(Y/n) (l/n) ~

"Your bey spins both clockwise and counterclockwise, doesn't it?" Shu suddenly asked me, raising an eyebrow. Damn he's smart.

"Her bey what?" Valt asked.

"Looks like you've done your homework," I teased. "Yeahh, I just never had the chance to show you both of them." I tried to smile for it but finally gave up. Shu looked like he wanted to argue, but he settled for silence.

That bought me time to think about my strategy. Okay, then—

Storm Spryzen is a strong balance type bey. And Shu Kurenai, one of the Supreme Four and the second most powerful blader in Japan after Lui himself. Even I'm the third strongest blader, or at least considered so. We just never battled him so that it could be decided. I gotta be ready for anything.

It spins clockwise so it would be safe for me to use counterclockwise, or maybe the other way around. Probably by using counterclockwise and planning a head-to-head attack, I would get in serious trouble. Maybe he's really stronger than me.

Then that's settled, I guess. I'll use clockwise because thinking about Counter Break's power, I could not risk a head-to-head attack. At least not when I'm battling him for the first time. I've seen enough previous battles of him winning. That bey is really like a storm.

Shu Kurenai ~

We both took our stance. Mine was the Counter Break one and hers was that right-handed launch when she had battled Valt. Last time when I saw it, Sparyon was considerably slow in the beginning of the battle and sped up afterwards when she wanted it. Overmore, she will definitely opt for counterclockwise, again a straightforward attack like she almost always does.

"First Battle," Valt announced. "Ready? Set!"

"Three...Two...One...LET IT RIP!!"

Both beys were launched into the stadium but Sparyon went with clockwise spin.

What the..?! I did not expect this. Sparyon's trajectory felt so new to me. I've never seen it battle in clockwise ever before. It's true that I've watched her previous battle videos in clockwise but that was not enough.

Both the beys were circling around the stadium but Sparyon was speeding up and getting faster than Spryzen each second.

"Counter Break, Spryzen!" I yelled and engulfed in my red and golden aura. Spryzen obeyed, changing its direction and headed for Sparyon.

"Attack!" she called after me, and Sparyon hit the wall of the stadium and headed towards the centre where Spryzen was heading. Wow, that wasn't even a special move. I required Counter Break to change my bey's direction but she just had to tell it to attack. That only happens when someone is just too powerful.

Sparks flew from the tip of our beys as they collided at the centre. Clink!

And both of them went flying out of the stadium, landing behind us. Valt was surprised, looking back and forth between (Y/n) and me.

"Who got that one?" asked Rantaro.

"No that wasn't simultaneous," Valt murmured, knitting his eyebrows. Then he shook his head vigorously and announced loudly, "Stone Sparyon with a ringout finish. (Y/n) (l/n) gets one point."

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding. She managed one point against me. One more and I'm down.

"Second battle," Valt called. We both took our stances again. (Y/n) took the Flux Boost's stance, the move that she'd used when she had battled Valt, Rantaro and Ken, but this time she went with the right-handed launch rather than left-handed like earlier. This is not going to be easy. She's definitely planning something. Last time I thought she would use counterclockwise but she did the opposite. My prediction was wrong. But this time I'm hundred percent sure she will use counterclockwise because she'll not try being in the safe zone anymore.

"Ready? Set!" Valt announced.

"Three...Two...One...LET IT RIP!!"

Spryzen and Sparyon charged into the stadium with flawless launches. My prediction was right. It went counterclockwise. Her bey circled around the stadium with violent speed while Spryzen was zooming through the centre.

Whatever I do, Sparyon was dodging every attack. There was no use of my correct prediction or my strategy if Spryzen didn't hit.

"Counter Break, Spryzen!" I commanded.

"Attack back, Sparyon!" Again, she didn't use any special move or something. But why is it so?

Both the beys changed their directions on command and collided at the centre, sending each other back. Again. Then again. Even after so many contacts, neither sped down or gave up. We were at the edge by then when there was a final strike and Burst!

Spryzen bursted into three pieces and after half a second Sparyon, too, bursted.

Total silence.

That girl didn't even use her special moves and I lost so easily. Can't imagine what she can do when at her full power.

Lost by three to zero when I have the ability to beat people by that score. I need to train harder.

(Y/n) (l/n) ~

Gotta get stronger.

I barely won; by half a second. One more second and he could have won. And over that, my instincts are telling me that he was holding back. He must be way stronger than this.

"St-Stone Sparyon with a burst finish. (Y/n) (l/n) wins by a score of three to zero," Valt announced, claiming that whatever happened was not a dream. But there was still silence.

"SHE ACTUALLY BEAT SHU! ASKAVJKANSK!!" Valt yelled, causing the others to cover their ears. Again I wondered what kind of a screech is that.

"You are actually as strong as a Supreme Four," Daigo muttered. "That wasn't a joke."

Shu quickly recovered. "Nice battle."

"Uh...Y-Yeah. Eh, what?" Nice words just won't come outta my mouth. Everytime I try, I manage something very awesome like this. Do me a favour and donate a basket so that I can hide my face in it.

But Shu smiled. He seemed to know what my problem was. The least I could do was to return his smile, so I tried but unfortunately failed.

"Districts will be more interesting now that you are there," he said. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rantaro smirk. I showed him my fist and Shu cleared his throat. "I meant she's a strong blader, Rantaro."

"Surrrre," Rantaro grinned wider.

"Don't waste my time. It's already 2:20," I said and started pushing them downstairs one by one. That wasn't a very nice gesture but the others moved.

"We'll practice at the club, okay?" I heard Valt say. Rantaro, Ken and Daigo quickly agreed. Valt asked Shu too but he refused and said he will practice at the Beypark.

"(Y/n), can we all exchange numbers?" Valt then asked me.

The next morning (9:43) ~

WHY THE HECK HAS VALT GROWN A SUDDEN DESIRE TO DIE? For ten minutes now, my phone is buzzing endlessly and it's getting intolerable by each second. I shouldn't have given him my number. I made a big mistake.

Finally, I decided to open my phone. A conversation was already going on. Wait, since when am I the part of a group chat?

BEIGOMA ACADEMY BEYCLUB

Victory: Yo! I got a battle today!!!!

Dark: We already know that–

Raging: Have you even strategized?

King: Puppets!

Storm: Who're you up against?

Dark: It's a boy named Hoji Konda. He battled me yesterday when we were at the club after coming from (Y/n)'s home.

Raging: And he beat you so easily

Dark: So what?!

Raging: Hahahaha

King: Puppets?

Storm: Don't fight. Just now the point is–
He's strong and Valt is against him.

Victory: I can't wait to battle him!!

Raging: Yeah– and to lose–

Victory: NoOoOoOo

You: VALT AOI DO YOU WANT ME TO COME TO YOUR HOME AND CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF OF YOUR BODY?!

King: Puppets!!!

Victory: (Y/n), you have a strategy?

Dark: Yes I want you to do that

Raging: Are you (Y/n)?

Storm: Hi

You: Kindly stop bothering me and focus on your training

Dark: That's what I was saying

Raging: Sure

Victory: So you don't have a strategy?

King: Puppets!!

Storm: Bye

I sighed. Well, that's one advantage when people are afraid of you. They listen to you. And wonder why Ken was typing only 'puppets'. It was weird.

The day passed in a flash. I remained at my home and looked at the updates on the official wbba site. Valt was up against Hoji and he managed to win with a score of two to one, advancing to the semi finals. Wakiya had also won his battle and had qualified for the semis.

The competition was growing more and more fierce with each round. Finals are only one round away now. And there would be only one winner.

At three, I went to train and returned at six. The usual. My next battle was two days later, against a blader named Kuroshi Akana.

I opened my iPad and after trying to search him up for a while, I got to know that his bey was Attire Atrimon and his name was Akiyoshi Tanaka.

What if I got the name wrong? I know his battle style, his bey type (stamina) and his special moves. I know that much what is important to win a battle against him. Why should I bother to remember the name?

On the next day, it was 11:30 in the afternoon when I decided to take a peek outside. Hoping to have a peaceful walk, I locked my home and walked out.

I debated myself at what to do and finally decided to take a look at what each one of the people of the Beyclub were up to. What has gotten into me? It's not like I like meeting these weird and annoying people.

I walked to the Beypark and spotted Shu there. He was peacefully practicing alone. The usual. I studied him from afar and after a while, I walked away towards the Beyclub at school. As walking through the streets takes time, I decided to jump from the terrace of one building to another. Well, that's one comfort when have a sort of secret magic power.

I'm joking by the way.

Once, I landed at the terrace of an old man's house who was sitting on a chair, gazing at the sky. When he saw me, he got real furious. "HAVE YOUR PARENTS EVER TAUGHT YOU SOME MANNERS??!! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO HOP ON PEOPLE'S ROOFS! STOP ACTING LIKE A FROG! Ugh. Kids these days. Who gives ninja-training to five year olds?"

He sounded like it's very normal for children to hop on roofs. He didn't seem surprised at all. Maybe he saw people like that frequently. That's strange; are there more ninjas around? A training centre or some...dojo?

I finally landed on the terrace of a mini skyscraper. There aren't many in Beigoma. Five blocks away was the terrace of the school. I was higher so I could easily look there.

It was deserted. Where the heck are Valt and the others?

I came down and then decided to check at Valt's home. But I didn't knew where was Valt's house. Ugh. But why do I even care? Not like they're in trouble or something...

My thoughts trailed off. Okay. I gotta find them. They're not in trouble. Trouble is in them. That day, Daigo claimed that Hoji had come to battle him. Now I understand. Wakiya had sent him. It makes a lot of sense. Wakiya is battling Valt next. Obviously.

I walked back to the Beypark.

"Tell me where's Valt's home."

"Did you develop a sudden interest in beybreads?" Shu asked back.

"No."

After receiving Valt's address from Shu, I walked to his home and I rang the bell. Toko opened the door. He told me Valt had gone with her mother to deliver some breads at the Murasaki's. A little while later, other Beyclub members had also come and asked for him. They, too, went searching.

Of course Valt went. He's simply foolish enough. Doesn't he know Wakiya's surname or he just forgot like the Valt he is? I swear I'm gonna personally strangle Wakiya if he messed with the Lord of Cuteness.

I turned back to the sound of a truck stopping in front of the house. A beautiful lady walked out and sweetly greeted me. "Hi! If you want some beybreads, dear, I'm afraid I can't give you. I had a big order today so I've closed the bakery for now."

"No, I don't want beybreads. You're Valt's mother?"

"Yes. Are you his friend?!"

"Yeaa, (Y/n)—"

"Ah, (Y/n) (l/n)! I've heard so much about you from Valt. He said you're a very strong blader and he's lost to you two times!"

"Um...yeah right but can you tell me where is Valt?"

"Oh, Valt? I had this order today from the Murasaki's. It was a big order so I asked Valt to help me with it. And guess what?! When we reached, I found out one boy there was Valt's friend. He invited Valt in and Valt decided to stay."

"Oh, th-tha—Whatever."

"You mean thanks?"

"Yeah. Can you give me the address?"

"Sure."

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

When I walked through the door of Wakiya's underground training room, I spotted a very angry Beyclub plus a very sad Valt. When they saw me, it was like the time stopped. They stared at me wide-eyed and stayed where they were. There was another blader sitting on a bench, who I recognised as Orochi Ginba.

"What the heck is going on here?" I demanded.

"(Y/n) (l/n)!" Wakiya said cheerfully. "You told me Valt is strong. Remember? Well I don't see anything so awesome. He's a weak and pathetic blader who just lost to me. I wasn't even at my full power! What would he do in the official battle?" I clenched my teeth and looked at Valt. At that time, I was more angry at him than Wakiya.

"Is that some sort of tradition to humiliate bladers just before the big battle? This blader here, Hoji Konda, battled Daigo the other day. And now you?"

"There's no tradition as you speak of. But I just can't help it when I see such worthless bladers."

That's where my biggest flaw lies, as I've also mentioned earlier. I just can't stand people who think they're so great when they're actually not. If you are really awesome and then you brag about yourself, it's fine. Even I do that sometimes. But if you're not actually that good and you dare to boast...

"Okay then. I challenge both of you for a battle. Show me how amazing you are...unless you're afraid."

Wakiya glared daggers at me. "I accept."

I looked at Hoji. He seemed like he wanted to argue but the expression on Wakiya's face forced him to agree.

"I'll go first," said Wakiya.

"No," I ogled at my launcher and bey. "It seems like there's been a misunderstanding. I'll battle you both together."

"Are you crazy?" Wakiya asked.

"No, it's just that it will be more embarrassing for you to lose against a single blader. Wouldn't it be?"

Wakiya and Hoji tensed. Rantaro muttered something to Ken but I couldn't hear him.

"Wakiya, think once more. She seems too confident. You sure you wanna battle? Don't you know how powerful she is?" Hoji tried reasoning with Wakiya. He was only urging him more, to be honest.

"No!" Wakiya snapped. "I'm stronger."

"See, your friend here is quite wise. Think once more or it'll be too late to turn back later."

"No."

"No? Fine then," I shrugged. "Get ready for the battle."

"I'm not battling," Hoji announced.

"What?" Me and Wakiya said in unison. I wasn't sure I'd heard him right. Who would wanna back away from a battle? It's even more embarrassing than losing.

I would've laughed at Hoji for being a coward like that but for some reason, I felt concerned. He doesn't believe in his own skills. I've never seen anything like that before. Even the weakest blader wouldn't do such thing. Even they would accept a challenge from the strongest, having faith in their skills. That's what blading is about—To keep challenging yourself until you become unbeatable.

Then why would Hoji back up now? Maybe it's a side effect of hanging out with Wakiya too much. Because Wakiya keeps bragging about his power so much that Hoji has started questioning his own potential. Wakiya has been overshadowing him this whole time.

I could've felt pity for the boy. But alas, I've got no spare feelings to waste on random people. He'd have to help himself. I wouldn't do that for him.

Cautious, I took my position. So did Wakiya. I went with a right-handed launching position. The stance was of Axe Counter, my other special move. It works clockwise, in case you're wondering. And its launching position...That day when I battled Valt at the basketball club and the Principal made the club official—It's the same stance. Yeah, it was of Axe Counter that day, too, but I didn't use it. That attack is just too powerful. It can have horrible consequences on one's bey if they're too weak. That's why I didn't use it on Valt but I'm planning on doing that today. Moreover, it's clockwise and that day, I went counter-clockwise against Valt.

Hoji volunteered for being the referee. The Beyclub was still silent. I glanced at Valt who was clutching Valtryek in his hands and looking at me sadly. Look closely, dude. I'm trying to motivate you, considering my method of motivating is proper enough.

"First Battle," Hoji said. "Ready? Set!"

"Three....Two.....One....LET IT RIP!!" With flawless launches, Wyvron and Sparyon flew into the stadium.

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

In 3005 words.

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