Author's Note: In memoriam to Mark Dailey, the voice actor of Brad Best, who died in 2010 of kidney cancer at the age of 57. Rest in peace.

"Before we begin, a moment from one of our commentators, AJ Topper!"

"Thank you AJ. I would like to ask for a moment of silence for our fallen commentator, Brad Best. Brad and I shared many great moments in this booth. He could barely stop himself from calling out my many, bad puns, but from when we started with Beyblade just as the sport was introduced for all you kids out there in the world. We stuck through it all: Championship after Championship, beys flying out of the stadium and nearly attacking the judges, destroyed stadiums after stadiums, blading soldiers, androids, and even freaking dimensions popping up out of the sky! And we stuck through battles after battles."

AJ and Blader DJ started sniffing up, the former clearly in pain of what was about to be said.

"Sadly, my best friend was also having his own battles with cancer. He won the first, but lost the second not too long after. Goodbye old friend. May you rest in that great Bey stadium in the sky."

Tears dropped, and every blader gave a moment of silence as AJ thanked each other.

Either way, the Bladebreakers GR and the Martial Arts team were first to the group stands. The objective was simple. Out of five rounds the team with the most wins gets the overall victory for the round. Requests for teams or battle royales would be considered under stronger conditions.

Kenny opened his monitor. "A lot of our opponents are beys we don't have much experience with. But still, we just have to give it our all."

"Atta boy, Chief. So who wants to go in first? Or should the three time World Champion go in first."

"Oh here he goes with the ego." Daichi rolled his eyes.

"What did you say monkey boy?"

Max raised a finger. "Why don't we wait to see who'll goes up first and then decide. Right Ray?"

The most passionate member of the Bladebreakers kept his mind calm and focused, emitting powerful chi around him before opening up his eyes at the other team.

Dashan agreed that he'd go last just in case.

"My friends," Houi claimed. "Allow me to go first," offering them his drinks. "Let's cheer for our victory!"

All of them had...various reactions to his drinks, with Chao-Xin arguing it didn't change much, Ghasem tanking it, Dashan reminding him to try adding some more herbs, making Sino-Korean drinks was a great idea. Aguma requested a similar situation to wait.

"With your build, I'd thought you'd want to go first. You're arguably our strongest blader."

"A Legendary Blader, true, but these are potentially Legends of their own world. I'll protect my pride, but even as a member of something other than Beylin Fist, I have our standings to protect."

Baihu's eyes matched Ray after drinking it. His calm and compact nature switched into his eyes opening up to his feral nature. Dashan got up, sensing the same feeling. However, the aura the young boy emitted did not invoke the means of terror, but intrigue.

"I see. Baihu, go ahead."

"You're sure?" Dashan nodded. "The first point will go to me."

Ray rose up and headed towards the stadium, as did Baihu. Blader DJ and Hanami announced their stats and abilities once the two got their equipment ready and prepared their launchers.

"Ray Kon, you've also been aiming to be the strongest white Tiger?"

"Baihu Xiao, huh. I was raised by a clan who worshiped Driger, the White Tiger. I carry the symbol of their clan and their guardian. And I earned the honor to wield it."

"You were raised by others, huh."

"And even they weren't sure when I left overseas to learn about Beyblade. It's because of others I've made it this far."

Baihu looked down. "I don't have that same luxury," showing him his Berserker Byakko. "So I'll defeat you with my own strength!"

Ray nodded, tightened his headband, and posed, readying Driger.

"Let the first match of the tournament begin! Three, two, one," everyone else chanted.

"Let it Rip!" Ray and Baihu shot their respective blades into the ring.

Driger and Byakko slammed into each other hard so they bounced back into the wall. They raced off the stadium walls and clashed in mid-air, wowing the crowd with the sparks that flew. Kenny took the time to analyze Berserker Byakko's stats, a powerful attack type with strong upper force to Driger's balance type stats, while Byakko's bey generated a flashy wind that pushed the two tigers away.

"Hunt down your prey and don't let him escape, Byakko!" Byakko hunted Driger down. Ray commanded his partner to escape to the inner zone, racing around a tiger's den. Byakko charged at it, but got blasted back. Baihu punched and slammed while Ray blocked and parried, not giving him any room to counter Driger away.

"Fine, Fierce Tiger," calming down and channeling the power in his fist,"Strike!" Brakko rode up the walls and coated itself in a light-blue aura, aiming its power into stop Driger. Ramming into Driger's path, Byakko pushed Ray's bey off the path as one beast pushed the other closer to the wall. Then the Zero-G beast's blade smacked Driger into the wall, smacking him back and forth into the wall.

Kira nodded. "He's gotten stronger and more feral. Crush him to pieces, Byakko!"

Shinobu grew agasted at his teammates' behavior, but was impressed Baihu had incorporated more strategy than their last battle.

Lee groaned. "That kid's like a natural born White Tiger."

"Ray, get out of there," Tyson yelled!

Daichi also got worried. "Don't you think he could if he would!?"

Max shook his head. "I think he's got this."

Kenny saw it too. Ray was basically blocking up and down, left and right, waiting for something. As Baihu was about to call out for Fierce Tiger Blast, Ray tightened his knee and swooped down. Driger drifted off the top of the wall and accelerated to Byakko's performance tip and swooped the bey off their tip and into the air. Baihu and Byakko dived down with the fury of a tiger, but Ray and Driger blocked it with one hand and judo threw him away, with the blade flipping the other into the center of the stadium.

"If that's the intensity you're bringing, then I won't hold back either." He generated huge amounts of green electricity while his hair fluttered wildly in the air, and his muscles bulged around his body, glowing golden and shooting green lightning into the air. The bolt struck Driger G.

"Gatling Claw Maximum!"

Driger went off into a high speed assault, reminding Valt of his Rush Shoot, but much more deadly and faster, smacking Byakko and refusing to let him land, striking him more and more while Baihu's attempts to dive down got countered. At this point, he would lose, and Ray's Driger raced up the wall to finish off the defenseless tiger.

"Finish it, Driger!"

Baihu panicked, recalling the days he'd be attacked by a bear as a child until the tiger taught him how to fight. With Driger close in, the thoughts of what the white tiger taught him to do took him over. Dashan grew anxious, but knew this was the test he needed to control his rage.

"I won't let it end like this! Fierce Tiger Blast!"

Byakko's beast defensively slashed with his claws as the bey parried and grinded against Driger before blasting and dragging down Ray's bey with him into the ground. Gatling Claw Maximum was losing speed, and Baihu gave into his rage, speeding Byakko up to match.

Byakko and Driger blitzed around the stadium, crashing, shaking and smashing into each other in the wall, clashing in the outer rim while accelerating. When Driger smacked Byakko into the air, Byakko dove back down and countered him right back. The two tiger struck from land and ground, tearing down the stadium and each other with glowing red and green eyes, neither one backing down until another rebound from the walls and ensuing clash left not just both blades wobbling, bur Ray on his knees and Baihu struggling to get up.

Mariah prayed for Ray's safety while the original Bridge to the Future bladers, Shinobu, and even Aguma told him to rise.

Both bladers rose back up, winding their chi into their fists. The next move would end this. Kenny realized Ray didn't have the power to use Thunder Slash, while Dashan noted a Fierce Tiger Blast might fail if Driger dodged.

"Go Driger!"

"End it Byakko!"

The two raced into the middle.

Ray released his fist. "Gatling Claw!" His partner erupted into green electricity and created multiple clones of tiger shaped electric beings.

"A white tiger never backs down from a challenge. Fierce Tiger," spinning around, "Shredder!"

Byakko struck the clones down one by one, sniffing out the real one while Ray seemingly only had one body, pouring the last of his power into it.

It vanished as he struck it, and Driger was right in front of them.

"Gatling Fang!"

Baihu regained enough power to match Ray's fist while Driger and Byakko locked claws, pushing each other back, but it was too late. After the lightning ripped through the stadium, Byakko flew out of the stadium and landed on the floor, and Driger barely had any power to ride back up the slope for Driger to be caught in his master's hands.

"The winner of the first match is Ray Kon and Driger!"

Baihu slumped to the floor when Ray extended his arm.

"You almost got me. You've fought like a true White Tiger."

"Save me you pity," slapping his fist away. "Wait that Fierce Tiger Shredder, I didn't have that before."

"You came up with that mid-battle down to the last haywire. That off the wall thinking is what made me leave my group in the first place," smiling. "Good luck in the next round."

Ray left, leaving Baihu stunned as he walked back to the bench where Dashan met him.

"You harnessed your power. There's still a way to go, but you're coming into your own."

"When I unleashed my Special Move, I didn't think I'd use it defensively."

Houi picked up the guy for a great battle. "You fight like my friend Aiga. We still have more rounds and opportunities to go."

Baihu sat down, taking another drink of Houi's music. "I won't lose next time.

On the Bladebreakers side, Kenny asked. "Who's going next?"

Daichi offered himself. "These guys think power is gonna be everything. But wait until they get a load of me."

Max shook his head. "Then I should go next. These guys are all skilled in Martial Arts. I don't exactly have the best track record," thinking back to his loses against Gary and draws against Mystel, "but if anyone can pin them down, it's me. Kenny, you might not even have to battle!"

"Well, I'm counting on you Max. Take it home!"

Max went up first, only to come face to face with Aguma, ho towered over him even more than Rick did.

"Bold of you to face the Legendary Blader of Saturn!"

"Well, I'm something of a Legend myself."

"The next match between the Bladebreakers GR and Martial Artists, Max Tate and Aguma, will now begin."

"Take him down Max, show him no mercy." Rick shouted.

Max gave his old partner a thumbs up. "So you're some hot shot back at home?"

"The leader of the Beylin Fist, the heir to the strongest offensive techniques the Beylin Temple initially opposed. And you?"

"Um, holder of one of the five sacred Bit-Beasts and ex leader of the PPB All Starz, that's good enough for you?"

"Interesting. I won't hold back."

"But I'll hold back whatever you throw at me," grinning. Both of them got ready.

"Three, two, one. Let it Rip!"

Draciel and Scythe Kronos flew into the middle of the stadium, wrestling for control of the center, with the former barely edging out.

"I won't let you, Heaven and Earth Strike!" Kronos' speed and power increased, pushing the water turtle. Max fought back against the bladed spirit, holding out.

Kenny pulled the stats out. "It's a Stamina type Max, not attack."

"You won't push me out of the center this time!"

"We'll see about that! Iron Wall Fist!"

Kronos released a strong whirlwind around that slowly began pushing them to the edge of the inner rim.

"We won't back down! Draciel, Tidal Wave!"

Draciel released a powerful ocean current that fought back. The turtle's shell pushed back against the scythe's blade until both of them were back into the center. Max stood firm and confident. If he could make contact with his blade, he could strike down Scythe Kronos' stamina. It only needed a few more seconds.

Aguma took a deep breath and struck with his fist.

"Evolve the skills of Beylin Fist passed down for one hundred years! Exploding Fist!"

The beast of Scythe Kronos created a swirling air field even larger than the Iron Wall Fist, now with debris from the stadium collision creating a barrier that blasted Draciel all the way to the outer rim.

Tyson grew worried. "He can't get in close."

From the stands, Kitt got excited. "His move is almost as strong as Air Knight's."

Max got blown back, but refused to fall while avoiding the debris Aguma's special move threw at him.

"If you think that's going to stop me, you've got another thing coming!" His strategic mind went into practice about the best course of action. There wasn't enough space to race up the slope and try an attack from above, and he needed to divide the power between the barrier and get in close to finish the fight.

"That's it! Draciel, True Gravity Control!"

Draciel charged up oceanic energy, boosting it's speed with a faster burst of gravitiationl watersprout growing from the performance tip to the stadium. Tipping closer to the attack, the bey circled around the blade, drowning and reduced the energy debris rage and power, circling around it faster and faster. The tower of water emerged and eliminated the Great Ring completely while creating a tower of water around Scythe Kronos.

Aguma watched his blade start to wane while Max's bey swam into the tower, engulfing itself in the water and pushed straight into Scythe Kronos' direction.

"End it Draciel!"

Anxious, Aguma's eyes glowed red while heating up.

"Being pushed this far, how nostalgic. But that ends here," as Draciel was about to ram into him. "Special Move! Great Ring of Destruction!"

Scythe Krono's beast of death slashed a dark purple blast in the shape of a tower that quickly evaporated the water created from Gravity Control, creating a great force underneath Draciel.

"Oh no, Draciel, quick, Aqua Shield!"

Draciel forged a veil of water, but it was too late as Kronos' blast pushed the growing waves and Draciel away, bouncing off the stadium walls and out of the stadium.

"Round two is over! One point goes to Aguma and Team Martial Artists, tying the score up one to one!"

Max sighed, blaming himself, when Aguma took up both their beys, handing it to him.

"There's only a handful of people who could get past my attacks. Had you reacted faster, that last outcome might've been different."

He accepted it. "Good game. But how old are you?"

After exchanging pleasantries, the two headed back into the stands, with Aguma giving his team high-fives while Max apologized to his team.

"It's all good. You got pretty close."

Daichi flipped back up. "I wanna go next! No one attacks my roomate and gets away with it. Tyson, let me in. These guys have way too many tricks up their sleeve!"

Kenny objected. "Then let's put Tyson in. They won't expect our captain and we can get a win."

Ray and Max felt that was a bit of character from him. "Chief, have some faith in Daichi."

"Ahh, I, that's not what I mean."

"Whatever, Tyson, back me up."

"Chief, let's give him a shot. Daichi, get us another win."

The Dragoon duo gave each other a high-five and Daichi went up, as did Houi.

"The third match will be between Daichi Sumeragi and Houi Oh!"

Daichi flipped up and down, eagerly ready to throw down. "Bring it. And who are you supposed to be, Hue-i?"

"Houi, friend," showing him his archer based friend. "Huh, a loud voice, confident, very agile. Who do you remind me of?"

Aiga sneezed. Ranjiro chided.

"You sick or something?"

"It's nothing. Houi, promise me you'll win this match!"

Houi's genuine smile at Aiga, Ranjiro, and Naru came out. "I'll win. My apologies Daichi, but I can't afford to lose this match."

"Neither can I. As a world champion, I'm one of the strongest bladers out there. There's no way I can afford to lose."

"But you won a world championship? Can't you afford to lose?"

"I...um, quiet you. I promised my dad ever since he died that I'd be sure to be number one. Whether it's the world or other planets, I can't lose to anyone."

"Then I'll fight you as a challenger to a mighty champion!"

"Three, two, one, let it rip!"

Daichi and Houi shot their blades into the stadium.

Strata Dragoon went in for the kill while Archer Hercules spun in the center of the stadium, knocking back Strata. Enraged, Daichi went all out, forcing Hercules out and into the wall. However, Archer Hercules retracted its shields, opening up and rebounding into the wall.

"True Archer Strike!"

It slammed into Strata, almost knocking it out of the stadium, until Daichi's roar got Strata's wings to spread and flap. Enraged, Daichi clocked it into overdrive. His beyblade absolutely raced around, pushing Hercules from the center.

"I won't make the same mistake again!"

The dragon beast swarmed the archer beast with its wings coated in rocks, while the Archer shot him down as Hercules endured Strata's relentless barrage. Kenny noted that his Beyblade was slow and designed for being more stationary, and Houi, aware of the risk to his stamina, held firm against Daichi until he was cornered and crashed into the wall.

"I'll end this quickly, Strata Dragoon: Great Cutter!"

Strata rolled on its side and forged a geothermal energy circular blade, manifesting into a saw blade around the blade and raced forward. Against such a mighty force, Houi closed his eyes and reflected back on his life.

"There was a time when I wasn't able to smile or laugh, only focused on archery and being the best. When I met Valt and lost that day, it showed me I still had room to grow in both bow and Beyblade. When I met the Akabas and Ranjiro, I was able to smile properly. And when I lost at the Battleship Cruise, I honed my skills, even traveled through another dimension. All to be ready to challenge and rival the skills of those who helped me improve."

His eyes glowed gold. "Now is the time my training with the team to reach its Zenith!" Archer Hercules charged forward, heading straight into the center. At first it seemed he was using Archer Strike, but as it was going to collide, Hercules retracted its' shield.

"Endless Spin!"

Hercules's ultimate stamina reduction collided with Great Cutter, returning and maintain it's speed against Daichi's force and overwhelming power.

Ranjiro gulped. "He'll burst against that level of force!"

"You put up a good fight Houi, but Strata and I are winning this match."

Houi felt himself being pushed back against the mighty earth dragon, but stood firm, aiming like an archer as his bey drifted Strata until the bey itself was heading straight for him. He could see his Bey's Burst Layers clicking twice, but now it lined up with his metal bow and arrow. Dashan nodded, knowing it was do or die.