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Nobody expected the kind of training that went into becoming a Beyblade DJ.
The job itself was overlooked, since narrating a battle wasn’t considered nearly as fun as participating in said battle. DJ’s were taken for granted by most bladers because they weren’t considered anything more than an announcer.
Even those who show interest in it, would end up backing out after realizing how demanding the training was.
Most DJ’s made it look so easy. They made it look like all there was to it was the need to improvise and make a few quips.
However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Beyblade DJ’s needed to be knowledgeable in basic first aid and extensive emergency drills in case of… Explosive battles. They needed to be well-versed in each section of the WBBA’s rulebook, as well as to have basic information on nearly every blader’s stats and background. They needed to practice public speaking for countless hours just to carry their voices through an entire stadium. Surprisingly, they also required hours of demanding dance training to enhance their posture and movement coordination. And most importantly, they needed to have enough natural charm and showmanship to connect with the audience.
Beyblade DJ’s were basically announcers, referees, first aid responders, floor wardens, commentators, and ringmasters all merged into one.
And Motti couldn’t wait to be one…
Although, that wasn’t always the case. When she was little, Motti’s dream wasn’t to be a Beyblade DJ.
Her dream was to be an idol.
But… Hopes and dreams weren’t exactly allowed for the Black Sun’s members.
“Our only purpose is to be useful to Nemesis… You shouldn’t want anything else.”
Motti can still hear Pluto’s voice saying those words on the day she excitedly declared she wanted to be an idol.
She remembers it perfectly. She was eight years old and had tagged along with Pluto on a mission. They were supposed to be discreetly hiding around the busy streets of a huge city. However, Motti looked up to the buildings that had huge screens on them and saw a clip of a girl in a pretty dress and sparkly jewelry singing her heart out to a cheerful audience.
That girl was so pretty, she looked like a fairy… And her smile was shiny and contagious.
Motti wanted to look like that one day.
She told Johannes of her new dream, and he just rolled his eyes and called her stupid. But Motti didn’t care and thought Johannes was simply too grumpy to understand it. She was going to show him that being an idol was fun and glamorous.
Motti even remembers how she used to tell her brother one day, when she’d become an idol, she’d go by a nickname: Mao-tti.
“Why Mao-tti?”
“Meow! Because it’s my name, but it has the word “mao” in it! Mao means cat, so I like it!”
“It’s the stupidest name ever.”
“You’re just jealous ‘cause don’t get it, meow.”
Motti remembered that conversation perfectly. Johannes kept calling her stupid and she just stuck her tongue at him.
It didn’t matter he wasn’t on board. Motti loved her new nickname and was determined to make her dream happen.
She listened to idol music for a while after that, sang her heart out every day (much to Johannes’ annoyance), practiced the dances whenever she had free time, and even started taking fashion inspiration from her favorite idols.
But as the years passed… Motti kind of grew out of that dream.
Pluto’s words weren’t disheartening at all. She was used to disobeying his rules all the time.
Johannes’ opinion didn’t matter to her either, she was determined to prove him wrong when she was little.
And she was truly determined to make it as an idol… For about a year or two.
As she grew, Motti ended up falling in love with beyblade.
She still liked singing and dancing, but at some point, doing it started to become like a chore. So, she would distract herself by watching some bladers battle at the park.
Pluto’s rules stated that she wasn’t allowed to have her own bey until she was at least twelve years old. He said she was too unpredictable, and would end up breaking something at the temple… Which was true, she did that even without a bey, but he never caught her, so what did he know?
Nevertheless, he decided to relent and give her a beyblade for her tenth birthday… He mostly did it so she would stop badgering him about how unfair it was Johannes had a bey, and she didn’t, but she didn’t care about that.
Motti loved her bey and couldn’t wait to battle her heart out.
And it was great.
Motti got so immersed in battles, she couldn’t help it. As she started traveling, it was amazing to meet new people, see all the different beys, all the different fighting styles. It wouldn’t even matter if she didn’t get to battle… She’d watch battle after battle without ever getting bored.
She entered some tournaments here and there. Won some, lost some, and even got to battle to help Johannes or Pluto whenever they called. Although, those battles weren’t the most fun if she was honest…
After Nemesis’ fall, Motti gave a sigh of relief. She knew her “family” would disagree with her, but she never liked the idea of destroying the world… She can’t believe it was such a controversial opinion at the temple, but she preferred living.
After Motti was free from the Black Sun, she kind of lost contact with Johannes. So, she decided to be on her own from that point on. Motti didn’t exactly know what to do with herself afterward, so she kept traveling.
Motti kept being herself. Looking for new places to see, new people to battle, new cats to meet…
At some point, she started to enjoy battles a lot more.
But in a different way.
One time, she was at a tournament, and her opponent could be best described as the serious and brooding type.
He wouldn’t say anything, wouldn’t move, his arms were just crossed as his bey did all the moving.
It was weird, Motti loved the talking part of battles. She likes to hear what other bladers’ special moves are called, she likes to hear the intensity of their attacks, and their strategies play out in real time.
A quiet battle kind of sucked the fun out of it.
But then, Blader DJ stepped in.
He cracked some jokes, made funny voices, encouraged people to make noise, he just had this connection with everyone in the stadium.
Motti decided to get in on the fun and joined Blader DJ’s commentary.
It was obvious that Blader DJ didn’t expect her to throw quips, but he looked quite delighted with her energy.
It didn’t take long before Motti’s opponent got some fire in his belly and showed real passion for the rest of the match.
And she lost...
But it had been a fun battle nonetheless.
However, when it was over, Blader DJ approached Motti. He was impressed with her charm, timing, and energy.
“You know? You have a knack for this.” He placed a hand on her shoulder as they walked around the hallways, “Ever thought of picking up the mic instead of the launcher?”
“Meow?” Motti blinked in confusion.
“I mean, if you ever thought of doing what I do.” He let out a laugh. “You know? Be a Beyblade DJ.”
Motti did a double take at the offer.
Her? Become a Beyblade DJ? Really? Her?
The poor girl didn’t know what to say. She thought of just laughing it off and say that she just got carried away with the jokes…
But then she remembered her old dream.
How she dreamed of twirling on a stage, making people smile, and wearing pretty costumes.
Maybe there was a different way to get there one day after all…
“Meow… You really think I’d be good at it?” She asked, a bit more ‘whispery’ than she intended.
“Of course, kid!” Blader DJ nodded and patted her shoulder. “Trust me, my instincts tell me you are a natural!”
From that moment on, Motti’s training had begun.
Hours and hours of practice, improvisation, vocal exercises, memorization, and drill protocols. This was the first time in her life she had been so busy. Before, she had been so carefree and practically allergic to the concept of rules.
Blader DJ gave her that vibe as well when she first met him. He was such a positive and calm person that wanted others to have fun. She thought he would just get on the stage and charm the public. The last thing she imagined was that Blader DJ (who’s real name was Akito) would wake up every morning and head up to the WBBA headquarters, where he has a messy office full of blader files and notes of structured routines.
Motti hated the training at first. At first, she expected for Blader DJ to hand her a microphone and say, “Wing it!” But all she got instead was dozens of exercises and quizzes. Vocal exercises, balance exercises, and quizzes that made her name every part of a beyblade from top to bottom… It was a lot.
It was nothing like the fun and glamorous spotlight she had imagined at first. When Motti arrived at the training center, she thought Blader DJ would teach her how to move around a stage, but instead he handed her random objects, told her to stand on a chair and had her balance everything while standing on one leg for what seemed like an eternity. She ended up falling on her face and dropping the books she had been balancing on her head, as well as the flower bases she was supposed to hold on each hand.
Motti had hated her first lesson so much, she wanted to curl into a ball and never get out of bed again.
But for some reason, she kept coming back every day. She’s not sure why, but it might be due to how even though she hated falling on her face or doing vocal exercises, it felt… Right.
“You don’t just scream ‘Special Move!’ and hope the crowd goes wild,” Blader DJ explained to her as they were taking a small break, “You have to know what these bladers are doing. You have to know the names of their moves, recognize their patterns, and turn every battle into something special.”
“Meow… I get it,” Motti smiled, “We don’t just make these battles exciting, we make them meaningful. It’s not just about showing off, it’s about making it an experience!”
“You got that right!” Akito nodded vigorously before taking another sip of his drink and looking pensive at the stadium in front of him. “You know? I used to be a blader when I was a kid… Well, more like I “tried to be a blader” when I was a kid.”
“Really? I didn’t even know you had a bey, meow.” Motti perked up curiously.
“I do! I just didn’t get to practice a lot back then because… Well, battles weren’t exactly “special”… To be honest, battles used to be a lot more ‘mean’ back in my day.”
“Meow?”
“Yeah… Most battles had insults and threats thrown in them.” He sighed before continuing. “In fact, they’d tend to end in a fist fight more often than not… And one can only take so many black eyes before deciding to hate beyblade for a while.”
Motti tilted her head, then looked down at her own soda before gathering the courage to ask something.
“Meow, so… What made you like it again?” She asked, unsure if it was any of her business.
Akito giggled and scratched the back of his neck.
“I was a theater major in college when I got back into the beyblade scene.” He admitted while laughing, “I was stressed because I was getting nowhere with my final paper on music theory. So, my roommates basically kidnapped me and took me somewhere I could distract myself… I was hoping they would take me bowling, but instead they took me to an underground beyblade tournament.”
“Meow? But you didn’t like beyblade.” Motti commented in confusion.
“Yeah, but it had food, drinks, and they already had the extra ticket.” Akito shrugged and giggled again, “When we got there, I just went up the stairs. You know, I wanted to just drown my stress in nachos and beer. Sadly, the food court was literally over the stadium, so I ended up having a clear view of every battle against my will.”
“Meow, and was that so bad?” Motti smirks, already guessing where the story was going.
Akito let out a breathy laugh, then he looked at her with the same type of smirk she had on her face.
“It wasn’t.” He finally answered, “Actually, it changed my life. I still remember the noise, the cheers, the lights, the jokes… That DJ made that battle ten times more exciting… That night made me rediscover why I used to love beyblade… And it put me through a horrible identity crisis where I didn’t know what I wanted anymore, and it led me to almost drop out of college…”
“Meow?”
“But once the scary part was over, I couldn’t wait to make every battle in my life just as special as that night.” Akito’s smile widened, “I wanted to make sure every blader I’d meet would have a meaningful experience… I’m not exactly sure I succeeded every time, but I’m sure I did my best.”
Motti smiled, then went back to look at her drink.
“Meow, I want to do my best too.”
“And you’ll get that chance… Next week!”
“Meow?!”
And just like that, Blader DJ told her he had arranged for her to be on the stage with him at next week’s tournament. She wouldn’t be alone, so that was a relief. However, it would be her official debut as a Beyblade DJ and it was nerve wracking.
Motti wasn’t supposed to narrate a battle this early! Let alone a whole tournament! She read the rulebooks! It specifically said most trainees narrate their first battle after at least a year of training…
She’s been training for six months so far! It didn’t make any sense!
Blader DJ simply grinned at her and said he is confident she is ready.
…But Motti did not feel ready.
Blader DJ told her it was time for the fun part of her training.
It was time to choose her DJ name and her gimmick.
“Trust me, you are going to love it! It’s like playing dress-up!” Blader DJ explained as he walked her through the massive room filled to the brim with costumes and accessories.
Motti was blown away.
So many choices… So little time.
Normally, she’d be all for playing around with costumes, but right now, all she can think of is how she is NOT ready for this.
Meanwhile, it seemed like Blader DJ was having the time of his life.
“I know it’s a bit cliché, buuuut I can turn your ribbon into a bandana and we can be a duo! Blader DJ and DJ Remix! What do you think, huh? It’s a classic already!”
Motti blinked for a second, processing the idea, and then ended up awkwardly giggling and avoiding her gaze, “Meow… I’m not sure about that.”
Akito giggled, “Hey, that’s fine. I get you want your own identity. Now, what style would you like to try?”
However, Motti couldn’t make up her mind to pick anything because she was too busy trying to save herself from complete and utter humiliation.
She rehearsed harder than ever before, wrote down several routines and jokes she could use, practiced every move and mannerism she could think of, studied the stage the tournament would take place in like it was a battleground, watched hours worth of different tournaments’ footage, and even looked into every single blader that would participate. Motti couldn’t believe her eyes when she read through the brackets.
Blader DJ had told her, “We’ll be handling a super casual tournament. It’s open registration and the prize is tickets to a theme park. It’s very low stakes. Relax.”
Yeah… That was a total lie.
There were at least four legendary bladers registered and two extremely well known rivals that held the reputation for the most intense, flashy, and dramatic showdowns in recent years.
She had JUST seen footage of those two bladers managing to detach a whole dome out of its stadium, roll it out to the open sea and shatter it like it was nothing…
All while being INSIDE the dome!
If she screws this over, her career is over just as soon as it begins…
It wouldn’t be broadcasted around the world, but it would be watched by enough people to make her stomach twist into knots.
So, Blader DJ told her to breathe. He taught her that no matter what happens, she won’t be alone in that stage, and that believe it or not, nobody tends to remember a DJ’s first tournament.
“And I should know…” Akito grinned while whispering, “I had all the footage of my first tournament disappear.”
“Meow, why?”
“I’ll tell you after your first tournament is over… First, you have to get through it. Deal?”
Motti felt her body tense, but she ended up gulping hard and nodding slowly.
“Meow, deal!”
Blader DJ beamed and got back up.
“Great! Now let’s go back to the costume department and pick your style! Maybe it will help you figure out a nickname.”
Motti stopped dead in her tracks and let out a giggle.
“Meow, don’t worry about that. I have the perfect name.” She informed her mentor with a knowing smile.
“You do? Great! What did you have in mind?” He asked curiously.
Motti arched an eyebrow and asked, “Meow, before I tell you… Are there any idol dresses in the costume department?”
That made Akito blink in confusion, “Huh?”
The day of the tournament arrived faster than she expected, but oddly enough, she was ready.
She was still terrified of ruining everything and destroying her career right then and there…
But, she was ready to see this battle through.
Blader DJ beamed as soon as the spotlight hit his face.
“Welcome, boys, girls, and bladers of all ages!” He shouted, attracting the attention of every single person in the entire stadium, “Today’s a very special day for me, you know?! Because I have the privilege of introducing history in the making! A new voice in the beyblade world that will bring us amazing battles to come!”
Motti gripped her microphone…
She was waiting backstage for what felt like hours.
Her heart was beating hard against her ribcage.
“You don’t know her! But you are going to love her! Make some noise for DJ Mao-tti!”
Despite the stadium’s deafening roaring, Motti felt like the spotlight that had lightened up for her simply cut through the noise.
The spotlight was warm, she felt his muscles relaxing immediately.
Motti smirked and jumped out, her skirt was fluttering with every step.
The words almost died in her throat, but she forced them to come out anyway.
And she did it with a smile.
“Meow! Welcome, everyone! I hope you're ready, because this purr-ty has just begun!”
Motti couldn’t stop herself to wonder if that cat pun had been a good idea, because in a matter of seconds, the crowd was cheering for more.
She looked at Blader DJ, and he nodded in approval. So, with more confidence, she carried on with her chosen routine.
Maybe the world would never get to see Mao-tti the idol, but it seems like they were ready to meet DJ Mao-tti.
She gracefully stretched her arm to the right.
“Meow! Seems like we are off to a strong start tonight! I want you to give a warm welcome to a familiar face! He’s finally back to Japan after making waves at the World Championships! Coming all the way from America! Meow! Make some noise for Masamune Kadoya!”
The stadium roared in excitement as the young blader in the green hoodie ran to the stadium.
Feeling a bit more confident, Motti stretched her other arm directly to the left.
“Meow! And as you probably guessed , where Blitz Striker lightens up, you bet Variares will be burning bright! Coming up, we have the legendary blader himself! On his first official tournament in Metal City! Please give a warm welcome to King!”
Even though it seemed impossible, the stadium got even louder when King stepped into the spotlight.
Motti felt like the introductions were maybe a bit overkill, but hey, at least she hadn’t lost the crowd yet.
Akito was beaming. He waved his hand, prompting her to continue.
Motti thought of another quip. It took a few seconds of careful deliberation, but she finally had something ready to charm the crowd once again.
She tightened her grip on the microphone, ready to say something.
But then-
“Don’t think I’m going to let you win, pretty boy!” Masamune smirked as he pulled out his bey. “Just because we are dating, doesn’t mean I’ll stop proving I am number one!”
Those words were all it took to prompt the loudest cheers yet.
Motti’s words got stuck in her throat as the crowd went even wilder than ever before.
“Oh, I wouldn’t have it any other way, silly!” King laughed before moving his bangs out of his forehead in a swift motion. “You better be ready to kiss me after I get that trophy!”
Masamune got his launcher in position, “Oh you’ll be the one to kiss me!”
King did the same, “In your dreams, babe!”
That cause the entire stadium to not just roar, but to squeal in delight as these two bladers revealed their relationship to the world.
Motti felt like her entire body was just paralyzed.
She prepared for a petty argument, a physical fight, a fire… But she never expected to lose the crowd after two famous bladers reveal they are dating!
What was she supposed to do after that?! There’s nothing in the rulebook about these types of situations!
Her mind started spiraling, “Meow, what do I do? What should I say?!”
But it was almost going to be a half-minute, she had to say something! Anything!
“M-meow! Do you hear that, everyone?!” She laughed nervously while directing to the public, “Seems like it will be a lovers’ quarrel today! Get ready to see these two sweethearts fighting in 3!”
“2!”
“1!”
“LET IT RIP!”
When the beyblades were launched, Motti sighed in relief.
She managed to get the battle back on track.
Blader DJ winked at her and gave her a thumbs up, clearly telling her she was doing great.
Motti wasn’t sure if she was doing great, but it did feel great.