Beyblade Burst: The Dark Horse

Friends United

The crowd roared around the two as the battle had ended. Droplets of sweat continued to drip from both Bladers as they laid on the ground across from each other, exhausted from their match. Pulling himself up from the pain, Valt Aoi ran over to Shu, giving out his hand to him.

"...Valt?" He asked, barely out of breath.

Valt just smiled, water starting to emerge from his eyes.

"Welcome back Shu."

Shu just stared at him, then stared at his hand. Accepting his offer, he was back on his feet standing in front of Valt who was trying to hold back from crying. 

It was done. He did it!

Shu was finally back! After what seemed like forever, Valt finally had his friend back. Free of Requiem's control.

Valt couldn't help it anymore. He threw himself over to Shu, hugging him tightly. Letting all that bottled up emotion spill out from his tears.

"Y-your back..." He cried. "Your f-finally back!"

"V-Valt...? Why are yo-"

Confused, Shu's brain soon clicked as his eyes went wide opened. Memories started to flood right back to him. From Free beating him, to the Snake Pit - Ashram, Lui, Requiem... These suppressed moments all came running back to him, just like that. Laced with fatigue and regrets, now that he was no longer filled with dark thoughts coursing through his mind.

From that realization, he cried. Returning Valt's hug back, eyes dripping, surprising the blunette with the sudden return of force.

"S-Shu..?"

"I'm sorry Valt!" He choked. "I'm a terrible friend! It's all my fault."

"W-What-! No! You're not a terrible friend Shu!" Valt shouted. "And it's not your fault. It was all Theodore's fault. He did this to you."

"No Valt," Shu insisted, getting out of the embrace. "It's true. I-I was weak Valt. I couldn't stand losing against Lui... or Free! I was so upset with losing that, when Theodore came around and asked me about the Snake Pit..." Valt's eyes widen in shock. "I accepted his offer." Shu continued, turning away his gaze from him. "I was so obsessed with winning, I was willing to give up anything. Anything to make me stronger." He took a deep breath. "I was so full of bloodlust. Blinded by my rage for revenge... Losing sight of everything because of it... I started forgetting what was important to me." He lamented. "I didn't realize what I lost till it was too late."

"Shu..." Valt was at a lost for words, staring back at him.

"I destroyed many Beyblades, including yours. But the one thing I broke the most, was our friendship." He turned his head away from him, guilt and shame eating him from the inside. "You, Rantaro, Ken, Daigo, Wakiya... I hurt all of you, because of me."

Valt didn't know what to say.

"...Well, that brought the mood down."

The two turned around to notice Rantaro and the other three Bladers standing behind them.

"Here we are, coming over to see you back to normal, then all of a sudden it becomes a giant angst dump." Wakiya remarks. "What happened to all of that hugging earlier?"

"W-Wakiya..."

"Listen," Wakiya started. "From first hand experience, losing sucks. The fact that I wasn't able to beat you back then, was... frustrating to say the least. And understandably, Lui's a jerk." The blond recited.

"Yeah but," Rantaro added. "Was it worth it? Giving up everything, us, for power?"

"No." Shu said immediately.