A/N: My original idea for this prompt fit another prompt better and now we're here. Thank you to everyone following along this month - I truly appreciate the support. :)

Day 7 | Hiro | Rated: K

Duty

Regardless of what people might think, Hiro didn't make the decision to join BEGA lightly.

From the outside, it looked like BEGA rose up to usurp the BBA overnight. In reality, it had been a long time coming.

The fumbling of the partner format in the previous World Championships had dissuaded several popular teams from competing and, though the stadium sold out, there was a drastic drop in coverage on international networks that hurt the bottom line. For a split second, it looked like it could be the start of a dangerous trend, and the BBA went bigger for the next tournament.

And it paid off. But it also took Mr. Dickenson out of the office and out of the country for a handful of important board meetings. It was ironic that his love for his bladers and dedication to making this the most successful World Championship tournament yet, had ultimately left an opening for Boris to weasel into.

Boris, who orchestrated the whole Barthez Battalion stunt, used it as further proof that the BBA was due for a change in leadership. With enough money waved around, it turned into a complete rebrand. Or sellout. You heard both, depending on who you talked to.

Whatever you called it, Hiro knew it would crush Tyson.

His brother was sentimental and loyal to a fault. Hiro had seen those qualities nearly put an end to his World Championship run before Tyson learned to manage them. And, with zero chance of Tyson joining BEGA with Boris at the helm, those qualities could bring his entire career to a screeching halt.

It was with that knowledge that Hiro signed a contract with BEGA, mere days after their Championship victory.

Tyson reacted how he predicted and, as the days unfolded, all his friends did, too.

Ray, Max, Daichi, Kenny, and Hilary – he knew they'd ultimately stand by Tyson's side. That was good. He'd need them. Not as rivals – Hiro knew they weren't on that level – but as a support system to keep him focused.

But just like he needed them, he needed Hiro to side with his enemy. He needed somebody to look at the bigger picture and train up an opponent that would ensure that Tyson could rise to the next level as a beyblader. He needed to be strong enough to outlast the BBA, BEGA, and whatever might come after.

It wouldn't be Kai. He was too concerned with finding his own means to the same old end. Always so eager to battle Tyson and prove he was a worthy rival, that he completely missed the part where Tyson had left him in the dust ages ago.

Luckily, as much as Kai tried to be a thorn in Hiro's side and sling empty threats, he was too nearsighted to derail his plans. Especially once Brooklyn came along.

Brooklyn, with his heaps of natural talent and lack of discipline, reminded Hiro of Tyson in some ways. But Hiro knew the first time he saw Brooklyn launch a beyblade, that he'd finally found a blader capable of outpacing Tyson on his best days. Brooklyn was just what his plan needed; just what Tyson needed.

Hiro could see Kai's wheels turning the second he laid eyes on Brooklyn. He predicted, then and there, that Kai would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Brooklyn, and he was right.

It made him happier than he realized it would, to see Kai defeated. Maybe because, with Kai out of the way, Tyson would have one less distraction. Or maybe it was because Kai's loss was all the confirmation Hiro needed that he was doing the right thing.

Tyson's old teammates couldn't push him to his limits any longer. He needed Brooklyn. More importantly, he needed Hiro, someone to look at the bigger picture.

Part of Hiro guessed that Kai would end up crawling back to Tyson. When he stepped up for the fourth round of the Justice Five Tournament and challenged Brooklyn, Hiro ordered Brooklyn to compete. From where he was standing, it was a win-win situation.

Either Brooklyn won and took Kai down a peg or, ever more likely as Kai pulled himself to his feet over and over again, Brooklyn would lose and have a reason to come back stronger for the inevitable tie-breaking Final. Because Garland wasn't a match for Tyson; it would come to a tie-breaker.

It all played out better than he could have ever imagined. Brooklyn losing, Garland losing. Boris was angry, but Hiro hadn't ever been working towards his goal of complete and total control over the sport of beyblading. He thought Boris might even be beginning to realize that, but it was too late, at this stage in the game, to find somebody else who could help Brooklyn realize his full potential.

And boy, did Brooklyn have potential.

With some guidance from Hiro, he woke from his slump and learned how to harness his emotions, that desire for revenge, to become the most destructive beyblader Hiro had ever seen. The manic look in his eyes promised BEGA a sure and swift victory. For the first time, Hiro doubted Tyson's ability to combat him.

A strange sense of excitement twisted in his gut, as he and Brooklyn trained into the night on the eve of the final battle.

If Brooklyn won, Hiro was training the next World Champion.

But, if Tyson could rise to the challenge, he would grow to become ten times the blader he was at the start of the tournament. Not because he had friends by his side or the BBA to fight for, but because he had Hiro. And Hiro's duty, as his older brother, was to make sure Tyson was the best he could be, no matter what.

A/N: Have to be honest, I don't love Hiro. I disagree with a lot of his decisions toward the end of G Rev. But I'd like to think that, in a perfect world, he really did believe he was helping Tyson when he joined with BEGA. It's just strange to me how much he was willing to let Tyson be hurt in the process. Then there's the way he weaponized Brooklyn without regard for his health or mental stability…

When I came up for the idea of this fic, I wasn't sure I'd make it through without scrapping it, but I'm reasonably happy with how it came out. And I hope it's not too rough of a take on Hiro, because I didn't intend to tear him to shreds. I just wanted to explore some of what he could have been thinking and how I feel he lost sight of what's important in his quest to help Tyson improve. (I also think he might be low-key jealous of Kai, whether he admits it or not, but that's an analysis for another time lol)

Thanks for reading. :)