When a new world tournament approaches, trouble is never far behind. Once again Tyson's title is under threat and Kai plays an important role in Tyson's foreseen downfall. Can destiny be changed?

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Prologue

Alexander kicked at the ground with the tip of his right foot, sending a small pebble flying through the air. The past month had all been about the G-Revolutions team and their infamous victory last month at the world tournament. All week long he had seen Tyson's smug face all over the media – newspapers, brochures, posters, advertisement and the news. His name was even reported on the radio every couple of hours.

Switching off the television and refusing to read the paper didn't help either. No matter how hard he tried to get away, something or someone would raise the G-Revolutions name and the familiar emotion of anger rising up to this chest would occur again. To make matters worse, Tyson had announced that he would be returning to the beystadium to defend his title for a fourth time.

His friends weren't as enthusiastic about the idea at least. They had enough sense to know when to quit. Rei, Max, Daichi and Kai had all publicly come forward with separate announcements of their retirement from the professional side of the sport. Tyson had defeated them at their best, and the boys knew there was no longer any point in trying anymore.

But Tyson, being Tyson, had yet to grasp this.

He kicked at another pebble on the ground. What made Tyson so powerful? How did a rookie blader like him become so strong? It was something Alexander couldn't understand. He had spent his childhood days training in a high-tech facility to become the best blader on earth yet here he was on the streets without a place to call home.

It was all thanks to Tyson and his friends that he was now homeless. Losing to Tyson in an exhibition match in Moscow four years ago had resulted in him being thrown out of his home. He expected to be locked behind bars for a couple of weeks until he showed signs of improvement, but instead his blade had been crushed, and he had been locked outside the gates to perish in the cold.

Everyone forgot about him. No one even bothered to come looking for him. It was just assumed that he had met an unfortunate end in the wilderness. How could he? His own father! Now his anger was directed towards Boris, his stepfather. The man had picked him up in an orphanage promising to make him into a true warrior, but his words were just lies.

Boris. Kai. Voltaire. Tyson. Everyone. They were all liars and deserved to be punished. He wanted nothing more than to expose them to the world for the hypocrites they truly were. He wanted to watch them suffer like he had been forced to. Perhaps if they shared his pain then they would accept him.

He headed towards the main street where an exhibition match was due to be held. The event was being hosted by Hilary, the new promoter of the BBA. It was supposed to an education lesson for upcoming bladers to help them better prepare themselves for the challenging tournament. Rei and Max were the main stars of the event, and were said to be signing autographs and taking photos with fans afterwards. Anything for a few extra dollars and win favour from the audience. As if they weren't earning enough already.

As he approached the park, he heard the cries of the fans calling for their idols to come out and play. He wished he could drown out the screams somehow, but the voices only became louder still. Mr. Dickenson, the chairman of the BBA, was also said to be making an appearance today. It was rumoured the man would be speaking of the changes to this year's tournament and also announcing the locations.

It didn't take him long to reach the event ground. As expected, there were hundreds of people already present. He wouldn't be surprised if these people had slept here overnight to get the best possible view of their heroes. Turning his head around, he scanned the environment, searching for a suitable location. His eyes rested on a nearby tree. Surprisingly, no one had even considered climbing it. He supposed they were all far too excited to think straight.

No one even tried to stop him. It was like he wasn't even there. Fortunately, the tree was to climb up. He hoisted himself then clambered over to a thick branch, and waited for the festivities to begin. There was a stage at the front, and a pedestal in the middle. Before the stage was a plain beydish. Rows of security guards stood on either side, as cameraman hurried towards the stage to get the best possible angle.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe we get to see Rei and Max up close and personal!" a girl with long blonde hair squealed.

Her friend, a redhead, replied with her own enthusiastic comment. "Rei is so hot!"

"Max is adorable!" said the third girl, a female with short black hair.

"Kai is totally the best-looking. It's a shame he can't make it today, but I hear they're planning another BBA event soon for all the team members," the blonde girl said. "He's so hot. I feel so weak at the knees when he smiles."

Alexander rolled his eyes. These girls probably didn't even know anything about the sport other than its name. They were just here to look at the boys and that was it. He hated people who claimed to be fans of something, but only for shallow reasons. It only proved Mr. Dickinson was losing his touch. It was becoming more about the money than the passion of the sport. Still, it would be interesting to hear what Mr. Dickinson had to say.

"Oooh, here comes Mr. Dickinson now!" the blond said, pointing to the stage.

Alexander turned back to the stage. Mr. Dickinson walked out slowly using his walking stick to support him. The man looked greyer than what he remembered – perhaps the stress of the past few years was finally catching up with him. The crowd fell silent as the man walked to the pedestal. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first BBA public event of 2015!"

The crowd erupted in applause. Mr. Dickinson waited for a couple of moments for the crowd to die down before continuing further.

"As you all know, preparations for the fourth world tournament are well underway. I've staged this event to inform you of the changes that will be taking place this year. We recently held a feedback survey on our website asking for your opinion on last year's tournament. Those of you who replied commented that you enjoyed the designs of the dishes and the intensity of the matches, but felt the tag-team format didn't work."

"He's right about that," the redhead girl said. "I mean, it was great watching the best bladers have a go, but there are some cute guys who missed out on all the fun."

Mr. Dickinson cleared his throat then continued. "We carefully reviewed your comments, and we agree with your concerns – this year, we're dropping the tag-team format and returning to what worked well in the first year. There will be eight teams, and it will be a best of three battles. Each blader on the team must battle at least two times otherwise the team will be disqualified immediately. We want all bladers to have a fair chance this year."

The crowd stirred to life with a round of applause. "Back to basics, it seems," said another girl.

"Where is the tournament going to be held?"

"As you may well recall, Australia was home to the semi-finals of the recent tag-team tournament. The board and I have decided to allow the country to be the host nation of the fourth world cup. The Australian Board has partnered with the New Zealand Board to bring you top matches in high quality dishes," Stanley continued. Another round of applause. The man smiled. "Thirdly, I would like to announce that-"

It took only a split second, and Mr. Dickinson was dead. The man stumbled backwards then fell on his backside, as security guards rushed to his side. It was total chaos. One minute the fans were screaming out the names of their idols, and the next moment there were screams of terror. He could understand their fear – no one would suspect a gunman to shoot the BBA chairmen dead at such a public event. Heck, there had never been a shooting before.

Dead. Hard to believe really. If he hadn't witnessed it with his eyes, he would've just disbelieved it. The most powerful man in the world brought to the ground with a single gunshot to the head. Alexander climbed down from the tree and walked away from the panicked crowd, smirk tracing his lips. "It seems like there's another player in this game," he said to himself.

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Well, re-uploaded for people who never had the chance to read it before.