Two beys moved expertly around a large outdoor stadium. "Go, Lyra!" shouted Toby as his bey smashed into its opponent. The bey went flying and landed in a stadium out. Toby retrieved his bey, a smile on his face. "Great job, Rika!" he called. "You're getting really good!" On the other side of the stadium, a girl ran to pick up her bey.

"Thanks, Toby," she said happily. "Same goes for you!"

"Toby, Rika!" They turned to see Zeo walking up to them.

"Hey!" Toby greeted him with a fist bump. "That took a while."

"I know," he sighed. "How was the battle?"

"Toby won," Rika informed him. "But I was close this time!"

"That's awesome!" said Zeo. "It was great of Coach Steele to build this stadium in the back lot. Now we can really go all out!"

"You said it!" said Toby. "Are your repairs all done?"

"Yep!" Zeo pulled out his bey to show them. "How does it look?"

"It looks great!" Rika reached out and poked it. "But I'm still gonna beat you with my Fox!" She held out her own bey, grinning.

"In your dreams, kid," laughed Zeo, ruffling her hair. "But let's just hope that you'll get to battle me during the traveling tournament. That would be an awesome match."

"Yeah!" Rika's eyes lit up. "But I'll still beat you and win the whole thing!"

"That's the spirit!" Toby joined in. "Let's win that tournament for Team Dungeon!" They exchanged high fives.

"Hey! Toby, Zeo, Rika!" The team turned to see Masamune and King running towards them. "I brought lunch!" Masamune plunked a McDonalds takeout bag onto the table that was set up by the stadium.

"Wow, thanks, Masamune!" Rika exclaimed, grabbing a burger. "You're the best!"

"Here that, King? I'm the best!" Masamune declared.

"No way, I'm the best!" King shot back. "I got those burgers with you!" The two started to argue aggressively. Rika sighed and turned to Toby and Zeo.

"Better eat up, guys," she said, tossing them both burgers. "We'll need our energy for the traveling tournament!"

"Oh, man, I'm so pumped!" King cheered. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"How exactly is the tournament going to work, Zeo?" Rika asked.

"Well, we'll be competing individually, even though we signed up as a team," Zeo explained. "We'll be starting off at one destination for the first round, and then we'll move to another location for the next one. We'll get to battle at cool stadiums all around the world!"

"I can't wait!" Masamune's eyes glowed. "Hey, King, make sure you make it to the finals, okay?"

"Sure thing, Masamune," said King excitedly. "Just as long you last that long!"

"What? I could get to the finals in five seconds!" Masamune said angrily.

"Well, I could make it in two seconds!" King yelled back.

"Would you two stop making all that racket?" a voice snapped from behind them. Coach Steele walked up to them angrily. "Can't get any work done with you two around, can I? And I thought that building this stadium out here would help."

"It did help!" Rika said cheerfully. "Thanks again, Coach!"

"Well, you're welcome." Coach Steele grabbed a burger for himself.

"Hey, Coach, have you found out the location for the first round yet?" asked Toby.

"I have, actually," said Coach Steele. "It's down in Mexico, by the old Aztec ruins."

"Really?" Rika's eyes lit up. "Hey, Zeo, can we explore the ruins? Please?"

"Definitely," Zeo replied. "We can't go to Mexico without visiting the ruins."

"Oh, by the way," Coach Steele began. "I got in touch with Tsubasa over at the WBBA headquarters in Japan. He says that he and Gingka and the rest of them will be participating in the traveling tournament too."

"Really?" Masamune pumped his fist into the air. "Yes, Gingka's going!"

"Well this will be interesting," Toby remarked. "We haven't seen them for a long time."

"Doesn't matter," Zeo grinned. "I'm still going to take them all down!"

"Me too!" Rika piped up. "We better all make it to the finals!" She held up her hamburger. "To Team Dungeon!" The rest of them did the same as they all cheered.

...

Later that day, Rika sat in her room in the basement of the Dungeon Gym, typing away on her laptop. Words moved up the screen as she scanned a brief email. A world map popped up and she scrolled through it to an area in Japan. She pinpointed it with her mouse and a window popped up. Downloading data…please wait. A green light flashed and Rika pulled up a calendar, examining it closely. She marked a few times and then closed the laptop and slipped it into her bag. Then, she gathered a few things and hurried out of the room. As she rushed down the hall, she passed a brightly lit room and scurried to a stop, turning back. "Zeo!" Zeo was sitting in the room, polishing his bey. He turned around and stared at her surprise. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah." She clasped her hands together awkwardly. He stood up and walked with her to the exit.

"The tournament is in a few days," he said, scratching his head. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah." She pressed her lips together and shrugged. "Sorry. But I'll be back in time, I promise."

"No worries." He looked down at her kindly. "We'll wait for you." Rika's face broke into a smile and she gave him a hug. "Thanks, Zeo."

Then she ran, turning and waving as she went off into the dark.

…

Red lightening flashed, but Ryuga was nowhere in sight. Five cloaked figures gathered around a rugged stadium, where a lone bey was spinning. Four other beys flew into the stadium and began to circle the bey at astounding speed, creating a mini tornado. The bey in the centre rose up into the air from the impact. Rika hid behind a rock not far away, continuing to type on her laptop rapidly. A stream of energy was drawn in from the clouds, sizzling with electricity. The bey tilted slightly, and the stream reflected off of its shiny face towards one of the figures who was standing at the edge of the stadium. Rika slammed her index finger down on the Enter key and the multiple windows began to pop up as the computer processed her input. Letters and symbols flew past her eyes and stopped at a single phrase: ENERGY DRAIN. She turned and stared as the figure drew from his cloak a large red stone attached to a gold chain. The stream of energy hit the stone and glowed brightly in the hands of the figure. Taking a deep breath, Rika pulled out her bey from her bag and launched it at the mini tornado that spun wildly beneath the floating bey. In a heartbeat, the circling beys were knocked out and the floating bey fell to the ground, breaking the energy stream. Rika stood up on the rock and called out to her bey. "Go, Fox!" The bey flew into the air and knocked the red stone that the cloaked figure was holding. It spun against the stone for a few seconds and glowed a deep, hazardous red. Then it flew back at Rika, who caught it cleanly in her hand. Four of the figures grabbed their beys and ran, but the fifth, the one holding the stone, turned to Rika menacingly. "Who are you?" he called to her. "Why are you interfering?"

"Energy drain." She repeated the words from her computer. "And that thing." She pointed to the red stone.

"You hold a strong opinion for such few words," he said. "But we are doing this world a favor." The lightening flashed again, blinding Rika with its powerful light. When she opened her eyes, the figure was gone.

Rika stepped down from the rock, shielding her eyes from the dust storm. There was nothing but more barren land for miles. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the ground. I'm done. A whirring sound rang in her ears and she stared blankly up at the sky. A helicopter appeared in the sky and began to descend. The door opened and a rope ladder fell out. Rika stared up at it to see a few familiar faces waving at her. She hoisted herself onto the ladder and made her way up. Zeo pulled her into the helicopter and she leaned against the wall, letting out a deep sigh.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked, greeting them with a weak smile.

"We're heading to Mexico," Toby grinned. "Thought we'd pick you up on the way."

"This isn't on the way," Rika said with a soft laugh. "But thanks. I really appreciate it."

"It'll be quite a while before we get there, Rika," Zeo told her. "Why don't you take a nap?"

"Alright," she murmured, already drifting off. "Thanks, Zeo."

Dust fell from the ceiling, lit up by the sunlight streaming in through a foot-wide gape. He crawled through the narrow tunnel cautiously, keeping a lookout for traps and other dangers. It was a long passageway, and it was dark and silent, save for the sounds of water dripping or the occasional crack in the ceiling. He made his way through safely, and stumbled out into a large open space. The walls surrounding him were covered in symbols. He ran his hand carefully over the engravings, examining them closely. They consisted of a series of lines and arrows and strange drawings. "Hmm…" he mused quietly, thinking hard. He followed the symbols down yet another dark hallway, but found himself at a split road. Four passages stood in front of him, all beckoning equally to him. He stopped for a minute, bewildered. Which one is the right one?

Suddenly voices drifted out from one of the passages. "If there is a treasure, I bet I'll be the one to find it!"

"No way, it'll definitely be me!" He inhaled sharply and ducked behind a pillar. Five figures stepped out of the passage, looking around. "Huh? Where are we now?" He peered out from behind the pillar, surprised.

"Hey, who's there?" one of them called. He stepped out, smiling in relief.

"Well, if it isn't Team Dungeon," he greeted warmly. "What are you all doing here?"

"Ryuto!" Rika ran up and hugged him. "Wow, I can't believe you're here!"

"Hey, Ryuto!" The rest of the team followed up. "Long time no see, buddy!" Zeo exclaimed, exchanging a handshake. "We're here for the traveling tournament."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Ryuto nodded. "It seems pretty exciting."

"That it is," Toby agreed. "But for now we're just exploring around here."

"Hey, King, Ryuto's here!" Masamune called. "Told ya there's treasure! And I'm gonna find it!"

"Hold on a second," Ryuto interrupted before they could burst out into another argument. "There's no treasure here."

"What?" Masamune stared at him in disbelief. "Then what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking towards deciphering these symbols," he explained, pointing at the walls. "The better you are at that, the more likely you are to find treasure!"

"Great! Then I'm on it!" Masamune ran to the walls. "You in, King?"

"Yeah!" King joined him and they started to examine the walls closely. Ryuto laughed and turned to the rest of the team. "Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Especially you." He poked Rika on her forehead, and she scrunched up her face. "What was it, like a year ago?"

"In Greece," she grinned. "I chased off some thieves for you."

"Oh yeah," he laughed, scratching his head. "You really were a kid back then."

"I'm still a kid," she pointed out. "Got leads on any big treasure lately?"

"Actually, yes. There have been rumours of some mysterious artifact that's been lost in the mists of time." He pulled out a map and showed her. "It's called the petrajadus, and it's said to be filled with energy that's been accumulating and compressed over time." He rubbed his hands together. "Something like that could be worth a whole lot of money."

"That's awesome!" Rika took the map and stared at it. "But what does it do?"

"Dunno," he replied. "Guess I'll just have to find out when I get there. You should come with! I wouldn't be much of a mentor if I didn't teach you anything."

"That would be awesome!" Rika's face lit up.

"Don't go running off just yet, Rika," Zeo reminded her. "We've still got a tournament to win!"

"I know, I know!" Rika handed the map back to Ryuto. "But I can come with you after the tournament's over, right?"

"Sure thing, kid." He ruffled her hair. "But focus on your tournament for now. Make sure to get in the big leagues." He gave her a thumbs up.

"Masamune! King! We're heading back up now!" Toby called. "Hurry up or you'll get stuck down here!"

"Bye, Ryuto!" Rika gave Ryuto another hug. "We'll see you after the tournament!" Ryuto waved as they ran back through the passageway out into the sunlight.

The five friends headed back into the city, just in time to see the team from Japan arriving. "Hey, it's Gingka!" Masamune exclaimed, pointing. He and King ran towards them excitedly. "Gingka! You guys are finally here!"

"Masamune!" Gingka dropped his stuff and ran to meet them. "It's been such a long time!" The rest of the team caught up with him, dragging their bags.

"Thanks for helping, Gingka," Madoka said, gasping for breath. "Man, these are heavy." The remaining members of Team Dungeon followed behind Masamune to meet the newcomers.

"Wow, Gingka Hagane!" Rika ran up to them eagerly. "I've heard so much about-" Suddenly, she stopped short, her mouth falling open. "Natsumi?" Natsumi looked up, blinking. Her gaze landed on Rika and her eyes widened. "Rika?" she gasped as the girl ran up and hugged her. "Oh my goodness." Rika pulled away and stared at her in awe for a few moments.

"Well this is…coincidental," she said at last. Natsumi shook her head in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Participating in the traveling tournament…with Team Dungeon?" Rika gestured awkwardly at her friends.

"Please don't tell me this is your sister." Tsubasa came up from behind them.

"She's the one." Natsumi smiled weakly. "I figured I'd see you again somewhere. I just didn't think it would be here, of all places."

"Yeah, well I think it's more like I didn't think you'd be here," said Rika. "At a beyblade tournament? Really?" Natsumi sighed.

"Rika, this is Tsubasa," she introduced. "Tsubasa, Rika." Tsubasa dipped his head at her while she stared at him curiously.

"How'd you get to be with Team Dungeon?" he asked her.

"I ran into them at a tournament in America," she told him. "During a big Battle Royale, Toby and Zeo rescued me from some scheming cheater." She smiled at the memory. "I'm not really part of the team, honestly, cause I move around a lot."

"That's not true," Zeo interjected. "You are part of the team, even if you're not around all the time." He grinned at Tsubasa. "It's good to see you, Tsubasa. I see you've met the newest member of Team Dungeon."

"I have," Tsubasa replied. "And I assume you guys have all been polishing your skills for the tournament?"

"Of course we have!" Toby joined in the conversation. "We're ready for anything!"

"Great," said Tsubasa. "It wouldn't be fun without a challenge!" The three members of Team Dungeon joined Masamune and King in a heated conversation with Gingka, leaving them alone.

"Funny you didn't mention that your sister was a blader," Tsubasa remarked.

"Didn't I?" Natsumi shrugged. "It's natural, I guess. She's eager and adventurous. I'm not."

"I see the resemblance," he sighed. "You used to be the same, didn't you?"

"Maybe." She stuck up her chin. "What's it to you?"

"At least I know you've got it in you," he remarked, laughing. "Come on, let's get going." The gang headed out, talking and laughing all the way.

Another tournament was about to begin.

"Welcome, bladers everywhere, to the traveling tournament!" Cheers erupted in the stands as everyone gathered around a large stone stadium. "The exciting first round takes place in Mexico, in a unique stadium by the Aztec ruins! Let's get started! The first battle is between Kenta and Tristan!"

"Kenta, you're up first!" Gingka nudged his friend. "Go out there and bring em' home!" They exchanged a high five and Kenta ran out onto the stadium. A boy stood opposite to him, holding a bey. "Three, two one!" The two beys flew into the stadium.

"Go, Sagittario!" Kenta yelled.

"Madoka, what kind of bey does that guy have?" Gingka asked.

"It's a Virgo," Madoka replied, scanning the bey with her computer. "But there's something strange about it."

"Virgo, Dynamite Buster!" Tristan called. Virgo's performance tip suddenly sank into the ground, a series of explosions erupted throughout the stadium, throwing Sagittario aside.

"Virgo's releasing energy waved through the ground the causes explosions all over the stadium!" Madoka gasped. "That's bad news for Kenta!"

"No!" Kenta gripped the bars in front of him. "Hold on, Sagittario!" Sagittario regained its balance and headed towards Virgo, but the craters created by the explosions slowed it down. Kenta bit his lip, thinking hard. "I guess I'll just have to attack from above! Go, Sagittario!" Sagittario flew up from the edge of the stadium and dive bombed at Virgo, landing a direct hit. Virgo flew out of the stadium, landing with a clink! on the ground in front of Tristan. He stared at his bey in disbelief and the crowd went wild.

"Great job, Kenta!" Gingka cheered. "You did it!" Kenta turned around and waved happily at his friends."

"That was fast," Tsubasa mused. "Kenta's power is really off the charts." Natsumi nodded in agreement. Kenta ran into the stands and was attacked by a series of hugs and pats on the back.

"You were awesome, Ken-chi!" yelled Yu. "I hope I'll get to battle you later on!"

"Yeah, me too, Yu!" Kenta grinned from ear to ear as his friends commended him for his good work.

A few battles later, the teams were almost worn out from all the excitement. "Great win, Yu!" Kenta called as Yu made his way to his seat. "That was such an awesome battle!"

"Aww, thanks, Ken-chi! But I'm just waiting for the real battles to start!"

"Yeah, me too!" Kenta and Yu exchanged a high five.

"Alright, folks, hold your forks, cause the last battle of the day is between Tsubasa and Rika!" The sun was blazing ball of light behind them, casting shadows across the stadium floor. Tsubasa glanced at Natsumi, who had a pained look on her face

"Do you disapprove?" he asked her.

"No, no," she replied. "I really don't. It's just weird how different we are now."

"Don't sweat it," he told her. "But maybe seeing her battle will light something in you." He flexed his fingers and made his way down to the stadium.

"I can see you've got spirit," Tsubasa called across the stadium. "Let's see if it shows in your performance." Rika grinned, positioning her bey.

"Bring it on!" she replied enthusiastically. "My Sky Fox and I are gonna take you down! Three!"

"Two!" Tsubasa held up his own bey.

"One!" The two beys launched into the stadium, clashing immediately.

"Go, Sky Fox!" Rika's bey snaked through the stadium, evading Eagle's attacks.

"Fly, Eagle!" Eagle raced to the edge of the stadium and flew into the air. "Smashing Claw!" Eagle began to launch attacks and Fox, who fought helplessly against them. "Still think you can take me down?" Tsubasa smirked. Rika laughed, leaning forward.

"I haven't even made a single move yet!" she called. "Go, Fox! Wind Crusher!" Fox flew into the air and dropped down suddenly onto the stadium floor, puncturing the hard stone. The impact caused Eagle to fall from the sky and land in the crack. Tsubasa gritted his teeth as Eagle struggled to get out of the crack. "Alright, now's your chance!" Fox headed swiftly towards Eagle. At the same time, Eagle flipped its way out of the crack and spun off in the opposite direction. It came around the back and slammed into Fox, throwing it into the air.

"Fox isn't fast enough to catch Eagle," said Madoka, staring at her computer screen. "Rika's tactics are pretty smart, but Tsubasa seems to still have the upper hand." Natsumi leaned forward in her seat, watching the battle intently.

"Go, Fox! Sky Barrel Attack!" Fox launched itself like a bullet at Eagle, but the agile bey quickly dodged out of the way. Eagle smashed into Fox again, causing it to skid backwards. "We gotta keep trying!" Rika yelled. "Fox!" Once again, Fox headed towards Eagle at top speed, but the same thing happened again.

"Is that all you've got?" Tsubasa called. "Haven't you learned that your moves are too slow for my Eagle?"

It's gotta work, Rika thought to herself. I have to try again! "Goooo, Fox! Sky Barrel Attack!" Fox changed direction and moved towards Eagle again.

"You're wasting your time! Go, Eagle!" Eagle screeched as it began moving in the opposite direction, threatening to throw Fox out again.

Suddenly, Fox glowed a hazardous red and bulleted towards Eagle, so fast that it looked like it was teleporting. It smashed Eagle far out of the stadium and then rammed into the wall, causing a huge explosion that threw both Rika and Tsubasa backwards. Eagle dropped to the ground, defeated. At the same time, Fox also stopped spinning, stuck in the wall of the stadium. Rika's mouth dropped open. "What was that?" She ran down to retrieve her bey, confused.

"Wait, what happened?" Gingka scratched his head. "It was all so fast."

"I don't know, but Fox just got a huge increase in energy," Madoka told him. "And when I say huge, I mean huge. Like, scary huge."

"But where did it come from?" Kenta stared out at the stadium, bewildered. Natsumi ran from her seat down to the floor.

"Rika!" she called. Rika climbed to her feet, still shocked from the battle. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Rika stared at her bey. "It was weird!" Tsubasa walked over to them calmly.

"Looks like you got a power up, Rika," he told her. "It could be a useful tool if you can learn to control it."

"I swear I've never seen anything like it before," Rika mused. "Maybe it was a fluke."

"Maybe it was," he replied. "But I feel like it was something else." He exchanged a glance with Natsumi, and then directed his gaze at the sky. Natsumi looked up to see clouds forming over the stadium. "Damn it," she muttered. "Rika…" She grabbed her sister's hand and ran, Tsubasa following close behind.

"Wait, where are they going?" Gingka jumped to his feet. "Something's happening!" He ran down from the stands.

"Gingka!" Kenta ran after him, with Madoka and Yu in tow. Across the stadium, Team Dungeon had noticed the same thing and also took off. The three runners got about a few yards outside the stadium when red lightening struck their path. They jumped back, and the light died down to reveal a figure standing before them.

Ryuga was back.

Rika is kind of like a mini lone ranger. Or a mini Tsubasa, I suppose, cause Tsubasa is kind of a lone ranger. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! I'm really trying to get this plot moving. Yeaaah, leave a review! Always appreciated ^o^

PS: Team Dungeon 3