Here it is at last! The final chapter of Hikou Rising! Thanks for following the story for so long, and for giving it over 100 reviews! I think that passes any single part of the Stormflight series, which, by the way, is finally being updated this week, as i am off of writer's block on it! And, to answer a question from a guest reviewer, who asked if Gingka's blind in his left eye like he was as Arashi Hikou, he's not. Originally i was going to have him blind as well, but i decided to have the scar down his face and the blind left eye as part of the disguise. So no, Gingka's not blind in one eye in this story. Anyway, enjoy!

"I almost can't believe we're here." Shinobu commented as he and Ren stood at the front of a room full of cheering people.

"I know, right? Hey, where did Gingka and Zero go?" Ren wondered.

"I don't know, they were supposed to have come here with us." Shinobu said.

"Yeah, you'd think they wouldn't choose today of all days to sleep in." Maru said.

"No, we didn't. We just accidentally slept in and decided last minute to go with the official team members."

Galaxy Flame turned to the left as they were joined by the disguised Gingka and Zero.

"Why go with Arashi and Isamu, if you have already revealed that you're Gingka and Zero?" Maru asked.

"Dramatic things." the two said in stereo.

Shinobu and Ren rolled their eyes as Gingka, again under the guise of Arashi Hikou, leaned against the wall and assumed an indifferent attitude, while Zero winked at Ren with his currently-green eyes.

Two hours later, the group found themselves on the roof of the WBBA, surrounded by the teams they had faced, with the exception of Mortem Rio. Each team was accompanied by the Legendary Blader or other famous blader that Galaxy Flame had met along the way, and Ren and Shinobu found themselves continuously rolling their eyes as Gingka smirked back at every one of his friends, much to the confusion of the other teams.

"You mean you weren't watching?! Why not?!" Zero demanded of Sheng Zai Shili, who all looked rather embarrassed.

"Sorry Isamu, but we ended up having to fend of an attack on the Temple and then we had to leave to come here. I heard you guys finished it off quickly and dramatically though." Garaitz explained.

"Yeah, we did! It was a close one though. Arashi almost died." Zero replied.

"What do you mean, he almost died?" Aurora spoke up quietly.

"Well, the DNA pushed him into the river, and-" Zero began, but Gingka cut him off.

"That's enough, Isamu. It's not important what happened."

"You're boring." Zero pouted.

"How in the world do you two do that with a straight face?!" Ren demanded as the two sat down at the table with her and Shinobu.

"With extreme difficulty." Gingka laughed.

"Alright guys, we have a little tradition that we started at the last World Championships. Care to help us keep it?" Da Xiang said, coming over to the group's table.

"What in the world are they doing?" Kuro asked Bao as the two watched Wang Hu Zhong and Sheng Zai Shili directing Galaxy Flame towards the low stage at the front of the room.

"No clue." Bao replied.

"What tradition are you talking about? What are we supposed to do?" Shinobu and Ren asked.

"Easy, just stand there." Da Xiang replied with a mischievous grin.

"Nah, i think i'll do this." Gingka replied, diving underneath a nearby table and coming out with a crate, which he shook up and set on the table.

"Gahh! Run for cover!" Chi Yun exclaimed, running and grabbing a bottle of soda before shaking it up and pointing it at Galaxy Flame.

"Take this!" Gingka crowed, unleashing his own bottles.

"What in the world?!" Raging Fang exclaimed.

"This happened last time. Arashi just knew about it and decided to pull it first." Tsubasa sighed.

"He doesn't strike me as the prankster type though. I thought he was more serious." Destiny said.

"You weren't watching the final round either, were you?" Tsubasa said.

"Nope. We had to leave early." Julian said. "Not that i don't know what's going on though."

"Huh?" The rest of Excalibur and Chryasor looked confused.

"Just watch." Tsubasa and Julian said.

"Take this, Gingka!" Aguma called.

"Gingka?! Where?!" the entire room shouted at once.

Gingka and the others who knew his secret promptly facepalmed and animefell.

"Hey Zero, catch!" Gingka called, blasting the younger blader with soda.

"Gahh!" Zero threw up his arms in an attempt to shield his face.

"No way!" Garaitz exclaimed as blue hair dye began dripping down Zero's shirt to reveal his black and orange hair.

"Alright, then take this!" the Ifrit blader exclaimed, retaliating as he pulled the hairtie out of his hair and undid his samurai topknot.

"You're kidding me!" the entire room exclaimed in surprise as Gingka also pulled his hairtie out, laughing.

"Oh, come on! If you guys had seen the final round, you would have known that we were the true faces behind the Hikous!" Gingka laughed, blasting Wang Hu Zhong with another bottle before turning his attacks to the crowd, most of whom shrieked and darted away before grabbing bottles themselves and retaliating.

"So much for having an orderly party here." Madoka laughed as she and Tsubasa hid behind a table.

"Blame Wang Hu Zhong for starting it eight years ago." Gingka panted as he joined the two.

"You are crazy." Tsubasa said.

Gingka grinned. "I know. Ready?"

Tsubasa rolled his eyes as the redhead grabbed a pair of bottles and leapt over the side of the overturned table.

"Special move: Soda Splash!"

"He never changes." Madoka and Tsubasa chuckled.

"Hey, Destiny!"

"What- Gahh! Ren! Alright, that's it! Get back here!"

"Gotcha Morgan!"

"Hey! I was trying to stay dry!"

"So much for that plan."

"Shut up, Mel."

"Oh Garaitz!"

"Z-Zero? Gahh! Hey! Get back here!"

"Luna, heads up!"

"Hey!"

"Alright Kuro, i've got you now."

"Oh, do you? Nice try Bao."

"Idiots."

"What was that, Maristela?"

"Gahh! Don't squirt me! I'm going to send my big brother after you!"

"Invite him, i'll take him on!"

"Oh, Gingka…"

"Bull! I'm coming for you, Kyoya!"

"Lion Gale Force Wall!"

"Gahh! No special moves here, please! Can't we at least keep this chaos controlled?!"

"Pegasus, Storm Bringer!"

"Not you too!"

"Orion!"

"Guys, stop it! You're going to blow up something!"

"We'll be careful!"

"You said that last time before you blew up a whole island!"

"Run for cover!"

"Geez, we were just kidding!"

"I've got you, Gingka!"

"Kenta! Gahh!"

"Take this!"

"Yuki? Not you too!"

"Gahh! I'm soaked!"

"You snooze, you lose Faina!"

The group was so occupied spraying each other and yelling that they didn't notice the DNA helicopters approaching until the wind picked up as they landed.

"Huh?"

"Mortem Rio?"

"And the Garcias?"

"You've ruined our plans for the last time, Gingka."

"Oh, have i?"

"Yes. Today, we will get rid of you and all your pesky little friends."

"You know what i have to say to that?"

"Huh?"

"Nobody leaves here without getting soaked! Get them!"

"Gahh!" the Garcias and the DNA bladers yelped in surprise as the entire crowd squirted them with soda.

"Let it rip!"

"Sorry, no beybattling here, just soda!"

"Hey guys, i've got an idea!"

"What is it, Zero?"

"DOGPILE DNA!" (AN: Whoops, i've lost it. There goes my sanity. XD)

"Gahh!"

"Get off me, you idiots!"

All of the 'sane' bladers in the room sweatdropped as the others created three separate dogpiles on top of the unfortunate DNA bladers, who began screaming threats.

"Okay guys, that's enough." Gingka laughed from the middle of one pile.

"How did i end up in this?" Kyoya and Chris groaned from the near-bottom of another pile.

"Hah!" Wang Hu Zhong laughed, standing in a complex stackup on top of one pile.

"Showoffs!" Kenta shouted.

"Get off me!"

"I think not."

"What did you say?! You will pay for this Zero, i swear!"

"Oh yeah? Try me!"

"Zero, off, now."

"Aww…. Okay. You got lucky!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Count on it, Argo. You can't keep us down. The final round of the World Championships should have been enough proof of that, but if you need more… Then bring it on! We'll take you on and take you down any time you'd like. The group you see here is one united army, united by friendship and the bonds they created through battling. It was the strength of them pushing behind Galaxy Flame that allowed the team to win against your Mortem Rio. Without all of the struggles and battles that they had to go through with each and every one of these teams, the training with the older bladers, we wouldn't be here! The fact that Galaxy Flame made it so far with the little help that i gave them is proof that the next generation can defend themselves."

"Little help? LITTLE?! You practically led us through the whole thing!"

"You fought most of the battles."

"You won every one you fought!"

"You won more combined than i did."

"You set up meetings with the older bladers along the way to train us!"

"You completed the training they gave."

"You stopped Mortem Rio's run in the end!"

"You beat three out of the four before giving me a chance to battle."

"You told-" Zero began again, but Gingka placed a finger on the younger blader's lips to silence him.

"Zero, you and your friends did it. I was merely a catalyst for the process."

Zero crossed his arms stubbornly. "You're still stronger than any of us."

"Not for much longer at this rate. Come here!" Gingka grinned, putting Zero in a headlock and ruffling his hair.

"Gahh! Gingka!"

The rest of the group laughed as the Ifrit wielder struggled against the Pegasus blader's grasp.

They did it. Through it all, Galaxy Flame did it on their own. Sure, they lost a battle here and there, but they won. They probably could have done it without my help if needed, but i'm glad i was able to stand by their sides and become a part of that network of friendship that they created throughout the tournament. They may have been a bit mad at me for doing it the way i did, but in the end…

None of us would have had it any other way.

Done and done! It always feels good to finish a story. Normally this is where i would announce my next new story to be posted, but i'm not doing that here. No, i haven't run out of ideas. (I have about fifteen just waiting to be published.) I'm going to complete some of the in-progress ones that badly need it, meaning you can expect updates more often on:

Stormflight: The Final Battle

Aftermath of Nemesis

Shifted

Counterpart: The Adventures of Team Starwriter (Collab with Yami.)

and

Legend Blader Prank War.

Probably in that order. As to my two oneshot collections, 'Hero, Mentor, Friend' and 'Hagane Family,' those will be updated as i write new oneshots, but not super regularly. I plan on completing the five stories mentioned above over the next few months, and any new stories that i plan on posting after those will be announced at the end of whichever one of those is last to be completed. Anyway, glad that so many people enjoyed 'Hikou Rising' and i'll see you all in other stories!