Hey, I'm back, and I didn't have to cram on a Sunday evening to get this chapter done on time! Woot, woot! Anyway, this chapter starts the Wild Card matches for Galaxy Flame. So, as usual, thanks to: Graceful Amaryllis, owner of Faina Gusin; PineScar, owner of Soto Hunt; Blaze scorpius, owner of Daichi Hayashi; and shadowritergirl, owner of Kuro Blackheart! Also, thanks to Graceful Amaryllis for coming up with the team name for the Russian team, Team Belvy Navet! Enjoy!

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first round of the Wild Card matches!"

The crowd cheered.

"These teams may not have made it very far in the main tournament, but now, they get a chance to prove that they can still compete! Ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Japan, please give it up for Team Galaxy Flame!"

The crowd cheered as the four teens stepped into view.

"And their opponents, from Russia, Team Belvy Navet!"

"Alright, so we all know the plan, right? I go first, and then Ren, followed by Arashi and Isamu in a tag-team battle if needed." Shinobu said.

Arashi nodded.

Isamu grinned and turned to look at their opponents across the stadium.

Ren smirked and waved to the cheering crowd.

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

Shinobu obeyed, and found himself facing a short girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our first two bladers are Shinobu Hiryuin, from Galaxy Flame!" DJ announced.

The crowd cheered.

"And Faina Gusin, from Belvy Navet!"

The crowd continued cheering.

"Bladers ready?"

Shinobu and Faina raised their launchers in response.

"Then three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Salamander!"

"Vila!"

The two beys clashed fiercely in the center of the stadium the moment they landed.

"I'll finish this quickly." Faina said.

Shinobu narrowed his eyes, concentrating on the blue, violet, and silver bey that was his opponent.

Faina closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Vila, Aquatic Prison!" she yelled, snapping her eyes open. In response, the blue fairy maiden of Vila rose out of its bey, and quickly encased the fiery Salamander in water.

"Aquatic Explosion!" The second move came before Shinobu could react, as the water prison holding his bey exploded and sent Salamander flying.

"Salamander, regain your balance!" Shinobu ordered.

"Vila, Misty Wind!"

Shinobu growled as Vila started blasting Salamander with a heavy attack.

"Salamander! Phantom Fire Shot!" the cream-haired blader frantically tried to make a comeback, but it was too late.

"Vila, Water Sphere!"

The huge ball of water that Vila fired knocked Salamander out of the stadium, causing Arashi to dive to the side in order to dodge the silver and orange bey.

"Shinobu just got trashed out there!" Ren exclaimed.

"Yikes." Isamu said, looking at the embedded Salamander.

"No kidding. Ren, don't you dare lose or we're finished." Arashi said.

"No pressure…" Ren muttered, running up to the stadium as Shinobu returned to his team.

"And our next two bladers are already at the stadium!" DJ announced, as Ren stared across the stadium, her golden-brown eyes clashing with the dark grey ones of her opponent.

"From Team Belvy Navet, we have Soto Hunt, and her bey: Darken Corvus!"

The crowd cheered for Soto, who blushed slightly and waved nervously.

"And from Team Galaxy Flame, we have Ren Kurenai and her bey: Thief Phoenix!"

Ren grinned and waved at the crowd.

"Bladers ready? Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Phoenix!"

"Corvus!"

"Let's end this with one shot, Phoenix! Molten Wing!"

"Block it, Corvus!"

"Interesting. She's not using a special move to counter. She must be very confident in her abilities." Arashi commented.

A small explosion filled the air. When the dust cleared, both beys were still spinning, but Corvus was wobbling.

"One more time, Phoenic!" Ren wasted no time in attacking again, unleashing a barrage attack and pulling Corvus up towards the edge of the stadium.

"Molten Wing!"

"Corvus, Shielding Darkness!" Soto called, mere moments before her dark purple, grey, and black bey clashed with Ren's silver and gold one. A larger explosion was the result, as Ren and Soto shielded their faces.

"Did that finish it?" Isamu asked, peering through the settling dust.

"Not quite. Almost!" Shinobu replied, gripping the rail in front of him, his knuckles turning white.

"She'll win." Arashi spoke up. "She has to."

"And Corvus is still spinning! Neither of these bladers have won this sucker yet!" DJ announced.

"I have to finish this now, or we're done!" Ren thought.

"If I can finish this quickly, then we're home free!" Soto narrowed her eyes.

The two girls stared each other down, grey clashing with golden-brown across the stadium. Their teammates held their breaths, waiting for them to make a move.

"Phoenix, Molten Wing!"

"Corvus, Shadow Movement!"

Phoenix burst into flames as Corvus disappeared.

"What?! Where did it go?" Ren asked, freaking out.

"Ren! Behind you!" Maru called, detecting Corvus with her computer before Ren saw it spinning right in Phoenix's shadow. However, Phoenix was still sent flying.

"Go, Phoenix!" Ren called as her bey barely landed back in the stadium.

"Phew! That was close!" Isamu and Shinobu exclaimed.

"Molten Wing!"

"Shadow Movement!"

"Not this time!" Ren called, as Phoenix abruptly turned around and sent Corvus flying.

"And the winner is Ren Kurenai and Thief Phoenix! In a very close match, Galaxy Flame takes the second battle!" DJ said.

Isamu and Shinobu sighed in relief and sat down.

"Don't relax yet." Arashi said, getting up from his position against the wall. "We're next, Isamu."

"Oh yeah!" Isamu leapt to his feet and walked up to the stadium.

"Huh? Both of the remaining two Galaxy Flame bladers are heading up to the stadium! What are they up to?" DJ asked.

The black-and-silver-haired girl waiting at the stadium raised an eyebrow.

"We challenge you to a tag-team battle." Isamu said.

"Fine then. We'll still crush you either way." the girl replied.

"Daichi, go join Kuro." Faina said, turning to a rugged-looking boy who was sitting on the bench behind her.

Daichi nodded and walked over to join his teammate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, looks like we have a tag-team battle for our third match! From Galaxy Flame, we have Arashi Hikou, with his bey Star Chimera, and his younger brother Isamu, with his Shinobi Kerbecs!" DJ announced. The crowd cheered in response.

"And from Belvy Navet, we have Kuro Blackheart with her bey, Fernis; as well as Daichi Hayashi and his bey, Toxic Hydra! This will be a battle of the beasts!" DJ said, as the crowd cheered louder.

"Ready! Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Fernis!"

"And Kuro attacks right away!" DJ said.

"Not wasting any time I see. Chimera!"

Chimera and Fernis rose out of their beys and clashed.

"Kerbecs!" Isamu called, as his bey charged Hydra.

"Isamu, use your special move." Arashi said suddenly.

"Huh? Already?"

"Just do it!"

"Crush him, Fernis!" Kuro snarled.

"Chimera, Snake Bite Attack!"

Chimera's snake head latched onto Fernis's leg.

"Two can play at that game." Kuro growled. "Fernis, Death Jaws!"

"Retreat, Chimera!" Arashi called, breaking away from Fernis just before the wolf clamped its jaws on one of the necks of his Chimera. The bluenette narrowed his eyes at Kuro, black clashing with silver and emerald green as a breeze from the stadium blew back Arashi's bangs.

"Kerbecs, TriFlame Strike!" Isamu called.

"Hydra, Toxic Barrage." Daichi ordered quietly.

Hydra unleashed a heavy barrage attack on Kerbecs as the silver and red bey barreled around the stadium, pulling all three of the other beys up.

"Fernis, Shadow Uppercut!" Kuro called, attacking Kerbecs and stopping its special move in its tracks.

"We have to work together." Arashi muttered.

"Right." Isamu replied quietly.

"Kerbecs, retreat!"

The triple-headed dog tried to pull back, but Fernis latched on with its claws and wouldn't let go.

Arashi narrowed his eyes.

"Chimera, attack Kerbecs!"

"What? Have you gone nuts?" Isamu asked, turning to his brother.

"I know what I'm doing." Arashi snarled.

"What's this? Arashi has more power than before!" Maru exclaimed. "His bey is close to matching Fernis's power, according to my data!"

"Fernis's power?" Shinobu raised an eyebrow.

"At the beginning of the battle, my computer said that Fernis was a whole lot stronger than any of the other beys, but now, look! Chimera has suddenly increased in power!" Maru said, holding up her computer.

"Whoa. Did he have that much power before?"

"No, he didn't! Arashi sure is one confusing guy!" Maru exclaimed.

"Chimera, Horn Toss Uppercut!"

An explosion marked the impact between Chimera and Kerbecs, as the lion's part of the Chimera swatted Kerbecs out of Fernis's grasp and the goat's head knocked the wolf bey away.

"Isamu, you take Hydra. I'll take care of Fernis." Arashi said.

"Okay. Kerbecs, TriFlame Strike!"

"Hydra, Nine-Headed Venom Strike!"

"Chimera, Triple Storming Fire!"

"Destroy them, Fernis! Eternal Night!"

The entire stadium went dark, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the beys as they spun in the stadium, still charging each other.

"Kuro will know where our beys are. She likely plans to use this darkness to take us out while we can't see. But she underestimates my Chimera. Perhaps now is the time to switch attacks." Arashi thought.

A single clash sounded through the darkness. Isamu growled under his breath, hoping that that sound came from Kerbecs and Hydra's clash, and hoping that he had won it. Two more clashing sounds came through the darkness, one after the other, confusing both Isamu and Daichi. Kuro smirked in the darkness, sure that those clashes were her special move making contact with Arashi's Chimera.

"Isamu, listen for the beys." Arashi whispered through the darkness.

"Listen?" Isamu whispered.

"Yes. We can't rely on only our sight for battles like this. Keep Kerbecs away from Fernis."

"I'll try." Isamu said as the light began to return.

"Did that finish the battle?" DJ asked.

Kuro smirked. Isamu, Shinobu, and Ren gasped in shock as Daichi sighed, spotting Hydra still spinning in the stadium.

"Fernis, Kerbecs, and Hydra are still spinning! But, where is Chimera?" DJ asked.

"D-did we lose?" Maru asked fearfully.

"Arashi?" Isamu looked fearfully at his older brother, who was standing motionless with his eyes closed.

"If it's not on the ground, and it's not with the blader, then where is it?!" Arashi shouted, his eyes suddenly opening as he grinned, a dark purple and black aura appearing around him as he pointed at Kuro.

"Your strategy backfired! That move is clearly dependent on the other bladers relying on sight alone to battle!"

Kuro narrowed her eyes. "Whatever you're planning, it won't work. My Fernis will crush you." she said. "Fernis! Death Jaws!"

"Kerbecs!" Isamu panicked as the wolf charged his bey.

"Do it now, Chimera! Constellation Tornado Strike!" Arashi called, as his bey appeared out of the sky and slammed down into the stadium.

"But how did he jump into the air?!" Shinobu and Ren asked, surprised.

"Gahh! I give up trying to figure out how he does things!" Maru exclaimed, slamming her laptop shut as an explosion occurred.

Arashi smirked as the dust began to settle, while Kuro narrowed her eyes and Isamu and Daichi peered into the stadium nervously.

"Hydra, stadium out! But, is Kerbecs still in the battle, or will Chimera and Fernis have to finish this with each other?" DJ asked.

"Kerbecs!" Isamu exclaimed, spotting Chimera clashing with Fernis at the center while his bey circled cautiously.

"And Galaxy Flame takes the first round of the Wild Card matches!" DJ announced as the crowd burst out cheering.

"We did it!" Ren cheered.

"That was a close one!" Maru exclaimed.

"Good job guys!" Shinobu called as Arashi and Isamu caught their beys out of the air.

One round down, plenty more to go. Galaxy Flame did well in that battle, but they sure did keep me in suspense. That final battle was a true example of the skills that those bladers have. Chimera had just enough speed, and Arashi enough skill, to leap out of the Zero-G stadium, which is not an easy feat to pull off, especially in the dark. Having Chimera pull back out of its special move fast enough to protect Kerbecs was also a display of skill.

Arashi Hikou: He's a confusing blader, but a skilled one. He… Kinda reminds me of myself, actually. And, now that both of us have healed from our injuries, the DNA cannot win this.

"Gingka!"

"Nnnnn…"

"Gingka, can you hear me?"

"Hmm?" Gingka awoke with a gasp and tried to sit up, only to collapse back down, groaning in pain.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Kenta exclaimed, bending worriedly over the redhead.

"What… happened?" Gingka asked, gasping for breath.

"That's what we'd like to know. You seemingly barely made it back here before fainting!" Yuki exclaimed. "Just what happened in that battle against the DNA?"

"DNA?" Gingka looked confused for a second, then his eyes widened. "Zero! Where's Zero?" the redhead struggled to sit up, but Kenta and Yuki firmly pushed him back down.

"Relax. You shouldn't be moving right now. Zero's fine. He's right over there." Kenta moved aside and pointed to the Ifrit wielder, who was sleeping peacefully rolled up inside a blanket nearby.

Gingka sighed in relief and relaxed, closing his eyes.

"What happened, Gingka? How did you end up like this?" Yuki asked.

"The DNA… They broke one of the most basic rules of Beyblade. They were trying to kidnap Zero and get him out of their way, so I used Pegasus to guard him. Then…" Gingka sighed and trailed off.

"Then what?" Kenta asked.

"They used their beys… and attacked me."

Okay, now you know who the two people at the end of the last chapter's flashback are! I still have one more flashback planned for you, which may or may not come in the next chapter! Now, I am following the order of the World Championships in Metal Masters, so the next team that Galaxy Flame will face will be Team Raging Fang from Africa! (I forgot who came up with that name, but thanks for that!) Anyway, see you next chapter, and the next Stormflight story will be up momentarily!