The glow of the tablet screen illuminated Shu Kurenai's face as he sat on a quiet park bench, just a short walk away from where the rest of the BeyClub usually practiced.
Shu was methodical. With the District Qualifiers starting tomorrow, he wanted to know exactly who was in his bracket. He swiped through the WBBA database, his eyes scanning the profiles of registered bladers in Block C. Most of them were familiar faces or local rookies. Nothing that required a second glance.
Then, his finger stopped.
The profile had no team affiliation and no sponsor. The picture attached to the ID was just a blank silhouette. But it was the statistics underneath that made Shu's breath catch in his throat.
*Matches Played: 342.*
*Win Rate: 100%.*
Shu frowned. He tapped the screen, assuming it was a glitch in the WBBA network. No one had a perfect win rate with that many matches, not even the Supreme Four. He dug deeper into the hidden forums and underground match logs linked to the ID.
There was only one piece of media attached to the name Ryu O'Hara. It was a shaky, low-resolution video filmed on a phone in what looked like an abandoned warehouse.
Shu hit play.
The video showed a massive, custom-built stadium. Ten bladers were standing around it, all launching simultaneously. Ten brightly colored Beys hit the plastic, swarming the center like a pack of wolves.
Sitting in the dead center of that stadium was a single, dark violet and white Beyblade.
It wasn't moving. It wasn't dodging. It was just spinning with a heavy, stable hum. The ten attacking Beys converged, striking it all at once in a massive collision that shook the camera.
For a fraction of a second, the dark Bey took the hits. Then, it shifted.
A blur of violet and silver erupted from the center. It was too fast for the camera's frame rate to capture cleanly. There was just a blinding series of clashes, a harsh screech of rubber against plastic, and then an explosion of parts.
All ten opposing Beys burst simultaneously. The pieces rained down into the stadium like confetti. The dark Bey returned to the center, spinning as peacefully as if nothing had ever happened.
The video ended.
Shu sat in silence, staring at his reflection in the black screen of the tablet. His heart was beating against his ribs. It wasn't just raw power he had just witnessed. It was absolute, suffocating control. A perfect defense that transformed instantly into an inescapable offense.
He locked the tablet, shoved it into his bag, and stood up. He needed to clear his head. He started walking down the paved path toward the clearing where Rantaro and the others were waiting.
As he approached the chain-link fence bordering the practice area, he heard Valt yelling something in the distance. A second later, Valt went sprinting past him on the pavement, completely ignoring him, looking panicked.
Shu blinked, confused, and turned his attention back to the stadium. Rantaro and Daigo were standing there, completely silent, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
Standing across from them was a boy.
He wore a loose black jacket. He had striking platinum-silver hair that fell over his forehead. As the boy turned his head slightly to look at the departing Valt, Shu saw his eyes. One was a pale pink, the other a flat, slate grey. They held an expression of profound, unshakable boredom.
Shu rubbed his eyes, thinking the glare from the tablet had messed with his vision. He looked again.
It was him. From the database.
The silver-haired boy brushed a leaf off his sleeve and turned away from the stadium, clearly intending to leave.
Before Shu could even process what he was doing, his instincts took over. His mouth moved faster than his rational thought.
"Wait."
Shu stepped away from the fence and walked straight into the clearing. He didn't introduce himself to the others. His deep red eyes were locked entirely on Ryu. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Storm Spriggan, the crimson and gold layer catching the afternoon sunlight.
"I'm Shu Kurenai," he said, stepping up to the edge of the plastic arena. He held up his Bey. "Valt dragged you all the way here for a battle. It would be a waste of time to leave without one."
Rantaro's jaw dropped. Daigo's eyes widened. Shu never challenged strangers randomly. He was always composed, always holding back until an official match. But right now, the tension radiating off Shu was palpable.
Ryu stopped. He slowly turned his head, his mismatched eyes meeting Shu's. He looked at the white-haired boy, then down at the red Bey in his hand.
The atmosphere in the park shifted. The casual, lazy afternoon feeling vanished, replaced by a heavy, suffocating pressure.
"Shu Kurenai," Ryu echoed quietly. His voice was flat, but there was a faint flicker of acknowledgment in his eyes. He slowly reached down to his belt, his fingers wrapping around the grip of his heavy, custom launcher. He pulled it free, snapping Eclipse Nidhogg onto the prongs with a sharp click.
"Fine," Ryu said, stepping up to the opposite side of the stadium. "Show me."
Honcho quickly stepped back, grabbing Daigo by the shoulder and pulling him out of the way. "Whoa, wait, are we actually doing this? Shu, you don't even know this guy!"
"Three," Shu said, ignoring Rantaro completely. He took his stance, turning his side to the stadium, his arm pulling back. His eyes were burning with focus.
Ryu didn't take a stance. He just stood completely upright, his launcher held loosely in front of him.
"Two," Ryu replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
"One."
"Go Shoot!" Shu roared, ripping his cord with everything he had.
"Shoot," Ryu murmured, pulling his ripcord in a smooth, effortless motion.
The two Beys hit the stadium.
Spriggan landed on the outer ridge with a burst of aggressive speed. The rubber tip gripped the plastic, sending the crimson Bey tearing down the slope like a bullet, leaving a trail of red sparks in its wake.
Nidhogg dropped dead center. It didn't bounce. It didn't waver. It hit the lowest point of the stadium and anchored itself, spinning with a deep, vibrating hum that made the plastic arena tremble.
"Tear him apart, Spriggan!" Shu shouted.
Spriggan slammed into Nidhogg.
The sound of the impact was deafening—a harsh shriek of metal grinding against metal. A shockwave rippled out from the center, blowing Ryu's silver hair back. Spriggan pushed violently, its jagged contact points trying to dig under Nidhogg's layer to force it upward.
Nidhogg didn't budge an inch. It sat perfectly still, a dark void in the middle of the stadium, effortlessly absorbing the barrage.
Shu gritted his teeth. "Counter Break!"
Spriggan disengaged, riding up the slope to gain altitude. It banked sharply, utilizing the upper ridge to accelerate before diving back down like a meteor. It hit Nidhogg from the side, then the front, then the back. A relentless, high-speed combination of strikes.
*Clash. Clash. Clash.* Sparks illuminated the shaded clearing. Rantaro was covering his face from the sheer force of the wind being kicked up by the collisions. Daigo was staring, completely mesmerized.
Through the storm of attacks, Ryu just watched. He didn't call out a move. He didn't cheer. He observed the way Shu's posture mirrored his Bey's movements. He saw the sheer, undeniable willpower Shu was pouring into every single strike. Spriggan was glowing with a fierce red light, fighting with a ferocity that demanded respect.
"You're skilled," Ryu said quietly, his voice easily cutting through the noise of the battle.
Shu's eyes widened. He pushed harder, stepping closer to the stadium. "We're just getting started! Upper Launch!"
Spriggan dropped low, aiming its heavy metal directly at Nidhogg's base, intending to flip the dark Bey entirely.
Ryu watched the crimson Bey approach. He felt a rare, fleeting sense of respect. Shu was pushing the absolute limits of his equipment.
"But it's not enough," Ryu finished.
*Click.* The sound came from inside Nidhogg. The hollow outer layer suddenly slammed outward as the internal weights shifted to the edges.
Spriggan connected with the base, but instead of flipping Nidhogg, it hit an immovable wall. Nidhogg's driver tilted, the jagged rubber edge catching the stadium floor with terrifying grip.
Nidhogg awoke.
The dark Bey exploded from the center. It completely overwhelmed Spriggan's attack. Nidhogg accelerated in a blinding flash of violet, intercepting Spriggan mid-strike.
The collision was brutal. The sound echoed through the park like a firecracker going off.
Spriggan was launched straight up into the air. Before it even reached its apex, the locking mechanism gave out.
*Burst.* The crimson Bey shattered into three pieces, the energy layer, forge disc, and performance tip flying high above the clearing.
Down in the stadium, Nidhogg swung around the ridge once before settling perfectly back into the center, spinning with that same quiet, undisturbed hum.
Shu stood frozen, his arm still outstretched from his launch stance. He stared up at the sky, watching the pieces of his Bey fall. He had given it everything. He had used his best moves. And it hadn't even scratched the surface.
"I got it! I found Valkyrie!"
Footsteps pounded against the pavement. Valt came sprinting through the trees, completely out of breath, clutching his blue Beyblade in his hand. He had a massive, triumphant grin on his face.
"Alright! I'm back! Let's do this—"
Valt slid to a halt right next to the stadium.
At that exact moment, the heavy metal forge disc and the red energy layer of Storm Spriggan fell out of the sky.
*Clack. Clack.* The pieces landed perfectly on top of Valt's spiked blue head, bouncing off and clattering onto the dirt at his feet.
Valt blinked. The triumphant grin slowly melted off his face. He reached up, rubbing the top of his head, and then looked down at the broken pieces of his best friend's Beyblade.
The park was dead silent. Honcho's jaw was practically touching the floor. Daigo wasn't even breathing. Shu was still staring at the empty air.
Valt slowly turned his head, looking from the shattered Spriggan on the ground, to the perfectly spinning Nidhogg in the stadium, and finally up to the silver-haired boy standing across from them.
Ryu met his gaze, his pink and grey eyes completely unbothered. He reached into the stadium, Nidhogg hopping neatly into his palm.
"Are we done here?" Ryu asked.