A Champions Crisis
Chapter 10 – We all know how this ends.

Both of the young men had their heads facing towards the ground as they were finally relieved to know that this eventful match was finally finished.

But just when Tyson collapsed down onto his knees, he bit down onto his lower lip to swallow all the hurtful words that were drifting towards the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes to blank out the view of Hiro walking away from the battle ground.

The older brother didn't hush a single word, nor did he show any emotion. Hiro even left his destroyed beyblade on the forest terrain without sparing the broken object a second thought. He was walking away from everything. The Granger even abandoned the person whom needed him the most – his brother~

When the tall Japanese male finally disappeared into the distance, a tear rolled down Tyson's cheek and his figure just went numb. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch the living daylights out of the nearest tree. But he just didn't have the strength. Instead he just clenched his fists and slammed them down onto the ground in frustration.

Yes, there was going to be a bruise or two on those hands, but Tyson didn't care. If anything, the pain felt ever so satisfying as it thrived through the last of his nerves. It was the first touch of life that he'd experienced over these horrendous weeks. After all, the pain reminded the beyblade champion that he was still alive and kicking.

However, in the background stood his teammates who didn't really know how to react. Max was almost in tears, yet Ray was stunned. Kenny was hugging his laptop whilst skimming his eyes over to the Bladebreaker captain – he clearly was hinting for support.

The raven haired Russian then took a deep breath and nodded at The Chief. Kai understood that he was the only person who could talk through Tyson's barriers, but he wasn't overly keen on the idea of having a 'heart to heart' moment with Tyson with everyone present.

Still, he knew that Tyson needed him. So he took the first step forward and casually approached the sobbing teammate. "Is he really worth all this when you have just proven him wrong?" Kai questioned in a quiet tone. He had his hands in his pockets and he crouched before his rival to deliberately invade his space.

It did pain the Hiwatari to see Tyson in such a state.

"No. But just like everyone else in my life, he's abandoning me." The Dragoon wielder's breathing pace then quickened as his anxiety kicked in. "Jeez, you'd think I would be used to this by now huh?"

A shiver then passed through Kai's spine as he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "He's a waste Tyson..." He was cut off by the Granger's emotional response.

"I know he is! But he's still my brother!" He lifted his eyelids to reveal how his swollen and distraught his eyes were. The tears then couldn't stop flooding down Tyson's face as he slammed his fists against the floor again. "Yet he under estimates me..."

"It's because he's jealous of you." Kai was battling the rival for control, especially as he wanted to get through to Tyson's common sense. "So get up off the floor and be proud of yourself for once."

With his muscular arms trembling, Tyson's lack of oxygen was beginning to affect his body. His head was light headed, yet his chest was locking up. He suddenly couldn't speak another word because he was so broken by the sight.

"I feel like we are partly to blame for this." Max muttered with his eyes welling up with emotional tears. "But I am going to spend the rest of my life making it up to him." The blond was ready to fullfill his promise and he rushed over to his best friend to lift him up from the floor. "You are amazing Tyson. Come on dude. Screw that guy! You are more of a legend then he will ever be."

Once Tyson was dragged up onto his feet, the American pulled him into such a heartfelt hug. It was the closest thing to a kiss of life, especially as the contact seemed to resuscitated some of the dying emotions in his depressed body. Tyson suddenly felt safe and appreciated, yet he didn't know how to react.

"Yea Tyson! Max and Kai are right! You are the world champion and you have just put Hiro in his place. So embrace that win dude and lets celebrate." Ray chirped in as he too approached the rest of the team like a proud big brother figure.

"That's such a good idea." Max winked at Ray with a tear rolling down his cheek, "We can get snacks and a few beers whilst watching a movie. Lets make it your night Tyson."

"Hey, why don't we all stop at the store on the way home? I'm sure Kai has his identification so he can purchase us all a few drinks." Kenny smiled warmly at the sight of his team. It was such a priceless sight to cherish. "What do you say Kai? Can we have the night off?"

The Russian raised an eyebrow at the beyblade know-it-all before cracking a weak smirk. "I have to go home and take care of a few things first though." He admitted in a stubborn yet polite gesture. He rose up onto his feet and pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket to read the two text messages that he'd received from both Voltaire and Tala.

'See you in the tournament Hiwatari.'~

Kai huffed heavily. He'd completely forgot about the fact that the Blitzkrieg Boys were the next team to face in the tournament. Plus! They needed to pack their bags to go to Russia. The Hiwatari hadn't even arranged to a schedule with Kenny to see which of his teammate were going to go up against either Tala, Bryan or Spencer. 'SHIT!' He then flicked through his phone to read the next message.

'Kai, your business tutor is contacting me regarding your business studies. You have a deadline coming up and he has been trying to get in touch with you. Contact them immediately or I am pulling you out of this tournament!'~

"See dude, you have no reason to let anyone get you down." Max commented as the champion returned the tight hug. "Stop pushing us away because we aren't going anywhere again Tyson. We love you dude."

"Oh man." Tyson winked at Ray and wiped his tears on his best friends shoulder, "I don't know what to say guys. I love you too."

"Now stop crying." Max chuckled as he pulled away from the hug to make eye contact with Tyson. "Because nobody likes to see you crying."

Nodding, Tyson took a step backwards and cracked a weak smile. "You're right. Lets go and have a quiet evening. I think its overdue." He concluded whilst sparing Kai a sincere glance. Out of the entire team, he was the first to approach him to pick him back up.

'Oh I love you Kai and you know it.'~

Back at the dojo, things weren't so peaceful as Tyson had hoped it would be. Not long after he'd stepped through the front door, he was greeted by an old man with his hands wrapped around a wooden sword. He'd been training in the spare room.

"I've been waiting for you to come back." Ryuu commented without looking over his shoulder to properly greet Tyson. "Is the older homie with you too?"

The champion tilted his head and nudged Ray. It was a subtle hint about having his teammates wait for him in the kitchen until Tyson had cleared a few things up with his gramps. After all, Tyson knew that this was something serious because he could hear the seriousness echo within grandpa's tone of voice.

Ray read the hint loud and clear. "We'll catch up with you later Tyson. Drop us a text when you're free. See you later Ryuu." He stated out loud before dragging Max back out the front door. Kenny bowed in appreciation and then followed his friends.

The tension in the atmosphere was awkward, but the Dragoon wielder was willing to adapt.

"Well..." Tyson cleared his throat and removed his red jean jacket. He also took both of his shoes off before walking over to the nearby cupboard to pick out his wooden Kendo weapon. "I guess you want a word with us both, huh?"

"Y'know little dude. I ain't stupid. I know when something is about to go up in smokes." The older Granger then turned around and pointed his sword into Tyson's face. He loved to make the boy jump anxiously with his fast moves, "I have heard how you and Hiro talk recently. You are weak, yet Hiro is distressed."

Ryuu deliberately paused to watch Tyson's face fade into a pale colour. "See, I may be getting on with my age. But I ain't bloody deaf kiddo!" He then stamped his sword onto the ground to make Tyson jump again.

"Grandpa!" gasped Tyson. "I don't know what you are trying to get at here!"

"You have been pussy footing around the problem and address it head on! I didn't raise you to be like this!" Ryuu finally spat out the cause of his frustration. "I know what's happened Tyson. But you need to remember that everyday is a brand new day and there's no point in looking back at the past. So focus on now and focus on what's important before you lose it!"

'Damn, he's right. I've almost lost my title and I have almost lost my teammates. I need to come clean with everyone to move forwards and carry on with my life.' - Concluded Tyson as he lowered his head in shame. 'Wow, who needs therapy when you have a grand father like this in your life?'

Tears began to fog Tyson's view as he picked up his sword to strike the old man. But predictably, Ryuu had blocked the attack and nudged Tyson's weapon out of his bare hands. The champion then took a few steps backwards to brace himself for anymore of his grandfathers uneasy attacks.

"See, you're weak Tyson." Ryuu sighed before lowering his defence stance, "Stop wasting your time and sort your game plan out. Your friends and family are ready to support you..."

"But Hiro..."

"I will sort the other homie out."

Tyson's body shivered with relief and he helplessly approached his grandfather to wrap his arms around the old mans figure. "Thanks man. I think I needed to hear that. Oh and by the way, the guys will be over later. I will make it up to them then. Do you want some take out for dinner?" He smiled innocently.

A/N: This chapter made me so emotional. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I have hankies if anyone needs any - Granger~