In the middle of the night, deep in the middle of the quiet park, Kon Rei patiently stood under a lone pole light. As the night winds softly blew past, a dark figure took a step forward to him from behind. Rei turned around and found the tall figure stepping into a nearby spotlight, revealing to be Ou Shishin, "LEO" of the Saint Generations A. "I didn't tell them, Master," Rei said. "But… just what are we doing here?"

Leo replied, "I will let you know soon enough. But, it is something only the both of us can do."

"I must know!"

"It's too soon for that."

"But, how am supposed to know that what I'm doing is the right thing?"

"Only you can answer that."

Rei bowed his head down and clenched his teeth while he tightened his right fist. "Just… what am I doing this for?"

Beyblade Lunar Eclipse

Episode 4: "Shiroryuu, the White Dragon of Light"

The brilliant sun shone across the city of Tokyo once again. Down at Kinomiya Dojo, Takao was quick to rush outside his room and stretched himself energetically. "Heh! I feel good today!" he exclaimed. Right behind him, Daichi limped over the boardwalk wearily, delivering a tremendous yawn and scratching over his back. Takao looked over his shoulder and chuckled mischievously, "You awake, monkey boy?"

Immediately, Daichi exclaimed angrily, "The name's Daichi!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Are you always like this when you wake up?" Daichi wondered.

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't think I'm this peppy after just waking up before. But, I guess it's because I'm a growing boy!"

While Takao was busy laughing overzealously, Daichi only rolled his eyes in exasperation while Max appeared behind him. "Hey, since you're up early, why don't we go out for breakfast?" he suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Takao agreed. "Let me ask Grandpa!"

After Takao ran off, Kai was last to join the others. Max turned to him and greeted him happily. "Hey, Kai! Say, if it's okay with Takao's Grandpa, we're going out to eat. Wanna come?" Kai didn't answer. Instead, he leapt off the boardwalk and walked toward the dojo's entrance to rest against the side of the arch. Daichi scoffed, "He could've said 'yes.'"

Max laughed, "Don't worry about it. He's always like that, so I suspected as much."

Kai continued to rest comfortably under the arch, patiently waiting to join Takao and the others in their public breakfast date.

Behind a small black gate, Takao and company were seen sitting together outside a small café under the shade of a white roof. Takao was busy scarfing down the steak hanging from his fork while he went back to take a long drink of fresh juice back and forth with seldom moderation. He licked his lips and smacked them with satisfaction. "Yeah, this is so good!" He went to thrust his fork down to catch another piece of steak, but another quickly got it before he did. It was a proud Daichi, and he swallowed the meat he happily stole while Takao growled at him. "Hey, what's the big idea, ya wild monkey!"

Daichi only grinned back, "You're just too slow, just like in your Beybattles."

Then, Daichi directed his fork down at the sausage on his plate, but Takao snuck it away and quickly ate it. The tables were turned, and Daichi was obviously annoyed by Takao's next taunt. "Turnabout's fair play."

"I'll get you for that!"

Meanwhile, there was a plate of bright yellow noodles sitting before Max, and he took the moment to pour a special 'spice' over them: mustard. Takao and Daichi both watched as Max easefully ate his mustard-dressed noodles with uneasy disgust. Max laughed, "DELICIOUS! Mustard noodles are the best!"

Daichi stared in exasperation, "He just ruined perfectly good noodles."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Max wondered.

"We didn't say anything!" Takao and Daichi both exclaimed.

Kai had already finished his meal and went straight to drink the last of his drink from his glass. Takao was watching him with a smile of relief. "It's good that we have Kai with us now," he said. "Sure, he doesn't say much, but his Beyblading skills more than makes up for it."

Max replied, "That's true, but the Saint Generations A still outnumber us by one. And they even said that they expect one more."

Daichi added, "That makes it six, right? Geez, I had no idea Reena was one of them. She never told me before."

"We might have a better chance if Rei would join us…"

"Yeah," Takao nodded. "But, something's up with him. It's like he's hiding something…"

"You don't think he's gonna join the Saint Generations A, do ya?" Daichi wondered.

"He said he wouldn't. But…"

Kai finished his glass and gently lied it down on the table. Then, he looked out the corner of his eye to his left once he noticed something. He shut his eyes and spoke, "Speaking of Rei, look over there." Takao, Daichi, and Max all turned to the left to see what he meant. At a nearby table, there was Rei sitting behind two stacks of 10 dishes! A waiter was standing by him, and he was staring at the stacks in utter shock while Rei was finishing off the curry rice he had in a bowl. He put it on top of the right stack and looked up at the waiter with a big smile. "Excuse me, could I please have another dish?"

"Another!" he gasped.

Takao, Daichi, and Max comically stared with wide, beady eyes and hanging jaws while Kai continued to sit there as if he didn't notice.

While two waiters carried the piles of dishes away from his table, Rei smiled with glee while he patted his belly. "Rei!" Recognizing that voice, Rei looked over to see Takao and the others sitting at a table nearby. "Oh, I didn't see you guys there," he said. "Good morning."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Takao replied meekly.

"Whoa! That was a lot of food there!" Daichi exclaimed in awe. "I oughta challenge you to an eatin' contest!"

"You're not even full yet?" Max asked.

Rei smiled while he scratched over the back of his head. "Was I really eating that much?"

"Hey guys!" a voice called.

All five boys looked over the black gate to find Kyouju standing there, panting in exhaustion. "Kyouju?" Takao murmured.

"Grandpa told me you were here," Kyouju said. "I finished restoring your Beyblade, as well as Kai's."

"Really? Thanks a lot!"

The subject of Beyblade quickly diminished Rei's high spirits, and he bowed down his head briefly, delivering a deep sigh. "Well, I better get going," he said. He stood up from his chair and went off on his own. Everyone watched him leave in silence, especially Takao. Eventually, he stood up from his chair and leapt over the black gate to meet with Kyouju. He took his Dragoon Eclipse from Kyouju's hands and said, "Thanks again. I'll be back."

Max suddenly cried out, "Takao, wait!"

"I have to go after Rei! Don't try and stop me!"

"It's not that! You haven't paid for your meal yet!"

Takao briefly fell to the side and turned to Kyouju with a desperate smile. "Uh, you take care of it, okay?"

"What!" Kyouju gasped.

"See ya!"

With that, Takao quickly ran off after Rei. After he disappeared from sight, Kyouju was sweating with contempt and turned toward Max and the others. "Just… how much… did he eat?" he quietly growled. Max and Daichi both chuckled with an uneasy tone. "So, you wanna tell him?" Max asked.

"No way. You tell him," Daichi protested.

"Kai?" they both asked.

With his eyes still sealed, Kai softly scoffed to himself and turned to the waiter near him. "One chocolate parfait, please," he requested.

"DON'T ORDER ANYTHING ELSE!" Kyouju cried.


Takao ran down the sidewalks of Tokyo in search for Rei. He looked back and forth for him until he finally spotted him walking into a nearby, tall building. He quickly ran to the door and scaled up the bright, white building. At the very top, there was a large poster of two clashing Beyblades with an acronym of three deep blue letters in the middle: BBA, the Beyblade Battle Association. "The BBA Training Center," Takao said. Then, he proceeded to open the clean, glossy door and entered the Training Center to follow Rei.

Inside, Takao walked into a large and empty room with four red Beystadiums each taking a corner. The empty black seats on the balcony bleachers hung above Takao's head as he looked around. "Where could he…?" he wondered. Suddenly, a faint sound of a Beyblade crashing into something past by Takao's ears and directed his sight to a staircase that led to the second floor. Takao turned to the stairs and quickly scaled them up to the next floor.

On the next floor, Takao ran down the empty hallway and found himself in a large and wide room with its enormous indoor Beystadium that made its own impression of a wide mountainous region. Twin walls of bleachers each flanked both sides of the stadium while two boardwalks faced each other on opposite sides of the artificial land. Takao looked down into the stadium from behind the black bar fence. "This is the Wilderness Stadium, the stadium the BBA uses for promotional Beybattles. I know I heard a Beyblade in here." Suddenly, a rushing wave of sand caught his eye. It was a black and white Beyblade that was moving so fast that it created a massive wave of sand behind it! The blade then leapt into the air and jumped off the wall to gain more altitude. It flew off to the far side of the stadium and landed into the hand of no one other than Rei.

Alone in his thoughts, Rei stared down at his Beyblade. The three talons of its attack ring, cold as pure steel, glowed brilliantly as the headlights from above reflected from it, and a faint roar echoed around the large room as he noticed the picture of a green-striped white tiger wearing a tiara-like crown, shoulder guards, and armor plating over its belly that were all as golden as the bright sun. While he kept staring down at his Beyblade, a voice called out to him. "Hey, that's a new blade, right?" Rei looked up and found Takao standing on the opposite boardwalk in front of him. Rei humored him with a halfhearted grin and answered, "Yeah. Driger Edge."

"So, do you think it's a match for my Dragoon Eclipse?"

Rei turned directly to Takao to find that he was holding Dragoon E right at him, as if he was challenging him. He sighed, "You never give up, do you? I told you…"

"You don't have to join our team if you don't want to," Takao interrupted. "But, I would like it if you and I have a Beybattle. If I'm gonna take on our opponents, I need all the battles necessary to develop my skills even further than they are now."

Rei twitched irritably, "A practice match? Don't tell me that your Beybattle with Kai was just a practice match. Kai wouldn't appreciate that comment from you… and neither would I!"

"Huh?"
"If I were to have a match with you, it would be one when both of us let everything go, no matter what the reason. So, if I accept your challenge, will you show me 100 of your skill?"

"No way," Takao grinned. "That wouldn't be fair to you or anyone else. Instead, I'll give…"

As quick as they both could, Takao and Rei took their respective Grip Shooter and installed their blades onto them. Then, they both pulled their ripcords and released their blades as they both cried, "1000!" Dragoon E and Driger E both fell at each other until they inevitably made contact above the stadium and made a brilliant flash of light!

Both blades landed hard into the rocky terrain below and maneuvered any way they could to reach other. Dragoon E used an arched boulder to fly in the air and over Driger E, determined to strike from above. But, before it made contact, Driger E suddenly dashed hard to the right, leaving Dragoon E to crash into the ground. While it was stunned, Rei's blade came back and struck the silver blade hard, sending it in midair. Takao gasped, "Whoa!"

"Wall-jump, Driger Edge!" Rei commanded.

Quickly, the black and white Beyblade leapt at the side of the stadium wall and jumped once more to catch its adversary in midair. In a single but solid blow, Driger E drilled Dragoon E and sent it flying down into a tall rock pillar, instantly toppling it! The blustery impact blew cinnamon debris before Takao, but as he shielded himself, he immediately commanded a counterattack. "Explode, wind!" Dragoon E seemed to spin even faster than before until it managed to create a massive aura of wind around it. Then, the rushing tornado quickly grew larger and larger and it began to pick up the small pebbles and considerably large stones around the Beyblade. Finally, the wind propelled all the rocks it gathered right at Driger E! Rei cried, "Driger, speed up!" Driger E obeyed and quickly maneuvered around the several rocks that attacked it by leaping from rock to rock and possibly warping from one spot to the next. But, after Driger E landed on one certain stone, Dragoon E flew right at it, shattering the flying stone and sending the other blade off its defensive course. Stunned, Rei's blade was helpless as it finally fell underneath the unlimited storm of rock and ended up being buried. The storm finally calmed down and the last few pieces of rock rained over the ground, along with Dragoon E.

Takao grinned in triumphant as he looked over the large pile of rocks his opponent's blade was buried in. "How's that?"

Rei grinned, "Not bad. But…"

Rei then took a meditative stance and concentrated all his strength in his arms, his legs, and his entire body. After taking one deep breath, Rei let loose a powerful roar and his body was outlined in a bright, golden aura. As his battle cry grew larger, so did his aura. Then, the same golden aura shone around the pile of rocks below him. In seconds, the rocks went thrown aside by a great force of light! As the light slowly diminished, the great white tiger himself, Byakko, was standing before his opponent, slowly growling under his breath. Takao was caught off guard as he beheld Rei's Holy Beast in an opaque and truly physical form. After he took one step forward, Byakko even left behind a genuine and enormous pawprint. "Whoa! Your Holy Beast… he's really there!" The golden aura still beamed with brilliance around his person, but Rei was still able to speak while retaining it without any sign of stress. "1000 is fine and all, but thanks to my master, I'm able to make one more step from that," he declared. Byakko then leapt up to the boardwalk his partner stood on and came to his side. Then, Rei took the moment to gently stroke the tiger's furry neck, astounding Takao further of the fact that he can actually touch him. "With Byakko here with me like this, I'm able to give all my opponents 2000!" With this great cry, the golden aura stormed erratically around him and Driger E. The power reached out to Takao, and he struggled to stand against it. "What power!" he thought. "It's too much, really! It's like he's in a 'hyper mode' or something!" Before he put more thought into it, Takao noticed that Driger E was beginning to multiply. After a few moments, Driger E was surrounded by eight other afterimages of itself!

Thunder struck down behind the thoughtful Rei as he revealed a shade of calmness and innocence in his eyes. He flew back in a dark space and the golden aura that surrounded him finally burst into a mandala of nine ferocious beams of light! "Nine Life Edge!" The nine beams were directed by one great right punch and Rei's awesome cry. The eight afterimages all struck Dragoon E at one spot while its corresponding eight beams struck Takao in eight different spots of his body. The White Tiger of Gold, Byakko, quickly flew at him in the form of the ninth beam and struck him hard on his forehead! The ninth blade also struck Dragoon E like lightning and sent it flying into the side of the stadium under Takao's boardwalk, completely destroying it upon impact! Surrounded by the great light of Rei's attack, Takao's body briefly floated lifelessly until he completely disappeared inside it…


In an office on the top floor of the BBA Training Center, there was a table littered with paper and a few staples. But, someone sitting behind it was cleaning it. It was a short, round, and elderly man in clean and black executive fashion and a small pair of glasses over his nose. As soon as he stacked his papers on a nearby plate, a brief tremor erupted and toppled it over the floor. He was startled as he held on to his table to brace himself. After the tremor subsided, he stood up from his chair. "What on earth was that?" he wondered. After he walked out of his office to investigate, he left behind a peculiar picture of himself and a somewhat familiar man with a long white mane both in impressive black suits among the mess of papers on the otherwise clean floor…
Back in the Wilderness Stadium, debris of smoke flowed from the wrecked boardwalk Takao was on. On the other side, Rei kept his stance after successfully deploying his new attack with Byakko standing below him in the stadium fiercely and patiently waiting for a counterattack. Driger Edge continued to spin in place, waiting to see behind the curtain of smoke. Suddenly, a great burst of wind energy rushed outward to Driger E and threatened to push it back. Rei and Byakko shielded their eyes away from the debris and beheld the aftermath of the sudden storm. In front of Driger E, a glowing Dragoon Eclipse continued to spin. Furthermore, there stood Takao, his clothes barely singed and a magnificent white aura surrounding him, but to Rei's surprise, the mysterious and gigantic white dragon Holy Beast was standing over him in a genuine, physical form as well!

Rei was bewildered as he and Byakko stared up at the enormous white dragon. "Takao can't possibly learn to let his Holy Beast exist in a physical form this quickly," he thought. "He's anything but a prodigy. Could it be true…?" Rei looked directly at his opponent, his eyes hidden under his bangs. Then, once he lifted his head, Takao flashed a blank stare of strange and intimidating sapphire pupils! Rei clenched his teeth. "Master was right. In that case…"

"DRIGER!" Rei cried.

Byakko ran at his opponent along with Driger Edge as it slightly struggled to pierce through the windy barrier around Takao's person. The white Beyblade quickly summoned its golden battle aura it had before and ran at Dragoon E, making a tremendous impact of pure force! At Takao's side of the stadium, Daichi, Max, Kai, and Kyouju suddenly appeared and quickly braced themselves as the great force of energy washed over them. The white dragon and the white tiger both roared ferociously as they disappeared into the bright light…

…After the light finally died down, Rei fell on one knee and stopped to catch his breath. As he panted, he lifted his head to see the outcome of his match. Kai and the others ascended what was left of the stairs to the destroyed boardwalk and looked down in the Wilderness Stadium. There, they found Takao lying on the ground unconscious and both Dragoon Eclipse and Driger Edge lying still in front of him, with next to no damage at all. "Takao!" Max and Kyouju cried out as they leapt down into the stadium. They both quickly came to Takao's side and each took one arm to bring him onto his feet. He quickly regained consciousness and groaned to himself as he found friendly company around him. "Kyouju… Max…"

"Are you feeling all right?" Max asked.

Takao pulled away from his friends' hold on him and took a few steps as easily as he would if he wasn't injured at all. "Actually, I feel just fine. Never better," he answered.

"Are you sure?" Kyouju wondered. "We found you lying on the ground for a moment."

"He just past out," Rei suddenly said.

Everyone looked to see Rei walking to them after he picked up both Dragoon E and Driger E. "You just caught us in our last attack, and Takao must've past out from the stress. A first, though."

"Really? I don't quite remember any of that," Takao replied, rubbing over his head.

"You don't?" Kyouju asked.

"No. I just remember that Rei pulled off that awesome attack. And then… I… don't remember…"

"You don't remember your impressive counterattack that defeated me?" Rei laughed. "Since when were you so modest?"

"Really? I won?"

"You sure did. You've gotten a lot better since the last time we fought."

Takao grinned and rubbed the back of his head with a wide grin. Max and Kyouju only shrugged it off while Kai, on the other hand, held on to his suspicions. "Oh my. What is going on down here?" Daichi turned to his right to see the round old man in the black suit. "Hey, I've seen you before back at the village!" Daichi exclaimed. "Aren't you the Great Chairman?"

The man nodded, "Yes, I am. But, what are you…? Oh! It's you, Kai."

Kai didn't answer while Takao, Max, Kyouju, and Rei all climbed out of the Wilderness Stadium. "Oh, all of you are here!" the Great Chairman exclaimed.

"Great Chairman?" Kyouju replied.

Later, back in the main office, Takao and everyone else all gathered before the Great Chairman's desk. "Oh, so it was you two making all that racket downstairs," the Great Chairman said. "I might've known knowing you all."

Takao shrugged modestly, "Yeah, well…"
"But, I never thought I'd see you all together like this."

"It's mostly because there's a lot of stuff going on that got us all involved," Kyouju explained. "You know about the stray Holy Beasts people reported they've seen lately?"

"Yes, but I've assumed that it's all a hoax of some kind."

"No, it's very true, sir. There's a mysterious army going on hunting these Holy Beasts for some reason, and it's not for the good of the world, either. And if that's not enough, the Saint Generations A team are out to destroy all Holy Beasts, including ours."

The Great Chairman gasped, "Saint Generations A? You're not serious!"

"No, it's true!" Takao exclaimed. "Boss, the leader of that team, said so himself! I can't believe I lost to that chump!"

"This doesn't make any sense. That team went through so much last year… especially Banken."

"Say, would you happen to know a bit more on that team?" Kyouju asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know anything else outside the fact that they won the 1st Annual Universe City Championships last year."

"I see. Well, I have a bit of information I'd like to share to you about them and these Siberian BeySoldiers in my laptop."

"Oh, sure."

Kyouju turned to Takao and the others. "Everyone, this may take a while. You all don't need to stay."

"Okay," Takao replied. "We'll just head back to my house. Meet you back there?"

"That's fine. Just don't do anything too reckless."

With that, Takao and the others began to walk out the office, but Kai briefly stopped in his tracks once he saw a photograph lying on the floor. It was the same photo of the Great Chairman and the white-haired man. Kai picked it up and looked at it briefly. He walked to the Great Chairman and silently gave it back to him. After the old man took it, Kai just turned away to rejoin the others… briefly twitching to himself.


Out in the city, Takao, Daichi, Max, and Kai walked close together while Rei was lagging behind, thinking to himself. His mind made up, he stopped in his tracks and called to the others. "Everyone," he began, "I have something to say." Everyone stopped and turned to Rei patiently. "I… think I might know why the Saint Generations A want to destroy all Holy Beasts."

"Really?" Takao replied. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I promised Master not to tell anyone else. But, now… I've decided to disobey him just this once. It's because… it's because that they're afraid that another wild Holy Beast like your Shiroryuu will surface on this world again."

"'Shiroryuu?'" Takao repeated. "So, that's what Seiryuu turned into."

"That's right. It's a reincarnation of a former 'White Dragon of Light.' That's most likely the reason why the Great Chairman seemed to avoid any conversation about the Saint Generations A. And the Siberian BeySoldiers are after a Holy Beast just like that. But, their purpose in doing so is still a mystery."

"So, once they figure out that Takao has the Holy Beast they're looking for, they'll come after us," Max said.

"Fine by me. At least no other Holy Beast has to suffer," Takao replied.

"I… don't believe that Takao's new Holy Beast really has the power of destruction like Master and his team thinks," Rei continued. "But, I know for certain that we can't let those BeySoldiers get their hands on him… as well as ours. That's why I would appreciate it… if you will let me join your team."

"Really! All right!" Takao cheered. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear! What do ya say, guys?"

"Of course you can join us," Max nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's what everyone wanted."

"Your name's Rei, right?" Daichi added. "You look strong enough to be on my team."

"Your team!" Takao detested. "Anyway! What about you, Kai?"

"Hmph. As long as he pulls his own weight," Kai replied.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Max said, punching his left palm. "With the five of us, we'll be sure to defeat all of our opponents, even if we have to sacrifice a lot doing so. Such as learning that unique technique of yours, Rei."

Rei turned to Max skeptically while Takao and Daichi both came in between them in wonder. "Yeah, that's right. How did you manage to let your Holy Beast walk as a pure, physical form?" Takao asked.

"Yeah! You're a lot stronger when your Holy Beast is with you, right?" Daichi added. "Not just spiritually, but truly physically?"

"Well, that is true, but…" Rei began.

"You can teach us, right?" Max asked. "It would really help us out in our fight against the Saint Generations A and those BeySoldiers!"

"Max's right," Takao agreed. "Can you teach us?"

Seeing the anxious looks everyone around him wore, Rei frowned dejectedly and turned away in frustration. "I don't know," he quietly sighed.

"But…" all three began to say.

"Excuse me, children," an unfamiliar voice called.

Everyone turned around in wonder and Kai opened his eyes to spot yet another man in deep emerald-colored military clothing but with cleanly cut black hair and a small pair of eyeglasses. Also, his rank was different from the last two soldiers. This one had the rank of Lieutenant!

This army man easefully approached the five young boys with a somewhat friendly but suspicious grin over his face. Takao quickly ran in front of his teammates and hastily cried, "One of you guys again!"

"Now, now, settle down," the Lieutenant replied in a refined tone of voice. "I wish not to cause trouble. I just happen to overhear your conversation about… Holy Beasts."

"More like eavesdropping! Just how long were you stalking us!"

"I'm afraid I overheard most of everything you said. I'm terribly sorry."

"You're 'sorry?' Ha! Don't make me laugh! You don't fool me! You want our Holy Beasts just as much as your pals do!"

"I'm guilty; I will not deny you of my mission, on account of you all too deeply involved in this… unsettling war. However, I want to go about this peacefully. If you would all hand in your Holy Beasts…"

"He sure is more polite than those other creeps," Daichi commented.

"Don't be stupid, monkey boy!" Takao cried. "To me, he's no different than Mizuno or Inada!"

"Ah, you are familiar with my subordinates," the man nodded. "Yes, those two are quite a bother, aren't they? Though you may be right. I may be just the same as those two ruffians. But, I plan to do things a bit differently. What must I do to take those Holy Beasts off your hands?"

"The same way we replied to those other guys: Beybattle! So, if you can play the game, then just bring it on!"

"Hmm, very well. I practice this amusing sport from time to time. Which one of you shall I battle? Choose only one to represent the future of your Holy Beasts, if you please. I believe the challenge is more interesting like that."

"Heh! You're on!" Takao declared. "I'll fight you!"

"No!" Rei protested.

Everyone looked to Rei in wonder of his disapproval. Rei continued as he looked toward one of the boys. "I want you to fight him… Max."

Max was surprised at Rei's recommendation to battle the mysterious soldier, as well as everyone else. "Me, Rei?" Max repeated in shock.

"Yeah," Rei nodded seriously. "I want to see you fight. I want to see you fight with all your spirit."

"Well, okay, if you say so. What does everyone else think?"

"I want to see too," Kai suddenly replied. "Go."

"Yeah, you can do it, Max!" Takao and Daichi both agreed.

Max nodded, "All right. Then, let's go to the park near here. We can Beybattle there, right Mister?"

"Wherever you like," the soldier replied. "And please, Lt. Orochi is fine… or just Orochi."


Moments later, Takao and the others found themselves back in the park where they fought Boss and Alex before; only this time, Lt. Orochi was their latest opponent. As Takao, Daichi, Rei, and Kai all stood side by side patiently, Max stood before them, loading in his ripcord into his Grip Shooter and attaching his green Beyblade into it. As he held it at his opponent, the young blond challenged him, "COME ON, Orochi!" Orochi responded by pulling a long rifle out of the holster hanging from his left side and taking a red and white Beyblade with two long, crescent blades at opposite sides of the attack ring. After linking his blade near the barrel tip of his unique launcher, he pressed the stock against his shoulder and held it by the trigger ring and just below the launcher's chamber. With one eye staring through the small eye scope on top of the launcher to aim, Orochi replied, "As you wish. Shall we count?"

Both opponents began the count. "Three, two, one. GO SHOOT!"

With that, Max released Draciel Endless into battle while Orochi pulled the trigger and fired his own Beyblade into the fray. The battle had begun.

Immediately, Draciel E and the white Beyblade met in a firm clash, but the white blade was slightly thrown back within seconds. It pushed against the green blade again but ended up being deflected at every turn. Suddenly, Draciel E dashed forward and grinded against its adversary with great force, pushing it back further and further with ease. Max threw his right arm before him and cried, "That's it, Draciel!"

"Oh, very nice," Orochi replied. "Well, how about I try this?"

Suddenly, Orochi's blade suddenly spun full circle around Draciel E as they both continued running across the ground and delivered a quick smash attack, sending the green blade flying backward. Draciel E flipped over the ground once before recovering and stayed put while the white blade quickly went after it. Orochi also flew at Max at top speed and threw a quick jab at him. But, to both Orochi's and his blade's dismay, Max and Draciel E suddenly faded to the left to dodge the attack. Max spun around, threw his right palm onto Orochi's back, and pushed him away with brief spiritual force. Mirroring that counterattack, Draciel E quickly circled around the white blade and smashed it hard into the air. The blade bounced thrice on the ground before recovering, and Orochi managed to somersault in midair and landed gracefully on his feet. He stood back up and grinned back to Max. "Brilliant counter. I shall be careful this time."

Takao and Daichi cheered together once they beheld that Max had the upper hand. "All right, Max! Stick it to him!" Takao cried.

"For a defensive blader, Max's probably strong as I am!" Daichi added.

Kai stood in silence as he observed the battle while Rei continued his focus on Max himself for some reason. Max noticed and took this moment to recollect his thoughts. "I wonder why Rei asked me of all people to fight this guy. He started acting a bit strange when I mentioned his ability to let his Byakko walk the earth in a physical form. Wait, could that be it? Is he trying to see if I'm worthy?" As Draciel E continued spinning in place, Max pondered on his next move while he felt the appropriate emotions for this battle. "If I'm able to summon Genbu the same way Rei did for Byakko, I can truly call myself the greatest Beyblader in the world after I finally defeat Takao… and that Alex, too."

"I'll show you all!" Max cried. "No matter what I have to do, I will definitely win!"

After hearing his declaration, Rei frowned slightly, briefly catching Kai's attention.

Orochi snapped his neck and popped his knuckles. "All right, my Asp Viper, let's make this battle a lot more interesting." His white blade, Asp Viper, kept spinning in place along with Draciel E. Max patiently waited for Orochi to make the first move before he decided to. Suddenly, Asp Viper quickly disappeared! Max gasped and was caught off guard… unaware of the fangs of a snake darting from behind his head! Max quickly sensed the incoming attack from behind and faded right to see a white beam of light shot shoot right by him. Kai clenched his teeth. "Too close," he thought. Suddenly, the light beam erratically bent downward and grazed over Max's right leg! Takao, Daichi, and Rei gasped in shock while Max cried out in pain and fell on his one good leg. Draciel E, however, was suddenly sent flying through a giant tree and toppled it over to the ground! The green blade landed on the ground, slightly wobbling during its spinning rate. Asp Viper swung back before Orochi who had his right arm extended outward. And on the ground, the same movement that light beam took before was etched over it!

Daichi was bewildered and confused after Orochi's attack. "What… just happened?"

"That attack… changed direction… like a snake," Takao replied.

"That's right," Kai explained. "That attack was just like how a snake strikes."

"You seen it too, Kai?" Rei asked.

"Yes."

In recap of that earlier attack, Asp Viper briefly spun in place along with Draciel E. Above it, Orochi quickly threw his right arm forward, shooting a quick beam of light from his fingers. Asp Viper quickly dashed forward to mirror the beam of light and past Draciel E in a blink of an eye! It quickly circled around and attacked the green blade from behind. Draciel E faded to the right and barely dodged it. But, Orochi slightly shifted his hand downward, directing Asp Viper to take an erratic hard turn to the right and strike Draciel E hard to send it flying!

Kai continued his explanation. "That beam of light made Max fade to his right on purpose until it completely coiled around him, taking the perfect opportunity to lunge at him. The edge of the beam, the snake's 'head,' is a lot heavier, enabling Orochi to manipulate its movement with a small turn of the wrist."

"Whoa, that's incredible!" Takao exclaimed.

"But now that Max's leg is wounded from that attack," Rei added, "it would be a miracle if he can dodge another one."

Max groaned as he struggled to get up while blowing off the pain of his wounded leg. Orochi grinned and held up his right hand once again, preparing for his next move. "Let's get to the climax, Asp Viper. Attack."

Then, he waved his arm over his head, his beam of light twirling around his arm. Then, after an aggressive swing to the right, he delivered a side-winding storm across the ground with Asp Viper in the lead. Max saw it coming and crossed his arms in front of his face to guard it. Asp Viper flew at Draciel E and delivered a less-than-significant blow; Draciel E successfully guarded it and was sent upward for a moment. The beam struck over Max's arms, the force slightly sending him off his feet. But, Orochi laughed as he swung his arm right then up. Asp Viper then rushed to the midair Draciel E's left and leapt up to tackle it! The beam of light did the same maneuver by swing to Max's stunned and unguarded left and striking him with a clean blow! Max was sent sliding across the ground on his shoulder while Draciel E bounced over the ground, its balance now unstable. "Max!" Takao and Daichi cried. Hearing his friends' voices, Max got back on his feet and tightened both his fists. "No. I can't lose," he thought. "If I lose, everyone will lose their Holy Beasts. I won't lose!"

"Finish him off, Asp Viper," Orochi quietly commanded.

Asp Viper obeyed and quickly dashed at Draciel E in the form of the deadly beam of light, threatening to finish this battle!

Suddenly, Max threw himself backward over a raging blue ocean. After he retracted his arms and legs to his upper body, geysers of water shot from the ocean and twirled around his person. With Genbu roaring behind him, Max threw his arms and legs outward and cried, "Endless Reflect!" The water from the geysers came together at one point and surrounded Max to form a large blue bubble shield. Finally, it expanded outwards to grow even bigger!

Asp Viper crashed into the watery shield and was gradually pushed back as it continued growing, canceling out its attack. No matter how hard Asp Viper grinded against it, it was pushed further and further away from the safe Draciel E. Max stood still and panted to regain his strength and composure while Orochi crossed his arms in amusement. "So, you have a few more tricks up your sleeve. Very clever defensive maneuver. But, I can't help but wonder… Will it manage to guard you from this?" With that, Orochi extended his right hand again, this time summoning a bit more power into one spot before he fired an attack. Sure enough, a small white ball of energy glowed from atop of Orochi's index finger. Suddenly, Asp Viper started to become transparent while it disappeared and reappeared into eight different spots from where it was standing. Rei noticed and widened his eyes in aroused suspicion. Orochi's grin grew larger and even eviler that before. "Hissatsu-Ougi (Ultimate Killer Attack)…" Suddenly, Orochi fired eight different beams of light at Max, striking him at eight different spots of his supposedly guarded body! Mirroring this attack, eight transparent images of Asp Viper struck Draciel E in eight different spots of the blade's body, easefully penetrating the Endless Reflect technique. Then, the ninth beam and the ninth blade struck Max and Draciel in his forehead and the center of the blade respectively. "…Kuzukansen – Nine Viper." The impact completely destroyed Draciel Endless' defensive wall and sent it flying and the lifeless body of Max crashing onto the ground.

Orochi relaxed after successfully firing his ultimate attack and crossed his arms once more in triumphant. But, Max quickly regained consciousness and struggled to just sit back up, seeing that Draciel E was still spinning but just barely balanced. Takao, Daichi, and Kai were all stunned from Orochi's attack. "Unbelievable," Kai murmured.

"Whoa! How did he do that!" Daichi wondered in shock.

"That move… That's the same move Rei hit me with before!" Takao stated.

Everyone looked toward Rei who was equally just as surprised like the others. "I can't believe someone else is able to pull off that move… other than Master and myself."

"Yeah, I knew you did that move on me," Takao said. "It was that 'Nine Life Edge,' right?"

"Yes, that's right," Rei explained. "It's a technique that attacks all nine sections of your body: the head, your shoulders, your sides or your elbows, your hips or your wrists, your underbelly, and your chest. To mirror this into Beyblading, the technique aims at a Beyblade's nine vital spots: the head, the opposing sides of the attack ring, the sides of the weight disk, the sides of the blade base, the blade tip, and finally the very center. Naturally, all normal attacks we use in martial arts and Beyblading are directed at these nine spots; naturally, defensive techniques revolve around the said nine spots as well. So, if you can push your speed beyond their normal limitations, it's possible to attack all nine spots at once. And there is no way you can defend against it or even dodge it."

This revelation startled everyone! "There's no way you can defend against a technique like that!" Daichi gasped. "That's impossible!"

"Yeah, but it makes sense," Takao said. "When Rei did it against me, I couldn't find a way to possibly dodge it. I had no choice but to take the hit with the best defense I can muster. And even then…"

Rei continued, "Max was lucky he didn't take the full brunt of that attack. If he wasn't using his Endless Reflect technique, that move would've completely destroyed his blade. But, this proves that his defense is useless against Orochi's blade. He won't be able to take another shot like that."

"Man! Hey, Max! Are you all right?" Takao cried.

Max slowly rose back on his feet and shook his head to throw off his heavy pain. He clenched his teeth and stared at Orochi angrily. The soldier only chuckled to himself. "Your friend is right," he said. "There's no way you can even continue fighting, never mind take the full force of my ultimate attack. The only chance you have is to pull off the same move to counter it, but even that won't save you."

"That's right," Rei nodded. "Even if both opponents can perform that move, the force will be as different as they are. Orochi is far too strong because he's an adult. Even if Max can use the same move, his will fail."

"Then, Max doesn't have a chance!" Daichi cried.

"Well…"

Everyone looked toward Rei again, eager to listen for a possible loophole in this unblockable attack. "I rather not just go and blurt out a possible way to defeat one of my techniques. But, just think about the nature of this move and you'll get it."

Max was listening to Rei's explanation and directed his attention toward Orochi in thought. "The nature of the attack of nine heads…" he thought. "Well, I know that it attacks at all nine vital points of my Beyblade and myself. And there isn't a way to dodge it, never mind trying to defend against it…" Then, something crossed the blond's mind. "Wait. That's it!" Suddenly, Max went from a defensive stance to an offensive one, completely defying his own battle style! "I don't defend it; I attack it! If I can attack just before Orochi fires that attack again, even for half a second, I can still win! I think I have just enough energy to deliver one big attack. I have to make this one count… for everyone's sake!"

"All right, let's go, Orochi!" Max cried. "I'm ready this time!"

"Hmm, we'll see," Orochi smiled.

To fulfill Max's request, Orochi held up his right hand and gathered white energy into his single index finger, preparing to use his ultimate move once again.

Takao and Daichi stood there impatiently. "You think Max understands how to beat this move?" Daichi wondered.

"I don't know," Takao replied, "but he's gotta win this!"

"I don't think he will."

Takao and Daichi gasped and turned toward the one who said that, Kai. "What! How can you say that, Kai?" Takao exclaimed.

"Kai's right; Max will lose," Rei added.

"What? Not you too?" Daichi pouted.

"It won't matter if he does understand how to defeat the attack of nine heads," Rei explained. "Whatever he has to do to beat it requires a great deal of power, a power that surpasses his opponent's. And as he is now, Max doesn't have that."

Max overheard and frowned dejectedly at both Kai and Rei. He turned away back to Orochi and thought to himself angrily. "Some teammates! I'll show them! I'll show them all that I can do this! I don't how or what I have to do; I just gotta win!" He tightened both his fists and stood there to summon more power with a great yell. His arms and legs were shaking, eagerly waiting for the last of their power to surface. But… nothing happened. Max panted in exhaustion while he discovered his shock of realizing that he had nothing left to give.

Max's arms fell to their sides while the young boy continued standing there, panting wearily. Draciel E's spin power was dying and its balance was fading fast. "No way," Max thought. "I should have more power than this. How can that be?"

"Are you finished?" Orochi said. "Oh well. I believe it's time for me to finish this."

"No!" Max cried. "I can't lose like this! I should have more power… more power…"

"What are you fighting for?"

Max gasped and turned toward Rei in wonder. The question was heard again. "What are you fighting for?"

"What…?"

"Kuzukansen – Nine Viper."

Max turned back toward Orochi and saw that his ultimate attack was in the midst of launching. He already saw the nine beams of light preparing to shoot out at him, especially the one of the center. The one that will strike him down…


… Draciel Endless impacted Red Salamander Atlas, 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 looked down and gasped at what he saw. Below Alex was another, smaller Red Salamander A! Draciel E was terribly off balance, its speed quickly dying. Then, finally, it had stopped spinning. With the second Red Salamander A still spinning, Max and Draciel Endless were defeated. 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." 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?"

…Boss and Alex stood side by side as Max, Kyouju, and Hiromi came to join Takao and Daichi. Max gasped, "Alex! What are you doing here!"

Alex replied coyly, "Max, you're here! So, you got my…invitation?"

"So, it was you who gave me that letter."

Alex shrugged. "We basically can't let them have the Holy Beasts. And destroying them is the only way to protect them."

"But, Holy Beasts are living creatures, too!" Max exclaimed. "The ones we all have are our partners! You would really sacrifice them for protection?"

"I don't expect any of you to understand," Boss said. "But, I'm doing what I'm doing to protect these innocent creatures from any evil. If you continue to stand in my way, then I'll take your partner by force."

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Takao replied.

Alex looked toward Max curiously. "I suppose you feel the same way, huh, Max?"
"Takao is my greatest rival," Max replied with a small grin. "I plan to defeat him first before I call myself the best Beyblader in the world. But, when you threaten to take my Genbu like this, I'll gladly join him to prove to you that we can protect all Holy Beasts."

"Well, I guess that settles it," Max said, punching his left palm. "With the five of us, we'll be sure to defeat all of our opponents, even if we have to sacrifice a lot doing so. Such as learning that unique technique of yours, Rei."

…Rei turned to Max skeptically while Takao and Daichi both came in between them in wonder. "Yeah, that's right. How did you manage to let your Holy Beast walk as a pure, physical form?" Takao asked.

"Yeah! You're a lot stronger when your Holy Beast is with you, right?" Daichi added. "Not just spiritually, but truly physically?"

"Well, that is true, but…" Rei began.

"You can teach us, right?" Max asked. "It would really help us out in our fight against the Saint Generations A and those BeySoldiers!"

…In a black, empty space, Max stood under a mysterious spotlight with a look of shock… and realization. "Takao, Daichi, Kai, and Rei… they're all fighting against their adversaries on Saint Generations A to prove that Holy Beasts have the right to live," he said. "But… what about me? What am I fighting for?"

"Max…"

"Huh? Who…?"

"Max… just fight for us…"

Max looked over his shoulder and sighed in awe once he scaled up the giant Black Turtle of Water. "Genbu… Fight for us…?"


…Max's eyes widened with self-realization and he tightened his fists once again. "I'm fighting for you… and not for anything else!" Finally, Draciel E regained its balance and spun even faster than before. And suddenly, a brilliant golden aura began to surround it, as well as Max himself! Orochi and Asp Viper finally performed their attack of nine heads, but Draciel E was already running right at it in the form of raging waves. Max roared as he dashed at his opponent with the massive Genbu beside him, and they both briefly faded into the awesome light of Orochi's attack…

I'm fighting for… the future of our friendship…

…The rushing water washed over Asp Viper just in time, stopping its attack. And finally, Draciel E struck it hard with all its might! "Hissatsu-Ougi!" Max cried. "Endless Wave!" A shocked Orochi stood there while Asp Viper dramatically flew by his head and landed behind him with a shattered attack ring. In one single counterattack turnaround, Max had grasped victory.

Takao cheered in ecstasy. "All right! You did it, Max! I knew you could beat him!" Rei finally wore a grin over his face and laughed cheerfully. "That's it, Max! You rediscovered your true Beyblading Spirit!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Daichi wondered.

"Max's reasons for joining us were conflicting," Kai explained. "He was fighting for the personal reason of growing stronger and finally defeating his rivals to truly become the best."

"Right," Rei nodded. "There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but in the situation we're in, it's not the right attitude we need in our team. And his talk about sacrifice before blinds him from the fact that his Genbu is a living being and he is his friend. That stops him from using his true potential as a Beyblader. And that attitude would not enable your Holy Beast to take on a physical form… and it looks like Max knows that."

Sure enough, right behind Max, there was his enormous Holy Beast, Genbu! Orochi looked up at the awesome turtle in awe. "The Black Turtle? He has it?" he thought. "Then, it's possible that all of them…" Orochi turned around and picked up his broken Beyblade. He turned back toward Max with a wily grin. "You did well… Max, isn't it? You are the first to defeat my Kuzukansen. I can't wait until the next battle." With that, Lieutenant Orochi proceeded to leave the five Beybladers… until next time.

After the powerful BeySoldier disappeared, Max turned toward Genbu and smiled happily. "I'm glad to see you like this… buddy." The Black Turtle nodded and briefly glowed before completely disappearing. Max picked up his Draciel E and sat down to catch his breath. Everyone else walked to him in high spirits. "Congratulations, Max. You did well," Takao winked.

"Yeah, you truly deserved it," Rei added. "I'm glad to have you on the team."

"Thanks, Rei. But, you knew, didn't you? That's why you wanted me to fight; it's because you knew that I was fighting for the wrong reasons. But, now I know what to do. THANK YOU."

"Now, we're a true team!" Takao exclaimed. "With the five of us, there will be nothing but infinite victory from here on out!"

"Yet another start to a new revolution," Max laughed.

Then, Takao and Max opened their eyes wide after a name crossed their minds simultaneously. They looked to each other and happily exclaimed, "Infinitia Revolutions E!"

"What, is that our team name?" Daichi said. "Not bad."

"I kinda like the feel of it," Rei smiled.

"Heh," Kai grunted with a smile of his own.

Nearby, from behind a few trees, Boss and Alex were both watching over Takao and his new team. "Orochi knows they hold the four special Holy Beasts," Boss said. "We got our work cut out for us this time."

"I guess we better make our move and quick," Alex replied.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

With that, Boss proceeded to walk off with Alex right behind him. But, the boy with the red mane turned back toward the newly named Infinitia Revolutions E team, specifically Max. "About time you figured out your part in this battle. Now I know that you will prove to be more than a great challenge in our upcoming battle. I can't wait…" Finally, Alex followed Boss outside the park.


Shortly, back inside the Kinomiya Dojo, Kyouju had rejoined the others after the last battle. "Sounds like quite the match. I wish I could've recorded it," Kyouju said.

"So, Kyouju, what did you talk about with the Great Chairman?" Takao asked.

"Well, I talked to him about a… 'strategy' we might have to take."

"Strategy?" Daichi repeated.

"Yes. The Great Chairman and I researched the entire region of Japan and found nothing that the Siberian BeySoldiers can call their base. That can only mean that only a few forces were sent here and are living amongst us."

"Apparently, since both Mizuno and Orochi walked out on the streets like everyone else," Takao said.

"So, what are you saying, Kyouju?" Rei asked.

"Well, the Holy Beast sightings are dying down around here. That means that either the Saint Generations A have killed some or the BeySoldiers have succeeded in capturing some. Never mind our rival team, these army men are clearly a bigger threat and can't be left alone. That's why the Great Chairman suggested… that we fly to Siberia."

Everyone was caught off guard by Kyouju's suggestion. "Well, why not?" Takao quickly exclaimed. "We have no idea what those guys are up to, but it's obviously no good! If no one else is gonna do it, then it's up to us to take care of them now!"

"But, what about the Saint Generations A?" Max asked. "We can't leave them alone either. Many of the kids around here have Holy Beasts that they can attempt to kill off."

Kyouju replied, "Well, the Great Chairman told me something very interesting: that team is also taking a flight to Siberia."

"What? No way!" Takao gasped.

"So, it doesn't matter where we go," Kai said. "We'll face both of our adversaries in the end."

"Yeah, and I'll defeat Boss and those BeySoldiers all at once! I say we go for it! We're gonna make sure that all Holy Beasts have a future to look forward to!"

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

"But, speaking of the Saint Generations A, they may have six members already," Kai added. "What about us?"

"Well, heh, funny you should ask," Kyouju grinned uneasily. "I did find a potential new addition to our team."

"Huh? Really?" Takao wondered.

"Yeah! Okay, you can come on in now!"

Everyone looked toward the door as it suddenly slid open. Just then, everyone was shocked to find…!


Out in the streets of Tokyo, Boss and Alex were walking down the sidewalk to rejoin their teammates. Right behind him, someone took one step and called out, "There you are, Uehara Banken!" Boss and Alex stopped and turned around to find a familiar face. With a big smile, Alex waved, "Hey!"

Boss grinned and crossed his arms. "I was starting to wonder whether you show up or not."


Takao and everyone else were shocked to find a familiar young girl behind that door. Takao gasped, "Hiromi!" Sure enough, it was Hiromi, grinning joyously and holding a ruby red combination-style Beyblade with black and white markings and four arrow-headed blades over the attack ring. "Yep, it's Tatibana Hiromi, and I'm finally ready to Beyblade! Which one of you wants to fight me first?" While Kyouju grinned haphazardly, Takao, Daichi, Max, Rei, and even Kai wore dumbfounded stares of disbelief as they beheld who Kyouju claimed to be their sixth member of the Infinitia Revolutions E…
NEXT TIME

Takao: Now, hold on! Hiromi, since when were you a Beyblader!

Hiromi: Does it matter? Come on; let me join your team!

Takao: Yeah, right! There's no way you can Beyblade just like that after all this time!

Hiromi: Don't look down on me! I've been training for a good while in secret. I've been training with the best! And now I'm finally ready to join you all in the fight! Get ready, Takao!

Takao: Huh? What did this Holy Beast come from!

"Beautiful Excalibur"