Here you go, some battles and a hint of angst at the end!

Christina rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, "Alright then, Ryuto… you and me. Nature versus Air. This'll be fun."

Across the dish, Ryuto flashed her a competitive smile, "Oh, it absolutely will be. Bragging rights to whoever wins?"

"Too easy," Christina smirked. "How about… whoever wins can call in a no questions asked favor from the loser?"

Ryuto's eyes glittered, "I can get on board with that."

Christina grinned, canines flashing, "Excellent."

"… Did they seriously just do some sort of deal on live television?" Toby asked, "Is… is that legal?"

"Nothing in the underground world is legal, but you gotta have your contacts where you can get them," Chris shrugged. "Besides, it may not necessarily be an illegal favor either one of them call in."

"… That only reassures me slightly," Toby sighed. "Where'd Tyler and Tithi disappear to? You'd think he'd want to get all the intel he can on two Elementals battling."

"They're in the team room running scans on Wadjet with Nefertiti," Chris answered. "Since Tyler's the one with access to a working scanner and all the technical stuff, and Tithi wanted to talk to Nefertiti and Dynamis, I think."

Toby nodded, "Makes sense… and to be fair, he can probably just get all the information he needs from a replay of the battle."

"Probably. Or he could have hacked into the live feed and be recording and scanning at the same time he's picking apart Wadjet," Chris shrugged.

"… Can he hack?"

"I have no clue, but I wouldn't put it past him,"

"Three!" The countdown began, bringing Toby and Chris's attention back to the battle about to begin.

"Two!" The Bladers readied themselves.

"One! Let it rip!"

Pure instinct from his years as a Blader for hire drove Chris into grabbing the metal railing and then yank Toby down to duck as Artemis and Dragonis clashed head on, an explosive shockwave erupting through the stadium that knocked anyone who wasn't prepared off their feet.

"What in the world…?!" Toby gasped, slowly rising back to stand.

"We haven't seen a battle yet where two of the Seven meet head on," Chris mumbled. "All of the evolutions have been at the end of the battle. We don't know what their power is capable of when going against one of their own from the beginning."

Toby grimaced, "Well… this should be an interesting battle then."

Chris' own expression twisted into something Toby couldn't quite name—anger? Displeasure? Jealousy? No… No, it was more… protective, and vindictive.

Toby's eyes traveled back to the two Elementals battling below. Christina and Ryuto were trading powerful blows, apparently eager to not be holding back. So why would Chris be looking like he was?

Ryuto called out a move, barely heard over the roar of wind, and Toby grimaced as the air pressure dropped again, his ears popping as a bolt of lightning struck Artemis from above. Artemis was knocked back, but she quickly regained her balance and rocketed forward in a barrage attack on Dragonis.

And, like lightning has struck Toby himself, he realized why Chris looked so torn.

"You're worried about her," Toby said, turning to his blond teammate. When Chris looked over, Toby continued, "Because you know what it's like to have the fate of the world on your shoulders, and that's something you wouldn't wish on Christina."

Chris sighed, and shook his head, "You're not too far off. Yeah, I would much rather her not be a member of the Elemental Seven, but what can I do to stop it? Fate is fate, and unless Christina ends up on death's door, she's the Nature warrior."

"Given who we know are already members of the Elemental Seven, I highly doubt anyone is going to pull a Ryuga or Kyoya and try to lone wolf it," Toby said. "And if they do, they'll probably get dragged back in by said duo themselves."

A small smirk quirked at the corners of Chris' lips, "You're probably right. Ryuga and Kyoya did learn their lesson last time, huh?"

"And, supposedly, we only have one person to worry about turning to the dark side, and that's another Dynamis situation. Not a situation like you or Aguma and Bao," Toby pointed out. When Chris gave him a 'thanks a lot' look, Toby continued, "The Curse of Death, remember? Whoever the Death warrior turns out to be, that's who we'll have to keep an eye on."

"Right, well, we don't know who that is yet," Chris sighed. "Or who the bearer of Nyx is."

"The answers are probably staring us right in the face," Toby mumbled. "The question is, where aren't we looking?"

"Go now, Dragonis! Special Move, Hammer Bolt!" Ryuto cleared the air of dust with a swipe of his hand, grinning across the dish over at Christina. "You've given me quite the battle so far, Christina! Thanks for this—I was getting tired of all the easy wins!"

"If you were anyone else, I might be offended," Christina smirked over at her opponent, as Artemis was thrown into the air. "But you just dug your own grave! Artemis! Special Move, Arrow of Accuracy!"

Ryuto's expression flashed with surprise as Artemis appeared, a green and gold spiritual beast radiating power. She aimed a knocked arrow at Dragonis, before releasing the green bolt. The arrow struck its mark, and Dragonis was sent flying through the air, landing at Ryuto's feet with a clink.

"And there it is, folks! After that explosive battle of pure power, Christina pulls off the third win! The American team is still in this game!"

Christina smirked as she called her partner back into her hand, "You're damn right we are." Her smirk turned into a smile, "Nice battle Ryuto! Dragonis' new power isn't to be messed with, and neither are you!"

Ryuto laughed, and flashed the girl a thumbs up, "Nice win, Chrissie! Good luck to you and your team!"

Whoever wins next decides the fate of this match, Christina thought, as she turned away from the dish. If Motti wins… the American team is out of the game. If Toby wins, though, we'll go into a tiebreaker battle… then we can make it a tag team and pull off the win we need.

"Win this, Toby," Christina said, as she passed the Lyra Blader on the staircase of the American platform. "We still have a chance."

"I'll do my best, and you know it," Toby nodded.

Christina shared a glance with her brother, as she sat down on the bench just beyond the railing. Loathe as she was to admit it, her battle with Ryuto had drained her energy; more than likely because she wasn't used to Artemis' full strength yet. She was surprised she'd managed to pull off a win, especially considering Ryuto had had more time to adjust to being an Elemental.

"Hey," Chris poked her in the shoulder as he sat beside her. "You okay? You just won your battle, you should be happy!"

"Just tired," Christina said, giving her brother a small smile. "I think all the travelling is starting to catch up to me."

Chris didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked the opposite—he looked suspicious. For a moment, he just stared at Christina, before he chuckled lightly and bumped his shoulder against hers, "Still getting used to all that power, huh?"

"How the hell did you deal with it?" Christina groaned, slumping against the back of the bench, "You didn't seem all that tired when Orion evolved on Beyster Island."

"To be fair, you didn't see," Chris shrugged. "Plus, Ryuga got his hands on me briefly. I was drained, but you didn't see it since we all beat a quick exit after. Took me a full day to get my energy back."

Christina sighed, "How long did it take you to get used to it?"

"Each battle, you get more and more used to it. Training helps, too," Chris answered. "And you have been doing a lot of that since Artemis evolved the other day, and Ryuto has had more time to get used to the new power, too. You've only had a couple days. You'll get there."

"I wish I was there now," Christina mumbled. "I… I don't like this—being so tired. Things happen when you're not at your best."

There was a heavier meaning to that statement, Chris realized. He debated pressing further, but decided that this wasn't the time or place to ask questions.

Especially since Toby had pulled off the win they needed to stay in the game. Chris straightened in his seat as the DJ announced Toby's victory and went on to state that they'd be taking a fifteen-minute break for the Bladers to rest before they went into the tiebreaker battle.

"Well, looks like Tithi or I will be battling again," Chris stood up, stretching.

"Excuse you?" Christina asked, shooting to her feet with a new fire in her eyes, "What's that mean?"

Chris blinked at her, "Well, I mean, you said it yourself, you're tired, right?"

"That does mean you can count me out!" Christina snapped, "I can still battle! We'll just did what we did last time and make it a tag-team match!"

"Now, I didn't mean you couldn't battle, but don't you think you should rest—"

"Fifteen minutes will be more than enough time for me to regain enough energy so we can battle together! C'mon Chris, our team has the upper hand! At least we have a tag team!"

"What did I return to?" Toby asked, as he joined the siblings, "You two good?"

Christina and Chris stared each other down, a silent battle of wills. Toby glanced back and forth between them, quietly wondering if he should try to intervene, or just walk away.

"Fine," Chris finally said. "You win. We'll do a tag-team battle."

Fifteen minutes later, Nefertiti and Ryuto stood opposite of Chris and Christina.

"I'm screwed," Chris mumbled. "I see no way that we win this."

"Oh, stop being such a big baby and get ready to battle," Christina snapped back, raising her launcher.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who's out numbered and overpowered here," Chris hissed.

"Three!" The countdown began.

"Two!" The crowd chanted.

"One! Let it rip!"

"Artemis! Chameleon Cloak!" Christina shouted, and Artemis vanished from sight on command, right before Dragonis could collide with her.

"Stick in stamina mode," Christina turned to her brother. "Wadjet's tricky, with those new defensive abilities, but I should be able to knock Dragonis out so we can win this."

"Yeah, sure, and the fact that I'll be distracting the girl you told me not to approach until after this round means nothing to you now, does it?"

Christina fixed her brother with a deadpan look. Chris sighed, "Alright, fine."

"Thank you," Christina rolled her eyes, and turned back to the battle. She swept her hand out, "Artemis! Camouflage Barrage!"

On cue, Dragonis began to take an assault from an unseen opponent. Ryuto frowned as Dragonis was knocked back, further and further towards the edge of the dish, before he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Alarm bells started going off in Chris' head, eyes narrowing to slits.

"You know, it's a good thing Kyoya came by all those weeks ago, where I could get a little training with the king of the sky himself!" Ryuto grinned over at Christina, "But I appreciate the effort! Dragonis! Special Move, Dragon's Flight!"

Dragonis appeared, a teal spirit of roaring ferocity, and spread her great wings before beating them violently, generating powerful winds that sent her into the sky…

And revealed Artemis' position in the process.

"Aha!" Nefertiti's eyes flashed, "I got you now! Go now, Wadjet! Fang Strike!"

Wadjet glowed gold before charging forward and slamming into Artemis, sending the green Bey flying into the air.

"Dragonis! Skyborne Wingblade!" Ryuto yelled, and Dragonis struck Artemis hard, sending Christina's partner hurtling back towards the ground. Dust flew up from the impact, causing the Bladers to hold their breath as they waited for it to clear.

Artemis was still spinning, slower than before, but still spinning.

"My defenses are next to nothing," Christina growled. "My stamina is what is keeping me in this battle…"

"Trade places," Chris muttered to her. "Artemis' stamina is greater than Orion's, you'll last longer at a standstill. Let me have a go at them."

"By all means," Christina gestured to the dish. "Let's see what you can do."

"Orion!" Chris called, and his partner pulsed his signature color, before charging up the slope and into the air.

"And Chris is making his move, but what move is it exactly?!" DJ exclaimed.

"Opening yourself up for an attack on my turf, huh?" Ryuto laughed, "Becoming reckless, are we? Dragonis!"

"Orion! Star Bolt!" Chris shouted, and Orion streaked back towards the dish in a fuchsia-colored comet, slamming into Dragonis and sending the dragon Bey flying back.

"Hey! Why are you two targeting me?!" Ryuto exclaimed, "What'd I ever do to you?!"

"You're the weak link, Ryuto, and they know that," Nefertiti called over to her teammate. She gave Chris a sultry smile, "Isn't that right, Chris?"

Christina growled, low in the back of her throat as Chris stuttered. Nefertiti winked at him, and then shouted, "Go, Wadjet! Goddess' Blessing!"

Wadjet glowed bright gold, and charged forward, and began to slam into Orion in a brutal barrage attack.

"Orion!" Chris exclaimed, wide eyed, "Get out of there!"

"Not going to happen!" Nefertiti smiled coyly, "Once Wadjet locks on to her target, she doesn't let them go! It's like a constrictor—she just gets attacking until eventually her opponent has nothing left in them to try and attack or defend."

"Artemis!" Christina yelled, and Artemis shot forward, intercepting Wadjet's next blow. Christina winced as Artemis cried out, but she ground her teeth and held her ground, "Arrow of Accuracy!"

"Attacking me now, huh?" Nefertiti drawled, "You must be getting desperate."

"Stop flirting with my brother and face me," Christina barked, violet eyes flashing fiercely. "Because I won't be distracted by your charm!"

"Oh, boo, that's no fun," Nefertiti pouted. "But fine, if you insist. Wadjet! Coiled Defense!"

Wadjet's defenses went up right as Artemis struck. A burst of light blinded everyone, as an explosion shook the ground. Instead of either Blader falling back to regroup, Nefertiti and Christina locked eyes across the dish, before ordering their partners into charging again. Blow after blow the two Beys exchanged, and neither Blader seemed ready to back away from each other's silent challenge any time soon.

"Ngg, I'm getting sick of this game," Christina growled, clearing the dust away from her face. She adjusted her stance, stumbling a little but quickly pushing away her exhaustion, "I'm not making any headway with my smaller attacks…"

"Uh, Chrissie? What are you planning?" Chris asked.

"I think we need to go back to focusing on Ryuto, and hit him with a joint attack," Christina sighed. "I don't have much left in me to keep drawing this battle out."

Chris nodded, "Alright. Then let's do that then and hope for the best." He straightened, "Let's go then—Phantom Orion!"

"Right! Wild Artemis!"

"The Cadelle siblings are falling back! What are these two planning?!" The DJ exclaimed, leaning forward over his podium to peer into the arena.

"Orion—Special Move, Winter's Comet!"

"Artemis—Special Move, Arrow of Accuracy!"

"Joint Special Move! Hunter's Striking Blow!"

Panic bloomed on Ryuto's face as he realized the trajectory of the combined power of Orion and Artemis, "Dragonis! Get out of there!"

"Not so fast!" Nefertiti leaned forward, "Wadjet, Coiled Defense!"

An explosion of gold, fuchsia, and green light lit up the sky, blinding Bladers and spectators alike. Once the light and the dust settled, the winners of the match were seen.

"Amazing!" The DJ exclaimed over the cheers of the crowd, "In an amazing show of power, the Cadelle siblings gave it their all to earn the win, but both Artemis and Orion fell short when it comes to getting through the queen of the Nile's defenses—Nefertiti Storm ensures the win that her team needed to stay in this game! Team Shockwave moves on!"

"No way!" Christina breathed, wide eyed, as she knelt to retrieve Artemis from where she'd fallen at her feet, "We… we were… so close!"

Across the dish, Ryuto let out a cheer and tackled Nefertiti in a bone crushing hug, "Way to go Nef! You did it! We did it! We're moving on!"

"Eh, could have been worse," Chris shrugged, seemingly indifferent. He glanced down at his sister and frowned, "Hey… are you okay?"

"I should have listened to you," Christina murmured, squeezing her eyes shut against the sudden rush of hot tears. "I… I wasn't prepared to battle. I was… weak. I let my pride get in the way and—"

"It would have happened anyways, Christina," Chris crouched down to her level, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You know that. If it was Tithi and I, Toby and I, Toby and Tithi… no matter the team, I don't think it would have mattered, since it was Ryuto and Nefertiti battling." A playful look entered his eyes, "You Elementals are strong alone, but together you guys are going to be breathtakingly powerful. Ryuto and Nefertiti just proved that."

"But… we lost, because I was… tired of all things!" Christina frowned.

"So, you get back up and train so you're not so tired. You get used to Artemis' new power, so this doesn't happen again," Chris took Christina's hand and pulled her to feet. "And, because we're out of the tournament now… we have more time to focus on exactly that. This loss isn't all bad, sis, it's just a matter of your perspective!"

"… When did you become go lucky?" Christina asked, after a pause.

Chris snorted, and shoved his sister, "Would you rather I let you wallow than give you a pep talk? You're my sister and I care, dummy."

Christina rolled her eyes, and brought her gaze back down to Artemis, still thrumming with energy in her palm.

"Alright then, Artemis…" Christina murmured, "Let's get to work. I'll master your power, if it's the last thing I do."

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! The first round of the Wild Card has been decided, and the African team has made their comeback! Whoo, what a week of battles, and remember—we start the second round of the World Championships next week. Our first match up will be in the land down under. That's right! Australia's Coastal Riders will be going head-to-head against, wait for it… the EU team, Rinascinta! Following that battle, we'll be going to the mystical land of China, where Team Night Risers will be facing off against Team Breaking Dawn! The losing teams of those two battles will face off against each other in the second round of the Wild Card matches, and the winner of those will go on to face the African team for the right to stay in this tournament! Stay tuned folks, for more information on this wild, wild tournament! Until next time, I'm Blader DJ, making sure to remind all you Bladers to keep it wild, and let it rip!"

The television clicked lightly as it was turned off, plunging the office into silence.

"Well, sir, what do you think?" Andrea Clarke asked, lounging in a nearby armchair and filing her nails in the picture of nonchalance, "What's your next plan of action?"

Caspian McKandless hummed lightly, swirling his glass of brandy with a deliberate turn of his wrist, "I believe, young Andrea, that I shall be paying our friends in Australia a visit next week."

Andrea smirked lightly, the office lights glinting off her glasses, "Oh? Any particular reason?"

"I'd like to have a little chat with our allies, of course," Caspian replied, standing and making his way to his desk.

"Mm-hm," Andrea's eyes glittered. "Any other reason, sir?"

Caspian didn't answer immediately, his icy eyes resting on a framed photo setting on the corner of his desk. Almost… gingerly, Caspian picked it up, staring down at a younger mirror image of himself in the form of his youngest son. The photo had been taken at a distance, and Lucas was joined by his brother in the photo, the two of them smiling and laughing at something.

"Perhaps, I'll pay my son that visit he asked for," Caspian said, with a dark gleam in his eyes. His grip tightened on the picture, his mouth curling into a sneer, "And remind him just what happens to those who dare to defy my will."

*whistles innocently* Leave a review and let me know what you think?