The one thing I really find irksome about this site is that when you make uploads however you wrote the chapter on Word in whatever font doesn't get preserved. =_= A well.

Done this so soon only because it was attached to the prologue bit at first. But here

If you hadn't got it already, I tend to write in OOC for canon characters. Mainly Kai. Especially Kai. In fact, this fic wouldn't exist if I hadn't decided that at all...

Which makes me gasp at the fact that my greatest creations stemmed from that, and it would mean he wouldn't exist at all either! Chills...

I do not own any of the Beyblade characters, world, setting, and whatever else came from there. In the meantime, have any of you seen Beyblade: Metal Fusion? Pretty good, Nelvana's doing a better job of dubbing (although WHY change Ginga's name to Gingka still gets to me), and I'm amazed that they dubbed the original intro (albeit some changes to fit the intro themes for Western Animation for young kids) as opposed to replacing it like in the original series.

Still trying to figure out the time lapse here from the ending... but the year is 2010. If anything, to me the G-Revolution events ended in 2005, the year the series ended in Canada. So in a sense a good 5 years passed in-story as well.

Chapter One

Hiro stood before him, eyes narrow and lips pursed. Like a disobedient child Tyson sat kneeling in front of his older brother, staring at the ground.

"Takao, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Hiro. Tyson gulped. He was in trouble if Hiro reverted to calling him by his Japanese name. Normally he'd show some lenience and called him 'Tyson' just like everybody else. He started wearing that name all because he liked the sound of it. But now, right now he was in trouble.

"What else, Big Bro? It's been so long since I've spun one, I just had to!" reasoned Tyson.

"But you broke the windows to the Dean's car!" countered Hiro sternly. "Not only was that childish and amateurish, but it was also irresponsible! You know better than that! You're a college first year! It's about time you started thinking like an adult!"

"Twenty is a young age, Hiro, it's an age on the fine line between being a teenager and an adult!" argued Tyson. He got up on his feet and stood his ground. He wasn't about to lose a fight—an unfair fight to boot!

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" questioned Tyson.

"I don't think you see how severe this is. That school only let you in because you got a scholarship based on athletic recognition, thanks to a referral from your high school. But it's easy to get that revoked, Tyson!" Hiro gripped the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Tyson.

"You've been kicked out," said Hiro, finally, after a moment of silence.

"W-what?" Tyson felt the world closing in on him. He didn't mean for things to get this bad! He promised Hiro and Grandpa that he would be able to adjust, to finally end the Beyblading dream and join the life of normality, just like the rest of society. It was time that somebody else became Champion, and Hiro had to admit it would be years before someone could even beat Tyson.

He remembered that day, when the fall term for his second year of school began. It was a long talk, but finally Tyson saw the light. If he waited until Kai took the Championship throne it would be a repeat cycle, with Tyson ready for a rematch. His friends agreed, even Kai. It was time they all moved on.

"I'm sorry, Hiro," said Tyson. Hiro held his shoulders gently and sighed.

"It's okay Tyson, but this has really put you back a bit. It was a really good college," said Hiro.

"And with my grades it'll be a while... not to mention the money."

Hiro put on a smile and shook Tyson encouragingly, "Don't worry," he said. "We'll think of something." Tyson smiled apologetically.

It had been a long five years since he last took up a Bey and let it rip in the stadium. The same went for the others too. Ray went back to China and took up cooking school to join his uncle in the culinary ranks. Max's first year of college involved an internship at his mother's research center. Daichi, in a stroke of luck, ended up enrolling in school and was living under Hilary's care. So far the boy had kept up good grades and eventually went to a good high school. Kenny ended up at Tokyo University with top grades and Hilary decided to pursue a career in voice acting. Kai decided to travel the world, to get some off time from all of them most likely, but he was gearing up to inherit his grandfather's company.

The college Tyson was attending was good enough for him. He hadn't figured out what to do with his life yet, but he figured he would take his time. He was more fixated on helping his grandfather and Hiro take care of the house. Lately Gramps had been getting ill, and income was low. Gramps hadn't taught anyone at the dojo for years and all of their money came from the boys' father. Lately an excavation required more money than the intended budget. As such, Hiro had to balance coaching at the BBA and helping out at home while their grandfather recovered.

Tyson didn't know what he could tell Hilary or Kenny. He was afraid of their disappointment. He was even more afraid of facing the other former bladders, foreseeing their disappointment and pity. And the one guy he seeks the respect of the most was Kai, and if the serious soon-to-be business tycoon heard that his old-time rival was already at rock-bottom... Tyson shuddered at the words Kai would say.

Sulking in his room while Hiro drove Gramps to his bi-weekly check-up, he mulled over the details and his next available options. He could always try a community college, and start looking for a job. That was a start. That way he wouldn't be a dead weight around the house. A thought occurred to him that maybe he could ask Hiro if he could help coach young kids learn how to Beyblade, but then the thought of hearing the young children look up to him with big smiles disheartened him. He didn't feel like being a big disappointment and a bad influence. He imagined those young kids using him as an excuse, telling their parents that Tyson got by without finishing school when it was the exact opposite. That made him realize something even worse: he wasn't teaching these kids out of the goodness of his heart, he was doing it to survive and support for his family. He felt disgusted, that even though helping his family was a good thing, the fact that he would quickly cast aside the spirit of Beyblading for money shook his core. He didn't want that, it wasn't the kind of life he wanted to lead.

On top of his work desk his cell phone beeped for his attention. Tyson knew all too well the sound of an alert when he received a new message. Moving from his bed of woes he decided to investigate the new message. Flipping open his phone Kenny's image appeared before disappearing in favour of his message:

Tomorrow's the big day! Hope you all remembered that we're having our big G-Revolution reunion tomorrow! It's at my family's cafe and for the whole day it's all booked just for us! We'll have a lot of fun things to talk about, like how it's all going and stuff. It'd be great!

I can't wait to see you guys again!

- Kenny

Tyson's world began to spin in rapid chaos. The reunion! He completely forgot about it! Oh why didn't Tyson for his birthday as the date—that way he would have still been in school and would have nothing to be worried about. But now—oh man, he didn't even want to think about it.

But he had to think about it; otherwise he would look pathetic before any of them. What should he say? Grin and bear it and tell the truth? Or maybe he could fib a little, tell them that his studies are going fine but nothing eventful happened. It was Tyson; he knew they would all just assume that he was as restless as always and that he'd rather do something than just sit and study.

But that's the problem: he was Tyson and he knew they would expect something as huge as smashing up the Dean's car with a Bey. Obviously, they would be joking about it, but the slightest inch towards the truth and Tyson knew he would crack under the pressure. Again he thought of Kai and his oncoming criticism, or lack-of-thereof, which made it even worse. For sure the guy would be sharp enough to know he was hiding something. In a sense, Kai always seemed to know.

The next day Tyson rejected Hilary's company to go to Kenny's house, not wanting her to get suspicious. Next to Kai, she was another person Tyson didn't truly want to face with the truth. He disregarded it before but remembered fully well just how pushy Hilary could be. She was a classic Tsundere—type A! She totally want to make sure Tyson was doing okay, just like always, but then she would be a completely unstoppably, nagging force as soon as she found out how Tyson lost his scholarship. The moment she realized Tyson was hiding something, she fish it out, and otherwise she'd pull on the waterworks. He didn't want to be alone with her when it came to that. He'd be front page news concerning a homicide—a bloody puddle on the sidewalk, his remains scattered and miniscule.

"Hiro, Gramps, I'm off to go to the reunion party!" Tyson called as he ran down the hallway to get his shoes on. He wore a simple grey turtle and a denim vest and the hat Hiro gave him. It was getting old and worn and he had to admit he needed a new one. But it was a memento of his childhood with Hiro. It was something that couldn't be replaced.

"Ha-have a good time, Tyson!" gasped Gramps after a series of coughs. Hiro stood by the dojo, sweeping the entrance as he watched his little brother leave. He smiled, happy that Tyson was still able to put aside his worries for the sake of his friends. Unbeknownst to him Tyson was actually in a mode of panic as his mind raced to find out what exactly he was going to say to his friends. He still couldn't decide, lie and wait a while, tell the truth stay up, or... what?

"Whoa—Tyson, watch it!"

So entranced by his thoughts, Tyson didn't even hear the warning let alone see who or what was in front of him. He crashed headlong into someone in a black overcoat and red scarf. Dazed, Tyson got up and looked at who it was he just body slammed into.

"Kai?"

"H-hey, Tyson," mumbled Kai. "Could you get off of me?" He asked politely and in a small voice, pardoning the error on Tyson's behalf.

"Sorry, Kai," he helped him up and both brushed off the street dirt that clasped onto their clothing

"Where were you off to?" asked Kai.

"The reunion party," said Tyson. "Didn't you get the message? It's at Kenny's family's cafe." Kai looked at his phone, which Tyson recognized as a Smartphone from overseas. He wondered just how much Kai got now that he was in control of the family company.

"Oh," said Kai in a highly uncharacteristic tone. He sounded bewildered, as though a small child that realized an error without recognizing the serious consequences.

Kai looked up from his phone at stared at Tyson. He gave a sheepish smile, as though embarrassed.

"Well, that's kind of pathetic," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

A bunch of incomprehensible words and sounds came out of Tyson's mouth, along with frothing and a momentary loss of sight. Tyson got a hold of himself, and then—

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO KAI?" he shrieked. Kai only raised his shoulders to his ears and stared, wide-eyed, with a bemused smile. He blinked a bit and wiped some of the spit that landed on his face, relaxing his shoulders afterwards.

"I'm still me Tyson," he said, as though expecting the outburst.

"What happened to you...? Whoa, you really look different!" Tyson finally took his time to observe Kai and how he'd changed. Travel really does change a person, like those a-photo-a-day slideshows that feature the difference of a person from the beginning of the year to the end.

Kai's hair was longer, but he let the back grow out and his bangs fall over his face. It no longer stuck up, much like he'd always styled it, save for the few clumps of cowlicks that refused to submit to gravity. Kai's face had grown more mature, less stern, and his eyes carried a sort of distant serenity in them. Compared to his old self, he was all together kinder and unlikely to bite your head off because of a stupid comment.

"I guess a couple years of travelling on a whim really does change a guy," said Kai, shrugging.

"On a whim? So you just go wherever you feel like?"

"More or less. My supervisors—those intent on me running the business proper, I mean—dogs at my heels, telling me to go here and there. I listen to them, because I don't want to go bankrupt and lose a lot of workers because I was ill-tempered and uninterested. But when push came to shove I snuck out and explored whatever city I was in. I ran into your dad too."

"You did?"

"I heard about Gramps and wanted to pay a visit," explained Kai, which would explain why he was back in Japan if not for the reunion party. "Honestly I forgot about the party. I'm actual only able to get here because of a business deal." They stood there a good minute before Tyson decided to walk back to his house, Kai at his side. Kai talked excitedly about all the things he'd seen, the relics, the museums, the historical sites, and the tourist spots.

"I think I've been around the whole world," said Kai, sounding explicitly glad to be able to talk to someone close to his age and so freely. "It's amazing, the things you see out there. It's also a bit harsh too."

"It is?"

"Some countries still have a harsh caste system, with the rich at the top, and the poor left to suffer at the bottom. There's genocide and racism still going around, and the poverty that plagues a whole country," Kai sighed. "But you know the one thing that really surprised me?"

"What?" Tyson asked eagerly.

"The fact that I realized that I was a jerk," said Kai. Tyson jumped, not expecting their conversation to come to this.

"You weren't a jerk."

"Tyson."

"Okay, so you were. But you weren't, well, ruthless..."

"Huh, have you talked to Tala at all after we dropped Beyblading?"

"Okay, if you're talking about that second Championship, you weren't that bad! Sure you wanted to win no matter what and sure you ended up joining the side of the enemy..." Tyson looked at Kai, his stare deadpanned and serious. It surprised Kai, making him visibly jump. "Yeah, you were a jerk."

"I'm sorry," Kai said almost immediately after.

"Hey, it's nothing to apologize for!"

"Don't say that, it is," said Kai. "I was horrible to you guys. I only thought of myself." He wasn't pleading or whining, just outright stating what he thought he did wrong. Tyson saw that he seemed like a child fearful of his punishment after doing something wrong. "I don't deserve to even go to that reunion party with you guys... I don't belong." Tyson slapped him hard on the back, forcing him to cough.

"You're going to that party."

"I told you, I have a meeting to get to."

"Oh no, you're not snubbing us—your friends! You're snubbing those business stiffs! After all, what's the point of being a rich old man when you don't have friends to hang around with when things get boring?"

"Well..." Kai said hesitantly. He looked at his Smartphone again and sighed. "Alright," he said, pocketing it away. "Screw the meeting. I got friends to catch up with." Tyson shouted out in delight.

"Awesome! Let's go!"

Arriving at the entrance to Kenny's family cafe, Tyson fiddled with his thumbs, unsure if he even wanted to go in now. He felt bad, he even convinced Kai to ditch an important meeting, and yet there he stood, scared.

"Nervous?" Kai asked. Tyson called it, Kai had sharp senses.

"A bit..." He looked at Kai and smiled weakly. "I haven't exactly had a great start."

"Haven't you got a scholarship to some prestigious college known for their athletic department or something?" asked Kai. Tyson sighed. He might as well get it over with.

"Had..." he mumbled, fiddling with his thumbs even more.

"Had? You got it revoked?" Kai stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. And then...

Tyson stared dumbstruck as the slow chuckle became hysterical laughter. Kai Hiwatari was shaking from uncontrollable laughter, his mouth spread wide in a smile, tears coming from his eyes. He clutched his stomach and tried to stifle his laughter, hoping not to offend Tyson. He stared up after finally calming himself down to just fits of giggles.

"Are you done?" asked Tyson, mildly annoyed.

"J-just about," gasped Kai, wiping the tears away.

"Was that even necessary?"

"I'm sorry, it was just, you know, funny!"

"I don't find it funny!" Tyson scowled at Kai, not appreciating his line-of-sight. Did Kai not realize how deep underwater his whole family was now because Tyson screwed up.

"Well, I'm glad," said Kai. "I thought you'd become somebody different. I like you better as your usual self—never tied down and always aching for a challenge."

"Well, thanks," muttered Tyson, blushing from embarrassment. He wasn't used to praises from Kai.

"I never really picture you the bookish type, anyway. And a jock? Ha! You're better off swinging around a katana."

"You think so?" Tyson just thought of an idea. What if he opened the dojo again and taught the kids himself. He hastily shared this idea with Kai, who listened carefully to every detail.

"That's not so bad. I'll even help, organize the payments and everything. That way you can work to support your family and eventually go back to school. My supervisors have been saying I needed to pay more attention to the business world. This should be a good start." Tyson silently celebrated by pumping his fists and grinning like a madman. Kai just smiled and stared back at the entrance to Kenny's cafe.

"We should probably go in," said Tyson, feeling much better.

"Yeah, we should," laughed Kai. "They're probably wondering what we're doing out here."

"You think they heard you laughing?" Tyson snickered. He was sure they would all be as shocked as he was.

"I'm pretty sure," said Kai. Suddenly his eyes became wide a smirk snuck onto his lips. "Say, Tyson... I got an idea." Tyson liked the sound of his voice. They were about to have some fun! His mind swirled with the ideas that Kai could be thinking of, but one such idea came out the most prominent.

"I'm listening..." he said. They both knew where this was going. And it was going to be sweet.

I enjoyed this chapter, and it's pacing is really good. I hope there wasn't too much of the dialog. Hope to start up chapter 2 and put it up ASAP.