The concrete walls of the National Dome's subterranean corridors were thick, but they couldn't completely block out the sheer volume of fifty thousand people losing their minds.
Ryu O'Hara stood in the quiet hallway, leaning against the cinderblock wall. Above him, a small, muted television monitor broadcast the live feed of the center stage.
On the screen, Valt Aoi was a blur of motion.
He had completely abandoned the standard, rigid launch posture that most pros used. He was moving on instinct. Valkyrie tore around the plastic basin, perfectly riding the upper rim before diving down in a jagged, unpredictable star pattern. It slammed into the Superstar Squad's final Beyblade with a massive shockwave.
*Burst.*
The blue plastic pieces of the opponent's Bey scattered across the stadium floor. Valt threw his arms in the air, screaming in absolute triumph as Rantaro, Daigo, Ken, and Wakiya rushed the stage.
Beigoma Academy had officially advanced to the semi-finals of the team bracket. They had swept the block.
Ryu watched the screen. He didn't mentally calculate the force of Valt's final strike. He didn't break down the friction of the rubber driver.
"He is accelerating," Ryu said quietly to the empty hallway.
He reached into his jacket pocket, his fingers wrapping around the cold metal of Eclipse Nidhogg. The dark violet Beyblade vibrated warmly against his palm, a steady, rhythmic pulse that matched his own heartbeat. It wasn't just hungry for a fight anymore.
"I know," Ryu murmured, his thumb brushing the layer. "We will get our turn soon."
He pulled himself off the wall and walked toward the competitor tunnel exit. He timed his arrival perfectly. Just as the heavy steel doors swung open, the Beigoma team spilled into the hallway, completely exhausted and practically vibrating with adrenaline.
"Did you see that?!" Valt yelled, his voice completely hoarse. "Valkyrie didn't even slow down! We just kept hitting and hitting!"
"I saw it," Wakiya bragged, flipping his blonde hair back. "But let's be honest, my sweeping defense in the second match is what completely demoralized them. You just cleaned up the scraps, Valt."
"Who cares who did what?!" Rantaro laughed, wiping sweat from his forehead with his paper fan. "We're in the semi-finals! The Beigoma BeyClub is officially top four in the country!"
Ryu stepped out of the shadows. He was holding a plastic convenience store bag.
He didn't say a word. He simply reached into the bag and tossed a cold bottle of blue sports drink directly at Rantaro.
Rantaro caught it entirely on reflex, blinking in surprise. The bottle was freezing cold, covered in condensation.
Ryu proceeded to flawlessly toss bottles to Daigo, Ken, and finally Valt. He held out a premium bottle of sparkling water for Wakiya, who eyed it suspiciously before taking it with a muttered "Thanks."
"Whoa," Valt gasped, pressing the cold plastic against his flushed cheek. "Ryu! You actually waited for us? And you brought drinks?!"
"Your collective panting was a nuisance," Ryu replied, his voice flat. "Dehydration leads to muscle cramps. If you cramp tomorrow and forfeit the semi-finals, my investment in correcting your launch postures will have been a complete waste of time."
Rantaro cracked open his bottle and took a massive gulp. "Yeah, yeah. Just admit you care about us, Dark Prince."
Ryu's left eye visibly twitched. "I will physically dismantle your launcher if you use that title again, Kiyama."
"He means it, Honcho," Daigo warned, a rare grin breaking across his face. "I saw him outrun a mob of girls in Harajuku. He has survival instincts."
Before Rantaro could laugh, the stadium intercom system chimed with a harsh, electronic tone that instantly cut through the chatter in the hallways.
"Attention all competitors and fans! The preliminary rounds of the Team Bracket have officially concluded! Will the advancing teams please clear the floor. It is time for a special presentation!"
Valt blinked, lowering his sports drink. "A presentation? What presentation?"
"The Individual Bracket," Ryu said smoothly. He looked up toward the ceiling speakers. "The team tournament is just the opening act. The main event is locking its schedule."
"Will the Supreme Four... and the Wild Card... please report to the center stage immediately!" Hanami's voice echoed through the PA system, dripping with theatrical hype.
Ryu adjusted the collar of his black jacket. He didn't sigh. He didn't complain about the noise. He looked at the Beigoma team, giving them a single, deliberate nod.
"Hydrate," Ryu instructed. "I have to go stand in the lights."
He walked past them, heading straight for the tunnel entrance. Valt watched him go, his brown eyes wide with a mix of awe and fierce determination.
When Ryu stepped out of the tunnel and back into the National Dome, the atmosphere had completely shifted. The stadium lights had been cut, leaving the massive arena bathed in deep shadows.
Five distinct, blinding spotlights snapped on, illuminating five separate paths leading to the center stage.
The crowd was practically rabid.
From the north tunnel, Xander Shakadera marched out. He didn't wave. His massive frame cast a long, intimidating shadow across the floor.
From the south, Zac the Sunrise strolled out, his white cape catching the light, striking a flawless pose every ten steps.
From the east, Shu Kurenai walked with absolute, surgical precision. His red eyes were locked dead ahead, entirely ignoring the screaming fans.
From the west, Lui Shirasagijo stalked onto the floor. He looked feral. His jagged teeth were bared, his white feather boa twitching around his neck like a live animal.
And from the center-ground lift, Ryu O'Hara stepped into his spotlight.
He walked naturally. He didn't posture, and he didn't try to look intimidating. He simply walked with his hands in his pockets, his mismatched pink and grey eyes looking completely unbothered by the fact that fifty thousand people were screaming his name.
The five of them converged on the center stage, stepping up to the perimeter of the massive plastic stadium.
They didn't stand in a line. They stood in a circle, facing each other.
The Supreme Four, and Ryu .
"Tokyo!" Hanami screamed, dropping down on his hover platform until he was floating just above their heads. "Behold the absolute peak of the mountain! The five strongest bladers in the nation! Tomorrow, the Individual Bracket begins! And to kick things off, the WBBA has finalized the official seedings!"
A massive digital screen above the arena flared to life. Names rapidly shuffled across the board, locking into a complex tournament tree.
Ryu glanced up at the board. It was simple. With a five-man elite seed, the bracket was fundamentally asymmetrical.
"Due to the unprecedented inclusion of a Wild Card," Hanami explained rapidly, "the WBBA has instituted a sudden-death gauntlet! The Wild Card, Ryu O'Hara, will not be granted a bye round!"
The crowd gasped.
"Instead," Hanami pointed dramatically at the screen. "He has been placed in the absolute center of the A-Block! He will have to fight through the regional champions just to reach the quarter-finals!"
Zac let out a melodic laugh, covering his mouth gracefully. "Oh, my. It seems the WBBA isn't going to make it easy for you to crash our party, Anvil. They're making you take the stairs."
"The stairs are acceptable," Ryu replied evenly, his gaze dropping from the screen to Zac. "I do not require special treatment to break a floorboard."
Xander crossed his massive arms, a booming grin on his face. "That's the spirit! You better not get tired before you reach the top, Ryu! I'm waiting for a rematch!"
"You're an idiot, Xander," Lui snapped, taking a step forward. His aura flared—a sharp, aggressive blue flame that made the air around him feel legitimately cold. He ignored the giant and locked his terrifying eyes entirely onto Ryu.
"You think this is a game," Lui sneered, his voice dropping into a vicious, lethal register that the microphones barely caught. "Listen to me, O'Hara. If you trip against these regional amateurs before you reach my side of the bracket... I will personally fly to your island and sink it into the ocean."
The stadium was dead silent, the crowd entirely captivated by the intense hostility radiating from the stage.
Ryu stood completely still. He didn't flinch away from Lui's murderous glare. He felt the weight of Nidhogg in his pocket, thrumming with pure, concentrated anticipation.
Ryu slowly pulled his right hand out of his jacket pocket.
"I do not trip, Shirasagijo," Ryu said. His voice was no longer the flat, robotic deadpan of the District Qualifiers. It was cold, sharp, and carried the heavy, undeniable weight of a king who had finally remembered how to rule.
The crowd erupted into an absolute frenzy. The sheer confidence, delivered without a single drop of sweat or a raised voice, sent the mega-dome into complete chaos.
Shu Kurenai stood a few feet away, watching the exchange. A small, fierce smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He knew exactly what was happening.
Hanami, practically sweating through his gold suit with excitement, flew his platform down right in front of Ryu, shoving a microphone into his face.
"Dark Prince! The fans are losing their minds! Do you have any final words for the nation before the Individual Tournament begins tomorrow?!"
Ryu looked at the microphone. He looked at Hanami's frantic face. He looked at the fifty thousand screaming fans, the flashing lights, and the camera drones buzzing around his head like angry wasps.
He didn't freeze. He didn't panic. He just felt an overwhelming, profound sense of exhaustion .
Ryu leaned an inch toward the microphone.
"Sleep well," Ryu stated cleanly. "The matches tomorrow will be loud."
He didn't wait for Hanami to respond. He didn't strike a pose. He simply turned around, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and walked off the stage, heading straight for the competitor tunnel.
The stadium completely lost its collective mind. The sheer, unbothered audacity of dropping a single sentence and walking away sent the teenage demographic into a total meltdown.
Up on the stage, Zac the Sunrise dramatically clutched his chest. "He didn't even sparkle! How does he do it?! The sheer lack of effort is completely stealing my demographic!"
Xander threw his head back and laughed, while Lui just crossed his arms, his feral grin widening.
As Ryu walked into the quiet shadows of the tunnel, the heavy steel doors closed behind him, cutting the noise of the stadium in half.
He let out a long breath, rolling his shoulders. The theatrics were incredibly draining.
"You know, for a guy who hates being called a prince, you sure know how to drop a royal exit."
Ryu stopped.
Valt Aoi was leaning against the concrete wall near the exit, holding his blue sports drink. He wasn't yelling, and he wasn't bouncing off the walls. He was just smiling—a confident, grounded smile.
"You stayed," Ryu noted.
"I wanted to make sure you didn't get lost on the way out," Valt joked, pushing off the wall. He walked over, falling into step beside Ryu as they headed toward the street exits. "The brackets are locked. We're both fighting tomorrow."
"We are," Ryu agreed.
They walked in comfortable silence for a moment. The chaotic energy of the Beigoma team was usually overwhelming, but right now, it was just the two of them. It felt strangely grounding.
"Ryu," Valt said quietly, not looking over. "You're different than you were at the local park. But in a good way."
Ryu looked straight ahead at the exit doors. He thought about the island.
He reached into his pocket and pulled Eclipse Nidhogg out, holding the dark violet Beyblade up to the dim fluorescent light of the tunnel.
"I found something worth caring about," Ryu replied smoothly. He didn't look at Valt, but the meaning was clear.
Valt's smile widened into a massive, blinding grin. He didn't try to hug Ryu this time. He just raised his own Bey, Valkyrie, holding it up next to Nidhogg. The scratched blue plastic and the dented dark metal gleamed together in the dim light.
"See you at the summit, Ryu."
Ryu pocketed Nidhogg and pushed the heavy exit doors open, stepping out into the cool, neon-lit Tokyo night.
"Don't be late, Valt."