Warnings and Disclaimer are in the prologue.


Chapter 3

Ryou won his next battle with almost frightening ease. His opponent, the prissy girl, attacked without thinking, trying to overwhelm him with sheer force, which his beyblade withstood unflinchingly. It had been a simple matter of turning her own strength against her. She glared irritably at him after the match, then flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed out in a huff. Nonplussed, Ryou looked around for Takao and saw the other beyblader knock his opponent out of the stadium. He'd actually defeated his opponent faster than the world champion, he was surprised and embarrassed to note.

After that, he and Takao retreated to the stands while Max and Zeo took on their opponents. Not surprisingly, they were shortly rejoining them while the rest of the battles took a bit longer. However, once Blocks C and D finished, there were only 40 contestants left only two hours after the tournament's start. In order to get them down to a manageable level, all forty contestants were called to the floor, the twenty beybstadiums occupied once more as the remnants from the four blocks battled it out to see who would move on.

Ryou, in the middle of his battle against a tall older man with graying hair but a fast beyblade, nearly lost when he mistook a shadow on the dish for the speedy beyblade. He shook his head to clear it, then went on to win when the other man grew overconfident and left himself open to attack. As he was ascending to the stands to join Takao and Zeo, he rubbed his left eye. All of today's stress was causing it to bother him, though it still, stubbornly, remained dark on that half of his peripheral vision.

"You okay, Ryou?" Takao asked, not missing his discomfort.

"My eye's bothering me," he confessed. "I'll be fine, though. I'll just rest my eyes until the next battle." He settled into his seat and leaned his head back, letting his eyes fall closed.

"What's wrong with your eye?" Zeo wondered.

"He can't see out of his left one," Takao explained. "It hasn't been bothering him until now."

"Do you have that eyepatch Doctor Frasier gave you?" Max's voice suddenly asked, alerting Ryou to his presence. "That might help."

"No," Ryou admitted. "I didn't think I'd need to use it."

"They've announced a break while they set up the next part of the tournament," Max mused. "I'll be back!"

Ryou cracked open his good eye to see Max bounding down the stairs. "Where's he going?"

"No idea," Takao said dryly. "I hope he doesn't go too far, though. It'd be a shame if he got disqualified for not showing up at his next battle!"

In the half an hour break, Ryou observed the stadium floor undergo a drastic change. The twenty beystadiums were removed, a larger stadium taking their place in the middle of the floor. After the stadium was changed, the tournament draw was displayed, and it became a matter of finding out where you were and who your opponent was.

"Look, Ryou!" Takao bounced, pointing at the large screen. "You're fighting Zeo next!"

Surprised, Ryou found his portrait on the screen, a picture taken during registration. Sure enough, there was Zeo's face next to his.

"Cool!" Zeo exclaimed, turning to Ryou with a grin on his face. "I can't wait!"

Ryou gave a small smile. "Neither can I."

That was how he found himself on the stadium floor ten minutes and two beybattles later, facing Zeo across the beyblade dish. The green-haired teen grinned encouragingly at him, taking his stance, beyblade held before him. Ryou followed suit.

"Three! Two! One!" the announcer recited, the crowd repeating him. "Let it rip!"

Ryou launched, aiming for the center of the stadium, the best place to attack or defend from. Zeo's yellow Burning Cerberus beyblade thunked down solidly next to him, immediately crashing into his blade and sending it back a few feet. Ryou winced at the attack. Such power!

Zeo's attacks were ruthless, he found, holding his ground and letting the other batter him. His defenses held up, but barely, and he didn't have any attention to spare for attacking.

"You're doing pretty good!" Zeo grinned, suddenly a whole different person. When they'd been in the stands he'd been a bit quiet and reserved, but now he seemed totally alive, energy suffusing his entire being. Ryou was surprised at the change in his new friend, but didn't have a chance to dwell on it. "I may have to step up my game a bit!" He swept his arms out to his side, as if inviting Ryou in to attack him. "Come on!"

Takao, hothead that he was, may have taken the bait, but Ryou stood his ground, knowing his strength was in defending and waiting for the right moment. Zeo waited for him for just a moment before renewing his attack, his laughter washing over the amnesiac teen. He could tell the android was enjoying himself immensely, and it was infectious.

"I guess I'll just have to step things up a bit!" Zeo leaned forward eagerly. "Come on, Cerberus!"

Ryou stayed where he was, cautiously anticipating Zeo's next move. The green-haired boy went on the attack again, the ferocity of it sending Ryou's blade reeling. The teen focused on the battle as well as he could, but he kept seeing shadows on the edge of his vision, distorting his view of the dish and making it hard to anticipate the coming attacks. He shook his head to try and dispel the shadows, but they stubbornly stayed, and he couldn't brace against Zeo's next attack. His beyblade staggered backwards, driven to the edge of the dish.

"Ryou? You okay?" Zeo asked, and suddenly he wasn't Ryou's opponent anymore, but a concerned friend.

"I don't know." The battle temporarily on hold, Ryou blinked rapidly, but the shadows stayed. Experimentally, he closed his good eye, shock coursing through him when the shadows persisted. Opening his right eye, he closed his left.

The shadows vanished.

"My eye!" he exclaimed, waving his hand in front of his left eye. He saw a vague grey shape moving in front of him, terribly distracting. "It's seeing!"

Zeo grinned at him, pumping a fist in the air. "Congratulations!"

"It's distracting," he grumped, holding his hand over his eye. He was left with his right eye, but that was his normal range of vision anyway, and he grinned at Zeo. "Shall we continue?"

Zeo grinned right back. "Let's go!"

Ryou shifted his beyblade back to the center of the dish, tensing in anticipation of Zeo's renewed assault. And it came like a rain of hammers, Zeo not sparing him anything because of his eye. Ryou was left staggering in the wake of his attacks, his beyblade wobbling dangerously but still spinning. Determinedly, he waited for Zeo's next attack, spinning out of the way at the last moment and chasing after the other blade. His blade was slow to pick up speed, which normally suited him, but Zeo outran him easily and circled back around. Ryou's blade shuddered under the attack, wobbling badly, and the stadium held its breath.

As if the world had slowed, Ryou's blade toppled, coming to a stop in the middle of the dish. Cerberus zipped around triumphantly, echoing its master's excited cry, before zipping to the edge of the dish and landing in Zeo's hand. Ryou dropped his hand from his left eye, not paying any attention to the shadows that returned to taunt him, and reached for his beyblade.

"That was a good battle, Ryou!" Zeo enthused, leaping the length of the dish to pounce happily on the amnesiac teen. With a yelp he toppled backwards, staring wide-eyed at the pair of green eyes only inches from his own. "I almost thought you'd win!"

"You're like another person," Ryou wheezed, pushing feebly at the weight on top of him. "I can't breathe."

The android jumped up and offered him a hand. "Sorry! I just… well, I guess the simplest explanation is that I'm not sure who to trust. You know, with me being what I am, so I try to stay under the radar, you know? But beyblading…" Zeo grinned. "It's hard to be reserved. It's just so exciting!"

"You were plenty reserved in your other battles," the teen noted, poking tentatively at his chest and wincing. "You're also heavy."

"Sorry."

They retreated to the stands, rejoining Takao and Max, who had returned in time to watch the battle. The blonde held out a black eyepatch.

"I saw what happened during the battle, and this might help next time," Max explained. Ryou took the eyepatch and considered his options, then went ahead and put it on. The shadows teasing him on the left side of his field of vision were distracting in or out of battle, and having something to block them out was more important than worrying about the way he looked.

Able to see clearly once again, he settled into his seat and watched the rest of the tournament. It came down to Max and Takao, and for the first time Ryou got a glimpse of their bit beasts, Dragoon and Draciel appearing in the thunderstorm of attacks that rocked the entire stadium. Takao's Dragoon was a giant dragon, blue in color with glittering scales and wicked-looking claws, while Draciel was a dark blue turtle, shell easily taking the punishment claws attempted to inflict on it. Ryou was enthralled by the beasts, watching them with wide eyes and taking in every movement they made.

Zeo laughed at his wonder. "Never seen them before?"

Ryou shook his head. "When they practice, they don't call on them. I can see why…"

The destructive power of the beasts left the beystadium in pieces, but eventually Takao emerged victorious, knocking Max's blade out of the stadium decisively. The two laughed, retrieving their blades and chattering amiably as they made their way to the stairs leading to the stands, Takao only pausing to accept the small trophy and slip of paper that were the prizes. Ryou and Zeo met them at the base of the stairs, and as a group they made their way out of the stadium.

. . . . . . .

Ryou blinked a few times to get moisture back into his eyes as the optometrist snapped off his penlight and jotted a few things in an open file. "It looks like your eye's healing just fine. Are you having any problems with it?"

"It's just a bit confusing when I don't have it covered," Ryou admitted. "The grey shapes that my eye sees, I mean. It's disorienting."

"That's to be expected, I'm afraid, and the only way that'll clear up is if you're using it," the doctor informed him. "I would just recommend the eyepatch for things like riding your bike. Otherwise, just carry the eyepatch for if your eye starts to bother you."

"Yes, Doctor." Reluctantly, Ryou slipped the eyepatch into his pocket and stood. "Thank you for seeing me today," he said with a bow, then left. As he entered the waiting room Mr. Mizuhara slipped into the exam room.

"Everything go okay?" Max asked. He had Draciel in pieces on the floor in front of him, obviously checking to make sure the beyblade was in fine shape.

"Yeah." Ryou relayed the doctor's orders. "I wish I could wear the eyepatch more often, though."

"I know what you mean," Max agreed. "It seems tough. Has Dad talked to you yet?"

The black-haired teen cocked his head. "About what?"

"School! It starts soon, and we still don't know your grade level! Dad was talking with a high school to get you tested. He hasn't told you?"

"No." Come to think of it, since coming home with the Mizuharas Ryou hadn't seen Max going to school either. "Don't you go to school?"

"Home school," Max admitted. "Dad's a bit weird like that. Most likely, once we figure out your grade level, you'll start learning with me. That'll be fun, won't it?"

Ryou shrugged. "School is school. It's not meant to be fun."

Max opened his mouth to answer but was saved from doing so by Mr. Mizuhara's return. "All set to go, boys?" the man asked cheerfully, surveying the mess Max had made of the waiting room. Swiftly and with a practiced feel to it the blonde gathered up the pieces of his green beyblade and assembled it, holding Draciel in his hands only a moment later.

"Ready, Dad!" Max chirped.

"I'm ready," Ryou said.

. . . . . . .

To everyone's surprise, Ryou tested out of school, passing a grueling exam without much preparation. It wasn't a high passing grade to be sure, and Mr. Mizuhara vowed to make sure Ryou brushed up on the subjects he'd failed in, but this meant that, while Max was stuck for a few hours every day in the living room with schoolbooks, Ryou was free to continue training. Mr. Mizuhara carried through with his promise to make Ryou study, but it wasn't as intensive as Max's work. This left Ryou free to train most of the day, and train he did.

It was one day, training in Takao's yard even though the other boy was at school, that Zeo bounced in. Outside of any large group of people the android's reserved demeanor fell away, leaving a hyper boy that nearly ran Ryou ragged trying to keep up with him. However, after the amnesiac teen's discomfort with being literally glomped at the tournament, Zeo had yet to repeat his action, something for which Ryou was immensely glad.

"Hey Ryou!" Zeo greeted, popping up just behind his shoulder and observing the black and violet blade critically. "You've gotten a lot better! I can't wait to fight you again."

Ryou called his blade back, shrugging. "I've just been practicing. Kyouju decided that my lack of speed was a bit detrimental, so he's been tinkering, trying to find some way to maintain my defensive style without crippling me so."

"Has he come up with anything?" Zeo asked, interested.

"He says that by using a lighter weight disc, I'll lose a bit of my defensive power but I'll be a bit faster. He got the idea after I went after you in our match," Ryou mused. "I couldn't catch up to you, remember?"

Zeo nodded. "That seems fair. But that means you won't be able to take those heavy beatings anymore."

"Also true." Ryou shrugged. "That just means I'll have to evade as much as I can."

"You're sneaking more into Rei's style," Zeo teased. Ryou shot him a look, then grinned.

"Think he'll be mad?"

"Nah," Zeo hufted. "Styles change throughout your career. You may find a happy medium somewhere."

"I'm not sure how I'll fare against a bit beast," Ryou admitted. "Max and Takao and them may not call on theirs very often, but I can't say the same about other opponents. The way they talk about the world championships, there are a lot of beybladers out there with bit beasts. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stand against someone like that."

"You did pretty well against me!" Zeo encouraged. "You gave Burning Cerberus a good fight!"

Ryou stared. "You have a bit beast?"

The android showed him the tiny picture on the top of his beyblade, the only indication of the three-headed dog's presence Ryou could see. "This is Cerberus. My Dad gave him to me before I fought Takao before, and it's thanks to his strength that I've been able to do so well."

Ryou sighed, shoulders slumping. "That's not very encouraging. I didn't feel like I did so well at all."

"Hey, want to come over to my place?" Zeo offered. "Takao won't be home for a few hours, and practicing by yourself doesn't seem very fun. You can meet my dad and we can practice there! How's that sound?"

The amnesiac shrugged, glancing at the bare rocks scarred from years of beyblading. "I suppose that's okay."

"Great!" Zeo grinned. "Let's go!"

. . . . . . .

Ryou felt a bit self-conscious entering such a large, spacious house as Zeo's. The android didn't seem to notice the western-style opulence, poking his head into a room and yelling that he was home with a guest while Ryou took off his shoes and left them by Zeo's and another pair near the door.

"He's in his lab working," Zeo told Ryou as the green-haired boy escorted him on a brief tour of the house. "He hardly ever comes out, really, but he never minds when I pop in. Want to see my training room?"

"Sure," the violet-eyed boy murmured, still awed at the mansion. "So big…"

Zeo laughed. "Come on, it's not that bad."

"Says you," Ryou couldn't resist commenting as he followed the other teen down into the basement. There, a giant stainless steel dish was planted in the floor of shiny silver room, Ryou surprised to see that the walls, too, were made of steel. Around the dish were tables and benches cluttered with Beyblading parts, attack rings and weight discs and ripcords scattered pell-mell everywhere, splashing color to the otherwise lifeless room. At the far end of the room was a giant rock, encased in glass like it was something important.

"What's that?" Ryou asked, pointing to the rock. Zeo shrugged, grinning at the other teen.

"Bit beasts."

The amnesiac stared at him. "That's a bit beast?"

"The rock isn't a bit beast," Zeo explained. "It has a bunch of bit beasts sealed inside it. It's where Dad got Burning Cerberus for me. There are a whole bunch of them left in there, too, but after my loss against Takao Dad just sort of forgot about it. I've been trying to find some way to let them out, but no luck so far." He waved at the stadium. "Want a practice match?"

"Sure," Ryou said, making his way to the spot marked out for the beyblader closest to him. Zeo jumped down in the dish to get to his side, climbing back out without much effort. The rock stood behind him, tantalizing now that he knew what it was. Wordlessly, Ryou pulled out his eyepatch and secured it over his left eye, then got his beyblade ready.

"Three! Two! One! Let it rip!" they chanted together, releasing their beyblades into the stadium. Landing in the center, Ryou gritted his teeth and hunkered down in preparation of the coming assault.

Even during a practice match Zeo was relentless, battering away at Ryou's defenses without pause. With his lowered defenses the black-haired teen knew he didn't have a chance if that kept on, so he focused, instead, on watching Cerberus' movements and dodging where he could, defending where he couldn't. The slight increase of speed in his blade was doing wonders for him, but it still wasn't enough to stave off Cerberus' assaults.

If this was what it was like to battle a bit beast, Ryou despaired, he knew he didn't have a chance in the world championships.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the rock behind Zeo glowed faintly, pulsing with each hit that Ryou withstood. Ryou was focused on staying in the game, and once he got Zeo's pattern of attack down he was able to get in a few attacks of his own, but those were few and far between.

"You've gotten better!" Zeo called, grinning at him. "But you still have a lot more practicing to do!"

The yellow beyblade seemed to shimmer with a black and purple hue, and Ryou was suddenly overwhelmed. It looked like Zeo's blade had split into several, though he knew it to be an illusion, but despite everything he couldn't dodge every attack, and his blade was showing signs of giving in to the pressure.

Ryou spared a moment to let himself worry, but then shook his head and focused back on the task. He wasn't about to let Zeo knock him out without a fight!

There came the sound of shattering glass and a beam of light from behind Zeo, the android yelping and throwing himself to the ground, out of harm's way. The beam resolved itself into the form of a giant spider, black body covered in violet armor peppered with muted pink shafts. It hovered over the battle, eyeing Ryou's blade, then the blader himself.

You who are like me, a voice echoed in his mind, I will lend you my strength. I am Drasonet.

A hiss echoed through the room, before the beast changed again into a beam of light and entering the black and violet blade. Wide-eyed, Ryou watched his blade wobble a moment before steadying, glowing faintly with violet light.

"What was that?" the amnesiac teen gasped, holding out his hand for his blade. It obediently jumped to him, and he felt anew warmth within it, tempered by cold-blooded patience.

Zeo called Cerberus back and glanced behind him, at the rock no longer doing anything other than sitting there being a rock. "That… was a bit beast." He raced around the edge of the dish to Ryou, peering critically at the blade in his hand. "Can I see?"

Wordlessly the teen offered his blade, which Zeo took and examined critically. Eying the black and violet beyblade, the android hummed under his breath and handed it back.

"It looks like you made a new friend," Zeo grinned. "Wish we knew its name…"

"Drasonet," Ryou recalled, reclaiming his beyblade with a renewed sense of respect. "His name is Drasonet."