Chapter 12 — When Restraint Shatters
The launch cracked the air.
"GO—SHOOT!"
Storm Dragoon hit the stadium like a descending pressure front, wind spiraling violently as its rotation stabilized instantly. Spriggan responded with flawless redirection, spinning inward, refusing to yield.
Sparks flew on first impact.
The ground trembled.
From the park's edge, the Beyblade Club froze.
Valt's eyes widened. "This… this is the summit?"
"Storm Dragon—TEMPEST CANNON!"
Ryuga's call rang out.
Storm Dragoon released compressed rotational force in a straight, violent surge. The wind screamed as the Bey slammed into Spriggan, blasting debris into the air.
Shu slid back, boots scraping concrete.
"Spriggan—LIMIT BREAK DEFENSE!"
Spriggan absorbed the blow, rotating faster, redirecting energy—but the shock still tore cracks into the ground.
Shu felt it.
The strain.
Hold it. Don't let it move.
Ryuga saw the hesitation.
"You're fighting the storm," he said. "Not commanding it."
"I don't need your philosophy!" Shu snapped.
"STORM BUSTER!"
Storm Dragoon surged again, its rotation deepening, pressure folding inward before exploding outward in a spiraling crash. Trees bent. Benches tore loose. The park itself seemed to recoil.
Valt staggered back. "They're… destroying the stadium…"
"No," Daigo said quietly. "They're destroying limits."
"Spriggan—CIRCULAR COUNTER!"
Shu's counter was perfect.
Too perfect.
It worked—but it cost him.
Spriggan's rotation faltered for a fraction of a second.
Ryuga didn't hesitate.
"TEMPEST CRASH!"
Storm Dragoon rose on a spiral of wind and slammed down like judgment.
The impact shattered the launch circle.
Spriggan burst.
The storm stopped instantly.
Shu stood frozen.
Hands shaking.
Breath uneven.
Ryuga walked forward, not triumphant—concerned.
"You can't keep chaining yourself," he said. "That restraint will snap."
Shu didn't look at him.
"I don't care," he said quietly. "As long as I don't lose."
Ryuga closed his eyes.
Then you already have.
From that night on, Shu's sleep deepened.
His smiles stayed.
But something inside him screamed for release.
When he stood before Lui Shirosagi, the summit waiting, restraint was no longer enough.
Lui saw it immediately.
The fracture.
The hunger beneath control.
"Good," Lui said. "Now you're ready to break."
The Beyblade Club had seen the summit.
Not glory.
Not perfection.
But cost.
And as the world moved toward Season Two, the storm, the tyrant, and the fallen genius all stepped closer to collision.
One would dominate.
One would lose himself.
And one—
One would stand above it all.