Author's Notes
So, I was supposed to add this a while ago (since the story was finished on the 13th of October, 2020) but I kinda forgot to update again. I thought you might be interested (if you are still here) in getting some insight into how and why I did things the way I did. I've also provided a list of songs that I would use as a 'soundtrack' if this story was a movie.
I've been around the Beyblade fandom for a long time (since 2006), and I've seen many authors come and go (myself included). It's interesting to see all the material that has come out over the years, especially the 'season 4' style stories. I've always wanted to do one, and I've attempted quite over the years. In 2015, I settled on 'A Hero's Last Cry' and completed it in the same year. I deleted it, re-uploaded in 2017, and then later revised it in 2020.
Inspiration
So, why write my own? Truth was, I was disappointed by all the other season four stories. Some were too heavily focused on female OCs that felt way too sue-ish for my liking. Others started tournament stories but neglected world building and plot development. And some just read like one big predictable cliché where Boris or Voltaire returned. Are these stories bad? Of course not. But it wasn't something I wanted to read, so I started plotting my own story. I wanted my story to feel like a logical progression of the original series but adding a more mature layer to it.
Themes and Ideas
Beyblade to me explored the themes of friendship, hard work, and courage. These are three themes that helped shaped my own story, so I made sure to link all my sub-plots back to these three themes. I'm also a big fan of mythology, history and even religion despite not being a religious person myself. I've always been a big fan of the whole 'apocalypse' idea in the Book of Revelations and the mighty fall of Lucifer in Christianity. So, I adapted that to a beyblading setting and made it the key plot. In addition, I'm also interested in politics and human nature itself, and the lengths people will go to obtain power. Lastly, I also like exploring the theme of sacrifice in the pursuit of redemption.
Character Spotlight
A Hero's Last Cry is Tyson's story. He is the main protagonist in the original three shows so there's no reason why he shouldn't be the key protagonist in my season four story. Kai is also a major character here, and his journey is one about atonement for past sins whilst Tyson's is about the darker side of heroism – he saved the world and found love along the way, but it came at a great cost because life is not a fairytale. Other characters appear throughout the story. There are so many characters in Beyblade that lacked a lot of personality, so I wanted to address that here and add more (particularly with Mystel whom I always thought would make a great assassin).
Romance
As for pairings, I went against the traditional ones. No romance is canon in the anime show, and since my story follows the anime, I have many options to work with. I explored pairings that I like – Tyson/Hilary being my OTP because I feel they are practically made for each other and would work well in a real-life setting (unlike Kai/Hilary whom I feel would clash). Other stories often use Max/Mariam and Rei/Mariah, but I detest both pairings for many reasons. I honestly don't feel Max is ready for a relationship and Rei/Mariah is just boring to me. Michael/Emily is another big one I love because their dynamic is so similar Tyson/Hilary and there is a lot of material to work with. The same could be said for Johnny/Mariam. I know Johnny and Mariam did not meet in the show itself, but the beauty of fanfiction is you can bring characters together and make them interact, and I'd love to see them together. Lastly, Mystel/Mariah whom I adore. I'm happier to see Rei with Salima. I also briefly hinted at Bryan/Ming Ming which is a fun one.
Future Revisions
This story is far from perfect, and there are plenty of flaws, but I'm very satisfied with the end result. However, I'm open to the idea of always improving stories, and I think I may add in some extra scenes at various points in the story. I do think I could've done a better job of giving teams like Team Psykick and Barthaz Battalion more screen time, but at the same time, they didn't fit into my plans in a logical manner without feeling forced. But I might come back in the future and fix up some stuff.
The sequel that never happened
I was actually going to do another full-blown epic story. Originally, AHLC ended with Kai jumping in the pit and sacrificing himself and Tyson on his own to explore this Mark on his hand. The next story was going to explore the Leviathan bitbeasts escaping, Kai's time in hell and escaping, Tyson learning about the Mark from three specialist bladers, and the rest of the gang dealing with the fall out of more demonic bitbeasts running rampant across earth. It also would've looked at more of the backstory about Mystel and the Bai Hu Clan, Boris making a cameo, and other stuff. But I later decided I didn't have the time to do another full-blown epic and struggled to find the motivation. So, instead, I added some extra chapters which pulled the main ideas from the sequel. But you never know…. Some of the other cut content might just make it in a future revision….
Soundtrack
Many of these songs are inspiring/motivational type music, and quite a few of them deal with the idea of love. Some of them are also serve as 'battle music' and beyblade is full of action and tense battles!It would take forever if I found a song for every little thing in this story, so I chose songs based on specific characters and events that I thought best represented them. So, without further ado, I've narrowed it down to twenty songs that I think best capture this story.
I could explain why these songs were chosen, but my interpretation might have a totally different meaning to you. So, my notes are brief.
Heroes Will Rise by Chroma Music [if this was a movie, this would be the official theme]
Born to Make a Sound by The Material [theme song of the Bladebreakers – never backing down]
Champion Sound by Ill Factor [Tyson started from the bottom and rose to the top]
Cradle of the Grave by Five Finger Death Punch [Kai theme song]
Pressure by Staind [Tyson is a character who cracks under pressure and this song deals with that. Big key moment in AHLC is when Tyson confronts Hiro, and Hiro shoots him down with some hard truths.]
Always Be in The Game by Jason Dean Bennison [this song also appeared in the tv show and was used during some battles. I think this song would be used during the quarters.]
Unbreakable by Fireflight [inspirational motivational music]
Rise Above the Storm by Daniel LeBlanc & Creighton Doane [this song appeared in 03 during the Kai and Rei battle. It felt fitting here and would be used during the semi rounds]
You Are The Reason by Callum Scott [Ty/Hil – romance – they make each other stronger]
Perfect by Ed Sheeran [Chosen because there are quite a few romances in this story, and I think this song captures the fluffy romances.]
Sticky (piano version) by The Maine [another one of those romance songs about the other person you love always on your mind]
Stand My Ground by Within Temptation [more inspirational music about not ever giving up]
Frontline by Pillar [more motivational rock music about fighting the battle]
Inferno by Epic Score [a post-tournament intense instrumental piece which would be quite fitting during the later stages of the story in epic action moments]
Our Reckoning by Immediate Music [a powerful intense emotional instrumental which captures sadness and loss but there's still some beauty in it.]
By Myself by Linkin Park [Tyson battling with The Mark]
Black Blade by Two Steps From Hell [epic action instrumental music]
In Nomine Dei Nostri by Rotting Christ [capturing the darkness of purgatory and the Leviathan bitbeast]
End of An Era by Zack Hemsey [Kai finding atonement in death. There's a beauty in the sadness of this instrumental piece.]
Farewell by Ramij Djawandi [this would be the ending theme]
So hopefully that provides some insight! Thanks for reading! And once again, a huge thanks to everyone who supported this story by reviewing and favouriting! To the readers who didn't say anything - I really do hope you enjoyed the ride! And to the people who did share their thoughts – thank you dearly! You guys helped me finish the story.