The Weird, Wild, and Wonderous World of Beyblade

Lui & Valt-Better than the Best

All rights reserved to Hiro Morita.

Lui felt like the world had made his life a sick joke for the past four years. As he stood in the rocky interior of the skull at the peak of Onigashima, staring at a tv screen showing off the world's top five Bladers, the flame-haired boy couldn't help but scowl. Four years ago, he sat comfortably at number one, reigning over all the worthless losers below him with unmatched strength. But now he'd been knocked all the way down rank five.

Lui longed for the days when he was on top. Back then, he felt like he could take on anything, and as far as he knew, he could. Every opponent that he ever faced fell at the drop of a hat, no matter who they were. And even at that, he had a decent list of contenders who could give an actual challenge. But never to the point where they could overthrow him. It was a Blader's perfect dream scenario. But now, here he was at rank five of all things.

While worthless sap after worthless sap around the world would salivate for the title, seeing it as a great reward, to Lui, it only felt like a punishment. Rank five was a loser's rank. What kind of reward was being the worst of the best? Though thinking about it, pretty much every rank except for one was a loser in the grand scheme of things. And then there was the issue of who held that rank now.

Valt Aoi, Lui bristled at the thought of the spiky blue-haired boy. While Lui had to respect the guy to some extent, given that he got the title that he was the last person he saw in that seat. The White Tyrant couldn't help but shake the idea that an idiot like him managed to get ahead of him so fast and stay there for so long. When Lui was on top, Valt could barely even touch him, with their first three fights all ending in the shark-teethed boy's victory. The closest his adversary ever got was their fourth fight which ended in a tie due to the stadium's destruction.

Looking down the roster, Lui could feel his scowl deepening. Shu, Aiga, and Free, all people he had once looked down on, now did the same to him. All the while, they were out there, every second of every day, getting further and further out of his range. As much as looking at the screen enraged him to heights unknown, Lui knew that he needed to see this. He needed a reminder of how much of a loser he was. A reminder of what he and Longinus were fighting for. To be the best, to claw his way back up, and show the world what real strength looked like.

And soon, he'd get his chance.

As his new Rage Longinus slashed through the countless dummy Beys he was using to practice, Lui couldn't help but fold his arms and curl up a smile. Just a few short months with it, and his Sparking Bey was already battling in top condition.

The Bey's jagged, white-colored, purple, gold, and blue accented layer spun wildly, ripping through Bey after Bey with Burst after Burst. Each one made his smirk open more and more until he broke into a proud shark-like grin as his partner cleared the pale Beystadium of a competition.

"Again," Lui said through ragged breaths to no one in particular as he clamped Longinus to his launcher again. While random Beys were shot from the stadium walls. Regardless of the dark night around him. Regardless of the sweat drenching his shirt. Regardless of the pain seizing his body. Lui knew he needed to keep training. Training meant more power. Power meant more control. As long as he had control, nothing. Not even Valt could hurt him.

"Go Shoot!!" He said as he launched Longinus into the stadium. Grunting while ignoring the pain that shot through his limbs as he pulled his ripcord. The white Bey tore through Bey after Bey until there was simply one left. "Crave it up!" Lui said as he pointed a finger to the now lone Bey with Longinus rushing towards it.