Terms/Abbreviations:

GanGan Galaxy - GGG

Wang Hu Zhang - WHZ

Desert Blaze - DBZ

Excalibur - EU/Excalibur

Beyblade World Championships - BWCS

BEYPIT - DAY

"Congrats on making it to the A Block Final." Dashan says.

"Good job dudes!" Chao Xin congratulates.

"That was some crazy battle you had!" Mei-Mei adds.

"It got us all pumped up to battle now!" Chiyun excitedly says.

The GanGan Galaxy members were inside Madoka's workshop, talking with the member of Wang Hu Zhung over voice chat. Congratulating the Japanese Team on their victory.

"Thanks a lot, you guys!" Gingka responds.

"It sure was a pretty hairy battle alright!" Masamune says.

Akuma stayed quiet but nodded to acknowledge their compliments.

"Not surprising… That Kyouya is so focused on defeating Gingka, he doesn't seem able to think of anything else." Dashan remarks.

"So what happens to Team Wildfang now, Gingka?" Mei-Mei asks.

"I don't know… I only know one thing for sure… Kyouya will keep improving his skills and he'll be back to face me again!" Gingka guesses.

"To be ready for that day I have to work harder and harder too! Cause next time I'll be introducing myself as the winner of the BWCS!" Gingka vows.

Chao Xin chuckles. "Huh! I wouldn't count on it."

"The winners of the BWCS will be US! Wang Hu Zhong!" Chiyun shouts with passion.

"We wanna beat… We wanna beat GGG and win the championship so don't count us out just yet my friends." Dashan states.

"Well, at least you have a chance now since you did so well and won the consolation tournament right?! It's awesome that you didn't give up and made a comeback as the wild card." Masamune praises the Chinese Team.

"It's almost time for your semi-final battle right?" Madoka asks.

"You're up against Excalibur, aren't you?" Gingka asks.

Gingka has a flashback of the EU team.

"But those guys are really strong, y'know? Aren't you afraid to lose?" Yu bluntly asks.

"Real tactful Yu!" Kenta gasps.

"It's OK, Excalibur is a powerful team. We won't win easily… But we made a promise to you - to battle with you in the final and to win." Dashan says with excitement.

"If Akuma can beat those guys so can we!" Chiyun claims.

Akuma raised his left eyebrow, hearing his name mentioned. In his mind, he agrees with Yu, that defeating Excalibur isn't going to be easy for them, but kept it for himself to avoid getting yelled at.

"Excalibur is going down and we get benjamin on GGG in the final!" Mei-Mei claims as she fistbumps into the air.

"It's not benjamin, Mei-Mei." Chao Xin corrects.

Mei-Mei realizes she made a fool of herself in front of everyone, including her crush Gingka.

"You meant to say the word revenge, right?" Chao Xin asks.

"Yes, yes, revenge, that's what I meant!" Mei-Mei responds as she tries to play it off cool.

Chao Xin shrugs his shoulder. "Whatever it is, we intend to see you in the finals." Chao Xin salutes.

"We wish we could go and cheer for you in person." Madoka apologizes.

"But we'll be cheering so loud for you, you'll be able to hear it all the way over in France!" Masamune claims.

"Thanks a lot, you guys. Gingka, Akuma, I'll see you guys in the finals!" Dashan says.

"See you in the final, everyone!" Mei-Mei waves.

Before WHZ hangs up, Mei-Mei winks, clearly aiming at Gingka.

"Yeah, you bet!" Gingka replies.

"Good luck," Akuma says.

"The final, huh?" Gingka whispers to himself.

"I'll see you there, Mei-Mei." Gingka imagines himself battling Mei-Mei in the A-Block final.

But the others, except Akuma had sad looks on their faces. Tsubasa remained in the hospital and there was no guarantee he was going to make it to the final.

"As long as Tsubasa gets better by then, you're gonna be just fine!" Yu attempts to light up the mood with little success.

HOSPITAL - DAY

We change the scene to Tsubasa's hospital room. Tsubasa is sweating and shakes vividly in his sleep, having a nightmare.

Tsubasa is running away from the dark power in a forest at night. Tsubasa sees the light at the end of the tunnel and makes a run for it, but stumbles at the finish line. The dark power catches up to him, morphing into himself as it consumes him. Tsubasa screams and wakes up, gasping for air.

"It was just a nightmare…" Tsubasa thinks.

Sometime later, the gang comes and visits their teammate and friend. Hikaru sits on a stool behind everyone else, peeling away the skin from a red apple, and Akuma leaning against the wall with his eyes shut.

"You had us worried!" Gingka says.

"Thank goodness, you're awake!" Madoka says.

"We didn't know what would happen for a while!" Yu adds.

"Thanks, but what's more important, you guys beat Wildfang, isn't that right?" Tsubasa asks.

"All thanks to my skills and guts!" Masamune brags.

"WHAT?!" Gingka gives Masamune the looks.

"Just kidding! It was because of you and Akuma, that me and Gingka were able to finish those guys off!" Masamune praises his teammate.

Tsubasa looks down for a moment. "I'm so sorry… that I missed such an important match, you guys. I should have been there." Tsubasa sighs.

Tsubasa feels horrible for letting his team down despite the good news.

"Don't worry about it! Just take the time before the final to get lots of rest!" Gingka suggests before getting serious. "You're… You're OK, right?" Gingka asks the big question.

Hearing Gingka's question, it catches the attention of the GGG's secretary as she stops peeling the apple and looks at Tsubasa, awaiting his answer. Akuma slowly opens his eyes.

Tsubasa wants to tell the truth, but after everything that has happened, he isn't sure if the truth is what the team needs to hear.

"I can't burden them. It's my problem to fix." Tsubasa convinces himself it is the right thing to do.

"Yes… " Tsubasa simply says, pretending to smile.

"Hmmm." Hikaru expresses her hesitation.

Hikaru looks at Akuma and both can sense Tsubasa isn't telling the truth but keeps it to themself.

"Good, that means we all go to the final together!" Gingka shouts.

"Good stuff… Have our opponents for the final been decided?" Tsubasa asks.

"Not yet, but we're hoping it'll be WHZ." Madoka answers.

"I wonder if they can really win against Excalibur?" Yu pessimistically says out loud.

"Seriously? What's up with you? Can't you at least pretend to cheer Dashan and the others on?!" Kenta criticizes.

"I'm just being honest!" Yu defends.

Suddenly, Tsubasa hears a burst of evil laughter and feels his heart pound faster.

"AH!" Tsubasa yelps in pain.

Gingka notices Tsubasa's confusion as the Eagle blader looks around the room.

"What's wrong, Tsubasa?" Gingka asks.

"Where are you looking..? I'm over here!" Dark Tsubasa calls out.

Tsubasa's face screams of fear as he sees his dark reflection in the window. Dark Tsubasa smirks.

"Do you really think you can go the final along with the others, Tsubasa?" Dark Tsubasa mocks.

Suddenly, Tsubasa grabs his chest, feeling a burning pain.

"Hey! What is it?!" Gingka asks.

"Tsubasa!" Yu shouts.

"I'll get the doctor!" Hikaru says as she immediately leaves the room.

Tsubasa paints as he's having a hard time breathing.

"It's hot! My chest feels like burning!" Tsubasa describes his pain.

His friends all shout about how they're worried they are.

Suddenly, the window starts to vibrate. As Tsubasa glares at his other half Dark Tsubasa grins.

"You are what you see! Just accept it and come to me!" Dark Tsubasa continues his mockery with pleasure.

"Never!" Tsubasa refuses.

"Surrender yourself to me; if you do, you feel so much BETTER! HAHAH!" Dark Tsubasa laughs.

"Stop, STOP IT!" Tsubasa shouts.

Tsubasa quickly gets out of his bed, grabs the nearby stool, and begins slamming the window, cracking it wide open. Gingka, Masamune, and Akuma grab their teammate, preventing him from doing more damage.

Eventually, they managed to calm him down, but Tsubasa passed out just as Hikaru returned with the doctors.

"TSUBASA!" Everyone bar Akuma screamed.

WBBA HQ - DAY

We switch to Ryo's office where the Director has been analyzing Tsubasa's matches the whole day. At the moment he is watching the match between Tsubasa and Kyouya, noticing something familiar, and not in a good way.

"Oh no! It just can't be possible?!" Ryo has his suspicion confirmed.

Abruptly, Hikaru appears on the big TV screen.

"Director, something has happened! We need you here asap!" Hikaru orders.

HOSPITAL - DAY

Ryo rushes to the hospital and arrives just as the doctors escort Tsubasa away for an emergency.

"Dad!" Gingka gasps.

"Director, you came," Hikaru says.

Ryo looks intently at the young teenagers.

"There's something I need to talk to all of you about, right away," Ryo informs.

The team followed the Director who walked in the direction where the doctors took Tsubasa.

In the emergency room, sedated, Tsubasa is carefully monitored as the team and Ryo watches from the room next door.

"Everyone take a look at this," Ryo requests as he sits down on the office chair and plugs in a USB drive to the PC.

Hikaru expresses her distaste as she sees the footage on the monitor. "Not that battle!" Hikaru sighs.

"It's Gingky and Ryuga's battle at the final of the Battle Bladers tournament!" Yu points out.

"A very dark time. Ryuga was being controlled by the dark power held within L-Drago" Ryo reminds.

Hikaru tries her best to keep her panic attack at bay. Akuma grabs her hand, reassuring her.

"And this is Tsubasa's battle from the other day." Ryo continues, showing the team the battle between Tsubasa & Kyouya.

"Take a look at this." Ryo shows a side-by-side comparison of Tsubasa & Ryuga's faces.

The team got their suspicions confirmed.

"Oh no" Hikaru says.

"What gives?! They look identical…! What does this mean?!" Masamune rapidly fires a bunch of questions.

"Dammit! Why him?!" Gingka shouts.

"That's right. The dark power is living inside Tsubasa. Gingka wasn't the only competitor to take on Ryuga during Battle Bladers… I remember it clearly," Ryo says as he closes his eyes, remembering the battle between Ryuga and Tsubasa.

"At that moment… Tsubasa was infected with L-Drago's dark power." Ryo states.

Gingka bites his lips, feeling responsible for his teammate.

"All he does is cause us problems!" Hikaru spits with a venomous tone.

"Hikaru…" Madoka murmurs, looking worried at her agitated teammate.

"As each of you is aware, the dark power contained in L-Drago is something to be feared. And being infected by that power, Tsubasa will… undoubtedly allow the dark power to run wild again." Ryo pauses for a moment, thinking about how to reveal the bad news.

"Therefore… Tsubasa will be removed from the team!" Ryo informs.

The team is shocked by the announcement.

"Dad! You can't be serious!?" Gingka shouts.

"Inside of Tsubasa, the dark power continues to grow as we speak. As it is we have no idea when it could take control of Tsubasa and the people around him might be put in danger." Ryo explains his reasoning.

"But he's fought by our side all the way to this point!" Masamune argues.

"We can't just dump him now Dad!" Gingka adds.

"Please let us battle together until the end!" Madoka pleads.

"They're right sir! We can't let it end like this for him not now!" Kenta joins in.

"I'M TELLING YOU NOW, IT WON'T WORK!" Ryo raises his voice.

"Director!" Hikaru tries to make her boss see sense.

"Masamune, please listen, I need you to battle as a regular in place of Tsubasa, starting now," Ryo orders.

Masamune was flabbergasted. He wanted to be a regular but not like this.

"Me!? But, but, but… No,"

Ryo eyes widen at Masamune's refusal.

"Tsubasa has fought hard to earn his spot. Taking his spot like this, it's not right! Please, Boss, I beg you. Tsubasa needs to keep his place." Masamune demanded.

"I can't. It's no good!" Ryo holds his ground.

"Director, rethink your decision!" Hikaru intervenes.

"Hikaru, it's final." Ryo repeats.

Masamune quickly makes a decision. "OK then… In that case, I'm off the team too!" Masamune's sudden announcement takes everyone by surprise.

"I refuse to win the championship without Tsubasa. If he's off the team then I'm too!" Masamune explains.

Following suit, Gingka and Akuma walk up. "Then we're off too!" Both announces.

"Gingka?!" Madoka jawdrops.

"Akuma…" Hikaru was as surprised but also proud to see his change.

"We win and lose together. Winning the BWCS without Tsubasa wouldn't feel right." Gingka stands up for his hospitalized teammate.

"Can't believe you guys making me do this!" Akuma smirks. "But something I've learned from these guys, is we don't abandon our teammates no matter what." Akuma glances at Hikaru who smiles back.

"You're all bonded, bonded together strongly by your blader's spirits aren't you?" Ryo asks.

"That's the truth!" Gingka shouts.

"I wouldn't go that far." Akuma remarks.

"Hey, whose side are you on?!" Masamune questions his teammate's loyalty before everyone bursts into laughter.

Seeing the unity, Ryo changes his mind. "Understood then we will use all of the WBBA's resources to find a solution," Ryo says.

"Yeah, Dad!" Gingka celebrates.

"However, the solution won't be that simple to find; we still know nothing about the dark power after all" Ryo calms his son down.

"Yes, the dark power…" Yu murmurs to himself as he has a flashback of Ryuga.

"RYUGA! If Tsubasa was contaminated by the dark power because of the L-Drago then we have to find Ryuga so we can examine L-Drago!" Yu explains.

"Examine L-Drago huh?" Ryo buys into the idea. "I see what you mean. Let me see what I can do but don't get your hopes up, there's no guarantee we'll have a cure. Hikaru? Ryo asks.

"Yes, Director?" Hikaru responds.

"I'll need your assistance back at HQ. As for the rest of you, keep up your work. I'll see you later." Ryo bids his team farewell. Hikaru informed she would join him later.

GanGan Galaxy, Yu, and Kenta decided to return to Madoka's place to watch the upcoming battle between Wang Hu Zhong and Excalibur.

Gingka, Masamune, Madoka, Yu, and Kenta went ahead as Hikaru and Akuma stayed behind.

"Hey… You feeling alright?" Akuma noticed something was on Hikaru's mind.

"No… I'm scared, Akuma." Hikaru reveals as she looks at Tsubasa. Hikaru admits "I would never thought the dark power could infect others but seeing Tsubasa like this, I can't help but wonder, do I have it too?" Hikaru fears as she begins to tear up.

Akuma hugs the girl he loves from behind.

"How do you do it? The demon in your head I mean?" Hikaru sniffs.

"... I have you." Akuma simply says.

"Akuma… "

"I'll be there for you if that ever happens," Akuma reassures.

They enjoyed their alone time but only for a moment as they didn't have all day. Eventually, they let go of each other and went their separate ways.

BEYPIT - EVENING

"Hurry up, Masamune! It's starting!" Gingka shouts to Masamune.

The Striker Blader was in the kitchen, preparing all the snacks. "I'm coming!" Masamune responds back.

"Who do you think is going to win you guys?" Kenta asks the team.

"Hard to say, we still don't know who Excalibur's fourth member is." Madoka gives her opinion.

"Whoever we face in the finals, I'm excited to face either one." Gingka expresses. "We still have a score to settle with Excalibur but we also promised Wang Hu Zhong, we'll battle again, it's tough," Gingka says.

Gingka thinks back to Greece where they got humiliated by the EU team except for Akuma, and his promise to Mei-Mei. As he thought of Mei-Mei, his heart pounded, and he didn't know why. Gingka snaps out of his thoughts as Masamune shows who he is cheering for.

"Come on, you guys, Wang Hu Zhong will wipe the floor with those snobs!" Masamune clearly shows which team he's rooting for as he enters the room with a bunch of snacks in his hands.

"If you say so, Masamune, still it will be an interesting match-up. Who do you think will win, Akuma?" Madoka asks their ace.

Akuma who have been sitting silently on the couch, waiting for the match to start, gave a short answer. "Excalibur."

"No way! Dashan and the others will wipe the floor with those guys!" Masamune argues.

"Hey! It's starting you guys!" Kenta brings everyone's attention as they all lock onto the TV screen.

Who will face them in the A-Block Finals? They'll soon know.

Long time, no see. Sorry for the late post, been busy with work and other hobbies since the start of the year. I know I stated previously I wouldn't do "" for this story but after taking some time off, I changed my mind. As for the next chapter will not be uploaded for a while as I'm going on a holiday soon.

Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any constructive feedback.