Beyblades and Blood: The Attack of Shadow Vale

Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

After the 3rd World Championships and the BEGA threat, the Bladebreakers were at the top of their game and had been for 3 years straight. Tyson held the grand title of World Champion but Kai, Ray and Max were each revered as top world beybladers in their own right. In fact, there were divided opinions as to whether Kai was the best beyblader in the world as he had a higher win/loss ratio in comparison to Tyson. Most of America backed Max as the World Champion and China to Ray. The Bladebreakers/BBA Revolution were at the top of their game and after 3 long successful years they took the difficult decision to retire from competitions.

After having held the spotlight for so long, they decided to step down and focus on their education, future careers and make something of themselves outside of the Beyblading universe. It was time to grow up and for the Bladebreakers...some grew up more than others.

For Tyson, not competing in a 4th World Championship was emotionally extremely tough on him. He wanted another year of "Letting it Rip" but the only one that agreed to go with him was Daichi. Kai, Ray, Max, Hilary and Kenny had enough of the fame and sought more normal lives.

When the 4th World Championships was announced, a now 17 year old Tyson sulked for a month and wouldn't speak to any of his friends until Grandpa Granger gave him a stern "chattin to". The hip old geezer threatened to send Tyson off to an Amazon ruin where his Dad was excavating at the time in order to "get his head in check". To Tyson, missing the competition was like missing the biggest party on earth. It was time to let another kid take the crown and as a 17 year old it was time to think of his adult future, whatever that entailed. After all you can't be the champion forever, as hard as it was for him to accept.

The Japanese bey-champ resisted the normal life that the others wanted. He basked in as much of the fame as he could. He attended nearly all regional Beyblade tournaments as a Guest Star which involved handing trophies to the winners of the year, handshakes, signed photos and autographs to who ever asked. He was on TV a few times as a talk show guest meeting other celebrities. He was lapped up every second of the limelight for he didn't know how long it would last. As much as he didn't want the normal life, he mandatorily attended Senior year at High School with Hilary, Kenny and Max (whom after he had enrolled and attained his dual Japanese citizenship) and as badgered by Grandpa Granger...practised Kendo at least an hour a day.

Scroll forward 10 years and The World Beyblading Champion Tyson Granger was long gone and replaced by a slightly chubby, bored, unemployed, young, Japanese man who gravitated more towards food, manga and Xbox games. He was still very much a celebrity in the beyblading community and had made many friends over the years using his charm and infectious personality. He was happy but something was missing. He longed hard for the old days of the Bladebreakers. The travelling, trouble they got in and out of, the excitement and his close-bonded friends clustered around him. He would sometimes sit on the porch and gaze out to the open spaces of the dojos' garden next to the pond. He remembered longingly where Kenny would sit cross legged with Dizzi tinkering with some ones' Beyblade. Ray training Driger; zip-zagging between tin cans, Maxs' Draciel practising with a new defence ring and Kai leaning up against a tree with his eyes closed and arms crossed, white scarf billowing lightly in the breeze. The flashbacks would take him by surprise some days and he was reminded of how much he missed them.

Ray left for China soon after the BEGA fiasco was wrapped up with authorities. As with everyone on a tourist visa; his time in Japan had come to an end. Ray loved travelling but the White Tiger Village needed him. White Tiger Hills was his home and he missed Mariah whenever they were apart. Ray was the first to leave and although sad to see him go, Tyson understood that he had a duty to his village, wished him the best in his new life and told him sternly not to be a stranger. The whole team was there to wave him off; including Kai. Ray didn't stay away though. He made 2 or 3 trips a year back to Japan for Christmas and birthdays to see the team he called his 2nd family and regularly wrote letters on rice paper to Tyson and Kenny.