl watched him leave his room and looked back down at his shiny, lonely blade he had left behind with a sympathetic stare…


Under the afternoon sun, in the far, forested outskirts of Tokyo, a family of birds came together to rest together after a long, full day of flight. Squirrels gathered brown nuts from the ground to take into their shelters in the trees. As nature was taken its final course in the day, there was a loud sound echoing around the wide trees. It was the sound of an ax cutting through a block of wood. The sound was at its loudest at a small field without any trees in the middle of the entire forest. Sitting behind a tree stump, there was a young boy wearing a dirty blue shirt and light blue pants with a torn left tassel. With crimson hair messy from hard labor and focused emerald colored eyes that emitted pure ferocity at his duty, he took a small ax in his right hand and delivered fine cuts through many pieces of wood he laid on the stump before him. After three more cuts, he put his ax down and sighed as he wiped over his forehead. He looked over to his right and scaled up the enormous pile of wood he gathered on a small sleigh. It was practically twice his size! "Boy, maybe I overdid it some," the boy said in a small but gruff tone of voice. He went in front of the sleigh and picked up its tug rope to pull it. It didn't budge. As he exerted himself to pull the heavy sleigh at most one inch, he stopped to take a breath. "Aw man! There's no way I'm gonna bring all this firewood back home!" he groaned, bowed down his head in defeat.

"Daichi!" someone cried out!

The red-haired boy quickly raised his head at the sound of his name and grinned mischievously while slightly blushing. Suddenly, a young girl appeared from the bushes and found Daichi before her. She had long pink hair in a ponytail, a black dress with a yellow silk belt around her waist, and dark brown boots. Her live, sapphire colored eyes shimmered as she said, "The elder's wondering where you were. You better hurry up!"

Daichi took one hand behind his head and laughed, "Uh, yeah! I was just heading back!"

The girl looked over to the giant pile of wood and looked up towards the top in awe. "Oh wow! You got all this done!"

"Yeah, well…" the boy shrugged.

"It looks heavy. How about I help you bring back to our village?"

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to help," Daichi replied honestly.

"Oh no, it's no problem at all."

With that, the girl picked up the rope and pulled it. Miraculously, and at Daichi's surprise, she managed to pull the sleigh around one foot forward with fairly little effort at all! The boy's eyes bulged out of their sockets in shock while the young girl giggled. "Oh, this is pretty heavy! But, I should be able to take it back to the village by myself. Do you mind?"

"Uh…no. Go ahead."

With that, the girl continued pulling the sleigh full of wood out of the clear area in the forest as Daichi stood there, staring after her in emasculation. With that blank expression still over his face, he murmured, "I have officially lost faith in myself as a man." Shamefully and in defeat, Sumeragi Daichi slowly followed her back home.

After a while, the two kids found themselves in a moderately large village of straw huts and gardens of growing vegetation. In similar native robes and dresses, the villagers went around picking fresh corn from their crops and gathering their fair share of water from the well in the middle of the village streets. It wasn't long until the night sky will blanket the sky, so they all did everything they needed to do before going into their respective huts with their families.

Daichi and the young girl made it back into the village with the sleigh of wood. The girl sighed, "We made it! That was a great workout!"

"I'm sure it was," Daichi groaned to himself.

"I'm just doing all I can to catch up to you! I bet you could've pulled that sleigh single-handed!"

Daichi chuckled uneasily and thought to himself. "Is she serious? She really doesn't realize her strength."

Suddenly, laughter was directed towards the two kids. They both looked to their left to find a trio of three boys sneering at them derisively. The skinny, nasally kid stepped forward and chuckled, "You two together again? Don't you get tired to hanging around girls, runt?"

As the girl hid behind his arm nervously, Daichi exclaimed, "Hey, shut up, ya punk! Who are you to always be picking on her anyway!"

"Are you really that much of a wimp?" the stout kid in the overalls replied. "You were kinda cool before, but now that that girl had shown up in our village, you've gone soft! What happened to the Sumeragi Beyblade Champ!"

"He's still here, fatso! I don't hear any of you challenging me, so fight me before saying crap like that!"

Finally, the tallest kid with the shady eyes and the long nose grinned cruelly. "Okay then, I'll challenge you. If you lose, you shall officially renounce your title as the Beyblade Champ of the entire village and admit to everyone that you love that girl, Reena!"

Daichi blushed for a brief second when accused of liking the pink-haired girl hiding behind him. But, he quickly regained his bearings and exclaimed, "All right then! And if I win, you have to stand outside naked in front of all the kids here!"

The boy with the long nose twitched inadvertently at Daichi's dare, but he clinched his fist and swung it in front of him. "Y…you're on!" Daichi looked back toward Reena and whispered, "Get back, okay?" Reena quietly nodded and meekly stepped away to stand next to the sleigh of wood. With the red sun setting behind him, Daichi pulled out a gray ax-like Grip Shooter from a pound he had hanging around his waist and attached a dark purple Beyblade on it. The long-nosed boy pulled out a small black EZ shooter with a light blue blade hooked onto it. The other two bullies grinned tauntingly at Daichi as they began the countdown. "Three…two…one…GO! SHOOT!" Answering to the call, Daichi and the bully both pulled their ripcords and released their respective Beyblades to do battle!

In the middle of the two Beybladers, the two Beyblades circled around through the grassy terrain, ripping the small green blades with little to no effort. Finally, the blades had met and grinded against each other before they both pushed away from each other. After they had repeated their initial attack, the two blades continuously struck against each other with one single strike after another. Then, finally, the purple Beyblade pushed the blue one away, making it wobble for a moment. The bully grunted as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. Daichi grinned confidently, "What's the matter? Are ya backing off already?"

"Ha! Like I'd do something like that! GO!"

The blue Beyblade went after Daichi's blade, but the purple blade was already coming at it! It literally plowed through the bully's blade and sent in midair for a moment. After it had landed and left itself disoriented, the purple blade came back and sent it back up again. Daichi rubbed under his nose with one finger as he chuckled and looked back towards Reena with a big grin. "I've got this one, Reena!"

"You can do it, Daichi! Show him what you got!" the girl cheered.

"You got it! GO!"

Daichi's blade quickly circled around and went at the bully's blade, closing in to finish the battle. But, suddenly, two other blades came at it and violently pushed it back! Daichi gasped as he saw his blade slowly losing balance and found that he now has three opponents. The other two bullies had interfered in the Beybattle!

Guarding the blue Beyblade, the other two Beyblades, one gray and the other red, stood still and spun before Daichi's blade. Daichi clenched his teeth and frowned at the three grinning bullies. "I should've known you would stoop this low."

The skinny kid snickered to himself, "You didn't say we couldn't join in as well."

"And now we can take care of you together!" the obese kid added.

The three Beyblades simultaneously came at Daichi's blade from three different directions. They blast through the purple top within a second with dead on smash attacks, circled around, and repeated the same tactic. Daichi growled in frustration as he watched his blade being pummeled at all directions. Reena cried out in worry, "Daichi!"

"Don't worry; I'm still in this!"

Daichi folded his arms before him in a cross and gave a loud cry that gradually grew into a louder tone. Reacting to his cry, the purple Beyblade briefly glowed in a faint, golden color. Then, as the three blades came at it again, they were instantly repelled from it! The bullies gasped as they saw their Beyblades pushed back in an unstable spin. Daichi slightly lowered his arms to flash a great smirk over his face. "Three against one and this is all you guys have for me?" he taunted.

"We'll get you!" the long nosed kid grunted. "Guys! Follow me!"

Suddenly, the blue Beyblade regained its bearings and went after the purple one as the other two blades followed. Then, they all steered to the right and circled around the purple top. As they spun around and around as quickly as they could, they literally created a circle of light energy around the blade. Daichi grunted, "You tryin' to trap me!" Daichi's blade went forward to try to force its way out of the light circle, but it was instantly pushed back! When it took off to the right of the circle, it was pushed away once more. It seemed that whenever Daichi's blade gets to the circle, it wasn't fast enough to avoid being pushed back by one of the three blades creating it. Reena gasped, "Oh no! Daichi!" But, Daichi still retained his wide grin. "Don't worry. Watch this. Only the power of one foot can defeat them!" With that, a golden aura briefly glowed around Daichi's blade once again, and it quickly dashed forward at the circle of light once more. The red-haired youth held up his right foot to be diagonal to the ground; reacting to his simple movement, the purple blade bent down on its side diagonally to the ground. As it quickly went into the circle, the moment the blue Beyblade connected, it literally 'tripped' over it! The bully's blade was sent rolling over the ground, and while the other two blades still followed, it crashed into the lead blade and completely broke their attack. Daichi cried out, "Now! Finishing Attack! Co-Ring Cutter!" As his purple blade circled around at the three blades, its special aura glowed once more and took the form of a large ring of energy around the blade. It quickly slashed straight through the trio of blades with a giant impact, so great an impact that it completely destroyed all three of them in one swoop! Daichi had won!

Reena cheered in ecstasy. "Yeah! Daichi's number 1!" Now that the battle was over, the purple Beyblade flew into Daichi's right palm to rest. The bullies gasped in utter shock as they witnessed the shattered pieces of their Beyblades and fell to their knees in defeat, crying and bawling. "No! I can't believe we lost! It's gonna be cold tomorrow! I don't wanna be naked!"

Daichi chuckled, "Guess I'm not so weak after all, huh?"

Reena quickly came to Daichi's side and smiled at him in pure relief. "You did great, Daichi! You've gotten a lot better!"

"Heh! I know!"

"Boy, I wish I can be twice as good as you."

"Oh, come on! Even you can wail on these guys when it comes to Beyblade! Why don't you challenge them right now?"

"But, you…destroyed their Beyblades."

"Huh, I did?"
Daichi and Reena looked back to find the bits and pieces that were left of the bullies' Beyblades before them. Daichi could only laugh. "Heh, did I do that?"

All three bullies answered as they continued sniffling, "You most certainly did!"

Daichi blew them off with a casual shrug as Reena giggled to herself. "Well, what can you do?"

"Daichi!" a voice called.

The two kids looked to their left side to spot a tall middle-aged man with black hair and shot black beard that linked to his sideburns. He also wore brown and red robes that tell people that he was an important figure. Daichi and Reena kept their eyes on this man as they both murmured, "The Elder…"

"If you are finished with your friends, come into my hut at once," the man quietly demanded.

With that, the Elder walked off to a hut that seemed larger than the others and went inside.

Daichi turned to Reena with a questionable look. "What would the Elder want with me all of a sudden?"

Reena answered, "I'm not quite sure, but…I'm pretty sure it has something to do with your father."

"What?"

"That's what he said when he told me to come get you. You better hurry up; I'll take care of the wood."

"Okay. I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, then?"

"Just like always," the girl smiled.

"See ya around, then!"

Then, Daichi started to run off. But, he briefly stopped when he caught the three bullies he defeated in the corner of his eye. He yelled at them, "You better not chicken out of our bet, or I'm huntin' you down!"

"Huh? You were serious!" they all exclaimed.

"Of course I was, you morons!"

"Aww…"

Finally, Daichi continued on to the Elder's hut. He stopped before the door and stared at how tall it was. But, he was deeply thinking about the reason he was entering that door. "My father…what could the Elder know about him?" His mind made up, the boy pulled the door open and slowly went inside.


Back at Kinomiya Dojo, Takao was sitting on the boardwalk only with his private thoughts and the night sky looking down at him. As he was staring at the stars, Hiromi and Kyouju stayed to the side, watching him in worry. "I still can't believe that Takao would give up like this," Kyouju murmured. "It isn't like him at all."

Hiromi added, "It's like he lost the reason why he loved Beyblading so much. If only there was something that would bring his spirit back…"

Takao sighed to himself as he rubbed over his head in frustration. "Is this really the right thing to do? Why do I still have doubts about my decision?" he thought.

Then, Takao inadvertently yelled, "Argh! Can anything take my mind off of Beyblade anymore!"

Suddenly, a siren-like cry shrieked through everyone's ears! All three adolescents held their ears to block out the noise. "What is that horrible sound!" Hiromi cried. Takao looked up and gasped once he spotted a gigantic, brown-furred bat fly over Kinomiya Dojo! Its huge shadow loomed over them as it crashed onto the street in front of the dojo. "That'll do," the blue-haired boy said as he quickly ran out the dojo entrance.

"Takao!" both Hiromi and Kyouju cried as they followed.

After the kids exited the dojo, they gasped as they saw the bat they say that was easily twice their size! It was lying over the streets with a bad right wing. It looked twisted and it was even bleeding. Takao gasped, "What is that! A giant bat!"

"It looks badly wounded," Hiromi said sympathetically.

The bat Holy Beast made weak, defenseless cries, as if it was begging for mercy. Kyouju turned away from his panicked expressions and made a quick observation. "Wait, that distinct aura around it…could this be a…Holy Beast?"

"A Holy Beast?" Takao replied. "Are you sure?"

"What else could it be? They had been reports of strange creatures seen around town lately."

"Unreal."

"Stay back, children!" a gruff voice called.

Takao, Hiromi, and Kyouju looked over to see a tall, white-haired man dressed in a military uniform with sergeant rank over his broad shoulders. His blue eyes gleamed cold and menacingly at the wounded Holy Beast as he ruthlessly held a rifle at it. "Who in the world are you!" Kyouju cried.

The man looked back toward the adolescents and gritted his teeth. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Why do you have a rifle at it! It's already wounded and unable to defend itself!"

"I bet you wounded him like this, didn't you?" Hiromi added in instant anger. "I think you've done enough!"

"What would kids like you know about this?" the man replied coolly. "This has nothing to do with any of you."

"Sgt. Mizuno!" a voice called out.

In seconds, the soldier's rifle was struck in the middle of it by something hard, instantly breaking it in half! He dropped both halves of the broken rifle and looked below his feet to see a small black Beyblade with crimson streaks under the bottom of its blade base. "Who's there!" the man named Sgt. Mizuno wondered. Everyone looked up to see someone standing tall on the Kinomiya Dojo's wall. It was a young, colored boy with short black hair that had two green streaks on its side. He wore light gray baggy pants and navy T-shirt with a light blue jacket worn over it. His tough-looking brown eyes glared down at Mizuno while Takao was unable to look away from this new youth. The sergeant groaned, "Not that kid again."

"You won't be taking that Holy Beast, Sergeant!" the dark-skinned boy declared.

Then, he slightly widened his eyes, and his Beyblade reacted to him. Oddly enough, it came after the Holy Beast. The boy cried, "ABSOLUTE KERBEROUS!" Suddenly, from the dark Beyblade, the image of a large, frightening three-headed dog that wore blood red armor over its legs, shoulders, and back appeared! The beast went at the bat Holy Beast and slashed at it with one swipe of its right paw! Crimson blades slashed right through the bat, and after one last blood-curdling scream, it vanished into several diminutive particles. It had been completely destroyed.

Takao and the others gasped in horror. Hiromi whispered, "I thought…he was here…to save that creature."

Kyouju continued, "But, he…killed it?"

Sgt. Mizuno grunted in frustration. "There goes another one. You'll pay for this, kid!" With that, the mysterious man in military wear quickly retreated and disappeared.

The Beyblade, Absolute Kerberous, flew back into the unknown youth's right palm. He leapt down from the dojo wall and started to walk off without a word. But, Hiromi called after him, "Hey, wait a minute! You need to explain yourself!"

The boy softly replied, "There's nothing to discuss. You best forget what happened here tonight."

"Like that's gonna happen! We watched you kill a Holy Beast, a living creature!"

"I didn't kill it. I gave it its freedom. That man was going to capture that defenseless creature, and it's best that he doesn't get his dirty hands on it."

"That hardly justifies what you just did! You're no better than that cruel man!"

The boy looked back with a piercing stare, and it immediately sent chills down Hiromi's spine. "Whoa. What a creepy look," she murmured to herself. Then, the boy spotted Takao simply staring at him with a blank look over his face. He quickly recognized him. "Hmm. So, this is where you live, Kinomiya Takao."

"Huh? Takao, do you know him?" Kyouju wondered.

Takao continued to stare without looking away, but he briefly found the strength to speak. "I don't…know his real name. But…he calls himself…'BOSS.' He's the…current World Champion." Hiromi and Kyouju gasped at this sudden development. They were face to face with the boy who was known only as "Boss," the boy who defeated Takao.

Boss shut his eyes calmly and nodded his head. "Yes, that's me. The one and only."

"So, he's the one who Takao couldn't beat!" Hiromi thought to herself.

"It's nice to see you, Takao. After your last attempt to fight me yesterday, I was surprised that you didn't come at me again today."

Takao didn't answer. He was still completely mystified by Boss' presence, alone with only his thoughts. But, after a while, he slightly frowned at him. "Well, I have to get going now. See ya around," Boss said. Then, the boy turned away to walk off. But, this time, Takao spoke up. "Wait!" Boss stopped walking, but he didn't turn around to face him. Takao continued regardless. "You and that Mizuno guy apparently know each other, right?"

"I suppose," Boss replied.

"So, I take it that you've done this before."

The dark boy turned around toward Takao with a resigned look over his face. "And if I did?"

"You know perfectly well that I have a Holy Beast. Does that mean you'll come after my Seiryuu, too?"

Boss didn't reply, but without changing his expression, it was clear that he didn't deny it. Then, Takao's eyes widened as his soul suddenly ignited. "Well, forget it!"

"Hm?" Boss wondered.

"Seiryuu has always been there for me ever since I accidentally broke his seal on my family's sword! Together, we become the World Champion for three years straight! The least I could do was to put him back in his seal so he could finally have a well-deserved rest after my retirement! There's no way I'm gonna let you take his life!"

"People like that man will eventually find out that you have a Holy Beast once they research the BBA files of every Beyblader who participated in the championships," Boss protested. "It's better to destroy it now before they ruin any more lives."

"What about your Holy Beast? Will you destroy him as well? He's your partner!"

"That's not even a question. Once I rid the world of all Holy Beasts, I will destroy my Absolute Kerberous without any regret."

Hiromi and Kyouju gasped in disbelief. "I can't believe you just said that!" Kyouju exclaimed.

"You would really throw away your own Holy Beast's life so needlessly like that!" Hiromi added.

"That's the plan," Boss nodded.

"Then, I've clearly overestimated you," Takao said. "If you would discard something as precious as your partner, then you're not the great Beyblader I thought you were. I would NEVER give up my title as World Champ to someone as heartless as you!"

After hearing those words, Hiromi smiled at Takao in relief. From this moment, Takao was indeed his old self again.

Boss scoffed in reply to Takao's speech. "But, I do have the title. I defeated you, remember?"

"No, you haven't!" Takao shot back. "You may have the title, but that doesn't mean I have to acknowledge it! As long as you think the way you do, you don't deserve to be World Champion!"

"I see. So, you're going to be stubborn, right?"

Hiromi came to Takao's side and tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. He looked down at her and found two items in her hands. It was his Beyblade and Grip Shooter! Takao smiled, "Thanks a lot."

Hiromi nodded, "I knew you wouldn't quit so soon. So go get him."

Without question, Takao took his Beyblade gear from Hiromi and proceeded to attach his Dragoon E onto its shooter. Then, he held it before Boss, once again challenging him to a Beybattle. The dark kid sighed in exasperation. "You're a glutton for punishment. But, I admit that you're kinda fun to beat around. I accept your fifth challenge!" With that, Boss dramatically pushed back the right flap of his jacket to pull out a gray and white Grip shooter. Then, his right hand reached for the 'necklace' around his neck and pulled it by its large finger grips to reveal it as a ripcord while he sets it in the shooter. Next, he snatched his Beyblade from his back pocket and attached it to the shooter while holding both arms over his head. "GO! SHOOT!" he cried as he finally pulled the cord to release Absolute Kerberous.

"Go, Dragoon Eclipse!" Takao cried after releasing his own blade.

With two blades running at each other, the battle between the current and former champions has begun.

The two Beyblades came at a head and grinded against each other to start things off. After they forced themselves backwards, they circled around again before coming at the center and attacking again. "Come on, Dragoon! Let's show this guy how powerful we really are!" Takao exclaimed.

Boss replied, "You're wasting your time. You know how powerful I am."

With that, Absolute Kerberous backed away from its opponent and ran to the Kinomiya Dojo wall. Boss leapt up in the air with his blade, and they both simultaneously jumped from the wall to gain more air. Then, Boss cried out fiercely as he and his blade flew down at the ground. Upon landing, Boss thrust his fist to the ground below, creating a powerful shockwave! Also, when Absolute Kerberous landed hard on the ground, it created its own shockwave through the ground! The waves violently pushed Takao while his Dragoon E was thrown off the ground momentarily. The powerful winds flew past Hiromi and Kyouju while they monitored the battle. "Wow! What an intense power!" Hiromi awed.

"You're telling me!" Kyouju replied.

Kyouju was sitting down on the sidewalk with his laptop before him, analyzing Absolute Kerberous and comparing it to Dragoon E's stats. Kyouju explained, "Absolute Kerberous' battle power is ridiculously immense! Even though Dragoon E's still a fresh Beyblade, it's gonna have a hard time against something like that!" Takao stood his ground while Dragoon E continued spinning over a disturbed, cracked floor. "I'm not gonna let you beat me that easily!" Takao declared.

"Hmph. That was nothing, and you know it," Boss scoffed.

"Well, try this!"

With that, both Takao and Dragoon E leapt into the air, right in front of the moon in the dark sky. Boss followed his movements carefully. But, as Takao flew out of the way of the moon, its moonlight reflected over Dragoon E and created a white flash to blind Boss! "Ah!" he groaned. Momentarily stunned, Absolute Kerberous was left in wait as Dragoon E quickly darted it fast from midair. Takao landed back on the ground and swung his right arm to the side like a swipe. Answering to the blader's command, the silver Beyblade landed to the left and took a hard right to strike the black Beyblade hard, pushing it back! The force from Takao's blow also shoved Boss backward over his feet. He still stood, but it was clear that he was genuinely surprised. Hiromi cheered, "All right! Nice move!"

"Takao managed to use Dragoon Eclipse's elemental gimmick," Kyouju explained. "The moonlight can reflect against the moon's rays of light to create a brief flare of light to stun the opponent. It's not a practical move, being that most Beyblading takes place during the day, but it's the ideal blade for night battles."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Boss smiled. "You managed to catch my interest."

"Like I always do!" Takao grinned back.

Boss still wore that smile as he thought of his next move. Takao was still grinning as well, but a bead of sweat fell down his face in worry. "He always says that whenever he begins to take things seriously," he thought. "I'd better watch myself."

Then, Takao cried, "Go!"

Dragoon E went on a straight dash towards Absolute Kerberous as it was also heading towards it. Quickly, they both came at one another to meet in a great collision…

…Inside Kinomiya Dojo, in Takao's room, the sound of the collision was faintly heard. But, it was even to shock Luna awake from her slumber. The mysterious girl sat back up and held her forehead wearily. "Where…?" Then, suddenly, a loud beastly roar was heard, and Luna gasped. She murmured, "S…Seiryuu…?"

Back outside, Dragoon E and Absolute Kerberous kept smashing into each other upon the cracked floor below them, exchanging blow for blow. Takao softly panted in faint exhaustion, but Boss still kept his calm composure. "At this rate, I'll tire down like last time and lose," he thought. "No. I mustn't wear down just yet. If I fail…" Slowly, Takao struggled to stand upright and ignored his exhaustion. In reply, Dragoon E began to summon greater power and knocked away Absolute Kerberous with one smash attack! Boss twitched, "What?" Takao wore the face of determination as faint wind surrounded his entire body. As several seconds past, the wind became stronger and faster. Then, he threw his head to the night sky and roared, "DRAGOON, ATTACK!" With intense wind violently flowing from Takao, the blue and gray dragon, Seiryuu, roared loudly from behind. The dragon coiled around his partner and lashed out at the dark Beyblade before him. The powerful storm pushed against the blade and forcefully pushed it back several feet. Caught off guard, Boss was thrown from the wind and was threatened to be pushed back. Boss managed to barely stand his ground and cried out, "NOT YET!" While pushing against the wind, Absolute Kerberous emitted vast amounts of raw black energy from itself and pushed back against the tornado of Dragoon E. The actual Holy Beast, Absolute Kerberous, surrounded himself with that same energy as an intense battle aura and ran through the wind with a powerful roar. But, Seiryuu was already charging at him, and they were prepared to meet in a great collision! As Kyouju and Hiromi watched in awe while shielding themselves from the waves of powerful energy, Takao and Boss cried as the powers of their Beyblades met in one point, resulting into a giant explosion…

…As the smoke slowly cleared, Hiromi and Kyouju coughed amongst the debris. Hiromi exclaimed, "Takao!"

"That was an incredible collision!" Kyouju awed. "How could any blade still be spinning after that!"

"Takao…"

Then, as the battleground finally became visible, the two spectators gasped as the entire street was completely littered with several faults and cracks in it! Kyouju laughed uneasily, "You were right, Hiromi. You should play Beyblade away from the street."

Ignoring him, Hiromi cried out, "Takao!"

The colored boy in blue, Boss, was still standing in the transparent screen of smoke, slowly panting to himself. And in front of him, Takao was on one knee, his panting coarser than his opponent's. After the smoke completely disappeared, Absolute Kerberous was wearily spinning, but Dragoon E's unstable spin was quickly dying out. Boss grinned, "You got some power when you're properly motivated. But, it looks like I'm gonna win once again."

Takao gritted his teeth. "No. I…can't…let it…end like this…ugh."

Suddenly, a voice softly called out. "Seiryuu?" Everyone looked toward the entrance of the Kinomiya Dojo and found a wandering Luna standing there.

As Luna looked around in wonder, Boss' eyes widened as he stared at her. Takao lifted his head and found her standing at the dojo's door. "Luna?" he grunted.

"Takao-san…where is Seiryuu?" she asked.

"What?"

Luna looked down at the weakened Dragoon E and gasped at what she saw. In place of the Beyblade, she saw the blue dragon, Seiryuu, barely standing on his legs and his arms hanging down to his side. He weakly growled as his black eyes slowly faded. The mysterious girl reached out with one hand and murmured, "You're…dying…" Suddenly, a faint white aura glowed around this girl, surprising everyone! "What's…happening?" Hiromi wondered.

"I've no idea!" Kyouju replied.

Boss stood upright and stared in disbelief. "No. She can't be… She's a…Holy Beast!"

Takao gasped, "What!"

"I had no idea…that the Holy Beasts that recently appeared here…are able to take on a human form."

"You've gotta…be kidding."

Luna's hand had caught the weakened Seiryuu's attention, and he softly growled to her. The young girl smiled wistfully, "Don't worry. It will be all right. I'm going…to save you." The white aura began to glow brighter and larger around Luna until it completely consumed her. Then, a brilliant flash burst from her and washed over the blue dragon, and he disappeared with one last roar. The powerful light went into the top of Dragoon E, and the blade itself glowed with intense white energy. Everyone was hiding their eyes away while trying to figure out what was happening. Boss grunted, "What is this?"

Takao wondered, "If it's true that Luna is a Holy Beast…is she…giving Seiryuu her own powers?"

Suddenly, the energy expanded, and it quickly came at Takao! Before he could react, the white energy surrounded him. The young boy held himself as he tried to force away the sudden pain he was feeling. Then, he roared to the skies once more. Then, the energy exploded into another powerful burst of wind. Boss was barely able to stand against the great wind this time, and he and his Beyblade were pushed away from the wind upon each second. "What incredible power!" he exclaimed. Then, he gasped as he saw a faint, large figure in the blinding white light. It took the form of a great form of a winged dragon. A savage roar erupted and Boss was in shock at what he saw. Suddenly, a faint burst of wind pressed against Absolute Kerberous and pushed it away, sending it to Boss's feet in a critical condition of spin power. Finally, the white light began to dissipate. Luna was nowhere to be found. The only figures left before him were a recovered Dragoon E and a standing Takao. Underneath his bangs, Takao's right eye briefly gleamed in a strange sapphire color. Boss gritted his teeth, and he summoned his Beyblade to fly back into his hand. "Things…just got more difficult," he said. Then, he turned away and walked off. After a while, he had disappeared.

With Boss gone, Dragoon E calmed down and finally stopped spinning. While it lied there, Takao sighed in relief as he fell onto his knees. "A new…power." Then, submitting to his exhaustion, Takao fell on the ground, unconscious. "Takao!" Hiromi gasped and quickly ran to him with Kyouju right behind her. She came to his side and slowly turned him on his back to see his face. "Takao! Wake up! Takao!" she cried. As she tended to him, Kyouju knelt down to Takao's Beyblade and picked it up to examine it. But, there was something that caught his attention that indeed surprised him. "Wh…what is this?" he wondered. With Dragoon E in his palm, he stared at the Bit Chip which had a picture of a diamond-colored dragon with four large wings that formed a cross. Seiryuu, the Blue Dragon of Wood, had evolved into a newer, mysterious form…


NEXT TIME…

Kyouju: Oh! Takao, look what's happened to your Holy Beast!

Takao: Seiryuu looks…different…and feels much stronger. Huh? Max! What are you doing here!

Max: Takao, we meet again. Actually, I got this letter and…

Takao & Max: Huh? It's you!

Takao: Boss…and this Alex guy are teammates!

Daichi: Where could've Reena gone to?

Takao: What th…! Who's this kid!

"The Ones We Pursue"

Rei: Sensei…

Kai: This girl…seems familiar…