Valt's POV
That was it. That was it. The look on Xander's face was the final straw. I was done with this monster of a bey that always hurt those that it battled. It was time to cut the strings.

I didn't wait until I was on the ground to make my move. While I was still Transformed and flying over the Gulf of Mexico, I  pulled Raijin out of my suit, even though I recoiled at the touch of the metal against my skin. "That's it," I told it bitterly. "I can't take this anymore. You're a monster - all you ever do is hurt!"

Takes one to know one, wouldn't you say? Raijin hissed.

I bared my fangs and growled at it. "That's it!" I repeated. "Forget our deal. Forget handing you over to PIXAL once this is all over. I'm getting rid of you, a monstrosity of a bey, right now!"

But your promise! Raijin protested. A Master never goes back on their word unless absolutely unnecessary, remember? What would PIXAL say about this?

"I think she would say this counts!" I told it. Holding the blue bey between my claws, I gathered my lightning around it. "Never thought I would have to do this to a bey..." I grumbled.

Wait, young Master! Raijin protested, sounding desperate. Your mission isn't finished yet! You still have one more stop! I can still assist you! We can still-

"Goodbye, Raijin," I told it solemnly. Without giving it a chance to respond, I had my lightning collapse around it. In three seconds, Raijin had transitioned from a solid object into a fistful of metallic blue dust. Its wail of pain was cut short as it dissolved in my palms. I felt a twinge of pain as I let the remains sift from my fingers into the ocean far below, but that was only about the fact that I hadn't thought that I would ever find myself in this position.

A monster destroying a monster.

Not to mention, I had just littered in the ocean...

But I felt no regret for this particular action. It had to be done. Besides, I reassured myself as I continued my flight over the Gulf. I don't need Raijin for my last stop.

I just need to knock some sense into this guy.

No One's POV
In America, the Beyblade community was on fire. Theodore Glass, the owner of the Raging Bulls, had just announced that he would be hosting the International Blader's Cup in Moab, Utah (I know, my timeline is jacked up), and a few high-ranked bladers had already been selected to participate: Lui Shirosagi, Shu Kurenai (Red Eye), and a mysterious blader known only as "The Emperor". Bladers all over the continent were buzzing with excitement as to who would be picked next and who would win.

That's why no one noticed when a large, blue, winged beast flew into the very city that would be hosting this historic event. And no one witnessed the blue flash that transformed the beast into a hooded and masked figure. No one paid attention when the stranger walked the alleys of the city, keeping to the shadows. No one seemed to care.

That is, except for a group of blader thugs that were looking for an easy target.

Word travelled of a stranger with no face, which soon reached an underground kingdom. Painted faces whispered excitedly, coming to the attention of their king. The mention of a new opponent thrilled him, as he hadn't had a decent challenge in a long time. This newcomer may provide him with the battle he had been waiting for. He chose a few of his followers to go with him to find the stranger, deeming it necessary to show his future opponent exactly who they were to be batting against.

After all... he had once held the title that had for so long been held by Free De La Hoya.

———
They found the stranger in an alley. Their brisk pace stopped when they sensed the group coming, but they made no move to run. Not that they could, though. As soon as they had spotted the stranger, the devoted followers had hurried to cut off the opposite end of the alley while their cyan/yellow haired king barred the entrance.

"Hey you," He greeted the stranger. No response, so he continued, "I heard that a foreigner with no face had come to my kingdom, so I thought I would see the newcomer for myself." He studied the stranger's mask/hood clad profile; they had yet to fully face him yet. "I must say, the stories weren't wrong, but they were exaggerated." He laughed slightly, but it was more mocking than anything else.

"Just tell me what you want with me and get it over with," The stranger finally spoke up. The garbled noises that made up their voice wasn't the only thing that took the group aback.

"OI!!" A small boy spoke up from the group that blocked the other end. He spoke with a heavy English accent and had muted red hair with deep purple roots. "You better watch your mouth, buddy! Do you have even the slightest guess who you're addressing?"

The stranger finally turned their head to survey the smaller of the two groups. "A guy who thinks furs are coming back into fashion?" They jabbed. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that furs have been done to death?"

A disbelieving gasp came from the group of followers. "How dare you?!" The boy exclaimed, fury written all over his features. "For your information, that who you are speaking to is Kurt Baratier, the esteemed Emperor!"

"The Emperor?" The stranger asked, a sneer in their voice. "Puh-lease. That's a narcissistic nickname if I've ever heard one. Besides, if he's so esteemed, how come I've never heard of him?"

"Because my liege has been under the radar of the Beyblade world for the past year," The boy explained, but he made it sound like it was something to proud of.

"But it's about time I returned to the world and remind them of the might of me and my bey," Kurt said proudly. "And I would prefer to start by battling newcomers." He smirked down at his captive audience. "Which means you qualify."

A low garble came from inside the mask that sounded like a growl. "I'll pass," They hissed. "I don't have time for this. I have somewhere else to be."

The boy snorted. "You don't really get a say, pal. What my liege says goes, so that means you are battling him - whether you like it or not." He snapped his fingers and the others in his group started to move forward threateningly. "We'll take you back to our lair by force if necessary."

"I don't think so," The stranger told them, clenching their fists and backing away. "No way I'm battling the likes of your bud-"

"SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" Kurt thundered, his magenta eyes flashing. He looked every bit the king he was described as being. "You're battling me; that's that."

The stranger was quiet, staring at Kurt with a eerily still air. They were still for so long, the king and his court thought they had blown a fuse or something. But then a low warbling chuckle came out of the mask. "Did you just tell me to 'sit the fuck down', Kurt Baratier?" They asked. "Sit the fuck down? That's interesting, because now I have something I would like to say to you." A finger reached up and pulled down the mask, revealing a red birthmark. The mouth that was revealed sneered, then slowly began to sing:

(Comic Draw comic coming up!!!)

Kurt staggered back a few steps, magenta eyes widening. He thought he was the king - he thought he was invincible! But this... what the hell was this?

The haze of blue lightning died down after a few moments. In the center, the boy that he had been so adamant about battling but was now terrified of blinked slowly, then glared at him. "Have you learned your lesson, Emperor?" He asked mockingly.

Afraid of what would happen if he said no, Kurt swallowed and nodded, his back pressed against the brick wall.

"Good~" The boy said. "Now remember to stay out of my way if I'm in town." In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The once mighty Emperor collapsed against the ground, taking deep breaths to attempt to get his lungs to function again. He vaguely heard his subjects' worried voices as they crowded around him, but he paid them no heed as he tried in vain to make sense of what he just witnessed, coming up short.

All he could come up with was the fact that if that kid... that thing was loose in the world... heads were going to roll.

——————
1485 words.

Yeah, it's bad. But it's been two months since my last update, so I DON'T CARE!!

Also, in my AU, elemental masters can access the memories of their ancestors through their elements - kind of like an Avatar: The Last Airbender thing. What you see on the last page, middle box, is Valt's ancestors, starting with his mother.

And this is an extra special update: my first chapter with Comic Draw! Hope you guys like it!

NightBear15
_TormentedAsian_
-AKU-RII
fedoraeevees
yourdefender

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Also, fedoraeevees , I'm sorry I haven't posted the trade art yet - I just HAD to get this chapter done! It's next on my list, though, promise!