Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I only own my OCs, and the plot line.

Summary:The threat of higher level competition in the tournaments to come makes Mr. Dickenson assign Riley Phillips to help train the G Revolutions. Tyson knows her. She was the one who taught him to really beyblade. But how much does he know about the time between back then and now? And why is she singling Kai out?

To Turn The Tides

Chapter Twelve: Rules are Optional

Distant Storm

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Amanda smirked, running a hand through her spiky hair. Eye-balling the American 'Champions' before her, she snorted, then leaned back against the dug-out styled bench. She was seriously not interested in any of this. If these kids lost to Kai... well, they should have gone home and trained for a few centuries and waited for a series of apocalyptic events, after which they might have been ready.

However, as a yellow beyblade was thrown in and wedged about three inches to the left of her head, she figured that just might not be the case after all.

"Yo, Kimi, watch what the hell you're doin', kay, bitch? I don't appreciate that."

A smirk from the Latina woman at the edge of the dish met Amanda's amused look. "Sorry, 'Manda," She began, leaving the disgruntled looking All-Starz in the dust. "When people suck like that, well,there's nothing I can do."

"Enough."

Amanda stood up, leaving the bench, but remaining on the floor instead of the seats or balcony suite that she once stood upon. "You got a problem Philips?"

"It's Dickenson," She said simply.

"Phillips." Amanda pressed.

Riley shrugged and gave her a quick glare, before her bored expression took over. "I'm watching you, so don't think you can get away with any of it."

Amanda proceeded to walk toward the nearest exit. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't be battling until later today. I'll make sure we get into a large disagreement. After all, I believe you owe me a rematch."

"Funny," Riley said casually, "I don't think I do, but mark my words: mess with anyone here, and I'll pummel you so fast you won't know what hit you."

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Fifteen minutes earlier, Hiro passed a lingering Kai. Usually the boy stayed when the rest of the team left, to check out the competition. Yet today, he was doing something different. Kai lingered, but only for one battle. Amanda apparently confused him, or else he was planning on doing something catagorized simply as irrational.

Now, needless to say, the boys would never have a bond. Though they both were used by Boris Balkov, both had dealt differently, and Kai was obviously the stronger of the two since then. Kai had somekind of system, he was always able to sift through people's souls to tell if they were good or not. The only barrier in his searches through people was time. If not given enough, his judgement was cloudly.

The ninja remembered something Riley had told him, about Kai not having a brain before. He was obviously trying to understand what Amanda was all about, but the girl was so powerful that it would probably hurt to look her bit beast in the eye.

"Bro, what's going on?"

Tyson came over, watching Kai for a moment before looking up. "He's going to fight her, isn't he?"

Hiro looked down. Tyson was obviously jealous. "I think he wants to," The older brother said simply.

It was times like these when Hiro realized that he had to stick with his little bro, since the upcoming battles would be anything but easy. Not to mention those involving Riley and Kai's emotional relationship. Over the past few days, Hiro had begun to realize that Hilary's intuition was right: Kai and Riley had to have had some type of involvement. The thought scared him, because for all they knew, Kai could be as well-known as a player as Tala was. Yet, seeing as the world had come to know her as a Dickenson, he figured Stanley's overprotective nature would probably do them good.

"Why not me?"

"I was wondering the same thing."

Tyson looked up to his brother, before readjusting his hat. "You know, he sits there and watches all this stuff, but he doesn't say much about what he gets from them."

"He won't steal their moves, and we all know how stoic Kai is."

The younger's brown eyes were rolled, no amusement present. "You know, no matter what, it's always Kai overcoming the brunt of it, or Kai getting hurt horribly. The guy's my friend, but all of a sudden, you know I-"

"You're jealous," Hilary said gently. She stepped into the doorway overlooking both Kai and the stadium where Amanda's team had just finished battling. Kai appeared to be reflecting on what had just happened. "Kai's always just a part of the plan, a sacrifice, but yet he somehow learns and becomes a better person, when you never seem to get anything but the clincher and a tough battle."

"He never learned the lessons we learned though," Hiro said, gazing out at the teen. "Kai never learned right and wrong until you taught him."

Hilary nodded. "C'mon, I say we go practice. He's just another rival, and you're just feeling detached. We'll go and take care of business so you can clean his clock later."

The two left Hiro alone again. Kai had gotten up, passing by the ninja. "Tell him next time, that you get what you give. He's still just a kid. He doesn't know what it's like."

His eyes narrowed upon the Russian, whose attitude seemed uninterested. "And what the hell are you?" His anger spiked. Kai was getting a bit haughty and a little too all-knowing for his liking.

However, when the younger's violet gray eyes met his, they were overly emotional. Kai was such a piece of work. "I'm still trying to figure that out."

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Tyson was still rather distraught. He could sense the talking. People were beginning to think that he was going to lose. That would not, could not happen. He would never lose to Kai, if he could help it. And if it did happen, the world would have to be shaken to the core multiple times before he would roll over and play dead.

He kicked a can in front of him, his anger and frustration used to put multiple dents into the aluminum can. His championship run was actually being jeopardized, for the first time in, well, a long time. Last time he had squared off against Kai in the stadium, the battle had been wicked, but he knew that the phoenix would not win. This time felt different. Like it had been decided for him. Would Kai truly bring so much more to the table this time? Would they even make it that long?

Sure, all of them had been defeated before at the tournament - the can received a swift kick - and the others had pulled the fallen one through his defeat and clinched the right number of points.

"Hey."

Tyson stopped walking, and turned around, only to see the person Kai had been examining standing there. He had been warned that she was dangerous, but still... it couldn't hurt to see what she wanted.

"What's up?"

"You wanna trash Hiwatari, don't you?"

Tyson kicked the can behind him with his heel. "Yeah, so?"

"I can help you," Amanda said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I can tell you want it."

The champion scoffed. "That's great, but I don't want to break any rules to win." After all, he had learned that being a complete let down on victories was much better than cheating to win.

"Alright, so you wanna be a goodie-goodie." She never backed away, and that surprised Tyson a bit. Why would she help? "Kimi!"

A Latin American woman stepped out from the shadows of a nearby building. "Yeah, 'Manda?"

"We're gonna show Tyson here how to win without breakin' any of those rules. Mkay?"

"Yeah, yeah." The girl snapped her gum and the two came up to Tyson, one on either side of him. "Why are we helping out the enemy?" She asked innocently, as if she were about to turn the tides on Tyson and make him into a victim.

Amanda smirked. "Well simple, Kimi."

"Okay, what is so simple about it?" Tyson said, realizing that he could be lead to his doom here. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to a training physillity. Maybe there's Infinite material in you yet."

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"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can do that?"

"Let me explain this to you, Granger." Amanda recalled her beyblade. "This is not some stupid tournament like the ones you're usually involved with. This is a battle of infinites. We are not your everyday beybladers, so as long as we aren't stealing Bit Beasts, we're fine. And of course, the whole beyblade size and weight rules apply."

The champion nodded, extending his launcher outward. He launched it in the manor Amanda and Kimi had shown him, while wearing the braces their team mate Rousseau gave him. They held him back, but yet he launched with more speed and precision than before.

"Okay," Kimi said, launching a miscellaneous beyblade: diamondback in making of course, into the dish for him to mess with.

Amanda scrutinized every ounce of his movements. At no point in time was he to call for Dragoon, and at every point in time he was supposed to be analyzing his opponent. "It's not illegal if you're so strong you destroy their beyblade," Amanda said pointedly. "Rules are optional, and you of all people have seen that rule time and time again. So use it!"

"Are- are you serious?"

"You're in the big leagues, Champ," Kimi said severely. "Now start acting like it!"

At this point, Tyson wasn't sure if being a champion was a blessing or a curse.

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Rain poured down from the sky. Riley looked over at Mr. Dickenson. He looked very frightened.

"Are you sure?"

"She knows I chose Kai. I never knew she would do something like this."

The color seemed to drain further from his face. "You're sure you saw him do it? He went with them?"

"Amanda and Kimi." Riley sighed. "I don't like it any more than you do, but I couldn't get much closer, and he still has yet to leave. He's been with them for at least three hours."

"They wouldn't take Dragoon, would they?"

She shook her head. "Why would they? They don't value championship beybladers. I know she's training him. I just don't think he truly understands what they've done. This is not some regular competition. I'm afraid some of it may be my fault, for focusing so much on Kai..."

"You can't blame yourself. You and Tyson have been friends for a long time-"

"I've trained with Kai twice as much as the rest of them, if not more than that."

Mr. Dickenson looked at her. "That's why you believe so much in him. You tutored him!" He seemed to give her an accusing glance she was sure she deserved. "You have to believe me though, Dad, I did not think it would make Tyson trust Amanda, of all people."

He sighed, nodding. "There's no difference. Someone would have gone to Amanda, though I'm sure she found him. Why would you train Kai so much more?"

"He has that- that exponential potential. He will break the chains that separate bladers like me from the rest of the world." She paused. "I just hope that Tyson knows. Amanda will twist his mind. There are barely any rules as it is, but she will teach him what I have been taught."

Her father stared at her. It was not common for her to mention what she had been taught during her phase with Infinity. "Riley, what will he be taught?"

"He will be taught how to slaughter without knowing it. He will become strong, there is no doubt. So strong, I don't know who will be able to stand a chance. Even Kai may not stand a chance if Amanda truly gets a hold of him."

"Even Kai? Have you seen what he can-"

"I know he is stronger than most," Riley said sincerely. "That is how I trained him to be."

"So you don't think that you're over reacting, even just a little?" The man's gaze was set intently upon her. That was just like him. To freak out in the beginning, but then settle down after mildly losing his mind for a few moments. She admired this quality, but she did know Tyson, after living in a house with him for nearly nine months.

She shook her head. "I don't believe I am. Tyson is... well, he wants to win too, and if Kai is going to pose a threat, then Tyson will train just as much as Kai does to be the best. I know Tyson, and he's got pure motives. Amanda doesn't and that's why I'm afraid. Tyson has never been able to go all-out, because of the rules. I just hope he doesn't lose control of himself."

A knock on the door shook them both from their reverie. "Come in," Mr. Dickenson beckoned, to be faced with none other than Amanda.

"Alright."

Riley looked at the girl, whose gaze was not set on her father. So, Amanda came here to talk with her, did she? "Yeah, Amanda?"

"You saw me take Tyson back to the training physility, that's why you and your daddy are all freaking out."

Riley nodded. "He's a good kid, better than the likes of you deserves."

"Oh, well I would have offered Kai, but he seemed to me like he could've beaten Tyson if he was in a coma."

"You're not good news, Amanda, and I know your intentions are anything but pure." Riley watched as Amanda circled her, and her father shrunk back into his chair, waiting quietly to step in if needed.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm just telling you, Riley, that someone had to give him a few pointers, or else he'd be eaten alive. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time. And since both of our teams will be in the finals, I figure a good friendship with the kid would be right up my alley."

"You? Friendship? What are you getting out of it?"

"The satisfaction of watching you squirm, because your boyfriend might not beat Tyson afterall. And you know what that means."

Amanda laughed viciously and walked from the room, her spiked hair not even moving in the air conditioner's breeze.

"What does that mean, if Tyson wins?"

Riley turned to her father, to see him peering intently into her eyes. Crimson met gray. She said nothing.

"Riley, what does that mean?"

He seemed awefully confused, and she supposed it was her own fault for not telling him. "You know how I said that we needed a change of pace for me to enter one of these tournaments?"

He nodded, placidly waiting for her to continue.

"I made a bet."

"What sort of bet?"

"I bet that Kai would defeat Tyson."

"And if he doesn't?"

She smiled through frustration. "Well, you see, he can't, and he knows it. I bet my public beyblading career on it."

Mr. Dickenson stared at her, as if she had mutated before his eyes. "You what?!"

She smiled softly. "I have faith in Kai, but Amanda knows how to train beybladers. I just hope Kai's up to the challenge." She paused. "And if he wins, she cannot even dream about stealing or killing another bit beast. It's all for the greater good, really."

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Alrighty. Well, that was not what I initially expected to write, but I think it was alright. Once I started on the Tyson part, it just seemed to flow from my mind... anyway, more action should be coming up, since the beybladers will be heading to Seattle soon.

Hope you liked, and please review!

Love ya! Distant Storm