Wenling suddenly awoke to a shrill noise so she sat up and wiped the sleep from the corner of her eyes. Her eyes wearily scan the room until she spots Hiromi and Archimedes still fast asleep.
A painful "ouch" was clearly capturing her sense of hearing before noticing a sliver of light brightly peeking through the bathroom area. Another "ouch" was heard before she eventually deduced that it was none other than Audrey, who seemed to be in some type of pain.
'What is she doing up so early?' The brunette inwardly wondered while she stood to her feet and trudged over to the cracked door.
"You alright, Aud?" The teen curiously questions right before she catches sight of her friend with a hot curling iron in her hand.
Her body suddenly became rigid as if she was a deer caught in headlights. She swore that she checked to see if the others were asleep after she hatched her plan.
Green eyes noticed the tips of her fingers, which were bright red and swollen. The blonde broke her silence, "It's not what you think…"
Wenling observed a blush from embarrassment spread across her cheeks once she finally connected the dots.
"Would you like some help?" She was offering while pointing a finger at the hot iron.
A quiet "thanks" slip from her lips as she carefully hands over the item once she draws closer to her. A smile stretches across her face before she remarks, "You're welcome,"
A few hours later…
Yuan's teens patiently wait for their coaches to meet them in the host hotel's lobby. Hiromi glances over to her left only to watch Audrey nervously rocks back and forth on the heels of her feet.
"I like your hair." She honestly complemented with her eyes closed and a smile across her face.
Her straight hair was pressed in spiral curls with half in a ponytail while the rest fell to her shoulders. The American teen abruptly rotates her head to conceal her blush from the brunette.
Before the brunette could probe further about the change in hairstyle, their coaches finally emerged from the elevator and approached the younger girls.
Morning greetings were exchanged between the two parties before they relayed their plans for this afternoon.
"Do we really have to have dinner with him? He looks like a creep." Audrey was irritably grumbling about the vibes she was sensing from the male. Meifeng secretly agrees with the teen's perception.
"We were advised that we would fall out of favor with the President and lose our bid as representatives for next year if we don't go." Lin discloses as she rubs the temples of her forehead out of frustration.
The silver-haired woman cleared her throat and deliberately remarked, "I think we can worry about that later."
"Let's get going," Akane dully suggests to them before the group heads out to their ride to the stadium.
[Outside of the arena]
Takao couldn't help but observe just how crazy the media was desperately clamoring to question his older brother about some recently published pictures.
Max gradually leans closer toward the blue-haired teen to whisper his guess, "Maybe it's a woman,"
The younger Kinoyama shook his head at the comment yet Hiro seemed unusually focused today.
'I wonder what happened?'
[Players' Room]
The vibe in the room was a mixture of excitement, anxiousness, and weariness. Not to mention a noticeable change in the room, there were more interns strategically placed amongst the teams.
Apparently, word got out about the incident between Takao and Claude. The wound was still fresh as the two openly glare daggers once their eyes meet. It took a gentle push in the back from Hiromi to move him forward.
Claude merely watched as the pair affectionately interacted as if they were star-crossed lovers cursed to an insufferable destiny.
"So much for round two," Ian was whining aloud with a frown on his face while pouting and leaning his back against the wall.
Meanwhile, Tala secretly licked his lips as he vividly recalled the feel of the raven-haired teen's lips pressed against his own pair.
'I want another one.' He inwardly considers as he affixes his gaze to the front wall so she remains in his line of vision.
"How long do you think those two will go at it?" Mao curiously tosses out to her team while she rests her chin on the palm of her hand.
Lei was casually resting with his arms across his chest and huffing a sigh for his answer.
"Sheesh, the tension between those two is palpable," Emily openly chides as she steadily inputs the latest data from previous matches in their information bank.
Michael simply adjusted his ballcap to sit on his head when he lipped, "Just give those two boxing gloves and a ring,"
Ozuma repeatedly ignored his teammates' antics after they noticed Yuan sat a row in front of their team. His eyes instinctively follow the brightest bob out of the four teens.
A frown appeared on her face until her teammate pointed out something to her that caused her to become embarrassed. A "ha" was slipping from his lips as he was focusing on securing a victory for his team.
The interns easily coasted through the greeting, today's procedures, and scheduled matches for today. Forty-five minutes elapsed when they were officially released from the room.
"Oi, Aud," Max's voice rings in her ears when he says, "I love what you did with your hair!"
"It's way too early for your bright rays of sunshine blondie." Audrey annoyingly countered as she physically shielded her eyes from his radiant aura with her hand.
"How's the wrist?" Rei was asking his former manager, who was presently staring at her wrist while wearing an expression of concern.
She breaks her focus from her arm and looks up at her friend before she retorts, "It still stings, but I think I have enough strength for maybe one draw."
Hiro casually approaches Yuan's coaches and wishes them, "Good luck,"
Meifeng was simply nodding her head and showing her gratitude, "Thanks,"
"Let's go," He called out to his dependents, who also wished them "good luck" before they left the team alone to their thoughts.
"I take it something good must have happened between you two yesterday." Akane was colorlessly presuming before observing the tip of her ears turning red and breaking eye contact first between the two.
"Who are we watching today, Lin?" Lanying curiously poses.
"We're watching…"
[Arena A]
The crowd was totally amped to watch today's matches as Blader Ken kept their momentum high with some call and response techniques.
"Today, we have F Dynasty vs. White Tiger X!" He speaks in the microphone while he points his index and middle finger toward the jumbo screen as an image of both teams appears.
"F Dynasty has made gains in the standings but you can't knack WTX fierce tenacity. They're looking to secure a win!" He announces while he adjusts his sunglasses over his eyes. The moving platform was dropping closer to the arena's floor before welcoming the two teams.
"You seem more excited than usual." Julia suddenly pointed out to her coach as they headed toward their assigned bench.
Romero simply wears his trademark smirk on his face as his answer. There was no way in the world, he was going to tell those two that he caught a glimpse of his muse in the audience.
"Let's bring home a victory." The blonde encourages while he deliberately pushes the twins toward the circular dish.
"Interesting…they only have two bladers." Lin makes a note since most teams typically carry four to five bladers.
"And we have four coaches," Lanying tossed in that F Dynasty was not the only team with a unique roster.
Meifeng was diverting her attention from the whorl in the back of Hiro's head to see four bladers standing ready to battle at the dish. So she breaks her silence with, "I didn't know you could do a tag team match,"
"You can but both teams have to agree to it." Lin knowledgeably spiels about the clause before she begins to weigh the idea of a two-on-two match.
"The girls aren't even coordinated with themselves yet we should practice it for future matches." Akane was dully opining before listening to the crowd counting down the start of the match.
A quiet hush suddenly falls over the crowd as they watched the last blade returned to its owner's hand.
"In a shocking turn of events, White Tiger X managed to upset the dual power of F Dynasty!" Blader Ken shouts in the microphone as Lei was the last blader left.
"That was amazing!" Audrey was squealing out loud while hopping to her feet and cheering at the top of her lungs.
"So the King of the Jungle is baring its fangs…" Wenling mutters to herself as Lei heads over to the bench where they affectionately swamp him in hugs and praises.
Meifeng then signals for the girls to head out since their match was next.
Hiromi unexpectedly felt pressure on her arm only to see it was a hand attached to the body of the dirty blonde's teen, who was now at her side.
"I can't be the only one nervous. It's like my heart's going to leap from my chest." Audrey nervously exasperates as she tightens her hold around her friend's appendage.
The brunette could only smile at her friend before she remarked, "You just have to take it one step at a time. Plus, you can show how much you've grown."
The American teen's grip starts to ease while she stands to her original height and utters, "Right,"
A few minutes later…
"So the girls finally face off against Ozuma," Max was pointing out while leaning against the body of his chair while Rei nods his head then folds his arms
"It's all in the lineup…" Takao started but paused when Blader Ken announced the next two teams to the arena's floor. "It'll make or break them." He added.
Once F Dynasty finished up their match, they barely found any empty seats to watch Yuan vs. Saint Shields.
"At least, they don't look scared against their opponents." Raul genuinely complimented the group while he tamed a stray tress back in its place.
Julia was rolling her eyes at her brother's comment, 'That's not the point. They've become much stronger than their first match in Japan.'
"I know there's more pressure than usual but…you girls are the best!" Meifeng positively assured them with a smile on her face.
She then senses various emotions from the teens: anxiousness from Audrey, eagerness from Hiromi, satisfaction from Wenling, and pride from Archimedes.
Lin was releasing a sigh before hearing the cue "First bladers are…"
"Wenling," She called out for the darker brunette, who seemed at ease compared to the last time she was called first.
"They went with her again." Mao catches sight of Wenling currently stands in front of the dish as a buff tan teen with blonde hair stands on the other side.
Lei simply folds his arms in front of his chest and huffs a deep sigh, 'Can your willpower alone pull you through this one?'
Wenling knew this opponent was far more experienced and physically stronger than she was, but that wouldn't scare her away from the fight.
'Focus on what you can do for now.' She privately asserts to herself as she removes her launcher and blade.
"3…2…1…Let it Rip!" The crowd started the countdown while the two prepped themselves to fire their blades off into the dish.
The two blades were rapidly spinning as the young female was inwardly thinking, 'Not a bad start,' before feeling Vortex Ape slightly grazing the side of her blade.
Wenling physically winces from the light collision when she thinks, 'It felt like a jab to the side.'
Their blades continue to spin rapidly around the dish before they collide again, depletes her rotation, which causes her blade to wobble oddly.
"That's not good." Hiromi eventually broke her silence.
Kenny's fingers speedily glide across the keyboard as Dizzy processes the data as he considers, 'The heavier the attack ring the more power and force needed to maintain its rotation.'
'His attacks feel like being hit by a truck.' She was considering after feeling her breathing growing heavier and her knees were starting to buckle from the collision.
"Claw, Huli jing," "Vortex Ape,"
"Unbelievable, both bladers summoned their bit beast at the same time!" Blader Ken excitingly screeched in the microphone as they were greeted with the sights of a fox and an ape.
"Do some damage, Vortex Ape," Dunga commands as his red blade begins to pick up speed.
Wenling physically tightens her hands into fists before she meets him heads on with, "Vulpine's Mirage,"
Dunga unleashes a piercing roar, easily catches his blade, and arrogantly lips, "No hard feelings but you're still weak."
The brunette's bangs cover her eyes as she peers downward only to see her blade roughly beaten up. A "hm" audibly emitted from the captain of White Tiger X.
"If she continues to sharpen her fangs, she'll be great." Master Tao was genuinely opining while adjusting his posture in his seat.
Wenling was met with positive energy and gentle pats on the back.
"It still sucks." She discernibly grumbles as Hiromi heads toward the dish to face off against Joesph.
"So Hiromi's next and not Audrey?" Max gripped once another brunette approached the dish.
A swipe at the back of his head earns, "Her wrist is probably giving her problems."
"So her best bet is to go against Joseph," Rei agrees with his teammate's prediction.
Kai visibly popped an eye open to retort, "Anyone who calls themselves a strategist knows this is the best matchup."
'Wrist…I just need this one pull,' The Japanese teen inwardly prays as she stands by the bey dish with her launcher in her grasp.
Joesph energetically bounded over and attempted to taunt his opponent for a reaction. She ignored him and loaded her blade until it locked in place.
"3…2…1…Let It Rip!" Hiromi painfully hisses at the sharp movement in her wrist as her blade speedily flies toward the dish.
Takao released his breath after his girlfriend successfully launched her blade.
'All that's left is for her to do is win the match,' He considered as he paid attention to the match at hand.
Their blades encircle the bey-dish before Hiromi strikes first but Joesph easily dodges the straightforward assault.
'What was his blade type again?' She inwardly wondered because he did not counter her attack.
'If it's an attack-type then the more hits it receives the stronger it becomes. If it's a defense-type then it repels the attack. If it's stamina then it'll wear its opponent's down.'
'So since he didn't counter…he's not an attack nor did he repel so he isn't a defense-type either.'
'But if I can break him out of his comfort zone and overexert himself then I can win,'
She mentally relays the game plan onto to her bit-beast when she wills it to, "Attack,"
Her white blade begins to blitz Vanishing Moot in a triangular fashion, which traps him in the epicenter.
Judy chuckled as she constantly attempts to deduce Hiromi's plan against her enemy. 'She probably remembered his blade is a stamina-type and how they like to drain their foe's energy before they strike but that's not it…
'Well I'll be, you're exploiting his strengths as a stamina-type rather than his weakness.' Hiro was privately regarding while paying close attention to her striking pattern.
Joseph sensed he was being pushed to the edge summoned his bit-beat, Vanishing Moot.
She was now face-to-face with an enormous white elephant clad in navy blue and golden armor, which looked ready to rampage.
'I need just a little bit more power.' The brunette judges from her rotation and connection with Chi.
The shorter of the two orders for his bit-beast to attack once he was close to her.
Hiromi patiently waits for his turquoise blade to spin near her as he grazes her while she moves upward to avoid the attack.
"Whoa, Vanishing Moot almost sacrificed itself with that one!" Blader Ken announced as he gripped the pole around his platform.
As his blade teeters on the edge, the Japanese teen shouts out her special move, "Roar, Chi!"
Joseph could only watch as his Vanishing Moot flew out of the stadium.
'I knew it!' Takao confidently proclaimed until he caught a glimpse of Claude, who clapped for his girlfriend. He felt his rage flared up.
Audrey heard Lin called her name as she audibly squeaked and stumbled forward.
Thousands of thoughts distracted her from the jabs thrown her way.
'Something's off…' Lanying and Meifeng inwardly suspect based on the teen's sudden change in demeanor and lack of confidence.
'She changed her hairstyle.' Max, Michael, and Ozuma got a load of the new style of her hair.
Miriam was patiently waiting for her opponent, who was approaching the bey-dish, before chuckling at the blonde's pathetic attempt to change her hairstyle to impress her captain.
"I hope you can put your money where your mouth is a blondie," The blue-haired teen purposely jabbed at her enemy as she removed her blade and launcher then prepped herself for the battle.
Audrey simply goes through the motion and waits for the countdown to reach "Let it rip," when her ripcord briefly jams so she roughly yanks it downward to launch her blade in the dish.
"Out of the gate…Miriam wastes no time in attacking her opponent," Blader Ken loudly announces as they watch Sharkrash aggressively attack the purple, blue, and dark blue blade.
Max was narrowing his sights on the two teen beauties, who were facing off against each other before pointing, "Is it me or is Miriam more aggressive in this match? I mean she usually lets her prey do all the work before she lands the final blow,"
"Maybe she sees Audrey as a rival…" Rei suggests another possibility since rivals tend to push each other harder than typical opponents.
An expression of thought visibly materializes on his face while he leans back with his eyes close and gently scratches the right temple with his index finger, "I can't help but think it's as deep as rivals…maybe it's petty jealousy, or is it envy?"
Meanwhile…
Miriam immediately honed in on her enemy, who seemed quieter than usual, which was a relief to her because her trash-talking truly annoyed her to no end. She always felt that the dirty blonde was all bark, no bite.
As much as she wanted to face off against Hiromi or Wenling, she would have to settle for this one, who openly pined for her captain.
A "pft" followed by some laughter erupted from the usually stoic teen as she pointed an index finger at her opponent with her free hand on her hip. She deliberately jabs, "Look how far you went for a boy's attention,"
The taller of the two was bringing her hand closer to her body before turning her palms upward with an expression of disappointment on her face while adding, "Too bad, it's a complete waste of a try,"
"So here's a suggestion, when you lose…you just might earn his sympathy," Miriam boldly proclaims as she returns her focus to the match at hand. She inwardly notes the drop in revolutions in her foe's blade compares to hers, which continues to rapidly spin.
'Good…I only need to keep this up a little longer than it's out of the dish you go,'
Meifeng and Hiromi instinctively sense another intense shift again within the dirty blonde teen.
A creature clad in a jewel-draped red robe with a jeweled staff and a flat-topped imperial cap with hanging beads in the front and back adorned her head suddenly materializes in front of Audrey.
The apparition merely reaches out to lift the child's head, stares through her eyes, and locates her soul. She briefly diverted her focus onto the crowd when a smile stretched across her red-tinted lips before.
"Child of Fortune, I acknowledge your passion." The beautiful ghost genuinely proclaimed before she pressed the tip of a red nail to the blonde's forehead and disappeared in the air.
Audrey eventually lifts her head as a smirk visibly stretches across her lips as she channels her newfound energy towards her blade. "Bashe,"
Her blade was visibly glowing white before abruptly streaking like a meteor toward Sharkrash and swiftly knocking the blade next to its owner.
"Did you get that?" Judy instantly grills Emily, who rapidly types on her keyboard to key in an algorithm to determine the probable outcome of the match.
"Amazing?!" Max excitingly shouted at the result of the match as Miriam remained in shock at her abrupt stadium out.
'What kind of spirit do you possess Audrey?' Ozuma was curiously wondering while watching her catching her Beyblade in her left hand.
"She's really gotten stronger," Julia says out loud while her sibling physically rubs his eyes to make sure he was not seeing things.
Audrey made it underneath her team's awning before she unexpectedly felt light-headed and abruptly fainted.
"Aud…" Hiromi was frantically calling her name after watching Wenling catching their teammate within her arms. There was no immediate response or reaction.
A pair of gray eyes peer around their area until her sights land on the Amazonian and directs her, "Go and get an intern."
Lin swiftly dashes over to the nearest intern to inform them of what happens before she hears their radio calls for a medic team.
"Yo something's happening over there on Yuan's side," Eddy was pointing out since they were waiting for their next blader to fight against Saint Shields captain.
Blader Ken removed a pressed finger from his ear mic to announce to the crowd, "We will take a fifteen-minute break. Let's hear from our sponsors."
"Wenling, can you lay her on the bench for now?" The gray-haired woman promptly instructs while the brunette carefully positions the unconscious Audrey on the bench.
"We probably should give her some room." She calmly ordered right before she heard Lin's footsteps. "The medic team is en route."
"Good," Meifeng states as she stands to her feet then directs her gaze onto the young man at the dish as she comes out with, "We only have one more obstacle before we secure victory."
Archimedes was silently strolling by the others with a neutral expression on her face as she leisurely approached the bey-dish in an eerie silence.
'Looks like…'
