Oliver and Ming-Ming's beyblades both sped forward, leaping into the air and clashing against each other, passing by and landing on the rooftop of their respective opponent, neither one of the two slowed from the experience.
"That was a smart move by Oliver!" Dizzi said.
"What are you talking about?" asked Daichi. "It looked like they just hit each other to me."
"It was more than just that," said Kenny as he watched the tape on his laptop. "Oliver just managed to make Unicolyon changed its angle slightly in the clash, dealing a hit to the lower half of Ming-Ming's Venus beyblade!"
"And it looks like Unicolyon didn't take any damage, either," Ray added. "That really was a smart move."
"Hey, I already said that," Dizzi pointed out.
Ming-Ming frowned at Oliver. "That was a good move. I can see that you're the brains of your group."
"Well, thank you for the compliment, but flattery will get you nowhere," Oliver replied. "Unicolyon, attack again!"
His beyblade spun forward once more, leaping into the air before changing its angle once again to slam down hard on Venus. Luckily, the latter beyblade managed to move out of the way at the last second, causing Unicolyon to land on solid ground.
"That was a close call," said Garland, worried for his team-mate. "Ming-Ming needs to get her head in the game."
"Let her have her fun," Mystel said. "She can blade however she wants to."
"I think Garland's worried about that angle move that Unicolyon made," said Brooklyn. "I do sort of agree with him there. We shouldn't underestimate these guys."
"Still, that was a good move," said Garland.
Back in the bey-dish, the two beyblades collided not long after Unicolyon landed on the roof, engaging in a brief grinding battle before bouncing back from each other and slamming into one another a couple of times.
After a particularly hard slam, Venus knocked Unicolyon off of the roof, and because of the angle of it, all that everybody saw was Oliver's beyblade get knocked away so hard that it was knocked out of the bey-dish.
"Is that it?" asked Tyson.
Soon, a whirring sound started, and Max pointed. "Look!"
Everyone turned their attention to see Unicolyon on the side of the building, spinning in place. The crowd cheered after a few moments of silence in thinking that the fight was over from Venus' previous hit.
"Oliver and Unicolyon are still in this battle, Brad! They had my heart going for a second there!" AJ said.
"I'm in total agreement! I thought the walk over here was tiresome enough!" Brad replied.
"You couldn't just fall out of the arena like a good boy, could you?" Ming-Ming said with a giggle.
Oliver closed his eyes and smirked. "Oh, Ming-Ming. You're one of the best bladers in one of the best teams ever, but even you haven't seen everything a blader such as myself has to offer." He then opened his eyes. "How about I show you?"
"Go ahead. I'll be more than happy to make you eat those words!" replied Ming-Ming. "Venus, finish this poseur off!"
Her beyblade started spinning faster and faster, soon tipping over the edge of the building and flipping before landing on the side of the building, staring down Unicolyon before charging hard at him.
"Knock him and his oversized horse bit-beast out of here!" Ming-Ming said.
Venus collided head-on with Unicolyon, both staying their ground in a grinding battle before Venus pushed even harder, sending Unicolyon near the bottom of the building before it stopped and turned around, managing to get back up to Venus' level.
"Great control there by Oliver," said Ray. "That was a risky move, but it paid off."
"It looks like the Majestics are taking this one seriously," said Max. "Even with a move like that, they still respect BEGA's abilities."
"Respect well-deserved, if you ask me," Tyson added.
"What are you playing at?" Ming-Ming asked. "You know a move like that could have cost you the match, right?"
"Hey, when it comes to a bey-battle, all bets are off," Oliver replied, smiling.
The two beyblades clashed once more in a harsh slam, both flipping backwards and landing back on the side of the building that they did battle on. Surprisingly, despite the angle, neither Oliver nor Ming-Ming had to turn their heads to see it better.
Ming-Ming grunted and told Venus to attack again, but Unicolyon dodged at the last possible second before slamming into Venus' side, knocking it down to near the bottom of the building, the impact catching both Ming-Ming and Venus by surprise.
"What a move by Oliver!" said Brad. "Unicolyon feigned out on Venus' attack and came right back at it!"
"It looks like it could all be over, Brad!" AJ added.
'And over it shall be,' Oliver said in his head before then speaking aloud. "Now, let's finish this, Unicolyon! Earth Shake attack!"
At a blindingly fast speed, Oliver's beyblade spun towards Venus, knocking it back down to the ground level before setting up its finishing move as the mighty unicorn bit-beast appeared from its beyblade.
Unicolyon then sprang forth from the building, landing onto the ground before it started moving from left to right at a rapid pace, causing not only the bey-dish to quake, but the whole arena too as an image of Unicolyon stampeding around kept in time with the beyblade that housed it, giving the fans a show and a scare at the same time.
The mine earthquake was enough to make Venus spin around more erratically, starting to lose its control before Unicolyon charged at it with full force, using Venus' newly-found lack of balance from the earthquake to its advantage and knocking it out of the dish, just to the side of Ming-Ming's feet.
"Venus has been knocked out of the dish!" Boris announced. "Oliver and Unicolyon win!"
"And there you have it, Brad! Unicolyon! An elegant bit-beast for an elegant finish!" AJ said.
"And it just gave Venus and Ming-Ming an ugly ending, keeping the Majestics in the tournament!" Brad replied.
Unicolyon dissipated back inside its beyblade, and Oliver called it back towards him, catching it in mid-air before putting it in his pocket and walking over to Ming-Ming, offering her a hand to shake as she finished picking her own beyblade up.
"That was a really exciting match," the green-haired blader said. "You battled well."
Ming-Ming smiled a little and shook his hand, but then had a saddened look. "That was my first loss in a long time..." she admitted.
"Hey, don't take it so hard," Oliver replied. "It was a great fight. Heck, I got worried about screwing up my moves."
Ming-Ming chuckled. "Well, you still did such a great job that I hardly would have noticed."
Oliver smiled at that before turning to walk away, heading back over to his bench as the crowd applauded both teams for both their admirable sportsmanship and the amazing battle they put on before Boris spoke again.
"It is time for our third and final battle!" he announced. "Garland from BEGA will face Robert from the Majestics!"
Both bladers in question stepped up to the dish, eagerly awaiting for what would be their field of battle as the crowd cheered for both sides, not really sure of which side to choose as both had been great so far.
"Come on, Garland!"
"Win it for your team, Robert!"
"My goodness, this crowd is going crazy!" said Brad.
"Can you blame them, dude? I mean, these are two of the best bladers we've ever seen, and they're about to go toe-to-toe with each other in a match that could make or break either side! I'm stoked!"
Brad chuckled. "Me too. Garland and his Apollon bit-beast are perfect companions to Robert and Griffolyon. Their offensive styles really match each other well!"
"Speaking of matching, check out this tricked-out dish!" said AJ excitedly as the doors in the middle of arena opened.
"What do we have this time, my friend?" Brad asked.
"This is the waterfall dish. As beautiful as it looks in scenery, don't be fooled! One wrong move, and either blader could take the plunge!" AJ replied.
"Now, this will be a good one!" Tyson said. "Garland and Robert are two of the strongest bladers I've ever faced."
"And yet, you've beaten them both," Kenny said.
"Wasn't easy, Chief," said Tyson. "I lost to Robert the first time, and Garland is one of the toughest dudes I've ever battled."
"Speaking of which, he still has that tonfa club launcher," Hilary pointed out with a chuckle.
Max smiled at that. "Even after letting go of his family principles, he's still using that cool launcher."
"I'm just glad that Tyson managed to help him see that blading is really about the love and passion of the sport itself, not just living up to your legacy," Ray added. "I can already tell that Garland is a better blader than when we last saw him, and him and Robert haven't even launched yet."
"Bladers, are you ready?" Boris asked, causing the crowd to go louder. "3, 2, 1, LET IT RIP!"
"Go, Apollon!" said Garland as he launched.
"Bring it, Griffolyon!" said Robert, also launching.
Both beyblades went at full speed into the dish, gliding along the outside of the water effortlessly as they met across the middle, crashing into each other before both backing away to recuperate.
"What a slam to start this match off!" said AJ. "These two are living up to their styles so far!"
"Chase him down, Griffolyon!" said Robert. "We can't let him escape!"
"I know Robert's always had an aggressive style, but is it worth tiring himself out just to win?" Brad asked.
"Robert's got plenty of gas in the tank, Brad. He could chase after Garland until the next Ice Age!" AJ replied.
'You want a chase, Robert? You've got one...' Garland thought, before he switched from thinking to speaking. "Apollon, hold your ground when he hits you!"
Garland's beyblade obeyed its owner, holding still when Griffolyon hit it with the momentum it had gained from the chase, causing a grinding match to ensure between the two, both beyblades struggling to get the upper hand.
"Apollon is putting up a lot of resistance, but will it be enough to hold Griffolyon back?" Brad asked.
"Only time will tell, Brad," AJ replied. "I'm too embroiled in this one. It's living up to the hype!"
Both beyblades clashed again, creating yet another loud clang as plastic and metal collided with plastic and metal before both began another grinding match, with Griffolyon getting the upper hand and pushing Apollon back a few feet.
"Keep the pressure on him, Griffolyon!" said Robert, commanding his beyblade once more.
"Apollon, strike back and hold your ground! Show him how big of a mistake he made by messing with BEGA!" Garland said, commanding his own beyblade.
When the two spinning beyblades clashed again, there was yet another tense grinding battle that ensued, the sheer force of which caused some of the ground they were on to give way a bit, sending some rubble around the arena.
"These two are not giving each other an inch!" Max said. "This is intense!"
"You said it, Max," Dizzi replied. "I'm having a hard time analysing the two without wanting to jump out of my screen!"
Kenny smiled at that, then looked again at the match, seeing the two beyblades break from their grinding battle, each spinning at the ends of the dish closest to their respective owners who had begun panting.
"That... all you... got?" Robert asked.
"Don't bet... on it..." Garland replied.
"Looks like our competitors are starting to feel the burn now, AJ. This could be over at any second," Brad said.
"And they haven't unleashed their awesome bit-beasts yet, either," replied the other commentator. "This has been a blading clinic if I've ever seen one; no fancy powers, just the pure grit and determination of the competitors!"
"Well, either way, it looks like either one might have to call their bit-beast if they want a chance of winning!" replied Brad.
As he said that, both beyblades began spinning faster as they moved towards each other again, clashing once more before breaking away and circling the outside of the river, slamming into each other again, causing a small shock-wave before they both backed away again.
"Did you guys feel that?" Tyson asked.
"I tasted that, and I don't even have lips!" replied Dizzi.
Robert smiled, still panting. "You're a lot tougher than I thought."
"As are you," Garland replied, also panting. "I have to admit, I didn't think the match would last this long. But now, I've got to end it."
"I was just about to say the same thing." Robert then grinned. "Griffolyon, let's finish this!"
On command, the Majestics leader's bit-beast rose from its beyblade, letting out a loud screech as it appeared, causing the crowd to be awestruck by the sheer size of the animal that it was.
"Impressive bit-beast," Garland said. "But let's even this out. Apollon!"
Also on command, Garland's bit-beast burst forth from its beyblade, letting out a sharp screech as it stared down Griffolyon, its golden wings shining brightly as it prepared its final attack at its master's command.
"Radiant Thunder!" shouted Garland.
"Wing Dagger!" shouted Robert in return.
Both bit-beasts and beyblades charged at each other, with Griffolyon shooting out several feathers like piercing knives at Apollon, whose wings were charging up with a bright yellow electrical glow as the two clashed, causing a thunderous sound to erupt from the centre of the dish as the two bit-beasts clashed and the two bladers screamed.
After the rubble had cleared, the fans were silent so that they could hear who was still spinning by the end of it, as they couldn't see it too clearly due to all the smoke from the massive clash.
When the smoke finally did clear, both bladers stood tall before Robert took a kneeling position, breathing heavily as his beyblade wobbled in the now-empty dish before spinning around and out of control, grinding itself into its side as the bit-beast within disappeared back inside.
"And Garland is your winner," Boris announce, "which means BEGA advances through!"
Garland smiled before he also knelt down from exhaustion, but managed to raise his hand in victory as his beyblade still spun around before also coming to a stop from being tired, the Apollon bit-beast dissipating back inside.
"Robert!" said the other Majestics team-mates as they went to their leader.
"I... lost..." he said. "I'm... sorry..."
"Why would you have to be sorry for a great performance like that?" Johnny asked. "That was great!"
"He's right," said Garland as he picked both beyblades up, walking over and handing Robert his. "It was an honour to battle with you, Robert." He extended a hand to his opponent, who shook it with a smile as the crowd cheered.
"What a match that was, AJ!" said Brad. "I'm on the edge of my seat still!"
"Totally in agreement, dude! That was something else!"
Boris then spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd all kindly make your way over to block three, we'll continue the tournament!"
He then disappeared back into the ground on his elevator as Tyson came to a sudden realisation. "That's right, we're next up!"
"We'd better hurry then," replied Max. "I've been waiting to get back in there almost as much as you."
"You're not worried about fighting the team that your mum manages?" asked Hilary.
"Not really. She'll understand it, I'm sure."
Tyson smiled and high-fived his blonde friend before speaking. "Let's get ourselves over there, then!"
And so, the Bladebreakers went to the third block to fight their first real opponents since the last tournament they were in. While the battles they'd had up until now were certainly more than enough to break off the ring rust, they knew that they'd have to step things up if the other matches they've seen in the tournament thus far were any indication.
And there you go! Another new chapter. I apologise that it took longer to write up than the last one. There's been a lot of stuff going on where I am, and as a result of that it put a bit of a crimp on my writing. But I'll hopefully put the next chapter up soon, and as always, I hope you like this one and I'll see you all next time. Take care.