RTC: Hi there everybody! I'm back with another chapter and it's somewhat better than usual, I think. I hope the battles ended up okay, because they are not my forte!

Kai: I shall just do the disclaimer now, just to get her to shut up. Ray-Tiger-Cat does not own Beyblade.

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Mind Over Matter?

"Athrun? What happened to you?" Scoot screamed, seeing that his friend was no longer that same kid he knew. This new Athrun was clad entirely in black, and looked more like a recruit in the army than an eleven year old child.

"Hmm, you looking for that kid you left to die in the abbey? The one that had been a friend? Well, guess what? He did die that day; he is not that same person anymore! He had no friends! If he did, they wouldn't have left him! Now go!" Athrun cried and commanded his blade to attack! Scott however seemed numb. His blade was just left out in the open and he was a sitting duck and Athrun knew that. He sent forward his blade and the resulting shock wave temporarily blinded the spectators and knocked Scott to the ground.

"It can't be, it just can't. Athrun is dead," Scott mumbled, lying there, unmoving.

"Scott, get up!" Alex ordered. "You can't let him win! You know he's been brain washed, now prove to him that you are a friend by defeating him and snapping him out of it!" Athrun took advantage of the situation and blasted Scott's blade once more. "Come on get up!" Alex was trying very hard to encourage his team mate.

"I'm going to win because I have to snap him out of it!" Scott replied, coming back to earth and realizing what he had to do. "Go, fierce attack!"

"You'll never win!" Athrun shouted. "It's too late, final attack!" And with that, Athrun's blade knocked the other out of the dish, where it promptly smashed into bits.

"But that, that's not possible!" Scott said, panicking. He looked devastated.

"Hey, it's okay," Alex said as he put his hand on Scott's shoulder in an effort to calm him down. "We'll win the next round, don't you worry."

"Will the next two players come to the dish please?" the announcer called.

"Guess that's me," Alex said and started walking to the dish.

"Nope, actually, that'd be me," Dy said as she ran up behind him and took her place at the dish.

"Hey wait, what are you doing out of bed?" Alex shouted. "Get back here!" Dy turned for a second, stuck her tongue out in a childish manner, and then proceeded to launch her blade as the announcer counted down.

"Go, Deeta blade!" Dy cried, and successfully hit her opponent's blade. It was pretty obvious that the other blader had not expected her to actually attack, because he looked stunned. He had also not prepared his blade for the assault and it took a beating with Dy's first round of attacks.

"You think you're so tough, don't you? Well I'll show you, coward!"

"Excuse me? I'm not the one hiding his identity, wearing a ridiculous cloak and standing up for an even bigger bully named Boris!"

"So, that's the way you want to play it, huh? I'm not hiding anything, my name is Matt. I am the world's most powerful blader and I don't stand up for a bully, I do this for myself!"

"That's what you think! You've been brainwashed and don't even realize it!" While this verbal battle was being fought, another one was taking place in the bey-dish. Dy's Deeta blade was resisting, but it was obvious that the fight was taking the energy out of her.

"Looks like I managed to distract you! You can't handle it with your injury!" Matt mocked.

"Shows what you know! Firstly, you just proved you had something to do with my injury, because no one knew about it. And secondly, didn't that bastard Boris teach you to never underestimate your opponents?!" With that she sent an attack that sent Matt's blade flying, it just barely stayed in the dish. "Damn!"

"Right... Go!" Matt sent another attack, that took all of Dy's energy to keep her blade in the dish, and she clutched her stomach in pain. Throughout all this, Dy's team mates were just staring open-mouthed and speechless.

"Dy, get back here! You're going to get hurt!" Scott protested.

Alex, however, knew better. "Well, I could yell at you to stop, but I know you would never listen to that, so here's my advice, keep going! Fight him, you can win!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys!" Dy replied, with a forced smile on her face and gritting her teeth in pain. "This is it! Final attack!!!!" Dy cried. Deeta responded, sensing her mistress's distress, and attacked with full power. Upon impact, the stadium exploded with light and bits of stuff from the dish came flying everywhere. Alex's team covered their eyes to protect themselves from the debris. When they looked up again, the dust and light were fading.

"And there is only one blade left standing! Who's blade is it?!" screamed the announcer. Just then there was a gasp, Dy had fainted at the dish. "Get a medic!" the announcer was shouting once again.

Matt however, could care less about Dy's well-being. "Just declare me the winner already," he commented. That's when everyone looked at the dish.

"I don't believe it! Dy's blade is still spinning, while Matt's isn't! Therefore, he is the winner!" the announcer-dude was starting to annoy Alex, who had run up to Dy by this point. The medics loaded her up onto a stretcher and moved quickly outside, presumably to an ambulance. The team made to follow, but Stanley pointed out that they had a match to win.

"Don't worry, I'll go with him," Stanley said, with a faint glimmer of a smile.

"So, looks like it's me and you, Alex. And I shall win," came a daunting and familiar voice. Alex turned quickly, to see his former best friend walking toward him.

"We'll see about that," Alex murmured, as he blocked out all memories and got into focus.

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RTC: Okay, so now I have no excuse for not writing well on this, because my other fic is finally done, and hopefully I'll be updating more often. Bye everyone!