Well, I had to cram again to get this chapter done, but it's done! This chapter focuses more on the DNA team, and features one of their battles in the world championships! Of course, this meant that a few OCs showed up earlier than I originally planned, but that's alright. Thanks to: Swift, owner of Ilirese; Riga, owner of Melanie; CutieAngel, owner of Morgan; and Skylark, owner of Katrina; as well as Flame for coming up with the team names for the American and Brazilian teams!

Gingka: Galaxy doesn't own anything except for her OCs and the plotline.

Zero: Enjoy!

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the second round of the B-Block of the Beyblade World Championships!"

The crowd cheered as the two teams appeared.

"So, please give it up for our very own American team, Team Cosmic Starlight!" America DJ said.

The crowd burst out in an uproar of cheering.

"And, all the way from Brazil, please welcome Team Mortem Rio!"

The crowd's cheering died down to the polite cheering, then died out completely as the other team appeared.

"Huh, if they think we care about their cheering, they're wrong." Kira smirked.

"Yeah." Yoshio agreed.

"This will be a piece of cake!" Baihu said.

"Easier than pie." Genjuro smirked.

"You all know the plan, right?" Kira turned to his teammates.

"Yeah, me and Baihu are going to knock them out." Yoshio said, waiting for DJ to finish talking.

Across the stadium, Cosmic Starlight was rapidly coming up with a plan.

"I didn't expect to be facing the DNA team so soon." One girl said, brushing a strand of orange hair back behind her animal-print headband.

"We can still beat them. It's no problem." the only boy on the team said, leaning casually against the back of the bench he was sitting on.

"They don't stand a chance." a voice said from the shadows in the hallway leading down to the inside of the stadium.

"Still, we must be on our guard." the team leader spoke up, twirling a strand of her long, platinum blonde hair around her finger. "Who wants to go first? Morgan?"

The light brown-haired teen glanced up from his seat. "Sure, Illirese. I'll go first." he said.

"I'll go second." the voice from the shadows said.

"I'll take third match!" the orange-haired girl said. "Let's do this, guys!"

"Are you sure you want to take third, Katrina?" Illirese asked, releasing her hair and allowing it to fall back into place.

"Of course!" Katrina replied.

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

"Good luck, Morgan!" Katrina called.

"Our team seems excited. I hope they're ready." Masamune commented, watching from the stands.

"They'd better be. Aguma called me a couple of days ago to warn me about the DNA. He said he spoke to Gingka and we have to keep an eye out for Mortem Rio." King replied as Morgan and Yoshio stepped up to the stadium.

"You will be defeated by my Golem, little man." Yoshio taunted.

"Little? How can you call me little?" Morgan smirked. "You underestimate the power of my Scorpion."

Yoshio smirked. "You sure talk big. It's annoying. Let's go!" the DNA blader raised his launcher.

"Ready! Three!" DJ started the countdown.

"Two!" Morgan quickly raised his launcher.

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Golem!" Yoshio called, sending his silver and green bey flying at the black and red Scorpion.

"I'll end this quickly. Scorpion!" Morgan called, as Scorpion suddenly disappeared from view.

"What?" Yoshio looked around frantically.

"Scorpion, Fading Claw!" Morgan called, as Scorpion reappeared and unleashed a heavy barrage attack.

Yoshio smirked. "That won't hurt my Golem at all!" he exclaimed as Golem repelled the attack.

"What?!" Morgan was shocked, leaning over the rail that separated him from the stadium to get a better look.

"Go, Golem!" Yoshio called, unleashing his own barrage attack.

"Gahh! Scorpion!"

"Stop overreacting Morgan! You're going to lose if you keep doing that!" Katrina called.

Morgan took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. "Alright!" he exclaimed. "Let's do this! Scorpion, Super Stab Attack!"

Black flames appeared around Scorpion as it rose out of its bey, slamming directly into Golem.

"Take that!" Morgan exclaimed.

Yoshio laughed. "Golem has the ultimate defenses! That puny little attack won't affect me at all!"

"Oh yeah? Then take this!" Morgan said, as Scorpion pulled back and charged again.

"Scorpion, Poison Fury!"

"Golem, Iron Axe Wall!" Yoshio called out.

Cosmic Starlight shielded their faces from the resulting explosion as Morgan and Yoshio yelled at their beys, commanding them to attack.

Katrina and Illirese ducked as a black and red flash flew past their faces, hitting the top of the doorway behind them and causing a few rock fragments to fall down.

"Scorpion, stadium out! Mortem Rio takes the first round!" DJ announced.

"I'm so, so, so sorry guys!" Morgan said as he rejoined his teammates.

"It's alright, Morgan. We'll just win the next two matches." Katrina said.

"Melanie, you're up." Illirese said.

"Can't we have them turn off the lights?" a girl with black hair sighed, stepping into the arena and heading for the stadium, where Baihu was already waiting.

"You'll go down quicker than your friend over there." Baihu taunted.

"Yeah right! I'll be sucking your blood when I win!" Melanie replied with a smirk.

"Well, isn't she interesting?" Kira commented.

"You can do it, Mel!" Katrina and Morgan called.

"Bladers ready! Three!" DJ called.

"Two!" Baihu called.

"One!" Melanie smirked.

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Byakko! End this with one shot!" Baihu called.

"Not so fast! Go, Nightmare!" Melanie called.

"Crush it!" Baihu called, sending his blue and silver synchrom flying at Melanie's Nightmare.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Melanie smirked, sending her own bey flying straight for Byakko.

"Fierce Tiger Slash!" Baihu called.

"Nightmare, Lovely Death!" Melanie called.

The two moves collided in a huge explosion, causing both teams to shield their faces.

"Byakko and Nightmare collide in a huge clash! The only question is, did both beys survive that exchange?" DJ asked as the crowd -and both teams- peered into the settling dust, trying to determine whether either of the beys were still spinning.

"And they're still going! Neither team has won this sucker yet!" DJ announced, much to the crowd's excitement.

"Nightmare!" Melanie called.

Baihu, across the stadium, was glowing a light blue, his pupils shrunk down to a nearly unseeable size, his hands formed into claws.

"What in the world…?" Katrina muttered under her breath.

"There he goes again." Kira smirked.

"That girl doesn't stand a chance now." Genjuro said, grinning.

"Crush it, Byakko!" Baihu snarled.

Melanie raised an eyebrow as Byakko started unleashing a rapid-fire barrage attack.

"Nightmare, run hard!" the black-haired girl yelled.

"You can't escape!" Baihu growled, grinning evilly.

"Lovely Death!" Melanie again called out her special move, but to no effect.

"Byakko, Fierce Tiger Slash!"

A second explosion filled the air, but this time, Melanie's Nightmare was sent flying out of the stadium.

"And Mortem Rio has done it! With Baihu's win, they move on to the third round, while Cosmic Starlight will be entered into the running for the Wild Card!"

"So, they lost." Masamune sighed.

"Yeah. No wonder Gingka and Aguma warned us about them." King replied.

"With this, they have the chance to win, and that won't be good." Masamune commented.

"If they win, then we can step in and stop them from taking over the world." King said.

"Yeah, maybe." Toby spoke up.

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?" Masamune turned to the Lyre blader.

"If they win, then they will have proved to the younger generation that they are the strongest, and they can easily get the new generation to follow them. We would have to show enough power to convince those same bladers that the DNA is not that much of a threat to them." Toby said.

"Yeah. And that won't be a very easy feat. We can't let them win this tournament, but we can't stop them by stepping in. We just have to let things run their course, and hope that one of the teams will stop them." Zeo spoke up.

"Someone will. We just have to wait." King said confidently.

"Alright Kira, we need to talk." Yoshio said once Mortem Rio had returned to their hotel room.

"What do you mean, 'we need to talk'?" Kira asked, narrowing his eyes at the other DNA blader.

"You've been acting jumpy ever since that failed operation to get rid of Zero. Why?" Yoshio said.

"I have not been acting jumpy!" Kira exclaimed, leaping to his feet in anger. (AN: Lol, punny much? XD)

"Yes, you have!" Genjuro spoke up. "Especially today, when you spotted that other Legendary Blader in the stands! I saw you, you kept looking at him, and even when you were watching the match, you were keeping an eye on him, weren't you?"

"So what if I was?" Kira snarled.

The other three remained silent for a few seconds.

"You'd better not let it affect you anymore, whatever it is." Yoshio said.

Kira growled and turned to look out the window at the city below.

"It's over, Zero! Your friends have left you behind, your bey is barely spinning, and you are doomed!" Kira smirked.

Zero growled under his breath in frustration.

"Come on, Ifrit!" he called, struggling back to his feet.

"Finish him! Bahamoote, Gladiator Demolition!"

"Kyahh!"

"Zero! Hang in there! Let it Rip!"

"What?" Kira was stunned as his bey landed at his feet before charging forwards again to clash with a bey that was silhouetted against the settling dust.

"What is this?" Kira snarled, noticing that the other bey was easily matching his every attack.

"Pegasus!" Gingka suddenly appeared between Kira and Zero, effectively blocking the group of DNA bladers trying to kidnap the young blader.

The DNA forces took a step back in surprise as the blazing, golden-brown eyes of the Legendary Blader scanned their group, quickly singling out Kira as their leader.

"Well, if it isn't the world-renowned hero, Hagane himself." Kira sneered. "Bahamoote!"

"Byakko!"

"Golem!"

"Wyvern!"

"Genbu!"

"Zirago!"

All of the DNA bladers attacked at once.

"Smash through it!" Yoshio called.

"Genjuro, Spike! Get Zero and get out of here! We'll hold him off, and perhaps even take him down as well!" Kira called.

The two DNA bladers nodded and started to slip around Gingka, attempting to reach the now-unconscious Zero. However, Pegasus abruptly darted away from Bahamoote and created a wall of flame around Zero, preventing any DNA bladers from accomplishing their goal.

"If you think such a simple tactic will beat me, you're wrong." Gingka said, widening his battle stance.

Kira growled, then grinned evilly.

"Well then, if we have to take you out first, so be it. Bahamoote!"

Gingka smirked. "You can try!"

Bahamoote rose out of its bey and roared, charging the wall of flame that Pegasus was creating.

"Pegasus!" Gingka called, easily repelling the attack.

"Do it, Baihu!" Kira called.

The smaller blader nodded and leapt into the air, faking an attempt at getting to Zero.

"Not so fast!" Gingka called, whirling and shifting Pegasus's wall of flame to block Baihu.

"Now! Byakko!" Baihu called, his pupils turning into slits as his bey attacked not Pegasus, but Gingka himself.

The redhead stumbled back in surprise as he was hit straight-on in the chest, but quickly regained his balance, narrowing his eyes at the DNA bladers.

"Bahamoote!"

Kira and the others followed up Baihu's attack, leaving Gingka with a choice: defend himself, or defend the unconscious young blader behind him.

Kira and the other DNA bladers smirked as Gingka, predictably, ordered Pegasus to continue protecting Zero. Their beys, in the meantime, continued attacking Gingka, who attempted to use his arms to shield his face, but to no effect. After a few minutes of resisting the continuous onslaught of attacks, Gingka dropped to one knee, panting.

Kira held up a hand, signaling to the others to stop.

"You're weaker than I thought." the Bahamoote blader sneered. "Ready to give up and just let us take Zero?"

"Never!" Gingka replied, snapping his head up and looking Kira directly in the eye. Before any of the DNA bladers could react, the redhead had mustered all of his strength and leapt backwards over his own wall of flames, reaching Zero's limp body in a mere fraction of a second.

Kira grinned evilly as the blue flames faded and disappeared.

"What, giving up? Why don't you just come with us quietly?"

"I'm not giving up. A retreat isn't giving up. Count on it, we will be back, and when we return, you will be defeated. You might make it to the world stage, and it will be there that we will take you down."

"How can you be so sure, with your current injuries?" Kira smirked.

Gingka grinned. "A couple of scratches won't stop me, Kira. It would do you good to learn from the examples of Nemesis and the others. But for now, I'll give you a chance to change your mind."

In a blinding flash of blue lightning, Gingka had disappeared, taking Zero with him.

Kira growled in frustration. "We almost had him!" he exclaimed, kicking the nearest empty can.

Gingka, meanwhile, was darting through the alleyways of Metal Bey City. He only had one goal in mind: Get to safety. And, at the moment, safety just happened to mean a certain warehouse that he had left nearly an hour before, after spotting a DNA helicopter flying overhead. He was injured badly, and running completely on adrenaline, but he kept going. Blood was dripping from his wounds, and getting onto Zero's jacket, but he had to keep going. If he stopped now, who knew what would happen?

"There it is… I just… have to… reach it… unghh…" the redhead stumbled forwards, dropping Zero as he fell to his knees.

"Gingka!" two frantic-sounding voices called, as two figures rushed over to the redhead, catching him just before he blacked out.

Gingka: Seriously, you just can't help yourself, can you?

Me: Huh?

Gingka: -_- I'm injured again.

Me: Oh, that. It's all part of the plotline, trust me.

Gingka: It's been part of your plotlines way too many times.

Me:-shrugs- So? What are you going to do about it?

Gingka:-animefalls-

Me: Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you next chapter!