The nurse walked inside with breakfast, he was starting to eat some solid foods. "I'll set up the television for you, Aichi. You must be excited to see Shu battle," the nurse said before taking the television control out. Aichi nodded while eating. Storm Spriggan was sitting on his bed table to watch as well.
The event wasn't going to start until a lot later, so Aichi was watching something random for now. Aichi was feeling quite lonely without Shu around and it didn't help that he felt like he was constantly being watched. "Aichi, is there anything you need?" The nurse asked him since he looked a little uncomfortable.
Aichi shook his head. She had a feeling he didn't want to be alone, so she waited for him to finish his food. "I have some things to attend to. If you need anything, call for someone using this button," she said while pointing at the bedside button. He nodded before she left with the tray. Aichi waited patiently for Shu to appear on the television.
In an underground building in Mexico, the same masked men were watching footage of Aichi and Shu. "The kid was able to create a replica of Valt Aoi's Beyblade, Valkyrie. Compared to Legend Spriggan's power, it cannot compare… However, using data from Valt Aoi's battles, we can confirm that it has an identical power level as the original," Gold Eye explained as a photo of a beyblade.
"We were able to manipulate the power within the vessel and an extraction of his memory to forge this Beyblade," Silver Eye said. "It is probably possible for this process to work with another's memory or desire, but we will need to experiment on him more."
"We should begin to separate these kids a bit. At this rate, when Shu Kurenai joins our ranks, the kid may shut down," Gold Eye said while pulling up the live camera footage of Aichi sitting in his bed looking aloof. Aichi was rubbing Storm Spriggan while absentmindedly watching the television.
"There is still time before then. I still have uses for Shu Kurenai in the Raging Bulls at the moment. I am eyeing Free De La Hoya as his replacement, in the best case, the kid can possibly form a similar connection to him. For now, the kid has yet to adjust to his new life and he needs to support him right now," the leader sitting on the throne explained while looking at Shu's training footage. He was amazed how quickly Shu was able to harness the power of Legend Spriggan, but he knew that it was not all. There were still hidden powers within it that he could not unlock yet.
When the tournament matches began, Shu was able to easily win his battle. His Crux Boost was nothing less than perfect and Aichi was really happy in his bed that he won. Shu was gone all day and it was already dark. He was eating dinner while watching the stream and the nurse was glad Aichi didn't look so absentminded anymore. "Do you want to greet him when he comes back?" The nurse asked him with a smile. Aichi nodded happily. "Do you want to give a bouquet to him as congratulations for winning his first professional battle?" She asked him. Aichi nodded again.
The venue was quite far away, so Aichi waited upstairs while the nurse went out to get a bouquet for him. When the team was arriving soon, Aichi was sitting on his wheelchair by the entrance with his bouquet. There was a blanket around him since the nurses were worried he'd catch a cold. Soon, the team returned and Shu was talking to them when he walked through the doors. He quickly noticed Aichi who was holding onto a bouquet and told his teammates they'll talk more later before walking over to Aichi.
"Shu, congratulations!" Aichi said while holding out the bouquet. Shu smiled and accepted the bouquet.
"Thank you, Aichi," Shu thanked him while brushing his head. "You didn't have to come all the way down here to welcome me back," he said while pulling the blanket so that it covered him more.
"I wanted to!" Aichi responded happily. They walked to the elevator to go back to Aichi's room. "Shu, your launch was perfect today… Once I get better, I want to learn to launch like that too," he said while blushing.
"Sure, I'll help you," Shu responded with a smile. "I'm going to wash up," he said after helping Aichi onto his bed.
Aichi nodded and watched the nurse put the bouquet into a vase. She snipped the bottom of each rose's stem before placing them into the water. When Shu came back, he had a tablet with him and was talking to it. "Shu, can you hear us?! How is it over there?!"
"Nothing much has changed," Shu answered before sitting beside Aichi on his bed. Aichi slid over and looked at the screen curiously. The entire BeyClub was on the screen, it looked like they were at the rooftop that they use to train. Even Ken was there too.
"Aichi is there too," Besu said while waving. Aichi waved as well as Shu turned the camera in his direction. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Aichi answered shyly.
"Shu! Your launch was amazing today!" Toko and Nika exclaimed together. Shu turned the camera back to himself and smiled.
"Thanks," Shu thanked them with a smile. "It's really late here, so we're going to go," he said.
"Good night!" They exclaimed while waving. Shu and Aichi waved back before the call ended. Shu closed the tablet and put it to the side.
"Shu, when did you get a tablet?" Aichi wondered. It looked brand new.
"Mom gave it to me before she left. It's for us to call her, but you can play on it while I am gone next time," Shu said while helping Aichi lay down on his bed.
A month passed and with physiotherapy, Aichi was beginning to be able to walk on his own. Because he was in therapy, he was able to be with Shu less than he used to. He also did more experiments in the basement alone since Shu had training to go to. Aichi got up from his bed and tried walking a bit before sneaking out of his room and going downstairs to the training room. Shu was running on the treadmill when Aichi stumbled inside.
He was working so hard and focused, he didn't want to bother him. He stood by the door a bit and caught the attention of one of Shu's teammates. "Hey Aichi, are you here to see Shu?" He asked him.
Aichi thought a little and shook his head before turning and stumbling on his feet. He fell on the ground hard and teared up after feeling pain on a floor burn. "Are you okay?" He asked him while running to him.
Aichi wiped his tears and looked up behind the boy in front of him. The boy turned around to see Shu standing there. "Thanks for helping him out, Dylan," Shu thanked him before lifting Aichi up into his arms.
"No problem," Dylan responded awkwardly.
Shu looked down at Aichi's knees and saw the floor burns. "You shouldn't push yourself too much," he said with a sigh.
Aichi felt that something was different about him and looked up. "Shu… is something wrong…?" He asked Shu.
"There's nothing wrong," he responded. Aichi knew that something was up, but he didn't want to pry any further if Shu wasn't going to tell him when he asked. He felt like they became a bit distant from each other.
Shu took him back to his room and placed him on the bed gently. Shu finally looked at Aichi and saw his worried expression. "Don't worry about me. There's just been some things on my mind, that's all," Shu said while brushing his head. "I have to go back. Stay put here, okay?"
"Shu, can I go with you to your next tournament?" Aichi asked him as he was about to leave.
"I'll ask if there is anyone that can go with you," Shu responded. Aichi still felt like something was wrong and he wanted to follow Shu. Soon a nurse came inside looking worried.
"Aichi… Shu told me you fell down, you should be more careful!" The nurse scolded. She looked at his knees and saw the floor burns. She took out an alcohol swab and wiped the wound, making Aichi cry out in pain.
"Maybe I should have had you wear knee pads," the nurse said while holding her chin. Aichi blushed as the nurse put a large bandaid on his knees. "You're good to go," the nurse said with a smile. Aichi nodded and got on his feet again.
"Thank you…" Aichi bowed shyly. The nurse watched worriedly as Aichi tried running and stumbled a little.
Aichi went to the training room, but on the way, he saw Theodore right outside and hid away. He was talking to a blader. "How are you liking the Raging Bulls? There is actually a boy that I'd like you to meet," Theodore said. The boy turned to the direction Aichi was in like he felt a presence there. Aichi gulped and waited for the two to enter the room.
Aichi closed his eyes in worry as his head began to hurt. Images of the Shu in his nightmares began appearing in his mind. He cried in emotional and physical pain and turned to run away. He stumbled and fell, but he got back on his feet and continued.
During the practice, the nurse walked inside the room with some snacks on a tray. But she ended up just looking around. Theodore and the new blader were watching the training. "What is wrong?" Theodore asked her.
"I just came by to bring Aichi some snacks, but he doesn't seem to be here," the nurse said. Theodore looked confused as well since he didn't schedule anything for him today. "Shu, did you see Aichi come by earlier?" She asked Shu since he just finished his match.
"Not after earlier," Shu answered. He was in the middle of practice and Aichi was causing trouble again.
"Where could he have gone off to?" The nurse wondered.
Theodore pulled out his phone and made a call. "The kid is missing, find out where he is," Theodore said. After looking at security cameras, they were able to locate Aichi. He was passed out in a cupboard curled up. A security guard carried the unconscious boy in his arms to Theodore.
"Why is he suddenly unstable…?" Theodore asked himself before turning to Shu. "Shu, take your brother back to his room," he ordered. Shu finished up his battle and walked to the security guard to carry Aichi away. When he reached out for Aichi, he saw Aichi shiver and shy away from him.
"Aichi, it's me… let's go back to your room," Shu said gently. Aichi stopped shivering and leaned towards Shu after he said that. The security guard handed Aichi over to him. Aichi eased into Shu's hold and nuzzled his head into Shu's chest.
"What happened to you…?" Shu asked him before walking off with him. Free seemed to have noticed the power within Aichi and stared at him when Shu walked past.
Shu took him all the way upstairs and laid him on the bed. When he was about to move away, he noticed Aichi was holding onto him tightly. "Aichi, I'm going to wash up then come back," Shu said while brushing Aichi's head. Aichi didn't let go and looked in pain instead.
"Don't go…!" Aichi cried in his sleep.
"I'm here…" Shu said before leaning forward. He knew what was wrong… it was that nightmare again. This time, he wasn't so sure that it wouldn't happen. Tears ran down Aichi's eyes as the minutes went by. Shu waited for him to fall into a deep calm sleep before washing up.
When Shu got back, he saw Aichi sleeping there. He laid down beside him which made Aichi wake up and look up. "Shu…" he muttered while looking nervous. "I caused you trouble again… I'm sorry… that vision was-" he began explaining before Shu held him tightly with a smile.
"Listen, we may be separated and I may change one day. I will put trust in you if something were to ever happen to me, but I hope you will trust me if I ever leave and be good," Shu said. Aichi nodded looking down. He really wished that Shu would stay by his side forever. It really did sound like he would be leaving really soon.
"Shu, are you going to leave soon…?" Aichi asked him.
Shu thought a little. "I want to go on my own training adventure soon. I want to get strong enough to protect you and win against my rivals," he answered while brushing Aichi's head. Aichi looked shocked and bit his lip.
"Can't I go with you?" He asked him with a hitched voice.
Shu shook his head. "You still need to get better… plus this is something that I want to do alone," he answered. Aichi held in his feelings and smiled.
"Make sure to take care of yourself," Aichi said with a hitched voice. Shu nodded before hugging Aichi to sleep.
A few days later, Shu disappeared. Aichi was quite lonely, but he knew he had to be good for Shu. He still had physiotherapy everyday and experiments once a week, but other than that, he just stayed in his bed reading and waiting to see if Shu or their mom ever called. Shu's calls were getting increasingly infrequent, but their mom would call very often to check up on him.
"I hope Shu is okay…" Aichi sighed while getting up from his bed with his book. He slowly got out of his room with his book.
"Where are you off to, Aichi?" Aichi turned to see the nurse that always looks after him.
"The doctor told me to walk more… I was hoping I could go to the library, so I was going to ask for Mr. Glass' permission," Aichi explained nervously.
"Mr. Glass is out on a business trip right now," the nurse said while kneeling down to his level. Aichi looked disappointed and nodded. "How about I take you there? I am sure Mr. Glass will be okay with that."
"Thank you," Aichi thanked her with a bow. The nurse smiled warmly. Aichi hasn't smiled since Shu left, which broke her heart. "Let's get you into some warmer clothes," she said while getting up and holding out her hand.
Aichi nodded and went back inside his room. He wore a fall coat and dressed warmly. The nurse poshed an empty wheelchair in case Aichi's legs got tired.
Aichi went outside with her. He looked up at the cloudy sky before looking at the ground. "Shu…" he muttered.
He took out a few books from the library and headed back. In the lobby, his face brightened a bit when he saw a familiar face. "Aichi!" Shu's mom called before running to him.
"Mom," Aichi responded with a gentle smile. She gave him a warm hug, knowing that he had been sad for a while now.
She was relieved to hear sniffles from him and a loud cry that followed. "It's okay…" she said while patting his back. She and the nurse took him to his room and let him calm down a bit.
"Your backpack is so heavy…" she commented after picking up his backpack from the wheelchair.
"I finished reading all the books I had…" Aichi responded while opening his backpack. His eyes were still swollen as he took out his books.
One day, Aichi was reading in his bed when the nurse walked inside. "Aichi, you have visitors," the nurse said. He looked up from his book to see Free and Theodore standing at the doorway.
"Hello, Mr. Glass," Aichi said politely while putting down his book. It was a while since he saw Theodore which made him wonder where he went, since he and Shu disappeared around the same time.
"It has been a while, Aichi. I hear your rehabilitation is going well," Theodore said while walking inside. Free followed while looking at Aichi with his head tilted up. It was really intimidating. "I was worried that you were missing Shu, so I asked Free De La Hoya if he would be that brother figure for you."
Aichi looked nervously. "There is no need, Mr. Glass. Shu still calls me once in a while to make sure I am alright," he responded. He looked up nervously as Theodore walked closer while holding Free's shoulder with a smile.
"This is temporary. The nurses and doctors are worried that you aren't interacting with people enough," Theodore said before Free held his hand out for Aichi. Aichi accepted the handshake out of courtesy, but he had no intention of getting close with anyone.
"I will leave you two to get to know each other, I have some matters to take care of," Theodore explained before leaving the two alone in the room. Aichi sat on his bed awkwardly fiddling with his book. The television was on from earlier showing a match of Valt's team losing. Free sat on a seat beside Aichi's nightstand throwing his Beyblade up and catching it.
After a while, Free suddenly stood up which startled Aichi. He turned to him without saying a word and Aichi was too scared to ask him what he wanted from him. They stayed like that for what felt like forever before Free spoke up.
"There is a forest not too far from here," he informed Aichi. He reached his hand out to him and Aichi held it reluctantly. Free took him outside at a fast pace. He had trouble keeping up with him.
"Aichi, Free, are you two going outside?" A voice asked them from behind. She was holding a pair of shoes and a small coat in her arms. Aichi looked up to Free for a moment before nodding as an answer. The nurse smiled and knelt down to Aichi and helped him wear the coat and put on the shoes that were in her arms. "You should make sure to stay warm," the nurse said with a smile. Aichi nodded before Free pulled him along.
They made it to the forest area quickly. It looked really peaceful and relaxing. Free was very popular with the animals and Aichi watched him interact with them sitting below a tree. While he was watching he felt eyes on him and he turned. He saw a white long coat from behind a tree but when Aichi got up to see who it was, they disappeared.
Aichi looked behind the tree and knelt down to see if there were any clues of who was there and even who it was. He saw footprints and followed them until he reached the concrete road at the edge of the forest. "I swear I felt Spriggan…" Aichi muttered to himself while looking around. "Shu…" he said after seeing a figure on the other side of the road. He saw white hair and a mask.
He quickly ran onto the road without looking and surprised a driver. The person came out from behind the tree suddenly after seeing the car. Luckily, he was pulled back by Free before he was hit. "Watch where you're running, kid!" The driver cursed before driving off.
"Why did you run off?" Free asked Aichi, but he didn't hear it. Aichi looked over at where he saw the person, but they were gone. Aichi looked down after seeing the person was gone.
"I'm sorry… I thought I saw someone…" Aichi responded sadly. He really wanted to meet Shu again in person. It had been a few days since he last called. Free took him back to the building and dropped him off in his room.
Early morning the next day, Aichi was in the training room walking on a treadmill with his therapist. Free walked inside with Theodore when they were about to finish up. The rest of the team also filed in after that. "Would you like to watch the training session, Aichi? We can skip today's checkup," Theodore asked him.
Aichi didn't really care to watch, but it was rare for him to skip visits to the lab. He stepped off the treadmill with the help of Free who lent him a hand. He nodded at Free shyly to thank him before taking him to a bench upstairs.
While he was watching Free doing his scrimmage match, he heard a voice. It was Free's Beyblade, Fenrir. Theodore left after seeing Aichi watching Free closely from the bench. "Mr. Glass, should we prepare to have the boy try to create Fenrir?" A scientist waiting outside asked him.
"Yes, I want to see how he created Legend Spriggan. That Beyblade is complete perfection and we were unable to replicate that type of power even after so long," Theodore answered. He saw Aichi walking out of the training room with a nurse to go to the washroom and shift tones. "Please proceed without my supervision, I will be returning to Mexico tonight. Please take care of the boy in my absence."
"Yes, Mr. Glass!" The scientists answered before Theodore walked away. Aichi stayed for the entire training session, even eating lunch with Free. He fell asleep on the bench like he usually did while he was watching Shu and was taken back by the nurses.
The next day, in the lab, Aichi suddenly woke up while still attached to the machine. He was breathing heavily after hearing something familiar. "He woke up… should we take a small break and resume?" A scientist whispered. The helmet retracted from Aichi's head and they saw he had tears running down his face.
Aichi sobbed and wiped up his tears with his sleeve. "What's wrong, Aichi?" The nurse that always watched after him asked while embracing him. Free stood beside him too after reclaiming his Beyblade from the machine. Aichi wouldn't stop crying, so they decided to stop for the day.
The nurse carried Aichi in her arms. She felt her shirt getting wet from his tears. "There is no need to hold it in, Aichi. Let it out," she said while sitting Aichi down on his bed.
Aichi continued to whimper with hitched breathing, face buried in his sleeve. "I miss Shu," Aichi cried out loud as his cries got louder.
The nurse embraced him once again while brushing his head. "You must have been holding this in for a long time…" she said while continuing to soothe him with her hand. She comforted Aichi for an hour before he fell asleep. His eyes were red and swollen and he held onto Storm Spriggan tightly, close to his chest.
In the middle of the night, his tablet rang from an incoming call. Aichi rubbed his eyes and got up to see a number that was not in his contacts. He reached over and clicked the light switch before answering the video call.
"Aichi, we're glad we got a hold of you. Sorry if we woke you up," the screen showed Daina. Aichi shook his head with a smile. "We just wanted to ask you if you knew where Shu is. He hasn't shown up in competitions lately and we are getting worried," Daina explained with a soft voice.
"I don't know where Shu went… but he said he was going away to train. He didn't tell me where he was going either," Aichi answered sadly.
"Do you have any idea where he would go?" Daigo asked him.
Aichi thought a little bit then remembered overhearing something while Theodore was talking to a scientist. "I only remember overhearing something… he might be in Mexico right now…" he answered.
"Mexico, what do you guys think?" Daina asked someone just off screen. "Thank you for the information, Aichi. Go get some more sleep now."
"Um… if you're going to find Shu, I want to come too," Aichi said shyly.
"No, we'll bring Shu to you, alright?" Daina asked him. He noticed that his room looked very like a hospital room, so it would be best if he stayed put. Aichi looked down and clenched his hand.
"No, I want to go!" Aichi responded quietly with resolve.
"Wakiya, what do you think?" Daina asked someone off screen.
"If he really wants to come, then sure. Meet us at the airport closest to the Raging Bull Headquarters," Wakiya agreed. Aichi nodded before the call ended. He closed his light before getting off of the bed. He was aware there were security cameras all over the room and he couldn't hide anything, but his best chance was in the night since less people were working.
He quickly packed a backpack before sneaking outside. He looked both ways before proceeding to the elevator hall. There, he saw Free standing there. "Free…" Aichi greeted with a bow.
"What are you doing so late at night?" Free asked him while analyzing him. He looked like a runaway.
"I need to do something… Free… Can you take me to the airport?" Aichi asked him while looking down. He knew that it would probably be a no, but Free just pulled him into the elevator once it arrived. With his help, he was able to get to the airport and wait there for Wakiya's private plane.
After a few hours, Aichi saw the plane and ran over. "Aichi, it's been a while. You look a lot better," Daina said while checking on him. Aichi smiled and nodded before entering the plane. He sat to the side, he was only there to see if Shu was there. Wakiya did some research beforehand and with the information Aichi gave them, he was sure that Shu was in a place called the Snake Pit.
"Shu did say he wanted to get stronger…" Aichi said while looking down at Storm Spriggan.
When they reached the airport in Mexico, everyone looked pretty drained from the sun and the heat except for Wakiya. Their luggage was taken away to a nearby hotel. Daina walked beside Aichi in case he fell behind too much. "We should get to the hotel soon," he said before holding Aichi's hand. He really didn't look well at all.
On the way, they saw Cuza, a blader from a rival team. Valt and Kiyama separated from the group with Wakiya not too far behind. Daina stayed behind with Aichi, worried something would happen to him. A car suddenly pulled up and the driver door opened. "We are here to pick up Young Master, Wakiya and take him to the hotel," the driver informed them.
"Oh, that's good. Can you take us to the hotel first?" Daina asked him.
"You can stay with the others. I'll be fine going there alone," Aichi said. A butler walked outside and opened the door for him. Aichi felt bad that Daina had to miss out, so he insisted.
"Okay… once you make it there, take a rest," Daina said before letting him go. The car drove off and Aichi immediately felt something was not right. He was correct when he suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness and passed out. When he woke up, he found himself lying on a bed in a dark room. He suddenly felt very scared and got up.
There were many people in masks gathered in a room with a single chair. One of which had red eyes and they watched the monitors. "Red Eye, I heard you disappeared for a few days and only returned yesterday," the leader commented while changing the screen in front of them to security footage of Aichi on a metal table with his eyes closed. His head was inside a helmet connected to a machine. Free was waiting to the side in front of a stand holding Fafnir and the events that happened after.
"I had something to take care of," Red Eye responded.
"Last night, he ran away to look for Shu Kurenai with Valt Aoi, Daina Kurogami, Wakiya Murasaki and Kiyama Rantaro. Luckily, we were able to separate him from them and bring him here," the leader said with a smile before opening a live feed of Aichi inside a dark room inside the hideout. He was looking around worriedly.
Suddenly, a new screen popped up and they saw five people traversing through the forest around the hideout. "I'll take care of them," he said before turning around. The leader didn't stop him and let him leave.
Red Eye walked through the hallway and exited the hideout. He waited for the group to arrive. When the group approached the ruin looking overground of the hideout, Red Eye came out. "Hey! Is this where the Snake Pit is?! We are looking for our friends, Shu and Aichi!" Valt shouted out at him. Red Eye didn't move from his spot and looked down at them.
"Are you just going to stand there?!" Wakiya shouted.
"Prepare for battle!" Red Eye responded. The ground began rumbling and a stadium rose up from the ground. Red Eye made his way down the pyramid and stood on one side of the stadium.
"This really is the Snake Pit then! If we win, you will answer all our questions right?" Wakiya asked Red Eye. There was no response, but they could only assume it was a yes.
"If we win, you gotta give us answers okay?" Valt said before running over enthusiastically. "I'm Valt Aoi and my beyblade is God Valkyrie! What's your name?"
"Red Eye… my beyblade is Legend Spriggan," Red Eye answered while holding out his beyblade. Everyone looked shocked at the sight of Spriggan in someone else's hands.
"Why do you have Shu's Spriggan?! That Beyblade is very important to him!" Valt exclaimed outraged.
"Shu Kurenai is dead," Red Eye answered. Everyone jumped from shock at losing their friend. "He was weak. He wasn't a suitable partner for Spriggan. I'm using it because I can draw out its full power." He took out his launcher with the Blaster Blade charm still dangling from the end and attached Spriggan onto it.
Daina noticed the charm immediately and looked at Red Eye suspiciously. "That is the launcher that Shu got from Aichi…" he thought while remembering a conversation he had with Shu the day of the party before he left with Aichi to America.
"Is Aichi sick, Shu?" He asked Shu while the others were battling and having a good time.
"So you heard that…" Shu responded with a sigh. "It's not what you think… it's just a bit complicated."
"It must be hard… I remember when Ryota was first admitted into the hospital," Daina said looking down. Shu smiled softly and pulled out a new launcher with the Blaster Blade charm attached.
"He'll be okay. I hope I can give him the strength to get through this," Shu responded. He looked over at Aichi who was eating bread sitting beside their mom.
"Where did you get the new launcher?" Daina asked him to try to lighten up the mood.
"Aichi won it from one of the stalls at Zac's party. There are a lot of cool features on this one so it is perfect for using Legend Spriggan," Shu said while letting Daina look at it.
"That's pretty cool. I guess you're all set to become pro with everything he gave you," Daina commented. He fiddled with the launcher a bit before handing it to Shu who had a warm smile on his face.
"Shu! Come over and eat," his mom called him. Aichi turned to him and smiled happily.
"I'm coming," Shu responded with a sigh before getting up.
"I don't believe that! You're lying! I'll win and take back Spriggan!" Valt shouted at Red Eye before preparing to launch. Daina looked at Red Eye closely as he got into his stance to see if there was any resemblance to Shu's launch form. It was a completely different stance with his launcher entirely towards his right side.
Meanwhile, at the Snake Pit, the group watched Red Eye's crazy launch. "It's spinning so fast…" they said, amazed at Spriggan's movement. Valt was easily defeated with a ring-out finish.
Valt quickly ran over and picked up Valkyrie. "Battle me again!" He shouted.
"Very well," Red Eye answered before shifting something on his launcher. Daina looked closely remembering what he learned from fiddling with it for a moment. This time, Spriggan was spinning counter-clockwise and was just as wild as Valkyrie.
"Was Spriggan always able to do that?" Kiyama asked the others.
"No…" They were very surprised to see how much power Red Eye was able to harness compared to Shu. Once Valt started losing stamina, Red Eye took his chance to finish it. "Now Spriggan, Axe Launch!" Valkyrie burst and Spriggan returned to Red Eye. Red Eye immediately walked to the doors at the base of the pyramid.
"Wait!" Valt shouted while chasing after him and blocking his way.
"Losers have no place here," Red Eye said.
"Did you say that to Shu to get rid of him? Tell me where I can find him, we just want to know," Valt asked him as calmly as he could. When Red Eye walked around him, he couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted, "give Spriggan back! It's not yours! Someone important to Shu made it for him! He came all the way here to see Shu again and disappeared! So tell us where he is, he'll want to know what happened to his brother!" He shouted.
Red Eye stopped in front of the door and waited for them to open before entering. He made his way back to the control room where the leader was waiting. "Good work, Red Eye. Go to the kid," he ordered.
Aichi was hitting his hand on the door and calling for help. "Let me out!" He cried as loudly as he could. He stepped back when the door made a clicking sound and opened. Red Eye walked inside with his mask off. "Shu!" Aichi cried while hugging him tightly.
"What are you doing here?" Shu asked him. Aichi thought it was a little strange that he didn't hug him back, but he didn't think much about it.
"I was worried about you… you haven't called me in a while too…" Aichi answered cautiously.
"I'm fine. You didn't have to come here," Shu said while taking him to the bed. He lifted Aichi onto his bed and he knelt down to his level. "There is something I need to do. Stay put here and don't cause trouble," he said. Aichi nodded obediently before reaching out for Shu's belt. Shu moved his arm away to let him do what he wanted.
"You should keep this with you… promise to return this to me later," Aichi said smiling while attaching the Spriggan charm on his launcher.
"Okay. I'll be back after I have taken care of everything," Shu responded before getting up. He ruffled his hair before leaving the room. Aichi looked happy that he was starting to see Shu's gentle and kind side again. The door closed behind him. Aichi looked down swinging his legs, he didn't hear the click which means the door is unlocked, but Shu told him to stay put.
Meanwhile, Valt, Daina, Kiyama, Cuza and Wakiya decided to enter the Snake Pit. They first saw an intense training room full of kids training strenuously. Red Eye re-entered the control room and saw the group entering. "Why are you involving them?" He asked the leader.
"You're displeased?" The leader asked him with a smirk. He looked amused after seeing how he was with Aichi moments ago.
"They have nothing to offer to us," Red Eye answered.
"We'll see," the leader responded. Shu clenched his hand and turned to the door. "I thought you would be indifferent to them. After all, you did throw away who you were after joining us. Is the boy reviving your old personality?" He taunted.
"That's nonsense," Red Eye answered before leaving.
"Ashtem, what do we do with the kids?" Silver Eye asked him. The five were already causing a commotion in the training facilities.
"Escort them here, I would like a word with them," Ashtem responded. "Please call the bladers who you've chosen for the replica Beyblades. Let's take this opportunity to test them against the real ones."
Aichi waited for a while, but Shu didn't return. "It should be okay as long as I don't cause any trouble…" Aichi thought to himself. He got up from his bed and walked to the door. He pulled on the door handle with his entire body weight. It was a very heavy door and he fell on his back opening it. He noticed that it began closing, so he quickly ran outside.
He looked around while he was walking through the long hallway. "So this is where Shu has been…" Aichi thought to himself while continuing to walk. On his walk, he saw a boy that looked exhausted. He ran over to see if he could help in any way.
"Are you okay?" He asked the boy worriedly before getting pushed away. "I'm sorry… I'll go…" Aichi apologized before getting up scaredly. He ran away before bumping into someone else.
"What are you doing outside of your room?" It was Red Eye, but Aichi saw the Blaster Blade and Spriggan charm, so he knew it was Shu.
"Sorry… I thought you might have been training like you normally do, so I wanted to watch like how we used to…" Aichi said with his head down. Shu was talking with a deep voice, so he figured he was disappointed or angry at him.
"Don't do this again. I'll take you back to your room," Red Eye warned before grabbing Aichi's hand and taking him away.
"Red Eye, who is he?" The boy asked him.
"None of your business," Red Eye answered before continuing to drag Aichi along. Aichi turned back to look at the boy who got up with trouble.
"Shu… I'm sorry…" Aichi apologized. His hand was hurting from Shu's grip and he was having a hard time keeping up.
"My name is Red Eye. Call me by that from now on," Red Eye responded. Aichi's eyes widened before pulling his hand away from him with his whole body strength. Red Eye turned to see Aichi on the ground with tears in his eyes. Red Eye sighed and lifted Aichi up like he used to.
Aichi hugged Shu. "What happened to Valt and the others…? They wanted to find you…" he asked him.
"They already left," Shu answered before opening the door to Aichi's room with one hand. "I'm going to be out for a few days. Stay in here unless someone takes you out," he said while dropping him off on his bed. Aichi looked down and nodded. Shu knew that Aichi would listen this time, since he saw how disappointed he was in him just now.
"Good," Red Eye responded before leaving the room. It took a little while before he heard a click on his door. Aichi reached into his pocket and pulled out Storm Spriggan. He held the Beyblade close to his chest after laying down on the bed.
"Ashtem, the boy made a mess with your plans. What are you going to do with him now?" Gold Eye asked the leader.
"It's simple. Continue with the experiments. We'll hasten the original plan. We will take this opportunity to finish developing the requiem sooner," Ashtem decided while standing up from his seat.