Tyson went into the kitchen the moment he heard the car pull away.

Kai was filling himself a glass of water, his back turned to him. "Hey, everything good? What did you grandpa want from you now?" Tyson asked, his tone having a sharp edge. It was no secret that he didn't have any love for Voltaire and his lackeys.

Kai turned to him then, looking slightly put out. For some reason, he wouldn't meet his eyes. "Nothing much. He just wants me to take some courses since I'm not going to the school he approved of anymore."

"That's ridiculous. This school is one of the best schools in Japan. And you're already taking all AP courses possible!"

Kai just shrugged, as though it was no big deal. "And I'm doing fairly well in them all. I can take on a few more classes, no problem."

Tyson couldn't believe anyone could willingly study as much as Kai was doing, but he didn't see how it was any of his business.

Kai was his year's topper. If he said he had the time to study more, who was he to question it?

"About that letter... I'm sorry about it. Is there any way I could make up for it? Gramps knows a guy in the foreign affairs, maybe I could-" Tyson rambled, but much to his surprise, Kai just waved him off, "That's taken care of, Tyson. I just got the papers I'll need for a clear approval. I just need Mr Dickinson's signature on a few documents now."

Tyson blinked in surprise. "Are you telling me your grandpa voluntarily sent you the papers you needed?"

Kai looked up sharply then, his lips pressed lightly, making them a thin line. "Voltaire agreed to let me stay here for the year if I took those extra classes, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh..." Tyson said, not knowing what to say. Did this mean that Kai didn't have much say in taking those classes?

Tyson couldn't comprehend how someone as strong as Kai would let himself be such a push over when it came to Voltaire. Though he knew his own grandpa would never do anything to hurt him, he didn't think he could ever be bullied into doing anything for him. He barely cleaned up his room, and that was only when his grandpa threatened him with his kendo sword, and both of them knew it was more nostalgia than actual threats.

Knowing it was a sour topic for Kai, Tyson changed the subject, trying to lighten the mood. "Wanna have some breakfast? Grandpa made us some pancakes. I saved you a plate!" He exclaimed, hurrying to the counter and fixing Kai a plate.

Kai continued watching him intently, his stare heavier than usual. "Kai, is something wrong?" Tyson asked again, reaching out to him instinctively.

Kai withdrew his hand slowly, shaking his head. "You're overthinking things Tyson. Don't give your brain so much work. We can't have it crashing just before an important match." He teased, smirking slightly.

"Hey!" Tyson cried indignantly, elbowing his side. "I'd be careful with what I say next. I've heard overloaded brains need extra energy to sustain, and this is the last set of pancakes left." He warned, pointedly looking at the plate of pancakes in his hand.

Kai laughed quietly then, surprising him. Tyson had barely ever seen Kai laugh, and he must admit, it was quite nice to see Kai expressing normal human emotions."

*****

"Hey, I was thinking... Maybe we could sneak in a practice match before lunch? I want to be prepared for my match in the evening." Tyson suggested when Kai was halfway through his breakfast.

Kai looked up, slightly closed off at this. "I can't today."

"But you just said everything's fine now. You could take Mr Dickinson's signatures in the evening."

Kai shook his head, adamant. "I have some things I have to take care of."

"I'm sure you can spare me half an hour. I won't bug you for more after that, I swear!" Tyson pleaded.

Kai thought long and hard at this. "Dranzer is in no shape to fight Tyson." He sighed, his hand going to his pocket and bringing up his beyblade.

The damage was worse than he'd imagined. Dranzer's entire body was marred with scratches and was chipped off at a number of places. The attack ring was barely holding it together, cracked in two places.

"What the hell did you get yourself into?" Tyson demanded, worried sick for his friend. Kai tried shrugging him off again. "It's nothing serious."

Tyson didn't plan on backing down that easily. "When did this happen?" He pressed next, his tone leaving no option to but to answer him. Kai relented, "Yesterday" He mumbled, looking down into his plate.

"You were challenged yesterday into such an intense match and you didn't even tell anyone" Tyson scoffed in disbelief.

Kai rolled his eyes, like he was the one being dramatic. "That wasn't what happened-"

Tyson frowned then, "Then why would you challenge someone out of the blue?" He pressed.

Kai grumbled, "It's not like I wanted to challenge him either."

Tyson threw his hands up in the air, "Stop talking in riddles and tell me what the heck's going on then!" He demanded.

Kai's answer was instantaneous, "I can't tell you."

Tyson huffed at this. "Of course you can't tell me. Is there any time you've ever shared anything with any of us?" Kai blinked in surprise, he didn't see where the sudden need for answers had come from. It was usually Ray's job, and he had hurt him just fine.

"Tyson, is there a problem here? If you're worried about your 'Dragoon Problem' showing up, then you have nothing to worry about. After all the solo practice sessions we've had, I don't think that will be much of a problem as long as you don't panic." He tried placating him.

But that wasn't Tyson's concern here. "Why do you bother to stay back, Kai? " He asked sharply then.

"Excuse me? " Kai asked, pushing his half eaten plate aside.

Tyson was on a spree now. "Your visa was to expire in a day and you didn't tell anyone. You got into a deadly match somewhere with someone, and we know nothing of it. You were supposed to stay the entire day by Ray's shop yesterday, yet you just disappeared after meeting me in the morning. Went there late afternoon and were once again gone by evening."

Kai gripped his fork harder, "Is there a point you're getting to? I didn't tell about the visa because I was working on a backup plan if Voltaire hadn't agreed. I ditched staying at Ray's shop because something important came up. I didn't tell you about the match because it was arranged at a moment's notice and I didn't think it would get that bad. I regret not being at the concert yesterday, but what I was up to couldn't wait. As you said earlier, you were working hard on the fundraiser. I didn't see why I should have worried you about any of it."

"See, that's the problem. Forget me, you don't tell anyone about anything. I wonder why you even bother staying back in Japan sometimes."

"Did Ray put you up to this? Because tell him this badgering technique isn't that effective."

"What are you talking about?" Tyson questioned him back.

"I guess you really don't know then." Still sounding far more annoyed than serious. "You don't actually mean that Tyson."

Tyson had had enough of Kai's secrecy. "Of course I do, go back to Russia for all I care if all you're gonna tell us is 'I can't tell you'!"

"That's rich, coming from you." Kai spat, his voice brittle.

Tyson threw his hands up in the air. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You had been facing issues with Dragoon, taking heavy hits in an attempt to protect him, for how long now?" Kai shot back.

Tyson looked away at this, still stubborn. "That's different?" He muttered.

Kai walked around the table then, approaching him. "From the timeline you gave me, this started around the time Ray lost Drigger. That's nearly six months ago. You were struggling silently for months, it was a beyblading related issue, not even a personal one, and how many people did you confide in?"

"Hillary knew." Tyson grumbled half-heartedly. He didn't want to have the conversation anymore, especially since Kai flipped the tables.

Kai shook his head, standing directly in front of him. "No, Hillary found out, Tyson. Just like I did. She helped you as much as she could, but now we both know that wasn't enough."

Kai jabbed his index at Tyson's chest, "It took you lying on your own floor covered in bruises, passed out in pain, for me to find out about the mess you had gotten yourself in. And I will assure you, you'll not find me in that position from whatever's going on with me, alright? In fact, I'm trying to get someone out of something, just like I helped you. The only difference here is that this person had no say in what happened to them, and it's not my secret to share." He snapped, but didn't really wait around for an answer. Kai just stormed out through the backdoor, his half-eaten pancakes forgotten.

Tyson stood by the sink, still reeling from what just happened. Yesterday night had been a rare moment of peace between them, when Kai had actually talked to him more than 'hmms' and 'one-word sentences'.

But somehow Tyson had messed it up, as always. Now, Kai was more pissed at him than he had ever been.

*****

Max stood by the park behind their school, rubbing the sleep off his eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep much last night. Seeing Cassie narrowly escape injury reminded him of his own narrow escape from a bullet wound during the talk show. The bullet Kai had taken for him.

On top of that, he was also a bit nervous for today's match. This was his first real match since the finals, which he had lost by the way. Now that he was being challenged to defend his title with Tyson, he didn't want to let him down.

"Yo Max!" Tyson called out, a grin on his face as he jogged towards him. Tyson had called him around mid-day and asked him to meet him an hour before match to discuss strategy and warm up a bit.

"Hey there!" Max called back, trying to match his enthusiasm, only to realise that he didn't have to fake it. His mood improved considerably just by seeing his best friend. "Ready for some warm up?" he asked, pulling our his Beyblade.

They spent the next hour doing basic maneuvers together. Since today's match was a tag-team match, their strategy was pretty straight-forward.

Tyson was on the offence, while he was on the defence. Nothing they hadn't done during their whole second world championships.

People slowly started trickling in ten minutes before the match, eager to see the winning team battle again. Unlike Tyson's match against Adam, this match had received a lot more publicity. Max could already see some sports reporters making rounds of the audience, taking their opinions about the match.

Tyson must have seen the worry on his face, because he patted his back encouragingly. "We'll be fine Maxxie. After everything we've been through, this is just a stroll in a park!" Max smiled a bit at this, nodding along.

Ray and Mariah walked up to them then. "Ready guys?" Ray asked good-naturedly, bumping his fists with each of them in turn. "I just saw those two bladers down the road. They'll be here in five minutes at max."

Tyson threw his arm around Max's shoulder then, "There's nothing to worry about Ray. We were just discussing where to go for Dinner after I wipe the floor with them!" Ray raised an eye-brow at this and turned to him while Mariah threw her head back and laughed.

Max grinned, Tyson's care-free nature and confidence was infectious. "Yep! There's a new Italian place just a mile way from here. We could check that out. Feel free to join us!" he added.

Ray shook his head a their antiques and warned them to be careful and alert. Not get too over-confident. The usual drill.

Tyson could barely stand still and act like he's listening, and they were only half-way through. Max couldn't help but suppress his laughter when he practically jumped upon the opportunity to cut the pep-talk short when Cassie walked up to them.

"I just came to wish you two luck." She started, smiling softly. "I didn't expect this big a crowd to show up today."

Tyson chuckled at her awe, looking happy to see her. "It's good to see you here, Cassie. And speaking of the crowd, what else did you expect? We are the world champions for a reason, you know!"

Cassie laughed at this, "How could I forget. You've only reminded me of that about a hundred times now." She teased. "Anyway, where's Kai?" She asked, looking at them with confusion. "I thought he would be there with you guys today..."

Now that Cassie brought him up, Max too found his absence strange. It was one thing to miss being there with them for an unexpected situation like the one at the concert, but it was so unlike him to miss an important match of his teammates.

Both Ray and Tyson grew a bit fidgety at this, but Max didn't get a chance to ask them about it. Their challengers had arrived, and the crowd was ready for the match to start. "We'll be on the sidelines." Mariah called out, taking Cassie with her.A

*****

A thick crowd had gathered around the bey-dish by the time they got there. People stood on benches, leaned on tree trunks, and even climbed onto the low walls, phones out to get a chance to see them in action this close. It felt electric, even if this wasn't a stadium.

"You wanna tell me about what's going on between you and Kai, and does it include Ray too?" Max asked casually, walking towards the bey-dish beside Tyson.

Tyson shook his head. "I don't know about Ray, but I might have messed things up a bit, again..." Tyson muttered, looking sheepish.

"Tyson!" Max called out exasperated, but Tyson silenced him. "I wasn't in the complete wrong alright. Maybe just a little... We'll talk about this later, I'll tell you everything." He promised as they reached the bey-dish. Max pressed his lips into a thin line, having no choice but to agree and focus on the match instead.

Max could feel the adrenaline humming under his skin. He adjusted his gloves, bouncing lightly on his heels. Ray stood by the dish, playing refree. "Unofficial rules," he called. "No time limits. Knock-out or spin-out. All clear?"

The challengers stepped forward, still looking smug as yesterday.

The leader of the duo was short and stocky, eyes dancing with sharp confidence. "Name's Cian. Bit-beast's Voltrix."

"Ethan," said the other lanky guy, most likely his brother, "and this is Gravitus. We've waited a long time to challenge you two."

Max nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Ready, Tyson?"

"Always," Tyson said, slipping into stance. "Let's light it up."

Ray raised his hand, starting the countdown. Everyone in the park joined along. "Three... two... one—Let it rip!"

The beys hit the dish with a satisfying metallic ring.

Max's Draciel locked into center. Dragoon spun out wide, hitting full speed almost instantly.

Voltrix danced to the outer rim, while Gravitus began a low, swirling arc, charging a gravity pulse as the crowd roared around them.

Their usual rhythm kicked in—Tyson's all-out aggression, Max's controlled defense. Dragoon darted in to press Voltrix into retreat. Draciel blocked a near-flanking move from Gravitus.

But then—

Voltrix curved sharply and didn't meet Dragoon. It dodged, intentionally. Gravitus pulsed, distorting Draciel's axis.

They may be baiting Dragoon, but they're after him, Max realized.

He was proven right a second later. Voltrix swung in from the side, catching Draciel with a high-speed strike that shook its orbit. Max adjusted his launcher, trying to correct, but Gravitus was already closing in.

"They've studied us," Max said low, eyes flashing to Tyson. "They know our routine. They're baiting the offense and punishing the core."

"Good for them," Tyson said.

Max turned, confused. "What?"

Tyson cracked his neck. "Because I'm bored of routines anyway."

Before Max could even finish reacting, Tyson flung Dragoon into a wild spin arc that bounced off the dish wall and zipped right between both enemies.

No direction. No clear purpose. Just force and instinct.

"Tyson—what are you up to?" Max demanded quietly.

" Going off-course. I don't know how to really explain this..." Tyson muttered, grinning like a maniac. "But trust me!"

Max stared. "You're mental."

Tyson winked. "And you trust me anyway."

Max was reminded of what he'd told Ray yesterday evening. Dragoon moved like wildfire now—no patterns, no repeats, just bold, risky slams that made the crowd howl. He didn't even flinch when Gravitus tried to pull him into its gravity field. Instead, Dragoon rode the pulse, using it to slingshot himself into Voltrix from above.

Cian cursed as Voltrix skidded to the side, barely holding its spin.

Tyson's being instinctive now, Max thought. He just knows what'll work.

It was insane.

It was reckless.

It was... working.

Max took a breath, gritted his teeth, and shifted Draciel into a looser formation—not full defense. He wasn't holding the center anymore. He was backing Tyson's chaos.

Voltrix charged in again, but this time, Max met it head-on, matching its rhythm with a counter of his own, bouncing it into Dragoon's path just as Tyson launched a wild rebound.

Smash.

Voltrix spun high and out.

One down.

Ethan didn't flinch. Gravitus deepened its orbit, trying to create a suction vortex, pulling the two remaining beys toward its core. The gravity pressure hit like a wall. Dragoon started to wobble slightly under the tension.

Tyson didn't blink.

"Max!"

"I know!" Max yelled, his instincts finally catching up with his partner's madness.

He released Draciel into a sharp intercept, catching Gravitus from below—pinning it upward.

And Tyson, reckless idiot that he was, rammed Dragoon into Draciel.

"Are you kidding me—" Max began, thinking Tyson had finally lost his mind, but—

Thud—BOOM.

The impact launched Dragoon over Gravitus, breaking free of the vortex field in a soaring arc.

Dragoon hit Gravitus from above.

Hard.

There was a flash. A pulse. A loud roar, followed by a beat of silence.

Then Gravitus spun out of control—skidding to the rim—flipping—and flying out of the dish.

The crowd exploded.

Ray raised his hand. "Winners—Tyson and Max!"

Tyson threw his hands up and whooped, dragging Max into a one-armed hug.

Max could barely speak. "You jumped your bey off mine." he gasped, his eyes wide with with disbelief.

"Instinct," Tyson said, shrugging. "It felt like it would work."

"You gave me a heart attack for a minute there ."

"Uh-huh," Tyson beamed. "But we won the game!"

Max stared at their blades still spinning proudly in the dish. Still upright. Still blazing.

He let out a breathless laugh, tension finally melting away. "You know what?" he said. "I'll take it."

Because he had been right. If Kai was a snowstorm—cold, calculated, ruthless—then Tyson was wildfire. Spontaneous, Unpredictable and All-consuming.

And Max had just survived the blaze and come out shining, reminding the world they were world champions for a reason.

*****

Words: 3146

*****

A/N: hey guys! Sorry for the late update, but i wanted to be done with the things that happened on Sunday so that i can move on with what's going on on Monday in the story, and I didn't want to save up the last scene. So  I just added it all here, a 3k something update after a long time. 

So, what do you think about this chap? Tyson's fighting style has come out beautifully, hasn't it? What do you think about Tyson and Kai's fight now? Poor Kai, not being able to tell the closest people in his life what's going on with him, and being scolded rather harshly by them... 

Anyway, this is the last update before 'being paranoid'. The next chapter will take off from after that. 

PS: I once again have my final exams from next week, so I'll be making no commitments from updates for the next two weeks. I may be able to write one of them, maybe both, but that too may not happen on a Tuesday, so keep checking your Wattpad frequently from next Tuesday again. 

Happy reading!