This chapter is a little shorter, more of a filler, contains quite a bit of cursing, and Kyoya lowkey being a BAMF.

Also, a bit of a Ryuga call out.

"Hey! Guys, there you are! I'm glad I found you!"

"Cover-"

"I am not covering you, if we have to deal with him, so do you,"

Ryuga fought back a groan, jerking to a halt as Tsubasa and Kyoya both grabbed his arms and pulled him back from his attempt to bolt out the doors. Tsubasa leveled him with a look, and Kyoya looked just as dead as Ryuga felt.

Gingka was bounding up to the trio, eyes bright and ever present smile on his face, "Hiya guys! Glad I caught you, the teams are about to be announced, and I figured you'd want to hear them!"

… Not what Ryuga expected for Gingka to say, and it seemed relatively harmless… Even Kyoya looked interested.

"It's our lunch break, Gingka," Tsubasa said, at least trying to find an out. He knew that Gingka could be a bit much, especially for Kyoya and Ryuga's antisocial personalities.

"Dad ordered pizza," Gingka replied. "Yuki, Hikaru, Madoka, Yuu, Kenta, and Akira are up in the office, waiting. I think Hikaru said that she texted Platina and that she was-"

"We're not too late, are we?!"

The lobby doors flew open, and before any of the four teens could blink, Platina Triton was right there, bouncing excitedly in place and grinning widely, holding several shopping bags. Next to her, was a frazzled looking Kakeru Tategami, stumbling a little from being dragged in.

"Hikaru texted, said that the World Championship teams were announced!" Platina trilled, excited as ever, "We rushed over!"

Gingka blinked, "She texted ten minutes ago. She said you were shopping at the mall. That's thirty minutes away."

"Oh, really? I didn't realize it was that far out!"

"She had coffee," Kakeru said, finally finding his voice. He sounded dazed.

"Coffee?" Ryuga asked, sounding dubious even to his own ears. He gave Kyoya a sudden side eye. Said Blader held his hands up and stepped back.

"Hey, caffeine doesn't affect me that way, you know that! Don't give me that look!"

Platina was still bouncing in place, smiling wide.

"Let's… let's just get upstairs," Tsubasa uttered. "The reveal is going to be soon, right?"

"Why is it every woman that we know is some level of crazy?" Kakeru was the one who voiced their thoughts.

Platina didn't hear him, but Ryuga, Gingka, Kyoya, and Tsubasa all nodded in agreement. Deciding not to chance some form of bodily injury, the made their way up to Ryo's office. Sure enough, as Gingka had said, Hikaru, Ryo, Madoka, Akira, Yuu, Kenta, and Yuki were all there. Several pizza boxes were setting on a nearby table, as well as some take out boxes.

"Are you feeding a small army or something?" Kyoya muttered, but he snatched up a box of pizza and walked over to where the couches and chairs had been pushed together around the flatscreen tv hanging on the west wall. Kakeru followed him.

"Gingka's here, and Benkei's on his way," Akira piped up, sprawled out in one of the comfier arm chairs, tapping away at his phone.

"He's got a point," Kakeru said, sitting on the floor and leaning against the front of the couch, as Kyoya sat behind him, legs crossed. Kakeru reached his hands up and made a grabbing motion, "Pizza me."

"Brat," Kyoya muttered, affectionately, but opened up the pizza box and handed his brother two pieces of triple cheese pizza.

Kakeru stacked them on top of each other, and bit into both at the same time.

"… And apparently Kakeru is a bit of a tapeworm too, huh?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow, as she sat on the other end of the couch.

"I am not,"

"He is,"

"Oi! Take that back!"

"Not when it's the truth,"

"Kyoyaaaaaa…" Kakeru whined, thumping his head against his brother's legs.

"You get no sympathy from me," Kyoya deadpanned, and took a bite of pizza.

"Why not?"

"I'm not paid enough,"

"You're my brother,"

"Exactly,"

The two brothers paused as they realized the room had fallen silent. Everyone was staring at them. Kyoya straightened and glared, "What?"

"You two are just…" Platina squealed, "Oh, it just reminds me of my own family! The bickering and stuff! Makes me miss my siblings…"

"Did you call 'em and tell 'em you're on the team?" Kakeru asked, changing the subject as Kyoya continued to glare. Ryuga was smirking like a cat that got the canary, while Tsubasa and Gingka just turned away, having grown accustomed to the Tategami's bickering.

"Ah, no, I figured I'd wait and let them find out for themselves!" Platina smiled, and plopped herself on the floor just beside Kakeru, munching on a box of noodles, "Besides, I know I'll see them again when we start traveling for the actual tournament."

"Good point," Tsubasa took the chair across from Akira.

Ryo was seated at his desk, smiling and watching the kids as they took their seats and conversed with each other, awaiting for the announcements to begin. He turned to his paperwork, focusing on in it and letting the chattering fall into background noise. It paused, as the door banged open and Benkei burst in, ever excitable and loud that he was, and joined the group. The conversation started right back up.

Ryo let his gaze wander over the group, a small smile on his face. The group in front of him, brought together by so many events over the years and bonded through experiences that no adult, let alone a teenager, a child, should have to go through, had formed an unlikely… Family? Yes, family was the word. Even if some of them weren't blood related, they had bonds that ran deep, an instinct to protect one another from the severity of the world.

Ryo glanced down at his paperwork, files on Bladers and maps and stories of old that Dynamis had been kind enough to put to paper, and winced.

If only the world could stop and let his kids breathe, instead of throwing another crisis at them.

The chatter died down again, and Ryo looked up to see they all had their attention on the tv. Blader DJ had appeared on screen, now, and was gearing not only himself up, but no doubt the millions of viewers ready to hear about the other teams.

Ryo stood up and moved to stand behind the couch, admittedly curious as well.

"- and I'm actually pretty excited about some of these teams as well! So, enough chit-chat and lets get right into revealing this years World Championship Bladers! Let's start with the team that was formed first, from America, we have Team Shadowhunters! Having been a Legendary Blader, he solidified himself the spot of team leader, there's Chris Cadelle! First guard member is none other than Tithi Habanero, also a Legendary Blader! Coming in with the second guard member, having clawed her way on to the team to join her twin, Christina Cadelle! He missed his chance with the last World Championships but he sure isn't missing it now! Toby King!"

Gingka, Madoka, Yuu, and Kenta all burst out into cheers, as the final image of the team popped up on the screen.

"And finally, as the team mechanic, we have Tyler Blackout!" Blader DJ finished, grinning at the camera, "And here's the scoop on this Bey mechanic, he's none other than Masamune Kadoya's own cousin!"

"Rest in pieces Chris and Toby, they aren't going to be getting any sleep," Tsubasa muttered, barely heard over the din.

Kyoya snorted.

"Moving on! From the EU, we have Team Rinascinta!" Blader DJ's voice lulled the cheering teens, "I have to admit, I'm quite excited with this line up! Legendary Blader of Mars, King, secured his spot as the team leader of the EU team-"

"Unfortunate," Kyoya muttered. Kakeru thwacked him on the leg, shushing him.

"The first guard member showed fiery skills with a temper to match in the Italian qualifiers, there's Nero Konzern! That's right, Julian Konzern's own little brother has made the team! But he's not the only member! The second guard member is the one, the only ice-cold Blader, Lucas Reynolds! And hailing in from Norway and showing great skill despite grabbing the sub member spot, we have Amethysia Cosmina!"

Platina erupted into cheers, jumping up from her spot on the floor in a blur of pink and silver, startling most of the room.

"And finally, coming in from Russia to be their team mechanic, with have Jasmine Laize, daughter of Laize's Corporation's CEO, Aleksis Laize! I can't wait to see how this team progresses through the tournament!"

"Impressive," Ryuga commented. Coming from him, that meant something.

"Next up, we have the South American team, made up of Bladers around the globe! Team Rio Grande is proud to have the one, the only Helios Solace, as their team leader!"

Gingka, Kyoya, Benkei, and Madoka's jaws all dropped. Gingka even dropped his burger.

"… Friend of yours?" Akira asked, sitting up.

"… You could say that," Gingka finally found his voice. "Wow… Helios? Just… wow!"

"Getting the first guard spot, he may have a shady past but let's not hold that against him, Johannes Wilde!"

The room erupted into shouts and protests.

"How the fuck?!" Kyoya exclaimed.

"That bad cat?!" Yuki yelped.

"Shush!" Hikaru cut in, hissing at the group, "Listen!"

"The third spot, seeing as a fourth member couldn't be decided on, goes to Jigsaw!"

"Oh, well that's not so bad," Madoka's shoulders slumped a little. "A little eccentric, but he's not bad."

"And the team mechanic is Ian Garcia!"

"Damn," Madoka swore.

"Anything the Garcia's have a hand in is bad news," Kakeru sighed.

"Well… it's just Ian!" Yuu tried, nervously, "Maybe he's… maybe he's changed!"

He received several dubious looks and raised eyebrows.

"… Okay, fair point,"

"Next up, we have the Russian's, team Night Risers! Four bad girls on the same team, and all of them are sisters!"

"Say again?" Kenta blinked.

"You heard me! Leader, Khione Ranne! First guard, Thorn Ranne. Second guard, Bella Ranne. Sub member, Pyra Ranne! As for the mechanic, still no word!"

"Strange," Ryo murmured, to himself.

"Moving on to the African team, Team Shockwave!"

At that, Kyoya straightened a little.

"As we know, Dynamis Hikari gets his spot secured thanks to being a Legendary Blader! He's the team leader! Coming as the first guard member, we have none other than… Nefertiti Storm!"

"What?!" Kakeru exclaimed, eyes wide, "But she hasn't battled in years!"

"She clearly still has the skills, if she's on the team," Kyoya said.

"Oh, fuck, I hope I don't end up battling her,"

"Language,"

"Shut up!"

"Coming in with the first guard member, I was quite surprised at this result! I didn't even know he was still in the game, but let's hear it for the Dragon Emperor's little brother- Ryuto Katashi!"

Ryuga choked on his coke, "Huh?!"

"Hah! Way to go!" Kyoya cheered.

"What is happening right now?" Gingka asked, in lieu of his friends' reactions.

"No clue," Tsubasa replied, just as bewildered.

"And sliding her way into the sub member spot, she's a fierce feline- Motti Wilde!"

"Not too bad," Madoka said, smiling. "I wonder who's the mechanic…"

"And grabbing that mechanic slot, from Team Wild Fang, Demure!"

Kakeru cheered and Kyoya smirked wider. Ryuga still seemed to be in shock.

"Now, Team Coastal Riders, all the way from Australia! Team leader, Hunter Hart! First guard, Taylor Wilson! Second guard, Kelsea Gunter-"

"As in Klaus Gunter?" Platina mused, eyebrows going up.

"Ariana Klarice, sub member! As for the Mechanic, Jack Wilson!"

"What's with all the former baddies getting spots on the teams? Jack, a mechanic?! He's barely sane!" Akira exclaimed.

"But he does have an eye for detail, considering his passion in art!" Madoka chirped, "And… he may be eccentric, but he's actually pretty nice, now that he's not on any arrangements…"

Akira crossed his arms and sulked in the chair, "Fine."

"Finally to the last two teams! From China, we have Team Breaking Dawn! Aguma Ji has his spot as the team leader, but coming in right behind him as the first guard member is his partner in crime, Bao Blackheart!"

"I'm sensing a lot of tag team battles in the future," Platina said, offhandedly.

"The second guard spot goes to Kuro Blackheart, Bao's older sister!"

"Yep," Kakeru nodded in agreement.

"And with the sub member slot, Kenchi Heixin. Not much is known about this Blader, but he certainly showed off his skills in the qualifiers!"

"New player…" Ryuga murmured.

"There's a lot of new players, snake breath," Akira snorted, ignoring the glare shot his way.

"The mechanic is Wang Hu Zhong's Chao Xin Wang's sister- Xue Wang! Now, moving on to the final team that formed, from my own home country of Japan…" Blader DJ grinned wider, eyes glittering, "Team Vigilante Justice!"

The screen lit up in bright bursts of light, the sound of fireworks going off filtering through the speakers. Yuki sank down a little, bright red. Akira turned his attention to his phone. Hikaru shifted uneasily and Platina reached out to grab Kakeru's arm, shaking him while squealing.

"Team leader, Yuki Mizushawa! Unsurprising, given his status as a Legendary Blader! Mechanic, Akira Akuyro-"

"I told that fucker to leave my last name out of it!" Akira exploded.

"She's coming back, ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Battle Bladers and making her way into the big leagues, as the sub member, Hikaru Hisama!"

"Oh… Oh no, he's not…" Kakeru went white as a sheet, suddenly, watching as Hikaru's picture appeared on the screen alongside Yuki and Akira's.

"Coming in with the second guard member, give it up for Platina Triton!"

Platina was practically shaking with how hard she was holding her squeals back. She was garnering a few concerned looks in the process.

"And finally…"

"Oh no, he is,"

"Grabbing the first guard member like the beast he is!"

"Please, DJ, stop…"

"With the most points out of the whole team!"

Kakeru made a noise like a dying cat.

"Kakeru Tategami!"

"Is he fucking trying to put a target on my back?!"

Yuu and Kenta promptly exploded into laughter. Giving his best friend's brother a concerned look, Benkei reached out and gently patted him on the back. Kyoya just looked a strange mix of proud and vindictive.

"It's not that bad, little brother," Kyoya smirked, reaching down to ruffle the younger's hair.

"Says you!"

Kyoya thumped him, and stood up, "Hush up and get ready to put up, little brother. You wanted in the big leagues, you got in. Now you gotta play the game."

Kakeru huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at the tv. Blader DJ was still going on about the teams, breaking them down by stats on their tournament records and even the Beys themselves. That quickly distracted him, his curiosity over possible battles and how to approach them overriding his worry and fear.

Conversation sparked among the group, and Kyoya slipped out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him. While getting to know who had made the teams was an interesting thing to do on his lunch break, he much preferred his solitude over big groups.

"Hey… Hey, Tategami," Kyoya felt his shoulders tense at the voice behind him. He kept on going down the hallway, forgoing waiting on the elevator and heading for the stairway, "Dammit, Kyoya, I'm talking to you!"

"And I'm ignoring you," Kyoya shot back, throwing open the door to the stairwell and starting down the stairs.

A hand landed on his shoulder, forcing Kyoya to turn around. Kyoya bit back a groan.

"Ryuga, what do you want?" Kyoya sighed, "Meeting done and over with, I'm going back to the paperwork."

"You knew about Ryuto," Ryuga said, eyes narrowed. "Want to tell me about that?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Kyoya snarked off, brushing Ryuga's hand off his shoulder and turning back down the stairs, "If you cared enough, you'd ring him up more often than you did. He wouldn't have to be turning to others for advice."

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"What does it sound like?"

"Sounds like you're implying I could care less about my brother's life,"

Kyoya turned on the stairs, unfazed by Ryuga towering over him. He pointed at Ryuga, voice like steel when he spoke, "You don't care about Ryuto. You never told him you were alive, he found out himself and literally brought a storm on his heels when he came here. He called me, asking if it was worth it to enter the tournament, and I did what any good brother would do- I told him the truth, offered him some advice, and now here we are. He took what I said and he made his own decision." Sneering a little, he turned away, "No wonder your relationship with him is so nonexistent. You were never there to begin with."

Shots fired. Need some ice for that burn Ryuga?

So, all the teams have been revealed! That means... *drumroll* the next chapter, we dive into the tournament!