The WBBA National Dome was a coliseum.
Built on the edge of Tokyo Bay, the massive glass and steel structure held over fifty thousand spectators. The roar of the crowd inside was a physical vibration that rattled the concrete floors of the underground competitor tunnels.
"I'm going to throw up."
Rantaro Kiyama was leaning heavily against the cinderblock wall of Tunnel B, fanning his entirely pale face. "There are too many people out there. If I trip walking up the stairs, it's going to be broadcast to three million households."
"You're not going to trip, Honcho," Daigo said, though he was adjusting his bandana nervously.
"Speak for yourselves," Wakiya Murasaki scoffed, crossing his arms so his purple jacket draped perfectly. He looked immaculate, entirely unbothered by the scale of the venue. "A stage this size is exactly what the Murasaki name deserves. Just stay out of my way and let Wyvern handle the heavy lifting."
"You're not even the captain!" Valt Aoi yelled, practically vibrating out of his red jacket. He wasn't scared. He was absolutely electrified. "I'm the captain! And we're going to march out there and show everyone what Beigoma Academy can do!"
Ken Midori raised his right hand. Keru, the blue puppet, barked loudly. "Yeah! We didn't hike up a mountain just to get stage fright!"
Suddenly, the heavy bass of the stadium speakers thumped, cutting through the crowd noise.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Senor Hanami's voice boomed, echoing like thunder across the dome. He was standing on a floating platform hovering over the center arena, wearing an incredibly flashy gold suit. "Welcome to the absolute pinnacle of competitive blading! The WBBA National Tournament!"
Fireworks erupted from the edges of the main stage, sending massive plumes of smoke into the air.
"Today, we kick off the Team Bracket!" Hanami announced, pointing toward the tunnels. "Let's bring out the squads who bled, sweat, and battled their way to the top! From the A-Block, give it up for the dark horses... Beigoma Academy!"
"That's us! Let's go!" Valt cheered, sprinting up the tunnel stairs.
The team emerged into the blinding stadium lights. The sheer wall of noise hit them instantly. Fifty thousand people cheering simultaneously was entirely disorienting, but Valt waved his arms, soaking it all in. Wakiya confidently strode forward, waving to the cameras, while Rantaro tried very hard to look tough while his knees slightly knocked together.
As the other regional teams were introduced—the Ice Blazers, the Superstar Squad—Hanami's platform lowered closer to the ground.
"But before the team battles begin, we must acknowledge the undisputed kings of the sport!" Hanami yelled, the stadium lights dropping to a dramatic, pulsing crimson. "The bladers who wait at the end of the individual bracket! The pillars of the WBBA... The Supreme Four!"
Four massive spotlights snapped onto a raised, incredibly luxurious VIP balcony overlooking the main stage.
Shu Kurenai stood on the far left, his white hair catching the light, his expression entirely stoic.
Next to him was Xander Shakadera, towering over the railing with a massive, booming grin, waving a hand the size of a dinner plate at the crowd.
On the right, Zac the Sunrise struck a flawless, sparkling pose, his pristine white cape billowing perfectly in the stadium's air conditioning.
And finally, Lui Shirasagijo. He leaned against the railing, his white feather boa wrapped tightly around his neck, looking down at the arena with absolute, undisguised boredom.
The crowd screamed so loudly the audio feeds crackled.
"However!" Hanami suddenly shouted, spinning around. The music entirely stopped. "This year, the WBBA has received an unprecedented shock! The foundation has been rocked! A blader so dominant, so entirely destructive, that the committee had no choice but to bypass the team entry requirements and rewrite the rulebook itself!"
Up in the VIP balcony, Zac visibly twitched. Xander laughed out loud. Lui's boredom vanished, replaced by a sharp, feral grin.
"Tokyo, direct your eyes to the center stage!" Hanami roared. "The undefeated wall of the District Qualifiers! The shadow that broke the Sun! Give it up for the ultimate Wild Card... Ryu O'Hara!"
A single, blinding white spotlight snapped onto the floor of the main arena.
A heavy, hydraulic lift slowly rose from beneath the stage.
Ryu stood on the platform. He wasn't striking a pose. He wasn't waving. He was standing completely upright, his hands shoved deep into his black jacket pockets, looking profoundly annoyed by the dramatic elevator ride.
As the lift locked into place with a heavy thud, the entire dome erupted.
But it wasn't a standard sports cheer.
A massive section in the lower stands, entirely populated by teenage girls, synchronized a deafening shriek. Several huge, professionally printed banners unfurled across the railing. They read: *WE LOVE YOU, DARK PRINCE!* and *PLEASE STEP ON MY STADIUM!*
Ryu stared at the banners. He didn't blink. He just let out a very slow, very tired sigh that didn't reach the microphones.
He didn't acknowledge the crowd. He stepped off the lift and began walking toward the VIP stairwell, entirely ignoring the cameras trying to track his face.
Valt, standing with his team on the arena floor, cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey! Ryu! You look awesome!"
Ryu paused mid-stride. He looked over at the Beigoma team. He looked at Wakiya, who was glaring at him with pure envy, and at Valt, who was giving him a massive thumbs-up.
"Do not lose in the first round," Ryu said quietly, his voice carrying just far enough for Valt to hear.
Ryu turned and walked up the carpeted stairs to the Supreme balcony.
The moment he stepped into the VIP box, the atmosphere changed.it was pure pressure. Five of the strongest bladers in the country were now standing in a ten-by-ten space.
"Well, well, well," Zac the Sunrise hummed, dramatically tossing his cape over his shoulder. He turned to face Ryu, a tight, highly practiced smile on his face. "If it isn't the party crasher. I must say, your entrance lacked any sort of theatrical flair. An elevator? Really?"
"It was necessary to reach the stage," Ryu replied flatly, stopping near the back wall. "And your cape is caught in the hinge of the VIP door."
Zac froze, immediately looking down. The pristine white fabric was, indeed, snagged in the heavy metal door hinge. Zac's eye twitched as he discreetly yanked it free.
Xander threw his head back and laughed, slapping the railing. "BWAHAHAHA! He's got you there, Zac! Good to see you, O'Hara! I see you survived Valt's cooking!"
"I supervised it," Ryu corrected. "If I had not, Kiyama would have poisoned us."
Shu Kurenai stepped away from the railing. He didn't smile, but the tension in his shoulders was slightly less hostile than it had been at the District Finals. He offered Ryu a single nod. "You forced their hand. I didn't think the WBBA would actually break the team rule for you."
"I broke Xcalibur," Ryu stated simply. "The rulebook broke itself."
Lui scoffed from the corner, his jagged teeth bared in a sneer. "Don't get too comfortable in this box. You beat the two weakest links. They rely on cheap parlor tricks and brute force. When you face me in the bracket, your heavy mass is going to get shredded."
Ryu looked at Lui. He didn't rise to the bait. He simply pulled a small, sealed bottle of water from his jacket pocket, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink.
"Your defensive posturing is noted, Shirasagijo," Ryu said, capping the bottle. "But I am currently off the clock. I am here to observe."
Ryu walked past the four pillars, taking a seat in a plush leather chair at the back of the box, entirely out of view of the stadium cameras. He crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand.
Down in the arena, Hanami was shouting into the microphone.
"The Supreme Five are locked in! But now, it's time for the teams to earn their right to challenge them! The first match of the A-Block is a heavy hitter! Beigoma Academy faces off against the legendary Sword Flames!"
The crowd roared.
Xander grinned, leaning over the balcony railing to watch his dojo students. "Alright, Valt. Let's see what you've got. Yugo! Show them the strength of the mountains!"
A tall boy with long green hair and a stern expression stepped out from the Sword Flames side of the arena. Yugo Nansui. He was the blader Daigo had defeated in the District Qualifiers with an unpredictable Quake launch.
From the Beigoma side, Valt pumped his fist. "Alright, guys! Who's up first?!"
"I am," Wakiya Murasaki stated, smoothly stepping in front of Valt. He unclipped his purple jacket, tossing it perfectly to Hoji. "I'm not sitting on the bench while a bunch of dojo amateurs take the stage. I'll sweep them."
Valt blinked, entirely fine with it. "Okay! Go get 'em, Wakiya!"
Yugo stepped up to the plastic stadium. He locked his green Stamina type, Yegdrion, onto his launcher. "You're arrogant, Murasaki. A shield cannot break a sword. I will outlast you."
"A shield?" Wakiya smirked, pulling out his own launcher. Wyvern clicked into place. He remembered the exact conversation he had with Ryu in the park two days ago. *Hit the slope first. Use the initial drop to build forward momentum.*
Wakiya didn't take his usual dead-center stance. He shifted his wrist. Exactly three degrees to the right.
Up in the VIP box, Ryu's eyes narrowed slightly. *He retained the data.*
"First Battle!" the referee shouted. "Ready... Set!"
"Three!" Yugo yelled.
"Two!" Wakiya sneered.
"One!"
"Go Shoot!"
Yugo launched with flawless, disciplined dojo technique. Yegdrion hit the center of the stadium, anchoring itself in a perfectly smooth, frictionless spin. It was designed to sit and survive.
Wakiya pulled his cord.
Wyvern didn't drop into the center. It hit the mid-slope, the impact propelling it forward. The free-spinning purple ring on its outer layer flared, but because of the angled launch, the Beyblade didn't just sit and parry. It carried a heavy, aggressive forward momentum.
"What is he doing?" Zac murmured from the balcony, raising an eyebrow. "Wyvern is a defense type."
Ryu corrected quietly from the back of the room. "It is sweeping."
"Take the center, Wyvern!" Wakiya commanded.
Wyvern carved a sharp angle down the basin, crashing directly into Yegdrion.
Yugo braced himself. "Absorb it!"
But the impact wasn't a standard collision. Because Wyvern was moving forward while its free-spinning ring rotated, the kinetic transfer didn't just bounce off. The spinning ring caught Yegdrion's layer and physically dragged it, using the friction to violently pull the green Bey out of the center groove.
*Clack!*
Yegdrion was forcefully yanked to the side. Its perfect balance was instantly shattered. It wobbled dangerously, its driver scraping against the plastic floor.
Yugo's eyes widened in horror. "No! Recover your center!"
"You don't have a center anymore!" Wakiya laughed, entirely thriving on the sheer offensive power of his new technique. "Tear it down! Wyvern Gale!"
Wyvern didn't stop. Because it had retained its forward momentum, it circled the stadium and hit Yegdrion a second time. The green Bey, already destabilized, couldn't absorb the blow.
It was launched sideways, clattering over the stadium rim and hitting the floor.
"Over Finish!" the referee shouted. "One point to Wakiya Murasaki!"
The stadium erupted. Wakiya caught his Bey, flipping his blonde hair back with a smug, deeply satisfied grin. He looked up at the VIP box, making direct eye contact with Ryu, as if to say, *I told you I was a genius.*
Ryu didn't react. He simply took another sip of his water.
"Incredible!" Hanami screamed over the speakers. "Wakiya Murasaki has weaponized his defense! The Sword Flames are already down a point!"
Xander laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I'll be. He fixed his launch angle. The rich kid actually learned how to throw a punch."
Lui glared down at the stage. "It's sloppy. The angle was three degrees. If he had hit it at five, he would have secured a burst. He's wasting energy."
"He is adapting," Shu replied smoothly, leaning against the railing. He glanced back at Ryu. "He didn't learn that angle in his private gym."
Ryu set his water bottle down. "I merely pointed out a flaw. Murasaki executed the correction. The credit is his."
Down on the stage, Yugo picked up his Bey. He looked frustrated, but not defeated. He bowed respectfully to Wakiya. "You caught me off guard. But the Sword Flames do not fall twice."
Yugo turned and walked back to his team. A new blader stepped forward.
He was incredibly short, wearing a blue ninja outfit, complete with a mask that covered the lower half of his face. He moved with entirely silent, rapid footsteps, hopping up to the stadium rim.
"Ukyo Ibuki," Xander grinned from the balcony. "Let's see them try to hit a shadow."
Valt watched the ninja step up. He tapped Daigo on the shoulder. "He looks fast. You want this one, Daigo?"
Daigo stepped forward, adjusting his black bandana. His dark eyes locked onto the ninja. "I'll handle it. Doomscizor relies on unpredictability. Let's see whose shadows are darker."
Ryu leaned forward in his leather chair. Daigo was a highly tactical blader. He didn't rely on raw power or emotional bursts. He relied on psychological pressure and imbalance.
"Second Battle!" the referee raised his hand. "Ready... Set!"
The noise of the stadium faded into the background. Daigo gripped his launcher. He didn't hold it straight. He intentionally tilted his wrist, aiming the unbalanced Quake driver to maximize its erratic bouncing pattern.
"Three! Two! One! Go Shoot!"
Both Beys hit the plastic. And immediately, the entire stadium gasped.
Ukyo's Bey, Unicrest, . It completely vanished.
"What the...?!" Rantaro yelled, rubbing his eyes.
Unicrest was moving so fast, and its dark blue layer blended so perfectly with the shadows cast by the stadium rim, that it created an optical illusion. It looked like it was teleporting around the basin, completely avoiding Doomscizor's erratic jumps.
"Alicorn Launch," Ukyo's muffled voice echoed softly.
Daigo grit his teeth. He couldn't attack what he couldn't see.
Up in the VIP box, Ryu's eyes narrowed.
"It is an illusion of speed caused by a low-friction needle tip," Ryu stated quietly to the room. "It isn't vanishing. It is utilizing the blind spots of the human eye. Daigo is tracking the movement, not the trajectory."
Shu looked back at him. "Can he catch it?"
Ryu watched Daigo's eyes darting frantically around the stadium.
"Only if he stops looking," Ryu said.
The team bracket had officially begun, and the things were spinning entirely out of control.
---
I might rush the nationals and change few things here and their but don't worry all the important battles will be shown