Following his grueling fight with Kyoya, Ash knew that one thing for sure—He wasn't ready yet. He had hardly managed to tie the leader of Face Hunters, and it was largely because of chance and the sheer velocity of his Beyblade and not because of his skills. That was not enough.
He needed to learn from the greatest if he was to become stronger.
Thus, he found himself standing against the Blader that everybody appeared to look up to, Gingka Hagane. Gingka was calm, friendly, and confident as opposed to Kyoya, who radiated superiority and intimidation. He radiated an undeniable power that spoke volumes without any air of conceit.
Gingka reversed his Beyblade, Storm Pegasus, in his hand and said, "Alright, Ash."You love Beyblade and are full of energy. Still, victories aren't achieved solely by passion." Ash's hands curled into fists. He knew that already. "Yes, I realized it during my match against Kyoya. Brilliancy alone doesn't suffice me. I have to be masterful." Gingka grinned. "Exactly. And we're going to practice that. mastering strategy, control, and bonding with your Beyblade for real." Ash scrunched up his face. "Bond with it? It's a Beyblade." Gingka just smiled. "That's where you're wrong. There is more to a Beyblade than a spinning top. It's a part of who you are. Its attack, defense, and movement are all decided by how you are with it."
Madoka nodded on the sidelines. "With Storm Greninja, you're already very fast, but it's unstable and unpredictable. More Bladers will take advantage of that weakness if you don't master it."
Ash folded his arms. This way of thinking was unfamiliar to him. He teamed up with his Pokémon as partners in his Pokémon battles. A Beyblade, though? How could he make a connection with something that simply spun around?
He wasn't going to give up, though. "All right, let's get started. What comes first?"
The Training Starts
Ash was escorted by Gingka to an open training area featuring a dilapidated Bey stadium, splattered with dings and dents from previous conflicts. Gingka had obviously been training here for a long time.
"For this first exercise," Gingka said, pulling out a small stack of tin cans and placing them in the stadium, "you're going to knock down only the middle can."
Ash blinked. "Is that it? I just have to knock it over."
Gingka smiled. "It looks easy, doesn't it? Go ahead and try."
Ash tightened his launcher in his hand. He took a deep breath before charging off. "Let it rip!"
Racing forward, Storm Greninja weaved back and forth in crazy patterns all over the stadium. It hit one of the cans, but not the middle one. Instead, it toppled the whole stack.
Gingka chuckled. "Yes, but it was not exactly what I asked."
Ash groaned. "Oh, come on! I had thought of speed to be a plus."
Gingka set the cans up again and grasped the cans, saying, "It is. But unstable speed is perilous. You cannot perform a precise attack when your Beyblade is too untamed. You need to learn to control it, therefore."
Ash clenched his jaw. He did not want to admit it, but Ash knew Gingka was right.
Ash kept on practicing launching the rest of the next few hours, but Storm Greninja continually missed the target or knocked down too many cans. He was getting frustrated.
"This can't be possible!" With a frustrated groan, Ash ran his fingers through his hair.
Gingka smiled. "Ash, it is not impossible. You just have to focus on the launch."
"My launch?"
Gingka answered, "Yeah," as he prepared his own Beyblade. "It flies out of control if you send it too aggressively. It's not powerful enough if you send it too weakly. You have to hit the right middle ground."
He tugged the ripcord. "Let it rip!"
With a smooth, rounded motion, Storm Pegasus sprinted ahead. Unlike Storm Greninja, it did not veer every which way. Instead, it paced its movement before striking squarely in the center can.
Ash's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Madoka clapped. "Precision launching has that kind of power."
Ash exhaled and held his launcher tighter. "Okay, let's try again."
He took a breath, recalling what Gingka told him. Rather than simply pulling with all his strength, he concentrated on launching with control, feeling the weight of the Beyblade as he released it.
This time, it was not as crazy when Storm Greninja whirled into the stadium. While it was fast, it was in control. Ash concentrated on the middle can and squinted.
"Now! Attack, Storm Greninja!
Swerving, Storm Greninja struck the centre can accurately without knocking over the others.
Ash's heart leaped. "I did it!"
Gingka smiled. "That's more like it!"
Madoka clapped her hands together. "Good job, Ash! You're already learning how to control yourself."
Ash pumped his fist into the air. While he was getting better, he knew that this was just the start. He still had a long way to go before he could fight Kyoya and other Bladers like him.
Gingka placed his hand on his shoulder. "That's only the start. We now move on to real combat training."
Ash felt a new type of thrill as the sun began to set. He was no longer just battling for fun. He was battling to get stronger, to challenge the best, and to prove that he could hold his own against Bladers like Gingka.
Most importantly, he was battling to win.