"Round two!"

I closed my eyes and got ready into my stance, ready for the next battle. My new aura was still flowing out, non-stop since I bursted Aiga so easily in the last battle. I felt a smirk play on my lips.

(y/n).

I sighed in irritation before standing up and opening my eyes. I snapped, "What?"

Instead of the stadium, a familiar beast stood in chains. Its sword was lying on the floor useless. I was back in the aura realm.

I scanned the flaming chains that enveloped Xcalius's ankles and wrists. "Shouldn't you be out now? You're supposed to be strong. I can't be the only one being strong."

Xcalius groaned from the pain, "(y/n). P-Please stop using the dark aura."

"Why?" I questioned Xcalius, skeptical. "It's brought nothing but wins and triumph. Why stop?"

"Just," Xcalius closed its eyes and winced. "Just trust me. Please stop. Please."

I glanced at Xcalius, the fire around the chains growing brighter. Xcalius looked almost pitiful, all chained up and everything. Turquois eyes met (e/c), and something passed between us. I sighed again, this time in reluctance. "Fine, I'll stop. Because I trust you as my companion."

Relief passed over Xcalius' face, and it smiled. "Oh, thank you (y/n). Please... don't ever use the dark power again."

"We'll see about that."

I crossed back into reality, where time had stopped since I had left. I deactivated my aura, wondering how on earth I could win against Aiga without my new power. He has the same power too. There's no doubt that he would use in this match.

I glanced over at my opponent. Sure enough, he was muttering under his breath as his aura was activating again, his scarlet and aqua flames being contaminated by dark purple. I tightened my grip around my launcher and gritted my teeth.

"3 2 1!" The crowd chanted. "Let it rip!"

Both beys sped across the stadium in a clockwise direction. I clenched my fist, not willing to draw this battle out. "Xcalius, Switch Counter!"

The performance tip speedily switched just as Achilles came zooming in. Xcalius used the momentum to viciously smash into the other bey, using Achilles' speed against it. I grinned smugly as Achilles was knocked back into the wall, and its speed dropped.

"Hit it again!" I demanded. My bey started rapidly spinning towards its target.

Aiga grunted in determination as the two beys began colliding with each other fiercely. His aura burnt even brightly. "Achilles, go for it now with Z Whip!"

Now it was Xcalius's turn to lose a large portion of its speed and stamina. It seemed like a toy Achilles was playing with, the latter bey taking advantage of this opportunity to recklessly charge into Xcalius multiple times. I frowned in concentration. I had to get Xcalius out of there.

Now.

"Don't hold back!" I yelled, letting my aura wash over me. It was the old one, true to my promise to Xcalius. It felt so familiar, but it was so old and weak. Just like a worn out pair of shoes. I gritted my teeth. I'll just have to deal with it. "Final Strike!"

The sword ejected out lengthily, using the tip to knock Achilles away and swing the performance tip into a better trajectory. Both beys were back to their normal speed, racing around the stadium in different directions.

They hit again, the force so strong it repelled the two beys off onto the Turbo rails on opposite sides of the stadium. The performance tips grinded against the rim of the stadium, producing sparks that flew everywhere.

With even more force and speed, Xcalius and Achilles met in the middle of the stadium to be repelled from each other and drawn to each other again. As the energy layers made contact with the other, a bright yellow light enveloped the beys and illuminated the entire stadium.

Everyone winced as strong gales sliced through the air, Aiga and I bearing the brunt of it. I could feel in the thick tension how much Aiga wanted to win this.

The light and wind vanished, revealing the outcome. None of the beys were in the stadium. Frantically, I looked up to see Xcalius and Achilles up in the air, both on the verge of being sent outside the stadium.

I couldn't tie with Aiga. That's not good enough. I need to win. A strong fire seemed to burn in my chest as I clenched my fists again and activated my usual aura. The very same fire had been ignited in Aiga too, his eyes burning brightly as his usual aura swallowed him up too.

"Achilles!" roared Aiga, sounding as if he was crying a battle cry.

"Xcalius!" I cried out simultaneously, hoping with all my might that it would land safely back into the stadium.

All I needed to do was land Xcalius into the stadium. The beys seemed to take an age to fall. Judging from the angles, Achilles would fall out of the stadium, and I would take the match and defend my title. I would win against Aiga without needing the dark power. Maybe Xcalius was right, maybe the dark power was unnecessary. Maybe it was just an addicting power that was useless-

"We won't lose!" Aiga thundered, and his eyes burnt even brightly. No, the rest of his body just went dark as the oh-so-familiar purple once again started to take over his aura. All I could see were two pairs of turquoise eyes, burning with a fire so intense it put great bushfires to shame. This kind of determination was so rare and precious, it was a shame it was in the hands of my enemy.

Achilles and Xcalius landed back into the stadium, barely missing the edge and ending the battle. I let out a sigh of relief that Xcalius was alright, but it angered me to see Aiga had done the same thing. I was wrong. Dark power isn't unnecessary. It isn't just an addicting power.

It's so much more. It's something I need if I'm going to win big matches like these. I closed my eyes, ready to reach my hand out and begin with the purple flames again, but my hand faltered as I remembered Xcalius's words. I trusted Xcalius. I made a promise, and I never give up on my promises. Especially not my promises with my companion.

I opened my eyes again fiercely and, using all of my willpower, Xcalius charged straight into a recovering Achilles. My aura shimmered even brighter as my determination and hope grew stronger. "Go for it! Final Strike!"

Normally, this would've finished Achilles. But Aiga isn't a normal blader. And he definitely doesn't have a normal aura. He heaved in exhaustion as the darkness only increased, blurring out the rest of his body until it was barely just visible. Achilles was beginning to be infected with this new power. He yelled, "Destroy them, Achilles! Z Whip!"

The vivid sparks that emitted from the beys as they clashed turned into a blinding light that astounded the stadium. The wind was so strong, it seemed like a cyclone was being created. But despite all of the wind and the light, I couldn't keep my eyes off the stadium.

The tension grew, and so did my determination. So did Aiga's, it seemed. Somehow, Achilles was still going. And miraculously, Aiga was overpowering Xcalius and I. Even with the blazing light, I could see Achilles pushing Xcalius back further and further. And I could see Aiga's eyes.

I could see the desperation in his eyes. How desperately he wanted the title I owned. How desperately he wanted to show the world. And he was turning that desperation into determination. And turning the determination into power.

And it intimidated me.

Aiga's going to win. His aura and strength is no match for mine. I could sense how close Xcalius was to losing to match. How close I was going to lose the match, my title, my place, my reputation.

(y/n).

I heard my name again, coming from the aura realm instead of reality. I closed off my senses and allowed for the world to pause and for my to escape the other dimension. This time it wasn't Xcalius calling for me.

A big, black mass of darkness stood in front of me, only the scarlet of its eyes interrupting the darkness. It shared the same colour as Shu's eyes, but that was all they had in common. Its eyes were cruel and unforgiving, and I could feel the amount of hatred and the thirst for victory radiating from it; the complete opposite of what Shu gave me.

Now I understood why this power is so dangerous. It was so easy to use and so easy to lose control, yourself and your partner. On instinct, I began backing away from what seemed like a gathering of negativity.

"I'm never going to give in," I said firmly, staring at the darkness straight in the eye. "I saw what you made Shu do at the God Blader's Cup, and I won't let history repeat itself."

It chuckled, as if it was reminiscing wistfully. "Ah, yes. Shu Kurenai was a worthy blader. You two are particularly close, aren't you? Then you should recall how weak Shu was at the beginning, and you should know how strong I made Shu. Without me, Shu would still be pathetic."

I growled angrily. "Shu was never pathetic. The only pathetic person I know is you!"

"Even if I am pathetic, you must admit I'm powerful," the darkness said smugly. "Didn't you see how strong I made an amateur like Aiga? And don't you need power to protect everyone? "

"I'll...I'll get the power through hard training like a true blader," I scoffed fiercely, trying to hide to waver in my voice. "I'm not like Aiga."

"But you trained for years, and nothing much as changed," the darkness pointed out. "How long would you need to train to become truly strong? By then, I or something else may have already corrupted or destroyed your friends. Why would it matter if you were a true blader, if there's no one else left to support you?"

"I..." I trailed off, at a loss for what to say. It was making so much sense, even though my body was urging me to turn away from it. A tiny portion of the darkness began to flurry off from the main segment.

"Don't you want to protect your friends?" the monster leered. I looked down to my feet, unsure what to do. The small darkness leeched away until it was a thin line, only just connecting to the main body. It formed an outstretched hand, offered to me. "Your best friends? Don't you want to protect Shu?"

I stared at the pit of darkness in front of me. Taking the hand would mean that I would be breaking my promise to Xcalius. But maybe...maybe I know better than Xcalius. After all, its the one trapped in chains right now, not me. And I'm the one who controls Xcalius. Most of the battles are my hard work. So this is my decision.

My head shouted no. Don't take it. My heart screamed yes. Take it, become strong.

And I'm supposed to listen to my heart, aren't I?

I opened my eyes in the real world, and the world resumed as normal. I still in the middle of the battle with Aiga. Achilles was still winning. Xcalius was still being pushed to the verge of losing. If Xcalius succumbed to losing, this would cost me everything.

Would this loss even cost me my friends?

Images began flashing in my mind. An black hole was in the middle, taking away everything that entered the swirl. BC Sol, gone. The Bey Club, gone. Xander and Valt, gone. Shu, gone. Everyone gone from my life. And the worst part is that they willingly walked into the hole.

All of my training since I was a child would be for nothing. All of those years training to beat Lui would be for nothing. All of what seemed like eternity of isolation to get stronger would be for nothing.

It already was for nothing. The darkness showed me that. My strength increased more in the God Blader's Cup than in a period containing years. I glanced at Aiga, so consumed in the darkness. So full of power.

The power that I need.

"Xcalius!" I thrusted my fist into the air. Another hand was grabbing onto mine, even if I couldn't see it, I could feel the silk-like touch of the darkness. That's when I knew it wasn't going to be easy to back out of this. But I didn't want to. I have no dark side of me. All of me wants to join the dark side.

It's my choice.

Starting from my fist, my aura in the colour of darkness itself began covering my entire body. I didn't think it was possible, but it seemed even darker and blacker than Aiga's. I felt a sudden burst of power flood my body, and felt a rush of relief knowing that this all wasn't for nothing.

Xcalius started pushing Achilles back, so that they were equal now. My eyes glinted in determination not to lose as power continued coming and coming like an infinite supply.

"Aiga!" I yelled, pointing a finger at my opponent. He was growling as his aura continued to strengthen his power, much like it was doing to me. "I'm going to destroy you like you destroyed Valtryek! Xcalius!"

The white bey was now encased in pitch black. I smirked, knowing that the power was going to Xcalius as well. Finally it could feel how powerful the darkness made you. In sync with what I wanted, it was curved back on its own. For a second the light and the wind disappeared, and all was silent.

"Ultra Union Launch!" I shouted, and with tremendous force Xcalius swerved back in to hit Achilles with an outstretched sword, just as the performance tip increased in height. I watched in delight as Aiga's eyes trembled with fear, which just fueled my strength. There was a sickening crunch.

Achilles stood no chance.

burst

With a triumphant grin, I picked up the victorious bey. The grin dropped as I glanced, unimpressed, at Achilles on the floor. It was in three pieces, but it wasn't what I had hoped for. I wanted it to be in so many pieces Aiga couldn't count all of them. All that was on the bey was a crack, etched in on the edge of the energy layer.

"Oh well," I tilted my head cockily. "I'll just destroy it later."

Curiously, I watched the loser of the battle. His shoulders were drawn in, and he seemed to be shaking. All of his previous determination and arrogance was lost. Then, "How dare you!"

His eyes were so bright with anger, they could've been a deep scarlet. The dark aura once again spread across his body so rapidly, it amazed me. It seemed as dark as mine. He pointed a shaky finger at me, "Monster!"

His voice was strangely distorted and had acquired a deeper tone. Achilles was speaking. Then I saw how this aura could be scary. The darkness, his voice, the extreme thirst to win and how much Aiga seemed to prioritize it...it scared me.

I saw myself in that monster.

I didn't want people I loved to look at me that way. Is that the cost for protecting them? As selfish as it sounded, I wanted them to love me back. But that meant getting rid of this power, hence getting rid of their safety.

I inhaled sharply. I would rather them be safe than having them hate me. I would rather everyone be safe and happy, even if that means hating mean. All I want to do is protect them.

Aiga screamed, "Answer me!"

I had tuned out the crowd from the start, but now the silence that had fallen over the arena was painfully obvious. The confetti that had shot out the cannons as soon as the winner had been announced laid depressingly on the floor. Hundreds of eyes stared out to the scene in front of them, whispering echoing off the walls.

Maybe they were finally realizing that beyblade wasn't a game. At least, it isn't for me. And now I had ruined it for them. Good. I don't want their cheers when somebody's bey got broken. They can shut up.

I stared at Aiga straight in the eye. "I don't have time to answer losers like you."

The smirk on my lips widened seeing Aiga go red, knowing how irritated it made him. I brushed my bangs aside in an arrogant manner. "See ya, failure."

I spun on my heel and walked away from the shocked crowds.

--------------------

Sighing, I entered my dorm in BC Sol. I was thankful Sasha and Honey were preoccupied with Valt, otherwise I know there would be some probing questions about my aura. It also helped to have an empty room and time to clear my head.

Unfortunately, it seemed like someone wanted to complicated me life even more.

Curiosity peaked as I picked up the piece of white paper on my bed. I hurriedly scanned through the neat handwriting.

Battle, tonight at eleven o'clock by the beach.

Sincerely,

Phi

Phi. I had forgotten about my due battle with him after everything with Aiga. Apparently he had disappeared during the battle with Aiga. I clenched the bey in my hands.

I had another battle to win.

------------------------

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Word count: 2946