[Massive time-skip, okay. The video is episode 46 (which I really shouldn't have watched as I had to see Tsubasa be defeated again... which is around the time-period this happened. I suggest you watch it to know what's going on, as this is just a filler chapter. In the episode, there's also the battle between Reiji (who appeared about ten chapters back) and Gingka.]

It had nearly been over a month when Hyoma and Kenta went back into the Dark Nebula building.

"Yu!" Kenta called down the hallway, breathing heavily.

"Answer me! Yuuuuu!"   But their calls weren't answered by the bubbly orange-haired kid. Ever since Yu had lost to Gingka, all they had seen of Yu was a broken, battered boy. Since Tsubasa had been found out, they had no contact with the Libra blader.

Hyoma bit his lip, casting his mind back to when he had battled Yu on the rocky river, and Yu had ultimately defeated him.

If someone in the Dark Nebula defeated him... they're unbelievably powerful...

Kenta let out a gasp, and Hyoma shook himself from his thoughts, skidding to a stop as lines of bladers presented themselves in front of them, launchers pointed at them.

"Dark Nebula bladers!" Kenta cried out, as if it wasn't already obvious.

"Sorry, but we're a little busy for playtime, kiddies," Hyoma said, whipping out his own launcher. As they fired, Hyoma mirrored the movement. "You're in the way!"

His beyblade, Rock Aries, burst from the launcher, flying towards the lines. "Aries! Horn Throw Destruction!"

Kenta gave a cry of triumph as he caught one of the beyblades that flew out of Hyoma's attack. "Caught ya!"

Just putting the beyblade caused a shudder to pass through him, the image of Sagittario's broken form flashing in his mind's eye, but he launched anyway.

"Kenta, go find Yu!" Hyoma commanded the small boy.

Opening his mouth to protest, Kenta closed it at the look the Aries blader spared him.

"Go!"

As Kenta disappeared around the corner, Hyoma turned his attention back to the other bladers, some who were scattered across the hallways, others who were still standing.  "All right, Aries! Let's go with Horn Throw Destruction again!"

A ram burst from the pink, silver, and black beyblade, waving its' head about before dashing through the whirlwind of beyblades.

After Aries returned to his hand, Hyoma glanced side to side, eyes narrowed in thought.

... I should go after Kenta, as his normal beyblade is out of commission due to Reiji... I'm lucky Aries got repaired in time.

In a split-second decision, Hyoma dashed in the direction opposite from where Kenta went.

There were no bladers to be seen as the periwinkle-haired teen walked down the strange hallway- only sleek, silver-and-blue designs on the walls.

That is, that was the only thing there until he spotted a small, orange-and-black door at the end of the hallway.

"Huh...?"

Taking careful steps towards the door, Hyoma felt around it for any signs of a knob or handle- which, it didn't have any.

"Fine, I'll have to use Aries again..." he hissed out loud.

Taking his companion out, Hyoma fit it into his launcher. "Sorry for already putting too much stress on you already, Aries..."

With a yank, Aries flew out. "Aries, Horn Throw Destruction!"

The metal broke away after several beatings, and Hyoma gingerly retrieved Aries. "Sorry," he said again, pocketing the beyblade. Reaching inside the hole, he felt around for a handle, only finding it after some roaming, and pushed towards. The door swung open without a sound.

"What is thi- oh, wow..."

Machines.

Machines, littering every corner of the room, draped across the ceiling. Computers lined the walls, and in the middle of the room was a pod with the Dark Nebula symbol on it.

"What's going on...?"

Quietly, Hyoma strode up to the pod, resting a hand on the surface. It's only when his eyes roamed across the glass opening is when he inhaled sharply.

Tess looked more pale then ever, head turned slightly to the side, eyes closed. It didn't even look like she was breathing.

The small device on her wrist read 92%.

He knew exactly what this was. Gingka had described Ryuga's own pod in detail to him, and seeing one identical to it- it wasn't that hard to match up.

In the container beside Tess' pod, filled with purple liquid, was Thunder Eagle, attached to a hexagonal plate.

"What the heck is this place?" Hyoma muttered, turning in a full circle. After inspecting the room at a distance, he faced the pod again, feeling around for a switch.

With a click, the lid flipped open.

"I really hope you're not a Dark Nebula blader."

Whipping around, Hyoma's heart jumped in his throat.

"... then again, not all of them are really that talented," the newcomer continued, passing a hand over his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you! I'm here because this girl is my friend."

Blue-green eyes pierced into him, and a chill ran down his back- the same feeling he got when Reiji had looked at him- precise, calculating.

"... I wasn't aware of the fact my sister had friends."

"You're Shaun?"

Shaun Rixen raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. "Last time I checked, yeah."

He looked worse for wear, his golden-brown hair flopped up in all directions, scratches running down his face and neck, the sleeves of his shirt ripped.

"And you're...?"

"Hyoma. I'm Hyoma. I was here a month ago, with Una Arashi," Hyoma tried. Apparently the name meant something to Shaun, as his face lit up.

"Ah... so you're against the group that captured me..." Shaun mused.

Both of their heads jerked up at the sound of a shattering crash.

"Kenta!" Hyoma cried out in alarm.

"Friend of yours?"

"Yeah, we went out seperate ways, but he might have run into some other bladers... he doesn't even have his beyblade with him..."

"Then go. I'll take care of my sister."

Shaun walked up beside him, bracing himself on the edges of the pod. "I promised Mom I'd protect her, yet I failed in doing so. So let me at last save her from the Dark Nebula."

Looking at him, looking at Shaun Rixen, Hyoma could see Tess in him- the stubbornness in their eyes, the proud tilt of their head.

"Yeah. Up to you, okay?"

With that, Hyoma bolted out of the room.

With a sigh, Shaun faced the unconsciousness Tess again.

"Ready to go back home, after a month...?"

Carefully detaching the cord that had wrapped around her wrist, Shaun went about freeing his sister from the cords.

"... it's a miracle we're getting out of here alive."

[Okay, I'm going off to watch Eagle's Counterattack because I need to release some stress, and the only way to do that is crying over Tsubasa. RIP the only character who had a strategy again Ryuga, haha. Although, he didn't die. Here's Eagle Counterattack, if anyone's interested in watching it! And Kyoya's and Tsubasa's interactions~ skip to 9:07 for the real battle. This is getting really long, oops]