Valt's POV
I was done with saying goodbye to everyone I loved in my home country. My family seemed to accept the fact that I was possibly never coming back, though that doesn't mean no tears were shed. My mom understood, mostly because she at least had an idea of what I was going through. The twins had no clue why I had to stay away, though I hoped Mom would explain to them when they got home.

But Ken? He would have absolutely no idea as to why I had to go. Even if my mom or the twins told him, he still wouldn't be able to understand. I felt kind of bad, the way I left him. I hadn't even given him a hug, like I had with my family. I just left him in sputtering confusion while I bolted out the window.

Sighing, I stared out at my home from my focal point at the top of the tallest skyscraper. I could see everything from there - the building where the District Tournaments were held, the outdoor stadium where the Regional Tournaments were held, the huge bey arena where the Team Battles and the National Tournaments were held, even the park where Shu and I battled when he got Spryzen.

My breath hitched and my fists clenched as vibrant red eyes flashed in my mind. Shu. I would save him for last. And anyone from the Snake Pit, if I found any with him.
         
Looking for something, anything, to get my mind off of my ex best friend, my eyes once again landed on the outdoor stadium. Memories flashed in front of my eyes, memories of the Regional Tournament - beating Ukyo Ibuki when it first started, wiping the floor with Honcho (not to brag), Daigo asking if I would let him back into the Bey Club after he cheated in his battle with Yugo...

Daigo. France. That was my next stop.

I glanced back in the direction of the school where the Beasts were stationed. Ken was there, no doubt reeling from what I showed him. He was hurting, I knew, but I couldn't waste time consoling everyone I said goodbye. I was wasting too much time already just standing here.

With one last glance in the direction of my ventriloquist friend, I leapt off of the skyscraper, transformed, and flew West.

Hope you're ready, Daigo. I'm coming for you.

No One's POV
In the AS Gallus headquarters, the bladers were hard at training. They had lost to the Raging Bulls in the semifinals of the World League, but that only made their leader, Daigo Kurogami, push them even harder. A little too hard, if they were being honest. Something was up, and it didn't have anything to do with the fact that they lost.

Right now, Daigo was battling Ruck, the youngest member of the club. Though you wouldn't be able to tell that if you watched the two of them battle. Daigo was grinding Ruck pretty hard - this was their sixth battle. Both were sweating and breathing heavily; Ruck looked about ready to collapse while Daigo simply stared at the stadium with a fire in his eyes that was terrifying. The other members were watching with varying levels of concern. Their leader hadn't been the same for the past four months...
          
Finally, the sound of a bey bursting came from the stadium. Ruck fell to his knees with his chest heaving and reached into the stadium to gather the pieces of his bey. Daigo kneeled down on his own wobbly legs and picked up Doomscizor. "You were shaky with your launch," He told Ruck hoarsely. "Let's go again!" Ruck whined in dismay as he clumsily put his bey back together.
           
"The only reason he was shaky is because you were pushing him too hard," Jean spoke up. His indigo eyes were worried as he stared at his captain. "Seriously - you've been going at him for the past two hours."
           
A soft growl escaped from Daigo's sneer. "In my opinion, I haven't been pushing him enough," He muttered, glaring at Ruck. His team member squeaked and shied away from his gaze.
           
"Monsieur Daigo," Marie Gorgeous said firmly, snapping her fan closed. Her sea green eyes blazed with a noble passion. "You have been like seez for ze past four months, ever since ze World League ended. You were always passionate about training before, but now you grind into all of us as if your life depends on it." Her skirts swished as she stepped closer to Daigo, pointing her fan at his chest. "We are not only your teammates, Monsieur Daigo; we are also your family. Tell us what ez wrong, or I am benching you ze next tournament."
           
Daigo glared at her for a few seconds before his gaze softened and dropped to his feet. "I'm sorry," He said softly. "It's just... my friend Valt has been missing for four months. No sign of him, not even a ransom note!" He clenched his fists. "The whole thing is just so... frustrating. I'm trying to focus on training to get that out of my head, but I guess I went a little overboard." He walked around the side of the stadium and held his hand out to Ruck. "I shouldn't take my frustration out on you guys."
           
Ruck smiled up at him gratefully and took his offered hand. "No sweat," He breathed, still a little worn out. "We'll always be here if you have a problem."
            
A loud slurp filled the air and everyone turned as Clio finished the last of his tomato juice. "Well, now that the show is over," He said breezily through his fang-like teeth. "How about we take a little break? Ruck and Daigo clearly need to cool off, and I need another bottle." He stared at the bottom of his last drink with a disappointed gaze, as if it was beyond his understanding why he went through bottles of tomato juice so quickly.
           
Daigo laughed slightly at the look on Clio's face. "He's right," He told his teammates. "Let's take a five minute break." The members of AS Gallus mumbled their agreement and everyone left the training area.
            
The second the last member left the room, a window creaked open...

After the break
Once everyone cooled down and Clio got another bottle, the doors to the training area were reopened. The teammates took two steps inside and stopped in their tracks.
            
"Uh, Marie, Daigo?" Allan asked uncertainly, instinctively hugging his sketchbook close to his chest. "Were we expecting any new applicants?"
            
A stranger kneeled beside the stadium. Long fingerless gloves clothed hands that felt the bottom of the stadium, tracing the grooves carved by the beys. A hooded blue-gray trench coat covered the upper half of their face, and when they looked up, a creepy mask smiled from the lower half. They stood up, revealing a black shirt with a sky blue lightning bolt down the front, ringed by a belt clipped with a gold medallion with a gruesome design. Boots similar to the shirt covered their feet and deep blue pants stretched between the two.
            
"Hello, AS Gallus," They said, their voice distorted and glitchy. "Forgive me for interrupting."
           
Marie huffed and strode forward, looking every bit like the French nobility she boasted about being descended from. "Forgiveness cannot be so easily given, my good sir!" She informed them hotly, opening her fan with an audible crack. "You are intruding on a private team practice, and not only zhat- " She angled her fan like a blade at their neck. "You are trespassing on private property! I suggest you leave, lest you'd prefer me to call ze authorities!"
          
The stranger's eyes could not be seen, but they faced Marie with an air that made her shrink back a step. "I apologize for intruding on your practice, Marie Gorgeous..." The French Bey Trainer's eyes widened as they used her name. "But I have unfinished business with one of your bladers, and I intend to finish said business now."
          
Marie stuttered for a moment before relenting, "Very well... who ez it zhat you are so adamant about tying loose ends with?"
          
They made a show of seemingly looking over the bladers of AS Gallus before their gaze landed on one particular person. "Daigo Kurogami. Battle me." Daigo stared with an open mouth before his teammates stepped in:
          
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up!" Jean exclaimed, stepping protectively in front of Daigo. "You can't just walk in here like you own the place, then demand to battle our captain!"

"Yeah, who do you think you are?!" Allan added, stepping beside Jean.
          
"I'll curse you if you dare try to battle him!" Clio joined in, baring his teeth; he'd forgotten to swallow, and his latest mouthful of tomato juice dribbled down his chin. He looked all for the world like a real vampire.
          
"Uh... yeah," Ruck said softly, joining the others. He wasn't really a fighter - he usually stayed behind the camera.
          
The stranger met this barricade of AS Gallus with an almost inhuman patience. "I only wish to battle Daigo Kurogami once," They said calmly. "Then I'll get out of your hair, honest."

Marie snapped out of her shock and flared her fan agitatedly. "If you zink you can just waltz into our club and go for ze highest blader out of all of us," She hissed. "You, my good sir, have quite another thing coming!" Her fan snapped closed and hovered threateningly close to the stranger's masked face. "Zis is your last chance to leave before I-"

"MARIE!!" A voice shouted. Daigo pushed his way through his teammates and faced the stranger head on. "All this guy wants is to battle me once, then they'll leave. A good blader never goes back on their word. Besides," He took out Doomscizor and held it up. "I'm curious as to how exactly this guy knows me."

"Krusher Doomscizor," The stranger noted, almost briskly. "It's been a while since I've seen that bey; too long in fact."

Daigo tilted his head slightly. "Does that mean we've battled before?" He asked.

"You could say that," They replied with a nod. "But you won't be able to tell who I am by my bey." A gloved hand reached into their trench coat and pulled out what looked like a piece of the sky. "Meet Electric Raijin."

"That bey looks pretty tough," Daigo admitted, taking out his launcher. "But do you think it stands a chance against Doomscizor?"

"It has the name of the God of Storms," The stranger replied smoothly, taking out their own launcher. "I guess we'll find out."

The two bladers took their places at opposite sides of the stadium. Daigo knelt into his launching position while his opponent crouched into theirs. The way they were hunched over with their hands between their legs reminded Daigo of the stone gargoyles on the roofs of the old churches he saw around town. It gave him the creeps just the same.

Marie, of course, took the place of the referee. She hovered her fan between the two, closed. Once she deemed that the competitors were ready, her fan went up and the countdown started.

"3... 2... 1... LET IT RIP!!"

When the stranger pulled the ripcord, they looked as if they floating. Their whole silhouette looked so... ethereal. Everything about them was ethereal, come to think of it. Daigo shuddered just watching them.

Both beys fell into the stadium. Raijin circled chaotically around the outside of the stadium. The members of AS Gallus stared in shock as the blue bey reached unthinkable speeds, grinding into the stadium floor. Daigo, however, smiled when he saw that his hunch had been correct.
           
"What's that smile for?" His opponent asked, tilting their head slightly.
           
"Your mysterious persona obviously hides a violent MO," Daigo explained. "Which is why I went with the perfect launch to deal with such a wild bey." He swung his fist above the stadium and yelled, "GO DOOMSCIZOR!! HUNT LAUNCH!!"
           
The black bey began to speed up and veer wildly around the stadium. It almost caught up to Raijin once or twice, but the blue bey was always able to get out of the way at the last second. Each time it evaded his partner's advances, Daigo grit his teeth a little harder.
          
"Why so upset?" The stranger taunted, even bringing their hands in a mock shrug. "Surprised that it's not going to be that easy to beat me? I thought the great Daigo Kurogami had learned his lesson about underestimating his opponents."
          
Daigo's head snapped up. "What exactly do you know about me?" He seethed.
          
"I know you used to be apart of the Beigoma Academy Bey Club, when you lived in Japan, though you weren't originally a team player," They revealed. "I know that you cheated in your battle with Yugo Nansui during the Regional Tournament; I know that you have a little brother, named Ryota; I know that you moved to France under the impression that you were joining a professional team, only to find that the bladers had suffered a long losing streak and gave up practicing-"
            
"HEY!" A couple AS Gallus members exclaimed.
            
"UNTIL you showed up and put them back on their feet," The stranger talked over them. "I know that your friends Valt Aoi and Rantaro Kiyama are members of the team BC Sol, in Spain; I know that you battled them about six months ago and lost in the final battle... and I know that Valt Aoi has been missing for the past four months."

Daigo's breathing hitched; the battle forgotten. "And what do you know about HIM?"

The stranger hesitated - this was a topic they were obviously uncomfortable with. "I know that he was the first blader that you considered a friend, instead of an acquaintance," They said softly. "I know that you offered both him and Rantaro, who prefers to be called Honcho, a spot on AS Gallus, and I also know that both of them refused... But another thing I know is that Valt is very happy for how strong you've gotten, and he wishes that he could battle you and the others all the time."

Daigo was silent. AS Gallus was silent. The whole world seemed to be holding its breath. Then the sound of a bey bursting came from the stadium, almost sounding sad. Raijin slowly spun to a stop against its bursted opponent, seeming reluctant in the way that it took its time to stop spinning.

Clio finally broke the silence, "Would you prefer that I curse him for you?"

With the surreal moment shattered, the gathered members of AS Gallus stared at Clio while Marie called the battle, "Burst Finish! Ze challenger wins by a score of 2 - 0." Her fan was shaking as she gestured towards the cloaked stranger.

After a few moments, Daigo slowly bent down and picked up the pieces of Doomscizor. "You don't have to curse him, Clio," He said softly. "I'm not mad that I lost the battle. Because now I know who my opponent is." He put his bey back together and faced the stranger solemnly. "Hey, Valt."

Now that he had no excuse to keep up his disguise, Valt sighed and pulled down his mask and hood. "Hey, Daigo," He murmured sadly. "Can't say I'm surprised that you found out it was me - you were always the more observant one out of all of us, and I wasn't exactly subtle."

"Why, Valt?" Daigo asked, tears pricking his eyes. "Why disappear for four months, then finally show up in a disguise?"

"I'm saying goodbye," Valt explained. "Might as well do it with a dramatic entrance."

"What? Why are you saying goodbye?"

"Let's just say something happened in Brazil... and because of what happened, I have to protect you and the others."

"Protect us?" Daigo took a protective step towards his friend. "Valt, are you being targeted? If so, say who, and I'll call the police!

"I'm not being targeted, Daigo!" Valt told him, sounding exasperated. "And even if I was, they would be the ones in hiding. No, I have to protect you and the others... from me."

"From you? What do you-"

Valt held his hands out in front of him, spread apart. To everyone's amazement, blue electricity started to arch between his fingers. "This," He said softly, the electricity lighting up his sad expression. "This is why I have to protect you guys."

Daigo stared with his mouth agape for a few seconds after the lightning toned down before squeaking out, "How?"

"A little family heritage my mom forgot to mention," Valt explained, gritting his teeth. "Because of that, I didn't know how to control it and I went insane! I don't want to do that ever again. And on top of that-" He started waving his hands wildly, causing everyone to take a step back lest he accidentally let loose some electricity. "The Brazilian military has me as Public Enemy #1, and they probably have eyes everywhere. That's my problem..." His gaze went down shamefully. "And that's why I have to stay away."

Daigo was quiet. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded thick with tears, "So I guess you really have to go."

"Yeah," Valt replied, his voice equally thick. "I guess I do."

Daigo nodded, then held his hand out. "Just know that you always have a friend here in France."

Valt smiled sadly and shook his hand. "I'll keep that in mind." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he pulled away and headed towards the window. He hoisted himself onto the windowsill, but looked back before he pushed off. "Hey Clio," He called back to the shocked vampire boy. "You may think you know curses, but know this... you have no idea what a real curse is." His eyes flashed blue for a second, then he fell backward and was gone.

Daigo stared after him for a second. He felt bad that Valt felt that he had to stay away, but as his friend and former teammate, he had to respect his decision.

"Hey, Daigo?" Ruck asked.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna battle?"

"Sure. Try not to shake this time."

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3050 words

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??!!

(Yeah, I got sloppy near the end...)

But before I forget, thank you NightBear15 for commenting on my art! I'm getting an iPad soon, so I hope that I'll be able to post even better in the near future!

Until then, enjoy my pencil drawings.