Beyblade Burst Adventures

The Red Snake and Drops of Sugar

In which some time has passed since Theodore Glass, once known as Ashtem, was exiled from the Snake Pit. With the end of the year steadily approaching, he feels a sense of urgency in gaining back control of his facility. He almost doesn't know how he'll do it- at least, not until one of his new Raging Bulls receives a harsh wake-up call from the world champion...
(Continuation of Drops of Burnt Sugar, set during early Evolution. Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach crossover, set after the V.I.P. Ending.)

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"Tell me, do you want to become stronger?"

"That's not even a question!"

An arm sleeved in black appears in my line of sight, the hand at the end held out towards me with the intention of helping me to my feet. I almost shove it away, feeling too pathetic to even fathom accepting help- to even being looked at, because I thought I was so much stronger than I am, what kind of fool am I not to know my own strength?!

I'm so stupid. I'm so pathetic. I'm so furious! I just want to-

"Shu," A voice calls, snapping me back to focus and letting the red drain from my sight slowly but surely. "Come with me, hmm? We have much to discuss."

I let out a heavy sigh, accepting his hand and allowing him to pull me up. For some reason he doesn't let me go as he leads me into his office and guides me into sitting at the chair before it, then he takes the one opposite of me. Feeling utterly drained now that the fire's extinguished, all I can really do is clasp my hands in my lap and murmur,

"Mister Glass, I have no idea where to go from here. What do I do? H- How do I even begin to grow strong enough to beat him? How..."

"You'll never beat me as the Blader you are now."

"How do I change who I am to beat him?"

Theodore frowns deeply, steepling his fingers over his desk and closing his eyes thoughtfully. "Once upon a time, I had the answer to that very question."

"What is it? Please, Mister Glass, I have to know!"

"I'm afraid it is very sensitive information. You have to swear that you'll never utter a word about it to another person, Shu."

"I swear it on Spryzen, I would tell anyone else."

He gives a brief smile, opening his eyes again. "I expected no less from you. You're a young man with a strong sense of loyalty, after all."

"It's not hard to garner loyalty when you're someone easy to trust."

"So, then... Have you ever heard of the Snake Pit?" I pause at the strange question, slowly shaking my head. "It's a secret training facility located in Mexico. Bladers from all over would flock to it and train without limitations in order to become their strongest selves. To train harder than ever before, breaking their limits and raising the bar higher and higher."

He lets out a somber sigh, pushing himself up and turning to face the window that looks outside, where the sun shines bright over the city of New York. "It was a temple of power and determination. And I was its governor, overlooking every single facet and ensuring all were working in harmony for the best interest of the facility as a whole. But everything changed when my most powerful allies rebelled against me. The Masked Bladers banded together and overthrew me for their own selfish interests- they wanted the power of the Snake Pit for theirselves. They wanted to rule it their own way, and with the power of that bloodthirsty animatronic they snuck in, it was all too easy for them to beat me down."

"They- they really did that to you?" I gasp softly, standing up from my chair and treading over to his side. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine being betrayed by someone I used to trust so deeply... And you said they had a bloodthirsty... Animatronic? As in, a robot mascot?"