"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Beyblade tournament!" Boris said, causing the crowd to cheer louder. "Again, we have an assortment of matches, so we'll announce them right now!"

Four copies of a large hologram screen appeared around Boris, showing to all sides of the stadium as the symbols for each team scrolled randomly to decide matches for the semifinals. The first symbols stopped as BEGA's symbol.

"First, BEGA will face off against..." Boris paused as he waited, and the White Tiger X symbol then appeared. "White Tiger X, who will be facing each other in block one."

Since it didn't need to be said, Tyson knew in his mind that the Bladebreakers would face off against the Barthez Battalion. But that wasn't the champion's biggest concern; he was more worried about if he could keep his cool around them, not to mention if he could get through to them.

Regardless of Tyson's thoughts and knowledge, Boris announced it anyway when the symbols rolled up on the holographic screens around him, again showing for all sides of the audience whom were already cheering for the matches.

"And the next match is the Bladebreakers against the Barthez Battalion, who will be battling in block two!"

"Looks like we get to sit back a little bit," Max said. "Come on, let's go to the stands."

As they turned to walk into one of the many hallways that led to different places to sit, White Tiger X walked out at the same time, both teams stopping by each other and smiling before Ray shook hands with Lee.

"Good luck, friend."

"Thanks," Lee replied. "You too for those Barthez guys."

"We'll see you after the match," Ray spoke, turning to Mariah and kissing her on the cheek. "For good luck."

Mariah grinned and pulled Ray close for a kiss on the lips, causing both bladers to chuckle a bit before breaking off their embrace, holding hands before turning to walk their separate ways.

"I love you," Ray said.

"I love you too!" Mariah replied, waving goodbye to her fiancée.

"Hopefully that'll give her the boost she needs," said Max. "The White Tigers are tough, but BEGA is still a big challenge for them."

"Hey, she's never let me down before," Ray said, smiling. "And I don't think that she could, even if she tried."

"It's honestly sweet that you and Mariah still love each other, even after all this time," Hilary said.

"I still can't believe it took me eight years to propose. Nerves get to everyone, I guess," Ray said with a chuckle.

Boris then spoke up. "Our first match will be Gary from White Tiger X against Crusher from BEGA!"

"Whoa, this'll be a big match!" said Brad. "And speaking of big, we're back again, folks! Welcome to the first match of the semifinals!"

"I'm so stoked, Brad!" AJ replied. "We're starting with the heavy hitters already, and this is only the first match of the semifinals!"

"I just said that..." Brad replied. "Anyway, let's talk about this match's bladers!"

"Sure thing, Brad!" AJ said. "First, we have Gary, who did a fantastic job in his last match, and almost won it. Despite that minor hiccup, his strength, durability, and Galzzly bit-beast are not to be underestimated!"

"The same could be said for Crusher. The match he had with Ray proved just how much punishment he could take, and his Gigars bit-beast is one of the most powerful we've ever seen!" Brad said. "I'm so excited for this match!"

Boris raised a hand. "Let's see the dish!"

"Oh, man! This is a good one!" AJ said as the dish rose, showing a bunch of speakers and cables.

"What's this one called, AJ?" Brad asked.

"This one is the amp dish. If our bladers get too close to those speakers, they'll emit a large wave of sound that'll blast them back, and it's all channelled through those cables! Our bladers will have to be careful if they don't want to get blasted away!"

Boris then smiled, starting the countdown. "3... 2... 1... let it rip!"

"Go for it, Galzzly!" Gary said, launching.

"Let's do this, Gigars!" Crusher replied, also launching.

Both beyblades met in the centre, clashing instantly before the slam made them both reverberate and bounce back before slamming into each other again, both bladers grinding and pushing to try to get the edge over the other.

"It looks like these two are showing their aggression early!" Brad said. "They both want the match over quickly!"

"But it does come down to who wants it more in the end," AJ replied. "Our bladers have to make sure they don't overexert themselves too early, or it could be over that much quicker!"

"Don't quit, Gigars!" Crusher said. "We haven't lost before, and we won't start now!"

Gary was about to reply, but then noticed Galzzly get slammed back hard before Gigars followed it up with more strikes, moving from left to right and turning itself slightly as it crashed into Gary's beyblade.

"That looks familiar..." Tyson said.

"That's because that's the same thing I did to Crusher when we battled," Ray pointed out. "Only difference is, Gary's not trapped in a wall like Crusher was when I fought him. This could go bad for Gary if he's not careful."

"I see what you mean," Max replied. "Crusher's attack happened so quick there. Even I was surprised by it."

Back at the match, Gigars was keeping up the offence, slamming harder against Galzzly, causing Gary himself to get knocked back and forth from the blows, feeling the pain that was being inflicted on his beyblade.

"I... can't... lose... again!" Gary said, stepping forward. As he did, his beyblade moved forward in time with Gigars' next attack, catching Crusher off guard as it struck back with a hard slam.

"Whoa! Looks like Gary's not out for the count just yet!" Brad said.

"He might not be, but his beyblade might be a different story," AJ replied. "It might still look good on the outside, but after that many hits, who knows how it's doing on the inside?"

Gary then stood forward, thrusting a palm out and commanding his Galzzly to strike again, which it did, landing hard once more and sending Gigars back a few feet, almost hitting one of the speakers as it reeled back.

"Gary's really stepping it up after weathering that early storm!" said Brad. "This could be his chance to strike back!"

"Boris certainly made a good call with this match, Brad," AJ replied. "We're kicking off the semis in a big way here!"

Crusher, meanwhile, recovered from the vicious counter attack at the hands of Gary and Galzzly, and he smiled to himself as he silently willed Gigars to move away from the amp that it had gotten knocked next to.

"Another couple of inches further, and Crusher might well have been blasted out of here," Brookyln said from BEGA's bench.

"He's too tough for that," Mystel replied. "Crusher can hang in there at the worst of times, just like his battle with Ray. Gary's a tough customer, but he's got nothing on Crusher."

The blader in question, meanwhile, was currently engaged in another harsh grinding match with Gary and his beyblade, the two pushing at each other once more before breaking away. Then, to many people's surprise, Galzzly moved quickly to meet Gigars again, hitting it hard.

'W-What's this?!' Crusher asked in his head.

Tyson's eyes widened. "Whoa... Gary's really going for it!"

"After that early onslaught from Crusher, that might not be the best idea," replied Dizzi. "Galzzly and Gary both are tough, but you can see that they're starting to wear down a little bit."

Ray looked out, seeing Gary breathing slightly, but still smiling and staying in the game. "Tired as he may be, that's never a reason to quit, no matter how strong your opponent is," Ray said.

"You really do have a lot of faith in him," Max said, smiling. "That's admirable. Doesn't matter what team you're in, you'll never forget the friends you grew up with."

"Heck, you didn't grow up with the All Starz, but you're practically one big family," Hilary said to the blonde blader. "Having said that, their coach is your mum..."

"True," Max noted. "But my mum never took any crap from anybody when I was with the All Starz team. Rick was the biggest troublemaker, obviously," he added with a chuckle.

Back at the dish, Gary was commanding his beyblade to keep up its relentless attack, with Crusher managing to defend very well, almost coming close to a few of the speakers, but managing to recuperate and bounce back.

"This is a close one, folks!" Brad said excitedly. "Gary and Crusher are matching each other quite well! The momentum is up in the air right now!"

"No doubt about it, Brad!" AJ replied, also excited. "This is about as close a match as we've seen so far in this tournament!"

"Don't let up on him, Galzzly!" said Gary, commanding his beyblade to attack more.

Crusher stood his ground, crossing his arms over his body as he felt struck from each blow at the hands of his opponent. Grinning, the BEGA blader dropped his arms to his sides, knowing what Gary's plan was.

"Come on! Hit me!" Crusher said.

"Is he nuts?!" Kevin asked from the White Tiger X bench. "If Crusher just stands there and takes it, he'll be wiped out for sure!"

"He's trying to bait Gary," Lee replied. "I just hope that Gary's smart enough to not fall for it."

"I think that he is," said Mariah. "He's not going to bite at an opponent that's just willing to open themselves up for him, especially if it's one as strong as Crusher."

Lee nodded. "True. Crusher's tough, though. If Gary does choose to fall for it, he could do some serious damage to Gigars."

"What are you waiting for?" Crusher asked. "Come on!"

Gary shook his head, but then smiled as he looked at the speakers. "If you want a fight, then you'll have to come and get it! Galzzly, hop up on the speakers!"

On command, Gary's beyblade jumped up high, landing on the speaker nearest to it before hopping along each one until it reached Gigars, jumping high and landing directly onto it, causing some sparks to fly.

"That was a quick move from Gary!" Brad said. "And it was smart, too!"

"That it was, Brad!" replied AJ. "Gary knew that Crusher was trying to bait him, so he looked for a different angle and he took advantage of it!"

"Smart thinking, there," Crusher said. "I honestly never would have expected that."

"Maybe instead of praising me, you should look at where your beyblade is," Gary said, pointing to the dish.

Crusher immediately looked down, seeing that Gigars was dangerously close to a speaker. Before he had time to react, however, the speaker activated, letting out a low, booming sound that sent Gigars flying back to the centre, albeit starting to look a bit more wobbly now.

"All right..." Crusher said, panting. "Looks like we've both taken some punishment now..."

Gary panted too. "What's what matter?" he asked with a small smile. "Getting sleepy?"

As the two bladers spoke, their beyblades clashed into each other weakly, engaging in a small grinding battle before breaking off, sharing more small slams with each other that started to grow slowly in intensity.

"It looks like the atmosphere is picking up again, folks!" Brad said. "The intensity is sending shivers through my bones!"

"Mine too! Then again, that could just be the bladers!" replied AJ.

Gary and Crusher both smiled at each other as their blades kept battling, and both soon broke off again before spinning faster, clashing into each other once more for good measure before backing away, getting close to their respective bladers.

"I'm about ready to finish this..."Gary said to his opponent.

"Likewise..." Crusher replied.

Both beyblades then began to spin faster until their two bit-beasts burst forward, roaring at each other in a mighty display of their power as their beyblades clashed, the two bit-beasts wrestling with each other for dominance over the other.

"Whoa, this is intense!" Tyson said, watching with amazement. "Neither of them is giving up."

"That's because neither of them want to," Ray said, smiling. "Gary and Crusher have both faced so much, but when it comes to real challenges like this, it just makes it all the more exciting."

"Speaking of exciting, it's making my circuits all hot!" Dizzi said from Kenny's lap. "Their bit-beasts are about to go into overcharge!"

On cue, Gary smiled, raising his hand forward. "Galzzly, finish it! Bear Axe attack!"

"Gigars, Demolition Axe now!" Crusher replied, also raising his hand forward.

Both bit-beasts began their attacks, with Galzzly putting his paws together, claws outstretched as he raised them above his head, swinging it down hard onto Gigars as the beyblade that house Galzzly hopped up in an arc, following its bit-beasts attack as it came over with it.

But Gigars was prepared for it as it began its own special attack, calling a large pillar of stone to erupt from the dish itself before Gigars seized it with all four of its hands, lifting it out of the ground and revealing a large axe with a red blade, swinging it upwards as Galzzly came down upon it, the Gigars beyblade jumping up in time with the axe swing for the attack.

As both bladers screamed, the impact caused a massive eruption of light, even causing some rubble to land both inside and outside of the dish. After the massive flash of light, the dish was covered up in the dust and smoke of the intense battle.

"Here it comes, folks!" said AJ. "This has been a hell of a battle so far, and now it's just down to who wants it more!"

"Looks like we'll have that answered when the smoke clears, AJ!" Brad said.

After a few more moments of waiting, the smoke had cleared, and both bit-beasts had disappeared back inside of their beyblades. But only Gigars was still spinning around in the arena itself, where as Galzzly was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Gary's beyblade?" Tyson asked.

Max also looked around, and he soon noticed it. "It's down there! Still in the dish!"

The crowd and bladers all looked to see Galzzly stuck in the side of one of the speakers, falling out from its place and landing on its top. As this happened, it was noted that all the cables had been cut, so it's likely that the amps had all stopped working also during the massive attack from both sides.

Boris then smiled. "Crusher wins!"

Crusher raised his arms in victory before jumping down into the dish, grabbing his beyblade from the arena before grabbing Gary's too, walking over to hand it to the White Tiger X member.

"That was a great battle," Crusher said. "Toughest one I've ever had."

Gary smiled. "It was an honour, Crusher. You're one of the best that I've ever fought."

Both bladers then walked back over to their respective benches, and Gary smiled as he looked at his Galzzly, seeing it severely damaged from the battle, but not letting it bother him as he continued smiling.

"That was a great match, buddy," Lee said, putting a hand on his team-mate's shoulder.

Gary shrugged. "Crusher was the better blader. He fought hard."

"You both did," Mariah replied, earning a smile from Gary.

Boris then spoke, somewhat interrupting the team's talk. "The next battle will be Mariah from White Tiger X versus Mystel from team BEGA!"

The pink-haired blader then got up from her bench. "Looks like I'm up," she said. "Don't worry; I'll win this back for us."

"Good luck," Kevin said. "And be careful. Mystel is an unpredictable dude."

"I'll be fine," Mariah smiled, walking up to the dish.

Mystel also smiled as he walked up to the dish. 'I'd say this will be easy, but I know better than to underestimate my opponents.'

Ray, meanwhile, watched in silence as his fiancée walked up to the dish, starting to fear a bit for her. 'You can do this, Mariah,' Ray said in his mind. 'I know how tough Mystel is, but you can beat him. I know it.'

I would have put two battles in this chapter, but I felt like this one was long enough, and I wanted to give you guys a new one lest you think that I'd forgotten about it. There will be two in the next chapter, so don't worry about that. Also, I hope you guys like the somewhat updated version of Galzzly's Bear Axe attack. I'll see you all in the next one, which I'm hoping will come around sooner than this one did. Take care.