Adam was wondering why his student was by himself. He could've sworn Jonouchi would've been in the… Back rooms, as Max described it. He wanted to get the thoughts out of his mind, wanting to have a clear head tomorrow, the day they would train. "I take it you couldn't stand the loud music?" He asked, wanting to start a conversation. The way Kai was looking at him with those crimson eyes concerned him.

Kai didn't say anything, remaining cold and stoic like always. His personality remained the same after his little conversation with Slade. He really wanted to make the blond man pay for mocking him, but first he needed to take care of a certain teacher he had labeled as his enemy. He walked up to him, punching the older blader in the gut in one quick motion.

The raven haired teen didn't expect the punch, stumbling backwards as he held his middle. Both arms clutched his middle tightly, his face turning up to glance at his student. 'Why did Kai punch me? Did I do something wrong?' He wondered. The Japanese-American always wanted to be on Kai's good side, but it seemed his student had some repressed anger for him, right? "Kai, what the hell's gotten into you?" He asked as he dropped to his knees, his midnight blue eyes on the other boy.

Raising an eyebrow at that, the crimson eyes gave his teacher the infamous death glare. "I think of all people, you should know," he replied coldly, about to send a kick towards Adam.

Both hands caught Kai's foot, Adam turning to meet his death glare and as his eyes remained calm. "Kai, hitting me to solve your problem isn't going to help you," he said truthfully, feeling Kai's foot tug away roughly from his hands. "Come on, you can talk to me. I know you're not the most social person, but I want to understand where this sudden change of attitude is coming from."

Kai snorted at that response, not wanting to share what he was thinking with his enemy. The stoic Russian attempted another punch, seeing his teacher block it. Out of all the teachers that had taught him to be a strong blader, it was Adam. He never thought his own teacher to be an experienced fighter in addition.

Adam wasn't going to resort to violence, but he was going to defend himself and not fall to his own student. He admired Kai for his strength and sense of honor underneath that tough guy exterior. Continuing to dodge various hits, he was going to try to talk to Kai again. "Alright, for starters why are you attacking me?" He asked. He wondered if he could keep this up for long since his stomach was aching at the moment.

"Shut up!" Kai snapped, surprised at himself that he lost his own cool. What was up with that? He always kept a level-head and rarely snapped when he was annoyed by Takao. Though he learned to tolerate his rival he wouldn't admit it out loud. He rushed at Adam again, trying his best to beat his teacher, but each hit was blocked. When he was about to hit Adam in the face fist first, the older boy slid behind him and actually gave the great Kai Hiwatari a wedgie, causing the boy to wince.

"I'll ask you again, why are you doing this?" Adam asked, being serious and watched his once student and now teammate struggle. It ached having to resort to using his government training… plus giving Kai a wedgie as well.

Kai struggled to break free not wanting to admit defeat. As crimson met midnight blue again, he narrowed his eyes and figured he might as well get it over with. "You had your hands on Jonouchi. He's my boyfriend and I won't let anyone take him from me, including you," he said, still staring at his teacher. "I'll do whatever it takes to take you out of the equation

Adam was surprised to hear Kai to admit what he was saying, even with that serious face. He always felt Kai was kind and noble, but had never saw Kai as a passionate lover until this day. This Jonouchi really had made an impact on his student's life. When he heard his own student wanted to resort to killing his features tensed. "Kai, if you kill me in cold blood, it would go against everything you stand for."

Kai snorted, thinking it was all a bunch of lies. He turned his glance away, knowing in his heart it would be the truth. Why was everything that he did coming back to haunt him? Was it that his past was coming back to bite him? It hurt him on the inside and he wanted Jonouchi to hold him, to make the pain go away. "Jonouchi is my world, my everything… All I want is for us to be at peace," he whispered.

Adam took all of what Kai said to heart, letting go of the young blader and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kai… I do want you to happy. I don't want you to do something you'll regret. That could cause all of your progress as a blader and person to be wasted. I know Jonouchi is loyal to you, but he'd never look at you the same if you killed me. Plus your friends… I don't want to see the bonds you've made with them shatter."

Kai turned his head, glancing at Adam to the side. He did not want to lose everything he had worked for to build up a relationship with the blond inu-jin. That was the part of him that was so buried from his cruel grandfather's lessons; he had to learn to be more human and not an emotionless weapon. "Slade told me that you'd make the perfect boyfriend for Jonouchi, on how you are so open," he explained.

Adam's features on his face turned to slight anger, his hand letting go of Kai's shoulder. Now both hands balled into fists as he lowered his head and his eyes narrowed in anger. So even after he was by Jonouchi's side, Slade somehow found a way to do the opposite. He knew Slade was tricky, but he never thought the blond rival would resort to such a dirty tactic: Turning his own student against him. "That son of a bitch," he mumbled, making contact with Kai's eyes again. "Kai, if you ever encounter Slade again, ignore everything he says. Block it out. I don't care how, but don't let him get underneath your skin," he said, being deathly serious. "And if you want to slow dance with Jonouchi, all you have to do is politely ask and I'll mix it up with Max."

On the rooftop where Slade was watching Kai and Adam, he scowled when he heard Adam explain to Kai about who he was to his student. Silver eyes were narrowed at the raven haired boy, remembering a time and a place where they were once close, but became bitter rivals the day Adam took his title back in 1995. The blond man was only twelve years old, while his ex-friend was merely eight years old and developing his beyblading skills in his four missing years. It felt like what he taught Adam was all for nothing, and whoever trained him behind his back made him furious. He heard a beep on his earpiece on the right side, pressing a button. "Yeah… Alright, I'll return to the lab… Listen, I'm doing this to make sure this Jin character comes through, okay? My job as a CEO of Archfield Industries comes first…" His voice trailed off, lowering his head and narrowed his eyes. "… Okay, but leave them out of this. I don't want lives being lost again like five years ago," he said firmly, pressing a button on his watch as a portal opened, stepping into it. 'Soon I'll be back on top, just like I always have been…I will restore honor to my family name,' he thought, the portal disappearing.

&&&

Soon the night had passed, with everyone going back to their respective homes. Takao glanced at Adam who had an uneasy expression on his face. He had wondered what caused his brother's best friend to make him so angry and silent. Wanting to reach out to the older member of the team, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Adam, did the club make you feel… uncomfortable?" He asked, remembering Max told him that he paled when he brought up the backrooms and made him feel awkward.

Adam glanced at Takao, seeing the worried look on his face and smiled slightly. "No way, I had a great time… I didn't think you and Rei would be doing… That at such an early age," he tried to explain; only causing Takao to laugh.

"Oh get used to it, the days of wanting to hear babies delivered by storks are long gone." Takao slapped his back, still continuing to laugh.

Rei just sighed, but chuckled slightly at his lover's words. It was true that the Bladebreakers were flirts, and this was probably the first time Adam had seen them this way. "Now now Takao, let's not scar poor Adam's brain too much," he joined in the teasing.

Adam managed to smile, thinking that the couple being themselves was good enough to make up for the night. He had no idea Slade why was also targeting Kai, so this was going to be a big problem. He needed to tell someone and the best person was Rei. Normally he would tell Jonouchi, but he didn't want Kai to end up getting jealous and Slade twisting it into something ugly. Last person he would tell was Max, but he wondered how the blond blader would handle it… Although there was Rei. He was thoughtful and he was also the one he had told about his status as a government agent.

Soon all three reached the dojo, walking inside and Takao stretched his body. "Hey Rei, I'm going to check up on Kouji. I'll see you in bed a little bit," he informed his lover.

Normally the Chinese blader would be the one to look after Kouji, but was surprised that Takao was the one to do it. They would take turns, but he figured their conversation about getting married one day must've made the bluenette more responsible. "Okay, just make sure he's covered properly," he said, not wanting the little raven haired boy to get cold.

Once Takao had left the scene, Adam turned his midnight blue eyes to Rei. "Rei, we have a problem," he started to explain, motioning to the neko-jin to follow him. Once they were in the room where Takao and his grandfather usually practiced, he glanced at Rei again. "Slade's been taking pot shots at Jonouchi, and lately Kai. Mostly he's targeting the relationship."

Rei responded to that as he tensed, thinking it was bad enough that he had his own problems. He had promised Shizuka to keep her brother and Kai together. "This Slade character… What did he say and how much does he know?" He asked seriously.

Adam collected all the information he knew, going to start from the beginning. "For how much he knows, it's going way back to the Neo Borg incident three years ago… He said to Jonouchi that he owes the Silver Wolves his loyalty, that they're his only family, and practically spat out 'humans' like how his team felt back then. He asked where Kai would leave him the next time he's used, and will he turn against everything he cared about again and take the last thing he had," he explained what Slade did to Jonouchi.

The raven haired boy must've talked with Jonouchi about his past. He would look into Adam and Jonouchi's conversations, wanting to know how much the two talked. It was obvious Jonouchi had Adam to hold him down when he was in a pissy mood, but he was curious about the relationship between the two. "I see… Did Slade say anything else?" He asked.

"Oh there's more alright. I talked with Kai outside the club and the juicy details keep on rolling," Adam said sarcastically, knowing there was a boat load of taunts and pot shots that Slade delivered at his student. "Slade said he held such promise, but that's what he gets for turning traitor. He asked if Kai has ever been loyal to anything or anyone. He's watched Kai grow, leaving and coming back at his own convenience willing to take out anyone. He brought the various teams he wasn't loyal to." Adam explained, cringing how Slade put it perfectly and missed out on his student's adventures.

Rei could see Adam was cringing when he started to explain Kai's side. It made him feel uncomfortable each time Adam explained, and felt bad for his teammate. However, he wanted to know the whole story.

"He asked if he was loyal to anyone other than himself. He's aware of the fact that the team splitting last year and that the only one loyal to stay was Kyouju. He outshined the rest of you. He added never mind the team, that you're all creatures of circumstance wanting to claim the glorious title their own. However, all of you came back when Takao needed you except Kai who was living to enslave himself to Borcloff for one more shot. It was the fate of beyblading and that Kai turned his backs on you guys.

'His goal is to take everything Kai has starting with Jonouchi. He asked if Kai has ever really opened up to Jonouchi, what type of secrets is he keeping from him, and wouldn't he be better off with someone that isn't going to use him who will be there to open up… No matter. He brings up how he manipulated Jonouchi into joining Neo Borg. Slade takes a crack at the family angle, on how he had Jonouchi trick and betray his own sister. He mocks Kai for being a blader of honor and dignity, but a coward to get too close to others besides his lover and bitbeast."

Rei couldn't help but clench his hands, seeing that this blond man was taking all the best shots. He had a lot of nerve attacking his rival and teammate with words, but somewhere in his mind he wondered why Slade brought up the family angle. "What else did he do or say?"

Adam took a deep breath, knowing this was the 'best part' of Slade's elaborate scheme. "You'll love this part. Slade taunts Kai how Jonouchi would be far better for me. He asked Kai how good Jonouchi and I look together. That Jonouchi needs someone that will help him grow, and not a backstabber to hold him back. He even asked Kai has he ever talked to Jonouchi about current events happening, and that he bet he has told me everything." He finished his story and was about to get to the final part. "And all those pot shots at Kai, manipulated events into a confrontation with me. He wanted me out of the equation in order to be at peace with Jonouchi, and mind you I had to use my government training to hold Kai down… Hell, I feel bad for even giving my student a wedgie," he added, shaking his head.

Rei took all of this in, glancing down at the floor and thinking deeply. He turned his gaze back up, his gold eyes tense to the point where he wanted to say something. "This Slade character… I hate him already," he said. Rarely had he said to hate anyone out loud, and surprised the older boy. Even though he never met Slade, he was bound to have a few words with him. For about five minutes, he had a shaky smile, preventing from laughing. When Adam said he gave Kai a wedgie, an image appeared in his mind. The neko-jin giggled and laughed. "You actually gave Kai a wedgie?"

Adam slapped his forehead, he had promised Kai he wouldn't bring it up, and he let it slip when he got so caught up with telling Rei both sides of Jonouchi and Kai's stories. "Come on Rei, be serious here. I feel bad for giving my own student a wedgie. If this gets out, it'll ruin Kai's image," he begged.

"No way, this is too good to pass up," Rei smirked, having something to tease Kai about. It was about time the quiet and cold teammate got some attention. "However… This Slade character has to be stopped. If he's working alongside your uncle as well, this could be very bad for the team."

&&&

A month had flown by as the Bladebreakers trained religiously. Throughout their vigorous training, there has been no sign of Slade at all. It made it easier on Adam, Kai, Jonouchi, and Rei's part. The Bladebreakers were following the specific directions to a harbor where they would wait for their boat. The place looked nice, but it seemed abandoned. As the group of seven entered they took their own seats or stretched out a bit.

Takao was seriously pumped up for this tournament, wondering what new teams would enter or how the other teams he had faced had gotten stronger. He glanced over at Rei, grinning at his lover and put his arm around the other's waist. "So Rei, you pumped up for this tournament?"

Rei was in deep thought, thinking about what Adam said, Takao's nightmare, taking care of Kouji, and keeping his promise to Shizuka. As reliable as the calm and rational blader was, he felt the weight of these problems on his shoulders. When he felt an arm around his waist, reality snapped him out of his thoughts and he glanced over at Takao. "Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how Rai and Matoko's team fair against us," he said, smiling at the short blue-haired blader. He remembered how his best friend and once teammate told him how the White Tigers and Silver Wolves had formed a joint team.

Adam had his arms folded over the railing, glancing at the distance and his hand moved to clear the bangs from his midnight blue eyes. He was starting to wonder where Hitoshi was as he hadn't seen him since the day he taken Takao under his wing. Of course, he didn't train Takao but he gave the young champion a lesson or two. It amazed the government agent how his best friend's little brother had become such a strong blader. During that one month, he had caught up with all of the stories the Bladebreakers told him, and he must say he found some to be fascinating and horrifying at the same time. 'Gotta say I wouldn't think Hitoshi would manipulate this Brooklyn…What my best friend did was pretty damn low,' he thought, feeling his ass get slapped and jumped slightly.

Max grinned at him, wanting to know what was on Adam's mind. Since he had been his best friend way back in his childhood and now teammate, he wanted to make sure he was okay. "So Adam, you excited for this tournament?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm pumped…. I was thinking about what Hitoshi did to coach Brooklyn." Adam started to explain what was on his mind. "What he did was really low and dirty, and I wonder if he has any regrets of what he does. Brooklyn was practically a ticking emotional time bomb, and Hitoshi was the one that created it. What that guy needed was psychological help and support, not to be taken advantage of and manipulated to twist the world into some dark place… I'm glad Takao was able to get through to him, cleaning up Hitoshi's mess."

Max took in what Adam was saying, his ocean blue eyes on his him and became serious. "Adam… Do you have feelings for Hitoshi?" He asked, smiling slightly as he leaned back against the railing.

Adam flushed a bit, his midnight blue eyes glancing at the young blond. "Well, there was point in my life that I had a crush on Hitoshi. Although he was dating my teammate Inu-Yasha back then," he explained and his blush disappeared. "I'll admit, I was kind of jealous but I wanted him to be happy… I still have to find out if Hitoshi is uke and if he and Inu-Yasha had sex when Hitoshi beat me the first time."

Max couldn't help but giggle. He remembered Adam told his two years worth of adventures to him and his teammates. All of them were laughing hard at the pranks, gags, and antics the Brave Bladers pulled. All except for Kai, who would smirk on some occasions. It had helped lighten the mood, hearing that the stoic Hitoshi was practically comical like Takao, but what surprised them was that their rival Yuriy Ivanov had an older brother and it started to jog Takao's memory of his own childhood.

Anyway, what surprised him was that Yuriy's older brother Demitri was the captain of the Brave Bladers. The funny part was when Adam, Inu-Yasha, and Hitoshi overslept, Demitri used Wolborg to pull off a Novae Rog on them while yelling 'Time to wake up!!' using his shadow to express the comicalness and laughed diabolically while doing it. Once all three were frozen cascades similar to freezing the beyblades, he would hear them begging to be let out and promise not to oversleep.

At sounds of car pulling up were heard, Max and Adam turned their glances. So far there were two limousines, and they saw two familiar teams get out. The raven haired teen noticed two familiar faces, especially on the Neo Borg team. Plus another two, seeing a familiar blonde and raven haired individual, both females in their mid-thirties. Both boys rushed over, Adam to the raven haired woman. "Mom! I didn't know you were with Judy," he smiled.

The raven haired woman smiled, her own light blue eyes glancing at her son. It had been some time, having seen him on and off his long missions. When she got a call saying he was staying in Japan, she'd come to terms with Adam growing up and thought he was capable enough with his connections with her father and the government. She wore an All Stars jacket like Judy, a dark blue sleeveless blouse with gold trimming, a white mini-skirt that showed the curve and definition of her long legs, black shoes, and stood about 5'10".

"Of course silly. Judy had me watch over one of her bladers when he was recovering from his leg injury," she explained, motioning to Steve.

The green haired football nodded, and turned his glance to Max. He was surprised at how much the young blond had grown. Michael told him how he had slapped their new teammate, Rick Anderson, right on the ass. He asked his blond captain if he had a man-crush on Max, which made him go nuts.

"Hey Max, long time no see," he said, high-fiving the short defense blader.

"Hey Max, I hope you've been training hard," Michael said, smirking slightly and brushed some of the long blond hair on the right side. He had dyed his hair blond because he idolized beybladers like Cloud and Slade. Though he always felt that Sephiroth was an amazing beyblader, and wish he knew where his favorite team was doing.

"Oh don't worry, I've been training alright," Max assured the older teen, thinking that his defense had improved and having found a way to use an opponent's strength against him just like he almost succeeded to do so with Takao last year.

Kai glanced at Yuriy and his team, knowing the older red-head and him were on somewhat good terms. Although his eyes landed on another red-head similar to Yuri. His body tensed, remembering back when he was eight years old when Adam was showing him around town, he had been beaten by Yuriy's big brother and blamed his own beyblade for making him lose the match.

Jonouchi noticed his lover was tense, glancing up when he saw the Neo Borg team. However, his eyes landed on another red-head and he instantly remembered that Adam told him that Yuriy had an older brother named Demitri Ivanov. He wondered what the elder Ivanov was like as a person.

Demitri sniffed around, using his wolf-like senses that the scientists in the Abbey, or rather a certain mad scientist in charge, had placed within him. He picked up a familiar scent, his icy blue eyes meeting with the crimson eyes of the Hiwatari boy. "Hiwatari!" He yelled, rushing past the other Neo Borg bladers.

Boris spun around, taken off guard by Demitri's speed. When Yuriy announced that the older boy was going to join Neo Borg, it made the team's chances of winning greater. Although whenever he glanced at Yuriy, the older red-head assumed he was thinking about having a one-night stand with him, and it made the silver-haired Russian quake in his boots. "Yuriy, your brother needs to be on a leash."

Yuriy quickly shot Boris a stern and cold look, his icy blue eyes boring through his. "Watch it," he said firmly, the young captain stepping close to his teammate. "Demitri's part of the team, so start thinking about the winning, and less on my family."

Adam saw the familiar red-head was Demitri, shocked to see that he was alive but also coming to nearly trash Kai. Being quick on his feet, he excused himself and ran like hell. 'Sorry Demitri, but no one's going to attack my student,' he thought, sticking out his foot. He made the older Russian trip, landing with a loud thud.

Demitri growled, wondering who had interfered with his takedown of Kai Hiwatari, his eyes meeting with a pair of familiar midnight blue ones. He glanced up in shock, the words not spewing out and moved his lips like a fish.

Adam smiled, taking Demitri's arm and hauled him upwards back to his feet. "Now Demitri, I know Kai can get under people's skin, but go easy on him," he said, instantly pulling him close and hugged the older man. He knew he shouldn't be doing this in public in front of Neo Borg, but he had missed his teammate so badly and thought he was dead.

Demitri was surprised by the hug, but returned it nonetheless. Like Adam, he too thought his teammates were dead after Hitoshi's rampage. He pulled away from arm's length, taking a good look at the once young teammate. Last time he saw his teammate, he had only been twelve years and now he was in his late teens. "Adam… It's good to see you alive… I have been alive… I've been in Borcloff's corrupt prison called the Pitt and won his stupid tournament to gain my freedom. Yuriy and I planned to defeat Borcloff on the inside, but he came up with the plan… I was put into a coma for three years because of Slade giving me a shock arrow."

Adam's facial features became serious, knowing that Slade wouldn't attack anyone without a reason. Sure, he used Kai to take him out of the game, but shooting his former teammate was not like him. However, he would have a few words with his ex-childhood friend. "That red-head wearing your old uniform… Is that Yuriy?" He asked, remembering the young Russian had been at Yamato's brother's height, but he was amazed at how tall and handsome he had gotten. He had seen Yuriy on television, but he wondered if he was still the same.

This caused the older man to smirk proudly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes it is, and he's gotten better each day… Plus ignore the cold front, he just using that as a mask for only those he doesn't know," he said, his eyes moving back to Kai and resisted the urge to pound him. When he got caught up with current events by Yuriy, it only fueled the fire to those who messed with his brother and he started making a list.

Jonouchi saw that Adam was calming Demitri down, taking Kai's hand he motioned his lover to follow him. He wanted to see if the red-head was some guy who held a grudge against Kai for involving himself with Neo Borg. "Come on, I'm sure Yuriy's brother is a decent guy," he said, dragging his dual-haired lover.

Kai was very reluctant to even look at or interact with Demitri. He wanted to wring his neck for crying out loud. Plus the stoic Russian wanted to ditch his gray and black hair dye, and return to his traditional dual-hair where it was blue in the back and gray-blue in the front. While he kept the white scarf, he changed his attire. He wore a sleeveless grayish-black jacket zipped up half-way and a red phoenix symbol on the back, a maroon sleeveless turtle-neck shirt, black leather pants with red straps, black fingerless gloves with added weights to it, and black leather ankle boots. In other words, his outfit was skin-tight and was like a second layer of skin.

Adam watched Jonouchi drag Kai along, cracking a smile and knew his student was mentally fussing over not wanting to socialize. "Kai, I see Jonouchi here decided to drag you along," he chuckled.

Demitri glanced at Jonouchi, seeing the floppy ears that were hidden within that long mop of hair. He had an inu-jin teammate and wondered if Inu-Yasha was still alive. On that day, he felt bad for the silver haired inu-jin and the heartbreak of Hitoshi going ballistic with power. He managed a smile, bringing out his hand. "My name is Demitri Ivanov," he introduced himself to the blond boy.

Jonouchi was surprised by Demitri's hand, thinking the older Ivanov would bite his head off or something. However, it was obvious his temper was fierier than Yuriy's and looked like he had a bone to pick with Kai. Not that he could blame him, as he'd feel the same way if someone messed with his little sister. "Katsuya Jonouchi, but just call me Jonouchi," he said. When he shook the other's hand, he felt something was off. It felt like he was different, not like Slade, but he could tell that he was different somehow.

Takao did notice the new member of Neo Borg, and instantly recognized him to be Demitri. He had interacted with the older Russian a few times, but he had seen him around and thought he had changed his outfit. It occurred to him the orange, white, and purple straps outfit belonged to Demitri. He noticed at least four more limousines pull up, seeing the Novas, Predatorials, and two other teams he didn't recognize.

Rei's golden eyes landed on Takao, thinking it was time that Adam was introduced to the other teams and maybe Adam knew the other two teams. "Hey Takao, I think it's time for some introductions."

Takao nodded his head, seeing that Jonouchi was running in their direction, obviously sensing that his former teammates were here and he'd be there to greet them. He also saw Kai and Demitri not look at each other, and Adam was in the middle to keep their tempers from flaring up. It was obvious that the older red-head had a reason for his fiery temper, but it was over the top to a degree.

Adam glanced around at the new teams, and instantly recognized the Steel Hawks and AVALANCHE from his days as a beyblader. However, his eyes were on Sephiroth and smiled as he remembered helping the silver haired man out, gaining the other's trust, and the silver haired man had aided him in taking down Hitoshi. Plus he had his number if he wanted to contact him, and he hadn't called him in five years. It was time that Takao was introduced to the veteran bladers of his time and learn a thing or two.

Matoko saw his former captain run up to him and his lover, nodding his head in return. "Captain, it's good to see you," he said, as it had been awhile since the Justice Five Tournament, when he had last seen the blond.

Jonouchi couldn't help but grin, patting the giant inu-jin's arm. "Good to see you too buddy," he felt himself hugged from behind, laughing when he turned his head to see a ginger haired inu-jin. "Rumiko, long time no see!"

Rumiko was happy to see Jonouchi, having been the one to lead them through all the rough times. She admired him for his strengths, and it influenced her to be strong herself. "Boss… Shizuka is here as well," she informed him.

The blond inu-jin turned around, seeing Anzu close by Shizuka. He slipped out of Rumiko's strong grip, running over to his little sister and hugged her tightly. To him, Shizuka was also his world next to Kai. Like the other Silver Wolves, she idolized her big brother. "Big brother!" She exclaimed, her hand touching his face. She had an ability to read people's emotions, sensing the happiness from her brother. Although there were other emotions he hid and in the back of her mind she was worried.

Jonouchi knew Kai would be nearby, and that Matoko would not take too kindly to him still being with him. He saw Adam walk to him, and he was going to introduce his 'family' to his new tag team partner. Yanking on Adam's arm, he caused the raven haired government agent to yelp and the blond teen grinned at him. "Guys, this fine gentleman is Adam Banks, a veteran who has decided to come out of retiring, but he has a kick-ass bitbeast like mine." He said, making a somewhat cheesy introduction.

Rai raised an eyebrow, glancing up at his giant lover and watched him shake his head. He let a sigh escape from his lips, being the first to bring out his hand. "My name is Rai Chou," he introduced himself to Adam, taking the other's hand.

Adam tried his best not to flush, thinking that the raven haired lion was very handsome. He was then introduced to Matoko, meeting with those powerful cold eyes and felt his face pale. From the way he was staring at him, he had a gut feeling the green haired man wanted to pound him for shaking Rai's hand. 'I think I'll back off on Rai,' he thought, thinking it was the wisest choice he had ever made. However, he couldn't help but think that he encountered some inu-jin children many years ago when he and his old teammates were in China.

"Matoko, be nice to Adam here. He's under my wing," Jonouchi said, trying to reassure the older blader that his new friend didn't mean any harm. After all, he may not have been their captain anymore, but he was serious when it was one of those times.

Rumiko looked over at Adam, her gold eyes on him and was on the same wavelength as him. It had been many years ago, mostly remembering she lived in China most of her life. Even if Jonouchi was paired up with the older boy, she was bound to give both her former captain and this veteran a run for their money. "I'm Rumiko, and the pink-haired cutie next to me is Mao Chou. She's Rai's little sister," she explained.

Mao blushed slightly, knowing Rumiko was always straight and to the point like Jonouchi. Both female bladers shook Adam's hand. Then shaking Gao and Kiki's hands, thinking the two had a strong bond, and their comical antics made Adam laugh. Soon he was done chatting with the Predatorials, finding their history together to be fascinating. He never knew about jointed teams in his life, and felt like he still needed to catch up on them. The two reunited with the Bladebreakers, seeing Takao with a grin on his face.

"So, I see you met the Predatorials?" Takao asked, wondering to hear Adam's thoughts.

"Well, since I have a history with battling the Fang Clan, I must admit I'm looking forward to seeing the team in action. Jonouchi told me about the history between the Silver Wolves and White Tigers, which is… pretty lengthy. Still, I am glad that former rivals can form one team." Adam gave his honest answer, thinking that both teams had a chance of winning if they played it right.

Max smiled at that, thinking Adam was going to enjoy this tournament. He wanted the older boy to be back in business, to have fun and remember what beyblading was all about. "Okay, it's time Adam got introduced to the All-Stars," he said.

"And the Novas, I want Adam to meet my teacher," Jonouchi said, seeing Kai scowl at the name. His lover had gotten over his fear of Kaiba, but wondered if the stoic Russian was jealous that he trained him and not himself. Sure, the cold brunet was handsome, but he was already taken by the famous European blader Ralf Jurgen.

"How about both at the same time," Takao simply said, knowing this was going to turn into a petty squabble and figured to get straight to the point.

Both the All-Stars and Novas glanced to see the Bladebreakers come their way. Seto had his eyes set on his student, nodding his head out of respect. His cold eyes landed on Adam, remembering he had beaten Hitoshi Kinomiya six years ago not in a tournament, but outside. He had told him that he was weak and didn't have what it took to be strong. Having heard that Adam won the championship title five years ago, he wondered where Hitoshi had been during those five years, as well as the raven haired boy. He shook those things off, thinking about his brother and winning this petty tournament to save him.

Serena turned her glance to see the Bladebreakers come their way, her muscles stiffening slightly. However, she felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see it was Tori. When she had gotten a call that their captain's little brother Mokuba being kidnapped, she had decided she would put aside those thoughts of men for now, and focus on the task at hand for her lover.

"Coach, I want you to meet my tag team partner Adam Banks. Adam, this is Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corp and the man who trained me," Jonouchi introduced the two, thinking that two of the veterans would probably just nod their heads in respect.

Adam had heard stories about Kaiba, on how he was undefeated and Hitoshi had told him he had lost to him. It cracked his older rivals' confidence but he and the other Brave Bladers helped him get it back. However, it only shattered again when they had left to participate with their hometown teams. "Jonouchi tells me you're a good blader… I hope we face each other," he smiled slightly.

Seto simply didn't care about his words. Although he did remember the other from a certain point in his life, he had created Kuroiryu. However, he knew he was blackmailed into doing it as he had fused his Shiroiryu and Aster together, creating a clone that was hard to tame. It was Jonouchi who was able to control this dark dragon and earned the right to be its companion. "For Hitoshi's rival, I would've guessed you would still continue to beyblade," he simply said.

Adam winced at that, remembering that he defeated Hitoshi to enter the finals. However, he did not want to have a dishonorable battle. The way he bladed against him was a nightmare, trying to take shots at him and his Sabreman almost tried to destroy his Aster. He felt a hand on his shoulder, glancing at Jonouchi. The raven haired boy remembered there were others in the team he was going to be introduced to.

Giancarlo turned his glance to Adam, putting on his best smile and brought his hand out. "The name's Giancarlo Tornatore, local ladies man and handsome blader," he introduced himself, shaking the raven haired boy's hand and heard a snort from Johnny.

"Don't push it; your luck with the ladies will run dry," Johnny quipped, getting a look from the blond Italian blader. "I'm Johnny McGregor," he nodded his head, not a very social person but lately he has been showing some sportsmanship only to those who didn't cheat and took no prisoners on dishonorable bladers.

Adam was soon shaking hands with Oliver, Ralf, and Tori. He simply got a nod from Noa, thinking that the older boy had something on his mind and wouldn't put his nose into the other's business. Serena simply ignored him, and he backed away slowly from her. He got a feeling she disliked men, and knew a certain blader from his days that was like her. Max had grabbed his hand, leading him to meet Judy's team. "Hey, Mrs. M, long time no see," he smiled.

Judy smiled at Adam, remembering when he was only little and had watched when he was born. She was happy to see he had grown up to be a strong boy, and remembered he'd stop by to New York once in awhile. Turning her glance to Kikyo, she smiled at her and turned her glance back.

"Adam, I barely recognized you at that size," she said, having been used to him being small.

Max couldn't help but grin, thinking it was cute to see Adam's face flush. He glanced at Rick, walking over to the dark skinned teenager and slapped his ass. "Hey Rick, why the long face?" He asked.

Rick jumped slightly and turned his glance to Max, his arms crossed over his powerful chest now and his eyes bored into Max. "You jumped the boat when you left the All-Stars, why?" He asked, having wanted to continue to beyblade by Max's side, even if he wouldn't say it out loud.

Max's smile turned to a serious look, letting a sigh escape his lips. "Rick, I'm sorry I bailed on you and that the others are hard to get along with… But do try to open up a bit. They're really nice people on the inside, and so are you."

"… I don't know…" Rick was hesitant about it, and saw Max give him that look, the one where he used his innocent face to get anything he wanted. He wondered how a teenager at that age could still maintain an adorable face. "… Alright, but you better stop using that face in the future," he said, feeling a little freaked out.

The young defense blader smiled, walking past Rick and his hand snuck up to feel the other's leg. "What face do you mean Rick?" He asked, still giving him that adorable look. Now he had the bigger teen off guard, wondering whether he was flirting or being serious now.

Michael turned his gaze, grinning at Rick who was getting the special 'treatment' and had to knock this one out of the ball park. "Gee Rick, I didn't know you had a 'man-crush' on Max," he teased.

Adam had his gaze on Max the whole time, seeing the flush on Rick's cheek. He was starting to see the extent of the young boy's perverted nature and he felt bad for Rick. Hold on a minute, did Max just slap Rick's ass? First it was the server and now Rick? He remembered Max had told him about his date with Jonouchi, slapping Rick's ass when they were in a tag team, and all of the above. It started to make him wonder; why was he feeling uncomfortable with Max's flirting? He was comfortable with his crush on Jonouchi, but how did Max fit into the equation?

Eddie glanced at the newest member of the Bladebreakers, feeling like he seen his face before. He took the initiative to talk to him, walking over and placed his best smile on his lips. "Your face looks familiar… I take it you've beybladed before?" He asked, wanting to see if Adam remembered. He knew he had seen his face before, but had forgotten the name.

Adam snapped back to reality, his eyes meeting with the older basketball player and rubbed the back of his head. "I used to beyblade with the Brave Bladers," he explained.

It suddenly hit Eddie, the name coming to him and put his arm around the raven haired blader. "Ah, that's why you look so familiar!" He exclaimed, bringing him over to the All-Stars. "Hey guys, Adam Banks came out of the wood works."

The three other All-Stars, except for Rick, turned their glance to Adam. It started to jog their memories and then it hit them who he was. After the Brave Bladers won the China division of the Beyblade World Tournament, they arrived in New York and got a tour of the PPB building. It was back when Judy was working her way up, but proved to be an effective coach and researcher. Plus the All-Stars were in their pre-teens or very early teens.

"I heard about you, two time champion of the American division. Then you won your title back in 1999… What made you decide to come back into beyblading?" Emily asked with curiosity. It had been five years, and none of the Brave Bladers, except Hitoshi, decided to show their faces.

"I saw Hitoshi on TV but I was busy doing… Stuff for my grandfather." Adam explained to Emily, not wanting to reveal that for the past five years he'd been looking for Hitoshi. It was all he thought about and it pained him to see his only friend go insane.

Rick walked over, looking over the new member of the Bladebreakers. So this was the new tag-team partner that Max was telling him about? He remembered the blond's advice, wanting to take it to heart and make an effort to change. "Rick Anderson," he said, bringing out his hand, smirking slightly. This also earned him some shocked looks from his teammates.

Adam took the hand, remembering Max's stories about Rick. If he was in the tag-team tournament, that'd be a different story. However, he knew deep down Rick was a very good blader and meant no harm. "Adam Banks… I grew up on the streets, so I know what it's like to live it rough," he said, having used Aster to protect little kids from beyblade gangs.

"Well don't expect us to go easy on you. Rick and I have a few surprises up our sleeve." Steven said; the green-haired football player was reluctant at first to be Rick's tag-team partner. They had somewhat similar bitbeasts, but with completely different styles. After the vigorous training, they had come to terms and developed some powerhouse combos to succeed.

"Don't go too easy on me. I need to get back into the swing of things," Adam chuckled, but looked forward to facing the All Stars nonetheless. He had seen them practice when he was ten years old, and now that they were expert bladers they could give the Bladebreakers a run for their money. He glanced over at the Russian team, thinking he should pay Yuriy and Demitri his respects.

The Neo Borg team didn't pay any attention. All they were focused on was winning, and hoped to face the Bladebreakers the first chance they could get. Yuriy felt a familiar presence nearby, his icy blue eyes on his brother's once teammate. This caused Boris and Sergei to stand, but Yuriy held out his arm. "It's okay… I know this guy." Turning his glance back on Adam, knowing it had been awhile. Adam and Demitri were probably the closest friends, but his older brother wouldn't admit out loud… Until now.

"Ah Yuriy, for a second there I thought you thought you were Demitri." Adam was noticing the big innocent eyes were intense and determined just like his once captain's eyes. "Although, I can tell you're calmer than Demitri here."

Demitri shot Adam a dirty look, but smirked. "So, you still have that hickey I gave you when I was that ice monster?" He asked.

Ivan raised an eyebrow at that, his magenta red eyes seeing Adam pull at the collar of his shirt and showed two bite marks on his neck. "… Whoa, and I thought Boris was insane," he muttered.

"I sometimes wonder if you still have a chunk of ice stuck inside that brain of yours." Adam quipped, remembering the times when Demitri transformed into his wolf features and ice crawled up his skin; the red-head was one with Wolborg.

Demitri always did wonder the same thing, but he guessed he was lucky to have lived. "Anyway, it's time I introduced you to my brother's teammates," he spoke, his eyes lingering on Sergei, Ivan, and Boris. "I assume you've read and watched about Neo Borg in the papers and television, correct?" He asked.

Adam nodded his head, knowing about Yuriy's team. Demitri told him that he and Yuriy were planning to gain revenge on Borcloff from the inside. If he was aware that the purple-haired man, and the once benefactor that was Voltaire Hiwatari who gave him a scholarship in beyblading and trained Kai were still around, he'd be able to help. "Yeah… Listen, before you go into introductions, I want to say that I'm sorry," he spoke. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you two and that I didn't search hard enough."

Yuriy would normally brush this off, but seeing that this was the boy who took his and Demitri's place, being Borcloff's pawn back then, he was grateful. "… It's alright. Besides, you've done a lot for me and my brother. What happened, happened… Not that we don't appreciate it," the Russian tried to reassure his brother's old friend, and managed a small smile. "And don't worry, I won't bite off your head."

Boris raised an eyebrow, rarely having seen Yuriy be kind to anyone. Actually, he was curious because his captain had traveled the world and was more powerful than the rest of Neo Borg. He walked over to Adam, bringing out his hand. Boris had changed a great deal, becoming a DJ for a radio station and his wise-cracks were a red hot sensation. "My name is Boris Kuznetsov. If you're interested in stopping by Russia, I'll give you the tour," he said.

Ivan rolled his eyes at that, bringing out his hand as well. He was no longer the shortest member of the team… Okay, he stood at 5'6", but he was no longer the munchkin of the Neo Borg team "Yeah yeah, this guy couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag," he quipped, his gaze on Boris and smirked. "Names Ivan Papov and trust me, I know my way around Russia better than this bird-brain."

Adam sweatdropped, but shook both of their hands nonetheless. For the usual cold and serious Russians, he had never seen this side of them. How did Yuriy put up with these two? Sure, they were probably nice guys deep down, but he was worried for the sake of the younger Ivanov.

Boris scowled, the purple haired blader referring to his Falborg. Sure, he and the falcon bitbeast had grown close as partners, but he would attack those who picked a fight with the Russian bladers. "Sure, and you'll just prank him like the other tourists," he said sarcastically.

Sergei stood between the two, not wanting a fight to break out and their image to be ruined. "Easy you two, save it for the dish," the giant Russian turned to Adam, nodding his head. "My name is Sergei Petrov," he introduced himself. The sandy blond giant had also changed a lot. Sure, he was quiet but he was not so cold. He had some skills that shocked his teammates. For example, he helped sew a child's scarf back in one piece. Plus he showed amazing skills in subjects like Science and Mathematics and he applied them to his newly updated Seaborg.

Adam took the time to take in what this team was like. They reminded him of the Renegades, and had watched some of their matches. All of them were forced into beyblading at a young age, but they all had each other. To think Yuriy was blading to free his brother one day and then Slade took away that chance for the Ivanovs to be happy. He knew there was a hole in there, but he'd look into it later. "Gotta say Yuriy, your team is pretty impressive."

"My brother tells me you're with the Bladebreakers… I don't show any mercy, but I do expect you to perform at your best," Yuriy said, his tone serious.

Adam nodded his head, assuring the two red-heads he'd do his best as he walked away. Actually, he wondered if he could perform at his best. Sure, he was getting better and his skill was at Takao's level when he first beat Kai three years ago. His eyes glanced around to see two familiar teams from his past, instantly seeing Sephiroth and the rest of the AVALANCHE team.

Sephiroth wasn't sure if he should interact, glancing at the All Stars. In the past, he had occasionally trained them, but he left the rest to the other instructors back when he and his teammates were teenagers. For some reason, he picked up a familiar aura and turned his glance. He didn't show any emotion, but he did show that he was surprised to see a familiar blader. "Adam, I haven't seen you in awhile," he commented.

"Same to you… What are you and the others doing here?" Adam asked. "I thought you were laying low until Shinra stopped looking for you."

"We were blackmailed into joining." Cloud replied, his arms over his chest. He hated that Shinra couldn't leave Sephiroth alone, but was angry that it was still running.

"I wish those bastards were taken down already." A woman with long black hair spoke, putting her fist against her palm. "It's bad enough they deny their horrible activities, but to cover up that they experimented on a child is unforgiveable."

A man with slightly long brown hair, wearing a black jacket, simple white-shirt, and black pants sighed. "Tifa, if we attack them head on, Sephiroth will be caught… And we need to make sure he keeps himself in check," Squall said, speaking the truth.

The raven haired boy clenched his fists, thinking that Shinra had to be taken down. He had heard Sephiroth's story and back then he felt useless. Now that he was a government agent, he'd do anything to help them. "I can help Sephiroth this time," he muttered.

Cloud glanced at Adam, raising an eyebrow. He had noticed a different tone in the teenager the minute he walked over to them. "And how do you propose to help us?" He asked.

"If I tell you guys, you can't tell anyone." Adam said, in all seriousness and spoke to make a straight point. "I've been a government agent for the past five years. My grandfather used to be one, and trained me to be one after Hitoshi went on a rampage."

Sephiroth took this in, remembering he and Adam defeated the once champion in beyblade and had feared that Shinra would come after him during the public display. He would say no right away, but if Adam was working for the government he must've had clean connections. "… I'll think about it," he finalized.

Cloud placed a hand on his partner's shoulder, motioning to the All Stars. "Come on, let's go say hi to our old coach," he said, wanting to see how much Michael had grown.

Adam turned his glance and noticed a silver haired blader, practicing a bit and noticed how skilled he was. "So, who's the new kid?" He asked, causing Riku to look at him.

"This is Sephiroth's little brother. Shinra was trying to make another Sephiroth, but he and Cloud saved him," Squall explained, making a long story short. He watched the raven haired agent tense up, and knew he was on the same wavelength. They were all pissed at the corrupt company that wanted to create Gods.

"My brother says you've helped him in the past… I hope your skills haven't become rusty." Riku said, a bit cocky and arrogant just like his brother. However, the older brother knew he was good, but the silver haired teen needed to be knocked down a few pegs. He was a blader with a code of honor. He had a few walls inside him that covered up the traumatic experiences training to be a perfect weapon.

"Don't mind Riku, he may be good like Sephiroth, but he has a long way to go," Tifa smiled, ruffling the light blue-eyed boy's hair, and giggled slightly as he drew back.

Adam grinned at that, seeing Riku able to retain his emotions. It was good to see familiar faces from his past, and an idea hit him. "I want to introduce you guys to my team. Before I do, I want to get the Steel Hawks as well," he said, hurrying over to the Canadian team were practicing their moves. The raven haired boy dodged a platinum silver beyblade, his eyes glancing up to see a familiar platinum blond captain. As their eyes met, the government agent could see a different side of Andros, something that he hoped to keep in control. "Andros, long time no see," he said, picking up Andros' Canard and handed it to the older blader.

Matthew looked up, his lips twitching into a grin and hurried over to the familiar boy, putting him into a headlock and gave him a noogie. "Adam my main man, I haven't seen you since the dawn of time!" He exclaimed.

Jesse yanked Matthew off of Adam, thinking the long blonde haired Canadian should be on a short leash… A very short one. "Ignore him, but it's true we haven't seen you in five years," she noted.

Brooklyn glanced up, holding out his hand and caught Zeus. He had never seen this blader before. After his time in Canada, his skills as a blader have been honed a great deal. There may have been times where he almost lost control, but he remembered Garland's face. His lover meant the world to him, and the silver haired martial artist did everything for him without asking. Not everything, but he had looked up his past, and he made some new friends he could call his teammates. "Who is the blader that Andros is talking to?" He asked.

Trey picked up his beyblade, turning to Adam and smiled. "That there is Adam Banks. He used to be Hitoshi's rival, but also his closest friend and teammate on the Brave Bladers," he explained to the ginger-haired blader.

Brooklyn was surprised that this young boy had known his once coach. He would ask this Adam Banks more about Hitoshi's history with him. He walked over to the raven haired boy, followed by Trey, to greet him. "Adam, this is our new teammate and former member of BEGA," Andros introduced the two.

Adam took Brooklyn's hand, surprised that the prodigy he heard from Takao was quite friendly. He had watched the older teenager use his repressed rage to recreate the world in his own image. 'So this is the blader Hitoshi coached. Why didn't he get him psychological therapy to help him?' He wondered, not knowing Brooklyn was reading his mind. "My name is Adam Banks."

Brooklyn nodded his head in return, surprised that someone didn't hold a grudge. However, he learned about Adam's character just by mere hand contact. "Brooklyn Masefield… Trey has told me you have history with Hitoshi. He used to be my coach when I was on BEGA."

Andros's indigo eyes widened in surprise. That would explain how Brooklyn had gotten so good in the Justice Five tournament in the final round. He had hoped to never get any ideas to actually hurt Hitoshi, but he wanted to make him pay. No one like that was allowed to walk away after manipulating a boy who was left vulnerable.

"I came over to see if you guys wanted to meet my team," Adam said, seeing the Steel Hawks simply nod their heads. He just smiled as Matthew went on how he and the others watched the Bladebreakers in their tournaments, and had been practicing religiously. However, they left out the part where their captain has been training alone in the cold mountains as a habit. Once he got both veteran teams he started walking over to where the new generation of bladers were.

Takao turned his glance, seeing Adam with a bunch of new bladers and recognized one of them to be Brooklyn. He grinned slightly, seeing that the ginger-haired blader's new teammates looked like fun. More noticeable was a group of much older bladers, and he could sense the good vibes that they were more experienced than he was. "Hey Rei, looks like Adam brought us some bladers he knows," he said; his grin widened even more.

Rei glanced over at AVALANCHE and the Steel Hawks, feeling that this was going to be one hell of a tournament. "Are these friends of yours?" The neko-jin asked.

Adam nodded his head, and seeing that the All-Stars already knew the AVALANCHE team caused him to smile. "Guys, I want you to meet Judy's old team called AVALANCHE. They're a group of bladers from a different part of the world and they're really skilled," he explained, and turned his gaze to the Steel Hawks. "These guys are the Steel Hawks. They're not only a hockey team, but also good beybladers as well from Canada. They're known to train in the cold and use the ice as their home field advantage."

Kai's crimson eyes studied both of the teams, and seeing Brooklyn again he realized they could prove to be a challenge. He had heard the ginger-haired blader had been training religiously after the Justice Five tournament, and wondered how he would fair this time. Now his eyes were on the AVALANCHE team, meeting with Sephiroth's sea green eyes and ot caused his body to tense up. 'What is this vibe that I am getting? It's like Brooklyn's except…It's in control but… Something's off about it,' he noted in his mind, feeling a hand on his shoulder as he was snapped back into reality.

"Hey Kai, you feeling okay? It looked like you were daydreaming," Jonouchi pointed out, knowing his lover tended to keep to himself. He glanced over at Sephiroth, wondering what could've made the stoic Russian tense like that. Kai didn't scare so easily except for Kaiba when he was twelve.

The Bladebreakers got to know the two veteran teams, surprised by some stories that made the world champions laugh. Matthew seemed to have a blast with Takao and Max, making some jokes here and there. Jesse interacted with Rei, seeing the two hit it off well, explaining where they were from and both not knowing who their parents were. The neko-jin was surprised to hear that the brunette Canadian was also half-Chinese, and didn't bother finding out who her parents were.

"And you're dating this guy in Rome? No offense Hiromi, but I'd choose someone with brains." Tifa said, her eyes meeting with the young brunette. "Besides, being rich isn't everything. It's what's on the inside that counts."

Hiromi nodded her head, knowing she had broken up with the guy she was dating in Rome for dating someone else. It was hard to find love, and she had a thing for Kai once. Even if he was taken, she admired him for who he was on the inside. "Thanks for advice Tifa," she said softly, blushing when she felt the other's hand on her shoulder.

Andros was teaching Jonouchi a few tricks of his own, using speed to his advantage. Kai was somewhat cautious, but Trey stopped by to talk with him. "How did you get that eyepatch?" He asked.

The gray haired Canadian knew that was a dark of his past and someone would ask. He didn't expect the dual-haired Russian though. "… I got this when I risked my life to save Andros from one of Hitoshi's beyblade attack," he answered, knowing he didn't blame the captain, but the platinum blond took it upon himself to avenge and restore honor to the Steel Hawks. "Look, whatever happened in your past… Let it go, move forward, and let yourself enjoy the life you deserve."

Kai was caught off guard, shocked by the advice given by the older blader. Slade had taken pot shots at his and Jonouchi's relationship, of what happened in the past. Could he let go of the past? He would for Jonouchi, and he did want to have a happy ending of his own. The question was, did he deserve that happy ending? "… If only you knew what I have been through," he muttered, his crimson eyes glancing at him. "Though I must ask, are the mountains up in Canada cold?" He asked.

"If you're going to get away from the yap-yap dog, I say yes," Trey answered, referring to Yuriy and that only caused Kai to smirk. His lover thought that Yuriy was a nuisance, but with Demitri back in action the elder Ivanov would be taking names.

Everyone was getting acquainted with the two veteran teams. The All-Stars were happy to see their idols return for the tournament. Michael was interacting with Cloud and Sephiroth, and showed his favorite bladers his Trygle. Sephiroth had made adjustments to the baseball captain's orange beyblade, giving him a better weight disk he used to own, and Cloud gave him a good defense ring.

Takao glanced around, seeing there were only seven teams, and that one was missing. Shouldn't this tournament have eight like the invitation they got a month ago said? "Hey Adam, what other team was supposed to be here?" He asked

That moment was interrupted by a helicopter having a name 'Archfield Industries' as the logo on the side. A door opened and the blond man with silver eyes appeared and glanced down at the seven teams. This time he was wearing a dark blue and jungle green trench coat with red straps on the shoulders and sleeves, a maroon collared shirt zipped up, baggy brown cargo pants with green trimming, brown and green gloves when he used his bow, and black ankle boots with silver metal lining. "They're all here," he muttered, his eyes glancing from Judy to Max and then Adam. "Okay boys, time to party," he said, glancing over at Ryu, Drake, and Alistair.

"About time; sitting on this copter made me sick," Alistair mumbled, standing up, and stretched his legs.

Drake shook his head at the British man, cracking his knuckles and his neck. He was thinking about who this Shizuka character was, and wondered if she truly was blind. After all, Alistair introduced him to some Daredevil comics and explained how a blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen has a radar-like hearing. If the female inu-jin was like that he'd better work out a strategy. "Dr. Zero better be paying us for this," he said, getting the parachute on.

"In case you forgot, we don't work for him anymore. Although I gotta say it feels… wrong," Ryu said, pulling up his face mask. "Besides, even if we're bounty hunters who accept jobs to take in the corrupt I can't see why we haven't taken in Zero."

"Because he knows what makes us tick," Slade said to Ryu, putting on his parachute. "He only calls us when we have to do something for him. Like that one time we were forced to pull off a bank heist for Borcloff and provide him the efficient funds for his BEGA League. Still, in the end he failed badly," he reminded, and he felt dirty for doing such a thing.

Drake jumped out first, then Alistair, followed by Ryu, and lastly their captain Slade. All four pulled the ripcords of their parachutes, making a perfect landing from the helicopter. "You forgot one team in particular Adam!" The blond man yelled, causing the raven haired boy to look up.

Adam's midnight blue eyes landed on Slade and his teammates; his eyes widened in shock and he tensed up. He growled lowly, clenching his hands into fists. Once he watched all of the four older bladers land, it only caused him to get prepared. He stood there silent, keeping his emotions in check.

Slade did a double take, checking out all of the teams. He motioned his team to follow, walking to all seven. "Adam Banks, how long has it been since we last fought?" He asked.

Judy's eyes widened in shock, taking in the blond man's appearance. She glanced at those silver eyes, seeing that there was pain underneath them and it was her motherly instinct that told her. She may have been a brilliant research scientist, but in her previous career she was a university professor and remembered Slade always came to see her in her office. "Slade, is that you?" She asked.

Michael stared, remembering that Slade stopped by the PPB's training facility and that he'd be entering the tournament. "Holy shit, you mean he and the Renegades are the eighth team to enter?!" He asked.

Rick glared at Slade, punching his fist into his palm and cracked it. "I hope the All Stars battle you, because you're going down hard," he said.

Rumiko's gold eyes landed on Drake, narrowing them dangerously. "So you're with this team?" She asked, looking them over and snorted. "You all look like freaks."

"Oooo, I'm so hurt. Don't judge us just yet lovely… We used to be six time world champions." Alistair shot back, grinning slightly. "Besides, I'm not the one with an explosive temper," he added, watching her captain place a hand on her shoulder and chuckled.

Max gulped, not expecting Slade to be here. He felt like the older man shouldn't be doing this. He looked up to him as an inspiration, and the older blond had taught him that the best offense was a good defense.

Slade took all of this in, and his eyes glanced at Judy. He was amazed she still looked at the same after all these years. 'Even after growing up with her, she still looks like she's still a young woman,' he thought before his glance fell back on Adam. The blond pulled out a crossbow styled launcher, holding the handle and took out a silver beyblade with dark green markings on the fins.

Adam glared at Slade, knowing there was no other option. He took out his old beyblade, knowing Kyouju was making him an updated MS system to try out. "So, mind telling me what you and the Renegades have been doing for the past five years?" He asked, loading up Aster.

"None of your concern Banks. Being under Borcloff's thumb was annoying, being viewed as abominations and he was too ignorant to understand the power we held," Drake said, still keeping his protective jumpsuit on. He glanced at Shizuka, holding a brunette girl's hand. It caused him to clench his hand, envying how the two had each other. His eyes glowed, but felt Ryu's hand on his shoulder. He calmed down, but he hated the fact that he couldn't touch and hold someone, and he longed to feel… human.

Slade raised an eyebrow at Adam's beyblade, and launched his own updated beyblade into action. "You're using that outdated beyblade? It's from the 90's and it mocks everything it stands for in our rivalry!" He exclaimed, hoping Adam had improved.

Adam launched Aster, the black and red beyblade clashing against his rival's. He kept the beyblade the same ever since Hitoshi left. Even if it was outdated, he would show Slade up in front of the newer generation, and show him who was outdated. "I'm not outdated Slade, and I'll show you who's the better blader," he assured, rushing at Slade with a punch.

Slade countered, him and Adam taking each others' blows. Their beyblades mimicked each other's body movements, clashing against each other hard. The black and red beyblade bashed against the silver one, continuing to keep up. As the blond man encountered another punch, he dodged the kick but skidded back slightly from the sudden push. "No more games," he muttered.

"I agree… Aster!" Adam yelled, the bitchip glowing and a giant black dragon was summoned. Unlike Jonouchi's Kuroiryu, the black dragon's body was hardened like rock armor, flat red armor on the thighs and shoulders, silver claws and talons with red tips on the end, red in the middle that started to the stomach and ended underneath Aster's muzzle, a red V-crown that covered the eyebrow area and a green gem on forehead as well, slightly long yellow orange spikes were in the middle and started from the top of the head and ended at the tail and a red diamond on the tail, long red curved spikes on the forearms, and curved silver spikes on the shoulders with red tips as well. Its vicious red eyes fell on the silver beyblade and Slade.

Slade smirked, glancing at Adam's bitbeast and took a deep breath. "Xaviax!" He yelled, and a giant dark gray and green hawk was summoned, with white in the middle on the stomach, dark green tips on the feathers, and spread on its long wings showing red on top, and silver armored markings on the thighs, neck, and behind the wings. Green eyes were on the dragon. "Tornado Arrow!" He yelled, the giant hawk rushing.

"Aster! Vulkanus Rush!" Adam yelled, the dragon being engulfed in flames, rushing over to the giant hawk as well.

Jonouchi had watched the two in action, seeing how two experienced bladers were duking it out. When he saw Aster, it slightly reminded him of Kuroiryu, but it looked scarier. Although it obeyed Adam without any hesitation. He covered his eyes, along with the other bladers who did, as there was a bright flash.

Once it faded, Adam and Slade were both on the opposite sides of the dock and both their beyblades continued to spin, but Adam's started to wobble. Then there was a small crack, and it continued to crack. Adam turned his gaze, seeing his beyblade shatter to pieces, but the bitchip landed next to him.

Max stood there in shock, never having seen this side of Slade's power. He knew how to control the wind, but he never thought he could manipulate it and slice through it. "No way, he shattered Adam's beyblade."

Adam picked up his bitchip, gazing at Aster and then at his once beyblade. He had no idea how strong Slade had gotten and this could be a fight for his life. Then he heard a loud noise, like a horn and turned his glance. A huge cruise ship arrived at the side of the dock and a ledge appeared on the side of the boat, landing on the concrete.

The raven haired man wearing a blue captain's suit appeared, sitting on ledge of the railing and slid down. He landed in a flashy style, turning up to face the bladers and grinned. "Show your tickets ladies and gentlemen… because Captain Zero here will give you the best show ever!" He laughed.

Adam's eyes widened in horror, his teammates running to his side and he glanced at the five. "Remember how I told you about my twisted uncle… That's him, that's Dr. Zero."