Alright, I'm back, as usual, with another chapter of 'Hikou Rising!' No team battles in this chapter, but I did something that I had wanted to do in the previous chapter: Bring a certain blader into the story, at least temporarily. So, he will be doing the disclaimer today!

Chris: Galaxy doesn't own MFB, only her OCs.

"That was amazing! You're going to have to show me how to do that!" Isamu exclaimed as Galaxy Flame walked down the hall of their hotel towards their rooms.

"Yeah, you're going to have to show all of us how you did that." Maru said.

Arashi paused and half-turned to face his teammates.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, whatever you did, it was not a feat that any of us thought possible." Shinobu replied.

"Practicing in a forest will get you there easily." Arashi replied, turning and unlocking his and Isamu's hotel room door.

"Who wants to go to the beach?" Ren asked as she unlocked her and Maru's door.

"I'm in!" Maru replied.

"We're not." Arashi said.

"What? Oh, come on!" Ren exclaimed. "Don't you ever do anything fun?"

"That's none of your business." Arashi said, walking inside his room with Isamu following.

"Can't we at least go down there with them?" Isamu asked.

Arashi paused. "Fine, but we're not getting in the water." he said.

"Why not?" Isamu whined as the door shut.

"Well, at least they aren't going to sit in their hotel room and be boring." Maru sighed, disappearing into hers and Ren's room.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire group found themselves by the ocean, all in their swimsuits.

"Alright! Let's go!" Ren called, running into the waves with Maru and Shinobu close behind.

"Why can't we get in?" Isamu whined, sitting on the beach with Arashi, who was reading a book.

"You know why." Arashi replied calmly.

Isamu sighed.

"Come on, let's go." Arashi muttered, closing his book and getting up.

"You changed your mind already?"

"No, I see a training area over there."

Isamu sweatdropped. "Why is it always training before everything with you?"

"What else are we supposed to do if we're going to beat the DNA?" Arashi asked, heading for the wide open section of sand with several stadiums in the center.

"Are they serious?" Ren asked, catching sight of the two a few minutes later.

"Apparently." Shinobu replied.

"Whatever." Maru sighed, lazily splashing water towards Ren.

For the next two hours, Ren, Shinobu, and Maru played in the water, while Arashi and Isamu battled on the beach.

"Team Galaxy Flame, I assume?"

"Huh?" the entire group glanced up from their game of volleyball.

Standing on the beach, hands on his hips, was a young man with golden hair and lavender eyes.

"Who are you?" Maru asked.

"I am Chris, Legendary Blader of Winter." the man replied.

"You're a Legendary Blader?! Cool!" Ren and Isamu exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Shinobu asked.

"I have come to train you, if you'd like." Chris replied calmly.

"That would be awesome!" Ren exclaimed.

Isamu sighed. "As much as I'm sick of training right now, I have to agree." the bluenette grinned.

"I'm in." Arashi said.

"Me too." Shinobu smiled.

"Alright then, let's begin." Chris grinned.

"They do have pretty good teamwork, but they need a bit more training than they've had."

"We'll start with your teamwork." Chris decided.

"Their normal tag-team pairs are the two Hikous, and then Shinobu and Ren. They need practice fighting alongside someone who is not their normal partner."

"Our teamwork?" Ren and Isamu looked confused.

"But we have great teamwork! Me and Arashi kicked serious Russian butt yesterday!" Isamu protested.

"They likely will not get the idea at first…"

"But, could you and Ren do the same thing?" Chris asked.

"Well…" Isamu trailed off and glanced at the blonde girl.

Chris raised his launcher. "Try it." he encouraged.

"Probably the best way to start would be to test them, see what exactly they need to do."

"What?! You want us to battle you?" Ren and Isamu freaked out.

"Of course, I don't know how they would react to a challenge from a Legendary Blader, since they were knocked out so easily by Aguma."

Chris nodded. "To test your skills. You have to learn not to fight in your usual pairs. Now, are you ready?"

"No matter what their initial reaction is, they should accept. I'd be surprised if they back down."

"Yeah!" Isamu and Ren exclaimed, raising their launchers.

"Just don't underestimate them. They may not be as strong as the Legendary Bladers now, but that doesn't mean they don't pack a punch."

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Go, Kerbecs!"

"Phoenix!"

"Orion!"

The three beys clashed in the center.

"They may get so caught up in their excitement that they forget they're supposed to be tagteaming."

"Well? What have you two got?"

"I'm attacking first! Go, Phoenix! Molten Wing!"

"Gahh! Ren!"

"You snooze, you lose, Isamu!"

"Orion!"

The Winter bey quickly sent its fiery opponent flying.

"Gahh! Phoenix!" Ren called, then sighed in relief as her bey landed safely.

"You're supposed to come at me together!" Chris shouted. "If you don't, you have no chance of beating me at your current level!"

Isamu and Ren growled in frustration, then glanced at each other and nodded.

"Alright then, take this!" They called in unison.

"I doubt it will really take that long for Isamu and Ren to get in sync, as they do have similar personalities and battle styles."

"Phoenix, Molten Wing!"

"Kerbecs, TriFlame Strike!"

The two beys slammed into Chris's Orion, causing an explosion. However, when the dust settled, the three were still grinding against each other.

"Check this out! Madoka told me about Orion's free-spinning, Bearing Drive performance tip! It's even more amazing than I imagined!" Maru exclaimed, causing Shinobu and Arashi to lean over her shoulder, curious.

"That performance tip makes Orion a more formidable opponent than just its power alone can do." Arashi spoke up. "Chris is truly a tough opponent, and probably one of the stronger Legendary Bladers."

"You seem to know a lot about the Legendary Bladers, at least a lot more than we do." Shinobu said.

Arashi narrowed his eyes at the fire blader. "I've been more dedicated to researching their skills, that's all." he said, returning his attention to the battle.

Shinobu narrowed his eyes at the bluenette before returning his attention to the battle as well.

"One of the best things to do would be to teach them about the abilities they can unlock by knowing their bey, something that Maru may or may not be able to help them with."

"Why isn't this working? Why can't we push him back!?" Ren growled.

Chris grinned. "I have the power of the Star Fragment, as well as a full knowledge of every possible ability that Orion has. Do you two even know just what your beys can do, if you can figure it out? Knowing your bey's full abilities, how to combine the parts that you have, can be an enormous asset. My Bearing Drive performance tip gives Orion the incredible balance and defensive powers that it has, but that's not all that it can do."

Ren and Isamu began to look nervous as the Winter blader slid his feet apart into a battle stance, his lavender eyes sparkling.

"This is the power of a blader who knows every ability his bey has! Orion, fly!"

The fuchsia and silver bey suddenly darted away from its synchrom opponents, bouncing off a nearby rock and leaping into the air.

"Orion, Barnard's Loop!"

"Whoa!" Ren and Isamu screamed as the pillars of pure energy exploded into being, quickly sending them and their beys flying. Arashi dove and caught Isamu just before the younger bluenette landed in the ocean, managing to keep them both dry. Ren however, got soaked as she landed in the water with both beys.

"Whoa…" The entire team, minus Arashi, was in shock. Ren sat in the water, stunned, blinking in surprise for a few seconds before finding hers and Isamu's beys and splashing back to the shore.

"That was awesome!" Maru exclaimed.

Chris caught his bey out of the air and smiled.

"Despite losing in the end, you two did quite well."

"Of course, not all of them may want to test their strength against yours. Arashi Hikou, in particular, will probably opt out of a battle."

"So, what about you two?" Chris asked, turning to Arashi and Shinobu.

"Chimera and I will pass on your little lesson. We already know our abilities." Arashi said, turning away.

"Of course, don't let his nonchalance throw you off. Bladers are bladers, and he's no exception to the rule."

"Then can you prove it to me?" Chris asked, a gleam of challenge shining in his lavender eyes as he spoke. "How long can you last against my Orion?"

Arashi turned back and smirked. "Long enough." he said.

"I'll let you figure out his skills on your own."

Chris grinned and raised his launcher. "Well then, let's see just how long 'long enough' is, shall we?"

Arashi grinned back and raised his launcher.

"It goes without saying that he won't be an easy opponent to beat."

"You don't have to tell me that twice." Chris grinned.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let it Rip!"

"Orion!" Chris attacked immediately, but found himself fighting thin air as Chimera swiftly dodged.

"That strategy?!" the others exclaimed.

"If it's a time trial, this is my best bet." Arashi smirked.

"So, this is your now-famous five-minute strategy, is it?" Chris asked.

"You've watched the selection tournament, I see." Arashi replied calmly.

"Only because Yuki recorded it and sent me a copy." Chris confirmed. "However, if you're going for a stamina battle," the blonde paused for a moment as Orion stopped moving, spinning steadily in the sand across from Chimera. "Then I will too."

"This is going to be a long battle…" Shinobu sighed.

"Just test their skills. I'll be paying close attention."

Five minutes passed, and the beys remained motionless, spinning steadily in place. However, Orion's Bearing Drive seemed to be winning out over Chimera's Eternal Sharp, as the silver and black synchrom was wobbling.

"Why isn't he attacking? It's been more than five minutes!" Ren whispered after a while.

Shinobu shrugged.

The group remained silent until Arashi's Chimera finally slowed to a complete stop, eight grueling minutes after launching.

Chris smiled and picked up Orion, which had barely started to wobble.

"Well, that was interesting." he commented.

Arashi chuckled under his breath as the rest of Galaxy Flame animefell, then leapt back to their feet, a tick mark on every forehead.

"How was that interesting? That was the most boring battle I've ever seen! You didn't do anything!" Ren and Isamu yelled, waving their arms around frantically.

"The only 'interesting' thing about that battle was that Chimera actually acted like a stamina type for once, and not a very good one, at that!" Maru exclaimed.

Arashi sighed and picked up his bey.

"When will you be showing yourself, anyway?" Chris asked.

"Not too soon." Gingka sighed.

"Why not? What's the point of waiting in the shadows?"

Gingka turned and looked at the stars above, the moonlight enveloping him and Chris in an almost magical-seeming light.

"Because, I don't want them to depend on me too much. My main priority right now is training Zero, and I don't need them interfering. Plus, if they knew that I was waiting in the shadows so to speak, ready to strike at a moment's notice, they might not fight as hard as they can, and it could weaken them for future battles."

"I guess that makes sense…" Chris trailed off, then stepped up next to the other Four Seasons blader and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Just don't take too long, they'll go crazy wondering what happened to their friend Zero."

Gingka turned and flashed a wide grin at the Winter blader.

"Don't worry, the longest they will have to wait is the after party for the World Championships."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Do you really think that Madoka is going to wait that long for you to show up?"

What does Madoka have to do with any of this?" Gingka asked, looking confused, a slight pink flush coming over his cheeks as he spoke.

Chris grinned triumphantly. "Oh, come on! Even six years ago when I last saw you, you definitely had feelings for her! I might usually play the calm and composed nonchalant blader, like you describe Galaxy Flame's team leader to be, but that doesn't mean that I don't notice these things!"

"I still don't get why that has anything to do with when I choose to show up." Gingka retorted defensively.

Chris sweatdropped. "Just forget about it." he muttered.

Gingka sighed, brushing a few strands of his long bangs out of his eyes and adjusting the position of his headband.

"We should probably get back inside and get some sleep." the Autumn blader said after a few moments.

"Huh?" Chris looked over at the younger adult.

"Well, you have a training appointment with Galaxy Flame tomorrow, and I have more behind-the-scenes work to do."

Chris grinned challengingly. "What, no battle first?"

Gingka turned to the Winter blader and smirked. "Do you really want to wake them up by blowing up the countryside?"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about blowing up stuff?"

Gingka rolled his eyes. "Chris, we're the Legendary Bladers of Winter and Autumn. Is it possible to have an actual battle without blowing up something?"

Chris laughed. "Guess not. What about a race to the top of that mountain?" the blonde pointed to a looming, snow-covered peak in the distance.

"Do you want to get back here at noon and give everything away?" Gingka grinned.

Chris smirked. "Oh, come on. I have my car to get us most of the way there."

Gingka laughed. "Alright then, you're on!" The redhead exclaimed, leaping over the rail of the balcony and swinging down to the ground two stories below.

"Hey, wait up!" Chris called quietly, joining the redhead on the ground below.

Zero silently stepped onto the balcony and watched the two, then went back inside, closing the sliding glass door of his and Gingka's hotel room behind him.

Done and done! Next chapter I plan on bringing another team in, so be ready for:

-drumroll-

Team Raging Fang! See you all next chapter!