Alright to start off I'd just like to say after thinking about it for a while and toying with the idea I've decided to make one of two more books. But they will be more like a epilogue than anything and the whole one will betray etc. will be solved in this book. And enjoy the chapter!

"Now as I was saying before I know your friends can handle Phi which is why I left them down there with Phi, but that wasn't the only reason why."

Unlocking his office it was pretty large with a single desk and two cars in the front.

Valt sat down in one of the chairs while Theodore was on the other side.

Looking around the wall behind Theodore was covered in souvenirs like newspapers or old ancient relics from the bit beats.

Valt also spotted a chess board in the corner with two seats pushed out. Following Valt's gaze Theodore noticed what he was looking at.

"Listen Valt, before we begin I'm really disappointed in you. From now on you better control that temper better. Or who knows what you could've done, we both know you can't keep fighting Phi's control forever and based on your power surges he's getting close to winning. Which is why I brought you down here tonight..."

Theodore paused, holding his hand of his heart, his eyes started glowing and there was a faint aura.

Rummaging through the desk Theodore pulled out a small pill bottle and took one.

After swallowing the pill the glowing stopped and he looked normal again.

"We can't let Phi win, you shouldn't be scared of me Valt, I'm sure you heard many bad things about me but you know people do tend to exaggerate."

"You turned my friends into corrupted bladers, you took Free away and you teamed up with Phi. So what do you want?"

"My story is probably as old as you, I was once a powerful blader who understood the depths of resonance. I was one of the legendary bladers back then and with my bey Amaterios we were unstoppable."

"Amaterios? Isn't that bey from..."

"The museum in Japan, yes very perceptive Valt. It is indeed the same bey. I was powerful and respected but then things changed and my prime stage passed. But now that I'm back I want to take back what was rightfully mine. I want to be one of you again but I obviously can't do that which is why I have to hide my power."

Valt was quiet thinking about what Theodore had said.

"It's time for some answers Theodore.."

"Indeed it is and I'm not going anywhere, I'll answer any questions you have. "

"To start off on the day of the tour I saw Valerie sneak off and...."

Theodore mumbled a couple of curses before straightening up and looking professional again.

"Valerie has gone off the deep end and she is no longer of importance to Phi or me. Whatever she did during the tour was of her own benefit which wasn't part of my plan."

"When she was stealing Vahagn's sword she also mentioned something about an energy cage."

"That cage is the constant flow of resonance and within it houses some of the worst spirits and Vahagn being one of them. But without a certain number of spirits it could cause a major imbalance in the power."

"How do we fix it?"

"Even I don't know Valt, that energy cage is ancient resonance none of which I've ever seen before. As Albert Einstein once said: "Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another. Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Why are you so interested in Free?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that, Free De La Hoya is indeed a rare type of blader. He probably understands more about resonance than even I do and in a way he reminds him very much of myself when I was younger..."

"But how did you guys get him."

"It's all simple really, it was him who came to us in a way."

"I don't believe you."

"Well then, maybe you don't know him well enough."

For the rest of the night Valt asked every question he could like: How did you become the owner of the Raging Bulls? What's the advantage of being a dark blader? How did you find the Snake Pit?

For some questions the answers were simple like how it was easy for Theodore to become the owner of the Bulls because of his relationship with WBBA or how being a corrupted blader did let you tap into different powers but Theodore told Valt it wasn't really an advantage.

But other questions left Valt with more questions than answers like when he asked about the Snake Pit, Theodore told Valt he couldn't tell him.

******

"Which brings me to my next question: How did Phi become Silver Eye?"

"Like most of the early Snake Pit bladers, I went out looking for talent and the first one I came across was Phi. Back then the Dread Tower was used for... other purposes which is why your friend Fubuki saw those jail cells, but the bones inside those cells were in fact fake. But during all of this Phi and Hyde were in their early teens."

"Back then I didn't really know what I was looking for but after seeing Phi in battle I knew that there was something about Phi. The way he could just easily control his power, it was something I had never seen before..."

"But how did Phi come with you?"

"As you know Phi and Hyde don't exactly have the best relationship, and waiting for my chance I managed to convince Phi to come with me. The first couple of months were fine for him but after the world league things started changing. He was growing bored at the Snake Pit and ultimately decided to just leave one day."

"But why are we having this tournament if Phi could easily just win?"

"Because Phi is like a cat Valt, he'll play with his prey until he grows bored, and in this case we are all pawns to him. Which brings me into why I need to talk to you." The mood in the air had changed and Theodore's expression was no longer as friendly anymore.

"Look at the big picture Valt, society is crumbling. Surely you've noticed this especially with your own team. But discrimination is everywhere while the powerful band together."

"You've given up on the world."

"No Valt, I want to save the world of blading and society, which is why I need your help. I could always take you by force bending your will. But that's not how I want it. I know you were never going to join, that wasn't why I called you in here...Being defeated is always better than winning. It's a noteworthy experience especially outside of battles. It forces you to think about what you did wrong and how you can learn from it."

Drumming his fingers along the table Valt looked up at him fearfully.

"One of the questions you asked earlier was how I did it, how I created this army. It's all simple really, after what happened last year I approached Phi. I knew his power and I knew what it could do, it was only a matter of unlocking it."

"The second step was rather easy, it was something you actually inspired. Last year I relied on Shu too much which caused my downfall. But in a chess game there's always more than one piece. Tell me Valt what happens when I knock over a pawn?"

"You replace it with another?"

"Exactly, why have one blader when you can have an army. When one dies off just replace it with another. It's all simple really. The longer those kids stay under control the bigger the chance for them to be consumed."

Valt was silent watching Theodore's every move.

"And finally that leaves us with the last step: Isolate and Divide. You'll be surprised how much people can crack when they're alone. All I had to do was lure you away from the others."

"So then, what do you want with me? Are you going to turn me?"

"No, unlike the others you're lucky. In fact Phi holds the key to what we both want: for you it's your friends and for me it's getting rid of him. The bottom line to this meeting is that Phi has gone off the deep end."

"He's becoming more unstable to the point where he almost turned his power on me one day. So this is what I propose to you, join me and together we can take back the blading world from Phi. Together we will be strong enough to defeat him."