Warnings and Disclaimer are in the first chapter.


Chapter 6

The next day of the tournament dawned brightly amid the noise of the streets of Las Vegas, and the hotel full of beybladers became something of a madhouse as each of the teams prepared for the next day's battles. The teams that had been knocked out previously were still there, but they would be watching from the sidelines now, cheering the rest of the teams on.

In the process of dressing in his usual attire in the bathroom, Ryou realized something and poked his head into the main room. "Hey, Max, have you seen Zeo?"

The blonde, half-dressed in the middle of the room and apparently lacking any body shyness, paused as he thought. "No, come to think of it. He never came back for me last night when I didn't make it downstairs. And I don't remember him coming back up at all."

"Maybe he bunked with Takao?" Ryou murmured, retreating back into the bathroom to finish dressing. He'd ask the other team when he had the chance. Looking himself over in the mirror critically to make sure that all of his scars were covered, he nodded in satisfaction and reached for his hairbrush. His now-nearly chin-length hair seemed lately to be completely unmanageable, prompting thoughts of maybe cutting it, but that thought passed as quickly as it'd come. His hair was finally long enough to block the view of the scar on his cheek, something for which he was grateful. With his hair brushed just so, he got far less questions about his scar. He finished brushing his hair and teeth, then freed the bathroom for Max to do with as he pleased.

"I'm going down to breakfast," the amnesiac teen called over the sound of running water. Hearing a sound that could have been a yes, he shrugged, grabbed a room key, and made his way down to the small dining area just off the lobby. It had all kinds of pastries set up for people to enjoy, including a Belgian waffle maker, and many of the hotel's patrons were milling around eating.

"Over here, Ryou!" he heard someone call, and he turned to see Takao, Rei, Kai, and Kyouju occupying a table off in the corner. He waved to show he'd heard and grabbed a few things from the selection of food at random before heading over there.

"Morning," he greeted, digging into a Pop Tart.

"Morning!" Takao bounced, somehow speaking around two donuts crammed into his mouth. "Man, can you believe how crazy it was yesterday?"

"It is the world championships," Rei remarked dryly. He had waffles in front of him, though he seemed to be taking his time with eating them. "Lots of people are going to be milling around."

Ryou nodded in agreement. "Speaking of people, where's Zeo? He never came back after going to see you guys last night."

Takao cocked his head. "Really? He never came to see us last night… I meant to ask you about that."

"Do you think he wandered off?" Rei wondered, even as he sliced off a bit of waffle with his fork and brought it to his mouth.

"It's not like him… And I haven't seen Doctor Frasier or her friends since last night, come to think of it," Ryou mused.

"Bah, I'm sure he's fine," Takao said dismissively, waving a donut-filled hand. "Now, seriously, you have to hear about our trip! We landed in New York and were supposed to catch a plane over here, but two guys…"

. . . . . . .

After breakfast Ryou and Max went to Janet's room to see if she'd seen Zeo, but Cassandra answered the door. "What's up?" she asked, glancing between the two boys.

"Zeo never came back last night. We were wondering if you'd seen him," Ryou explained. Max stood behind him, glancing around as if maybe he'd catch sight of the green-haired boy coming around the corner.

"Nope, haven't seen him!" Cassandra said a bit too quickly. "Are you sure he's not with one of your friends?"

"We asked. Where's Doctor Frasier or her friends?" Ryou asked curiously.

"Oh, nowhere. They said they'd be back to take me to the tournament, though, so I'm not worried about them." Cassandra spoke just a bit faster than normal and glanced between the two boys constantly, uncharacteristically nervous. "Speaking of the tournament, shouldn't you guys get going? The bus is about to leave soon."

"What about Zeo?" Max asked, gnawing his thumb worriedly. "We can't battle without him…"

Cassandra smiled suddenly. "I wouldn't worry about him. He should be at the stadium before your match. Trust me! There's no way guys like that stay lost forever!"

With that, she shut the door in their faces, effectively ending their discussion. At a bit of a loss, all the two beybladers could do was get on the bus to go to the stadium like she'd suggested. However, there was no sign of their wayward member even after the tournament was once again underway and the Bladebreakers solidly beat the Blitzkrieg Boys in three straight matches. When his turn came Ryou nearly lost against Oliver of the Majestics since his attention was so divided between the match and worry for his teammate. He retrieved his blade after a narrow victory and retreated to the team bench, where he caught Max nervously chewing the end of his ripcord and watching the entrance to the stadium worriedly.

"If he doesn't show up, do you think they'd let one of us go again?" the blonde asked, glancing between the announcer DJ, the door, and the judges' booth high above the stands.

Ryou shrugged. "We just have to hope he does come. Now go on, I think the crowd's getting impatient."

Max nodded and went on to start his battle, while Ryou took up watching the stadium doors. His worry for his teammate overshadowed his worry for the tournament, and he hoped that Zeo was really okay. Why hadn't he called the police? Max won his battle and returned to the bench, watching the door intently with him.

"I explained to DJ, and they're going to give us five minutes," the blonde informed Ryou. "If he's not here, then even though we both won, we're going to get disqualified."

The amnesiac winced. "That's harsh."

They both fidgeted and the crowd grew restless, whispers and catcalls reaching the floor, and just when it looked like their erstwhile team member was going to be MIA, the doors flew open. Panting and looking a bit worse for wear, Zeo dashed into the stadium. He was still in the same clothes from the night before, it looked like, and his green hair was mussed several different ways, and were those singe marks?

"Sorry I'm late!" the android panted, skidding to a stop in front of a very concerned Ryou and Max. "I'll explain later, am I too late for the match?"

Max turned him around and shoved him towards the stadium. "Another few seconds and yeah, you would have been. Now get up there!"

Zeo staggered a bit but complied, dashing up to the dish. On a hunch Ryou looked around and, sure enough, he saw Sam, Daniel, Jack, and Murray leaning against the wall near the stadium door. The four of them looked as if they'd had as rough a night as Zeo, which led to all sorts of questions, but with his friend safe and sound Ryou felt oddly disinclined to ask about it. Whatever had happened hadn't led to anything horrible happening, so he didn't feel like it was important. Of course, if Zeo wanted to tell them what happened, that'd be a different story…

He was dragged from his musings by DJ shouting Zeo's victory for the stadium to hear, and he rose to congratulate his teammate. Later, in the safety of the locker room after the day's events were closed, both the Bladebreakers and Team Gravity cornered the android teen.

"So what happened to you, Zeo?" Takao asked, hands on his hips and a concerned look on his face. "We were really worried about you, man!"

Zeo only shrugged, running a hand through his hair and only serving to mess it up even more. "Sorry, guys, but I don't know. One minute I was in the hotel last night, and then I'm in Major Carter's car on the way to the stadium…"

"Major Carter?" Max echoed. "You mean Sam Carter? I didn't know she was a Major…"

Zeo shrugged. "I don't know what happened, honestly, and Major Carter wouldn't explain. Actually, I don't know how I know her rank, either…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "And Doctor Jackson's a linguist!"

Everyone looked ready to badger Zeo about it, but Ryou stepped between them. He knew what it was like to not remember something, and he stopped them with a look.

"Whatever happened to Zeo last night, he's here now, and he's safe. Let's get back to the hotel, shower, and get ready for the finals tomorrow. All right?"

There were some half-hearted arguments, but Ryou stood firm, and as a group they made their way to the bus that would take them back to their hotel. On their way out, Zeo caught Ryou's sleeve and gave the teen a grateful smile.

"Thanks," the green-haired teen said sincerely. Ryou waved it off.

"No problem. Just don't go anywhere without us again, okay?"

Zeo nodded agreeably.

. . . . . . .

"Welcome to the finals of the World Beyblading Championship!" DJ announced, earning cheers, whistles, and all manner of noise from the stadium around him. "We have three-time world champions the Bladebreakers versus the upstart Team Gravity! It's anyone's game today as we come into the final battles to determine who will be crowned this year's champions!"

Ryou tuned out of DJ's announcement halfway through the melodramatic spiel, tightening his grip on Drasonet and just waiting for the battle to start. The night before Kyouju had camped out in their room and totally overhauled all their beyblades, ensuring that they were all in peak condition for the match today. The genius teen was currently in the stands, safely neutral with his precious laptop in tow. There was no doubt that he'd be gathering data on both teams during their battles.

The lineup had been decided the night before. Max would face off against Kai, Ryou against Rei, and Zeo against Takao. For his part, Ryou was looking forward to his match. It'd been ages since his last bout against Rei and he was eager to test his skills. Zeo and Max, next to him, were chatting strategies quietly, low enough not to disturb the announcements but loud enough to include Ryou, if he wished to interject. The amnesiac was content to just sit there and feel Drasonet in his hands. As if sensing something was going to happen, the spider was oddly on edge, eager to get out and get things done. Ryou felt the same, just wanting to get things over with.

"And without further ado, let's get started!" DJ announced about ten minutes later, rousing Ryou from an almost-doze. "Teams, send your first players up!"

Kai advanced to the dish from the opposite side, and Max bounced up excitedly. "Good luck!" Ryou and Zeo chorused, earning a grin from the blonde before he skipped excitedly up to the beystadium. The match was quick and fierce, Dranzer overwhelming Driger's defenses with ease born of familiarity. At the end, Max glomped Kai fiercely and made his way back to his team, not seeming to mind his loss.

"You're next, Ryou," Max chirped. "I saw Rei getting up after I'd lost!"

"It was a good match," Ryou assured him, getting up and digging for his eyepatch.

"Good luck!" Max and Zeo said at the same time, the former grinning and giving him a thumbs-up while the latter just gave him a positive grin. Ryou returned the thumbs-up and turned to the dish, where, sure enough, Rei waited for him patiently.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," Rei warned, Driger loaded and ready.

Ryou grinned daringly back. "Same here."

"Are you guys ready?" DJ asked them both. When they nodded, he continued, "Then let's get going! Three! Two! One! Let it rip!"

Rei and Ryou launched their beyblades. Drasonet took up his usual spot in the center of the dish, while Driger darted back and forth predatorily. The beyblade's erratic movements made it hard to predict where it'd go next, which, Ryou mused, was undoubtedly the effect Rei was going for. He stayed calm, however, watching Driger carefully and waiting for his opportunity.

Without warning Driger dashed forward, meeting Drasonet in a flurry of squealing metal. Drasonet held his ground for the first few hits, but the next few knocked him backwards, towards the edge of the dish. Ryou winced but stayed focused on the battle, silently urging Drasonet away from Driger. The spider took up a position on the other side of the dish, wobbling a bit from the suddenly fierce onslaught but recovering nicely.

Rei gave Ryou a fanged smile. "Running away?"

"Gonna chase me?" Ryou taunted right back. They traded comments like that for what seemed like an eternity, Drasonet barely keeping one step ahead of Driger as the battle went on. The spider could weather assault nearly as well as Draciel, but when it came to trying to outrun the speedy Driger, Ryou found himself struggling. He grit his teeth as yet more strikes sent Drasonet back, the beyblade teetering on the edge of the dish. Even without summoning him Driger was a force to be reckoned with.

"It looks like Ryou's nearing the end of his rope!" DJ crowed to the audience. "Could this be the end of the line for Team Gravity?"

Ryou ignored the commentator, going on the offensive. He didn't want to admit that it was a last-ditch effort, but with the way Driger was knocking him around there wasn't any way Drasonet would be able to last long enough to wait out the other beyblade like he normally would. To his annoyance, Driger dodged almost every one of his attacks, only the last few connecting in glancing blows.

"Let's finish this, Driger!" Rei declared, reaching a hand out to his beyblade as if to control it himself. Driger obeyed his command, renewing his strikes, and Drasonet simply couldn't withstand the assault. Ryou watched, strangely impassive, as his beyblade was delivered one final strike that sent it sailing out of the stadium and thunking to the ground next to him.

"And the win goes to Rei!" DJ cheered. "With two losses, this means that Team Gravity is knocked out and the Bladebreakers are the winners!"

Ryou gathered Drasonet and walked silently back to his team, disappointment coursing through him. As if reading his mind, Max patted his arm and said, "You did really well! We wouldn't have gotten this far without you!"

The amnesiac teen managed a small smile. "Thanks, but we still lost."

Max waved his hand. "Winning's not the important thing. We had fun, right? And Zeo gets his rematch against Takao!"

"Which I'm looking forward to!" the android put in eagerly, bouncing to his feet. "It may not matter, but it's still our third match, and I'll do my best to win!"

"Good luck!" Max cheered. Ryou smiled in encouragement and settled back to watch.

The battle was easily the most intense of the whole tournament, Cerberus and Dragoon attacking each other full-force. The shockwaves from when the two bit beasts clashed reverberated through the whole stadium, nearly knocking Ryou off the bench when the first one hit him. He braced himself and watched the battle, entranced. Dragoon and Cerberus seemed to dance around each other even as they attacked, graceful movements that held Ryou enthralled. He was witnessing a sort of skill at this sport that he knew he hadn't yet achieved, even though he'd made it to the World Championships. That had been on sheer luck and intuition, as well as thanks to Drasonet, who sometimes acted of his own accord. Watching Takao and Zeo struggle against each other…

Max glanced over at Ryou. "Hey, you okay?"

That shook Ryou out of his reverie, and he looked at Max in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You're crying."

The amnesiac teen brought a gloved hand to his face and brushed away a few tears he hadn't realized he'd shed. "That's strange…"

"Penny for your thoughts?" the blonde asked, no longer paying attention to the battle going on in front of them.

Ryou shook his, a small smile on his face as he looked at the two bit beasts, which were now locked together in a show of brute force. "I was just admiring Takao and Zeo. They're so skilled… I'm just lucky I got this far in my first tournament."

Max waved his hand. "You're just as skilled as them, even if just a little rough around the edges. You've got natural talent! Next year I'll bet you'll be the one to beat!"

Ryou grinned, but was saved from responding by the crowd. A roar rippled through the stadium, and the two beybladers turned back to the stadium. They found Zeo retrieving his beyblade from a good distance away, laughing the whole while. Takao was still standing at the dish with Dragoon summoned, bouncing and waving at the crowd, his triumphant laugh underscoring the cheers and applause that thundered around them.

"Takao Kinomiya has won!" DJ announced, having to yell to be heard. "This means that, with three straight wins, the Bladebreakers are your new four-time World Champions!" Another cheer. " Come on up and get your trophy, guys! You too, Gravity! You guys get a silver trophy, or did you think you were gonna be forgotten?"

Ryou wiped his face free of the last stray tears and stood with Max. Together they made their way up to the dish, where DJ had pulled a silver trophy from somewhere and was offering to them. Ryou, Max, and Zeo each shared a grin and took the trophy together, holding it as one. As if by unspoken agreement Max and Zeo let go, leaving Ryou with the trophy, though the amnesiac didn't seem to notice. His earlier mood was forgotten in the after-battle thrill, and he didn't even mind a four-way glomp courtesy of Max, Zeo, Takao, and Cassandra.

"Give it up for your Champions and runners-up! And with that, the World Championships are over! Hope to see everyone here next year for another exciting round of battles!"