After that day, Aichi went to the mountains every weekend with Xander picking him up at the station every Saturday. The Saturday before the tournament, Aichi was preparing his things to practice over the weekend and Shu was helping him. "Shu, can you come with me this week…?" Aichi asked shyly.
"It won't be fair if I went to another team's practice," Shu responded. Aichi looked down sadly and pouted as if he was ruthlessly abandoned. "Hey, don't make that face," Shu said with a sigh. Aichi simply looked down and held onto his backpack strap and walked to the door.
"Not going to say goodbye to me?" Shu coaxed with a smile while seeing Aichi walk away. He saw Aichi fighting himself, but it was to no avail. Aichi ran back and hugged Shu tightly. He smiled and brushed Aichi's head. "I'll take you to the station." Aichi nodded his head.
Shu took Aichi's hand and walked to the door. His mom went on another business trip, so he would be alone for the weekend.
When they got to the station, they noticed that Xander wasn't there. "Where is Xander?" Shu wondered while looking around. Aichi sat on a bench worriedly as he walked around looking.
Shu sighed as the train pulled up at the station. "I'll take you today," he said before holding his hand out for Aichi.
"Okay… thank you, Shu," Aichi thanked him happily. He took Shu's hand and they walked to the pay gates. They got inside of the train together and found a seat.
Aichi sat on a seat to the right of Shu holding his backpack in his arms. All he did was look at Shu's shoulder. "What are you looking at?" He asked while ruffling Aichi's hair.
"Shu, you haven't been training too much while I am not there right? Your shoulder hasn't healed completely yet…" Aichi said sadly. He held his backpack tightly.
"I'll have the doctor check on me again today. You'll hear the answer yourself," Shu said with a smile. Aichi nodded and sank his head into his backpack.
They soon made it to the mountain area. Aichi had fallen asleep and was leaning on Shu's shoulder. "Aichi, wake up. We're here," Shu said. There wasn't much time before the train left the station so he sighed and lifted Aichi up. "Aichi… when did you get this heavy…" luckily, Xander saw them and ran over.
"Shu! Sorry, something came up so I couldn't pick him up!" Xander apologized before taking Aichi off of Shu's arms and into his own. "He never looked tired whenever I took him here. He is usually alert, sometimes nervous while on the train."
Aichi was in a deep sleep and didn't look like he would wake up at all. "Really? He fell asleep a few minutes after we got on," Shu asked while looking at Aichi.
"He must feel really safe around you," Xander answered before they began climbing up the mountain. "So you're going to stick around and train here?"
"I promised him that I'll have a check up today. So I was hoping that grandpa Xanderdera would have time to do that for me…" Shu responded while holding his shoulder.
"Sure thing! Even if there was a long line, you can cut it any time!" Xander answered before speeding up. Shu followed along easily and Aichi was asleep the entire way.
When they reached the doctor's house, they placed Aichi on the couch for him to sleep. "Good morning, Grandpa Xanderdera," Shu greeted politely.
"Shu, I don't believe I called you in today," he responded.
"I came here to drop off Aichi, I was hoping you can check up on me while I'm here," Shu said.
"It should be quick," he answered.
"Can you check on Aichi first? He seemed to be very tired today," Shu requested.
The doctor turned to Aichi and conducted a checkup on him. "There does not seem to be anything out of the ordinary," he commented.
"But he is usually a really light sleeper, but he has been asleep even after calling and shaking him," Shu informed him.
"It may be fatigue. Has he been sleeping well recently?" The doctor asked him.
"Yes… to my knowledge," Shu answered truthfully. He should know since he sleeps beside him every night.
Suddenly, Aichi began groaning in his sleep. "Shu… don't leave me…" he muttered in his sleep while turning his body.
"He has been getting some nightmares again…" Shu muttered while holding Aichi's hand. "I think it is the same nightmare."
"Is it possible that Aichi gets premonitions?" The doctor asked him while looking at Aichi.
"It is possible… but his dream… if it's a premonition that means…" Shu muttered while brushing Aichi's cheek with his finger.
"What's up, Shu?" Xander asked him.
"It's nothing… let's not wake him up. If that's okay for your team practice," Shu responded
"Little Aichi has been working harder than anyone, it should be fine to let him skip today," Xander said before walking out the door.
"Let's check that shoulder of yours," the doctor said. Shu gently let go of Aichi's hand which made him shuffle a little, looking uncomfortable.
Shu made sure he was okay before walking over to the bed area where the doctor looked at his shoulder. "It is almost fully recovered, but if you want to be at 100% for the solo tournament, you should take it easy on the team tournament," the doctor informed him.
Meanwhile in Aichi's head, little Aichi was sitting in front of the sealed older self. Soon Blaster Blade appeared and knelt down behind him. "Blaster Blade… what are those dreams I keep having? Why do I always see Shu like that?" He asked him.
"I believe you are having visions of the future. Your other self gets those quite often," Blaster Blade answered.
"But Shu will never be like that… Shu is a nice person," Aichi responded with confidence.
"For you to get this premonition so frequently… it must be a warning of danger in the future. Please be careful, my Vanguard."
Aichi nodded and looked down. "If that will happen if I stay… should I leave for Shu's own good…?" He asked himself sadly.
"The future is not set in stone, my Vanguard. I am sure your presence here is of great benefit to Shu Kurenai," Blaster Blade assured him. Aichi nodded slowly and looked up at his older self. "I can suppress the premonitions, but if you see this specific one so often, please be careful moving forward."
"Can you do that for me, Blaster Blade? I feel like Shu is really worried about me…" Aichi agreed.
"As you wish, my Vanguard." The seal glowed and the older Aichi's astral spirit descended in front of his younger self.
Blaster Blade lowered his head in respect for the older Aichi. "How is everything?" He asked his younger self with a smile.
"Great… but I keep having this dream…"
Aichi's eyes were very gentle and he put his hand on his younger's cheek. "There is nothing to be afraid of… you don't need to worry. I will make sure nothing hurts you," he responded.
The younger Aichi nodded as he turned to Blaster Blade. "Thank you for everything, Blaster Blade. I am sure you have many responsibilities in Cray, but I kept you here."
"That is not a problem, my Vanguard," Blaster Blade answered with his head down.
"Stop kneeling and look up. I told you many times before," Aichi said with a smile. Blaster Blade looked up to see his vanguard smiling at him brightly. "I will go back now. Shu must be worried about you."
Aichi turned to his sealed form and merged back into the seal. The light was so illuminating and Aichi found himself lying on a bench. He turned to see Shu practicing his launch. "Shu…" he muttered while looking up at him. He didn't want to distract him because he looked so focused.
After a while, Shu decided to take a break and wiped off his sweat. He turned to Aichi so that he could check up on him and found that he was awake already. "How are you feeling?" Shu asked him.
"Just a bit tired… I missed practice…" Aichi answered drowsily.
"Xander said that you should rest for today. We could stay over for the night if we want to," Shu said with a smile. Aichi nodded and was soothed by Shu brushing his cheek with his hand. "You can sleep some more if you're tired."
The next morning, Shu woke up early like he usually did and found Aichi still sleeping. When he gently released Aichi, his eyes fluttered open. "Did I wake you up?" Shu asked him gently.
Aichi shook his head. "I woke up a while ago," he answered. "Are you going to stay here for today too, Shu?"
"I guess I can. I'll be training on the other side of the dojo since it wouldn't be right for me to watch your team's training regiment," Shu informed him while brushing his hair. They got changed together and Shu first dropped off Aichi at the main training room.
"Little Aichi, you are awake! Are you feeling better?" Xander exclaimed while leaning down with a smile. Aichi nodded with a smile.
"I will leave him in your care," Shu said while pushing Aichi forward, but he didn't let go of his shirt. "You already missed a day of training, I'll just be over there."
Aichi looked up at Shu and let him go. When he did, there were wheel sounds and someone jumped through the entrance on a skateboard. "Oh! Limon, you're finally decided to come back for a visit?" Xander asked the boy that just rolled in.
"I will get going now. If you need anything, just come to me," Shu said before turning to the exit. Aichi looked quite sad as Shu left.
"Limon, let me introduce you to Shu's little brother, Aichi. He is our fifth member," Xander informed him while putting his arm around Aichi's shoulders.
Aichi bowed his head in respect. "I never knew Shu Kurenai had a brother," Limon said while taking off his skateboard gear.
"Well, here he is. He is pretty good too," Xander said. "You made it to the solo competition, so are you joining the team competition?"
"I made a team with some friends that I met at other dojos. I just came by to say hi," Limon answered him. Aichi stuck near Xander since he felt the most comfortable near him with Shu gone. Ibuki moved behind Aichi quietly and tried to talk to him with a smile.
"Aichi, let's have a battle," Ibuki requested. Aichi was startled since he didn't realize that he was there. He had jumped to Xander and held onto his shirt. "Don't be scared, I didn't mean to sneak up on you!"
Aichi nodded and pulled out his launcher and beyblade. They walked to a stadium and took their stance. Aichi had a very similar stance as Shu. "3! 2! 1! Let it rip!"
Both of them shot their beyblades. Although Aichi's launch was quite solid now, he was lacking strength. Luckily, Blaster Blade makes up for it and everyone noticed Blaster Blade rapidly rotating quicker and quicker.
Meanwhile, Shu was training by himself in a stadium outside of the main training building. While he was practicing, he noticed a shadow. He turned and saw a man standing there, watching him. He was wearing some strange clothes and a mask. "Shu Kurenai, what an honour to meet you," the man said while approaching him.
"Who are you?" Shu asked him while picking up his beyblade.
"I am here concerning your little brother… I was wondering if you were interested in my proposal… if successful, that boy can stay by your side forever," the man explained to him while holding his hands out.
Shu turned back to the stadium. "That won't be necessary," he responded before launching his beyblade again.
"That is a pity. I am afraid you may never see him ever again after he leaves. My proposal is an offer for you to gain strength as well," the man said before holding up a card. "Give me a call if you change your mind." He threw the card and it was stuck on the ground beside Shu.
The man disappeared and Shu picked up the card curiously. "Theodore Glass, manager of the Raging Bull…" he read from the card.
"Shu!" A voice called. Shu put the business card in his pocket and turned to the direction of the voice. It was Aichi and he was running to him happily.
"Aichi, you can't be done training already, are you?" Shu said while holding onto Aichi when he hugged him.
"I did a special launch just now! I want to show it to you!" Aichi cheered with a smile.
"Sure," Shu said with a smile. Aichi let go and ran to the stadium that Shu was training on. He noticed the angle of the launcher and knew what it was. When Aichi shot it, it had the movements of a rush launch.
"Shu, is it good?" Aichi asked him excitedly.
"Yes, you improved so quickly," Shu responded while patting his head. "A very well executed rush launch. Valt uses that launch too."
"Hey, I was wondering where little Aichi ran off to. Looks like he wanted to show his new move to you the second he got it," Xander commented while walking to them. Aichi smiled and hugged onto Shu.
"I never got to thank you for taking care of him, Xander. So thank you," Shu thanked him while putting his hand on Aichi's shoulder.
"Hey, I already told you! Your brother is my brother!" Xander responded. Aichi smiled softly before he was lifted off his feet. "Okay, little Aichi. We better go back to training, there is no slacking while you are on this team!"
Aichi turned to Shu and waved. When they left, he pulled out the business card again. "He can be with me and his other self can return to his own world…" he thought to himself while gripping onto the business card tightly.
Some time passed and it was soon time for the team event to begin. Aichi and Shu reached the arena together. "Let's find Xander first, I'll find my team after dropping you off with him," Shu said. He was holding Aichi's hand who looked very nervous.
"Shu… what if I'm not ready…? I don't know if I can battle with the crowd there…" Aichi muttered while walking with Shu.
"You will be okay, Aichi. This is your first tournament, so just do your best," Shu responded while looking around the area.
"Shu! Right here!" A voice called. They turned and saw Valt yelling and waving at him. Shu was pretty tall in the crowd so he was easy to spot. Aichi looked up at Shu, who sighed and walked to Valt.
"Valt, I need to bring Aichi to his team first," Shu informed him when he got out of the crowd. He was hugging onto Aichi who almost got squished in there.
"The little guy is in a team?!" Kiyama asked him, surprised. He did notice Aichi had all of his Beyblading equipment with him.
"That's right, have you seen Xander?" Shu asked them.
"Xander? He told me that all the team leaders needed to gather at the stadium early, so he went backstage already," Valt answered before noticing something. Everyone held their heads looking very disappointed. "I need to go!" He began running to the backstage door. "Let me through!"
"Unbelievable…" Shu said with a sigh. Aichi smiled and laughed awkwardly.
"Shu, Xander told us to pick up Aichi. He waited for a little while, but he had to go to the leader meeting," a voice called. They saw Team Sword Flames walking to them.
"Sorry we came a little late," Shu apologized to them before letting go of Aichi's hand. Aichi moved to his own team.
"He is in Team Sword Flames?!" Kiyama exclaimed. Aichi looked worried and turned to Shu.
"Yeah, he has been training every weekend at the dojo," Shu answered. Diana looked at Aichi who only watched Shu.
"Since it is the opening ceremony, our teams should sit together," Diana suggested while looking at Shu who turned to Aichi.
"Let's go," Shu said. Aichi nodded with a smile before they walked inside.
Shu and Aichi sat together. Everyone was waiting for the opening ceremonies to begin. He was startled when two puppets appeared beside his head and moved around. "Keru, Besu…!" He said with a smile. They turned to see Ken sitting there.
"Midorikawa, so you came after all," Shu said.
"We would not miss out on this!" Keru shouted out.
"We are on Team Beast," Besu said with excitement. "Are you here to cheer on Shu, Aichi?"
Aichi blushed and shied up. "I am here to participate as well…" he said.
"Really? You must have worked hard training for this," Besu said while patting Aichi's head. Ken knew that he was more comfortable talking to Besu than Keru.
"He is in Team Sword Flames and he worked hard to get stronger," Shu said with a smile.
"Hello, everybody! Can you believe it?! The day every Beyblader dreams about is finally here! The National Tournament! All Bey loving fans, let's hit the battle field! Coming up shortly, the team battle! 16 teams selected from across the nation! Each of these teams are made up of bladers that have won a regional tournament or district tournaments! What about it, crowd?! Can we get some cheers for these teams?!"
The crowd began cheering very loudly which made Aichi notice exactly how many people would be watching. He held onto Shu looking kind of sick. "Aichi… don't be nervous. Just battle like you always have, you want to battle me when our teams meet right?" Shu said while brushing Aichi's head.
Aichi gulped and nodded. "I am going to the restroom…" he said before getting up from his seat. He really didn't look well.
"I'll come with you," Shu said before standing up too.
"No… I will be okay. Valt may need your support," Aichi responded before walking off. Shu reached out for him, but he followed what he said.
"I'll go and make sure he is okay," Besu said before following Aichi.
Ken saw Aichi run into a stall and close the door. Then a bright blinding light came out of it. "What happened this time…?" A voice muttered from the stall. The voice was much deeper than Aichi's which concerned Ken.
Ken decided to knock on the door. "Aichi… are you okay?" Besu asked him. Inside the stall, the older Aichi saw a sock puppet stick its head through the opening under the stall door.
"What do I do?" He asked himself nervously. He coughed a little and tried to use a higher voice to speak. "I am just feeling a little sick…" he muttered trying to like his other self.
"Your voice is different… Do you have a fever or anything? Should I call Shu to come here?" Besu asked him.
Aichi held his head and thought about what to do next. He didn't even know what happened. "No… I'll be okay soon… You can go back…" he responded.
"Okay…" Besu said before moving away from the door. He heard footsteps walking out of the washroom. Aichi took a breath before opening the door. He looked around to make sure no one was there. All the stall doors were open and there was no one inside, so he decided to begin asking.
"Blaster Blade, what happened?" Aichi asked him while washing his hands.
"Your other soul felt quite nauseous and requested to swap places with you," Blaster Blade answered while Aichi walked out of the washroom.
Aichi sighed and held his head. "You really do need to comfort him more. Just treat him like-" he began saying before seeing the familiar sock puppet right outside of the washroom entrance. He looked at the boy who looked very surprised.
"I believe this boy knows your other self," Blaster Blade said. Those words made Aichi feel very nervous.
"Hello…" Aichi greeted nervously. "Before you say anything, I know it is a surprise, but let me explain it to you." There were some people in the hall, so he didn't feel too comfortable talking about it right now.
"You don't need to explain anything. You and Shu probably kept it a secret for a reason," Besu said.
Aichi smiled and nodded. "There is a reason. Thank you for understanding," he said. "Now, I was wondering where Shu Kurenai is."
"He is in the stadium. You were feeling sick, but Shu had to cheer on Valt, so I came to make sure you were feeling okay," Besu explained to him.
"Okay. You should go back, I am sorry for causing an inconvenience to you," Aichi responded.
"You should come too!" Keru said. Aichi sighed and followed him to the stadium. There was a large applause when they walked inside.
"I'll just wait here," Aichi said. Ken nodded before walking back to his seat.
"Midorikawa, how is he doing?" Shu asked him after seeing him come back. Besu and Keru both pointed at Aichi who was leaning against the wall. Aichi had a serious expression as he watched the opening ceremonies. Shu looked at him with concern since it was a matter of time before all the captains moved to the bleachers.
"I am going to see how he is doing," Shu said before getting up from his seat. Aichi looked quite focused, but in reality he was just in his mindspace.
"What is wrong?" He asked his other self. The little one was curled up in the corner, so he just sat beside him. "Are you nervous from the big crowd?" The little one flinched and sank his head down.
"I can't do it… there are too many people…" The little one muttered. "Can you battle in my place?"
Aichi smiled awkwardly and held up his hand. A image appeared in front of them with the little one's photo. "That is not me. You are the one that has been battling this entire time. You are much better than me right now."
"I can't do it…"
"What are we going to tell Shu? He knows you better than anyone, he will notice instantly," Aichi said. It wasn't like anyone couldn't notice anyway. "I know it is scary with a crowd, but all you need to do is believe in yourself. When you are nervous, just look for Shu, he will always be there to cheer you on. And if that isn't enough, just remember that you are never fighting alone."
The little one looked up. Blaster Blade was kneeling in front of him and Aichi was smiling brightly. "Look, Shu is worried for you. We should swap back," he said after seeing Shu come into their line of vision. The little one nodded before Aichi returned to reality.
"Shu, I should thank you again for taking care of him again," Aichi said with a smile.
"No… I am sorry to have to bother you again," Shu responded while scratching his head. They both laughed.
"I will quickly switch back. I think it might cause some problems if I stay any longer," Aichi said before exiting the stadium. He found an isolated area and changed back into his other self.
Aichi ran to the stadium and saw Shu waiting there for him. "Let's go. They are announcing the first match soon," Shu said while holding onto his hand. Aichi looked up and nodded as they walked to their seats. Valt and Xander were already sitting there, but Ken had left.
"Shu, Aichi, you're back from the washroom?" Xander asked them before lifting up Aichi and having him sit on his lap since he took Aichi's seat. He looked incredibly tiny compared to Xander.
"It is time to see who is going to be the first teams to battle!" The screen changed and the Beigoma Academy Bey Club symbol appeared on the screen. All the members' faces appeared as well.
"That is us!" Valt shouted. His sudden jump made everybody laugh.
"Good luck," Aichi said to Shu.
"Thank you," Shu responded while patting his head.
"Now the team that will be facing the Beigoma Academy Bey Club will be… Team Ice Blaze led by Quon Limon!"
"What luck… going against Quon in the first match," Xander commented.
"Xander, he's been pretty nervous since this morning. I'll leave him to you," Shu said. He was worried that he would get sick from nervousness again.
"You don't need to worry about him, Shu. Just get down there and do your best," Xander responded. Aichi waved as the team left. "I was thinking of putting you in today, Aichi. I think you should get some practice before you face off with Shu."
Aichi gulped before nodding. He knew he needed more practice to battle Shu. "I will get stronger!" Aichi said to himself. He watched as Shu entered the arena. He looked so serious with an intimidating stare. It has been a while since he saw him like that.
"I must build that too…" Aichi thought with a nod.
Valt's team won quite easily after throwing the first match and soon returned back to their seats. "Shu, you were amazing!" Aichi commented with enthusiasm.
"Thank you," Shu thanked him with a smile before sitting on the seat beside him and Xander. After watching the next match with Ken's team winning, it was soon time for Aichi's turn. "Good luck," Shu said while patting Aichi's head. Aichi nodded before following Xander and the rest of the team.
"Introducing Team Sword Flames! The team is led by one of the spin emperors, Xander Shakadera!" The team walked into the stadium in one unit. Aichi was beside Xander holding his BeyLogger close to him. It was a stressful blur until he heard his name being called.
"Aichi! You're going to be up first, okay?" Xander asked him seriously. Aichi nodded with a gulp. He, Xander and Ibuki registered for the match.
Aichi stepped forward for the first battle. "Wow! I have never seen that beyblade before!" The crowd exclaimed. Aichi immediately knew they were talking about him.
"Don't be scared," he reminded himself. He looked at where Shu was and saw that he nodded to him with his arms crossed. He took a breath and his eyes changed. When his opponent reached the field, he saw Aichi's piercing gaze.
"Looks like there is nothing for us to worry about after all," Xander said after seeing Aichi with such a look. Everyone noticed how Aichi took the same position as Shu.
"Ready! Set! 3! 2! 1! Let it rip!" Blaster Blade spun incredibly fast and only got faster. It was a rush launch and Blaster Blade was relentlessly attacking his opponent. Soon his opponent burst from the sheer amount of strain from the contacts. "The winner with a burst finish, Blaster Blade!"
"Wow! That is one powerful beyblade! It seems someone has been learning from Shu Kurenai himself!" The mc shouted. The screen changed to a camera angled at Shu who was smiling with his arms crossed.
"You did great, little Aichi!" Xander complimented while lifting Aichi up in the air high. "I can't be out-shined by you, so I will take the next battle."
Xander easily destroyed his opponent and Team Sword Flames moved on to the next round with two burst finishes. "Before the next match, I am here with Shu Kurenai for an interview," the mc announced. He was in the stands holding a microphone in front of Shu. "So Shu, what do you think of Team Sword Flames' performance? They will be your team's opponent in the next round."
"They have many talented bladers, but we will be able to pull through on top," Shu said. Aichi looked at him from below.
"What is your relationship with the boy in the first battle? You two seemed to have trained together."
Shu looked down at Aichi with a smile. "He is my little brother, so it would make sense to have our similarities," he answered with a warm expression.
"It seems your family produces talent. Thank you for doing this interview with me. I can't wait to see you battle in the next round."
"Thank you," Shu thanked him. There was a muscular boy watching Aichi with interest from the stands.
"Shu Kurenai's little brother…?" The boy thought to himself.
"Aichi, it's time to go," Xander said. Aichi turned away from Shu and nodded. "Don't you think it is better if you get to see him up close?" He lifted Aichi up and had him sit on his shoulder.
"Seriously, Shu… when did the kid get so good?" Kiyama asked him.
"He did a lot of training," Shu answered.
"We might be in a lot of trouble next match. Aichi is incredibly strong now. Shu, if you were to battle him right now, do you think you'll be able to win?" Daina asked him.
"I don't know. We agreed not to battle each other until the team tournament is over. However, I know how powerful Blaster Blade is and with Aichi getting stronger as well, he will be a tough opponent," Shu explained to him.
"Do you have any plans around it? We have to face off against him and Xander right?" Kiyama asked him.
"Xander said that they will be giving him the first battle, so we are open to plan around that," Shu answered him.
"It is probably best if we give Shu the chance to face off against him. He does know the most about him," Daina suggested.
"Shu!" Aichi called. He had a smile of relief on his face as Xander put him down.
"How was it?" Shu asked him.
"Shu, Valt, we're going to leave him here with you. It is better if we aren't chilling with our next opponent. Make sure not to spoil your plans in front of him," Xander said before leaving.
"Thanks for taking care of him, Xander," Shu thanked him. Aichi waved as Xander left.
"Shu, I was very nervous at first, but then I looked up and saw you. I felt a lot of confidence when I saw you," Aichi said with more enthusiasm than usual.
"That's great," Shu responded before having him sit on the seat beside him. "You should save some of your energy for the next round. You're going to need it."
Aichi nodded and looked at Blaster Blade. "Blaster Blade, I am finally feeling worthy of using you…" he muttered to himself while smiling. After a few more matches, it was soon the lunch break. Aichi and Shu sat together eating while Kiyama and Wakiya were in another argument.
Aichi watched them argue worriedly while Shu just ignored what was going on. "I feel like they are fighting more than usual…" he whispered to Shu worriedly.
"It seems normal to me," Shu responded while eating his sandwich. Kiyama and Wakiya accidentally knocked one of Valt's bey-breads and Valt caught it with his mouth.
"Are you sure…?" Aichi asked him again. Shu simply nodded and continued eating.
"Aichi, are you still having any nightmares?" Shu asked him to change the subject. Aichi shook his head quickly.
"I asked Blaster Blade what it was… he said that it may be a side effect of having that seed inside of me for a while…" Aichi lied while looking down. He didn't believe that Shu would ever become like that, so it could not have been a premonition.
Shu noticed that something was a little off about him, but he was not going to pry if he didn't want to tell him. "How about we go with Valt and the others to the Beyblade Museum after the last matches of today?"
"Okay!" Aichi answered with a smile.
After watching the last matches of the day, Aichi had one last meeting his team before he could go. "Aichi, keep yourself in top shape for the next round," Xander said. Aichi nodded while standing perfectly straight. "Okay, don't get injured and make sure to eat a lot." Aichi nodded again.
"Okay, you can go now," Xander said. Aichi nodded before running off. Shu was around the corner and they walked to the museum together.
"Wow! There are so many Beyblades in here!" Toko shouted while looking around. Aichi looked at the Beyblades in the cases too, but he didn't know any of them. He did hear whispers which made him smile.
"Do you know any of them?" Shu asked him.
Aichi shook his head. "I hear their voices… telling me their stories. There are so many of them that they are talking over each other," he explained to him with a soft smile.
Shu patted his head. "Do you want to find somewhere quieter?" He asked him.
Aichi shook his head again. "It is quite nice to hear their voices," he answered while continuing to look at them. He was surprised when he suddenly heard two additional voices and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Shu asked him.
"I hear Spriggan and Blaster Blade speaking too," Aichi answered while pulling out Blaster Blade. "It is rare for Blaster Blade to speak… he seems quite enthusiastic about his story." Aichi smiled and reached out for Shu's hand so that he was touching Blaster Blade.
"I met my Vanguard when he was young… A boy named Toshiki Kai…" Blaster Blade continued telling his story. It was strange for Blaster Blade to explain this to him, maybe he was influenced by the other Beyblades in some way. He was quite monotone while speaking.
Shu smiled and giggled as well. "I see what you mean, he is much more enthusiastic than usual."
They listened for a little longer until Toko and Nika called them. "Shu! Valt and Ken are having a battle!"
"Let's go check it out," Shu suggested.
"I'll stay here for a little longer," Aichi responded with a smile. Shu was a little worried, but he nodded and left his side. He wanted to listen to Blaster Blade's story a little longer.
"My Vanguard had been consumed by bitterness and in turn, became fixated on winning. He decided to separate ways from me and follow the path of shadows."
He felt someone grab his shoulder and made him turn. Aichi looked up to see the Rideout captain, Gabe Brunai. "You're Shu Kurenai's brother…"
"Hello…" Aichi greeted with a small nod. Gabe looked down to Aichi's hands and saw that he was holding Blaster Blade.
"What's wrong, captain?" One of the Rideout members asked Gabe before he snapped out of it.
"Sorry," Gabe apologized before letting go of Aichi's shoulder.
"It's okay… did you need something?" Aichi asked him with innocent eyes.
"No… it's nothing. Did I hurt your shoulder?" Gabe responded before getting on one knee and checking on him.
"I'm okay," Aichi assured him as he checked the shoulder thoroughly.
"Sorry again. I'll let you go back to what you were doing," Gabe said before walking away. Aichi looked very confused and looked down at Blaster Blade again. He missed some of the story since Blaster Blade didn't stop talking.
"Why did I feel unsettled just now?" Gabe asked himself before looking back at Aichi. "Could it be his Beyblade? The atmosphere was very heavy when I walked in here."
Shu walked up to Aichi and brushed his head with a smile. Aichi looked pretty deep in his thoughts before, but once Shu went to him, he gave his attention to him. "Let's get going, okay?" Shu asked him.
Aichi nodded with a smile before putting Blaster Blade back in his holder. Shu helped him take off his belt and put it safely in his backpack. He took Shu's hand and they began walking to the exit. Before they left, Shu looked at Gabe as if he saw the entire thing that happened before.