Silvan Arrow: Whew…I'm finally back with another chapter! Forgive the lateness of this update, but classes have been brutal. I really should be studying for a botany test right now, but I just had to finish this chapter! And the results from the poll are in!

Votes: Eri-5

Sonja-4

Nakia-2

Hina-0

The winner is…ERI!!!!

Eri: WOOHOO!!!!! I win! I love all my adoring fans!

Sonja: Hey, I was just one vote behind you!

Hina: WHAT???!!! I didn't get any votes! Nobody loves me…

Nakia: Awww…cheer up, Hina! Of course they love you! They just love all of us more!

Hina: I'm gonna cry…

Silvan Arrow: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters. I just own my OCs. While I try to cheer up Hina, here's the next chapter! Don't forget to review at the end!

Chapter 8: Welcome to Rome!

"Ugh…these planes are gonna be the death of me…" Daichi moaned for the fifteenth time that hour.

"Chill out, Daichi. Besides, this is the only way to get to Italy for the next round of the tournament," Tyson reasoned. Wait…since when does Tyson actually use reason?

Meanwhile, Eri was developing a nasty nervous tic from having to sit directly in front of the two biggest loudmouths in the BBA. Why oh why did the numbers on the stupid tickets place her right here?

It could have been worse. You could be sitting next to Enrique.

Pyrix's comment did little to calm her mistress. Even Nakia, who was sitting beside her, was getting nervous from feeling the annoyance radiating from her team captain. Eri had considered threatening the little monkey boy a few times but had decided better of it. It would have been bad to set off Strata Dragoon's temper when they were cruising at an altitude of 20,000 meters…above the ocean…

'Looks like someone's feeling a little cranky.'

Eri's head snapped to attention at the sound of a strange voice inside her head. She looked across the aisle of the airplane and saw Tala eyeing her with a devious smirk.

'Tala Volkov, you take stalking to a whole new level. Since WHEN are you able to speak inside my mind?' Eri asked incredulously.

'Since Wolborg kindly asked Pyrix to open a line of communication,' Tala replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

'Pyrix, care to explain?' Eri asked crossly. When her bit beast stayed silent, Eri just slumped back in her seat, resigning herself to her miserable fate. 'This is going to be the longest flight of my life…'

Having Tala laughing in her mind didn't exactly help…

Later that day…

"Wow, I can't believe we're actually in Rome!" Nakia exclaimed, her eyes roaming over every inch of the crowded, bustling streets. The teams had already settled into their hotel, and the tournament was set to begin anew tomorrow. At the moment, the Temporal Knights were out for some good old-fashioned sight-seeing.

"So when do we get to see all the ruins, like the Coliseum?" Hina asked.

"The ruins are on the other side of the city, near the Beyblade stadium. Don't worry, Mr. Dickenson is splitting the battles up into two days, so we'll have plenty of time to see them," Eri explained.

"Hey, Eri, think about this," Sonja chimed in quietly. Eri looked at her curiously. "If you ever decide to give up beyblading, you'd make a great tour guide."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Aaaaand…we're back with the Beyblade World Championships, coming to you live from scenic Rome, Italy!" DJ Jazzman announced. "With the first round under their belt, these beybladers are raring for more extreme competition! It's anybody's game at this point, so we're sure to see some exciting battles!" A loud round of applause accompanied DJ Jazzman's speech. He sure knew how to keep the crowd pumped, and the excitement was contagious even among the beybladers.

The first match was between Justice 5 and White Tiger X, so the rest of the teams took their seats in the stands to scope out the competition's moves. "Hey, Eri, who are we battling first?" Hina asked.

Eri took a quick look at the tournament program. "According to this, we're up against F-Dynasty in the third match today."

"Interesting. I wonder how Raul and Julia are going to employ their famous tag-team strategy in a three-person team match," Sonja mused.

"We'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, be prepared for anything," Eri cautioned, casting a wary glance up and to the left, where Omega Platoon was seated.

"Rick's pulling out all the stops and going for a full-on offense, but Tala's still hanging tough! Will this be a repeat of their head-to-head clash last year, or will Tala be able to pull off a miracle?" DJ Jazzman shouted excitedly.

'Hmph…it's skill, not miracles, that win the battles at the end of the day,' Tala thought privately.

"You're going down! Rock Bison, attack!" Rick commanded. True to his style, Rock Bison focused on sheer attack power, leaving his defense wide open. Last year Tala had lost thanks to a cheap gimmick in the dish, but this time around the odds were certainly in his favor.

'This is certainly a year for settling old scores.' At last Tala spotted an opening just as Rick called out his Drop Rock attack. 'Gotcha.'

"Novae Rog!" Tala shouted, unleashing his final attack. His sudden switch to offense caught Rick off guard as Wolborg kicked up a fierce blizzard seemingly out of nowhere. The ice wolf emerged with a fierce roar and engulfed Rock Bison in a block of ice and then shattered it in a deadly shower of razor-sharp icicles. Rick's badly damaged beyblade tumbled out of the dish in defeat.

Well, that's old score settled, Wolborg commented. Following his bit beast's train of thought, Tala glanced up in the stands, where Garland was sitting with his team.

'Just you wait, Garland, because you're next on my hit list.' Wolborg growled deeply in Tala's mind, echoing his master's sentiments.

"And there you have it! With Tala's win, the Blitzkrieg Boys take the match!" A round of applause accompanied the announcement. "Let's move on to the third and final match of the day. Give it up for F-Dynasty and the Temporal Knights!"

'Nicely done, Tala. Thanks for showing me some of your jealously-guarded moves,' Eri's voice echoed in the male Russian's head as he walked back to rejoin his team mates.

'Heh, and since when are you able to speak inside my mind?' Tala asked with a smirk.

'Since Pyrix kindly asked Wolborg to open a line of communication,' Eri replied, mimicking Tala's tone of voice from yesterday on the plane.

'Well, since I showed you some of my moves, it's only polite to return the favor.'

'Patience is a virtue,' Eri chided lightly before her voice faded.

"…Tala?" Said redhead gave a start as he came back to reality to see that Spencer had spoken. "You okay? You looked really spaced out."

"Yeah, Spencer had to say your name three times before you responded," Bryan commented.

"It's nothing. Come on, the next match is about to start," Tala replied, assuming his usual, stoic demeanor.

Tala glanced to the side and noticed that Kai was giving him an odd look. His expression seemed to say that he knew Tala was something something. The two locked eyes briefly but continued ahead in silence.

Fifteen minutes later, the Temporal Knights and F-Dynasty stood across the dish from each other, ready to begin their match. However, before the teams had a chance to choose their first bladers, DJ Jazzman opened up with an announcement: "I've just received an official request from F-Dynasty for a tag-team battle. How do the Temporal Knights respond?"

Sonja, Nakia, and Hina turned to Eri with questioning looks, waiting for her to make the call. 'This isn't surprising, considering F-Dynasty lost back in New York in single battles. They're probably desperate to even the score by playing in their best environment. And of course, no self-respecting team wants to sacrifice their pride by declining, even if it means blading at a disadvantage,' Eri mused.

"We accept," Eri replied simply, which set off another round of excited cheers. Raul and Julia high-fived each other and stepped forward while Romero returned to the bench. "Sonja and Hina, I'm leaving this one in your hands."

"You got it, captain," Hina replied enthusiastically while Sonja flashed a thumbs-up. They stepped forward while Nakia and Eri returned to the bench.

"Bladers, get ready! 3…2…1…"

"LET IT RIP!!!!" all four shouted in unison as they sent their beyblades into the dish.

For the first several seconds, the blades circled the dish, sticking close to their teammates and building up speed. However, since Lunash was slower than Arashi, Hina had to hold herself back to keep from leaving her partner in her dust. Raul and Julia saw their speed as an advantage and pressed their attack.

"Torch Pegasus, attack!"

"Go, Thunder Pegasus!"

The twin pair of beyblades circled the ring and came up from behind to slam into Arashi and Lunash.

"Hold your ground, Lunash!"

"Stand firm, Arashi!"

In unison, the two Temporal Knights knocked their opponents away, earning a gasp from the twins. Then Sonja did the last thing Raul and Julia expected. She broke away from Hina and took up a position in the center of the dish while Arashi kicked up the speed and kept circling to avoid being hit. Seeing Lunash as the easier target, Torch Pegasus and Thunder Pegasus turned and made a beeline for the dragon.

'They've taken the bait,' Sonja thought with a smirk. "Lunash, attack!"

Torch Pegasus and Thunder Pegasus slammed into Lunash, but to everyone's sheer amazement, he held back both of them at once. "But how? It's impossible!" Julia exclaimed.

'No, it's not impossible, considering Sonja's beyblade is much heavier than either of the twins',' Eri mused.

"Looks like you forgot about me," Hina taunted. "Arashi, do it!" Immediately, her beyblade took up her classic move of banking off the walls of the dish to pile-drive her opponents from above. She slammed into Torch Pegasus first and then used the momentum to bounce off and dive bomb Thunder Pegasus, sending both beyblade reeling.

"I've had enough of this! Torch Pegasus!"

"Thunder Pegasus!"

Raul and Julia called out in unison, "Gemini Attack!" Torch Pegasus and Thunder Pegasus increased their rotation to lift into the air. They used static electricity to join together and plummeted back to earth, ready to slam their opponents into oblivion.

"You ready, Hina?" Sonja asked.

"You bet!" she responded.

They called out, "Gale Maelstrom!" Lunash erupted from his beyblade, summoning a wave of water with a fearsome roar. Arashi soared from his bit chip and flew straight up towards the ceiling, tucking his wings and spinning in the air to create a twister. The tornado drew in Lunash's water like a vacuum, and Torch Pegasus and Thunder Pegasus were helpless to keep from being sucked into the vortex. The force of the attack sent gale-force winds laden with water tearing through the stadium, drenching blader and spectator alike. When the winds finally died down, Torch Pegasus and Thunder Pegasus lay defeated in the center of the dish while Lunash and Arashi circled menacingly, as if daring their opponents to even think about opposing them again.

"Wow, what a battle!" a sopping wet DJ Jazzman exclaimed. "Sonja and Hina have doused F-Dynasty's hopes of a victory and take the first round!" The audience erupted into a raucous applause as both sides recalled their beyblades and returned to their benches. "The next battle will be between Romero of F-Dynasty and Eri from the Temporal Knights!"

"Good luck, Eri," Nakia said as her captain stood and advanced to the dish, stopping only briefly to clap Sonja and Hina on the shoulders for a battle well-fought. However, she was sulking on the inside. 'I hate being the only one benched. Romero doesn't look so tough…'

It's because Eri hasn't fought in the tournament yet. Don't worry, none of your teammates doubt your abilities, Uskadu reassured her.

'I know. But it's still frustrating.'

"This is going to be fun, don't you think?" Romero asked, looking just as carefree and goofy as usual. He only received an empty glare in response as Eri attached her beyblade to her launcher.

'Fun? Yeah right…not for him. And since when can a coach also battle for a team?' Eri wondered.

Apparently F-Dynasty needed a third blader, and Mr. Dickenson didn't want to alienate the team that placed third in last year's tournament, especially with the BBA still small and under reconstruction, Pyrix explained.

"3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

Romero's beyblade almost made Eri chuckle out loud. The red and green coloration reminded her of Christmas. The two combatants circled each other warily, anxiously awaiting the other to make the first move.

"Well, normally I'd say ladies first, but since you don't seem eager to attack, I suppose I shall make the first move. Thorn Rose, attack!" Romero's beyblade picked up speed and crashed into Pyrix, who deflected the blow easily and came back for a strong counterattack. "Looks like you have some fight in you after all," Romero said with a cocky smirk.

'Sheesh…does this guy always talk his opponents to death?' Eri thought in annoyance. "Pyrix, attack!" Her beyblade came in from multiple angles and dealt blows in rapid succession, but to her surprise, Romero was able to match her move for move. His beyblade's maneuverability was impressive, to say the least.

"Please, is this all you're capable of? I had expected better of the captain of the Temporal Knights," Romero taunted. "I suppose I'll just finish you off then. Radiant Rose!" A cascade of rose petals swirled around the dish and made it difficult for Eri to track Pyrix's movements. A ring of thorned vines grew out of the dish closed around her beyblade in a tight circle, trapping it completely. "Now to squeeze the life out of your beyblade," Romero said.

"I don't think so, Romero," Eri replied in a dangerously low tone of voice. "Did you forget that my element is fire?" She looked down at the mass of thorns. "Pyrix, BURN!" The vines constricting Pyrix disintegrated into ashes as a column of fire erupted from the center of the dish. The flames slowly died away to reveal Pyrix, who howled a challenge to her opponent. Red and orange fur covered her body, while golden armor protected her chest. Her tail was made entirely of fire, and tufts of flame covered her four feet. Finally, a bright red ruby sat prominently in the middle of her forehead. "Ethereal Flames!" Pyrix cloaked herself in flames and charged, slamming into Thorn Rose in a violent explosion and sending it clattering out of the dish, its attack ring in tatters.

"And Eri takes this round for the Temporal Knights in an explosive finish!" DJ Jazzman shouted. Pyrix retreated to her bit chip and returned to her mistress' hand.

"Bravo, Eri!" Surprised, she looked up to see Romero still smiling as he pocketed his damaged beyblade. "You and Pyrix are truly a remarkable team." He walked over to her and offered his hand, which she shook somewhat awkwardly. Then he added in a more serious undertone, "I know your team has many trials ahead, but I'm certain that you will be able to overcome them." Before Eri had a chance to respond, Romero turned and walked back to his team bench.

A dozen questions battled for dominance in Eri's mind. 'What did he mean by that? Does he know something that we don't?' Maybe Romero wasn't just as goofy and carefree as he seemed…

'Ah…peace and quiet at last,' Eri sighed in relief as she lay on the hotel bed, hands lazily propped behind her head. Her team mates had gone out for a while, leaving her to enjoy some much-needed alone time. Of course she cared for her teammates dearly, but being around so many other people constantly could get under anyone's skin sooner or later. Besides, something was bothering her about her match today against Romero. 'Pyrix.'

Yes, mistress? Pyrix replied a bit hesitantly.

'About our battle today…I could tell you were holding back. What's wrong?'

…It's difficult for me to talk about.

'I know, but you have to realize that we can't be in sync when there's tension between us. You know that better than anyone,' Eri reasoned gently. If anyone could see Eri, they would have thought she was taking a nap, not having a serious heart-to-heart with her bit beast.

Silence ensued for several long moments before Pyrix finally spoke. I've been dealing with feelings of guilt lately.

'You mean…back when Xhaiden's assassin…' Eri trailed off, not needing to finish her sentence.

Yes. I have blood on my claws, mistress, and that is something I have never had to deal with in all the centuries that I have dwelt on this earth, Pyrix explained. It is my nature to protect, not destroy. That is why I came to you all those years ago when you were lying in Xhaiden's torture chamber bleeding to death.

'Pyrix, you did what you had to do,' Eri replied. 'Otherwise, Xhaiden would have tracked us down long ago, and you would be feeling far worse than you are now. Do you still regret your decision now?'

I…suppose not. Thank you, mistress.

'Pyrix.'

Yes?

'Please don't call me mistress anymore.'

Surprise emanated in waves from the bit beast. Are…you sure?

'It's only by battling together as equal partners that we've managed to come this far. Besides, I wouldn't even be alive today if it weren't for you. I have no right to take any title of authority over you.'

In her mind's eye, Eri could see the happiness written all over Pyrix's face. Thank you…Eri.

Unfortunately, the peace filling the room was short-lived, as Eri's three teammates took the opportunity to come barging through the door. "Eri, what are you still doing here? Mr. Dickenson wants everyone to meet in the lobby right away!" Nakia exclaimed in between gasping for breath.

Eri opened one eye lazily to regard her disheveled team mates. "You know, you could have taken the elevator instead of running up four flights of stairs," she remarked. "And why does Mr. Dickenson want everyone in the lobby at this very moment in time?"

"We don't know. All he said is that he's making an important announcement about the tournament," Hina replied.

"All right, don't have a panic attack." Eri casually swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, leaving the room at an unhurried pace.

Five minutes later, all the teams had assembled in the lobby, awaiting whatever announcement Mr. Dickenson had deemed so important as to call them down this late in the day. "I'm terribly sorry for disturbing all of you during your free time, but I have some important news about the tournament schedule," Mr. Dickenson began. "Following the battles tomorrow, all tournament activities will be postponed for one day." Uneasy murmurs ran through the crowd. Why on earth was Mr. Dickenson delaying the tournament?

"Hey, what's the deal, Mr. D.?" Tyson shouted above the din.

"Well, I believe I'll let Enrique take it from here," Mr. Dickenson replied with a cheerful smile. Another ripple of surprise ensued. Enrique?

Enrique stepped forward and raised his arms to get everyone's attention. "Hey, guys, I'm sure most of you know that I actually live here in Rome. Well, I talked it over with Mr. Dickenson, and he's agreed to give us a day off so that I may request the honor of your presence at my mansion for a formal party." This elicited a delighted squeal from several of the girls and a couple of groans from the guys.

"Sonja, tell me he didn't say 'formal,'" Eri muttered.

"I'm…afraid he said formal," Sonja replied.

"Please just shoot me now," Nakia pleaded.

"Oh come on! This'll be fun!" Hina exclaimed. She got three flaming glares in response. "Should I start running now?" she asked sheepishly.

Eri stated, "You have til the count of ten."

End chapter 8

Author's Note: And there you have it! Chapter 8 is done! I think this may end up being my longest fic to date, since the tournament isn't even halfway over and I've got lots of stuff planned. I'm sorry updates have been so slow, but classes keep me busy and drain any creative inspiration in my head. I'll try to update as soon as possible. In the meantime, please review and tell me what you thought! Reviews keep me motivated to write!