At the police station...

"Well, here we are, sir," said the driver of the limousine, pulling into the car park of the police station.

"Thank you, Jones," Mr. Dickenson replied kindly. "I'm sorry for all of the work that I've been putting you through today."

"It's no bother, sir. If we are going to stop Boris from doing what he has planned, then I'm glad that I get to share in it in some capacity."

Dickenson chuckled. "You are being of great help."

Jones managed to find a parking spot and slid into it. "I'll wait here for you, sir."

"Ah, that won't be necessary." Dickenson smiled. "Come with me."

"Are you certain?"

The chairman nodded. "Of course. We don't have a whole lot to give them anyway. Just a picture of some tyre tracks and we need to check on the number plate situation. They said that they found a vehicle matching it, but they couldn't give us a good description beyond a simple black van that might have changed it."

"J-A-N-8-0-1," the driver recited. Mr. Dickenson gave him a look before he shrugged. "I thought that it'd be best to remember it. Just in case."

Dickenson smiled. "That's fair. You did a good job of remembering it."

The driver then smiled in return before killing the engine and stepping out of the fancy car, closing and locking the driver's door behind him before going to the passenger section to open the door for Dickenson, who stepped out with a grin.

"Thank you."

Jones smiled back before closing the passenger door, walking after Dickenson as the two made their way to the actual police station itself. Unfortunately, the parking spot that they had found was very far back, so they had a good distance to walk.

"Sorry for the far away spot, sir," Jones apologised.

"Ah, don't be sorry," said Dickenson. "It was the only one available. And plus, the police aren't too busy at the moment, so it's hardly your fault." He then smiled. "You're apologising an awful lot today. Is something the matter?"

Jones seemed hesitant. "It's just that I haven't been doing this for long, sir. And getting to be the driver for somebody like yourself is a true honour. I just don't want to mess things up, especially with things as dire as they are right now."

Dickenson nodded. "I understand your cautiousness, but trust me; there's no need to worry. You've proven to be a valuable ally so far, and you haven't let me down since you started driving for me."

The driver smiled at that. "Thank you, sir." He then had a pause. "I do remember you saying something about having the photo of the tracks sent up here. Why not have had me do it?"

Dickenson shrugged. "You'd been through more than enough last night. Not to mention that it was quite late anyway, and stressful with Kenny having been kidnapped and all."

Jones nodded. "So, what's this about the number plates?"

"Well, there's a very good chance that whoever did this could have changed them since then," Dickenson said, thoughtful.

"We know who did it," Jones pointed out. "It was Boris. He used his technology to brainwash those Saint Shields kids into doing it."

"What I meant was that, even though we know who did it and why there doing it, we don't know where. That's the main issue that we need to resolve."

Jones nodded at that, understanding his boss as the two made it to the police station, walking in and being greeted by the desk sergeant who spoke to them with a droning, bored tone.

"How may I help you?" he asked them.

"We're here to visit the evidence room," said Dickenson.

"Oh, you're the guys from last time," the sergeant said. "Yeah, go ahead. Left corridor, fourth door on the left."

"Thank you," Dickenson said with a small smile.

He and Jones followed the directions of the desk sergeant, and despite having only been at the police station the other day, they did appreciate the extra help with the directions as the station was huge and new to the both of them.

They get greeted by one of the officers as they walk in. "Ah, Dickenson, good to see you," he said, walking up to the chairman to shake his hand.

"Officer Paulsen, good to see you," the older man replied, shaking in return.

"You as well." He then noticed the man next to Dickenson. "Who's he?"

"This is Jones, my driver. And yes, he knows about this already."

Paulsen nodded. "So, what's the issue? Come to check the number plates again?"

"That and something else," said Dickenson, reaching into his pocket to pull the photograph from it. "I took a picture of these tyre tracks last night when one of my team's members got kidnapped."

Paulsen took the photo. "Hmm..."

"Do you think that it could be linked to the plates?" asked Jones.

"That's something that we still don't know," the officer said, taking the photograph from Dickenson. "We've found no links to the plates so far, which means that they've been changed." Paulsen sighed. "I wish that I could give you guys more than just a random black van. I should have known that the bad guys would have been smart enough to change it up..."

Dickenson gave a reassuring smile to his friend. "Don't worry. With the tyre tracks, hopefully you can narrow it down a little bit better."

"Where were they taken?"

"It was dark, so quite hard to tell," Dickenson says. "But it was at least five miles west of the Golden Locket hotel."

"Ah, I know that place." Paulsen smiles. "All right, I'll get on it as soon as I can."

"Thank you for your help," Dickenson smiled.

Paulsen nodded, then had a thought which he chose to voice out. "Did you maybe want to hang around to watch the match?"

"We've got front row seats waiting for us," Dickenson chuckled. "No doubt that the first match is over now."

"Who won it?" Jones asked.

Paulsen smiled. "Ray did. It was between him and Garland. Close fight, and very exciting. Next up is Max against Crusher."

"We shall try to make it back fast," Dickenson nodded, extending a hand to the police officer. "Thank you once more."

Paulsen shook the chairman's hand. "It's no problem. We'll give you a call as soon as we find anything."

Dickenson and Jones then turned on their heels and left the evidence room, making their way out of the police station and walking back to their limousine in silence, Jones getting to the front and starting it up.

"Let's get going as soon as we can," said Dickenson. "I want to help them out quickly."

As the limousine pulled away from its spot and turned to make its way out of the police station's parking lot, a cloaked figure stood nearby a wall across the street from the police station, using it as cover as he noticed the limousine pass.

When it finally did, the figure put a finger close to his ear. "I tailed them. They stopped at the police station for... I'd say, ten minutes. Then they left."

"They must be on their way back to the stadium," Barthez's voice said on the other end. "Good job again, Ozuma. That tracker that you planted is helping greatly."

"Is there anything else, sir?" Ozuma asked as a black van pulled up in front of him.

"Your job is done for now. There should be a van there to bring you back."

"It's here. I'll be on my way."

Ozuma and Barthez then both hanged up before the Saint Shields leader walked up to the van and hopped in the back, sitting down as he was taken back to the base, scratching the back of his head as he waited.

Back at the bey-stadium...

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the final match of this beyblading tournament!" Brad said from the booth. "We're about to get under way with our second match, this one between Max from the Bladebreakers and Crusher from Team BEGA!"

"This will be a good one, Brad!" AJ replied. "Max's defensive style is his bread and butter, and it has served him well in the tournament thus far! But will that be enough for Crusher's much more aggressive, pressuring style?"

"And that's not to mention their bit-beasts!" Brad spoke. "Max's mighty Draciel always provides that extra shell of defence and a big power boost when Max needs it the most!"

"But Crusher's Gigars is one of the most fearsome on the battlefield!" AJ added. "Its Demolition Axe attack is deadly, and if Max isn't careful, he could feel the blade at the worst time!"

'Okay, Max... you can do this...' the blond blader said in his head. 'He's a big guy, and he's tough to beat, but... I can handle it. On the bright side, he's a nice person at least. Doesn't mean that he'll go easy on me...'

"Let's get a look at our dish for today's battle!" said Brad. "What is up for this match, AJ?"

"This one is the desert dish!" AJ replied. "Whatever happens out there, our bladers are going to have to keep an eye out for a sandstorm, or worse, a mirage!"

"Bladers, are you ready?" Boris called. "3... 2... 1... LET IT RIP!"

"Go get him, Draciel!" Max shouted, firing his blade.

"You've got this, Gigars!" said Crusher, launching.

Both blades skittered along the dusty planes of the dish, with both competitors noticing how their blades were slightly slanted and wobbly from the soft ground beneath them. Regardless, they carried on, soon meeting in the middle with a hard smash.

"They're getting right into it!" Brad said. "Maybe Max is trying to use the more offensive strategy that he did with Mystel when the Bladebreakers and BEGA first fought in a tournament fight!"

"It doesn't seem like it to me, Brad!" AJ replied. "Max thrives on turning his opponent's pressure and power against them! I think that he's just trying to use that strategy early on to get a quick victory!"

"But why would he do that?" Daichi asked from his bench, hearing the voices of the two announcers coming out of the speakers. "Max is used to waiting them out. He's not above the thrill of the fight, sure, but he usually holds back a bit more."

"Eh, he knows what he's doing," Hilary said. "Just because he's playing a bit more aggressive doesn't mean that he's ditched who he is. And besides, if anything, it'll make the match a lot more interesting."

"Hilary's right," Ray said. "It's not above Max to do something out of the ordinary. I mean, the dude puts mustard on almost everything he eats, and he's the only guy that I know that uses a specifically defensive blading style. How many other bladers do you know that can pull that off and still be successful?"

Daichi chuckled and shrugged. "Point taken."

Back at the match, Max and Crusher were blading rather aggressively before Crusher made Gigars push forward in its attack, causing Draciel to spin around to its opponent's side and deliver a hard hit from there, knocking Gigars into a nearby sand dune.

"That's the way, Draciel!" Max said. "Don't let up!"

"Come on, Gigars! Hold your ground!" Crusher growled.

Draciel kept up its attack on Gigars, pinning it against the sand dune as it spun around left and right, delivering hard shots on Gigars before breaking away and moving a few feet back, remaining still.

"Huh?" Crusher was confused. "Why aren't you still attacking?"

"My attack is done," Max shrugged. "It's your turn now. Come on."

"What could Max be up to?" Ming-Ming asked. "This is odd..."

"He's trying to bait Crusher," Garland said. "Max wants to make this his fight, and he's willing to take a big risk to do it."

Crusher smiled. "Are you sure? You'd be making that my fight if things go wrong for you. Which they will."

Max just smiled. "Well, come on, then. You're a big guy. Let's see how much pressure you can handle."

Crusher commanded Gigars to attack, and both it and Draciel collided again, the sand of the dish no longer a concern now that they had both gotten used to it, actually using it as decent ground to hold as they ground before both broke away.

Max took the opportunity of the separation, willing Draciel to go on the offensive once more, attacking Gigars with a hard slam before backing away, the blond blader giving himself a chance to recuperate.

"Looks like Max is taking a breather here!" Brad said. "But would it be wise of Crusher to attack considering how much pressure he's been under thus far?"

"Well, if there's one thing that I can say about Crusher, it's that he's a very tough blader!" AJ replied. "If there were ever a change to attack, now would be it! He just has to be careful that Max doesn't pull him into another trap like earlier!"

"Go, Gigars!" Crusher bellowed. "We can't give this fight up! Keep the pressure on him!"

Max smiled and waited, spreading his arms out as Draciel stood its ground, waiting for the attack before it struck, the turtle beyblade holding its ground well against its enemy as a harsh grinding battle ensued.

"Keep pushing!" Crusher said.

Max, whose arms had moved from their spread out position to crossing over his chest, suddenly realised Crusher's game-plan. "Draciel, keep holding on! Stand your ground, and don't give him an inch!"

"Do you think that Max can keep this hold?" asked Ray.

"Let's hope so," Tyson replied. "I mean, you fought Crusher, and that fight was much more aggressive than this one. Doesn't make this one any different in the long run, but."

"I get what you mean," Ray nodded. "I can only hope that Max can take it. I remember how tough my fight with Crusher was. It was close, but it was tough blading against someone as strong as him."

Back at the match, the two blades in the battle had broken away from each other for a bit before clashing again, slamming against each other several times before Gigars struck fast, grinding into Draciel a bit before pushing it away with a forceful hit.

"Grr..." Max growled, holding his left arm. "That one hurt a little bit... I'd better keep my guard up..."

"Like you should have been doing this whole fight?" Crusher said, panting a bit.

Max smirked. "Don't you think that I've been my usual defensive self?"

"From time to time, sure," Crusher agreed. "But from time to time isn't your best strength or strategy. Defence all the time, pressure, and intelligence? That's where you're at your strongest. And that's how I'd like to battle with you."

"You want my best?" Max stood his ground. "Come and get it!"

"With pleasure." Crusher raised a fist. "Gigars, attack!"

Both blades sped towards each other without any signs of stopping, spinning fast enough that they both caused sand to kick up as they met in the middle of the dish again, clashing and grinding roughly against each other, kicking up even more sand which forced the bladers to shield their eyes.

"This battle's really starting to chafe!" said Brad. "I can't sand it when it gets in my eyes!"

"Stop with the puns, Brad!" AJ replied. "It's got to be a real itch to get it in your clothes, though! Luckily, it's only our bladers that have to worry about that!"

"Come on, Max! Focus!" said Tyson. "You can't take this kind of fight with Crusher for much longer!"

"You're not doubting him, are you?" asked Kai.

"Not even close," Tyson replied. "But he's going to get, for lack of a better term, crushed if he keeps this up!" The champion then took a breather. "Do you think that he's done enough to wear Crusher out?"

Kai shrugged. "I guess that we're just going to have to find out."

Back in the battle, the two beyblades had broken apart before hopping up on a nearby sand dune, colliding with each other once more, slam after slam connecting and causing shock-waves to emit, making the sandy platform beneath them begin to crumble.

But that didn't deter either blader as they both moved to the next dune while the previous one crumbled into sand, the two blades landing hits on each other as they moved, causing both to bounce back before the met once more on the dune, Gigars being the first to strike with a heavy slam.

Max grunted from the blow, but stepped forward and silently commanded Draciel to keep up its own offence, both beyblades remaining in the crossfire of the battle before the dune beneath them began to crumble, much like the previous one. This time, however, both blades stayed atop it before, at the last second, they both dealt a heavy slam, causing both blades to be sent close to where their bladers were, still spinning in the dish.

"Well... I'm impressed..." Crusher said, panting heavily. "You said that you'd show me your best, and that's exactly what you're doing..."

"And here I was... thinking that I'd... disappointed you..." Max panted, chuckling lightly.

"You want to keep me from being disappointed?" Crusher smiled. "Hit me with everything you've got! Come on!"

"You'd better be ready to dish out what you're about to take!" Max replied. "Draciel, Aqua Shield! Finish this!"

Draciel arose from its beyblade with a low, grumbling roar covering the blade and the dish in water, melting the sand away into mud before the force of the currents evaporated it completely as the water itself soon closed around Gigars before rising up to form a huge tsunami, capturing Crusher's beyblade within it as Draciel joined it on the waves.

"We've got to get out of this, Gigars!" Crusher called. "Demolition Axe attack!"

Gigars arose from its own beyblade, roaring with all four of its arms raised up as its roar called up a pillar of earth from under what little sand remained before Gigars wrapped all four of its demonic hands around it, pulling it out of the ground into its axe form, swinging it towards Draciel through the waves.

"Here it comes!" said Brad from the booth. "This could be close!"

Both blades, the full force of their attacks behind them, collided in the middle of the dish, the four-armed demon beyblade surrounded by red energy, and the purple turtle beyblade surrounded by water as their clash happened.

After the waves of Max's attack had finally subsided, splashing water over both bladers, Gigars was seen still spinning in the middle of the dish, the bit-beast now no longer there as the blade wobbled a little from the huge impact that it took from Draciel's attack.

"There's Gigars, but where's Draciel?" asked AJ.

Max looked around for his own beyblade before seeing it between his feet, damaged badly as it rested upside down, the bit-beast having clearly disappeared back inside, much like Gigars had earlier.

"Draciel has been knocked out of the dish!" Boris announced. "Crusher wins, and match two goes to Team BEGA!"

Crusher picked his blade up from the dish before walking over to Max. "Don't feel bad about losing, do you?"

Max shook his head as he picked up his own blade, smiling at his victor. "Not at all." He reached his other hand to shake Crusher's. "It was an honour to battle you, Crusher."

"Likewise, Max," Crusher replied, breaking the grip of the handshake before both bladers walked back to their benches.

The blond blader smiled as he sat down. "All things considered, I think that I fought well."

"You fought like you always do, which is awesome," Tyson smiled. "Nothing to be mad about in that battle."

Max chuckled, then his expression sobered as he heard the sound of the screen's whirring as it selected its final two combatants to engage in the last battle of the tournament, Boris waiting eagerly before the two squares finally settled.

"Our final match is... Tyson from the Bladebreakers against Brooklyn from Team BEGA!" Boris called.

"Wow..." said Ray. "I mean, I was kind of expecting it, but..."

"He'll be fine," Kenny said.

"Yeah," Tyson shrugged as he stood up. "I can beat Brooklyn. It'll be one hell of an uphill battle, but... I know that I can do it."

Hilary then stood up with him, turning him to face and kissing his lips softly before pulling back. "That's for good luck..." she said with a blush.

"I might need all the luck that I can get," Tyson winked. "Thanks."

"I love you," his girlfriend said, her face clearing up from the blush as she spoke, honesty heavy in her tone.

"I love you too," Tyson replied, with just as much honesty as Hilary.

The champion then turned his attention to the dish, walking towards it as the crowd cheered loudly for him, wanting to see the champion live up to his reputation. Brooklyn's introduction was no different, however, as the cheering was just as loud for him, if not even more so as both bladers reached the dish.

'Well...' Tyson said in his head, 'here goes nothing...'

And that's another chapter done! I hope that you all enjoyed it. I also wanted to ask you for your opinion on having more story elements in these more battle-heavy chapters, because I'm having a lot of fun adding them in along with the battles themselves. Anyway, enough of my ramblings and so on. I'll see you all in the next chapter, whenever that may be. Until then, take care, and as always, stay tuned.