Heather sat at her computer and watched the footage of the park cameras. Hiccup, Astrid, and the fat kid whose named escaped her had been practicing all morning. She had hoped to see something interesting, but so far Hiccup hadn't shown anything as powerful as he had when he battled Snotlout. Maybe everything had just been a fluke.

"Dagur told you to drop it." She turned around and saw DB standing behind her. She felt a shiver up her spine. How the big brute always managed to move around without anyone noticing was beyond her. "You're not allowed to meddle in his affairs. Besides, Snotlout will want to deal with this himself when he comes back."

She rolled her eyes and waved him off. "I'm not meddling. I'm just watching. I have to know for myself if this runt really did take down Snotlout, or if it was just a random act of god." She zoomed in to the two beys in the middle of the stadium. Gronckle and Fury. Her attention was specifically focused on the black bey.

She could break down its parts with a glance, but that could only tell you so much about how powerful a bey was. There were numerous factors that could tip the scale. One of the biggest being the blader themselves. The more power and effort put in from the battler, the more the bey would respond.

Snotlout had always had his arrogance power his Nightmare. As far as he was concerned he was the greatest thing on earth since sliced bread. That had explained how he could get such a strong reaction out of his already powerful bey. You had some like Astrid who were driven by sheer will. The twins just wanted to cause chaos, she assumed that's what drove them.

Even Fishlegs had a thirst for knowledge on all things involving beyblade driving him. But Hiccup didn't seem to have anything like that in particular. He'd apparently, from what she had heard, only started blading a few days before he beat Snotlout. How could someone with so little experience beat someone who should have logically surpassed him in all areas?

She needed to find out.

A creak in the door suddenly caught both of their attention. Both of them turned around and saw a small figure quickly ducked behind the door. Neither of them seemed all that surprised however. "Well, if it isn't the little runt. Get out here, we've already seen you." Heather said.

A few seconds later a small boy made his way around the corner. DB grunted. "Gustav, what are you doing snooping around here?" He asked. Gustav always ended up coming around sooner or later. Usually it was too look for Snotlout. The boy seemed to have an admiration for him. Heather and DB tolerated him, but Dagur found him somewhat annoying.

Needless to say, he'd learn to tread carefully when their leader was around. "I was looking for Snotlout. He said he was supposed to practice with me, but I haven't seen him in days. He hasn't been at home, so I thought he might be around here." He said.

"Well, you're wasting your time. No one knows where he is. After he lost to that Hiccup kid he ran off to go train or something. He won't be back for some time now." Heather said going back to her computer.

Gustav grew wide eyed. "Wait a second, you mean he really lost to that guy? I heard people talking about it, but I thought they were lying." He said in disbelief. "Isn't Hiccup his really scrawny cousin? There's no way that he could have lost to him." He said looking to DB.

The older boy simply nodded. "Unfortunately it's true. Snotlout was defeated. I'm not exactly a replacement, but I could train with you in his place."

"I can't believe it! It must have been a fluke! There's no way Snotlout could actually lose to that guy!" Gustav said crossing his arms.

DB nodded. "I'm fairly sure it was too. But Dagur was none too pleased. He's offering Snotlout one last chance. That's why he's off on a training mission. I'm sure he would have brought you along had this not been so important."

Heather grew a smirk on her face. She could work this to her advantage. "You know Gustav, I think I know a way to get Snotlout back quicker so he can train you." She said.

Both Gustav and DB turned towards her. "What?" DB asked raising an eyebrow.

She shot him a quick look, which he ignored. "You see, you're not all that strong of a blader Gustav. I mean you're good for a kid your age, but compared to me or DB, you're not much… no offense." She said when she noticed the sour look on the boy's face.

"Offense taken."

"My point is, that if you manage to beat Hiccup, then that will pretty much prove that it was a fluke. Dagur will probably allow Snotlout to come back, and you'll have your training partner again." She reasoned. "It makes sense doesn't it?"

DB narrowed his eyes at her. They both knew full well that even if by some miracle Gustav managed to win, Dagur wouldn't give two cents. She was only using the boy to try and get a glimpse on what Hiccup was capable of. "I guess so." Gustav said. "Yeah… yeah, I could totally do that! I'm gonna go find him right now!"

With that, the boy ran out of the door. DB glared at Heather. "You're setting him up to fail, and you know it." DB said clearly irritated. He may not have been as fond as the boy as Snotlout was, but he wasn't in favor of sending a kid into a losing battle. Especially when the kid was too naïve to realize it.

"Oh, stop being such a worry wart. It's a win-win for us. We either get to see a glimpse of what Hiccup is made off, or Gustav actually wins and we know not to waste our time on him."

DB shook his head and then walked out of the room. "I don't care what you're planning. But I want no part of it. If it comes back to bite you then leave me out."

"I'll keep that in mind." She said rolling her eyes.

Hiccup watched the stadium closely as Fury made its way around Gronckle. He had been having a hard time dealing with the heavy weight bey. As fast as Fury was, it could never build up enough momentum to actually damage it. Anything short of its special move couldn't even budge it. It didn't make any sense. He'd seen Astrid move him before in battle.

So why couldn't he?

Fury moved in again and slammed into Gronckle, but again, it didn't budge. The only reason he hadn't lost so far was because Fury's stamina was higher than Gronckle's. Even that wasn't by much. "Fury, from above!" Fury leapt off the side of the stadium and then crashed down on top of Gronckle, but again, it was useless. "I don't understand. What am I doing wrong?"

Astrid, who had been watching silently until now finally spoke up. "You're not putting any passion behind you attacks." She said simply. He looked at her confused. "You're thinking too much. In your mind it's not how hard can you attack, but how much momentum can you build up. You're not putting any emotions into your attacks."

"Emotion? Into beyblades?" He asked. Now, Hiccup did get emotional about the game. He found much joy in battling his friends. He could see how someone, anyone really, could get excited. But the way she spoke suggested that their emotions actually powered the spinning tops. That couldn't be, could it?

"I know it sounds silly, but it's true. Haven't you wondered why Gronckle is so heavy when it's spinning in the stadium, but able to be lifted by Legs and even you when it's not?" She asked.

That was right, she had a point. When he held Gronckle, though it felt significantly heavier than Fury, he could carry it with little to no effort. But in the stadium it was different. It was so solid and heavy that it couldn't be budged. "I just thought Fishlegs had a really strong launch."

"No." Astrid said.

Fishlegs frowned. "Hey, I take offense to that."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, he does, but that's only half of it. I know this sounds strange to you, but beyblades really do respond to the blader. In your fight with Snotlout you were determined to show him you were strong in your own way. And Fury responded to that determination." She explained. "Strategy is important, but so is drive Hiccup."

He looked down at Fury. He still thought it sounded fishy. How could spinning tops could read emotions? How could they even comprehend something like that? "I'll try. But I'm not exactly sure what to think about. I mean, what am I supposed to feel?"

"Whatever you want. I feel determination. My uncle may not look it, but he was a pretty awesome blader back in the day. I'm determined to keep up the Hofferson legacy." She said balling her fist up.

Fishlegs raised his hand. "I like to think about knowledge. With every battle I know there's a chance to discover something new. That's what I'm really driven by." He said.

Hiccup nodded at their answers. That certainly seemed to fit them. But he still wasn't sure what his drive was supposed to be. Was it determination? He certainly used it when he battled Snotlout. But that battle was much more about beyblades. That was more about him standing up to his abusive cousin.

"Hey!" All three of them turned around and then saw a figure standing in the door. The light was shining in so they couldn't see him. "Hiccup, your time is up!" The figure said holding up a beyblade. They all grew wide eyed. Was that Nightmare? Then that could only mean…

The figure walked further, and when they could see him clearly they realized it wasn't Snotlout, but some kid. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Um… do I know you?"

Astrid on the other hand sighed. "Crap, your still showing up around here. I thought with Snotlout gone you would find some other group to bug. Wouldn't you rather hang out with the twins or something?" She asked.

Gustav looked towards Astrid. "If you're going to blame someone, blame him! He's the one who chased Snotlout out of town!" He said pointing an accusing finger at Hiccup.

Astrid turned towards Hiccup, who was still clearly confused. "The little loud mouth here is Gustav. He's basically trying to become a clone of Snotlout. Right down to being an obnoxious meathead." She said. Gustav stuck his tongue out her, and she glared at him.

"Well Gustav. It's nice to meet you." Hiccup said. He was honestly surprised that there was a kid who wanted to hang around Snotlout. Most kids their age didn't like him. Little kids just downright avoided him. "I'm sorry Snotlout is gone, but it's not like I chased him away."

Gustav huffed. "Yes you did! He's off training so he can defeat you, and now I don't have anyone to train me!" He snapped. "But if I defeat you then he can come back!"

"How will you defeating me get him to come back?" Hiccup asked.

Gustav smirked. "If I beat you, Dagur will know that your win over Snotlout was a fluke, and he'll let him come back!" He said. At the name 'Dagur', both Fishlegs and Astrid grew wide eyed. Hiccup however had no idea who this person was. "I may even get into the gang too!"

Hiccup chuckled. "Gang?" He asked. What kind of kid walked around talking about joining gangs? The more this kid talked, the more Hiccup could start to see why he wanted to hang out with Snotlout. He didn't seem like he was all up there.

Gustav frowned. "Don't laugh at me, I'm serious! One day I'm going to become the best blader ever! Even better than Snotlout or Dagur!" He said pointing at him. "But for now I'm going to start with you! I challenge you to a battle Haddock!"

Hiccup sighed. There was no harm in battling a little kid he supposed. He had a couple of other battles with some of the younger bladers in town. Though that was mostly just practice. "Alright, I guess I'll battle you. Do you guys mind?" He asked turning towards his blonde friends.

Astrid and Fishlegs shared a glance. "Uh, yeah. We need to talk about something anyway, so have at it." Fishlegs said before making his way over to his bag. He pulled out his laptop and began typing something, and Astrid stood beside him whispering something.

Hiccup looked at them strangely. What were they so worried about? "Hey, don't look at them, look at me! I'm the one you're battling!" Gustav said holding up his beyblade. The face bolt definitely had the same one as Fury. It looked similar too. The only difference was the shape of the fusion wheel. "You're going to have to deal with my Fang Nightmare now!"

Hiccup pulled out Fury and placed it on the launcher. "I'm glad you excited." He said. He wasn't about to get heated up in a battle with a kid. It was too childish. "3."

"2!" Gustav shouted.

"1!" They both said.

"Let it rip!"

Both beys went flying into the stadium. Hiccup smiled towards Gustav. "Why don't you go first?" He offered.

Gustav looked annoyed. Did he think he was like the other kids he battled around here? Well he would show him. If he was going to hold back, then Gustav would take full advantage. "Nightmare, wrap this up quick!" Fang Nightmare rushed in and smashed into Fury.

The other bey was easily pushed back by the force of the blow. Hiccup had been totally taken by surprised. How did he have so much power in him? "Fury!" Just before Fury was pushed out, it move from in front of Nightmare. "You're not bad kid." Hiccup said.

"Nightmare, don't let up!" Nightmare kept going after Fury. Its attacks were powerful. Not quite as powerful as Snotlout's Nightmare, but it would have been pretty hard to tell the difference. "C'mon! Keep punishing him!"

Hiccup was shocked to say the least. He didn't think any kid his age could pack this much power. It wasn't as if he felt overpowered or anything, but this kid was significantly stronger than the ones he usually battled. "Fury, push back!" Fury matched Nightmare's attacks, the two clashing over and over again.

"Now you're taking me serious huh? Good!" Gustav said smirking. "Nightmare, show him what the future beyblade champion is capable of! Flame Star!" Nightmare lit on fire and then charged at Fury, knocking it back.

Hiccup couldn't believe this. He even had a special attack? How? It didn't make any sense to him. "You really are powerful, especially for a kid." Hiccup said. "But I'm about to let you run rough shot over me! Fury, speed up!"

Fury began moving quickly, zipping all around the stadium. Gustav chuckled. "Speeding up won't save you! Flame Star, level two!" The fire around Nightmare began taking shape. It formed a spinning star around the red bey.

Hiccup scowled. It wasn't as powerful at any of Snotlout's special attacks, but it was just as annoying. Fury couldn't approach without being burned. "Did you think I was kidding about being the best? Did you think I was just another kid you can hold back on?" Gustav said glaring at him.

"I thought we were having a fun game!" Hiccup said. "I don't understand it! What is it with you wanting to be so powerful? What is it about being the best that's so important?" He really didn't know. Beyblade was fun. It was exciting. Why couldn't that just be enough for people like Snotlout?

Gustav scoffed. "Are you kidding? Of course I have to be the best! I'm not just going to settle where I am! I want to move on! Get out of this town! I want to experience everything the beyblade world has to offer, and I'm not going to do it by just being happy where I am! I need to get stronger! I need to be the best!" He shouted.

Nightmare's flames suddenly began growing bigger. Fury had to move to the edge of the stadium to avoid the flames. "That's why I follow Snotlout! Cause he's the same! He understands! And that's why I won't accept him losing to someone like you!" He said as Nightmare suddenly rushed at Fury.

Fury was sent flying back by the powerful blow. The fire spinning around it also added on some extra damage. "Getting beaten by someone who 'just wants to play for fun' after working so hard to try and reach the top! It's absolutely infuriating!"

Nightmare once again crashed into Fury. Hiccup listened carefully to the boys words. So that's why Snotlout was so desperate to beat him. He wanted to be the best. Not just the best in their town, but the best in the world. And Hiccup who had just started blading last week had put him to shame. He almost… sympathized with his cousin.

Hiccup grew a look of determination on his face. "I think get what you saying. Working hard at something just to deal with someone who doesn't take it serious must be pretty insulting." He said balling his fist up. "So I'll get serious!"

Fury suddenly began moving around the stadium. It picked up speed and caused a small tornado in the ring. Gustav looked shocked at the flames were sucked upwards. When the flames were gone, Fury rushed in and crashed into Nightmare, pushing it back.

Gustav growled. "Nightmare, don't let him push you!" He shouted. Nightmare began pushing back, and the two beys were in a deadlock.

Hiccup smiled. "I won't say Beyblading isn't fun Gustav. Because it is. It's exciting, a total rush, and downright enjoyable. But I also don't want to insult other bladers. So I'll take it seriously from now on. But that doesn't mean I still can't have fun either!" He said laughing.

Gustav looked at him confused for a few moments, and then smirked. "Hmm, whatever! I'm still gonna beat you!"

"You'll try!" Hiccup said.

The two beys kept clashing against one another. They moved around the stadium, each clash more powerful than the last. Though the difference in power was small, looking closely one could tell that Fury seemed to have the power advantage.

Gustav punched forward. "C'mon Nightmare, go!" He said laughing. He didn't know why, but for some reason he wasn't concerned about winning right now. He wasn't concerned about being the best. He was just enjoying the battle. He was enjoying beyblading.

Hiccup was smiling ear to ear as well. He was also having fun, but he was pushing himself as well. When he battled Snotlout he pushed himself because he had something to prove. But now he was pushing himself because… well, he could! He was also just enjoying the battle. And the more he pushed himself, the more fun the battle became.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Gustav yelled. "Nightmare, Flame Charge!"

Hiccup nodded. "Let's see what you got! Fury Strike!"

The two beyblades charged at one another with all their power. They clashed in the middle of the stadium and the two were almost blown back. When they looked back to see who won, they saw was Fury was still spinning. Nightmare however had stopped.

Gustav groaned. "Oh man, I can't believe it! I lost!"

Hiccup chuckled before calling Fury back to him. "C'mon kid, don't be bummed. You put up a good fight. And you really taught me something today." He said. "I know what powers my beyblade now. It's just the love of the game. Nothing more, nothing less. And you're the one who showed me that. So I owe you one."

Gustav sighed. "Whatever." He said pouting. "But… I guess it was a pretty fun battle. Still, I'm not going to take this lying down. I'll come back eventually, and I'm gonna win next time." He said with a smirk.

Hiccup nodded. "I'll be here whenever you're ready. If you ever need help training, or just want another battle, I'll be happy to help."

Gustav couldn't help but smile. He should be furious right now. Not only did this mean Snotlout wasn't coming back, but he could pretty much kiss his chances of joining the gang any time soon goodbye. But he didn't feel any malice towards Hiccup. He felt happy. That was probably the best battle of his life, and he'd grown even stronger. "I'm holding you too that!"

With that the child grabbed his bey and ran out. Hiccup looked down at Fury. He finally got what Astrid and Fishlegs had been talking about. He had seen it in the way Nightmare responded to Gustav. Fury wasn't just a spinning top. It was a… a thing. Not alive exactly, but… he didn't know how to describe it.

"Hiccup!"

He quickly turned around and saw Astrid and Fishlegs looking at him worriedly. "What's wrong?" He asked clearly concerned.

Fishlegs coughed. "Well, we don't want to panic you or anything, but we may have found some very interesting information that could be very bad for-"

"Someone might be after you." Astrid said bluntly.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Oh course someone is after me. People have been after me ever since I beat Snotlout. That kid was just-"

"This is different. Did you hear the name of the gang he mentioned?" Fishlegs asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, the Berserkers right? And he said they were led by some guy named… blade, knife?" He asked scratching his chin.

"Dagur." Astrid corrected.

Fishlegs nodded. "He is one dangerous guys Hiccup. Not only is he the leader of the toughest gang in the area, but he's the strongest blader for miles. Do you remember how hard you had to work to beat Snotlout? Well even if you worked three times as hard, you'd be nothing but a kitten compared to him."

Hiccup felt a bit nervous now. "H-he's that strong?"

"Nobody in town stands even the slightest chance against him. Not even Snotlout." Astrid explained. "If he's got his sights set on you, I suggest you tread carefully."

Hiccup groaned. "Great, as if Snotlout wasn't bad enough…"

Back at the Berserker's base, Heather typed at her computer with a smile. She had recorded the whole battle with Gustav and Hiccup, and while the data she collected wasn't as interesting as it had been with Snotlout, it was definitely a significant difference from his normal battles with his friends and the others at the Bey-Park.

Not to mention that she learned what had actually powered his bey. The idea of blading just for the pure enjoyment was strange to her. Not that she didn't enjoy it herself. But usually someone had another motive. It looked as if Gustav was useful for something after all. "How did your little experiment go?"

She turned and saw DB standing in the doorway. "I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with what I was planning?" She said with a sly smile on her face.

He grunted. "I don't. But I do need to know what's going on around here."

She rolled her eyes. Couldn't he just admit he was just as curious as she was? "Gustav didn't beat him, but I did get another glimpse of his power. It was interesting to say the least. And I know that can't be his full power. I wonder what type of reading I'll get when he's pushed to the limit."

"I doubt you'll find out. Without another guinea pig like Gustav to push him, you won't be able to conduct your wicked little experiments." He said.

Heather smiled. "Oh, I don't need guinea pigs. He's proven he's quite the opponent. I think I should send someone tougher after him…" She said as she began typing. "Like one of the others gang leaders for example…"

DB grew wide eyed. Was she serious? He thought about telling her to stop, to tell her she was overstepping her boundaries. But then he thought about it. If this Hiccup person really was as strong as they thought, he might actually be able to take out one of the gang leaders. It would cripple their reputation.

In the best case scenario they would take each other out. In the worst case, Hiccup would be pushed to his limits, lose, and things would go back to normal. It seemed like a win-win. "How do you plan on doing that?" DB asked.

"Oh, don't you worry about it. I have my ways…"

A/N: And there we go! Another chapter. I wanted to add Gustav in this time because I liked the idea of him being like a little brother type character to Snotlout. I wished they had used it more in the show. I mean they had one episode where Snotlout kind of sorta mentored him, but that was about it. We'll be seeing him later.

I know people are probably wondering where the characters from other series like Frozen and Brave are, but please be patient with me. I'm saving them for a big later since I don't want to waste their characters. Think of these next few chapter as 'Battle Blader' from the Metal series. A small tournament to wet your appetite before the world tournament(like you didn't know there would be a world tournament eventually)

Anyone, some of you might be tired of Hiccup's battles, so next chapter we're going to focus on someone else. A certain blonde is about to have her time in the spotlight.