Silvan Arrow: Okay, these author's notes at the beginning of the chapter have been rather boring as of late, so I have decided to revive the ancient tradition of…

Eri: Oh no…please don't say it…

Silvan Arrow: …invoking a muse to do the disclaimer!

Eri: Not again! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Sonja, Nakia, and Hina: -scream and run in circles-

Silvan Arrow: Oh great, Eri. Now look at what you've done. You've emotionally scarred my three newest OCs.

Eri: Believe me, they'll be even more scarred by the time you're through with them.

Silvan Arrow: Okay, if you're going to have such a bad attitude, then you can do the disclaimer!

Eri: Fine. Silvan Arrow does not own Beyblade or any of its characters. She just owns her OCs. And don't blame me for having a bad attitude. You overhauled my personality!

Silvan Arrow: While I give Eri another attitude adjustment and get the other three to a therapist, here's chapter 6. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

Chapter 6: Confused Emotions

It's been a while since we've had a chance to relax, hasn't it, Master Kai? Dranzer inquired.

'M-hm…' Kai replied rather absent-mindedly. At the moment, he was lying on his back under a tree in the park, eyes closed and grass blade in his mouth. A gentle, sun-kissed breeze blew past, playing with his two-toned hair and tousling his scarf. Kai would only admit this to Dranzer, but after spending so much time in the frigid climate of Russia, he was enjoying his time in Japan, where he could laze around in the sunshine without worrying about freezing to death.

Kai's peaceful reverie was disturbed by the sound of a Beyblade spinning in the distance. Hm…someone must be training. I wonder who? Dranzer wondered.

'You know what they say. Curiosity killed the phoenix,' Kai teased lightly.

That joke is so over-used.

'I know. That's what makes it fun.'

Kai lazily sat up and followed the sound with his eyes to the other end of the park. He spotted a familiar-looking, short-haired brunette intently watching her Beyblade.

It's Sonja.

"Go, Lunash!" Sonja called to her bit beast. Lunash responded instantly, weaving between a dozen aluminum cans that she had set up in the clearing. At her command, he switched to offense, tearing through each can like tissue paper and letting their remnants get caught in the breeze. 'It's hard to believe that we leave for the first leg of the tournament tomorrow. Any words of encouragement?'

Don't lose?

'Haha, very funny.'

I aim to please.

"I see someone else enjoys tearing up cans too."

Sonja whirled around only to find Kai standing behind her. 'How in the world did he sneak up on me?' However, she chose a more tactful response. "Uh…Kai? What are you doing here?" Okay, maybe that wasn't so tactful.

Kai shrugged indifferently and replied, "Just killing time." He paused for a moment and then asked, "You nervous about your first World Championship?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm about as ready as I'll ever be, so why worry?"

"Heh, you've got a point," Kai said with a smirk. He turned to leave. "See you tonight."

"Huh? What's tonight?" Sonja asked, now utterly confused.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "You didn't hear? All the teams are supposed to assemble in the lobby of the BBA Headquarters tonight for some sort of welcome event. Pretty pointless, if you ask me." That said, Sonja could only watch Kai's retreating back as he left the park, scarf blowing in the breeze behind him.

"I seriously don't see the point of this get-to-know-you reception. All the teams except ours and Omega Platoon know each other already, so why bother?" Hina asked as the Temporal Knights were getting ready to leave the hotel.

Eri shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe the BBA has a little extra money in the budget that they're just dying to spend." She reached for the doorknob. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Sheesh, you guys act like you're dying. Why not act excited?" Nakia complained.

"Because not everyone thrives in giant, noisy crowds," Sonja stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, I can't help it that you guys are anti-social," Nakia said. She received three glares in response. "See? I rest my case."

The Temporal Knights arrived at the BBA Headquarters to find the lobby already filled with the other teams, along with Mr. Dickenson, a small number of high-ranking BBA officials and tournament coordinators, and a select few reporters. One wall was completely lined with long, buffet-style tables of food for the small army of Beybladers, especially Tyson, while the open floor space was interspersed with cocktail-style tables. Eri and her team slipped in quietly, grateful that the security guards outside kept the uninvited paparazzi at bay. Nakia, being the social butterfly, quickly broke away and started introducing herself to the other teams.

"There she goes again," Hina said with a weary sigh. "I swear, I get tired just watching her."

Sonja leaned over and whispered to Eri, "I don't see Omega Platoon anywhere."

Eri nodded. "Yeah, I noticed." Her next statements were directed to Sonja and Hina, spoken in a hushed undertone. "Spread out and stay alert. Keep your launchers accessible at all times. I don't think they would do anything to sabotage the tournament before it begins, but we can't be too careful."

"I'd better go find Nakia and tell her," Hina said. She found the Egyptian talking with White Tiger X and relayed the message in Greek to keep their words private. However, she didn't get a chance to walk away afterward because Nakia dragged her into the conversation as well.

All the other teams seemed perfectly relaxed and at ease in each other's company. Daichi was busy stuffing his face at the buffet while Hilary scolded him for his rude table manners, Kenny was swooning over Ming-Ming, and Mathilda was engaged in some serious girl talk with Julia. Enrique, on the other hand, earned a few death glares from some of the other males by flirting with their female teammates. Lee was nearly ready to give him a black eye for simply looking at Mariah. Robert, as usual, was forced to apologize for his teammate's "uncouth" behavior. Johnny stood beside Robert, arms crossed and a perpetual scowl on his face, clearly not wanting to be here. Tyson, Rei, and Max were chatting amicably, most likely catching up after spending the last few months training separately with their respective teams. Eri glanced toward the Justice 5 bladers, but Brooklyn was the one that piqued her curiosity. He stood a short distance away from his teammates, leaning against the wall and watching the other teams with apparent interest. Perhaps he was sizing up the competition and analyzing their bit beasts, or maybe he was simply bored and watching people to kill time. Eri couldn't tell. Either way, he was certainly an enigma.

'Quite the unique cast of characters,' Eri mused.

"Looks like someone's decided to be anti-social again," a familiar male voice teased from behind her.

"I swear, Tala, one of these days you're going to sneak up behind me and get a fist in your eye," Eri replied, not even bothering to turn around.

"Heh, isn't it a little early in the game to be making death threats?" Tala asked with a slight laugh.

Eri finally turned around to see Tala leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest in his trademark pose. "And just what 'game' are you referring to?" she asked with a slight tone of suggestiveness.

Tala smirked. "That's for me to know and you to find out." He casually pushed himself off the wall and walked away to find his teammates, leaving Eri to ponder what he had just said.

However, Eri's musings were cut short as Tyson, Max, and Rei approached her, each one bearing a friendly, welcoming expression. "Hey, you're the captain from the Temporal Knights, right?" Tyson asked.

"That's right. Eri Kiryakova," she replied, holding out her hand.

"I'm Tyson. It's great to meet you!" he said, giving his trademark cheesy grin. He gladly took Eri's outstretched hand, and she made sure to give his hand an extra squeeze for good measure.

If you want to claim the title of World Champion, this is the one you have to beat, Pyrix warned.

'I know, which is why I'm trying a make a good first impression.'

"My name's Max. I'm looking forward to facing your team in the tournament!" the blond said cheerfully.

"And I'm Rei," the Chinese boy said with a kind smile. "I saw you at the meeting the other day but didn't get a chance to introduce myself then."

"Not a problem. It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Eri replied. 'The best Beybladers in the entire world are all in the same room right now.' Thanks to her link with Pyrix, she could sense the collective power from the auras of each blader's bit beast. She had never felt such an intense concentration of power in one room, and it made the air practically quiver with energy.

Meanwhile, Nakia had just excused herself from talking with Miguel and Mathilda to get some food from the tables. She wasn't looking where she was going and bumped into a firm, muscular chest. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watchi-Bryan!"

She hadn't seen him in months, so she just now realized how tall he was. Bryan towered over Nakia's small, petite frame, and a smirk played on his lips as he noticed the smaller girl's embarrassment. "It's been a while," he replied simply.

"Y-yeah… Um…I never got to thank you for saving me earlier," Nakia stammered, her face turning a slight shade of red. 'Darn it! Calm down, Nakia. It's just Bryan…' Her thoughts strayed unbidden to dwell on how tall, muscular, and handsome he was, which made her blush deepen. Uskadu laughed out loud in his mistress' mind. It was so easy to get her flustered.

"Heh, I'm always happy to beat up idiots," Bryan replied casually. He stepped around her and started to walk away. "I'll see you in the tournament. Make sure your team lasts long enough to face us."

For a moment, Nakia just stood there frozen, her heart beating a mile a minute.

That couldn't have gone any better even if I had planned it.

'You're terrible, you know that?'

Uskadu just laughed again before retreating from Nakia's mind.

"Yoo-hoo…earth to Nakia. Anyone home?" Hina asked, waving her hand in front of the shorter girl's face. She finally had to snap her fingers to get Nakia's attention. "You'd better not space out like that during the tournament, or Eri will have your head."

"I know, I know…" Nakia admitted reluctantly. 'Hina's right. I have no time to be getting all worked up over the competition.'

'Knife hand block, knife hand strike, bird neck strike, punch, side kick…'

Sweat beaded on Eri's forehead as she went through the movements of her martial arts forms. The hotel had a fitness center, and Eri was taking full advantage of the fact that it was empty, at least for the moment. Then again, not that many people choose to work out at ten in the evening. She had thrown herself into martial arts after escaping Xhaiden's Abbey and had recently earned her black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so she made it a habit to practice the forms every night to keep her skills sharp. Plus, going through all ten forms made for an excellent workout. Her Beyblade spun a few feet away from her, reacting to her movements as her mind worked in sync with Pyrix's.

You seem distracted, mistress, Pyrix observed. Your movements lack their usual level of power and confidence.

Eri paused in the middle of her form and replied, 'I just…have a lot on my mind.' As if the tournament didn't provide enough stress, she also had to worry about protecting her teammates from any underhanded moves that Xhaiden or Omega Platoon might attempt. Xhaiden hadn't shown his face yet, preferring to work in the shadows, but it was only a matter of time before he revealed his hand. As the captain, the other three often looked to her for guidance, and lately she found herself wishing that someone else could give her guidance instead.

However, at the moment she was distracted by something…or someone…completely different. No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, whenever she tried to concentrate on her training, Tala's face popped into her private thoughts. 'Focus, Kiryakova. You have no time to be having some pathetic schoolgirl crush on the competition. He is your rival, and if you face him in battle, you will defeat him.'

For some reason, I'm having trouble hearing the conviction in those words, Pyrix teased.

'I don't recall asking you,' Eri replied, rather annoyed.

Touchy touchy… Eri felt a slight tendril of anger from her bit beast before she retreated from her mistress' mind. The Russian suddenly felt guilty for snapping at Pyrix when she was just trying to lighten the mood.

Just then, Eri heard someone call her name and turned around to see Sonja standing at the entrance to the fitness center in her sleep shorts and tank top. "You're still up? We have an early morning flight tomorrow. You should get some sleep."

"Sorry, I was just restless and needed to burn off some steam. I'll be up in a few minutes, all right?" Eri replied, putting on a reassuring smile for her friend's sake.

Her answer seemed to satisfy Sonja. "Okay, I'll just head back to the room then. See you in a few."

Once the Greek blader had gone, Eri turned to her still-spinning beyblade and said, 'I'm sorry, Pyrix.'

It's all right. I understand that you're under a lot of pressure, Pyrix replied soothingly.

Eri sighed in relief and recalled her blade before heading upstairs after Sonja. 'Heh, Raina will certainly have her hands full next time we face her.'

Indeed, she will.

The flight to New York was…well, it certainly wasn't boring. On the positive side, Mr. Dickenson had everyone riding on his private jet, which was huge with constant in-flight entertainment and a fully stocked snack bar. On a more negative note, not all the bladers were as considerate of their fellow passengers as they could have been…

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer…" Tyson started singing for the fifth time that hour.

"SHUT UP, TYSON!" everyone else yelled in unison, once again cutting off his efforts at a sing-a-long.

"Sheesh, you guys are no fun," Tyson sulked.

"No, you're just immature," Hilary scolded.

"Heh, Tyson is going to get his butt kicked before we even get to New York if he's not careful," Ian remarked to Tala, who was sitting beside him. However, the redhead ignored him and kept looking in the opposite direction. "Hey! What gives, Tala? I'm trying to talk to you!"

"Do you mind? Some of us are trying to sleep," Bryan stated grumpily from his seat in front of them. Ian wisely piped down. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of Falborg's Stroblitz attack, especially when Bryan was grouchy from sleep deprivation.

For once, Tala wasn't actually trying to get on Ian's bad side. However, he couldn't help but notice the aura of nervous energy that surrounded Eri and the rest of her team. They had stationed themselves in a huddle near the back of the plane, the better to keep an eye on everyone else, and they constantly glanced from side to side, as if expecting an attack. They kept to themselves instead of exploring the plane or socializing at the snack bar. They didn't even don headphones to watch movies from their seats. Eri, in particular, looked ready to pounce on the first person that even made eye contact. Furthermore, Wolborg could sense their bit beasts shrouding their mistresses in a protective, invisible aura. Five rows behind them, the four girls from Omega Platoon sat in the very last row of seats, looking even more stoic and serious than Kai on one of his grumpy days.

'What in the world has the Temporal Knights on such high alert?' Tala wondered. 'Does it have something to do with Omega Platoon?'

Two hours later, the plane touched down in New York City. Daichi had never so happy to see land. He practically ran off the plane and kissed the ground. The rest of the competitors, on the other hand, chose the more civilized approach. Tala made his way over to Eri and whispered, "Why are you so jumpy all of a sudden? Anyone within a five-mile radius could have sensed your team's bit beasts."

"That's none of your business, Volkov," Eri hissed before brushing past him and striding quickly off the plane, her teammates in tow.

'Sheesh, I knew she was cold by nature, but when did her personality turn so nasty?' Tala wondered in frustration. This time, not even Wolborg could offer any insight.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, you've been waiting for it, and here it is! The Beyblade World Championships are kicking off right here in New York City!" DJ Jazzman shouted into his microphone. A thunderous round of applause rocked the stadium as the DJ effortlessly worked the crowd into a fever pitch. "As you all know, I'm DJ Jazzman, and I'll be calling the matches!"

"Now, without any further ado, let's introduce the teams that made it through the qualifying rounds and will be competing in this year's tournament!" DJ Jazzman said. The lights were dim in the stadium, concealing the teams that were assembled below. As he announced each team, a spotlight shone on them, followed closely by a round of applause. "Returning from last year's tournament are BBA Revolution, Blitzkrieg Boys, White Tiger X, PPB All-Starz, F-Dynasty, and Tetra Battalion! And now, making their World Championship debut, are the Majestics, Justice 5, and two rookie teams that took the qualifiers by storm! For the first time in Beyblade history, we have not one, but two all-female teams boasting elite competitors from across the globe! Give it up for the Temporal Knights and Omega Platoon!"

The back of Eri's neck itched as the spotlight shone on them, and she resisted the urge to let her head rotate on a swivel to survey the crowded, raucous stadium. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead. They couldn't afford to show nerves or weakness on the first day.

DJ Jazzman continued, "At this point, it's anyone's game! Will BBA Revolution be able to defend their title? Will one of our veteran teams oust them from the top and claim victory? Or will one of our rookie teams give us a surprising upset? Whatever you do, keep your eyes on the dish!" Once the introductions were out of the way, DJ Jazzman continued, "Now, to announce the first match! We've got the rookies squaring off against one of our fan favorites. Give it up for the Temporal Knights and Tetra Battalion!"

As the rest of the teams cleared the stadium, Eri smirked and thought to herself, 'So this is it: the World Championships. It's time to get the party started.'

And she knew without looking at her team mates that they felt the exact same way.

I hope you enjoyed! Please review!