---

"Decisions are the hardest to make, Especially when it is a choice between where you should be and where you want to be"

- Unknown - 

---

When they arrived at the Raging Bulls, the dusk was falling from the horizons. The city lights of New York were lighting up one by one, washing away the darkness painting in the sky gradually. All of them were greeted with their enthusiastic club members who greeted them with happy hearts and smiling faces. After dinner, everyone went to their rooms except for Shu. He strolled around the quiet corridors straightening his thoughts and calming down. After that, he took a deep breath and walked toward the office of Theodore Glass, which was the only room lit up with a faint white light. Shu knocked on the large glass doors waiting for an answer. He listened to the curious whispers coming from inside as a voice echoed, "come in"

Shu opened the door with a silent hiss and slipped in. His eyes wandered to the two figures standing inside the room: Lucas and Theodore. The more the merrier, he thought walking toward them with guarded eyes and pursed lips. "Shu?" Lucas questioned, obviously confused by his presence.

Shu ignored his call and turned straight to Theodore. "I have something to ask from you"

Theodore hummed, "If this is about you not having to get a chance to battle at the tournaments today I might tell you that it's for the best-"

Shu shook his head, "I'm not a kid, I know when a person should battle and when someone should standby. This is a different matter"

"I'm waiting," He said, his teal eyes burning through his soul.

Shu hesitated, thinking about his question again, but he came this far and he did not want to leave the room without answers. "What-" He stopped, looking at both of them again. "What is the snake pit?"

The silence was real. Theodore glanced at him with a hard glare, a facial expression of confusion covering his face as he stood up. Shu flinched and took a step back. He felt Lucas tensing and inhaling a sharp breath. The tension inside the room grew rapidly that Shu felt he could cut it with a knife. "If I may ask," Theodore said, stepping closer to him at each moment. "From where did you hear about it?"

"I heard you and Lucas talking about it... and I saw those weird men... dressed in black and wearing masks. Tell me who are they- no tell me who are you?"

Theodore grinned sinisterly and crouched down in front of him, looking into his eyes. Taking the male by surprise he grabbed both Shu's shoulders and inches his face closer that Shu's only view was his face, and his deep teal eyes which were storming with questions. "Why do you demand answers?"

"Because-" Shu stopped, asking the questions himself, Why? "I-I feel like something is horribly wrong here. That's why"

Lucas did not make any attempt to stop Theodore as he squeezed Shu's shoulders making the other wince. "What if I told you that these answers will change your life forever? Will drag you into a pit of darkness that you might not come back alive?"

Shu's breath hitched, his heart racing inside his chest. He felt chills running down his spine. Till now, he viewed Theodore as a calm persona. But the man standing in front of him was now grinning, almost as if he had gone mad or he's trying to find a prey to crave his bloodlust. "What are you saying?" Shu asked, trying to compose his wavering voice. He came for answers and he was not going to go back without them.

"If I told you, Shu Kurenai, that his answers might end your life and strengthen it at the same time, do you still wanna hear it?"

"Yes" Shu confirmed, staring straight at his teal eyes.

Theodore released the threatening grip and took a step forward that he was a step behind Shu. "I can show you a way to get stronger" He said, "I can make you the best blader in the world, I can help you defeat Lui" Shu flinched at the name, looking over his shoulder to see Theodore again. "Would you accept my offer? But there is a condition-"

"What is it?" Shu asked.

"You have to rip yourself away from your old self. You'll have to leave everyone you love and in this process might even hurt them, badly, very badly" Theodore leaned down and whispered, "Who knows, it can even cost their lives"

Shu whipped his head back, "NO! I would not accept anything like that! Do I look like a heartless monster like you?"

"Aww" Theodore said, fishing something out from his pocket. Shu flinched visibly seeing the gun in Theodore's hands. He wasn't sure what was the purpose of the weapon in that situation but the still functioning part of his brain told him he would most likely threaten. Proving his doubts Theodore took a step forward and pressed the gun against his spine. His other hand placed firmly on his shoulder keeping him in place. A cold sweat broke through his body when he felt the harsh material against the fabric of his clothes and he was sure Theodore was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. "Wrong answer" He whispered against his ear. "If you don't want to join, we might as well finish you right here because we can't risk the word getting outside. Join us, or die"

Shu's mind almost gave away the offer, as any other person he loved his life but right at the moment he could not picture himself as a villain, a murderer or a criminal. Rather than that he preferred death, or.. Shu thought looking at the glass door from the corner of his eyes, he just had to take advantage of his quickness and small stature.

Lucas groaned, talking for the first time after everything turned bizarre. "Just imagine, you will receive so much power Shu. Defeating Lui is your sole goal? Isn't it?"

The male shook his head. He breathed heavily trying to forget about the gun pressed against his skin. "I-" His voice cracked but then again he regained his composure. "I want to beat Lui, but not like that. I just want to be with my friends-" Shu stopped again, closing his eyes for a moment the albino breathed trying to keep himself composed. "I love beyblade because it's fun. We are rivals, not enemies... I just want to enjoy it"

"Too bad you are dying today," Theodore said, pressing the gun tighter to his spine. "I'd love to see that spine shattering into pieces. What a sight to the eyes~"

Shu's breath hitched. His mind darting back and forth. Think you idiot, think! Right at the moment, Shu had the stupidest idea ever. He knew it was stupid, but there was a man holding a gun against his spine and the chances of his survival is so small. "You know," Shu suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Theodore asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

"Are you gay?" Shu asked, casually as if he's asking for another drink from the cashier. He felt Theodore's surprise and the subtle distraction causing loosening the tight grip. He didn't want to do that, and he felt really bad when he spun around and kicked the most painful place a man can be kicked. The man yelled painfully as he raced toward the glass panels which worked as automatic doors. Just when he was about to pass the doors Lucas appeared out of nowhere and wrapped one of his arms around his waist scooping up him from the ground as if he's handling a cotton ball. Shu kicked the air. "Let me go, you friggin creepy old men!"

"Just calm down, and I'm not old" Lucas said casually as Shu relaxed. It was the Lucas he knew and his suspicions were correct.

"I'd relax if you two just drop your acts" Shu shot back trying to wiggle free from the strong grasp of the other. Lucas let out a surprised breath and set him down.

"So, you did notice"

"Of course I did. I'm not a moron"

"Why did you kick him then?" Lucas asked, pointing at the other still on the ground with a pained look.

"That was-" Shu said with a bored look. "Out of pure pleasure which I call necessity"

"Understandable" Lucas said, his frown finally settling into a relaxed smile. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time"

"You're welcome," Shu said, finally relaxing fully. No matter how carefree he sounded, the moments earlier had him scared and caught up in a blizzard. It was his survival instinct that kicked in at the moment with a blind confirmation of inaccuracy in his predicament.

Theodore finally limped toward the couch and flopped on it. He glared at Lucas, "You do realize that he kicked a FBI agent"

Shu's blood ran cold again, he did know Theodore and Lucas were not on the bad side but the FBI agent was too far out of his league. "F-FBI? Like the FBI open up?"

Lucas snorted, "How did you know? That we are not on the dark side?"

"I might have accidentally listened-"

"Eavesdropped" Theodore provided helpfully, sneering at him.

Shu huffed. "I heard you wanted to decoy, and I heard my name being said to. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what a decoy is-"

Theodore looked at him for a few minutes. Past few days he had his own doubts about Shu. His talent was admirable but in his eyes he wandered about the hardships he might've to go through if he joined the mission. He had no hope whether this boy's life would be saved or not. Theodore crossed his arms and leaned his back against the couch. "Do you want to do it?" He asked, his face slipping back to his professional expression.

Shu turned to him, his arms crossed across his chest. "First, I need to know about it"

Theodore patted the seat beside him on the black elegant couch. Shu stared at him for a moment, hesitating to go over and sit beside him when Lucas clapped his back. "He's not a monster. Go ahead"

Shu hummed, walking to him with hesitation. He sat on the edge of the couch, ready to flee whenever it's necessary. Theodore didn't pester him to get comfortable, instead, he pulled out what looked like an ID from his pocket and extended it for Shu to see. Shu leaned in and read the description of the card. His eyes widened in surprise, Lucas wasn't kidding, he was an FBI agent. "What's UUC?" Shu asked, looking at Theodore Glass who shoved back his ID card to his pocket.

"United UnderCover, a branch of the FBI put together to stop this disaster from happening," Theodore said, looking at Shu, finally giving in. "You can get comfortable. It's not a small story Shu Kurenai''

"You held a gun to my spine a few minutes ago" Shu offered helpfully.

Theodore pulled out the gun from his pocket and casually tossed it toward the albino who was sitting far away from Theodore. Shu frowned, looking at the weapon lying a few feets away, it's material glinted in the faint white light filtering from the bulb. Shu looked at Theodore suspiciously when the man uttered. "It's plastic"

Shu inhaled sharply, not believing him for a mere second as he snatched the surprisingly light toy gun into his hands. His cheeks flushed bright red as the albino sank into the sofa, wishing to disappear from the sight of Lucas grinning at him like a madman. Theodore flashed a small smile at Shu. "Now you trust me"

"No," Shu said, narrowing his eyes trying to ignore the heat on his cheeks. "I have major trust issues now"

Theodore raised his brow. "Anyway" The man said, "Beyblade is getting unsafe day by day. I fear soon enough, the happiness one achieve through beyblade will turn into a night terror"

"What do you mean?" Shu asked, confused.

"Lucas, can you bring me that tablet on the table?"

Lucas nodded, walking to the table and grabbing the tablet from the clear, polished table top. He handed it to Theodore with a sly grin. "You two go at it, I'll be heading down to my workplace to finish some stuff"

"Are you leaving me with him?" Shu asked, almost pouting when Theodore shot him an offended look. Lucas reached a hand to ruffle his locks and smiled but Shu noticed that unlike the other days his smile did not reach his eyes. He was worried, Shu thought watching Lucas exiting. He inched closer to Theodore as he turned the tab on, wondering about this secret, the secret that made everyone think Beyblade is going to be over and made Lucas worry that it would cost his life.

"See this?" Theodore said, pointing at a few diagrams displaying on the screen. The peered closer to Theodore and looked at the white screen glistening in the faint light of the room. "This is the popularity Beyblade, as a sport, has in the world. It had been spiking up the last two years since the arrival of new talented bladers and naturally after that beyblade became a sport where sponsors find money from. Money always means corruption and now beyblade is slowly turning into a dark game with many underlying horrors. Have you ever heard about the dark web Shu?"

Shu hummed, "Yeah. That place where those serial killers, hit men and drug dealers do their stuff right?"

Theodore smiled. "It's the generalist view over the matter. But yeah, you can put it that way. Dark Web is a series of websites which provide many illegal streams and facilities. Recently, an FBI operation closed down this major stream called Silk Road but the thing is, the dark web exists on the internet even if we shot them down, it will be rebuild"

Shu nodded as Theodore continued. "This takes us to our mission. We have Spies all over the world, technicians, hackers looking through this information everyday when we got secret information about a group. Their name, their boss and every single thing is confidential. Our best hackers failed to get over the high security in their systems and some..." Theodore said, suddenly looking to the distance. "Some lost their lives regarding the matter. The only clue for us to find them was Snake pit. A system output which is spread throughout the world working illegally and training a lot of young bladers and brainwashing them to destroy each other to win."

Shu shuddered at the thought. Everything he was saying made sense but the thought of having those underground training grounds and undercover training clubs was just like a nightmare. "What do they do inside those?"

"Me and two others went to the Snakepit to deceive them a few months ago. Our plan worked and now I am working as one of the heads in a Snakepit. The one held in Mexico. This Raging Bulls job and the Snakepit head are temporary positions I hold to complete this mission"

Shu nodded along, but he still didn't get the fact why a decoy was needed. "Why the decoy?"

"When I entered the Snakepit" Theodore stopped, dropping his face to his palms. "I realized two things. First, that place was hell. They trained kids as if they're monsters and their ways are ruthless. Two, they are going to do a major child experiment called Requiem Project which can literally kill even an adult. And the decoy is-" Theodore said, turning to Shu. "The boss informed us to choose a member from the Raging Bulls who can handle the Requiem Project. If we need to keep our cover there we need a strong decoy who can withstand the strong drugs and the harsh life in the Snakepit. First, I thought of you but then I realized you are too young for that Shu. That's why I brought Free and Joshua here, but unfortunately according to the new rule set of the boss, we need someone who's not in the top five. Someone who has enough trauma to go through the Requiem Project and survive.""

Shu just stared at him, trying to process all the information. "I-"

"You don't have to do it" Theodore said, placing a hand on his head. "But you need to leave America Shu. It's not safe here, Raging Bulls is run by those groups. They are watching your ability and your talent. I don't want another innocent child dying for experiments"

"What about the decoy?" Shu asked.

"We'll manage that," Theodore said. His expression was serious and professional at the moment and Shu wasn't sure whether he wanted himself in a life and death situation.

"But-" Shu started, then stopped feeling the words dying inside his throat. He had never thought of becoming a hero and saving the others and he never wanted to be a hero. After Theodore explained to him the situation, he could feel the gravity of the mission and he was not cut out for something like that. "I-I'll think about it," Shu offered. He needed time to think. Think through his maze of thoughts and the tangled incidents inside his mind.

Theodore nodded, standing up. "You can't force yourself to do that. Promise me you won't force yourself to become the decoy. It should be out of your own decision"

Shu smiled, the man standing in front of him can be considered as vastly professional, stoic and cold but inside him was another father, a man who cared about children. A man who knew the value of a life, and the innocence of childhood. "Yeah. I promise"

The moment Shu walked out the door, the moment he stepped out to the corridor, he felt his shoulders being pushed down by an unknown weight. A part of him regrets asking the series of questions. Rather than getting answers he was presented with more questions and the thought of having a clear mind was pushed away by the vivid problems that weighed upon his head. The albino heaved a sigh as the elevator doors pinged open leading him to the familiar corridor of the dorm rooms. He wandered about Ethan. Is he a part of the mission? Shu absentmindedly thought, fishing for the keys. Even if Ethan was sleeping inside, he kept the door locked. Shu was quite surprised to find the door unlocked. He shrugged it off and entered the room. The faint light of the corridor poured to the dark room illuminating a silvery light. He sighed again, widening the gap just enough for him to slip in when his vision caught something. The left bed was empty, and standing in the middle of the bed was a figure, facing the wall. He had seen Ethan, he could figure him out just by the shadow because he knew him but the person standing inside now was not him. He looked a bit shorter than Ethan, and hunched. Obviously older than many of the members of the team. The figure turned, slowly as Shu's breath hitched. Sweat beads formed on his forehead as a cold chill ran down his spine. He unconsciously took a step back when the figure took a step forward. He backed away until the man was out of the room. He stood there, gaping at Shu like a hunter waiting for the prey. Shu gulped taking in the features of the man. He was wearing the mask which covered the upper part of his face. His exposed lips were splitted into a horrific grin as he watched the boy in front of him. The man tilted his head, "My my, ain't it my luck!"

Shu's mind screamed to run, but his legs were frozen to the ground in both surprise and fear. He did not expect a man to be inside the room and the man to be one of the dark web dealers who did child experiments. Luckily for him, he heard footsteps from the corridor, his shoulders dropped when he saw Theodore emerging from the corner with a launcher which strangely looked like his. Shu realized he might've just forgotten it there after the meeting and he was glad he did so.

Theodore stopped on his tracks when he saw the man. He spoke guardedly, "Karen..." He inspected looking at the man. "What are you doing here?"

Karen crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door, more at ease after his superior arrived. "Orders from the superiors. The Boss told me to snatch this kid"

Theodore's face was guarded. No hint of expression spilled through his face and Shu instantly realized how the man survived in that hostile nature. He was guarded and was good at acting. "Boss did?" He asked.

"Yeah-" The man said nonchalantly, gripping on Shu's wrist. "Time to go kid"

Shu struggled against his grip, trying to snatch off his arm. "Let me go! Who are you? What's going on?"

"Your answers could wait," The man said, flicking his forehead.

"Karen" Theodore said, his voice mixing with a sense of warning. "I think I have already told you that I will bring the kid."

Karen shrugged. "You take too much time Cap. Boss is running out of patience"

Theodore hummed, gesturing at Shu. "I'll take the boy there. You leave"

Karen raised his brow, "And I should because?"

"Because my position is higher than you" He answered plainly. The two of them watched as Karen clicked his tongue annoyingly and walked to the elevator. He shot a glance over his shoulder just when the elevator doors shut closed. Shu exhaled sharply, gripping on the doorknob helplessly. There was not time to think, he was already a target.

Theodore walked to him and put a hand on his head. "Shu, you have to leave, now"

Shu looked up at him. Helpless crimson eyes looking for an answer. "What are you going to do after that? The cover will be blown. Everything you did till now will just fall apart"

Theodore sighed. "We'll find another way. What matters is now you-"

"I'll do it," Shu said, cutting him off.

Theodore shook his head. "No. You're going back home"

"If that happens, everything will fail. You know it!" Shu argued, raising his voice.

Theodore looked around wincing at his voice. The other kids are inside the room peacefully sleeping not knowing the horrors of the underground war. He gestured to Shu to follow him and led him to the bottom floor where Lucas's repairing room was. Lucas was sitting on one of the sofas that decorated the inner rooms, staring at the space. "Lucas," Theodore said, gaining his attention.

Lucas snapped out of his trance and looked at Theodore and then his eyes shifted to the younger boy standing beside him, obviously shaken to the core. "What is he doing here?" Lucas asked, standing up beckoning Shu to one of the sofas. "Theodore, I told you. We have to get him out of here"

"Too late for that" Theodore sighed, rubbing his temples. Lucas raised a questioning brow at the male. "They know him and is looking for him"

"Holy shit" Lucas said, not even caring about the youngster at the presence. "What are we going to do now?"

"I'll help" Shu said again. "Listen, even if I go back, there is no use! They will find me. I'll be the decoy and help you. I don't want my friends hurt because all of these things. If I can save them by becoming the decoy and helping you, I'll gladly do that"

Theodore and Lucas shared looks. They both knew Shu Kurenai can be stubborn and there was no going back. "Okay" Theodore finally said. "But, you'll have to sign the papers that you are doing this in your own purpose and none of us are forcing you"

Shu nodded, when Lucas added. "Be careful. Don't go doing dangerous things. You're going to survive" He said, kneeling in front of Shu, taking his hands. "Promise me, you will"

Shu smiled shakily at him. "I will"

Theodore hummed, "Get ready, we're leaving tonight"