//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: The Calm before the Storm 
// Story: Beyblade: Worlds Unite 
// by Seeker1 
//------------------------------//

After his small meeting with Spike, Emerald made his way to the student council room. The boy opened the door and entered as she saw the student president on her phone, paying very close attention to it.

"What's up, prez?" said Emerald, making himself known.

"Oh, Emerald, thank goodness you're here. I need you to look at something."

The teens sat on the couch in the student council room as Twilight watched Emerald replay her battle with Rainbow. The bookworm wanted to get some advice from her friend about the Counter Break that she tried to pull off to fend off Rainbow's attack.

"Falki, Sonic... Rainboom!" instructed the chromatic-haired girl.

"Counter Break!" said Twilight.

Her bey heard the command and tried to use the power of its foe against it, but soon its tip lost its footing on the stadium's surface. That slight slip allowed Falki to overpower it, and a second later, it burst the bey as the pieces lay near the center.

"Wow. Now that's power. She's got a powerful bey." said Emerald as he was amazed by Rainbow.

"Yeah, yeah, she's awesome. Join the club," scoffed Twilight, as she knew her friend would be impressed by Rainbow. "I want to talk about the Counter Break that I tried. I think I was off by a few degrees."

"Well, it moreso had to do with the tip of your bey. You couldn't get a proper footing from the angle at which Rainbow attacked you. And so all the pressure caused you to slide a bit, and as a result, it built up too much to push back, and boom." said the boy.

"I knew it!" stated Twilight as she turned and pouted.

"Aw, come on, Twilight. Don't beat yourself up. You're still learning how to play the game. Not everyone can get all the concepts of Beyblading from just one match."

"I know that, but... what if that was the tournament? I couldn't live with myself if I knew I could survive an opponent's attack but failed to stop it."

"You put too much on yourself. Come on, don't you already have alot since you're Ms. A+ Student and Council President."

"What's wrong with straight A's?!" said Twilight as she took offense to what her friend was saying.

"Only a nerd is worried about that," smiled the boy.

"Don't call me that!" stated Twilight as she was on her hands and knees and got in Emerald's face.

The boy kept his smile as he started to laugh. Twilight was shocked to see the teen go from taunting her to laughing.

"You're laughing at me?!"

"Yes, 'cause you're no longer thinking about your match."

Twilight went to say something but stopped. True to what Emerald said, she did forget how much the failure upset her. She didn't know what impressed her more: the boy managed to get her to forget her loss, or he was annoying.

"You feel better?" asked Emerald.

"Y-Yeah," said Twilight as she painfully admitted.

"Come on! Let's go," said the boy as he picked up his backpack.

Twilight got up and grabbed her backpack as she followed the boy. The pair left school as they were on the training heading toward Emerald's place. After a few stops, they arrived at the station and began to head up the stairs. It wasn't long before they arrived as the boy opened the door for the girl and let her in.

They made it to the garage as Emerald stood before the practice stadium.

"Ready?" said the boy as he attached his bey to his launcher.

"Ready," stated Twilight bending down to set her bag on the floor and pull out her stuff.

"Three... two... one... Let it Rip!" shouted the teens as they bent down to the stadium and pulled the string on their launchers with intense power.




After a few training rounds, Twilight was slumped in a chair as the girl was exhausted.

"I didn't realize that I could experience pain in places I didn't even know," stated the bookworm as she put her head on the table.

"Just don't drool on my table!" said Emerald as he was cooking something in the kitchen.

Twilight's nose began to sniff the wonderful and delicious scent. The girl picked her head up and saw the boy as there was a bit of steam in front of his face.

"What are you making?"

"Pasta. Hope you like it," said Emerald.

The boy then brought out two plates full of food and set one down in front of the girl. The scent was more intoxicating as she saw the food presented before her. Her mouth was starting to water just by the presentation of her plate.

"Here you go," said Emerald as he served Twilight a cup.

"I didn't know you could cook," said the girl as she picked up a fork and ate.

"Yeah, well, I learned from my grandmother. Plus, it helps when you're living alone," stated the boy as he sat down across from the girl. "So... what's your critique?"

"Amazing," said Twilight as she was munching a mouthful. "The seasoning well compliments the succulent meats and seafood. The al dente noodles are perfectly cooked, and the rich, flavorful sauce is a burst of savory goodness in every bite."

"I'll take that," chuckled Emerald as he somehow understood Twilight's over-detailed response.

"So, Emerald, you mentioned your family but never told me about them?"

"Well..." stated the boy as he spun his fork while taking a moment to think. "My parents are historians. They travel the world, looking at and exploring ancient history stuff."

"That's awesome."

"More like boring," stated Emerald as Twilight made a face. "But in your eyes, reading and studying is probably your dream heaven."

"Of course! Reading is not boring, and studying is even further from it! It's some of the most fun!" said the student president.

"Nerd," stated the boy as it caused him to chuckle a bit. He'd hate to admit it, but seeing Twilight's obsession with knowledge and reading was rather... cute. Adorkable, he'd even go further.

"What about your grandmother?"

"My grandma is a sweet person. She makes some of the best cookies. She used to be a writer."

"My mom is a writer. She's written tons of books in the past," responded Twilight.

"Heh, how about that? Any ones that I would know?" asked Emerald.

"There's a book that she's written about a boy and a girl going on this grand adventure. The girl needs to uncover a power that will help save her kingdom, and she's assigned a protector to watch over her, despite her resentment. Along the way, they meet new friends and have feelings for each other. Ultimately, they find the power needed to fight the evil as the girl combats it and manages to save her home." 

"Sounds like an intriguing story. I'll have to check it out," stated the boy as he sipped.

"It's a good, compelling story. My mom has a wild imagination. I guess... my love of reading came from her." said Twilight as she finished her plate of pasta.

The girl looked at her friend as Emerald chuckled. The bookworm had some sauce around her mouth. Twilight saw Emerald laughing as it got her to raise an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl.

"You uh, got little something," gestured Emerald to his mouth.

Twilight put her fingers to her mouth and felt the sauce as she gasped. The girl turned red at the embarrassment and raised her hand to wipe her mouth.

"Did I get it?" asked the student president.

"Here," said Emerald as he got up and leaned over.

The boy grabbed a napkin and wiped some of the remaining sauce Twilight missed. The girl could feel the boy's fingers as they touched her skin. The touch of the boy and how close he was to her face got her to heat up a bit as some of the red from before returned, but this time it wasn't from being embarrassed. With the small strokes he was doing to wipe the remaining sauce off of her, Twilight could feel the muscles of the boy's hand. She thought them to be rough from all his blading, but they were soft and strong.

"There we go," said Emerald as he finished cleaning off Twilight.

The girl didn't realize he finished. She felt slightly embarrassed as she got the red from her cheeks to go away to avoid him getting ideas or asking questions.

"Thanks," said the girl.

"Don't mention it. So, want to practice some more?"

Before Twilight could say yes, a beep went off. The girl reached into her pocket as her phone went off; she looked at her contact as it was her mother attempting to call where her daughter was.

"Hey, Mom," chuckled Twilight nervously, knowing her mother was wondering where she was. "Y-Yeah, I'm on my way. Sorry, I... got distracted. But I'm heading home now! Love you."

The girl ended the call as she looked at Emerald.

"Gotta head home?"

"Yeah, my mom was worried. It's past when I told her I would leave the council meeting."

"Sorry," apologized Emerald.

"No, don't be. It's my fault for asking for help when I told her I'd be home by a certain time. Thanks for dinner; it was lovely."

"Anytime, Ms. Prez," smiled Emerald at the bookworm as she returned the gesture.

The girl then got up and was about to pick up her plate.

"Don't worry, I got it. You go get your stuff ready," said Emerald as he grabbed Twilight's plate and headed to the kitchen sink.

The boy put the dishes into the sink as he turned to see Twilight slipping on her shoes and backpack. The pair approached the door as he opened it, allowing the girl to walk out.

"Thanks for welcoming me into your home."

"No problem. Are you sure you're okay walking by yourself? I can walk you home if you need me." said Emerald.

"I'm good. Thanks for everything. I'll see you tomorrow." said Twilight.

"Take care."

The girl gave a wave as Emerald did the same. He watched her until she was out of sight before returning home. The boy entered his living room as he sat on the couch, and sighed. 

Twilight managed to make it home as she came barreling through the door and locking it behind her. She turned to see her mother standing there with her arms crossed.

"You're late!"

"Sorry, Mom. I was... at a friend's house."

"You know the rules, sweetie. If you're gonna be late, you call me!"

"I know, I just lost track of time, is all. Next time I'm running late, I'll call. I promise." stated Twilight.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," said Velvet to her daughter as she left for the kitchen. "So, where were you?" Velvet said with a much chirper tone while stirring a pot.

"I was at a friend's house," answered Twilight, taking off her shoes and leaning over the counter.

"Let me guess, that boy's?" asked Velvet.

"His name is Emerald, Mom. I wanted to talk to him about the upcoming Beyblade tournament."

"I see. So... when are you gonna bring him over?"

"MOM!" shouted Twilight as she knew what her mother was insinuating with that question. Velvet had a smug smile as she knew that would get a reaction out of her daughter. "He's just a friend."

"Yet you hang out with him quite a lot as of late."

"That's because the district tournament is almost here. So I want to get as many training sessions and pointers ahead of it. One slip-up, one mistake, and... it'll be over in a flash." said Twilight.

"Sweetie, just last week, you weren't even interested in the game your brothers love. Now, you're worried about not even qualifying," stated Velvet with a playful smile, the woman knowing what reaction her daughter had without looking as Twilight rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "Seems this boy has more influence on you than you'd like to admit. Anyways, I left you a plate."

"Thanks, Mom. But I already had dinner at Emerald's place."

"Oh, you had dinner with him?" stated Velvet, her smug smile growing even bigger.

"It's not what you think!" stated Twilight as she pouted and began heading toward her room to avoid teasing her mother.

"She's growing up so fast," stated Velvet.

The rest of the night, Twilight watched the videos recorded of her practice sessions with Emerald. And speaking of the boy, he was currently doing his own work. The teen was sweating at a machine and pulling on the attached string. Emerald was pulling as hard as he could as the power of his pull was registered on the meter. It retracted as the boy grabbed it again and pulled back on it. Each time he pulled on the machine, it registered his strength power and tracked it down on the spreadsheet while calculating the boy's average power.

In Emerald's mind, he was picturing himself when he launched and his bey resonating. Another image that crossed his mind was that of Flash and his bey and how they beat the boy during their first encounter. Granted, he'd gone through a gauntlet of bladers and was winded when he took Flash on, but he almost beat him. It might have been a different story if he'd been at full power.

"Gotta focus," said Emerald, grabbing the handle and taking a deep breath. "Let it Rip!"




Days rolled by as the bladers from Canterlot High that registered for the tournament were putting in extra hours of practice sessions. Twilight kept coming later than usual as she often went to Emerald's place after school when she didn't have student council stuff. Soon the day for the tournament was upon them.

"Are you ready, boys and girls?!" said the MC as he addressed the huge crowd of bladers that had gathered before him. "The district tournament is moments away from beginning!"

"Hey, Ms. Prez," said Emerald as he appeared by the girl's side.

"Hey, Emerald."

"Nervous?"

"Is it that obvious?" asked Twilight, smiling sheepishly.

"With you. Definitely," stated the boy as Twilight sweated even more and began to play with her hair.

"It's just... what if I don't do good. Or worst, I don't even pass the prequalifier rounds. All that work and time you spent with me..."

"Twilight, come on! Get your head on straight!" stated Emerald as he grabbed the girl's shoulder to look her dead in the eyes. "You got nothing to worry about. You'll pass. I know you will."

"You're sure?"

"I stake my life on it," smiled the boy as that got the bookworm to smile. It was strange, but Emerald smiled at her; it was like he was taking all of her anxieties and worries away with his genuine smile.

Their attention was brought back to the MC as he began to speak.

"Now, the first round of this prequalifier will be determined by brute strength! In other words, they'll have to show off their launch power if they wanna win. Check these out!"

The MC directed to what was behind him as the lights revealed some machines. In fact, the machines were more advanced devices than the one that Emerald used to test his arm power. Everybody gasped and was confused by what they saw as chatter began to form.

"No way," said Flash.

"You got to be kidding," stated Rainbow.

"So, we're not doing beybattles?" said Emerald as he thought that was how these tournaments worked based on what he had read up about.

He and everybody else was stunned because they all thought the same thing.

"Alright, please direct your attention to the display above the evaluation machine," said the MC as he approached it and stood before a handle. "You have to pull this string, and if you pull it with everything you've got..." He pulled the string as the machine registered his power. The bar ticked up as it stopped just two bars below a blue line.

"Really?" gasped the MC to himself, thinking he put more than enough power into his pull to at least get above the line, but according to the machine, he was rather weak in his pull. He quickly regained his focus to turn around and address the crowd.

"The bar will light up a different color depending on the power you put into your mighty launch. If you can get past the blue line, you qualify. Everyone line up in front of the evaluation machines and stand by."

A group of bladers all marched to the stage as they got on and approached a machine. They each put their hand on the string.

"Start up the machines now!" shouted the MC as he signaled them to pull.

The group pulled as the machines registered their power as the bars lit up. However, to everyone's surprise, no one from that group even passed the blue line.

"I can't believe my eyes! Not a single challenger in the first group of Bladers qualified for the next round. Will anyone be able to overcome this hurdle?" said the MC as the kids all groaned at failing before leaving the stage.

"So I just gotta pull this?" scoffed Rainbow as she approached the machine. "Piece of cake. Let it Rip!"

The girl pulled the string as hard as she could. The machine registered her pull and power as the bar lit up; it made it past the blue line and stopped at just three bars from reaching the max.

"Wow! The very first Blader to qualify has emerged!" said the MC as Rainbow's picture appeared on the big screen for all to see.

"Heh! Of course!" exclaimed Rainbow as her ego got a huge boost being the first to qualify. 

Soon the rest of the qualifications began to take place. Pull after pull occurred as the results were tallied. For a while, most of the bladers from Canterlot High managed to pass the blue line and qualify, but no one came close to matching the score set by Rainbow. The only one to come close to Rainbow was Spitfire as she managed to tie with the chromatic-haired girl.

"Well, doesn't look like anyone's got what it takes to top my score," said Rainbow, boasting how none of her teammates could beat her.

"Okay, focus," said Twilight as she got on the stage and approached the machine. The girl began to put her hand out as it was shaking. She grabbed the string as the nervousness could be seen on the bookworm's face.

Focus! You got this!

The student president turned her head to see the boy as the smile returned to his face. She noticed that, and her nervousness soon faded away. The bookworm took a deep breath before recollecting herself.

"Rip!" shouted Twilight.

The girl pulled the string as the machine registered her power. The bar began to slowly light up as Twilight looked at it, the girl feeling like every bar that went up was the crucial decision between life and death. Tick by tick, soon it stopped. The meter had calculated Twilight's power as the girl began to open her eyes. There on the meter was her final result. The girl didn't pass Rainbow's score but got decently far past the blue lion.

The bookworm gasped before a smile formed on her face. She turned to look at Emerald as he gave a thumbs up. The girl gave an excited squeal as she got off the stage. Up next on the stage was Flash as he approached the machine. The boy was being cheered on by his teammates as he pulled the string. The machine registered his score as the bar began to tick up. His meter went up as he beat Rainbow's score and almost reached the max as he was just two levels away. His picture replaced Rainbow's as a new record was set.

"Amazing, Cap!" shouted Fleetfoot.

"Nice one, Flash!" stated Soarin.

"But how did he..." said Rainbow as she was astonished that Flash beat her score and knocked her off.

"Looks like we have a new recorder holder. Canterlot High's beyblade club captain, Flash Sentry, has just taken the lead!" said the MC.

"Let it Rip!" 

The string was pulled as the machine registered the power. The bar began to light up as, tick by tick, it filled up. Soon the meter stopped as it beat Flash's score he had just set and nearly filled the entire meter as he was just one tick away from the max. 

"Hold the phone! Newcomer Emerald has nabbed the top spot in his first official tournament! If he was trying to make a strong impression, I'd say he's succeeded!" 

Everyone gasped when they saw Flash's image replaced with Emerald. The boy looked up at his photo as he smiled. He turned to Twilight clapping, knowing her friend just made a statement. Emerald then looked over to the rest of the Wonderbolts as it was a mix of expressions. Soarin and Thunderlane were smiling, knowing he got a high score; Fleetfoot, Misty Fly, Spitfire, and Rainbow glared at the boy for upstaging them. And Flash, he kept a defiant look at the boy he beat.

He then got off the stage as the next round of bladers looked to qualify. Among them was Spike as he looked at the photo of Emerald. Button Mash, Rumble, and the rest of the CMC managed to qualify, as he was the only one in their group yet. The younger sibling of Twilight looked at Emerald as he glared.

"Emerald... strong or not, I'm gonna surpass you," muttered Spike as he grabbed the string. "Let it Rip!"

The boy pulled the string as the machine registered his power. The bar went up tick by tick as Spike's score stopped just at the line. He was shocked at what he saw, thinking he had put more power into his pull. Nevertheless, Spike managed to just barely qualify.

"Nice going, Spike!" said Rumble as he patted his buddy's back.

"Yeah, you made it," said Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, but barely," said the boy.

"So, what, we all got the same score," said Scootaloo.

"Except Button Mash!" said Spike as all five looked at their friend.

"What?" said Button Mash as he didn't like that his five friends were looking at him just because they barely made it to the line, and he only had one bar ahead of them.

"How did you get one higher than all of us?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Those video games I play aren't just for me button-mashing," stated the boy.

"And there you have it, folks. The qualifiers have officially wrapped up. And so, for those that have passed, congratulations! Starting tomorrow, the official tournament will begin! Now... who will claim the top blader spot!"

"ME!" shouted everybody from Rainbow to Spike as shot by shot, the Wondercolts, the CMC, and the boys all showed they were raring to go.

The final shots were of Flash, Twilight, and Emerald. Each had a different expression. For Flash, he clenched his fist as he was looking to prove his might and worth. Seeing Emerald natch the top spot from him added more motivation to the teen. Twilight was still nervous, but the hard part would begin now that she had passed. And Emerald... the boy had one thing on his mind. Making a statement in his first-ever tournament and showing everybody what he and Lunor could do. 

With that... the district Beyblade tournament had officially begun.