uh correction. This sub-arc is being split into three chapters. They keep getting long and while I know people like long chapters... I'm trying to keep to a word or page limit per chapter and i keep hitting them before I realize it so... that means for a long fic i suppose. XD

Moving on! The aftermath of last chapter and the next battle!

The teams were allowed fifteen minutes between the next battles, due to the fact Ryuto had passed out. Nefertiti had no illusions that the Chinese team was using this time to regroup and plan out their next moves. Meanwhile, she and her team were trying to keep calm.

"The irony is, he knew," Nefertiti said, as she checked Ryuto's pulse for the third time in as many minutes. "You know?"

"He did confess he was suspicious about Dragonis' reaction to the meteor shower, didn't he?" Dynamis sighed, a small bitter smile on his lips, "Perhaps we should have listened to him more."

Nefertiti pressed her hand to Ryuto's forehead. He was warm, but not feverish.

There was a knock on the door. Surprised, Nefertiti nodded at Demure, who was closest, to open it. On the other side was Nile and two exasperated looking guards.

"Nile, what are-" Nefertiti began, bewildered.

"I've got Kyoya, Kakeru, Tsubasa and Ryuga on the line, but I had to fight these guys," Nile jabbed a thumb at the guards, phone still to his ear. "To get back here."

Dynamis looked even more amused, but Nefertiti groaned in mild annoyance, and addressed the guards, "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused you. Though there won't be a next time, just keep in mind you should have let him back."

"Of course Miss Storm," The taller of the two said. "Our apologies."

Nile watched them go with a vindictive look. Because he was distracted, he never noticed Nefertiti swipe his phone from him, "Hey!"

"You snooze, you lose little brother," Nefertiti muttered as she lifted the cell to her ear. "So why are three of the most powerful Bladers plus a tag along calling my brother."

"I am offended-" Kakeru began, but was cut off.

"What the hell happened to my brother?!" Ryuga exploded.

"Calm down, Ryuga, I'm telling you he probably just passed out from exhaustion-" Tsubasa tried.

"Tsubasa's right," Nefertiti commented. "He's fine, Ryuga. Just… sleeping."

"See, I told you. Nothing to worry about!"

There was some muffled grumbles, but Ryuga let it go. Then, Kyoya was speaking, "Nef, that's your 'I'm giving the half truth and I hope no one knows it' voice. What really happened?"

Nefertiti grimaced. Why did Kyoya have to be so good at reading people?

"Dragonis evolved," Nefertiti sighed.

There was dead silence.

"What?!"

"Holy fuck,"

"Of course he was right…"

"That's what- two now? Any idea what element Ryuto drew?" Tsubasa asked, voice barely heard over Ryuga's shout and the Tategami's bewildered statements.

"Dynamis?" Nefertiti turned to the Jupiter Blader.

"Air," Was the response.

"Air," Nefertiti answered Tsubasa's question, glancing over to where Demure and Nile were hunched over Dragonis. Motti was perched on the edge of the table, watching with a cocked head and bright eyes.

Nefertiti drifted closer, and put the phone on speaker, setting it on the table, "Demure, what's your analysis?"

"Dragonis was already a strong attack type to begin with," Demure began. "But I think this new Dragonis is even stronger."

"Ryuga, stop growling for three seconds-" Kyoya snapped, "Demure, care to explain?"

"You can't see it, so I'll try to explain the best I can… Before, Dragonis had a three point Omega warrior wheel. Now, the new Dragonis has six. They're shaped like dragon wings, on top of that. They're layered on top of each other, and pointed at a downwards slope. If I had to guess, for a Bey shorter than Dragonis, Dragonis would be able to shred the warrior wheel. The same for a Bey taller, but the spin track instead."

"It doesn't look like a low gravity based Bey anymore," Motti commented.

"No, it's not," Demure weighed the Bey in his hand. "Lightweight, too. See these striations on the sides of the spintrack? They lead up to holes between the energy ring and facebolt. I've never seen a design like this, so there's no telling the function of them, but considering what else I've seen so far… Dragonis might be capable of reaching even greater heights, if launched directly into the air."

"Makes sense, for the element of air," Tsubasa mused.

"And then the performance tip," Demure said. "Extreme sharp."

"But… extreme sharps are stamina based," Kakeru spoke up.

"I didn't finish. It looks like it can switch between extreme sharp and extreme flat," Demure finished.

"So, what, like L'Drago?" Ryuga asked.

"Exactly like L'Drago, though I'm unsure if it's an automatic switch when reaching a certain limit," Demure shrugged.

"So Dragonis is just of surprises now, huh?"

"Yeah, sure seems like it, Ryuto," Nefertiti nodded. There was a split second of silence, then realization, and then she was whipping around, "You're awake- wait, what are you doing? You lay right back down mister!"

"Nefertiti, I'm fine, really-" Ryuto grimaced, sitting up slowly.

"Fine? Fine?! Not only did you pass out from exhaustion, but you hit your head on the damn ground! You could have a concussion! You're in no shape to even try standing!"

"I've had worse!" Ryuto shot back, setting his jaw.

"I don't give a damn! Stay where you are and at rest!"

"I'm fine, really!"

"You're fighting a losing battle, Ryuto," Nile snorted, grinning in amusement.

"Oh, come on!"

"Listen, this is just the risk of concussion," Nile waved a hand. "Humor her and let her fuss."

Ryuto opened his mouth to try and argue, and then he looked at Nefertiti, towering over him, and decided that maybe he wanted to live to see another day. He slumped back against the wall the cot was pushed up against, "Alright, fine."

Nefertiti's anger disappeared, and she smiled, "Good. You learn quick. Better than some people."

"I live with you, I have a reason," Nile deadpanned. Then, he grinned, evilly, "Did I ever tell you that Kyoya willingly threw himself into a tornado to learn how to control one with Leone?"

Nefertiti went stock still. Slowly, like something out of a horror movie, she turned her head to look at Nile, "He. What."

"Oh, look at the time, gotta go, talk to you all later!" Kyoya's voice, panicked and frantic, came from Nile's phone.

"Kyoya fucking Tategami-"

The line went dead as Kyoya hung up. Before Nefertiti could even think about calling him back, there was another knock on the team door, and then an official was poking her head in.

"Break ends in five minutes, Shockwave. You should start your way back out to the platform," The official said. "Mister Katashi, do you think you're good to go out? We can call the doctor, if you'd like."

"I think I'll be fine with some rest, thanks. Do… I need to go out with my team?" Ryuto asked.

The woman shook her head, "No, sir. You can stay back here, if you'd like."

Ryuto nodded, "I would."

"May I sit back with him?" Dynamis questioned.

"Yes, sir, as you've already battled, you may. Though, I must inform you, if it ends up being a two on two tie, you may need to battle again,"

"Yes, ma'am, that is understood,"

The woman nodded, and then glanced at Nile. She raised an eyebrow.

"Can I stay back here, too?" Nile's voice was sheepish.

Amused, the woman rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I supposed I can make an exception. Miss Storm, Miss Wilde, Mister LaCroix, you three need to head on out."

Demure stood up, and passed Dragonis over to Ryuto. Ryuto snatched his partner back, eyeing the evolved bey with hungry eyes.

"Nefertiti, you're battling Bao next," Nile sidled up next to his sister.

"Mm. Any tips?"

"Hades Crown is fast, and he relies on that. But his defensive abilities are strong, too," Nile shrugged. "I've only ever really battled him once, and briefly, at that."

"Fast and defensive… good enough," Nefertiti linked her fingers, and stretched her arms out in front of her, cracking her hands and arms. She did the same, stretching her arms out behind her back, before she let her arms drop loosely by her sides, "I can work with that."

"Let it rip!"

For a moment, the two Bladers stared each other down, gold crashing with green, before Nefertiti's eyes flickered back down to the dish, "Wadjet! Poison Strike!"

"Dodge it, Hades!" Bao shouted.

Hades shimmered red and vanished, right before Wadjet would have hit. Hades flashed into existence behind the golden Bey, and slammed into her, before vanishing.

"Running away, huh?" Nefertiti goaded, "I thought you Beylin Fist boys were all about showing yourselves for the world to see?"

"… Things change," Bao narrowed his eyes.

"Clearly," Nefertiti rolled her own eyes. She scanned the ground, "So where are you hiding?"

Her eyes downcast, she missed Bao's smirk, "I'm everywhere."

Nefertiti blinked, and looked up, "Hm?"

Hades Crown flashed into existence just a few feet away from Wadjet. Then… another one. Nefertiti watched with wide eyes as multiple Hades Crown winked into view, surrounding Wadjet.

"Moving so fast that he's leaving mirror images," Nefertiti muttered to herself. "Nice trick. Not the first time I've seen it though."

Bao cocked an eyebrow, "Can you counteract it though?"

That… was a good question. While Nefertiti had never faced a Bey with the abilities that Hades displayed, she knew how to do so. Disturb the air, shake the ground, just do something to get rid of the copies…

Wadjet sat, spinning away, in the center of the dish, awaiting the next command. Nefertiti thought about her own abilities, and how she could use them to her advantage. She snapped her fingers.

"Wadjet! Special Move, Serpent's Flight!" Nefertiti called.

In a flash of golden light, Wadjet appeared. A woman beast with the bottom half of a snake, but the upper half of a woman and feathers descending from her arms. She had a cobra hood in place of hair, and donned the crown of Lower Egypt. With a his, she raised her arms, and began to flap them, generating high powered winds.

The look on Bao's face was priceless: shock and mild terror. With a curse, as the images of Hades began to vanish, Bao shouted an order.

"Hades Crown, Flash Attack!"

One of the Hades glowed red, and Nefertiti's gaze snapped to it, just as the red Bey charged forward.

"Wadjet, Poison Strike!"

Gold and red light filled the air as the two Beys collided. For the briefest of seconds, Nefertiti thought she saw the red light around Hades try to take on the form of some beast, but just as quickly the image vanished.

Curious, Nefertiti mused. "Why aren't you using your full power, Bao?"

Bao blinked at her, reaching up to wipe sweat off his forehead, "What?"

"You heard me!" Nefertiti shouted over, "Why aren't you giving it your all, like your partners and competitors?!"

"Don't start throwing out you don't need the answer to!"

"You're only crippling yourself, you know!" Nefertiti grit her teeth, "Wadjet! Again, Poison Strike!"

Wadjet drew back, gathering speed on the edge of the dish, before barreling down the slope to charge Hades. Hades flashed out of view and Wadjet went flying by, the attack not connecting.

"Fuck-" Nefertiti swore. If she kept this up, Wadjet's stamina would be drained in no time, "Stop hiding, goddamit! Face me like a man! Or is your ego too scared to face being beat by a woman?!"

"You think this is a matter of pride?! My sister is one of the strongest people I know! I'm not taking that from her!"

Aha. Gotcha.

"You're holding yourself back because you don't want to outshine her," Nefertiti realized, anger ebbing away.

Bao looked startled at the words, which quickly turned to fear, "I-"

"… The Beylin Fist. They hated women, honored men. Kuro fought those sexist opinions and tried to prove herself but kept failing until she was forced out," Nefertiti knew enough, through rumors and the fact that people talked. From the look on Bao's face, she was dead on the nail, "You grew up respecting her, not them."

"Kuro deserved what they didn't give her," Bao said, eventually, in an honest, quiet voice. "I've always looked up to her. It hurt when she left. I… didn't take it well."

Nefertiti's eyes flickered over Bao's shoulder, to his teammates. Aguma was watching Kuro, but Kuro was watching Bao, expression blank.

"You trained hard," Nefertiti coaxed, gently.

Bao nodded, "I wanted to honor her. I thought… put myself in the view of the elders. If I could rise to a position of power… maybe I could change things."

"A new generation,"

"Exactly,"

Nefertiti was silent, before she braced herself, "Did it work?"

Bao had been staring at the ground, and now, he slowly raised his head. His eyes were bright, and a sharp grin on his face. A bright red aura flared to life around him, his Blader's Spirit, "Why don't you find out for yourself? Hades Crown!"

Nefertiti had a sudden, sinking suspicion she had just dug her own grave. She wasn't about to go down without a fight though.

"Wadjet! Coiled Defense!"

Wadjet's spirit appeared, curled up like a snake poised to strike. She hissed warningly.

"Special Move-" Bao swept out his hand, aura burning even brighter, "Talon Drop!"

Hades Crown swept up the side of the dish and hurled himself into the air. Higher and higher he climbed, until it was just a speck of silver and red… And then, in a bright flash of red light, the crowd and competitors watched as a red and black screech owl appeared in mid air. With a flash of its piercing gold eyes, the beast folded it's wings and dove towards the dish.

Ah, hell, Nefertiti thought. I'm screwed...

After all, owls were natural predators to snakes.

Wadjet attempted to strike the owl beast, but Hades threw open it's wings. Wadjet was pushed down by the blast of wind, giving Hades the opportunity to grab her in his outstretched talons. There was an explosion of light and sound, and Nefertiti threw her arms up to protect her face.

"IN A DRAMATIC TURN OF EVENTS, BAO BLACKHEART WINS THE MATCH!"

Nefertiti couldn't say she was surprised. Still, as she picked up her fallen partner, laid at her feet, she smiled over at Bao, "Nice job red. I'm impressed."

Bao grinned, but before he could get a word in edgewise, he was being swarmed by his teammates- or more accurately, his sister.

Nefertiti grinned and left the teen to his fate.

There was still one more battle to go.

We don't actually ever see a beybeast for Hades in the anime so I came up with one on my own. Hades Crown is modeled after some constellation I can't be bothered to look up on mobile so I went with the Hades aspect of Hades Crown. Serpents and screech owls and black rams are symbols of the god of the underworld and there are plenty of rams in the anime as is, and snakes. Plus, I found it fitting for the whole hierarchy of mother nature to put bird against snake for this chapter as well.

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Until next time, lemme know what you thought in a review! Ciao!