Okay, I'm back! This chapter concludes the match between Sheng Zai Shili and Galaxy Flame, and includes another peek into Gingka's thoughts as he hides in the shadows. Enjoy!

"I'm sorry, guys."

"It's alright, Isamu. We'll win the next two matches." Shinobu said.

"Hey, at least I get to battle!" Ren exclaimed.

"Yeah, but if Shinobu loses you won't." Isamu pointed out.

"Which means he can't lose!" Ren exclaimed.

"No pressure, Shinobu." Isamu laughed.

Shinobu grinned. "Don't worry, I won't lose. Our run in the world championships will not end in the first round."

"It had better not. If we lose, we can't follow in the footsteps of the Legendary Bladers, and we can't stop the DNA either!" Ren exclaimed.

"We'll win, we can beat them." Isamu said confidently.

"Will the next two bladers please step up to the stadium?" DJ asked.

"Good luck, Shinobu!" Maru called as the cream-haired blader headed for the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, from team Galaxy Flame, please welcome Shinobu Hiryuin!" DJ said. The crowd remained silent.

"And from our own Sheng Zai Shili, please welcome Garaitz Villanueva del Ponte!"

The crowd, much to the dismay of Shinobu, burst out cheering and chanting Garaitz's name as the lavender-haired blader stepped up to the stadium.

"You will not win here. We will continue on to the second round." Shinobu said.

"We'll see about that." Garaitz replied calmly, raising her launcher.

"Are you ready, bladers?" DJ asked. Shinobu raised his launcher in response.

"Then three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Salamander!" Shinobu called.

"Valkyrius!" Garaitz called.

Violet, gold, black and silver slammed into orange and silver, and Salamander was soon sent flying.

"Salamander!" Shinobu called.

"I know your tricks. I watched Neo battle Bladers." Garaitz said.

"You don't know all of my tricks." Shinobu grinned as Salamander landed and instantly disappeared, appearing behind Valkyrius to slam into it before disappearing again.

"Oh yeah! It's Shinobu's barrage attack!" Ren exclaimed.

"Yeah, but the jagged edges of Valkyrius's warrior wheel are causing some heavy damage to Salamander! Shinobu, be careful!" Maru called.

"Jagged edges? So, Valkyrius is an attack type." Shinobu said.

"Yes, it is." Garaitz replied. "And not an easy opponent to defeat, mind you."

"That much I can see. Salamander!" Shinobu said, pulling his silver and orange bey to a defensive position in the center of the stadium.

"Allow me. Valkyrius!" Garaitz yelled, causing her bey to circle Salamander.

"Special move, Dominant Judgment!"

The slender form of Valkyrius soon appeared above the stadium, spreading her white wings and holding a large ball of dark gold energy in her hands.

"Salamander!" Shinobu called, and the legendary creature rose from its bey to stand opposite Valkyrius. The moment Salamander appeared, Valkyrius threw her ball of energy at it, knocking it-and Shinobu- to the ground and causing a huge explosion.

"Shinobu!" the cream-haired blader could hear his teammates calling out to him.

"Salamander, Phantom Fire Shot!" he called quickly, attacking Valkyrius before it could finish pulling back from its special move.

"Valkyrius, Angelic Shield!" Garaitz's voice rose over the sound of Salamander's charge. A second explosion occurred.

"Did that do it?" Isamu asked.

"Not yet." Maru replied, her computer picking up both Salamander and Valkyrius still spinning in the stadium.

"You have power, I'll give you that. Very few have withstood my special move." Shinobu said.

"Thanks, you too." Garaitz replied.

"But, this is where it ends." Shinobu said.

"Agreed." Garaitz replied.

The two grinned across the stadium at each other for a few moments, silent, amber eyes clashing with light green. The watching crowd held their breaths, waiting to see who would make a move first.

"Valkyrius, Cross Line Judgment!"

"Salamander, Soul Ring Assault!"

Two balls of dark gold energy clashed with a flaming tornado, causing a third explosion.

"Kyahh!" Shinobu and Garaitz's voices could be heard yelling above the wind and explosion that their beys were causing.

Arashi meanwhile, still watching from Beylin Temple, narrowed his eyes, peering into the settling dust as well as he could to see who had won out.

"Shinobu?"

"Garaitz?"

The bladers of the two teams called their teammates' names, wondering who had won.

"It's over." Garaitz said, spotting her bey lying motionless on the stadium floor.

Shinobu closed his eyes and caught Salamander out of the air.

"You fought well. It was an honor to be your opponent." he said.

Garaitz smiled as she picked up her bey. "Thank you, Shinobu."

Shinobu opened his eyes and smiled, then turned and walked back to his teammates, who practically tackled him to the ground in excitement.

"Yeah! We won one! Now we just have to win the next match and we're done!" Isamu cheered.

Ren smirked, looking at Luna across the stadium. "Just one more. Don't worry, I won't lose!"

"I'm sorry guys. I wasn't strong enough." Garaitz said as she returned to her teammates.

"Well then, you just need to get stronger. I thought you'd lose." Luna said.

"Luna! Be nice!" Sierra exclaimed.

"Well, it's the truth." Luna replied.

Garaitz sighed and looked at the ground.

"Look, just get out there and defeat Ren." Sierra said.

"It's okay, Garaitz. He was just too strong." Aurora spoke up.

"Yeah, I'll beat him the next time we battle." Garaitz said, smiling at her teammate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for Luna Narazuka of team Sheng Zai Shili and Ren Kurenai of team Galaxy Flame!" DJ said as the two girls made their way to the stadium.

"Go get her, Ren!" Isamu called.

"Win it for Japan!" Shinobu yelled.

"Yeah, count on it!" Ren replied, raising her launcher.

"Idiots." Luna thought as she raised her launcher.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Phoenix! I'll finish this with one attack!" Ren called.

"Don't underestimate me and my Eclipse." Luna said.

"Phoenix, Molten Wing!" Ren called, ignoring Luna's words.

"Eclipse, Wild Night!" Luna called, unleashing a heavy barrage attack.

"Ahh, Phoenix!" Ren called as her bey was nearly blown away. "Keep going!"

"It's useless." Luna said calmly.

"Hah! Gotcha!" Ren called as Phoenix attacked, stopping Eclipse in its tracks.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "So, you do have some skill, for an idiot."

"Hey!" Ren protested. "Phoenix, Molten Wing!"

"That's the only move she's got! Finish her, Luna!" Sierra called.

"Very well. Eclipse!" Luna called, attacking.

"Not today!" Ren called, dodging.

"Keep it up Ren! You can do it!" Isamu and Shinobu called.

"What?" Maru exclaimed suddenly. "No way!"

"What is it?" Isamu leaned over the young mechanic's shoulder to look at her screen.

"Eclipse… it's rotating to the left!" Maru replied.

"Reverse rotation? No way!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"Uwahh! How did it come from that direction?" Ren wailed as Phoenix was hit hard.

"Ren, listen! It's reverse rotation, you have to be careful!" Maru yelled.

"Reverse rotation? You have to be kidding me! Phoenix!" Ren exclaimed.

"It's no use!" Luna smirked.

"Attack, Phoenix!" Ren called.

Phoenix charged rapidly at Eclipse, but was easily repelled.

"Eclipse is a defense type, you won't get anywhere by just attacking head-on like that because of the reverse rotation!" Maru called.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ren asked.

"Use all your power in one single attack!" Isamu called.

"Huh?" the bluenette's teammates looked at him in surprise.

"It's risky, but it works! You have to try!" Isamu called.

"Okay then, let's go Phoenix!" Ren called. "Molten Wing!"

"You're boring with your one move." Luna said. "Eclipse, Special move! Black Eclipse!"

Ren screamed in surprise and fear as all of the light in the stadium disappeared.

"What is this? I can't see a thing!" Isamu exclaimed.

"Phoenix! Where are you? What happened to the light?" Ren was panicking.

"Calm down Ren! You can do it!" Shinobu called.

All at once, the light returned.

"Phoenix!" Ren fell to her knees in shock, spotting her silver and gold bey lying motionless in the bottom of the stadium, with Eclipse circling it menacingly for a few seconds before returning to Luna's hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with Phoenix's sleep out, our team Sheng Zai Shili moves on to the second round!"

"No way… we… we lost?" Isamu and Shinobu were stunned.

"I'm sorry guys." Ren muttered as she returned to her teammates.

"It's okay Ren. There will be another World Championships, I hope." Shinobu replied.

"Great, there go our chances of defeating the DNA." Isamu muttered.

The group slowly walked back to the van, their disappointment showing on their faces. Their opponents, meanwhile, were chattering away excitedly in the back of the van, triumph showing on their faces as Galaxy Flame slowly climbed into their seats and closed the van door.

"So, this time around, Japan lost to China." Da Xiang commented.

"Not for good." Arashi said.

Da Xiang raised an eyebrow.

Arashi turned and grinned, pointing his finger at the TV screen. "That team had better make it all the way to the semifinals of the first block. We will meet them there as the Wild Card."

"You already know about that?" Da Xiang was surprised.

"Nobody else bothered to read the rule book? It's only logical, after all. In the previous world championships, your team was the Wild Card." Arashi replied calmly.

"You paid attention when you were younger then. Most people have forgotten the events of the previous World Championships because of the Nemesis Crisis, especially those who were as young as you were when they happened." Da Xiang said.

Arashi shrugged and closed his eyes. "I'm not most people." he replied calmly.

"I can see that." Da Xiang said. "Either way, this will give you time to rest up for the Wild Card matches, as you will have to wait until the second round ends for them to begin."

"Whatever." Arashi replied, turning over to face the wall. Da Xiang soon left, mystified by the teen's knowledge.

So, Galaxy Flame lost. That's not too bad, as long as they can win the Wild Card spot. This may actually be safer for them in the long run, as the Wild Card matches aren't broadcast worldwide. The DNA isn't likely to focus on the teams that lost in the first and second rounds, making it easier for Galaxy Flame to creep up on them. However, they won't be getting as much of a challenge as they would if they were to go through the main tournament, which could be a bad thing. Of course, with the proper training, they still have a chance to win.

Just because a team got dropped out into the Wild Card matches doesn't mean that they are weak, it just means that they aren't as strong as the teams they faced. Galaxy Flame, the entire team holds a huge potential, they just have to unlock it.

Perhaps it is time to step in, but perhaps not. The time will come eventually, but it may not be until after the tournament. They just need training, but not only that: they need the knowledge that the bonds they have with their friends are what can carry them further than anything else. Benkei may stick to his training system, but that isn't all that it takes. Mere training didn't defeat Nemesis.

If it was just about training, then Kyoya could have easily passed me. If it was just about training, then defeating Nemesis would have been a piece of cake. But it wasn't. training can only get a blader so far, then they have to depend on their friends to help carry them further. Galaxy Flame needs to learn this, needs to keep the relationships they create during this tournament, because it is those relationships, those bonds with other bladers, that will carry them to the top.

Shinobu: Wait, what? We lost?

Me: It was more interesting!

Ren: Yeah, but we lost!

Me: You're in the wild card matches!

Isamu: Why did we have to lose?

Me: You get a rematch later! Now shut up before I teleport you all to the moon!

All:-gulp and obey-