Burst Finish My Heart: Free de la Hoya x OC | A Beyblade Fanfiction

Chapter 43: Uneasy

ONE DAY LATER...

"Can you believe that we finally get to battle here!?" Valt said. His jaw dropped as he took in the vast Beyblade stadium El Astro; it looked like a colosseum!

"Excellent, buddy!" Rantaro yelled, throwing an arm around Valt's shoulder.

Stan sighed wistfully, while Sasha shrugged and looked at Kitt and Honey. Ferox and Free slowed down as screaming Beyfans crowded around. The Beyfans snapped pictures and filmed the pair, making Free feel uncomfortable although he was accustomed to mass attention as the proclaimed blading prodigy. Thankfully, Beyblade escorts moved around to ensure their safety and speedy entry into the stadium.

"Too loud," Free said softly so that only Ferox could hear.

"We'll be back in the forest soon enough," Ferox reassured him.

"Yeah," Free said, hoping to get the battles over with as soon as possible.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to El Astro, the legendary Beyblade stadium!" the commenter announced. "The moment we've all been waiting for. The season opener for the European League is about to commence! This event is held in several host cities across the continent and will be broadcast live throughout the world. We'll start things here in El Astro with the home team BC Sol against Top Wand from Germany! Before we get started, there will be an official address from a representative of BC Sol. Please welcome the owner herself, Christina Kuroda!"

"It's such an honor today to be at the opening ceremony," Christina spoke loud and clear into her microphone. "To all you Beyfans out there, brace yourselves. These bladers are ready to show you what they're made of. The European League is officially open!"

The crowd cheered.

"Wow!" the commenter said. "Thank you, Christina, and now, we would like to invite our competitors to the stage. In the blue corner, a team whose world rank is steadily climbing..." 

The blue corner's doors swung wide open, and confetti shot up into the air. The three representatives of Top Wand--Rodrick, Heinrich, and Cuza--stood tall in the limelight.

The commenter continued, "Visiting from Germany, it's the one and only Top Wand! Their captain, a fierce and formidable opponent with great control, Heinrich! And, specializing in the art of subtly, it's Rodrick! Lastly, with his shape-shifting battle style, the acrobatic Cuza!"

Valt and Rantaro watched a screen displaying the opposing team behind the red corner's doors. Free and Ferox had split off from them earlier, which Valt was not particularly happy about, but he did not have the chance to openly question them because the two bladers had already dashed away. He felt peeved that Free was monopolizing Ferox's attention again.

However, when Cuza appeared on the screen, Valt lightened up. He said, "Nice!"

"That your new friend?" Rantaro asked.

"His bird's cool, too!" Valt added.

Very stylish, Valtryek agreed. We shall take to the skies, too!

"Unreal! I've never heard of rivals bonding over back-flips before!" Rantaro chattered, causing Valt to smile and think that everything was alright even though his sister was not present.

"Every year, our team's ranking slides down a peg. We have to climb back up," Trad sighed, pulling his hair subconsciously and staring at his iPad. As he did so, his last-minute anxious thoughts began flooding out. "You know how Free is. He's become increasingly unpredictable. Sometimes, he leaves in the middle of team battles. Other days, he stays the whole way. You should have taken my advice and just put Ferox as captain. She may be second to Free in a battle, but she is more reliable and brings people together, which is what we need."