NOTE: CONTINUATION OF MOMENTS OF SOLICITUDE

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"Valt Aoi... is it possible that the reason you were so close with Dante and Delta was because you were their mentor?"

The room fell silent upon hearing those words from the genius blader, Gwyn, who was also invited to the small party. All the Victories members held their breath, waiting for the response of the Legendary Blader.

Valt smiled. The cat is out of the bag now. There's no point in denying it when you have that genius albino who seems amused by the situation. "Yeah, that's true. I was their mentor during their stay in BC Sol," he admitted, and the whole world seemed to stop spinning for a while.

It took a moment before Ichika broke the silence. "Why wasn't this publicized? Just like the world knows that Fubuki was Shu Kurenai’s pupil. It would be great for those two to receive recognition."

The wonder boy kept up his knowing smile. She had a point but...

"Because I knew that revealing their connection to me as their mentor could bring an overwhelming amount of pressure. They both have incredible talent, and I didn’t want the world’s expectations to crush their spirits before they had the chance to fully develop their skills. I'm also afraid they would be anxious to make mistakes due to fear of criticism—you know how our backward society works. Also, they are not prodigies, so I wanted them to grow at their own pace, to find their own strengths and styles without the shadow of my title looming over them."

Valt's explanation was logical, leaving them stunned.

This time, Fumiya tilted his head curiously. "It's not that I'm questioning you, but why did you choose them as your students?"

His question echoed the curiosity of everyone else in the room, making Valt chuckle.

"It's simple, really. Because I see myself in both of them. Their courage, passion, and willingness to push beyond their limits—those are the qualities of strong bladers that can shape the world of blading. I have always known they had what it takes to reach the top."

("And that's the reason they are my pride and joy.")

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Delta Zakuro stood alone in the quiet Beyblade stadium far outside the Victories Base, lost in thought. His intense crimson gaze was fixed on his Beyblade, Master Devolos, as it spun silently in his hand.

The match between Inferno and Victories was tiring, and so was the after-party, but it wasn’t the physical strain that weighed on him...

It was the unspoken tension between him and Dante Koryu that bit on at his conscience ever since his priorities took long enough to be fixed.

Soft footsteps were heard, and Delta looked up to see Dante, which was unexpected. The reason for his confusion was here. Although his usual energetic behavior was replaced with a more docile expression.

They had been rivals since the beginning, each pushing the other to new heights... albeit it was him who harshly pushed him away, there was still an unspoken barrier between them. No matter how nice Dante is, he's still a human who feels hurt.

And it was time to face this.

"Hey, Delta," Dante said, trying to muster a smile. "Mind if I join you?"

Delta nodded silently, and Dante walked over, sitting down next to him. For a moment, they both watched their Beyblades in silence. The environment was filled with a quiet that was starting to get deafening.

Finally, Delta broke the silence. "Dante, there's s-something I n-need to t-tell you."

Dante turned to him, curiosity piqued. "What's up?"

Delta took a deep breath and stood up, his usual confident demeanor faltering slightly. "I've been cold to you. Distant. Rude. And it wasn’t fair. The truth is, I was jealous. I thought Valt-senpai favored you over me despite me being a longer BC Sol member than you, and I couldn’t stand it. No offense, but seeing your inexperience at that time made me feel like my efforts were invalidated when I was working so hard to become a better student. But, I've realized Valt-senpai's attention isn't centered around me, and it took me long enough to realize that he had always been proud of me. Heh, I'm so stupid. I'm really sorry for my shameless behavior."

With that, he bowed down, which made the other blond flinch in alarm. Dante blinked multiple times, still trying to process what just happened, then chuckled softly. "Seriously? Stand up straight, dude. Gosh, I never saw that coming. You were jealous of me?"

Delta nodded, his expression serious. "Valt-senpai is an amazing blader and mentor. I have always looked up to him, and so that's why I wanted to be his top student, but it always felt like he saw something special in you that he didn’t see in me. I guess I let that cloud my judgment and... our friendship."

Dante laughed, the sound light and genuine. Delta frowned, confused by his reaction.

"Delta, in my eyes... you’re incredible and outstanding," Dante said, shaking his head. "I’ve always been in awe of your skill and power. I was the envious one. You’ve got this intense focus and strategic mind that I could never match. There was a time when I thought I didn't deserve to be Valt-senpai's student when he had someone like you. I was even afraid that if the information about me being his pupil got publicized, I might disgrace my idol. Heck—I still haven't won against you, so every time we battled, I felt like I was just trying to keep up with you."

Delta stared at him incredulously. He never thought Dante would think like this. He thought his head was all about Rainbow and Dragon. His heart sunk in shame, and the weight of his own misconceptions started crashing down on him. "I thought you were the one Valt believed in more."

The Dragon blader shrugged nonchalantly. "Valt believed in both of us, in different ways. He saw potential in you because of your determination and strategy. He saw potential in me because of my energy and creativity. We both have our strengths."

Delta looked down at Master Devolos, turning it over in his hands. "I guess I was too wrapped up in my own insecurities to see that."

"Hey, we all have our moments," Dante said, nudging him with a cheeky grin. "What matters is that we push each other to get better. I’ve learned so much from battling you, Delta. You make me want to be a better blader."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Delta’s mouth. "I guess I owe you another apology, Dante. For everything."

Dante grinned widely, clapping a hand on Delta’s shoulder. "No worries, man. We’re rivals, but we’re also friends. Let’s just keep pushing each other to the top."

Delta nodded, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. For the first time in a long while, he felt a genuine connection with Dante. They weren’t just rivals; they were comrades on the same journey, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

"Thanks, Dante," Delta said quietly. "For understanding."

Dante’s grin widened. "Anytime, Delta. Now, how about we have a battle? I want to see if you can keep up with my new move!"

Delta chuckled, his competitive spirit reignited. "You’re on."

As they prepared their Beyblades for battle, the air between them was lighter, filled with mutual respect and a shared goal of becoming the best bladers they could be. And in that moment, both Delta and Dante knew that they were stronger together than they could ever be apart, as their tag team battles had proven otherwise.

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