From their small section of the plane, Madoka and Ren sweatdropped at the others. The two girls were seated in a row with Zero, who was arguing over training techniques across the aisle with Shinobu. In the last two seats of Shinobu's row, Audra and Mendel were debating over what would help give Storm Fireblaze an edge in battle against Gingka's friends in America. The Pegasus blader himself was grinning wildly from the window seat directly behind Shinobu as he interjected his opinion into both conversations every now and then, frustrating them all.

Her face red, the younger Hagane finally turned towards her brother and snapped, "If you say one more performance tip type, I'm going to take Pegasus away from you!"

Gasping in horror, Gingka shielded his carrying case with his hands. "You wouldn't!"

Audra smirked, causing the Legend to scoot as far away as he could from his sister.

Madoka giggled as Ren snorted in amusement before Mendel turned around towards the redhead.

"So Gingka, who are we going to see in America?" The brunette asked, the others nodding and looking at Gingka for answers.

The Autumn Blader smiled and leaned back in his seat. "Well, primarily we'll be seeing Team Dungeon."

"Team Dungeon?" Shinobu echoed as he leaned into the aisle to get a better look at the older blader.

Nodding, Gingka smiled. "A team named after the gym they trained at when they were younger and that they now own. Zeo, Toby, and Masamune are the team members."

Zero tilted his head. "Why do those names sound so familiar?" He wondered aloud, his finger tapping against his armrest.

"Probably because Zeo was on Team Star Breaker in the world championships and Masamune was on GanGan Galaxy." Madoka replied. "I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of them, to be honest."

Ren's eyes widened. "You mean we're going to meet world class bladers?" She asked, excitement exploding into her voice.

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Gingka cried indignantly.

The others laughed and smiled at the sulking redhead who wouldn't accept any apology from the sweatdropping Phoenix wielder.

-S-

"It's less crowded than I remember." Gingka mused as they grabbed their luggage, the redhead shouldering his green knapsack before helping Madoka snatch her pink suitcase from the conveyor belt.

"The airport was full of people coming to see the world championships. Of course it's less crowded." Madoka replied, rolling her eyes as she extended the handle on her suitcase.

Sighing, Audra shook her head with a smile. "Come on, Gingka. I want to meet your friends!" She said as she tugged her brother out of the airport.

Mendel grinned and grabbed ahold of Madoka. "Come on, sis!" The researcher then began pulling on his older sibling as well.

Laughing as they followed, Zero and his two friends stepped out into the bright sunshine of New York City.

"Whoa."

Audra and Mendel were already staring at the tall skyscrapers, Zero, Ren, and Shinobu quickly following suit as Madoka grinned at their awestruck faces.

Standing in front of them all, his arms spread out to his sides, Gingka sucked in a deep breath and sighed it out with a huge smile. "Welcome to New York City, guys."

"It's so beautiful!" Ren exclaimed, beaming.

Shinobu and Zero high-fived. "We're in America!"

"So, where are your friends?" Mendel asked, squinting a bit as he searched for anyone waiting on the sidewalk who might be the Autumn Blader's rivals.

"Yeah, where are they?" Madoka inquired as she too began looking around.

Chuckling, Gingka began walking into the city. "At the Dungeon Gym. Where else would they be?"

As the others followed, Zero raised his brow. "Um, maybe saying hello when we got here?"

"Right. Normally they'd do that." The redhead rubbed sheepishly at the back of his head.

"But they don't know we're here, do they?" Madoka deadpanned.

Gingka shrugged before he began running into the city. "Don't worry about it! It's all under control!" Gingka called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd.

"Gingka!" Zero panicked as the blader vanished from sight. "You can't just leave us here!"

"You do know how to get to the gym, right Madoka?" Shinobu asked hopefully.

Nodding, the mechanic smiled. "I'm pretty sure I remember how to get there."

Fifteen minutes later found the group standing in front of the Dungeon Gym. After agreeing that two of them would go in first while the others surrounded the building to keep Gingka from getting out, Audra and Zero pushed the front door open.

Stepping inside the gym, ready to rant at the legend for abandoning them, Audra and Zero froze at the sight before them. All around the room were young bladers like them doing push ups, attacking giant beys, or they were gathered around the stadium in the center of the room.

After gawking for several moments, the two were startled when someone asked, "Um, can I help you?" A blader with silver hair cut just above his shoulders stood in front of them, his blue-purple eyes looking from Zero to Audra before blinking in surprise.

"Who are your new friends, Toby?" A second man with rusty colored hair with yellow highlights questioned as he walked up to them. He smiled at the two and waved. "Hi. My name is Zeo and this is my friend Toby." Looking the two over, Zeo glanced at his companion curiously before turning back to them with a tilt of his head. "Who did you say you were?"

"I'm Zero and this is Audra. Are you guys the owners of this gym?" The Ifrit blader asked, his eyes wide as he continued to stare at the hard working bladers around him.

Toby nodded with a grin. "Yup. So is Masamune. Hey, Masamune! Come over here for a second!" He called towards a black and white haired man who was coaching the two bladers battling in the stadium at the middle of the room.

Giving one final instruction, Masamune walked towards them with a smile. He examined the two before his grin widened, placing his hands on his hips with a chuckle. "Big Gingka fan, are you?" He asked, nodding towards Audra.

Looking miffed, the Fireblaze wielder turned towards Zero. "Do I really look like a fangirl?" She yelped, completely horrified at the thought.

Zero chuckled, causing the redhaired fifteen-year-old to groan before facing the three confused bladers.

"No, I'm not a fangirl." She replied grumpily, slouching slightly.

"You do look a lot like him though." Zeo said, earning nods of confirmation from Toby and Masamune.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Toby smirked. "You even have a headband like what he wears."

"She's not a fangirl of the world champion, trust me." Zero laughed.

At this, Masamune groaned and stomped his foot childishly. "That is so unfair! I can't believe Gingka is just going around calling himself the number one blader when I beat him!"

Zeo facepalmed as Toby sweatdropped at their friend. "Let it go, Masamune."

"He doesn't actually call himself that. Gingka just likes to blade, that's all. I don't really think he cares about all the fancy title stuff." Audra shrugged.

Zero blinked in confusion. "Wait a minute, you beat Gingka?"

"Yup. He wouldn't stop challenging me, so I had to let him win eventually." Gingka said as he stepped inside, a glaring Madoka following close behind with Ren, Shinobu, and Mendel trailing her at a cautious distance.

"That is not true!" Masamune exclaimed, flailing his arms defiantly before turning towards the voice and blinking in mild surprise. "Oh. Hi Gingka. What are you doing here?"

The redhead smirked. "A few rematches I needed to take care of and some other things." He then put his arm around Audra and ruffled Zero's hair, the young protege glaring playfully before fixing his hair. "You've met these two already, I assume. Driving you crazy yet?"

"Wait, you know them?" Zeo asked in surprise, eyeing the two once again with newfound interest.

Gingka blinked before grinning wildly at the two younger bladers. "You two are troublemakers." At their innocent smiles, the Pegasus blader rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Zero is my protege and Audra is my sister." He replied, nodding towards each in turn.

"Really?" Toby asked, his tone low with disbelief.

Audra nodded as she folded her arms over her chest. "I'm his sister, not a fangirl. That's why we look so much alike."

At the sound of an unconvinced snort, the Fireblaze wielder's fingers touched her carrying case threateningly as a faint outline of yellow glowed around her, another much stronger and more threatening blue aura surrounded her brother who had shifted into a protective stance behind her.

Snickering at Zeo and Toby's shocked faces, Masamune bobbed his head in agreement as he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head in amusement. "She's definitely his sister. No doubt about it, right guys?"

The two nodded quickly in agreement, earning a satisfied grin from Gingka as both Haganes' auras disappeared.

The front door quickly opened, drawing everyone's attention towards the four who walked in. The two eldest of the four blinked in surprise before smirking.

"Hi guys!" Yu greeted with a wave, Kenta giggling beside him as the two young girls beside them watched in confusion.

"Kenta! Yu!" Gingka greeted, fistbumping the two men while he grinned at the two girls. "How's it going Levina? Still practicing, right Petra?"

Levina grinned broadly, her dark brown orbs glowing as her black ponytail swished behind her. "Life with Kenta is awesome!" The young eleven year old wore a pink tank top, mint green shorts, yellow sneakers, and a silver belt for her beyblade gear.

Turning his attention towards the blonde haired, green eyed twelve-year-old, Gingka gave her a high-five before waiting patiently for an answer.

"I'm still working hard. Yu has been trying to teach me but it's just not making any sense!" Petra's green orbs flashed while she tugged at her blonde hair, her frustration clearly heard by the now frowning redhead. Her blue shirt was a little wrinkled while her orange shorts were a bit rumpled along with her dusty white sneakers and worn red belt proved to Gingka that she had indeed been working hard.

"I bet I could help you learn how to control that power. I've fought so much with Kyoya that I feel like I could battle with a defense type just as easily as an attack type." Gingka chuckled, ruffling Petra's long blonde hair, earning a bright grin from the twelve-year-old.

"Um, hi! I'm Audra Hagane. I've met Kenta over a video chat but I've never met you guys before." Audra greeted, waving at them.

"Hagane? As in Gingka's little sister?" Yu asked, glancing towards the smiling elder redhead.

"Exactly. And this is Zero Kurogane, Shinobu Hiryuin, Ren Kurenai, and Mendel Amano. And you've all met Team Dungeon and Madoka before." Gingka said as he pointed to them all, each grinning and waving in turn.

"Nice to finally meet all of you." Kenta grinned, his hands resting on his hips, causing his blader's gear to clink. "This is Levina Yumiya and that is Petra Tendo." He said, resting his hand first on the black haired girl's shoulder and then moving it to mess with the green-eyed girl's blonde hair.

"You have sisters?!" Madoka cried, her eyes wide in shock.

Both Kenta and Yu smiled and nodded. "Yup. An amazing one for each of us."

"Everyone is finding long lost siblings these days." Masamune exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation.

Several eye rolls met the Striker wielder's statement, followed by a few glares from the four who proudly claimed the title of younger sibling.

Yu's eyes suddenly brightened and an evil smirk grew across his lips. "Hey, Masa-Mumu!" Yu teased, instantly earning a growl from the Striker wielder before the two laughed and fist-bumped each other.

"It's great to see you again, Yu. You too, Kenta. I'm glad you guys made it here on time." Masamune smiled broadly as he slung his arms around Yu and Kenta's shoulders before giving a manly squeal. "And I can't wait to see how much stronger your sisters have become!"

"Of course we have!" Petra cheered as she punched the air.

Gingka laughed, his eyes sparkling as the younger bladers quickly began showing off their beys and challenging each other to a battle in the small stadium in the middle of the room.

"Zero Kurogane. The name sounds familiar." Toby said as he tapped his chin in thought.

Kenta laughed. "It should. He's Japan's new ace, winner of Neo Battle Bladers."

"They made a Neo Battle Bladers? Cool!" Yu grinned, proud of the trend he had started.

Madoka nodded. "Yup. Tsubasa is even talking to the other WBBA branches about doing another world tournament."

"Wow, really? That would be awesome to see the bladers we've trained follow in our footsteps!" Zeo exclaimed as he gave Masamune a high five.

Gingka folded his arms over his chest and smirked. "Don't forget which team actually won, Zeo."

"That's right! Go GanGan Galaxy! We're number one!" Masamune cheered, raising his finger high in the air.

Zeo sweatdropped at his friend's enthusiasm before he snapped his fingers in realization. "Oh! We've got a few hotel rooms for you guys while you stay here. We know you're tired so we can show you how to get there."

The adults quickly grabbed their suitcases, the younger bladers having heard and following close behind.

-S-

It was eleven o'clock, the others already fast asleep as Zero sat out on the balcony of their hotel room. The girls were in the room next door while the boys occupied the one connected to Zero's balcony. The Ifrit bladers sighed in content as the wind caressed his face, his shoulders slowly relaxing as he listened to the sounds of the city.

"Zero?"

Blinking his eyes open in surprise, Zero turned from his seat on the floor of the deck towards Audra who had just stepped out onto her own balcony.

"Hi Audra. Couldn't sleep?"

The redhead shrugged. "Just too excited from meeting everyone today. Hard to sleep when my brain is going a thousand miles an hour."

Zero chuckled and shook his head before leaning it back against the wall, his arms wrapping around his propped up knee. "I know exactly how you feel." He muttered, his eyes roaming over the street below them.

A sudden flash of red and white caught the champion's eye, making him jump in shock. "Audra, do you see that?" Zero pointed down at the figure below them that was darting across the street and heading deep into the concrete jungle.

The Fireblaze wielder leaned closer to the edge of the balcony to see what her rival was pointing at. "Is that… Gingka?" Audra whispered, her eyes widening in surprise. She turned back towards Zero in confusion. "But I thought he was sleeping in your room?"

Zero shook his head as he continued to watch the redhead until he completely disappeared. "There were too many of us to fit in here so he and Kenta decided to rent a second room together…" The orange and black haired blader trailed off before his eye caught a second figure bolt in almost the exact same path as Gingka.

"That looks like Kenta." Audra said, confusion still coloring her voice.

"What are those two bladers up to?" Zero wondered aloud.

Audra shrugged as she resumed her position leaning against the wall. "Not sure." She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes before breathing it out slowly.

"You don't want to find out?" Zero asked, blinking in mild surprise. Audra was usually the one right at Gingka's elbow while Zero occupied the other. Not to mention her curiosity had been known to constantly get the best of her.

The redhead shrugged, turning her head towards the Ifrit wielder with a small smile. "If I'm supposed to know about it then Gingka will tell me. I'm not really worried about it, to be honest."

Zero blinked before he leaned his head back again with a small smirk. "You're finally starting to sound mature."

"Oh shut up."

-S-

"So we're agreed? We all will meet in a week?"

Several murmurs of agreement filled the room.

"And please be on time." At this, several glares were directed towards a blunette and his fuschia haired companion.

"What? We can't help it if we get distracted easily." The blunette sniffed defensively.

Several eye rolls followed, accompanied by a couple lighthearted chuckles to ease the annoyance of the blue haired man.

"Alright then. We'll see you all next week."

"Keep spinning, guys!"

-S-

The next day was filled with bey battles, sightseeing, and challenges between both the younger bladers and the adults.

Levina and Petra had easily immersed themselves into the group, finding they fit in more easily than expected. The two were soon challenging the others and taking part in battle royales that ended in massive victories. However, it wasn't the teenagers' battles that were the most common.

"Battle me again Gingka! I will prove once and for all that I am the number one blader!"

"Not again." Madoka, Zeo, and Toby sweatdropped as they watched the two aim their launchers across a stadium stationed in the middle of Central Park.

Audra and Zero grinned at each other before they began cheering for Gingka, Yu quickly joining in with his own "Gingkie! Gingkie! Gingkie!"

Masamune drooped as he began to sulk. "We haven't even started yet and he's already winning!"

"You can do it Masamune!" Toby yelled, throwing his fist into the air, hoping to cheer up his friend.

"No he can't. Gingka's the Legendary Blader, not Masamune." Zeo muttered.

Masamune whirled on his friend. "I heard that!"

Zeo smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's kinda true."

The black haired blader growled and was about to turn back towards Gingka when the smell of food from the small grill they had brought with them to the park.

"Food!" Masamune cried as he dove towards their sweatdropping friends.

Gingka blinked, launcher still raised as he watched his rival argue with Madoka that raw meat was still meat and therefore good enough to eat.

Once the smell of the cooking meat hit the redhead's nose too, however, Madoka soon found herself fighting off two hungry bladers.

"Come on guys! You know it's not safe to eat yet! Go blade with the others!" The mechanic cried, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"But Madoka!" Gingka whined, sending her the best puppy eyes he could muster, Masamune soon copying him.

The brunette groaned before sternly sending them off to the younger bladers where Shinobu and Audra were battling.

While Masamune began cheering for the two, Gingka found himself standing in between Levina and Petra.

"Enjoying our crazy bunch?" He grinned, lightly tickling each girl's ribs.

Levina bobbed her head with a broad grin. "For sure! I love battling everyone. It's a nice change then only being able to battle three people."

Petra nodded in agreement. "Not that battling a Legendary Blader and my brother is bad, we just sort of begin to follow a pattern after a while."

Gingka laughed. "I totally understand, girls. Keep building bonds with other bladers. You'll become stronger with each new friendship you make."

Both girls nodded with smiles on their faces, watching as their brothers began to battle each other. Soon the other bladers had joined the battle, leaving only Gingka, Levina, and Petra watching.

The redheaded blader glanced down at each of them before all three whipped out their launchers, wild grins dominating their cheeks.

"Let it rip!"