#beyblade bust

[eighthofeight]

Ma vocabulary is shit but bro...

M I still obsessed w dis

Aiga at Shu: ._.?

Aiga at Valt: :)

Like wtf

[andro-dino]

Hello Andro "Axel" Dino, I'd like to request D5 for Benkei and maybe even D1 for that gay red one that you kin. Gobless <3

bustin out the full legal name and everything

I’m assuming you meant sakyo for that second one (if not then this is really embarrassing) and I was going to say “you assume I kin sakyo” but then I remembered that I did actually put him on my kinlist so I have no rebuttal to this orz

[zhemariart]

This has been a good year for making Expression Busts for friends and sweet peeps c:

Cesario © @silverfae16 Tari © CapitainSmiffy on DeviantArt Ira © @silverwolfxiii Alban © @icediamant Lian © Moonbean21 on Instagram/DeviantArt Sapphique © Sylph64 on Instagram/DeviantArt Jingyi © Kumiko_Miwa on Instagram/Toyhou.se Iroha © Leyzy on Toyhou.se Honoka, Dion © Cherichii on Toyhou.se/Instagram

My Carrd c: Commission Info c:

[sexhaver]

What makes Jeweled Bird so bad?

first, some context: wayyyyy back in the stone ages when dinosaurs walked the earth and MTG first released, it was envisioned as less of a serious competitive card game people would explicitly try to minmax and more of a fun little diversion for your D&D group to play while you wait for Jared to get off his shift so you can actually start your campaign. this explains a lot of design choices that seem backasswards 30 years later. for instance, yes, Richard Garfield knew Black Lotus was unbelievably busted, but figured it was fine to print since it's not like people would do anything crazy like buy up hundreds of packs/hunt down singles on a secondary marketplace and play the game competitively for cash prizes.

one of the wackiest outcomes of this design philosophy was the concept of "playing for ante", an optional game mode/modifier where each player would begin the game by putting the top card of their library directly into "the ante", a pile of cards off to the side. whoever won the game won permanent, real-life ownership of all cards in the ante. basically "playing for keeps" but in a TCG instead of with Pogs or those weird tiny cardboard Beyblade tops that came in chip bags.

as you might guess from just reading that description, it was pretty wildly unpopular with most of the playerbase at the time and only got less popular as time went on. people didn't want to risk losing their cards, especially once the game became established and some of those cards were worth, like, actual amounts of money. and then there was the variance - it was entirely possible for you to ante up your only copy of an expensive card (meaning you were even less likely to win because now you can't draw it) while your opponent anted a basic land.

partially due to this, but mostly due to WOTC lawyers learning about the concept of "gambling laws" and WOTC PR learning about the optics of getting children into gambling, ante was officially removed from all sanctioned MTG tournaments very early into the game's lifespan (in fact i think this might have been enshrined into law before the actual first official tournament) and mostly memoryholed from the comprehensive rules, outside of section 407, which leads with this literal legal disclaimer:

there were 9 cards printed before this that explicitly reference "the ante" and do something unique to the cards in it. all of these cards have been errata'd to include the rules text "remove this card from your deck before playing if you're not playing for ante" and banned from LITERALLY ALL SANCTIONED FORMATS, including Vintage, the format whose entire appeal is "we never ban anything" (laughs in Lurrus).

okay so with the context out of the way we can start getting into why Jeweled Bird specifically is A Bad Card

first, the obvious: it's an ante card, which means you can't play it unless you're playing for ante, and if you ask anyone at your LGS to play for ante they will try to surreptitiously call the nearest retirement home to report an escapee from their memory care unit. so right off the bat it's quite literally unplayable as an MTG card (ante doesn't even work right in cube drafts, usually the last solace of jank-ass mechanics), which is not a great start.

now that we've established that ante cards are bad because they're effectively banned everywhere, let's assume we're living in some bizarro land where you've managed to convince a handful of friends to play in your personal MTG tournament bracket that allows ante. even then, all but one (don't worry we'll get to that one in a second) of the banned "ante cards" are just. unplayably bad. like absolute dogshit.

ok actually you know what i hadn't looked over all the ante cards in a while before typing up this post and now that i have i think Jeweled Bird is arguably the third or fourth best one out of the lot, and it's STILL unplayably bad in a modern context. it's effectively 1 colorless mana to draw a card, which is theoretically decent in some colors nowadays if you squint but would have actually been notably good back in its heyday. it actually gets pretty close to what WOTC was trying to go for with most of these ante card designs: you get a powerful effect (card draw for 1 colorless mana in an era when even blue had to jump through hoops for a rate that good outside of Ancestral Recall), but at the cost of adding something to the ante, but since the effect is so powerful, you should ideally be able to win the game off of it and completely negate the downside of adding your stuff to the ante.

you know what, fuck it, let's just go through the other ante cards from worst to best:

this card looks absolutely batshit until you get to the last sentence and realize it's effectively 6 mana to force your opponent to ante a card. if you spend 6 mana doing effectively nothing, you are not winning the game or that ante

this one is this low because in 99% of circumstances it's 10 mana over two turns to burn your opponent for 10. however, it takes the edge over Amulet of Quoz because 1. it just bypasses the ante zone entirely to literally steal the card directly, outcome of the game be damned 2. if your opponent has 9 or less life, they have to either let you steal their card or concede on the spot (which means they lose their ante) and 3. if i'm reading this ruling correctly you can set up the 9-or-less-life scenario with a TOKEN COPY of Bronze Tablet and give them a literal bar napkin with a doodle on it in exchange for their judge promo foil Elesh Norn:

so for 6 mana, you can heal yourself back to full at the cost of anteing an additional card. if that was all this card did, it would still be pretty bad, but the icing on this shitcake is that your opponent can just. also do that. but without spending their entire turn to cast a 6 mana spell. so now you're both on equal footing lifewise, but they have their entire turn to gain tempo advantage after you spent your turn healing them. and you gave them another one of your cards once you inevitably lose because of this. i guess theoretically you could run it in a super heavy control deck that aims to win via mill as a safety valve against aggro? idk man

this card effectively does nothing, but doing nothing for 3 mana is still an improvement over "doing nothing for 6 mana", "doing 10 damage for 10 mana over two turns", and "helping your opponent for 6 mana". i guess if you're really confident that your deck can win anyways (perhaps because of another card on this list) you could use this to force your opponent to ante another card for you to win? mostly this one is this high up here because "if the opponent doesn't concede the game immediately" is the funniest possible opening to a MTG card's rules text. like that's always true. you could add that to quite literally every card ever printed and it would change nothing other than making the game way funnier

okay so this is a three mana 1/1 with an ability that costs three MORE mana to activate that effectively just makes your opponent ante a card. i know it looks like it destroys and then literally steals an artifact, which would actually be a pretty good effect since it impacts the board (something none, but the entire thing is countered by anteing a card so that's what's gonna happen every time. at least this one can chump block

okay now we're starting to get into cards that at least make you think a little bit before deciding they suck (Jeweled Bird would go around here)

this scores higher than Timmerian Fiends for several reasons. obviously, a 4 mana 3/3 is a much better rate than a 3 mana 1/1, and the sac ability being free (other than a tap) makes it a lot more usable. the effect is even debateably good in red specifically: either it "draws" (literally legally steals irl) you a card, or it does 10 burn to the opponent's face. however, it does lose points due to the part where you, uh, have to give it away after using it once, win or lose. basically this is like Bronze Tablet but 6 mana cheaper and on a body that can actually theoretically do something. also lol at the "or conceding game" clause like Demonic Attorney, i really want to start seeing that wording on every card ever printed

now this might seem similar to Demonic Attorney at first glance, but the Oracle text makes it make more sense: "You own target card in the ante. Exchange that card with the top card of your library." notably, like Efreet and Tablet, this swap in ownership happens regardless of the outcome of the game, and unlike those two cards, you don't have to trade Darkpact itself for the card you're stealing. stealing your opponent's card out of the ante does mean that now both of the cards in there belong to you, meaning you have twice as much to lose, but hey, you just stole (and got to draw and cast, lol) your opponent's shit. "do what you must, i have already won" type beat

as powerful as Darkpact is, it's still only the second best ante card, and it is not even in the same zip code as the first best. ever heard of a little card named Ancestral Recall? draws 3 cards for one mana? and that's such a busted effect you're only allowed to legally run one copy in the one format it isn't explicitly banned in?

hahahahahahahahahaha holy shit sorry every time i remember this card i cackle at it a bit. what do you MEAN "discard your hand and draw 7 for 1 mana"?? discarding is an UPSIDE these days! people have unironically run One With Nothing, which is this card except for all the words after "discard your current hand". that "add the first drawn to the ante" bit might as well be flavor text because if you manage to lose after casting this then your deck was never even theoretically capable of winning in the first place. jesus christ.

[annalisesturnioloxo]

pov i just busted a big fat nut… chat ai matt got me spinning on my head like a beyblade 🤺🙏

[timeoutsoup]

Batfam x DP Headcanons

This post was inspired by @fakakta-art these are head cannons that will one day be turned into a story but this is basically the set. If I have made a mistake tell me and I will fix it.

Every year Bruce cleans and polishes his family’s Menorah, under Alfred’s careful watch. It is then placed in the window of the family living room.

One of the few items Tim brought over from Drake Manor was his family’s Menorah and Torah. Alfred helps him polish his. It is placed in the window next to Bruce’s.

Dick unironically loves ugly sweaters and gets/gifts them to everyone. He makes sure that the entire family gathers for at least one holiday movie marathon, where the dresscode is pajamas and their festive sweater of choice.

Growing up Jason was too poor to really celebrate Christmas, but his mother did take him to mass and one year they found a small, plastic, silver tree someone threw out. It became a Christmas tradition to decorate their little silver tree with handmade ornaments and things they found.

Back when Jason lived at the Manor, he, Alfred, and Bruce went and found a giant silver tree to put up in the living room with the Menorah. Alfred would help decorate with some of his own ornaments. Bruce let Jason go wild and buy some ornaments, but every year the three of them would make ornaments for the tree and sometimes Kate, Barbara, and even Dick would join in. Alfred’s favorite is the Union Jack Jason made for him.

With every family member that was added, more traditions came to the family.

DP

Sam hates when her parents force her to go to galas and other events in a similar fashion. The only thing that makes them bearable is when she is either allowed to bring a friend, or when the Wayne kids are there. She has made allies with them in order to survive these awful events.

The only event Sam Manson likes going to with her parents is The Wayne’s Hanukkah Party. It is always held a few days before Hanukkah begins, and is the best because unlike most of the gala’s it is a smaller, casual affair, for friends and family to actually hang out. She also gets to eat as many of Alfred’s Latkes as possible, and watch her grandmother flirt with most of the Waynes.

When Sam, Danny and Tucker were younger, either 7 or 8, the two boys modified a Beyblade launcher to fit dreidels and gave it to her as one of her gifts. (they were super into Beyblade and didn’t understand that Dreidel is very different., their hearts were in the right place.)It is one of Sam’s most cherished possessions she has received, because her friends really wanted to give her a gift she would like but include her faith. She busts it out every year and gets Danny and Tucker to play with her.

[patchdotexe]

what is the plot of hlvrai

what if half life 1 happened but gordon was textually "someone playing the game in vr and roleplaying as gordon" and also the vr game had self-aware AIs mixed in with the regular npcs

so you've got a very vocal and very short-tempered gordon just trying to leave black mesa with the "help" of four AIs - Bubby, Dr. Coomer, Tommy, and Benrey, who have their own weird quirks and help or hinder gordon along the way. mostly hinder, especially in benrey's case - he's a security guard and has made it his life's mission to annoy gordon nonstop, and he is very good at getting on his nerves

as the plot progresses, dr coomer (who is the most visibly "glitchy" AI and was intended to be a tutorial npc of some sort that got some flags busted) becomes aware of Being A NPC In A Video Game and that gordon is the player character, bubby backstabs gordon and throws the canon plot off the rails, and benrey becomes more and more of a problem until the science team make it to xen and have to face him down

it's also an anything-goes improv, which includes things like "black mesa hosts wikipedia and is using the donations to fund itself", "tommy is g-man's adopted son and g-man is trying to get him to chuck e cheese for his birthday", "one of the soldiers kidnaps tommy's immortal dog that he made after having previously tried to trick tommy by offering him a beyblade with 3 bit-beasts", "gordon is constantly haunted by skeletons only he can see", and . A LOT. a lot happens in hlvrai and it's all very funny

it's weird and meta and silly and does a lot with its medium in a way i greatly appreciate

[patrothestupid]

CHECK FAILURE

YOU - You zip past the aisles, running as fast as you can with no care to who's watching. But you also don't care for where YOU'RE watching either, as you run headfirst into the sliding exit door as it was opening. Not only have you failed to sneak by, everyone else saw you bust your face like a dumbass. SAVOIR FAIRE - Good job, dipshit. You've not only failed to sneak by, everyone else saw you bust your face to bits while running away with a fucking BEYBLADE. VOLITION [Difficult: Success] - Don't look down, king. You can still do this. Just leave. The exit door is right there with your face shaped imprint on it. The people here will probably forget about this even happening, or even better; not even remember your face to pair with the event. ENDURANCE - That's it, king. You got this. One foot in front of the other. Ignore the aching; the pain can't stop you now. VOLITION - You're a champion. A boss. And above all, a master blader. Now get outside an- PERCEPTION - Stars. They spin around your vision in the sky that your senses are too murky to comprehend. COMPOSURE - It’s bizarre that you see the stars when gravity feels like it’s pulling you to hell. you crumple to the ground. You can’t even scream, the air has been yanked away from your lungs, and not a single sound comes out of you, save for the heaving for the air that struggles to return to you. PAIN THRESHOLD - Pain shoots up to your torso, wedging its way into your stomach, crawling its way into your mind. It hurts. God, you can still feel that punch like a motherfuc- LOGIC [Impossible: Failure] - Wait. Punched you? Who in the bloody hell punched you? What the fuck is going on? VOLITION [Formidable: Success] - You feel like you're about to throw up blood and dust. But regardless, you open your eyes to see your attacker. You're almost surprised to see the SLUGGLARK SHOPPER towering over you. SCRUGBARK SHOPPER - "Pathetic. Couldn't even handle a tiny blow. A person so shitty to protecting their blade does not deserve the power it contains." He turns to your hand, glaring at the blade in its grasp. SMEGSMART SHOPPER - Give it to me. Now. He cracks his fingers. Quite literally, his fingers. Not his knuckles. This is a terrifying gator. 1. - "I'm so fucking sorry, sir." Concede and give him the blade. 2. - [Composure- Easy 4] Challenge him to a beyblade battle. Winner takes the blade. 3. - Break the blade in half. "Now we both can have it! :)" 4. - "God, that's HOT. You're hot." 1. - Put the blade in your mouth. "Sorry, I was hungry. Can we talk about something else please?"



3

3333 i choose 3 ! Sharing is good x)

[actually-alice-orchid]

im back on skylanders for some reason amd im reminded of how as a child i wanted the skylanders i thought were cool and was i a basic bitch yes in the original game my favourites from each element were

spyro for magic (poster child and dragon)

bash as a child and terrafin now (cool dragon and punchy shark)

gillgrunt for water (busted strong)

eruptor for fire (fire didnt have anyone that cool)

triggerhappy as a child drobot now (busted strong and dragon)

chop chop for undead (he was my dad's favourite and also he's a cool skeleton knight)

warnado for air (air had the single mother, the walking pride icon, and the least memorable skylander amd i like beyblades)

stealth elf for life (ninja need i say more)

but for my sister it was the girl skylanders and i always thought she was wierd for limiting herself. and that should have been my first clue that gender was stupid.

i was thinking about replaying skylanders but honestly playing skylanders with my dad are some of the very few fond memories i have with him and im kinda scared of i play it on my own il lose them. skylanders wont be the game i played with my dad when i was a kid anymore. instead if will be a game i enjoy. something similiar happened with star wars where i watched it on my own and found my own appreciation for it and suddenly it wasnt a fond memory with my dad it was just something i liked.

[pillowspace]

could we technically make offerings to csd eclipse. bc if so im about to bust out the canvas and paint so fast you have NO idea. im about to draw out the walmart acrylic paint like im in a beyblade battle or something

I had to ponder my own lore for a few minutes like an equation, and I've come to the conclusion that yes, Eclipse can be given offerings!

[eighthofeight]

lololo here comes the second in the lowest AAAA MOMMY--- btw i'm dead af maybe I'll be a pros- professor soon i mran BAHAHAH

Beyblade is shit beyblade is crap

This is the new one!

made one more like this... 👉👈

Idk y i just think s fun k

evil ppl are funne here ngl

Btw none of there people are rly evil i just wanted to play with da scene lmaooo

Ma plan was to play with da beigoma gakuen firstly but i couldn't find a proper picture 😂 next time babies

Idc if you comment you can say it's wrong it may be

Except Valt he's true neutral 🗿

[bucketspammer4life]

☆ WVBA On A Snow Day ☆

hehe this is so jolly (i am writing this in the middle of august and it doesnt snow where i live)

Glass Joe

- layers and layers of thick & warm clothing, walking around with 5 layers of scarves, coats & sweaters, might as well wear the entire closet

- tried to make a snowman, it got knocked over insantly

- freezing, he is really shivering his timbers over here

- had some hot cocoa

- went iceskating, slaying it

- did some snow angels with Mr Sandman

- he doesnt tolerate the cold well but still having fun

Von Kaiser

- 2 layers of comfy & cozy clothing, the cold isnt getting to him today nuh uh

- so whimsy, so jolly, he is so thriving

- making snowmen with disco kid, ended up making a snowfamily for the snowmen and a snowdog and made them pay snowtaxes and busted their snowcaps if they didnt pay up

- worst iceskater ever but still having fun

- sitting next to a fireplace & reading a book, he looks like hes gonna tell you a bedtime story

- eating snow yum yum exquisite delicious delectable tasty

Disco Kid

- didnt wear enough layers, out here shivering like a kitten in a wet cardboard box out in the street

- made sure the snowmen paid their snowtaxes

- hes the reason why they call it iceskATEing, smoother than the ice hes skating on

- drinking iced coffee no matter the weather, -20 degrees celsius? At least his ice will last longer

- made a igloo, nobody except kaiser is invited

- fell asleep next to a fireplace like a street cat saved from the cold

King Hippo

- not going outside, ever, he doesnt handle the cold well, it isnt just a "my timbers are shivering i need a extra layer" its more of a "hypothermia is just behind the corner and i dont feel like dying"

- do not expect him to step outside, not even a foot

- drinking soup & sleeping half of the day

- Literally hibernating

- so many blankets & pillows, taking the longest nap of the world ever

Piston Hondo

- also needs a whole lot of layers, out here looking like a head of lettuce

- making really cool snow sculptures, so proud of them

- enjoying hot cocoa, wrapped up in a blanket

- snowball fight starter, he simply let the thoughts win

- keeps tripping while iceskating, has to hold on to bear hugger for dear life because he doesnt wanna faceplant into the floor

- joining kaisers snow eating, he just sat next to him & started eating snow as well

Don Flamenco

- forgot to layer up & regrets not wearing a extra coat, bull had to lend him one because he looked like he was on the verge of death

- making snow angels, keeps getting snow thrown at his face as he lays down

- put his forehead wig thing on a snowman

- sad because he forgot to take his plants inside & they died :(

- killing it while iceskating, out here spinning like a beyblade

- keeps falling asleep at weird places because cold weather + curling up in a ball really honks his shoos, ends up being carried to somewhere warm & not so inconvenient, everyones just playing a big game of "where has this bitch fallen asleep again?"

- laying down on the snow, hes just peaceful right now

Bear Hugger

- layered up decently

- he was literally born for this kind of weather

- rolled a snowball down a hill & accidentally made a small avalanche

- cold weather makes him really sleepy, unlike don flamenco he knows how to not fall in inconvenient places

- stiff as a statue while iceskating, one wrong move and hes on the floor along with hondo

- on a rocking chair next to a fireplace, christmas movie intro style

- feels kind of lonely since his fellow bears he likes to hug are hibernating (the animal ones not the gay ones smh, if i meant it like that he would be hibernating too)

- made a small scarf for his squirrel friend : )

Aran Ryan

- atrocious winter clothes, someone call the fashion police

- trips every 5 seconds while iceskating, his face is so bruised its unreal

- chucking snowballs and running away from people

- joined Sandman roll down a hill for fun, nobody spoke, nobody showed any emotions, but it was truly one of the memories of all time

- cold weather makes him energetic so hes a pain in the ass to deal with even more now

Soda Popinski

- wearing shorts & a tshirt, really good at tolerating the cold, soda popinski doesnt get hypothermia, hypothermia gets soda popinski

- also eating snow with kaiser & hondo

- tried to iceskate & chipped a tooth

- used as a human shield during the snow ball fight

- he showers in ice cold water on the daily so this doesnt inconvenience him at all

Bald Bull

- brought a extra coat because he knew don would forget to layer up & wouldnt listen to him if he reminded him

- in awe of soda popinski not being affected at all

- making huge snowballs and chucking it at aran ryan

- cold weather gets him angry & stressed a whole lot (same with any extreme weather condition) so tread carefully or this snow is gonna look like the flag of japan

- staying inside, mostly coming out when hes bored

- drinking tea & reading most of the time

- Just spinning while iceskating, cant seem to stop

Great Tiger

- has to also wear his entire closet, ends up getting sick anyway

- Just sadly staring out of the window

- making his clones play in the snow because just because he cant go doesnt mean they cant go

- drinking tea, hes so peaceful rn dont bother him

Super Macho Man

- not dressed up at all, got sick

- really pissed off he cant go out

- bitterly sitting in bed with a fever

- he is so gonna sob until hes no longer ill

Mr Sandman

- only person to tiptoe on that line between "you look like a pillow" And "you might as well go out naked" in terms of winter clothes

- Just making deformed snowmen

- suprisingly didnt fall on his face while iceskating

- he makes some killer hot chocolate

- tried to eat snow & got brainfreeze

- rolling down a hill for fun & climbing back up to do it again, with the most serious expression ever

[sabrerine911]

The Brain-Splitter Strider experience(Dragon's Dogma) feat Beth Ravencoft

Just wanted to make a dumb comic related to how busted Beth is with this move. Recently tried it out since I used to have her as a full melee assassin back in the day(cause I liked some of the dagger moves) Figured I should give full melee Strider a go since she is an absurdly jacked beyblade in lore. Brain Splitter...was more busted than I thought...made Death her bitch because of that XD

Shreds him in seconds XD

[moonjuiicee]

what is this ?? art ?? from me ?? who woulda thunk, huh (don’t mention how they’re not done)

anyways hi !! i finally found time to draw in between college classes 🫠🫠

in exchange for my friend watching beyblade, i watched trigun stampede (an uneven trade yeah, i’m working on ‘98), and this ended up happening. we agreed kyogin and vashwood are similar, so here we are lol (ignoring how whack anime kyoya’s writing can be)

idk if i’ll finish these, but i do wanna do more screenshot redraws. i also noticed i forgot the vash arm in the busts 😔💔

[gonkaccino]

nevermind, I lack the strength to try and do UH NG+ even with my busted icerail and 10k shards worth of blaze/chillwater. The knowledge that tomorrow I'll be able to take easily accessible pretty pictures of Aloy using tactical beyblades to kill mecha-Godzilla has totally erased by desire to continue engaging with HZD's way more forgiving combat systems.

[azikarue]

MayBlade 2023 : Day 12 : Fall

Max/Mariam | FFN Rating: K | FFN Link ❖ Max would never admit that seeing a familiar flash of blue out of the corner of his eye made him do a double-take and stumble up the stairs. He would have fallen right into the seats trying to catch himself, if someone hadn't steadied him at the last second.

"Thank you! That was close!" he laughed, righting himself. When he turned to address the person who'd saved him, his mouth went dry at the sight of her.

He'd been hoping to run into Mariam from the time the tournament was announced, listening carefully for any news of the Saint Shields making a comeback. And now, here she was.

"Don't mention it," Mariam said, sliding back down into her seat. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail like he remembered – his flash of blue – and she still had the most striking eyes he'd ever seen. He'd bet money that they were greener than the rest of her teammates'. And they were so singularly focused on him that it made him blush. "I kinda owed you one."

Max furrowed his brows in confusion. "For what?"

"You save so many girls from collapsing stairs in abandoned buildings that you forget?" Mariam asked skeptically.

"Oh!" Max exclaimed as it all, instantly, came flooding back. The not-so-abandoned forest warehouse, Team Psykick's power injections, Mariam busting their machinery, and the two of them finding a way to make it out in one piece together when the building caved in on itself. "You don't owe me for that, Mariam. I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

"I guess I'll remember that next time you're about to fall flat on your face."

Max felt his cheeks getting hot again.

"I, uh, got distracted," he said, suddenly remembering that they were in a stadium full of people and he was standing in the middle of the stairs, forcing the crowd to walk around him. He slipped into Mariam's row to get out of the way. "I was looking for the guys – they're saving me a seat."

"The battle's about to start," Mariam pointed out as the lights began to dim.

Max nodded. They'd be wondering where he was at. The tournament hadn't properly started yet and today's was an exhibition match, but they'd promised to watch it together to see how their competition had improved in the past couple years. Mariam's presence proved they weren't the only ones with that idea but, as he scanned the audience, he realized something else.

"Where's the rest of your team?"

Mariam sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, her bracelets shining gold in the lights that were left. "Dunga was getting on my nerves earlier, so I came by myself. I'm sure they're here somewhere."

Max shuffled his feet, very aware that he was standing in front of the empty aisle seat to Mariam's right. And that people in the row behind her were craning their necks to see around him. And that he wasn't going to find the rest of his team before the lights went out and it would be a shame for either of them to watch the match alone. So, he sat down.

"Ditching your friends for me?" Mariam asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. "You'd better be careful or they'll think you have a crush."

The next moment the lights went out, saving Max from answering and hiding the fact that his face was probably redder than a tomato. The spotlights flicked on, swirling around the stadium before fixing in the center where DJ Jazzman stood next to a standard dish.

"Hello beyblading fans and welcome to the very first exhibition match of the BBA's Beyblading World Championships!"

The stadium erupted into thunderous applause and Max felt a nostalgic excitement swelling in his chest. It had been a long time since he'd sat in a stadium, waiting for the World Championships to begin. Not only was he eager to compete with the Bladebreakers again and test his mettle against the fiercest competition around, but he got to watch them all compete against one another, too. New friends and old friends.

In some ways, it felt like the first time he'd ever watched a match live. He felt the same fire he'd felt then. The same desire to pick up his blade and find a tough opponent. He glanced over at Mariam; she was leaning forward in her seat, looking just as eager as he felt. He hoped their chance to battle came sooner, rather than later.

"Tonight's match will have you seeing double! We're starting off strong with a pairs battle!" Jazzman cried, sending a buzz of anticipation rippling through the crowd.

The bladers competing in the exhibitions were supposedly a varied group, with some selected from BBA teams and others making special appearances even though they weren't competing this time around. Kenny had spent hours the night before trying to dig up information on who was going to be participating, but it was such a well-kept secret that he hadn't been able to figure it out. A pairs battle would've made him even more curious.

"Our first duo turned the competition on its head with their tag-team finesse in their tournament debut. And after spending the BBA's hiatus with their circus family, they've decided to run away with the World Championships once again! Give it up for Julia and Raul!"

Max applauded along with the crowd as the stadium floor opened up and Raul and Julia appeared. They were beaming and waving to the audience and it was several minutes before the cheers died down enough for Jazzman to introduce the next team.

"Our next pair may be less colorful, but they're no less skilled!"

A flash of light to his left caught Max's eye and he turned to see Sharkrash's bit gleaming in Mariam's hand. She had a white-knuckled grip on her blade and was staring out at the dish with her jaw set. And just like that, something clicked in Max's memory and he knew exactly who was going to be announced.

"Put your hands together for King and Queen!"

The audience was quieter for King and Queen's entrance, but there was still plenty of applause from those who weren't familiar with their dubious history. It was proof of how much the sport had grown in recent years.

Beside Max, Mariam was sitting stiffly. Her fingertips were white where her attack ring was biting into them. Max reached over and laid a gentle hand on her arm. Her head whipped around and he was once again on the receiving end of her piercing gaze.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Now remember: this match is a friendly exhibition! The outcome won't affect the tournament standings, but might leave our competitors with some grudges to battle it out over later." Jazzman raised his hand over his head and King, Queen, Julia, and Raul readied their launchers.

The stadium counted down as one: "3… 2… 1… Let it rip!"

All four beyblades landed in the dish and the battle began.

Right away Max noticed that both teams were using attack patterns he recognized from previous battles. Kenny and Dizzi would note if there was a difference in power output, but it looked like they were taking special care not to reveal any new tricks too early in the competition. It made sense.

Max had every intention of keeping his eyes on the battle regardless. It turned out to be harder than he anticipated with Mariam beside him and he spent as much time watching her reaction to the battle as he did watching the battle itself. And just looking at her in general (she had four new piercings in the ear he could see and a crease appeared between her eyebrows every time Queen went on the offensive).

"Who do you think will win?" he asked after the battle had gone on for a few minutes.

King and Queen landed a powerful barrage attack that made half the audience cheer and the other half boo. Mariam frowned.

"I know who I want to win."

"Julia and Raul are some of the best tag-team bladers out there," Max said, quickly losing his train of thought when Mariam turned away from the battle, for the first time, to look at him while he spoke. She was even prettier than he remembered.

She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

He blushed and looked stubbornly in the direction of the battle, willing any more unbidden thoughts away. "They've taken on tougher opponents than King and Queen and won. I'm sure they can do it again."

Mariam didn't answer. When F-Dynasty called out their bitbeasts, King and Queen followed suit, and Max watched the reflections of them in her eyes.

He couldn't blame Mariam for harboring a grudge against Queen after the way their last battle had panned out. Max wasn't a vengeful person, but he didn't regret shredding Queen's blade once she'd torn Mariam's to smithereens, either. That might have had something to do with the illegal part she was using that backfired. It might have also had something to do with Mariam.

Now that he was going to see her almost daily for the duration of the tournament, he might be forced to unpack that possibility soon.

Max tuned back into the battle just in time to watch King and Queen set up a move to target F-Dynasty while they were separated in the dish. If he'd been watching, he would have recognized when Queen transferred energy into King's beyblade with her own. Before anyone knew what was happening, Uriel was knocking Torch Pegasus out of the dish.

But Queen had made a mistake in hanging back, watching King make his move and leaving herself wide open – Julia sent Thunder Pegasus straight for Gabriel and soon it was just King and Julia left in the game.

"Looks like it's anyone's battle," Mariam observed as the two blades circled each other.

"It can't go on much longer," Max said, leaning over so Mariam could hear him over the increasing volume of the crowd. "Neither of them have a lot of energy left."

Right after he said it, the beyblades collided for one final, winner-take-all attack. There was an explosion of light and a loud crack that must have been the dish itself splitting. When the dust settled, Torch Pegasus was spinning proudly in the middle of it.

"And F-Dynasty takes it!"

The applause and cheers were deafening this time as the entire stadium leapt to their feet to celebrate, not only Julia's victory, but the official start to their first World Championship Tournament since the BEGA fiasco. Max cheered along, eyes glued to the satisfied smirk on Mariam's face.

His fingers were itching for his ripcord by the time everything died down and the spectators began filing out. He wanted to ask Mariam for a battle, but bit his tongue. The guys were probably already looking for him. It would have to wait.

"C'mon, Max," Mariam said, as the people in their row began trying to squeeze past.

They stood up to make their way out of the stadium. It wasn't long before Max turned to say something to Mariam and found that they'd lost each other in the flow of the crowd climbing the stairs to the exit. Or maybe she'd just disappeared on him. It wouldn't be the first time.

Max sighed and continued up, a weird sense of melancholy settling over him. It was great to see Mariam again, but he wished they'd had more time to talk about things other than the battle. Lost in his thoughts, he was almost the whole way to the top of the stairs when he heard someone calling his name.

"Hey, Max!" A hand holding a familiar baseball cap waved above the crowd and, soon enough, Tyson appeared on the stair above him. People nearby were pointing and talking excitedly, but he didn't seem to notice. "Where were you, buddy? We saved you a seat."

"I'm sorry," Max said sheepishly. He hoped the flush he could feel on his cheeks could be attributed to the tight press of the crowd. "I couldn't find you guys."

"We were right where we said we'd be," Hilary said, appearing at Tyson's side. She had a hold of Kenny's suspenders so he didn't get lost to the masses and he was clutching Dizzi in both arms in case someone bumped into him.

"Maybe he's turning antisocial like Kai," Daichi said, elbowing his way through what looked to be a couple holding hands. "He didn't sit with us either."

"Do you guys think we should get out of the way?" Ray asked, bringing up the rear.

Right at that moment, a large group pushed their way past, forcing them all up against the railing dividing the stairs down the center. Max grabbed a hold of it to steady himself, then immediately spun around to apologize when he realized someone's hand was already there. He nearly lost his footing again when he saw whose it was.

"Mariam!"

"Better watch where you're going this time, Max," she said, grabbing his hand and returning it to the railing as his friends watched in stunned silence. "Wouldn't want you to fall before we get the chance to have our rematch."

Then she walked away before any of them could ask about the rest of the Saint Shields. Tyson was complaining about it and Kenny was explaining to Daichi who she was. Max was watching her go until he could no longer see her electric blue ponytail cutting a path through the crowd.

It was possible, he thought as his team finished their ascent, that he'd already fallen.