//------------------------------// // 23. Advancing To The Finals! // Story: Dazzling Bladers // by Joshua the Dragonslayer //------------------------------// The first round of Group B had already begun. Phoebe and Joy were going head-to-head with one another. Pegasus had token the center while Joker unleashed a barrage of strikes on it. "Take it out, Fate's Judgement!" Joy yelled. "Take it for a spin, Feather Storm!" Phoebe yelled. Pegasus's storm is able to pick up Joker and Joker goes flying into the air. Joker then burst into the air making Phoebe the winner! Phoebe smiles as Joy gasped. "Harmony Pegasus with a Burst Finish! With a score of 2-0, Phoebe is the winner!" The referee declared. The crowd cheers while Phoebe jumps up and down. She had finally won her match but sadly her last match in the tournament. "With that Battle out of the way, it's time for the Second Battle to get underway! Bael's defense going up against Adagio's leadership! Who's going to win? You're going to have to find out!" The announcer said. Bael and Adagio arrive at the stadium. Adagio had changed Achilles into Stamina Mode with the Union Sword attached to it. She was going in with power and agility to get the better of Balkesh. The two got into position as the referee made the call. "Bladers! Get ready and set!" "Three! Two! One! Let it Rip!" Everyone yelled. Both Beys take to the stadium, Balkesh goes for the center while Achilles climbs the upper deck to pick up speed. Achilles then jump off the upper deck and heads towards Balkesh to make first contact. "Get in there with a Unison Launch!" Adagio yelled. Achilles starts delivering a volley of blows at Balkesh. After a while, Balkesh turns into a perfect circle and starts parrying all of Achilles' attacks. Achilles doesn't let up and Achilles continues to strike Balkesh. 'Gotta go for the center. That's where Balkesh's weakness is at. I just need to wait for the right moment.' Adagio thought. "Dusk Circle!" Bael yelled. Achilles continues to slam into Balkesh but no matter how hard it hit Balkesh it didn't work. Adagio growls while Bael smiles seeing Adagio struggle to take him down. Bael smiled. "Just try to get past my defense! Nothing can break through Balkesh's defense!" Adagio smiled. "We'll see about that! Me and Achilles can do anything! Breaking through some pesky defense will be easy! Go forth, Achilles!" Achilles speeds up and climbs up to the upper deck. Achilles then hit the upper deck wall and jumps off the upper deck. Balkesh was going in to attack Achilles while Achilles was still in the air. "Take it out of here!" Bael yelled. Adagio smirked and yelled. "Show them a real attack with Unison Sword!" Balkesh and Achilles collide with a flurry. Achilles' sword however is able to slice through Balkesh's defense and burst Balkesh. Achilles lands back in the stadium and races around. "Union Achilles with a Burst Finish! With a final score of 2-0, Adagio is the winner!!" The referee declared. The crowd cheers while Adagio and Bael pick up their Beys. Adagio smiles, now all she had to do was hope that Aria wouldn't win against Leon making her chances to the Semi-Finals guaranteed. "Now that Adagio had won her match she must now hope that Aria can't beat Leon. Will the Dragon Tamer take the win or will the Queen of Darkness win? You're going to have to find out!" The announcer said. Aria and Leon arrive at the stadium. Both Bladers look at each other, both wanted to win no matter what. Both were Attack Types but one was a Left spinning while the other was a Right spinning Bey. This might be the last Battle for the tournament but both Bladers were going to make it their best Battle yet! 'The last time I battled Leon was in our three-on-one at his house. He knocked Apocalypse out of the ring with one strike, but I've grown as a Blader since then. I'm stronger now and now I'll annihilate him with Apocalypse with brute force!' Aria thought. Both Bladers got into position. "Bladers! Get ready and set!" "Three! Two! One! Let it Rip!" Everyone yelled. Both Beys take to the stadium Luinor and Apocalypse rushes around the stadium at light speeds. Luinor and Apocalypse rush towards the center and Luinor sends Apocalypse flying with its attack. Apocalypse lands on the upper deck and races down, it strikes Luinor, sending Luinor flying. Luinor comes back and Luinor and Apocalypse start sending attacks at one another. "Apocalypse and Luinor exchange blows with one another. Neither seems to be backing down from their attacks! But whose attacks are stronger?! Will Luinor win or will Apocalypse win?" The announcer announced. "Take it out with Zone Slam!!" Leon yelled. Luinor hits Apocalypse sending them both flying across the stadium. Luinor aligns making it able to unleash Zone Hammer while the middle of Apocalypse turns red. "Use Prime Reboot!!" Aria yelled. Apocalypse rushes off the upper deck and charges around waiting for Luinor to strike. Luinor speeds up on the upper deck and jumps off the upper deck heading for an upper attack on Apocalypse! Leon smirked. "End this thing with Zone Hammer, Luinor! Drive out the obstruction!" Aria fired up with aura. "Not on my watch! End this thing with Omega Blast! Annihilate them! Destroy Luinor into tiny pieces!" Luinor and Apocalypse collide with one another. Luinor's metal against Apocalypse sword! Neither Bey was backing down as both kept colliding with each other. Neither Blader wanted to lose so both let out a battle cry. "Who's going to win?" Sonata asked looking at the Battle. "We're going to find out soon enough." Adagio said as she looked at the Battle. Winds were picking up and explosions were going off due to this fierce battle! Everyone looked in anticipation of who was going to win the match. Just then the sound of something getting pushed in is heard and then a giant explosion happens. Leon and Aria look in surprise and wait to see what had happened. The explosions die and Apocalypse burst to the pressure of Luinor! The crowd, and even Aria and Leon look in surprise at what just happened. "Z-Zone Luinor with a Burst Finish! With a final score of 2-0, Leon is the winner!" The referee declared. "With Leon winning the match Adagio has secured the last spot in Group B! It's with a heavy heart that everyone else in the tournament has been eliminated!" The screen shows Athena, Frizzle, Valex, Dean, Joy, Bael, Phoebe, and Aria's faces. Their faces then turn black showing that they were eliminated. The only four faces left standing are Gabby, Adagio, Leon, and Sonata. Aria was on her knees with Apocalypse in pieces. She looked down and she could do the only thing she could do... cry. Tears fell out of Aria's eyes and hit the ground, her chances at making it to the Semi-Finals were over. Even with Apocalypse in control she still couldn't beat Leon. "Our final four have finally been decided! Gabby! Adagio! Leon! Sonata! It's time for the moment you all have been waiting for! The Semi-Final match-ups! Who will battle who in a face-off in the Semi-Finals? Well, let's find out!" The four faces spin around for a while and then they stop. The faces turn over and surprise everyone! "The matches have been decided! In the First Round, Adagio and Leon will go head-to-head! And in the Second Round, Gabby and Sonata will battle it out! I hope you're all as excited as me cause these matches are going to be red hot with drama! Who will move on and make it to the Finals? We're all just going to have to find out... tomorrow!" The Dazzlings walk out of the venue of the tournament. Adagio and Sonata were excited to make it to the Semi-Finals why Aria had her head down in shame. "Adagio, Sonata. I'm very proud of you two to make it to the Semi-Finals. I think we should all go out and get something to eat then we can get some ice cream! Would you guys like that?" Sunset asked as she looked at Adagio and Sonata. "Yeah!" The two girls yelled. "Adagio, don't you dare lose to Leon. Don't forget our promise to both make it to the Finals together!" Sonata said as she looked over at Adagio. "And you better not lose to Gabby, Sonata." Adagio said with a smile. Sunset looks at Adagio and Sonata and smiled. She then looked back at Aria and frowned. She wasn't upset with Aria not making it, she just didn't know how to make Aria feel better. Just then Aria stopped making Sunset stop in the process. Adagio and Sonata bump into their mom and look at her to see her looking at Aria. They both look back and look at Aria, who was looking down at the ground. "Aria. Is everything alright?" Sunset asked. Aria then looked up at everyone with a serious face. "Adagio... Sonata... do your best in the Semi-Finals. I may no longer be in the tournament but that doesn't mean I can't cheer you two on! Adagio, get revenge on Leon for me, and Sonata, take down Gabby for all of us. Then you two can have the best Battle in the Finals with one another!" Adagio, Sonata, and Sunset all smile at Aria. The round-robin was over but now the Semi-Finals were about to begin! Things were about to get extreme but just how extreme were things going to get? Preview: The first match of the Semi-Finals starts with Adagio going up against Leon. Leon's power seems to be overwhelming for Adagio but then Adagio has a one-on-one with Achilles. Adagio and Achilles put their bond to the test with Leon and Luinor! Next Time on Dazzling Bladers! The Strongest Sword And Shield!