A/N: I don't really have much to say right now...just that I hope you enjoy it! I would like to thank Element-Guardian for giving me some ideas for this chapter. ^-^

Oh...and this chapter is dedicated to one of my best buds, K-Chan! She's been reviewing since the very start, and her writing inspires me to write better...Thank-you!

Chapter 21: Tournament Completion!

The small clock slowly ticked away, moving its second hand as it did so. It was now ten o'clock and the Hong Kong finals were about to get under way, in fifteen minutes to be exact. The stadium continued to fill up with endless crowds of people all excited to witness the champion matches. The team room was dark and quiet as the Shadow-Cats sat silently beside each other, preparing themselves mentally for their most important match ever. Not only was it for the title of champion bladers in Hong Kong, it was also for the fact that they would be going up against their old teammate, Jade. Damien sat in the farthest corner, away from all the others and looked almost as if he was meditating. His eyes were fastened tightly closed, and his arms flexed around his chest as he breathed slowly. Jessie and Julian were sitting on the middle bench, looking over their beyblades for any final adjustments. The only one that didn't even appear to be the slightest bit worried was Eli, who was laying casually on one of the hard wooden benches, looking extremely bored.

"What time is it now?!" Eli whined, turning his head to take a glance at his teammates. Damien's eyebrow seemed to twitch at the sound of the irritating navy haired boy, as he slowly opened one of his deep gold eyes.

"I suggest you shut it Eli!" Damien practically spat out, staring at him with an almost deathly glare. Eli didn't seem too bothered by his captain's words; he instead rolled his chestnut eyes as a smile appeared upon his lips.

"I think somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!" Eli chirped, his voice resembling a sort of singsong voice. He instantly began laughing at his own remark, causing the others to simply shake their heads at his stupidity. They were all use to the strange antics of Eli, and none of them ever took his words seriously.

"Don't you think you should be concentrating more on our upcoming match?" suggested Jessie, flashing him a stern look.

"Eh! I'm not worried about it...Taveon could take any of their blades out in a single swipe!" Eli answered, a cocky grin plastered across his face. He slowly forced himself up into a seated position and withdrew his own blade from his pocket. It was dark maroon in color and it had a small bit positioned on the top of it. The familiar image of the bit beast caused a smile to spread over Eli's lips, he truly believed that his blade was downright unstoppable. "This championship match is in the bag! You guys have absolutely nothing to worry about!"

"You know Eli, you shouldn't underestimate your opponents." Jessie answered, her lavender eyes reflecting seriousness. Eli only laughed at his teammates concerned expressions, why did they have to be so serious all the time?

"Yeah Eli...remember the saying: Overconfidence killed the Cat!" Julian piped up, his small voice echoing through the room. At the moment he wasn't wearing his bucket hat, it was instead sitting calmly on the bench beside him.

"Actually its 'Curiosity killed the Cat!' But nice try twerp!" Eli replied, as Julian's face turned red with anger. Eli simply shook his head and rose himself up onto his feet, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. It wasn't a big surprise when Julian jumped up as well, meeting Eli in a confrontation.

"Don't call me that!" Julian shouted, hating the name 'twerp' that Eli always managed to address him by.

"Take it easy little buddy, I'm just messing with your head!" Eli laughed as he grabbed a hold of the small black bucket hat, and jammed it over Julian's head...covering his eyes completely. It took only a few seconds for Julian to rip the hat off his head, as he clenched it tightly within his fist. Eli let out a small uh-oh, and threw his hands above his head to cover his face, as Julian tried to launch himself at his taller comrade. He didn't have such luck and he felt a quick tug against the cuff of his shirt, holding him back with great force. Julian sighed and gave up on struggling, as he allowed himself to hang helplessly within the holding grip.

"I've had enough of your guy's squabbling!" Damien shot out, in a reprimanding tone. He held tightly onto Julian's shirt as he narrowed his golden eyes at Eli. "You should no better...and as for Julian's remark about overconfidence, well, he was right. You shouldn't underestimate the Bladebreakers, I believe they're going to be our hardest opponents yet!" With that, Damien slowly released his grip on Julian, but not before giving him a 'don't start anything' look. Julian simply nodded his head and took a seat back down beside Jessie.

"Besides, Jade wouldn't join just any beyblading team...these guys are obviously skilled!" Damien's voice was completely dead pan, and the other three knew better than to interrupt any of his words. With the completion of those words, Damien quickly spun around on his heel and began to head towards the door. "I'll be waiting for you at the arena dish...don't be late!"

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"And Welcome back once again, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Shouted a very enthusiastic DJ Jazzman, as he stood high above the crowds on his regular platform. Immediately the crowds went wild, arms flinging in the air, and voices yelling endlessly through the large arena. It was completely packed, everybody anticipating the exciting final match of the Hong Kong tournament.

"Well it's a full house tonight Brad!" AJ spoke up in his best announcing voice.

"It sure is AJ, all of these people have come to see this exciting match between the hometown Shadow-Cats, and the champion Bladebreakers!" Brad replied, his own voice drawled out to sound more enthusiastic. "Now lets see who's up first for these two teams!"

"Well, first off for the Shadow-Cats is the youngest member of their group...Julian! This kid may look small and helpless, but he's got some major butt-kicking moves that can easily bring him the win. And with his bit beast Talon, he'll prove to the world that just because your small, doesn't mean you can't pack a wallop!" AJ spoke up, the crowds cheering with every word that he spoke.

"Nice choice of words AJ, and now for the first competitor of the Bladebreaker side, and it just so happens to be Tyson...the man who knows how to bring it down!"

"Uh-huh...I'll take it from here Brad. Anyway Tyson is known for his enthusiastic spirit when it comes to blading, and he puts all of his heart into the skill of his blade. His bit beast Dragoon holds the same spirit in a beyblade match, and when the two are together, its hardly impossible to stand up to their power!"

The crowd continued to respond to the player's stats, as Tyson and Julian slowly made their way up to the dish. AJ and Brad continued to announce some key information to the stands, while the two teams watched the covered dish with anticipation. The remaining three members of the Shadow-Cats all stood respectively side by side, Jessie standing closely to Damien.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, seeing a strange glint run through her captain's eye. He had his eyes focused directly on the Bladebreakers bench, but more importantly on Jade. 'What's he thinking about?' wondered Jessie, as Damien's golden eyes narrowed with a sense of almost revenge.

"Stay here!" He demanded, before briskly walking towards the center of the arena. His eyes still remained focused on the other side, but this time he converted them over to Tyson who was now standing a couple inches before him. Damien took a stand firmly beside Julian, as he placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing!?" Tyson asked with curiosity, as he cocked one of his dark eyebrows.

"I have a preposition to make." Damien stated flatly, his composure completely calm.

"A prepo...what!?"

"A preposition Tyson, he wants to make us a deal." Rei spoke up behind Tyson, as the rest of the Bladebreakers stood near his side. Jessie and Eli had walked up to the dish as well, standing a couple inches back from Damien.

"That's right," Damien nodded. "I suppose we could call it like a little bet...you know, winner takes all!"

"What are you talking about?" Max wondered, his blonde eyebrows furrowing over in confusion. He felt someone quickly brush past him, and realized that it was Kai, who was now standing at the very front; a few inches before Tyson.

"He wants us to bet him something, you know...they win, they get it. We win, we get it." Kai spoke up clearly so that the rest of his teammates could understand. He narrowed his dark maroon eyes at the white-haired boy, trying to figure out the catch behind it.

"Bet...bet what?" Tyson questioned, looking from his own team to theirs. The Shadow-Cats looked just as clueless as they did, obviously this bet was a spur of the moment thing just thought up by Damien now.

"Me." Everybody suddenly stopped talking, as all eyes seemed to dart back towards Jade. She was standing more to the back, with Kenny standing to the left of her, Max to the right. Jade didn't even seem to acknowledge all the staring eyes, instead she kept herself focused on Damien. "You want to bet me...don't you."

"Well, not exactly. But...now that you bring it up, it's not such a bad idea!" Damien replied, a smirk curling up at the corner of his lip. As much as he hated placing Jade up as the prize, it was possibly the last chance to bring her back onto their team. "If you win, Jade stays on your team...but if we win, then she comes back with the Shadow-Cats. No questions asked." Both teams seemed to freeze, everybody trying to get a sense of what exactly was going on.

"Damien...no," Jessie whispered, her lavender eyes almost tearing up. She glanced over at Jade and noticed the same expression plastered across her red haired friend's face.

"Forget it! Jade isn't some pawn in a game ya know!" Tyson yelled, his face flaring with anger. The rest of the Bladebreakers nodded their heads in agreement with Tyson's statement, except for Kai that is.

"You call that a bet, Ha!" Kai suddenly replied, his voice practically laughing at Damien. "I could care less if she went back to your amateur team."

"What!? Kai, you can't be serious!" Tyson shouted, grabbing a hold of Kai's arm. Kai shot an intimidating glare down at Tyson, immediately causing him to release his grip. Without saying another word, Kai quickly walked back to the bench and took a firm seat near the end.

"Well, it looks like your captain agrees to my little idea." Damien answered, still trying to bribe the others to agree with it. "Or are you guy's just too scared?"

"It doesn't matter what Kai says, we're not betting Jade fo..." Rei suddenly stopped as he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder.

"It's ok you guys, I accept his bet." Jade replied, her face set with complete determination. Slowly she brought her crystal eyes up to Damien and nodded. "Ok Damien, if you guys win, I promise...I'll come back to the Shadow-Cats."

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The sound of clashing metal could be heard repetitively as the two small beyblades continued to go at each other with incredible force. One blade was bright orange in color, and it kept a steady circular spinning motion around the outside of the dish; as it circled the dark gray blade in the middle. The first round had ended rather quickly, at least to the audience it did. Tyson had managed to beat Julian during the long, intensified battle. Of course, Julian put up a great fight, but in the end Dragoon was able to overpower the smaller blade. Now the second round was between Rei and Jessie, and they were definitely pro's at pleasing the crowds. Determination was clearly visible in both their eyes, as they remained steadily focused on the blades before them. It was clear that neither of them would give up without a good fight, their blades crashing into each other like a full fledged war.

"Come on Driger, I say we end this match once and for all!" Rei shouted, irritation clearly evident within his voice. He was tired of this endless match and he knew that if he claimed the victory, Jade's spot would be secured with Bladebreakers. "Tiger Claw Attack!" Immediately the dark gray blade responded, as a giant green beam suddenly erupted from within it. It didn't take long for the tiger known as Driger to appear, a giant roar escaping from his mouth. Jessie didn't even seem to flinch at the giant tiger, her lavender eyes practically laughing at the petty creature.

"You call that a bit-beast!?" Jessie laughed, trying her best to get on Rei's nerves. It was quite clear that it was working, as Rei narrowed his golden eyes with anger. "Tokala, I think it's time to show yourself!" As the gray blade had done but 10 seconds before, the orange blade did as well; lighting up with a dark black aura. It slowly began to take form, rearranging itself to resemble that of a fox. There was nothing utterly special about this bit beast, and Rei realized that she was rather tiny in stature. She had a long collar around her neck, which seemed to resemble the material of velvet; and on each of her legs was a long orange ribbon. 'This is her bit beast!' Thought Rei, hardly believing what he was seeing. 'Its nothing but a tiny fox...and she made fun of Driger!'

"Don't underestimate her Rei," Jessie announced, suddenly interrupting Rei's thoughts. "She may be small, but she knows how to harness unimaginable power." Rei seemed to smirk at Jessie's last remark. Sure, he knew not to underestimate the opponent, but how could she show herself off with such cockiness...with such a petite looking bit beast!

"I believe you Jessie, but I'm afraid that bit beast of yours is going to have a pretty hard time standing up against the power of my Driger!" Rei replied, motioning his finger at his blade. "Attack again Driger...Tiger claw!"

"I guess I'll have to prove you wrong again Rei...Tokala, counter with your Whirling Wind attack!" Jessie also demanded, her finger pointing out in an almost reprimanding way. Suddenly a giant gust of wind began to pick up, causing people to shield their eyes from the blowing dust of the dish. Rei couldn't believe the power being released from the bit beast as he watched Driger blowing back helplessly.

"Hang in there Driger," Rei fumbled out, his voice barely noticeable within the sweeping sound of the wind. He was too late however, as Driger got swept up into the vortex of the wind and flung out of the dish.

"And that's it, Rei's Driger has stopped spinning!" DJ Jazzman announced, as the wind finally gave up, while Tokala retreated back into her blade. "The winner goes to Jessie, and the Shadow-Cats!" The crowds once again erupted into a round of huge applauds, everybody pleased with the awesome match that they were able to witness. Rei sighed, slowly bending over to pick up his Driger blade as he did so.

"Hey, Rei!" Jessie called out, grabbing Rei's focus immediately. "That was a great battle, and by the way...Driger is awesome!" Jessie winked playfully at him, before turning around and running back towards her teammates, as Rei quickly did the same thing.

"I'm sorry about that guys," Rei apologized, his eyes glancing directly over at Jade. She gave him a small smile, indicating to him that he had fought a good battle. "I just hope that you can bring us the victory Jade." Rei seemed to quiet down, his mind thinking about what would happen if she lost the final match.

"Don't worry Rei, Jade's got this battle in the bag!" Tyson suddenly spoke out, his hands pumped up into fists. "We have nothing to worry about!" Max, Kenny, and Rei all seemed to chime in with Tyson's comment, believing that he was right when he said that she wouldn't lose.

'I hope you're right Tyson,' Jade thought, slowly examining her purple blade within the palm of her hand. She knew that this battle was going to be one of her toughest battles yet, and she could feel her stomach churning with complete nervousness. Slowly rising to her feet, she faced her teammates, glancing at them for any final comments. They all seemed to shout out a few words of encouragement, which didn't entirely make Jade feel any better about the match. The last person she took a glance at was Kai, who was standing firmly on the ground beside her. Surprisingly his dark maroon eyes were open, and they were focused directly at Jade, causing her to feel even more tension than before. "So...any words of advice from you Kai?" Jade asked, her voice almost shaking with the question.

"Yeah...sit down!" He demanded, his eyes flashing at her to not question his words. Jade blinked in confusion, what on earth was he talking about? All the others appeared to be just as confused as Jade was, each of them looking at Kai with curiosity. "I mean it, sit down!" Kai demanded again, quickly grabbing a hold of Jade's arm. Not allowing her to speak another word, he pushed her down onto the bench beside Kenny.

"But Kai sh..."

"I'll battle this round," Kai replied, interrupting Kenny. Everybody instantly paused, unsure of what they should say to the blue haired teen. Tyson on the other hand looked extremely confused his eyes darting around his teammates for any sort of an answer. First Kai declared that he could care less about what happened to Jade, and now he was offering to take her place in the match...what was going on!? Tyson leaned forward in an attempt to speak, as Kai quickly shot him a glare, causing him to shut-up. "Don't question me Tyson."

With that, Kai briskly left the bench of his teammates and headed towards the center dish. His eyes were focused dead before him, catching a clear view of Damien from in front. Maroon met gold, as their eyes locked into a deadly stare; as if challenging each other to the ultimate duel. Damien gave a simple grin, as AJ Topper and Brad Best began reading out the amazing stats.

"So, the ever amazing team captain, Kai." Damien finally spoke up, his eyes glinting with anticipation. "Tell me Kai, why would you take Jade's position in the final battle? Don't you think it should be up to her to decide on her future?"

"Her future, don't you think it's a little pathetic...using her as a prize in a bet!" Kai shot out, grimace sweeping over his clear face. His slate blue bangs hung slightly before his eyes, almost giving him a shadowy look.

"Well, you never seemed to care before." Damien stated matter-of-factly. "Why does it bother you now?" Kai immediately tilted his head downwards, as the words flowed through his mind. "You like her," Damien practically whispered, his golden eyes narrowing with realization.

"I didn't come up here to talk!" Kai suddenly retorted, his face increasing with signs of anger. His hands were clenched tightly in his fists, while his Dranzer blade glowed with warmth in his right hand. "I came here to blade...so, are you ready or not?"

"I'm ready," Damien replied with a nod of his head. No matter how hard Kai tried, Damien could still see past his outer emotions. Obviously the blue-haired team captain was concerned about Jade's position on the Bladebreaker team.

"And it looks like the two boys are ready to rumble down there Brad!" AJ announced, leaning forward in his seat to get a better view.

"I think you're right AJ, and I hope all you people out there are awake! This is the match that cannot be missed!" Added in Brad, voice full of enthusiasm. "Remember everybody, there is only one match in this final round...winner takes all!"

"And the stakes seem to be high by the looks of things!" AJ chimed. "Also, the dish in this round will be the simple, regular one...letting both players giving it all they got!"

"3...2...1...LET IT RIP!"

Almost as if it was a fire siren, both boys lashed out on their ripcords; both blades landing in the dish within a matter of seconds. And as soon as they touched the rim of the dish, the blades headed for the middle...trying to achieve the center position. Neither one's plan seemed to work, as Kai's blue blade rammed up into Damien's black blade. It was obvious that the battle was intense, everybody throughout the stadium was clinging to the edge of their seats. Yet the two boys remained completely focused, whether they were concentrating on their blades or the opponent.

"Just look at that power!" Max exclaimed, practically falling off his seat on the bench. His blue eyes were plastered to the ongoing battle, and his face lit up with excitement. Jade turned her head to face the blonde boy, before giving a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Rei questioned, noticing the concern in Jade's eyes. "If you're worried about the outcome of the match...don't be." Jade simply shook her head, her red hair rustling slightly with the movement. "Hey...I know Kai acts like he doesn't care what happens to you, but he does. I promise you...he won't lose this match!"

"Dranzer, keep at him!" Kai demanded, complete determination in his voice. The blade responded obediently, following every command that Kai lay forth, but nothing seemed to work. The black blade kept on bouncing back, almost as if it had never been touched in the first place.

"Don't give in to him...Taatheer!" Damien shouted, addressing his own black blade.

Suddenly both blades seemed to react to their master's commands, as a bright red aura illuminated from within the blades. The bit beasts had arrived, deciding that it was now time to play with full force. The easily recognizable red phoenix known as Dranzer emerged first, his wings spreading in a state of ultimate glory. What the Bladebreakers didn't expect however, was the intense power that came from within Damien's blade. A giant black panther had emerged quickly after Dranzer, as a deep growl seemed to vibrate within his throat, causing people to shiver in fright. It wasn't just a regular panther though, and it was obvious that it had indeed been corrupted with technology during sometime in his life. A small piece of head gear was strapped across his head, as well as twin blades projecting from a dark gray collar. Yet the most impressive part of all was his front legs, which were made completely of mechanical parts. It was Taatheer, Damien's trusty, yet deadly bit beast. Kai could feel his eyes draw open into complete shock, the panther was incredible.

"I see you're intimidated by my bit beast...well you should be!" Damien announced, thrusting his finger forward. "Taatheer, attack with Mechanical Claw!" The black panther roared with a certain delight, its claws gleaming with anticipation of a kill. With quick reflexes, Taatheer attacked, launching himself right on top of the massive bird. Kai cringed at the sound of Dranzer's pain stricken screech, almost as if he could feel the exact pain that his bit beast was going through.

"Dranzer...get him off of you, FLY!" Kai demanded, thinking that the same strategy that he used against Johnny and Salamolyon would work this time as well. His hopes were soon trashed aside though, this plan didn't seem to be working. Dranzer tried his best to flap his massive wings but he couldn't. Damien had obviously already figured things out, and he instructed Taatheer to weigh down Dranzer's wings with his metal paws. Kai could feel his heart beating intensely, realization finally hitting him hard...he was going to lose this match...he was going to lose Jade.

"What's the matter Kai...getting frustrated?" Damien questioned, his voice projecting in a somewhat innocent tone. Kai shot him a deadly glare, which only caused Damien to laugh out in enjoyment. "Look, I know you don't want to lose this match...and I know why." He darted his golden eyes over to Jade, motioning Kai to look over, yet he refused. "Why won't you admit it Kai, you like her!"

Damien's words felt like a dagger jabbing into his heart, as they shot through his entire body. He knew that he liked Jade, but how did Damien know it...was he that obvious with his feelings?

"I know...because I feel the same way about her." Damien answered, as if knowing what Kai was thinking. "But I made the biggest mistake of all...I let her go." Damien quieted down as he finished this last sentence, his golden eyes glazing over with the awful thought. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, he knew that Jade liked this Kai guy back, and he couldn't take her away from the team. 'She belongs with them now,' Damien told himself. He nodded his head slowly, knowing what he would have to do next. It was obvious to everyone that he had the upper hand on this match, but he couldn't do it...he couldn't let Kai lose. "Whatever you do Kai...don't repeat my mistake!"

With that, Damien shot his hand upwards, his palm opened fully in the air. Suddenly Taatheer concealed himself back inside his black blade, as it went flying up into Damien's hand. Everybody went silent, hardly believing what they were witnessing.

"Ummmm, I believe we have a bit of a dilemma here Ladies and Gentlemen." DJ Jazzman practically stuttered, trying to figure out what to say.

"We have no problem, I forfeit the match!" Damien yelled, as thousands of astonished gasping could be heard. Jade and the Bladebreakers, as well as the Shadow-Cats all rose swiftly from their seats; shocked expressions upon their faces. "The match may have looked to be in my favor, but I knew that I didn't stand a chance against Kai...this match is over. Kai is the winner."

"I...ummm..." DJ Jazzman started, then stopped and gave a simple shrug. "Well then its over...Damien forfeits the match; meaning that the victory goes to Kai! The Bladebreakers are the new champions of the Hong Kong tournament!" The crowds seemed to react the same way as DJ Jazzman, suddenly bursting out into a tremendous round of applause.

"What are you doing!?" Kai demanded, choosing to ignore the exhilarating screams. "Why did you forfeit! It was obvious that you were winning!"

"Don't be mad, I didn't do it for you or me..."Damien started, his golden eyes now calm. "I did it for her." Kai took a glance over his left shoulder, his eyes meeting up with Jade's. "She's a good blader Kai...and a good friend, take care of her."

Kai felt his entire body freeze, yet he gave Damien a simple nod of his head, indicating that he understood his words. As much as the two looked like enemies, it seemed that they had more in common than they thought. Damien gave a small smile and turned around to face his own Shadow-Cat team, boy did he have a lot of explaining to do. 'But it was worth it,' he repeated to himself. He knew that Jade would be just fine with them...she was a Bladebreaker!

A/N: Yay! I'm so proud of this chapter...I think it's the longest one that I've ever typed! 4700 words, I can hardly believe it! ^-^ I just hope that you guys liked it. I know that the battle scenes were a little short, but I get so sick of writing them! Anyway, I'm done with that...now onto the Beynamite tournament. Keep on reading and reviewing, cause you know that I luv it! Oh and I forgot to mention...for all you people who say my little 'ad' for a co-author search, I have picked. I'm going to be writing with Anime Fan! Anyway, keep a look-out for the story, and just so ya know it will be called... "Shadow's Corruption!"