"Hello again, folks!" Brad said from the announcers' booth. "I'm Brad Best, alongside AJ Topper as always, and we're back after the commercial break following the huge battle between Crusher from Team BEGA and Gary from White Tiger X!"

"Huge is an understatement, Brad!" AJ replied. "That battle was immense! I know for a fact that the clean-up crew are going to have one heck of a time clearing all the mess up! But luckily, their break will go on for a little while longer!"

"That it will, AJ! Mystel and Mariah are two of the smartest bladers out there, and definitely extremely skilled!" Brad paused a bit before continuing. "Mariah and her Galux bit-beast are vicious in battle, which could give them the edge!"

"And Mystel is very well-known for his unpredictability, which is always his best trump card," AJ replied. "But if that fails, his Poseidon bit-beast can always give him that extra edge if he needs it!"

Boris then spoke up. "Let's see the dish for this match!"

"This time, we have the temple dish!" said AJ. "If our bladers aren't careful, they could wind up lost in the ruins!"

"True enough, but it looks like Mariah could have the advantage as she's more used to harsher environments like this," Brad replied.

"I agree, but Mystel is known to be very adaptable to most situations, so it wouldn't surprise me if he gets used to this dish too!"

Mariah smiled as she readied her launcher. 'I just have to avoid the traps and try to keep up with him,' she said in her head.

Mystel smiled back, also preparing to launch. "Good luck, Mariah," he said politely before putting his mask on.

"You too," Mariah said, not surprised at Mystel's kindness.

"Bladers, are you ready?" asked Boris, before counting down. "3... 2... 1... let it rip!"

"Go, Galux!" called Mariah.

Mystel silently replied with a small grin as he launched as well from his slingshot launcher, and both beyblades immediately took to the centre of the dish, facing off with each other before Mariah initiated the attack.

"Let's get this started, Galux!" said the pink-haired blader as her beyblade slammed head-on into Poseidon.

"Whoa! It looks like Mariah wants to kick the aggression off early!" said Brad. "That's normally not her strategy. Do you think that she could be planning something, AJ?"

"Well, for one thing, it certainly makes the match more exciting," AJ replied. "But if I had to guess, I'd say that she's trying to keep up with Mystel's speed and unpredictability by taking the fight to him! So, this is both a smart and dangerous move!"

"Keep up the offence!" said Mariah, her beyblade continuing to clash with Mystel's blade.

"I see that you did your homework," Mystel said, getting his opponent's attention before continuing. "Trying to catch me off-guard by launching an all-out assault instead of sticking to your well-noted smarter approach. Very nice."

"Well, thanks for the kind words, but that doesn't change that I'm kicking your butt right now!" Mariah smiled.

"I know that my words won't change the tide of this battle," the BEGA blader replied, "but my actions will."

With that, Poseidon skipped back a bit and waited for another attack from Galux, the latter of whom was still keeping up the assault as per Mariah's orders. But as Galux went in for another attack, Poseidon dodged and spun around rapidly, smashing into Galux's side and sending the beyblade flying back.

"What a move from Mystel!" said Brad. "Smart, but risky!"

"And unpredictable as always, Brad!" AJ replied. "This fight is getting more and more interesting the more that we watch it!"

Mariah backed away a bit in response to the derailment of her assault, but smiled at Mystel regardless. "That was a good move. I expected nothing less from you. It seems that the tapes of you don't do you justice."

"The same goes to you," Mystel replied. "If you keep taking risks like you did with your full-on attack, you could probably be as good as me."

"Oh, I know that I'm as good as you," Mariah smiled.

Mystel smiled back, commanding his beyblade to defend itself against Mariah's next attack, engaging in a bumping match as the two beyblades clashed against each other without doing a lot of damage, despite Mariah remaining on the offensive.

"Mariah isn't letting up at all," said Kenny. "Could she be in danger of overcommitting and losing energy as a result?"

"I doubt it," Ray replied. "And I'm not just saying that because of how much she means to me. She's one of the best bladers I've ever fought, but Mystel is no pushover, that's for sure. They both have tons of energy. I've never underestimated Mariah, and I think that Mystel would be making a big mistake if he took her abilities for granted."

"All of the White Tigers are tough," Tyson replied. "They were out first major opponents in our first tournament as a team, remember?"

Dizzi then spoke up. "When you're done with the reminiscing, I'd like to speak."

"What do you have for us, Dizzi?" Kenny asked his laptop.

"Well, from what I'm seeing, Ray could be right. Mariah doesn't seem to be running out of energy any time soon."

Ray smiled to himself. 'She's got this. I know it,' he said in his head.

Just as he had said that, Poseidon bounced back against Galux, causing it to fly back a bit and hit the right side of the temple in the centre of the dish, creating a large scratch after Galux had recovered from the attack.

'Damn... his counters are really starting to annoy me,' Mariah thought to herself. 'But I can't let up. If I can keep up the offence, he won't be able to get off any good strikes.'

Mystel smiled. "Poseidon, climb on top of the temple!" he said, his beyblade soon following Mystel's orders.

Mariah looked confused a bit as she watched Mystel's ascend and land on top of the temple in the centre of the dish. Mariah growled and commanded her beyblade to do the same, but as soon as Galux reached the top, Poseidon jumped down onto a lower level of the temple.

"Looks like Mystel's sticking to his usual game-plan here, AJ!" said Brad.

"Either that or he's just having some fun toying with Mariah, Brad," AJ replied. "He is known for his cockiness on occasion, but this really isn't the time to act that way, especially considering Mariah's aggression and pace so far in the match!"

"Maybe he's trying to throw her off," Kai said. "He wouldn't just run away for no reason."

"Then, what could he be up to?" Daichi asked.

"He's probably luring her into a trap," said Ray. "Mariah's smart, but she's probably getting exhausted by now after that early burst of energy."

Tyson observed the battle, noticing that Ray was right. Mariah was breathing a bit, but she wasn't completely tired out yet. However, Mystel looked as fresh as he had when the battle started, smiling all the while.

'I'm going to wipe that grin right off of his face...' Mariah said in her head, making her next sentence more verbal. "Galux, cut him off!"

"Poseidon, head to the temple on your left!" Mystel replied as soon as he heard his opponent's command.

"Keep chasing him, Galux!" Mariah said.

"Is she sure that's the right idea?" Max asked.

Ray was about to reply, but then noticed Mariah's beyblade had changed its approach. It was still chasing after Poseidon, of course, but it was going at a much more even pace now, only giving more chase when need be.

"Actually, that is the perfect idea," Ray said. "She's chasing him, but only really going for it when she needs to. That way, she doesn't waste any more energy."

"And meanwhile, she's got Mystel more on the run?" asked Tyson.

"Pretty much," Kenny spoke up. "From how it's looking, Mariah's energy isn't dropping as fast as it was earlier. Being conservative with it is a very smart idea."

"I just hope that she's got enough to hold up," said Tyson.

Back at the match, the chase was keeping up, with Mariah sticking to her strategy as it had been working well for her so far before Poseidon landed on another temple and remained still, waiting for Galux to chase it.

"Mariah, look out!" Lee called from the White Tiger X bench.

But the call came too late, and as Galux got closer to Poseidon, the latter beyblade spun around in a quick circle, spinning around its opponent and following up with a hard slam to Galux's side, sending it careening off the temple and into the side of the dish.

"Whoa! What a counter-move from Mystel!" said Brad. "That certainly put a crimp in Mariah's game-plan!"

"That it did, Brad!" AJ replied. "It just goes to show that you never count any blader out! Mystel's strategy is really starting to pay off now!"

"I've had enough of this..." Mariah said.

'Uh-oh...' Lee said in his mind. 'Come on, Mariah. Don't break out your bit-beast yet. It'd be a desperation manoeuvre. We can't risk that, especially when we've come this far. Don't fall for it.'

Mystel waited for Mariah's next move, and she kept her ground before commanding her beyblade to move as fast as it could to attack Poseidon, landing flush and sending it crashing into one of the temples.

"Whoa, that was a sucker-punch if I ever saw one!" Brad said.

"That's an understatement, Brad!" AJ replied. "She gave Mystel a false sense of security, and attacked at the right moment! It looks like she might just have enough energy to take this one after all!"

Mariah smiled. "You like that move?"

Mystel laughed. "I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming. I guess that just shows that you can't underestimate anybody in this sport."

"If you ever underestimated me, then you made one mistake too many..." Mariah said. "Galux, let's end this! Cat Bites!"

"Is that a good idea?" asked Max.

Ray smiled. "It is. Not only did Mariah's surprise move catch Mystel off-guard, but it showed how tired he was from running away to avoid getting hit by Galux earlier on."

"Wow... she really played it smart," said Hilary.

"If she's giving it her all, we should too!" Mystel said. "Poseidon, Ocean Javelin! Now!"

On command, Mariah's bit-beast arose, letting out its signature high-pitched growl before starting its attack, the Galux bit-beast charging forward in time with its beyblade as it ducked its head low before leaping upwards, turning its angle in mid-air in the hopes of attacking the Poseidon beyblade, the image of Galux's fangs closing around Poseidon appearing as well.

As Mariah's attack started, as did Poseidon's, the mighty aquatic bit-beast rising. As it rose, the dish-filled with water, not hindering Galux at all as it was still in mid-air during its attack, but this didn't stop Poseidon from beginning its attack as it pulled out its signature red, glowing trident, hurling it with as much force as it could muster at its opponent, the sharp end of the trident taking the form of the Poseidon beyblade as it met Galux in mid-air.

They two bit-beasts let out loud roars as their beyblades collided with each other before crashing down into the water below, the rubble from the temples also joining the fray as well as it fell into the water.

"I think the beyblades are waterlogged!" said Brad. "I can't see a thing!"

"Let's just wait it out, Brad," AJ replied. "We'll get there soon enough!"

After several minutes, the water washed away completely, revealing both beyblades laying on their sides, both bit-beasts having retreated back inside their beyblades after their attacks.

"Both beyblades have stopped their movement in the dish," Boris spoke. "This match is a draw!"

Mariah and Mystel both smiled at each other as their beyblades returned to their hands before walking over to each other, both combatants walking around the dish to meet on the left side of it, shaking hands as they met.

"That was a great match," Mystel said. "Definitely one of my toughest in a while."

"Mine as well," replied Mariah as the handshake stopped. "You BEGA guys don't have any quit in you." She then turned around to walk back to her bench.

"Best of luck for the next match," Mystel said, getting a thumbs-up in reply before chuckling and going to his own bench.

'That was a close call...' Ray said in his mind. 'Still, you did your best, Mariah. Now it's all up to whoever's next.'

"Now, it's time for the final match-up!" said Boris. "Lee from White Tiger X will take on Brooklyn from team BEGA!"

"Ooh, this'll be a good one!" said Brad. "The strongest bladers from either team facing off in a final battle!"

"No doubt that it'll be a show-stopper, Brad!" AJ replied. "On one hand, if Lee wins this one, the White Tigers could be in for another match to win. But if BEGA takes it, they'll have two wins to one draw and will advance to the next round!"

Both bladers in question stood up from their respective benches, walking up to each other and flashing a smile at each other before shaking hands a show of good sportsmanship, making the crowd cheer.

"Best of luck," Lee said.

"You too," Brooklyn replied. "May the best man win."

"What good sportsmanship," Brad said. "And between two tough bladers! Lee is the leader of the White Tigers for a reason, and a big part of that is his well-known skill, not to mention his mighty Galeon bit-beast!"

"And you can't count Brooklyn out either, Brad!" AJ replied. "He's still one of the strongest bladers that we've ever seen, and his Zeus bit-beast is one of the strongest to ever hit the dish!"

Boris smiled as the two bladers went back to their spots at the dish before he himself spoke. "Let's see the dish, shall we?"

"Ooh, this looks like a good one!" Brad said as the dish rose up, showing a white, rocky platform with several small craters in it.

"It is indeed, Brad!" replied AJ. "This is the gravity dish, designed to look like the moon as you can see. Due to how it looks and sounds, you might think that our bladers will be afloat all the time, but they merely have to shift the weight in their beyblades when they think it's better to go high or low!"

Boris then spoke up. "On my count! 3... 2... 1... LET IT RIP!"

AS Boris finished his countdown, both combatants launched, not speaking at all as they wanted to keep the focus on their beyblades' weights when they hit the dish, both blades staying grounded for now.

"Zeus, attack!" Brooklyn said.

The BEGA member's beyblade did as it was instructed, and landed a strong blow against Galeon, sending it several feet back before the lion beyblade replied with a slam of its own, sending Zeus back a little.

"It looks like we're starting this one of with a bang, folks!" said Brad. "Both bladers are coming out swinging!"

"I expect it from Lee, but Brooklyn's a lot smarter than this," AJ said. "Still, he didn't become one of the strongest by just standing around, and he's got the brains to go with that talent too!"

"Keep it up!"Brooklyn said, commanding his beyblade to continue its attack, engaging in a grinding match with Galeon.

"Hold your ground!" Lee said, and his beyblade did so, staying put and remaining in the grinding battle against Zeus.

"Looks like they both want to stay in the heat," Tyson said.

Ray smiled. "This is the kind of thing Lee excels in; he's a lot smarter than he gets credit for."

A thought then occurred to Max. "Say, I know that we're better friends with the White Tigers, but wouldn't we be okay with whatever side wins?" he asked.

Tyson nodded. "That's a good point, but I think it'd be better for White Tiger X to win because they know more about the operation. And besides, we're running low on friends to help us."

"We could just ask BEGA," Ray pointed out. "If they win, that is."

Hilary smiled. "I'm hoping the White Tigers win too, Ray. As Tyson said, we need as many friends as we can get right now, but if all else fails, maybe some outside help wouldn't hurt."

The others nodded in agreement as the match itself continued, both beyblades remaining in their harsh grinding before being silently willed to change their weight, making them both lighter and causing them to both float into the air.

'Come on... I have to win the grinding battle...' Lee said to himself in his mind. 'I can handle the slams and the more powerful stuff easily, but this is the part that I need to win the most...' He then spoke out loud. "Galeon! Keep the pressure on him! We can't give him an inch!"

Brooklyn stood back a bit as Galeon kept pushing, but then the BEGA leader stood forward to counter with his own aggression. "If he's not going to quit, then we shouldn't either, Zeus! Keep holding your ground!"

"This is an intense match!" said Brad. "I'm starting to sweat just watching them!"

Lee grunted as he took a step back before moving forward, making his beyblade imitate his movements, shifting back and striking forward to hit Zeus hard before Lee commanded Galeon to keep attacking.

"Lee wants this win bad," said Tyson. "And I don't blame him. If I was in his position, I'd be giving it my all as well."

"But we all know how strong Brooklyn is," Kai pointed out. "The first time I fought him, he didn't bother showing his real power off until much later. As you guys well remember, that didn't go too well for me."

"Well, I doubt that Brooklyn is as vicious with it these days," said Kenny. "From what I'm seeing, he's waiting for that right moment, but still doing enough that he can fight off Lee and Galeon without much trouble."

"Brooklyn always was smart," Tyson remembered. He then spoke to Ray. "Are you worried for Lee?"

Ray nodded nervously. "A little. I mean, after seeing Brooklyn fight both you and Kai, I know how powerful he is. And as we said before, it'd be better if the White Tigers won this one as we can trust them more with what's happening." Ray then smiled. "But I'll always have faith in my friends, even if they lose or if I lose to them."

"I hope you don't wind up regretting those words," Max said.

Back at the battle, the beyblades had grounded themselves once more as Lee was continuing his aggression before Brooklyn commanded Zeus to fight back, the slam being well-timed enough to break away from Galeon's assault on it, giving it some breathing room.

"Phew..." Mariah said from the White Tigers' bench. "That was a tough break there."

Kevin nodded. "Brooklyn showed some great defence there, but he's got nothing on Lee's aggression."

"We can't take BEGA for granted," said Gary.

Lee smiled. "That was a good move. I should have known you'd pull something like that."

Brooklyn smiled back. "Hey, I have to hand it to you. You're really keeping me on my toes here." He then chuckled. "But that's about to change! Zeus, attack with your full force!"

Lee braced himself as Zeus came forward, forcing Galeon to defend itself as it was struck from the strong attack, knocking the black lion beyblade back and causing it to skim across the floor of the dish, spinning and turning as it got close to the edge just to the left of Lee.

Brooklyn growled and gritted his teeth as he mentally willed Zeus to keep attacking its opponent, slamming hard against Galeon and keeping still against it, engaging in a harsh grinding match again.

Lee grunted. "Galeon, get out of there!"

"Chase him down!" Brooklyn replied.

Galeon started to spin around the edge of the dish, being followed by Zeus as the two did some light, jabbing slams against each other while still going around, Galeon occasionally trying to use its evasiveness to dodge its opponent's strong attack.

"These are some very good defensive manoeuvres from Lee!" Brad said. "He's doing very well at defending himself, but how long will it last?"

"Only time will tell, Brad," AJ replied. "I see one of two things happening here: either Zeus catches up and derails Galeon's escape, or Galeon gets tired and is forced to recover!"

Back at the dish, Brooklyn grinned at his opponent. "You've got one hell of a gas tank, Lee. I can admire that."

Lee smirked. "You're not doing too bad yourself. I'm not tiring you out, am I?"

The BEGA leader chuckled. "Not by a long shot. Zeus, break away from the attack!"

Lee gave a briefly confused look at his opponent, but shrugged. "Stay on him, Galeon!"

"Lee's not letting up out there," Mariah said, a bit worried for her leader. "Do you guys think that he'll be okay?"

"Lee's strong, and smart, but this is pretty risky," Kevin pointed out. "It's possible that Brooklyn could be luring him into a trap, but for the life of me I can't figure out what."

"I have faith in him," said Gary. "Lee wouldn't just rush after Brooklyn unless he had something planned too. He's not being reckless here, I don't think."

"Well, he's sure doing a good job of disguising it," Kevin said, anxiously.

Lee, meanwhile. grunted and panted as he tried to keep up with his opponent. "You're pretty fast..."

Brooklyn smiled. "What was it that you said earlier about me being tired out?"

Lee chuckled. "Don't think that you're out of the woods yet." His eyes then shined a little bit. "You want speed? I'll show you some! Galeon!"

On cue, Lee's mighty black lion bit-beast rose from its beyblade, roaring loudly as the beyblade picked up speed, gaining a massive amount as it chased down Zeus, crashing into it from behind.

"So, you want to play rough?" Brooklyn smirked. "Let's get this on! Zeus!"

"Oh my! Both bladers have called out their bit-beasts!" Brad exclaimed. "This fight is going to go down to the wire!"

"You said it, Brad!" AJ said, as excited as his co-host. "These two are unleashing all the power they have, and they're not even using their final attacks yet! This is about as down and dirty as it gets in beyblading!"

"They're both showing tons of power!" Dizzi said. "Even my circuits are excited about this!"

"The question is who's got the most?" Max asked. "Lee is more tired, but we all know how strong he is. But Brooklyn's almost been baiting him this entire match. Unless Lee has a trick up his sleeve, I don't see this one ending too well for him."

"He can handle this," Ray said, his faith in one of his closest friends not shaken at all. "I know it."

Back at the dish, the two beyblades clashed against each other, causing some rumbling sounds before they both took to the air, staying high and colliding harshly against each other, causing small ripples to activate in the dish and making some rubble from the makeshift moon fly about.

"How about we end this one off?" asked Brooklyn.

"I couldn't agree more!" Lee said. "Galeon, Spiral Lightning attack!"

"Zeus, King Of Darkness!"

Lee's attack began first, and the black lion bit-beast roared loudly as it rushed towards its opponent in time with the Galeon beyblade, black lightning surrounding the bit-beast as it charged after Zeus, the lightning summoned by Galeon flickering forward to attack its strong opponent.

But before the lightning hit it, a black portal opened behind Brooklyn as his own attack started, the darkness from the portal taking shape to reveal the mighty Zeus bit-beast as it roared, the black energy it summoned with it now leaving Brooklyn and surrounding his bit-beast as it charged forwards to attack Galeon viciously, small spheres of darkness spinning around Zeus only to then attack Galeon directly before being followed by a powerful attack from the Zeus beyblade, charging forward while its bit-beast extended its right claw to strike, landing hard and causing Galeon to fly out of the dish.

"Galeon has been knocked out of the dish!" said Boris. "Brooklyn wins, and BEGA will move on to the finals!"

Lee smiled as he picked his beyblade up. "You fought a good battle, Galeon."

Brooklyn called back his own beyblade as he walked over to his opponent. "That was a close move. If my timing was off, you would have had me for sure."

Lee chuckled. "If you hadn't turned the lights out with your final attack, I could have beaten you."

Brooklyn laughed at that before extending a hand. "It was a good match, Lee. You should be proud."

"I am," Lee smiled. "Best of luck in the rest of the tournament."

As Lee walked back to his bench, Ray smiled. "Well, they didn't win, but they fought their asses off."

"You're not mad?" Hilary asked.

"I'm a little sad about it," Ray admitted, "but this doesn't change that we're going to get Boris no matter what. And plus, all the other teams that lost are still sticking around, so maybe it won't be so bad after all."

Boris then spoke up. "Ladies, gentlemen, and bladers, if you'd all make your way over to block two, we'll continue the final battle of the semifinals there."

After he disappeared back into the ground, the Bladebreakers began walking to the hallways so that they could reach their locker room. But before they got to the main part of the hallway that led to block two, Tyson spotted the Barthez Battalion not too far away.

"You going to be okay?" asked Hilary.

Tyson nodded. "Yeah. I just... I need to get my head straight for the next battle. I know that I shouldn't think too much about what's going on, but that's all that I'm doing."

"Well, you need to keep your head clear for the next match," Kai said. "I know that it's something that you don't like hearing, but you have to put your personal issues aside if we're going to have ant chance at stopping Boris."

Tyson sighed, but nodded at his friend. "Yeah. I know."

After this, Tyson continued the walk to block two with the rest of his team, partly excited to get back in the dish and battle again, but also partly worried about if Boris had gone too far with whatever he'd done to the Barthez Battalion. But Tyson ultimately knew that he'd need to keep calm and not let it get to him if he wanted to win. And that was suddenly more important than he'd ever realised.

So, that's another chapter. I'm sorry that this one took so long. Again, personal issues and such, and lots of laziness. But I hope that you enjoyed both battles, since I promised two and I gave you two. Next time, the Bladebreakers take on the Barthez Battalion in the last match of the semifinals. I hope you're all enjoying, and I'll see you all then. Stay tuned.