*Athena and Lane stood at the center of the abandoned factory and both of them looked over towards the entrance as Valt and everyone else finally made it*

Valt: Athena!

Wakiya: What do you think you are doing?! That explosion had us worried sick!!

Athena: I'm fine! It was just from the First Battle, that's all.

*Shu looked at her and noticed that something was different about her, like she was a bit more serious about things than usual. She was always serious about her goal but she was never this serious before.*

Shu: Something is going on with her..

---

Lane: Athena Valhalla, do you really believe that you can take on my new Lucifers wrath? Apart of the Spark-Drive System just like your Adeona, let's see if you have what it takes to win!

*Athena stared at Lane and then looked down at Adeona as it glowed and pulled her into the Avatar World, both entities had their backs turned to each other and Adeona began to speak to Athena*

Adeona: Dark Matter Lucifer, The Prince Of The Black Sun.. You may have to come up with your own plan to defeat it because this bey is nothing like i've ever experienced before.

*Athena looked down and clenched her fists*

Athena: Yeah.. i'll figure something out.

Adeona: There seems to be something else.. is something bothering you...

Athena: I'm no longer going to be playing nice with Lane.. i can't let him wreak havoc in the Sparking Legend Tour. I may have to go dark for a bit.

*Adeona turned her head and her purple visor gleamed down at Athena*

Adeona: I understand.. Whatever it is, i'll follow through with whatever you want to do.

Athena: Thank you Adeona, i don't care if anyone is with me on this. This is a choice i have to do by myself, i don't need anyones help to get Lane back.

Adeona: You aren't thinking of abandoning your friends are you?

Athena: I don't want to but i'll have no choice if it comes down to it.. it'll hurt but i'm willing to face the heartbreak and pain head on and i'm sorry if they'll think i'm a terrible person for it.

Adeona: I see.. Well i hope you have a good plan to defeat Lucifer.

*The avatar world disappears and Athenas eyes opened quickly as they began to glow with a white aura, Valt noticed it too: The change in Athenas behavior*

Valt: Athena.. you...

*Both bladers take their positions and Lane started to grin with a hint of evil*

Lane: Let's see how you combat my Lucifers supreme abilities!

*Athena just looks at him as her eyes began to glow with an aura of light*

3 2 1 GO SHOOT!!!

*Both beys land in the stadium and Lucifer rushed for the center as its wings expanded and its defenses were put up*

Athena: Now Adeona, full speed ahead!!

*Adeona rushes in and began to fire a fierce barrage of attacks on Lucifer but it kept repelling all the blows*

Lane: Is that all you got?! Bring it on, give us even more!!

*Adeona slams into the wall and used its rubber to rebound itself towards Lucifer with full force*

Athena: Burst!!

Lane: You're finished! Stop them with Dark Matter Guard!!

*The blades on Lucifer began to glow and a energy barrier began to form around it and maximize its defenses. The ring on its driver began to glow and it slowly began to lower towards the stadium floor*

Athena: Oh no you don't!!

*Adeona rushes in and knocks Lucifer into the air before it could increase its defenses even more*

Athena: Alright!

*Lucifer landed back in the stadium and its ring was fully lowered and it began to speed up back towards the center*

Lane: Dark Matter Dropper!!

Athena: Tch.. Adeona get out of there!!

*Lucifer reclaimed the center and Adeona comes charging in for the blow*

Athena: Send them flying with Sovereign Symphony!!

*Adeona attacks Lucifer with all its might but it couldn't move it thanks to its drivers ability*

Athena: Tch.. so the Dropper Driver makes the bey harder to move and increase its defenses... just how strong is this bey?!

Lane: This is over! Prepare to be destroyed!!

*Lucifers flare began to roar to life and it swirled around the bey with a raging intensity! Athenas eyes narrowed with determination as her flare began to glow to life*

Athena: Adeona!!

Adeona: Leave this to me!

Athena: Barrage Boost!!

*Adeonas driver activated as the POM tip retracted and made contact with a rubber plate tip and Adeona began to speed up like a rocket as it hit the wall and launched itself into the air! Adeona began to fall back down and it was headed straight for Lucifer*

Lane: Burn them to ashes! Lucifer!!

*Adeona lands on top of Lucifer and both avatars clashed! Their eyes narrowed as both beys get sent flying and Lucifer tilts on the ring of its driver and began to pick up some incredible speed as it geared up for a massive blow*

Lane: Dark Matter Breaker!!

*Both beys collide and a massive beam of light erupts from the stadium and into the skies! Adeona goes flying up as its driver pushed past the Burst Stopper and Adeona burst!!*

Athena: W-What the-?!!

*Athena fell to her knees as Lane stood over her with a sinister grin as his Flare swirled around him*

Lane: What a weak link.. You're weak!

*Lane started to laugh as he left the factory and Athena finally rose to her feet and left the factory and she looked down and walked past her friends without saying a word. Shu, Valt and the others watch her as she left*

Shu: Athena.

---The Next Day---

*Preparations were being made for the Sparking Legend Tour and Wakiya was hard at work finalizing some things and all the legends were doing some last minute training, Lane finally had a dorm room on the ship and he stared down at his Lucifer which was glowing with a purple aura*

Lane: Lucifer.. your power has grown a ton. We'll get a ton more stronger now and our Flare will reach its truest peak..

*Lane smiled as his Flare began to glow brightly and the Devils Mark which hadn't been used in so long finally started to reawaken and it flashed an orange light*

---

*Meanwhile, Athena was walking along the deck of the Cruise Ship and she stared off at the ocean and she noticed Valt Aoi standing nearby*

Valt: That was a nice battle last night.

*Athena just looked at him and continued to stare at the vast sea. Rantaro and Shu came up too*

Valt: She really has changed.. she isn't has happy and cheerful like she normally is.

*Athena began to turn and walk away and Rantaro began to follow her*

Rantaro: Hey!

*Athena stopped and turned toward him with a frown*

Rantaro: What's going on?! You've been acting very weird lately and we want to know why!

*Athena just remained silent and just looked away and Rantaro was starting to get heated*

Rantaro: Hey! I'm talking to you!!

Valt: Honcho, give her a break.

*Athena started to walk away as she kept her hand along the railing*

Rantaro: What's going on? What's with the different attitude?! Why are you acting no different than your brother?!?

Valt: Honcho!!

*Athena finally stopped and looked back at Rantaro with a furious look on her face, Rantaro took a step back and gulped as he knew Athena didn't like that response and was getting super angry*

Athena: To crush the likes of everyone of you.. i won't let any one of you get in the way of my mission..

*Athena turned and kept on walking and was out of sight*

Rantaro: Something is suspicious about her.

Shu: Honcho, there is nothing suspicious about her.

Rantaro: What do you mean?!

Shu: Athena is only taking her whole mission more seriously.

Rantaro: Well i think she could be a bit more nicer and open about it.

Shu: She's not obligated to be our friend, that's her choice.

Rantaro: Come on Shu! Don't you think this is a bit weird even for her?

Shu: The change was very sudden but i understand why Athena is acting this way.

Valt: You do?

Shu: She's at a point where she'll do whatever it takes to bring him back and personally i'm all for it. I want Lane to come back just as much as she does, for now it's best if we leave her alone and stay out of her way.. it's whats she wants after all.

*Shu turns and goes off to train and Valt and Rantaro follow him*

---Meanwhile---

*Athena lied down in her dorm room and she heard knocking on her door. when she goes over and opens the door, Hikaru and Hyuga were standing there.*

Athena: Hyuga? Hikaru? What are you two doing here?

Hyuga: We know we aren't supposed to be here but we want to have a battle with you one last time.

Hikaru: Theres no telling when you'll be back so we might as well get it over with.

*Athena looked at the 2 brothers and simply sighed and held up her Bey to them*

Athena: Alright, i'll battle you.

*The 3 of them enter one of the training rooms and all 3 of them were gonna battle. It was Athena vs both of the Asahi Brothers at once*

Hikaru: If you manage to beat us both then you win, simple as that

*The 3 Bladers take their positions and the battle started*

3 2 1 GO SHOOT!!!

*The 3 beys land in the stadium and Laser Helios took the center as it went on the defensive and Adeona comes charging in on it.*

Athena: We'll focus on Helios first!

*Adeona slams into Helios as both of their burst locks move forward and strike the Burst Stopper, Hyperion comes charging in for the attack*

Hyuga: Alright! Zoom Zoom Hyperion! Show them what you've got!!

*Hyperion slams into Adeona as its wings were beginning to coil back*

Hyuga: Bound Inferno!!

*The 3 beys go flying back as Hyperions burst stopper saved it too.*

Athena: Tch.. you..!

Hikaru: Great work! It's our turn now!!

*Helios comes charging in towards Adeona with full speed*

Hikaru: Laser Upper!!

*Helios sends Adeona flying upward and Athenas heart beats loudly, her vision was blurring as she couldn't think straight. She felt shivers going down her spine and she heard Lanes voice echoing in her head*

Vision Lane: You'll never make it to the finals, just give up, you're worthless!!

*The voice threw brutal insults towards Athena and Athenas hair began to turn white as she screams out with as her white and purple flare exploded into the air and began to swirl around her like a raging storm*

Hikaru: T-That's incredible!!

Hyuga: Wow!!

*Athena sprouts 2 Angel wings as her eyes glowed a bright white light*

Angel Athena: Let's go Adeona!!

*Adeona knocks both beys back and proceeds to accelerate around the stadium at top speed as its Barrage Driver activated and it hit the rim of the stadium and gained even more speed*

Hikaru: Hyuga! Let's do it!

Hyuga: Yeah, let's show her what we can really do!!

*Helios and Hyperion slam into each other as their flares activated and sparks shoot out from behind them and they race down the slope of the stadium at full speed*

Hikaru/Hyuga: Twin Strike!!

Athena: You're on! Adeona!!

*The 3 beys collide and the burst stoppers on Helios and Hyperion were pushed back and both of them burst*

Hikaru: N-No way!!

Hyuga: Impossible!!

*Athena just looked at the brothers and picked up her bey and left, Hikaru and Hyuga follow her and they followed her back to her room and she walked in and locked the door. She looked down at her bey and it pulled her into the Avatar world once again*

Adeona: Something else seems to be on your mind.

Athena: Hikaru and Hyuga, what am i to do about them.

Adeona: That's for you to decide.

Athena: Well, they are really kind but i don't know anymore.. if anything, i'm still not sure if i want to walk a different path to stop Lane like Shu is doing..

Adeona: It's your choice in the end, i won't stop you and your friends have no right to stop you either. If you don't wanna do it then that's fine.

Athena: I want to stop Lane at any cost but i don't wanna risk losing my friends. I already had to leave so many friends behind in New York, i don't wanna lose my new friends here.

*The avatar world disappeared and Athena plopped on the bed, wondering what she should do*

---A little while later---

*To celebrate the launch of the Cruise Ship on the high seas, another Exhibition Match was going to be held and it was a battle royale and the bladers were about to be chosen. The bladers chosen were Athena, Valt, Lane, Rantaro and Aiga*

Athena: Alright! We're up first!!

*Aiga, Valt and Rantaro grinned! Rantaro pumped his fist as he started to get fired up*

Rantaro: Alright! We're gonna blow these guys out of the park!

Valt: Try as you might, but we're comin for ya!

Aiga: You didn't forget about me did you?

*Athena came up to the trio and smiled*

Athena: Y'all can keep living your fever dream but me and Adeona are gonna win this one.

Valt: Athena, you're here!

Athena: Yeah, i guess i was chosen for the battle royale after all. And hey, i apologize for earlier.. i should have told you what i was up to, i didn't want it to ruin my friendships with any of you.

Valt: Ruin our friendships?

Athena: I planned on following down the same path Shu is doing right now but i don't know if i have the courage anymore to do it.

Aiga: Whatever you want to do, we're going to support it. You could've easily just told us straight up.

Athena: That's the thing, i didn't know how any of you were gonna react. It's already enough that i have Lane as an enemy, i didn't want to risk losing any of you and have my mental state drop even more!

---The bladers for the battle royale were called and they had to go to their match*

Valt: We can talk about this later, our battle royale is about to begin.

*The 5 bladers walked into the Arena and they all stepped up to the stadium and Athena stared over at Lane with a serious expression*

Athena: I wanted to go serious against Lane so i'll show him and everyone else here serious.. i want to prove to my friends that i'm still a good friend..

Referee: Battle Royale!

*The 5 Bladers took their positions and the battle was about to begin. Athenas eyes began to glow white once again and Valt just looked over at her*

Valt: It's happening again...

Referee: Ready Set!!

3 2 1 GO SHOOT!!!

[TBC]

Next Chapter: The Bonds That We Share!!

With an exhibition match held before the Sparking Legend Tour starts, Athena pushes to prove her worth to not just to her friends and Lane but to the entire world who is watching.