Metal City's battle plaza had never been this tense.
It wasn't the kind of tension that came from awaiting an epic clash. No, this was something uglier. A pressure that came from watching something that shouldn't be happening.
Tetsuya Watarigani stood in the middle of the stadium, spinning a cracked Beyblade tip between his fingers, his grin wide and erratic. The remnants of another Blader's Bey lay scattered near his feet. Mad Gasher spun lazily in front of him, its clamp-like energy ring stained with the aftermath of its destruction.
The crowd had gathered, but not in excitement. They stood frozen, unsure whether to intervene or flee.
"You spin, you lose. You fall, I crush. Simple rules, crabby!" Tetsuya's voice cut through the plaza, mocking, taunting.
Another Blader, younger and clearly nervous, stepped forward despite his trembling hands. "I… I challenge you!"
Tetsuya's grin widened as he gestured flamboyantly. "Ooooh, brave! Let's spin, crabby!"
The battle was quick. Mad Gasher overwhelmed the rookie's Bey with a clamp-and-drag maneuver, snapping its spin track clean off.
The Blader reached out to retrieve his defeated Bey, but Tetsuya's foot pinned it down.
"Not done yet." He launched Mad Gasher again. The clamp snapped down mercilessly, grinding into the already defeated Beyblade, the sound of cracking plastic echoing painfully through the plaza.
"That's enough!"
A voice cut through.
Gingka Hagane.
His scarf fluttered behind him as he stepped onto the stadium's edge, his expression far from his usual carefree grin. His eyes were sharp, his tone unyielding.
"Battles end when a Blader falls. Not when their blade is crushed. What you're doing isn't battling—it's just evil."
Tetsuya turned, his eyes gleaming with a deranged glee. "Evil? Crabby, you mistake excitement for evil. I'm just giving the crowd something to FEEL again! You storms and whispers have made them all so boring!"
Gingka unclipped Pegasus, holding it casually, but his stance had shifted. "You're not here to battle. You're just here to destroy."
The crowd stirred, whispers breaking out:
"Gingka's stepping in…"
"Finally, someone's stopping him…"
"This is going to be a real battle."
But Tetsuya's grin didn't falter.
"Battle? Oh no, no, no. Not here, crabby. I wouldn't give you the pleasure of a clean arena."
Before Gingka could react, Tetsuya spun on his heels and darted towards the exit, his laughter bouncing off the plaza walls.
"Catch me if you want your spin, storm boy! Let's see how well you battle where the tides rule the rhythm!"
Gingka's jaw tightened. He didn't hesitate.
"I'm going."
Kenta reached out. "Gingka, wait! He's baiting you!"
Gingka paused, but his voice was calm, determined. "I know. But someone's got to clean up his mess."
He took off after Tetsuya, the crowd parting in his wake.
On the sidelines, Aarav stood silently, Phoenix clipped at his side. His gaze followed Gingka, calm and calculating.
Madoka approached, tablet in hand, observing the scene. "He's not trying to win. He's trying to disrupt everything."
Aarav's fingers brushed against Phoenix's launcher. "Noise doesn't last long when rhythm holds."
Madoka glanced at him. "You're not going after him?"
Aarav's answer was simple. "Storms rise when noise gets too loud. This is Gingka's spin."
Tetsuya darted through Metal City's narrow industrial lanes, his movements wild but deliberate. He knew the city's geography better than most, and he had chosen his battleground carefully.
The beach—where the ground was unpredictable, where stability was a myth.
He skidded to a halt at the edge of the shoreline, waves crashing behind him as he turned to face Gingka, who arrived moments later.
"Welcome, storm boy!" Tetsuya spread his arms, spinning theatrically. "This is where spin control becomes chaos!"
Gingka's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't matter where we battle. Your chaos won't change the outcome."
The impromptu stadium was a patch of flat beach sand, uneven and constantly shifting. A perfect arena for Tetsuya's sabotage tactics.
Tetsuya crouched low, Mad Gasher already spinning menacingly in his launcher. His grin was wild, twisting with the crashing waves behind him. "You've followed me here, storm boy. Let's see how your spin survives the shifting ground!"
Gingka stood opposite him, calm but focused, holding Pegasus in position. The uneven sand didn't rattle him. His stance was solid, his eyes sharp.
The beach air was heavy, the sea breeze carrying the tension of an entire city that wasn't present, but whose whispers could be felt even here.
Tetsuya raised his launcher, voice mocking yet sharp.
"Ready to crack, Hagane?"
Gingka's grip tightened. "I'll show you how storms spin."
Their voices synchronized as the countdown began:
"3…"
The beach grew still, the sound of the waves fading into the background. Both Bladers locked their gaze, their bodies leaning into the launch stance.
"2…"
Mad Gasher's clamp blades gleamed under the sun. Pegasus's core emitted a faint hum as if sensing the tension.
"1…"
Gingka's stance lowered, his foot shifting into the sand with perfect balance. Tetsuya's arms coiled like a spring.
"Let it rip!"
The dual ripcords snapped, cutting through the air.
Mad Gasher spun wildly onto the beach, its clamp jaws snapping hungrily as it embraced the unstable terrain, kicking up sand with every erratic lurch.
Pegasus tore into the air, its spin clean and powerful, the storm it carried adapting instantly to the sand's unpredictable shifts.
The clash was inevitable.
The real battle had begun.