"Alright, everyone! Let's move on to the next scene!"

Whoosh.

Joshua glared at the face in front of him with all the pompous frustration he could muster. The face only stared back. The rest of the body was missing.

Why was the body missing? Because the face belonged to a certain spirit called a Bit-Beast who lived in a certain Valkyrie Bey owned by a certain Valt Aoi. Joshua still couldn't fathom how Valt had managed to call out Valkyrie's spirit from within the Bey so easily. And now the spirit and her blader were just sitting there in front of him, trying to console him. They didn't seem to realize that it wasn't helping.

Valt grinned at him. "It's okay, Joshua! Sometimes it takes just a bit more practice!" he said brightly. "But Val looks so COOL, don't you think? I bet Jinnius would look awesome!"

The Valkyrie queen tilted her face. "He does," she affirmed.

"Well, gee, thanks a lot," Joshua huffed. "Not like I'd know that anyway."

Joshua flicked his glare over to Valt for a split second and returned to throwing daggers at the floating face, projected from within Valt's Bey. Valkyrie's face winked at him. "Just focus," she said.

His hair drooped. With a groan, he slumped forward. "How do you make it seem so easy?" he complained. "You just say, 'Hey, Valkyrie,' and then she pops up like nothing, so why not me? It feels like everyone's got their Beasts to manifest except me!" He dramatically threw himself backwards. "I must be such a failure."

"Either Jinnius isn't ready," Free mumbled from where he sat under a tree. He glanced at Valkyrie. "Or he doesn't like having Valkyrie around."

At once, Valt was on his feet, yelling at Free while Valkyrie manifested her arms, sword raised angrily. Free simply picked Fafnir up and let the dragon argue for him.

Joshua slapped his forehead and slumped on the bench further. He knew neither Valt nor Valkyrie would hurt Free—then again, she was the image of a spirit and couldn't physically touch humans anyway—but still, no need to fight on his movie set. And besides, both were essential to the movie anyway. They still had that one scene where both bladers were supposed to be taken hostage by the evil overlord.

He still had a couple posters of Free hanging on his wall. At least he'd grown past the obsessive stage.

"Just chill out, then," Valt said, having recovered surprisingly quickly. "You could totally reschedule the scene—"

"Nope. No. Nuh-uh," Joshua said, frantically waving his hands and sweatdropping. "Director Sam already said the whole scene has to be finished this week, which gives me only three days to figure out how to meet Jinnius so I can finish this up and be fabulous at the tournaments. And he's not moving the deadline unless there's some kind of catastrophe. And otherwise, he shall remove me from this movie and I shall be an utter disappointment."

Joshua missed having Terry around. The other director was more willing to change plans and schedules. Sam Marimo just bossed Joshua around.

"You're so annoying," Karina muttered as she walked past.

"Aw, but Karina, look at yourself!" Joshua snickered. Karina rolled her eyes and mimed dumping her water bottle over him.

Free stretched his arm and leaned back against his tree. "You'll figure it out," he said calmly. "Everyone eventually does."

Joshua dramatically swooned.

"Burns! You're up in a bit!" shouted one of the managers.

Joshua wrinkled his nose. "How dare they yell at me," he sniffed disdainfully.

Free side-eyed Joshua and silently got up. "How can you stand him?" he whispered to Karina.

"I don't," Karina replied. "I shut him up before he starts speaking. Though it looks like it's too late for you."

"Ooh, which scene is next?" Valt asked, eyes sparkling.

"Well," Joshua said, completely forgetting his distress in lieu of bragging about the next scene, "Havoc Tempo's gang is gonna appear, then when I as Crescent Stride appear, they'll attack but I'll fight and win..." and he continued on, throwing his arms about fabulously as Free yawned and ignored him.

"Aaaaand let's hurry it up, Burns! We don't have all day!" Director Sam shouted.

"Give me a minute," Joshua huffed, smoothing his superhero mask as Valt cheered on behind him. He approached the actor playing Havoc Tempo. "Are you ready for this, villain Ed?"

The other actor, Ed, shrugged, walking toward the green backdrop, pulling up his villain visor. Joshua glared. "Rude," he muttered under his breath, annoyed. Ah well, probably still jealous of my glory.

Karina, she seemed to absolutely despise Ed. It was obvious even now, as she watched Ed approach Director Sam with her eyes narrowed. Joshua scoffed inwardly. Sheesh, calm down, Karina. He just got a bad attitude.

He walked over to his sister and flicked her. "Your face looks ugly."

She kneed him in the stomach. "Speak for yourself," she said.

He gasped, affronted (and slightly winded). "How DARE—"

"BURNS, HURRY UP!" Sam bellowed. "You're keeping everyone waiting!"

"I'll be RIGHT THERE," Joshua declared, running over with a flourish. "I was just talking to my dearest sister for a second!"

Karina closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

As Joshua sauntered over to the gathering, something in his peripheral vision snagged his attention.

There was some overly-armored cop woman standing off to the side, speaking into a walkie-talkie very intently.

He raised his eyebrow. He hadn't seen her around before. She seemed part of the more serious lot of security guards, what with that vest and everything.

He shrugged to himself. Ah, just adding more measures of safety, he thought. Now, it was time to focus on the scene.

"Alright for this, I'm gonna pit you guys around here..." Director Sam began discussing everyone's position on scene. "Ed, you go to the back. You four, over here, and Burns down that way..."

Joshua tuned him out and glanced at the cop woman again, managing to catch a glimpse of her face this time. She looked like she was yelling at someone extremely urgently. He hadn't seen anyone with such a wrinkled face other than Karina.

"Oi, BURNS, get over here!" Director Sam shouted.

"Okay, okay, fine," Joshua huffed, sauntering over with a plop in his step. He threw a final glance over his shoulder again at the woman in the armored vest.

And then her head turned and their eyes met for the tiniest split second.

He didn't know what happened next except for that his feet were suddenly in place for the shooting.

At the snap of the clapboard, all thoughts flew out the window as Crescent Stride strode to the center. "Havoc Tempo! Come out and face me! Your life of crime ends today!" the hero shouted, hands on hips appraisingly. It was as if the world had fallen away, and Crescent Stride stood in a large dark warehouse, fiercely searching for his foe.

Havoc Tempo's low chuckle echoed around the dusty crates. "Try me, hero," the dark voice spat. "So long as you don't hand over your Bey to me, I shall never listen."

"You would dare desecrate my Bey such as that?!" Crescent Stride bellowed, leaping unto the crates. "I'd sooner die than let him fall into your hands!"

And then Havoc Tempo flew down from the rafters, brandishing his launcher. "Shall we... battle over him, then?" he sneered.

"As it is, villain!" Crescent Stride said, swiftly launching his Bey into the middle of the air. Havoc Tempo smirked and sent his flying a minute after.

Let it RIP!

The wind grew so strong, the power of the bladers so potent, that Crescent Stride's mask flew right off. He caught it in his hand and merely glared harder. "It is time that I showed my true power to end you!" the hero declared.

Havoc Tempo's eyes grew round in horror as the cyclone wind of Crescent Stride's Bey clashed ferociously with his own. And then his Bey flew away, and Crescent Stride caught his own back in his hands. "Triumph!" Crescent Stride shouted.

Havoc Tempo stumbled in shock. "Impossible..."

"And now, you and your miserable cronies have proven your absolute incompetence in Beyblade! I shall banish you from this land!" Crescent Stride bellowed.

Havoc Tempo roared maniacally. "HAH! As if I would ever allow such a thing!" he declared. The air around him turned dark with his purple aura.

All of a sudden, the scene faded from imagination, because something really weird was happening. Joshua whirled around in confusion. Several masked ninja-extras dropped down from the top of the green screen and entered from the crew area, surrounding Joshua and Ed.

That couldn't be right. Havoc Tempo's ninja cronies were defeated ages ago.

Joshua frowned, clutching his mask. "Wait, wait, wait! That's not part of the script!" he said.

Click.

Within seconds, he found several knives and guns pointed at him.

Joshua blanched. Ah, so they're not acting... wait. Wait. WAIT. ARE THEY ACTING? THAT MEANS—IS THIS REAL?

Knees shaking, he looked over at Ed.

His Havoc Tempo costume was coated in dark tendrils. Black smoke floated around his eyes. And Ed himself—he seemed to smile sinisterly under that metal visor of his.

Joshua blinked. "Ed...?"

For some reason, the situation didn't quite register in the minds of anyone; they all seemed rather perplexed at what kind of mad libs was happening. But then a whole host of other ninja dropped from the skies and landed in the midst of the crowd, immobilizing a rather large number of security guards.

Ed stepped forward; Joshua instinctively took a step back. He vaguely heard the sound of the cast and crew screaming as more figures held them at bay. But no, he couldn't focus on that, because Ed's eyes were a terrifying pitch black and his outfit had turned a sinister dark purple.

If he hadn't known any better, Joshua would've just assumed it was some new cut he hadn't been told about and would've moved along, possibly yelling at Director Sam. But no. Ed, whatever he was doing, was very much not acting.

But hey, he hadn't known the dude very long either. Maybe this was just adding a bit of flair. (Or, well, a lot of flair, to be honest.)

"Heh heh, um, Havoc? What the hell is going on..." Joshua stammered. "Look, I know that Beyblade is involved in some weird supernatural jazz, but uh, I don't think... you're supposed to—liek—turn into the Kurogiri dude from the League of Villains..."

Ed simply raised his dark, gloved hand, and Joshua clamped his mouth shut.

"Give me Jinnius."

And Joshua's mind blanked of all other thoughts.

What the hell did Ed mean, "give me Jinnius"? And in that tone of voice?

"What?! Why should I give my Bey to you?!" Joshua snapped. He'd never been so offended, insulted, horrified, angered at the same time. Who did Ed think he was? This attitude problem was going a bit far.

He stepped back with a screech as Ed took a stomping step toward him. The other loomed over him threateningly, like a real villain. Joshua tried to lean back as far as he could, still completely bewildered. Man, if Ed's being a real life villain right now, he's definitely a lot scarier than they portray in film, Joshua's thoughts rambled, trying to calm him. It only served to activate his panic even more. But how does that even work? And why? How?

In the distance, he could vaguely see Karina screaming and trying to run to him.

Ed leered. "You are going to give me the Bey now, Joshua," he growled. "I'm not one for violence or anything, but I won't hesitate to tear this place apart." Behind him, the image of his Bey's Bit-Beast manifested, bearing her characteristic dark wings and her trademark scourging weapon. She seemed to grin almost maliciously.

A threatening silence shrouded the scene. No one dared move a muscle.

Joshua didn't know how to respond. Here he was, being threatened by a very realistic villain, and he couldn't even think of a way to fight back. But then, he realized, maybe because it was nothing like the special effects. Maybe it was because real life was so much more terrifying than the movies. Especially the strange fantastical way Erinys drifted around made it look like he was staring into the eyes of Hell itself.

But he had to say something, right? Like in every movie.

So, he cautiously took a tiny step back, raised his eyes to meet Ed's, and meekly said, "Nah."

—
My hand is gonna frikin hurt soon

Second edit. Yeah. More drawing.