O.C Origin Story
Because I just may never get around to writing all of this and I feel my readers need a bit of a back story going into the No Sacrifice, No Victory rewrite.
Read on for Steph and Becky’s version of events in my Beyblade universe
Japan Tournament (2000)
After losing spectacularly to her older cousin, Enrique, the Italian national champion, Steph Summers is offered a place on Team BBA, a new concept team run by Stanley Dickenson, the newly appointed chair of the Beyblade Battle Association. Excited at the chance to beat her cousin, Steph moves from Rome to suburban Japan, where she meets Dickenson’s protégé, Tyson Granger, an enthusiastic teenager who loves to Beyblade. Along with beyblade technician and strategist, Kenny, better known as the Chief, Steph and Tyson draw the attention of Kai Hiwatari and his crew of Beybladers, one of whom is Steph’s estranged cousin, Becky Carter. The Bladesharks are the current representative team of Japan, and are well known for their ruthless style of play and their tendency to destroy their opponents Beyblades, rather than just defeat them. After Tyson loses against Kai, Steph informs him that Kai’s strength comes from a sacred spirit contained inside his beyblade, the Phoenix, Dranzer. Determined to defeat Kai in the upcoming Regional Championships, Tyson discovers the family Bit-Beast, Dragoon, contained inside an old relic in his grandfather’s dojo. Steph trains Tyson and Max (Dickenson’s third recruit from America) in preparation for the tournament. She teaches Tyson to harness the power of Dragoon against her own bit-beast, Seraphina. Meanwhile, the Kai pits the Bladesharks against each other to determine their starting five for the tournament. Becky is defeated and defects to Team BBA after Carlos installs an illegal attack ring on his beyblade that destroys her Beyblade, Ophelia. In the Qualifying Tournament, Tyson meets and defeats Ray and his bit-beast, Driger whilst Max, despite discovering his own bit-beast, Draciel, is defeated by Kai. With Becky’s help, Kenny and Steph are able to come up with a strategy for Tyson to beat Kai and win the tournament. After the tournament, Stanley Dickenson officially announces the new Team BBA. Tyson, Max, Ray and Steph will form the starting lineup of the new national team, with Becky listed as a substitute and Kai as team captain. He dubs the new team; the Bladebreakers.
China and America Tournaments (2000) In order to prepare the rookie Beybladers for the World Championships in Russia that year, Dickenson sends them to Beyblade tournaments around the world - the first being the Chinese National Qualifiers, where Ray faces his former team, the White Tigers. The White Tigers are initially hostile to Tyson and his team for Ray’s defection, and it’s quite clear that the Bladebreakers are outclassed by the Chinese team. Still, with a bit of training, and some reluctant input from Kai, the Bladebreakers are able to defeat the White Tigers and win the tournament. Next stop is America, where the team spends time a Project Power Beyblade, an elite American development centre. Max’s mom, Judy Tate is the head researcher and coach of the PPB All Starz. Tyson, Ray and Max make up the final line up to defeat the All Starz and the team head over to Europe, with the intention of battling their way through Europe on their way to Russia.
European Tour (2000)
Tyson is defeated by Robert, the German Champion on their way from America to London and as such, Dickenson instructs Steph to introduce the team to each of Europe’s champions. Steph and Becky introduce the Bladebreakers to Oliver Polanski, the French National champion. Oliver questions her decision to leave Europe, stating that Japanese team will never be a match for the Russians, who are the current World Champions. Steph insists her decision was the right one, and encourages Tyson to challenge Oliver. When Tyson defeats Oliver, the French Champion encourages him to challenge Enrique in Rome next, much to Steph’s annoyance. She refuses to accompany the team to Rome, but later changes her mind, arriving moments before Tyson is defeated by Enrique. Steph, in anger at her cousin for allowing his bitbeast, Amphilyon, to attack Tyson directly instead of his beyblade, demands a rematch. Steph reveals to Tyson that Enrique’s biggest weakness is his lack of understanding of Amphilyon’s importance and their connection. With Kenny’s help, they tweak Tyson’s beyblade to give him the edge against Enrique to win the rematch. Humbled by his defeat, Enrique is able to make amends with Steph and Becky and begs Steph to return to the European team, the Majestics. Steph declines, stating that she started something with them and she intends to finish it. Enrique is glad that by doing so, the three cousins are no longer estranged. With Oliver and Enrique tagging along, the Bladebreakers head for Germany for a rematch with Robert. Tyson is unable to convince Robert to battle him again, instead Johnny challenges and defeats Kai, making it Kai’s only defeat since battling Tyson. Becky and Tyson both urge Steph to convince Robert and Johnny to a rematch, to which Robert initially declines until Steph proves she can defeat Johnny. Robert, impressed by how far Steph’s skills have come since leaving Europe offers agrees to the rematch on two conditions; the first that Steph and Becky, being former members of the Majestics, do not compete, and second; if the Majestics win, Steph and Becky return to the European team. Johnny adds a third request; that if the Bladebreakers lose, they forfeight their place in the Championships in Russia to the Majestics. Tyson, Ray and Max accept they conditions. Kai is furious that Steph gambled their place in the World Championships, reminding her that there are bigger things at stake than just a Championship Trophy, but Steph is unapologetic, stating that Dickenson intended for them to face the Majestics and that was why he recruited her to begin with. She teaches Kai to beat Johnny and the Bladebreakers win 2-1 over the Majestics before making their way to Russia.
World Championships 2000
On arrival in Russia, Boris Balkov, the coach of the Russian team invites them to Balkov Abbey, an orphanage where the Russian Team was recruited. The Abbey is a front for BIOVOLT, a beyblade organisation headed by Kai’s grandfather Voltaire with the intent of militarising the six sacred spirits controlled by the Bladebreakers and that Dickenson formed the BBA team to defeat BIOVOLT. Voltaire entices Kai into defecting by offering him Black Dranzer, a beyblade that has the power to capture other sacred spirits. When Mariah, Kevin and Lee of the White Tigers and Michael and Emily of the PPB All Starz lose their bit beasts, Tyson hatches a plan to break into the Abbey and steal them back. Becky, distraught over Kai’s deflection refuses to come along initially until Ray points out they don’t stand a chance of convincing Kai to come back without her. Tyson creates a diversion by battling Ian of the Demolition Boys, allowing Steph and Becky to sneak into the Abbey. They are seperated by Boris’s security traps and Steph stumbles upon a research lab containing BIOVOLTs genetically modified bitbeasts. She is confronted by Tala, captain of the Demolition Boys and Boris’s star pupil. Instead of sounding the alarm, he questions her. He is perplexed as to why she would go to so much effort for Kai after he defected, to which she states that if he had a friend, he would know why. Steph challenges his beliefs about Beyblading and bitbeasts, encouraging him to think about the true spirit of the sport. Tala reveals Boris’s plan for the bitbeasts and the Demolition Boys. Steph offers him the chance to run away, certain that Dickenson will take them in, which Tala seriously considers. Kai ultimately confronts Tyson and Becky, refusing to return and challenging them to a match at Lake Balkai in order to capture their bitbeasts as per his grandfather’s instructions. Steph, Tyson and Ray show up for the fight, but are no match for Black Dranzer until Max and Becky arrive. Together, they are able to defeat Black Dranzer and break it’s control over Kai. Kai almost drowns when the frozen lake is melted by the real Dranzer’s flames, but is rescued by the Bladebreakers. On their return route to Moscow, they are intercepted by the Demolition Boys. Ophelia and Draciel are lost in the ensuing battle, ruling Becky and Max out of the final match. In the championship, Steph ties her match with Ian, meaning the Championship will likely go to a fourth set. Ray defeats Bryan, but Kai loses to Spencer and Dranzer is captured in the process. The stalemate is set to be settled by a fourth match between Tyson and Tala. Max’ parents, along with Kenny and Becky work together to create and new and improved Dragoon. With Ray in hospital after his match, Steph, Kai and Ray prepare Tyson for his final match. Tyson takes the first match in the set, but Tala unleashes the power of all the bitbeasts Black Dranzer has captured. The extent of Boris and Voltaire’s experimentation is revealed as Tala withstands impossible feats from his bitbeast Wolborg that Tyson’s father, Tatsuya, considers impossible as a bitbeast draws on its beyblader’s strength. Tyson loses the second match, but despite all odds, wins the third match. The Bladebreakers defeat the Demolition Blys and become the World Champions. Voltaire is taken into custody by Interpol and BIOVOLT is dismantled but Boris escapes. Mr Dickenson pays for Tala, Bryan, Spencer and Ian to attend a private secondary school in London.
Beyblade V-Force
As World Championships are only held every second year, the Bladebreakers go their seperate ways, but reunite when threatened by the Saint Shields. The Saint Shields are custodians of bitbeasts, and when Voltaire is released due to lack of evidence, determine they must capture the six sacred spirits of the Bladebreakers to prevent their power being militarised. Team Psykick is created in Japan for that very intent. Their researchers create cyber versions of the Bladebreakers bitbeasts, building on Boris’s work in Russia. Tyson’s classmate, Hilary, gets caught up in the action, along with Kai’s classmate, Wyatt Smithwright. Wyatt becomes a test Beyblader for the prototype cyber bitbeast which goes awry, causing Wyatt to have a mental breakdown when Kai is forced to destroy the bitbeast. The Bladebreakers defeat both Team Psykicks and the Saint Shields, who allow them to keep their bitbeasts, on the condition that the Bladebreakers voluntarily surrender them if they are unable to keep them out of Voltaire’s hands.
The World Championships 2002 A year later, the format of the World Championships is changed to a tag-team event, splitting the Bladebreakers up. Rather than compete against each other for the two spots, Ray, Max, Steph and Becky elect to return to their respective teams. Tyson, feeling betrayed, vows to beat them all. The new BBA team is renamed the BBA Revolutions and Tyson’s brother Hiro returns to coach the team. Kai defects to the newly formed Blitzkrieg Boys, besting Spencer and Bryan for the second spot on the Russian Team with Tala. Newcomer, Daichi Sumeragi and his Strata Dragoon take Kai’s place. Steph and Becky return from Europe, warning Tyson of a new team, the Barthez Battalion, that defeated the Majestics in Europe. Robert and Johnny begin investigating the team’s coach, John Paul Barthez and are able to link him to BIOVOLT with Tala’s help. Tyson, Steph and Becky are able to convince Miguel to lead a revolt against Barthez. Barthez Battalion places last in the championship, Tyson and Kai face off again in the finals after Tala and Daichi tie their match and Wolborg and Strata Dragoon are too damaged for a rematch. Steph, Kenny and Becky rebuild Dragoon for the match and Tyson is victorious.
BEGA Uprising Upon their return to Japan, they are horrified to discover Boris has returned and staged a takeover of the BBA by discrediting Dickenson and the board of directors oust him. Boris forms BEGA as the new beyblade organisation of Japan. The former Bladebreakers refuse to take part in Boris’s league, leaving them unable to rebuild their Beyblades when BEGA demands all beybladers carry licenses to buy and sell beyblade gear. Boris instates Garland Siebalds, Ming Ming Love, Mystel and Crusher as the new representative Japanese beybladers for the next WBBA championships. Hiro abandons the BBA and becomes coach of BEGA, alienating Tyson and his friends. Tala, Spencer and Bryan confront Boris at BEGA HQ, defeating all the BEGA initiates and demanding Boris disband BEGA. The Bladebreakers get wind of Tala’s plan and rush to help, but by the time they arrive, Tala has already lost to Garland and is placed in a coma to recover from injuries sustained in the battle. Steph is distraught over Tala, but pours her energy into helping Kenny develop his own beyblade system, the Heavy Metal system. Kai defects to BEGA but is sorely beaten by Brooklyn. Tyson rallies his friends, and with the support of every beyblader they have met across the tournaments, reform the team as the G Revolutions. Steph surrenders her place as the fifth beyblader when Kai returns in order to let him have his rematch with Brooklyn, which she regrets as even though Kai wins, his bond with Dranzer is destroyed. With Tyson’s victory over Brooklyn, BEGA is disbanded and the BBA reinstated. Hiro returns to help Dickenson rebuild, admitting to himself that he left to create a bigger challenge he knew Tyson could overcome, even if it damaged his relationship indefinitely with his younger brother.
Introduction to NSNV The World Championships are placed on hiatus while the BBA, a major contributor to the WBBA reforms. Kai and Tala leave to find Dranzer in Russia, leaving Becky’s relationship with Kai undetermined. Steph and Becky return to Italy to participate in the Italian Championships. Becky is defeated by Steph, who is in turn beaten by Enrique once again. Steph, now seventeen, considers retiring from Beyblading in order to focus on getting into college. She attends summer school in London and is reunited with Dickenson’s grandson, Matt Ishida. Matt’s indifference to Beyblading gives Steph a much needed break, but ultimately she realises she’s not ready to retire and returns to the Bladebreakers.