It was the following day and everyone was getting on the same ship that was once used for the Battleship Cruise which was very familiar to bladers like Aiga who went through hell to beat the bladers he tried to beat on this vessel! The ships AI: BeyQueen appeared on the overhead screen as all the bladers had her attention*

BeyQueen: Goodmorning bladers, i am BeyQueen and i am the AI of this vessel! To kick off the opening battle of the Beyblade Ultimate World Series, we're going to kick things off this evening with a hopefully fierce battle between Bell Daikokuten and his Bey Divine Belial and his opponent from Block B Shu Kurenai and his Astral Spriggan!

*All 16 bladers participating in the tournament stared up at the screen which had now changed to the versus banner of Bell VS Shu! Bell smiled wickedly as he stared up at the screen and looked down at his Belial*

Bell: Belial.. we've got this in the bag! Nothing we can't handle!

*Shu looked up at the screen and then looked over at Lui who started to cackle*

Lui: Well Shu Kurenai, looks like you got your work cut out for you!

*Shu looked at Lui and smiled and looked back at the screen*

Shu: From what Wakiya had told me, Belial has gotten even stronger with its new move, Divine Evolution.. If there's anything i have to look out for, it's going to be that move and the moment Bell decides to pull it out.

BeyQueen: Unless there are any questions or concerns, the Beyblade Ultimate World Series begins now!!

*The screen shuts off and everyone immediately headed to go train but Shu stayed behind for a while and Valt who was watching from the platform saw this.*

Valt: Something wrong Shu?

Shu: It's nothing, just thinking about something.

Valt: What are you thinking about?

*Shu looked down at his Astral Spriggan for a moment and looked out over the vast oceans*

Shu: From the very first time i battled Bell, he beat me in battle but didn't consider it a victory at all. He's come a long way since he gained traction and popularity among bladers around the world.

Valt: He's got that Demon King charm to him, that's for sure.

Shu: That's why people love to see him battle, he puts on a great show even when he's in a pinch. I remember his battle against Rashad that day and the power and bond he displayed throughout the battle really lit up the arena..

Valt: Yeah, they really did.

Shu: It's unfortunate to hear we won't see Rashad for a while but if its what it takes to get stronger and find himself then more power to him, it's his path and only he can walk it.

Valt: He and Bell never cease to amaze me. Belial and Raphael are a cool pair of beys if you ask me.

*Shu smiled and continued to stare off into the sea*

Shu: Yeah, yeah they are.

---Meanwhile---

*Bell and Ranzo were alone in a training room in the Ship and they were giving it their all even in a training battle*

Bell: Go for it Belial! Divine Evolution!!

*Belial clashes with Ragnaruk and burst straight through it with little to no effort at all and Ranzo was knocked off of his feet*

Ranzo: Well you've definitely got the hang of your new Divine Evolution move but do you really think it'll be able to work on Cassiel, a bey that specializes in pure defense and stamina?

Basara: It's a move that channels the power of all the gears into a single attack, if Bell can time it right and pull it off perfectly, Bell should at least get an Over Finish on Chiyoh.

Ranzo: Wait! Why are we even focusing on Chiyoh right now?! You're going up against Shu today in the Opening Battle and your first round opponent is Ilya, why are we focusing on Chiyoh and Cassiel right now?!

Bell: Because that's what Wakiya trained me for! I came up with Divine Evolution to absolutely crush Chiyoh and Cassiel once and for all, Ilya won't even stand a chance against an attack like that, hell i'm not even going to use Divine Evolution against her, this goes for Shu too!

Ranzo: Whatever you say amigo..

*Ranzo turned and started to walk away doing his own training*

Bell: Basara! Surely you're with me on this right?!

Basara: Now that he mentions it, he does have a point. In fact, we should all be worrying about our coming battles. I'm going up against Free, i have a tough battle ahead of me.

*Basara leaves the training room as well and goes to do some training of his own, Bell was now all alone in the training room by himself. Jingemon and Hannah weren't on the ship with him but were watching from home*

Bell: Mmm.. fine!!

*Bell turned back towards the stadium and continued to train alone, maybe they were right. He should focus on his own battles and worry about Chiyoh later*

---Later---

*Shu trained alone in a training room as he watched his Astral Spriggan speed around the stadium at full speed as it glowed with a crimson aura*

Shu: Divine Belial will definitely be using that move publicly this time and he'll make a perfect example out of me if he does. In order to combat that, i should focus on avoiding Belial's attacks until the time is right..

*Shu also thought about Chiyoh and the possibility of him facing off against her, they were in the same block after all, anything was possible in this tournament.*

Shu: And then there's her...

*Shu also remembered Valts crushing loss against Chiyoh and he didn't want to go down the same way his friend did. If he was going to beat her, he was going to have to step up his game! Shu continued to train as his aura began to faintly glow*

---Later---

*It was finally time for the Opening Battle for the Beyblade Ultimate World Series and it was Bell VS Shu! The 2 bladers reached the arena of the ship and walked up to the stadium*

Bell: Shu Kurenai, i'm going to settle once and for all whose the strongest between us!

*Shu just stared at Bell with a slight smile as he held up his Astral Spriggan*

Shu: I guess we'll see but just know we're not going to be holding anything back!

*Bell looked down at his Belial which started to shine brightly, he was completely confident that he was going to win the battle! Shu was going with Right Spin Balance Mode!*

-----

*Ranzo and the others were watching from the crowd as the battle was about to begin*

Ranzo: I wonder what his plan is.. Shu is going with Balance Mode!

Basara: He's gotta have some kind of plan, his opponent is Shu after all!

Rashad: It's Bell, chances are he's probably got some tricks up his sleeve.

---

Aiga: I'm curious now, Spriggan is a Balance Type while Belial is an Attack Type. What's your plan Demon King?

Ilya: I'm placing my bets on Shu winning this battle.

*Chiyoh was watching the battle from the back of the stands and she had her eyes fixated on Bell with a very dull look, she had no hope of Bell winning and did not care if he did*

---

Referee: 1st Battle!!

*The 2 bladers took their positions and the battle was about to begin*

Bell: I hope you're ready because i'm gonna win once again, Spriggans power means nothing in the face of Belial's Ultimate Gear!

Shu: I hate to say it but you're wrong. Spriggan has gotten so much stronger since we've last battled! Your gears mean nothing in the face of what we have planned!

Referee: Ready Set!!!

3 2 1 GO SHOOT!!!

*The beys were off and Belial and Spriggan raced around the stadium at full speed and Belial was coming in for the attack*

Bell: Go Belial! Show it no mercy!!

*Belial skids on its Adventure Driver and comes racing in for the attack but Spriggan quickly evades the attack*

Bell: W-Wha-?!

Shu: Heh? You missed, Demon King!

*Belial slams into the wall and comes back in the for the attack as its spin wasn't dropping, instead it was actually getting even faster*

Bell: It's not over yet! Go Belial, shut it down with Adventure Shoot!!

*Belial finally managed to land a fierce onslaught of attacks on Spriggan but it wasn't doing much to affect it as Spriggan was defending rather well against the attacks*

Bell: Tch..!!

Shu: It's not going to be that easy beating Spriggan this time! We're prepared for your new move!!

Bell: Is that so? In that case, i'll show what true power looks like!

*Belial started to hit even harder as its movements were getting more aggressive, the V-Gear began to glow upon this sudden change*

Shu: Spriggan!!

*Spriggan escaped and circled around the stadium in an Upper Shoot like motion as it came back around for the next attack*

Bell: It's useless! Go Belial!!

Shu: Upper Shoot!!

*Spriggan lunges for Belial but it manages to dodge the attack as the V-Gear continued to glow brightly*

Shu: W-What the-?!

Bell: Hah! I told you it was useless!

*Spriggan wasn't backing down as it came back around and landed a fierce strike on Belial and knocked it away! Belial was knocked to the center of the stadium and Spriggan came charging in for the next attack*

Bell: Tch.. this isn't good!

Shu: Spriggan! Astral Spark!!

*Spriggan begins to fire off a relentless and rapid barrage of deadly attacks on Belial and the attacks were rapid and fierce that Belial couldn't even break through from the onslaught*

-----

Ranzo: That's not good!

Basara: If Belial stays in there, it's going to burst!!

-----

*Spriggans onslaught continued and Belial was being thrown around with each and every attack but it was still going strong*

Shu: I admire your persistence but it's no use, you can't escape this level of attack power!

Bell: Watch us!!

*Belial used one of its metal wings to counterattack and Spriggans attack was thrown off, allowing Belial enough time to escape Spriggans grasp*

Shu: What?!

Bell: Yes!!

-----

Ranzo: Yes he did it! Now finish it amigo!!

Basara: Go for it Bell!!

---

Aiga: Interesting..!

*Chiyohs eyes began to widen as Belial was picking up speed even more, she wondered what was keeping Bell going in this battle*

Chiyoh: W-What's going on..?!

-----

*Belial raced around the stadium at full speed as it was as fast as ever*

Bell: It's time! Go for it Belial!!!

*Belial was going super fast and its gears began to glow one by one and it started to shine with its golden light once again, leaving everyone watching in total awe!*

Shu: We're just getting warmed up! Spriggan!!

*Belial and Spriggan race around the stadium at full speed and Belial clashes side by side with Spriggan, dealing as much damage as it possibly could but Spriggan wasn't backing down either*

Bell: I'm going to absolutely crush you here and now! Show it no mercy!!

Shu: Spriggan, keep on going!!

*The clashes would not stop as both beys seemed to almost be evenly matched with each other but in the end, only one bey could come out on top! Belial's shining gold light was sparkling bright as it wasn't backing down*

Bell: I have to admit, you're not half bad!

Shu: Same to you, but let's see if you can handle this next attack!

*Belial and Spriggan were knocked back from the next attack and were knocked to the outer parts of the stadium*

Bell: I'm ending this right now! Strike with Divine Evolution!!

Shu: Astral Slash now!!

*Belial and Spriggan clash in the center with all their might as the stadium explodes with a burst of energy! The 2 beys were knocked back and Spriggan was the first to burst and Belial a second or two after*

Shu: W-Wha..!?

Referee: Divine Belial with a Burst Finish! Bell Daikokuten wins with a score of 2-0!!

*Bell jumped into the air with triumph as he celebrated his victory*

Bell: THE DEMON KING WINS AGAIN!!!

*Shu just stared at Bell and put his bey back together and smiled as he started to walk away immediately, he was happy for Bell victory but this was clearly a wakeup call to get even stronger than before*

Shu: I may have lost but that doesn't mean i can't get stronger, i'll get even stronger than ever before.

---Later---

*Chiyoh Rei stood outside on the bow of the ship as she stared off into the night sky, the tournament officially began with the 1st Round the following afternoon but something else was on her mind: Belial's Golden Light it shined in the battle*

Chiyoh: That light that came from Belial, just where did all of that power come from? And Divine Evolution.. a special move like that could exploit our defenses and take us out, we can't let that happen..

*Chiyohs eyes began to glow as her aura began to glow faintly*

Chiyoh: Demon King.. i won't let you get in my way again! As the Queen Of Light, i will not allow it!!

*Chiyoh looked up at the stars as her aura continued to glow but she didn't notice Valt watching her, he looked worried but he knew now that he couldn't anything to stop her at this point, he already lost to her and nothing he could say or do would bring her back*

Valt: Chiyoh..

{TBC}

Next Episode: The Ultimate Stage! Beyblade Ultimate World Series!!

The day of the 1st Round is officially here and the first matchups for the day is Bell Daikokuten VS Ilya Mao and Free De La Hoya VS Basara Suiryu!!

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How this goes is: 2 Battles per episode in a tournament arc. Episodes 40-45 are main battles. Episode 46 is Semi-Finalsl (Both matches). Episodes 47 and 48 are training episodes (Both battles) and Episode 49-50 is the finals (You can probably already guess whose gonna be at the finals) and Episode 51 is the battle against Valt and Season Finale.