DISCLAIMER:
Beyblade + Characters © Aoki Takao
Jade Tomei © Jade-55
Plot © mysticwater

AN: Needless to say, this chapter gets intense.

OWTF

Blade Breaking

Emberfae narrowly avoiding Strata Dragoon's attack, the black beyblade swerving around to the outside of the dish. They had been at it for a good 15 minutes, but Hilary was not letting up. She felt herself faltering under the pain of her body - but she refused to back down. She needed to remain diligent and patient until she found the right opening. It only infuriated Daichi further, the more she evaded him; his attacks quickly became more and more desperate.

Daichi's sheer strength of power was overwhelming; with every landed attack, she felt her body weaken. Hilary realized early on she couldn't attack him directly, but that didn't mean she didn't have her own ideas. She knew how to beat him; she had watched a certain cold blader do it many times before.

"ATTACK!" Daichi screamed again.

"Evade! Fly high, Emberfae!" Hilary shouted, ordering her blade up to the sky, Emberfae spread her wings as she soared above them.

"Follow her, Strata Dragoon!" The dragon chased after the firey-cat, his purple blade speeding upwards towards hers.

Exactly what she wanted him to do. "Now! Blazing Turbo!"

Kai smirked. He should have known she would use this tactic.

"No way!" Ray gasped. Both he and Max seemed to sense what was about to happen; they were on their feet staring up at the winged bit-beasts battling above, in anticipation.

Emberfae turned suddenly, using gravity to propel her blade faster towards Strata Dragoon; fire enveloping around her body and blade, as she blazed downward. "Look out! Fall back!" Daichi reacted too late.

A bright light and explosion of flames blinded them momentarily - the clash of blades echoing across the park, as the fireball slammed down into the beydish. Dust and debris billowed up and circled the dish, smoke settling around them.

Daichi's purple blade clattered out of the dish, no longer spinning. He looked up in astonishment to see Hilary call her spinning blade back to her palm, catching it with ease. "I- I lost..."

Hilary exhaled in relief; she won, she earned the title. Her knees buckled as she fell to the ground in exhaustion. But before Kai could react, both Ray and Max were at her side supporting her, finally. Kai felt his shoulders relax.

"Hilary! Are you okay?" Max gasped, kneeling beside her.

"That was incredible! How did you do that? That was Kai's attack pattern!" Ray exclaimed, utterly astounded at what he had just witnessed.

"I guess Kai's coaching has paid off?" Hilary chuckled lightly, sending Kai a small smile.

Kai nodded in approval. "You finally mastered the technique. You are a fast learner."

Hilary nodded before glancing back up at Max, "Are you still mad at me?"

Max shook his head profusely. "I was never mad at you, Hilary!"

"Then why have you boys been avoiding me?"

"Because you are a cheat." Tyson, who had remained silent, finally stood and glared down at her. "And you are still a cheat if you have to use Kai's attack pattern to win!"

"Tyson, you know that's not true! That's not why! Hilary just showed us she has earned it! She clearly trained hard if she can beat Daichi!" Ray stood up to glare at Tyson evenly. "We were just feeling conflicted! It's hard to accept yourself when you realize someone is better than you; especially when we've been training our whole lives for this. That's why you are acting this way too, isn't it?"

Hilary looked up, glancing back and forth between the two. So that's why Ray and Max had been avoiding her. They felt ashamed.

Tyson was livid, shaking uncontrollably. Daichi stood and watched the scene unfold; he was exhausted and shocked, unsure what to say as he clenched his fists in his own frustration. Daichi really didn't expect Hilary to have improved this much. Maybe she really was stronger than Tyson now.

Ray was clenching his fists too; he wasn't standing for Tyson's behaviour anymore.

"She is not better than me!" Tyson snapped.

"I understand how you feel, Tyson. We've been in your shadow for so long that we finally recognised that you are the better blader. It was just hard for us to accept that it was suddenly someone else in the spotlight. But now you are in Hilary's shadow; it's okay to be upset." Max said thoughtfully, looking up at his teammates, his hand not leaving Hilary's shoulder.

Tyson gritted his teeth as his glare snapped down to the blonde. "I'm nobody's shadow! I won't agree to this! I refuse to be on the same team as a cheater!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Hilary gasped, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm saying if you all plan to support Hilary as the 'World Champion,' then I will go solo!" Tyson said mockingly of the title, glaring at his friends with determination. "I have every intention of reclaiming the World Champion title! I refuse to lay back and let you have it just because you cheated! I'll defeat you fairly at the World Championships, and then everyone will see! I'm going to remind the world what a real champion looks like!" Tyson's glare landed back on Hilary one final time. "You don't deserve to be a Blade Breaker."

And with that, the bluenette spun on his heel and stormed away.

Hilary felt like she was going to throw up. The weight of his words hit her with such force, she was suddenly breathless.

"Don't listen to that idiot." Kai scowled, making his way over to Hilary. In a swift motion, he had her up in his arms and carried her to the bench. Kai was doing his best to keep Hilary from seeing how livid he was. He was going to triple Tyson's training instantly.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled as Kai eased her down. Embarrassed she was too weak to stand again; staring down at the black beyblade in her hand, thumbing at the bit-chip of her beyblade - seeking her bit beasts reassurance. But the warm glow, that crept up her palm to her fingers, wasn't enough to ease the pain in her heart.

"No, we are sorry, Hilary." Ray sighed kneeling in front of her, taking her other hand in his, squeezing it gently. "We were selfish, only thinking of ourselves and we let Tyson bully you again."

Max sat beside her, "Yeah, it was just hard to believe how far you've come. I was really depressed... It felt like I hadn't improved at all."

Ray nodded in agreement. "I was blinded by my own selfish feelings too. We shouldn't have avoided you. Especially on your birthday."

Kai scoffed. About time, they get their heads out their asses.

"I'm sorry too, Hilary! I was the one that got jealous - that you could create such a balanced and powerful blade from scratch, without my help! I felt useless. It's better than anything I ever created for you!" Kenny admitted sadly, bowing deeply in regret. "And I felt bad for Tyson."

Although shocked that Kenny could ever be jealous of her beyblade mechanic skills, Hilary shook her head in understanding. "It's okay Kenny - I know you are Tyson's best friend."

"I didn't want to admit it either. It's bad enough I'm always losing to Tyson. So when he lost to you, I couldn't agree to it... But- you did beat me fair and square. Tyson shouldn't be so mean anymore." Daichi stepped forward with a groan, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "What are we going to do about him? Do you think he'll really go solo?"

"He will - if I stay on the team." Hilary sighed.

"Don't be ridiculous! We'll change his mind!" Ray said resolutely. "You don't have to quit!"

"Yeah! Even Tyson said it before; we are all a team!" Max nodded firmly, hoping to cheer her up.

"Even I have to admit, you proved yourself; beating all those bladers today, and then you beat Strata Dragoon while you're worn down too!" Daichi added, clearly still shocked he watched the brunette beyblade with such stamina; Hilary was no longer the rookie she used to be.

But Hilary knew she had a decision to make.

She recognized that look in Tyson's eyes. He was determined to beat her on an official level, and nothing - not even the Blade Breakers - was going to stop him. He was on a mission; a mission to destroy her unofficial standing. Hilary felt sick again.

Tyson was like her brother; maybe that's why she knew him so well. After all these years, he hadn't changed much. Even though he was a good head taller than her now, with broader shoulders and had grown more handsome over the years; Tyson was still Tyson, still childish and egotistical. Still the class clown he always was - despite the fact they all had graduated high school by now. She could predict Tyson's personality like clockwork; he made it easy.

She loved him of course, just as Hilary loved all the boys. But Hilary also knew if she hadn't met Tyson, she never would have met Kai or any of the Blade Breakers. He was the initial tie that brought them all together. Hilary accepted it; they had been a team long before she arrived, but there was no Blade Breakers without Tyson.

It was his team first.

Hilary finally understood why the Blade Breakers disbanded temporarily during the third World Championships. She didn't it understand before, so she exploded on them in frustration; she was naive then. They all wanted to be the best, to fight for themselves. They wanted to prove to Tyson that they could overcome the bar he set. That's what Tyson was doing now - however desperate it was - Tyson was fighting for himself now. Tyson wanted to raise the bar again.

Hilary realized she needed to do the same too.

She needed to fight Tyson at the World Championships, on the official stage; she needed to make him see she wasn't a cheap blader. She wanted to prove to Tyson - the idiot brother she loved - that she finally understood him now. But Hilary wasn't going to hand the title back over to him, not like this - not until he acknowledged her too. But above all else, she wanted to fight for herself; she wanted to keep the World Champion title.

The irony was not lost on her.

She would keep his title, but she wasn't going to keep his team from him too. That wasn't fair; she wouldn't do that to Tyson. She wouldn't let him go solo.

She looked to Kai, who had been staring down at her while she was deep in thought, and reached out for his hand. "Kai..."

It was Kai's turn to 'know her so well'; he knew that look, that tone. He had watched the concern and guilt wash over her face; her expression shadowed in pain and strange determination. She had already decided; Kai felt his stomach drop, and his heart jumped up his throat, beating loudly in his ears.

"No!" He hissed out, trying to find his breath. He scowled as Hilary squeezed his hand gently as if trying to comfort him. "You are not leaving this team just because Tyson is being an idiot!"

The rest of the team was echoing their leader, but Hilary shook her head sadly. "We all know how stubborn Tyson is. I refuse to let him go solo, just because of me. You guys are a team first."

"You are our team," Kai said icily, anger getting the better of him. He couldn't believe they were having this conversation.

"So is Tyson. And he's the one who needs you guys. Remember how devastated he was when you all left the team three years ago? He's putting on a front right now because he's mad at me. But if I stay on the team and he goes solo, Tyson will be really hurt; I can't imagine what will happen to him." Hilary sighed sadly; she needed to convince them quickly - she was starting to feel sick upon realizing what this meant.

Desperation setting in, Kai called her out; he snapped his hand from hers angrily. "What happened to 'friends stick together'? You gave, all of us, shit for leaving you three years ago; why do you get to do the same now?!" He watched her flinch at his words, and Kai immediately felt guilty.

"Don't leave Hilary!" Max cried, hugging her.

"I'll talk to Tyson," Kenny assured her.

"You don't have to do this," Ray added solemnly.

But she did.

She looked up at Kai, who was glaring down at her incredulously. "I'm not leaving you guys forever. Just until I convince Tyson on my own, at the World Championships," She promised, taking Kai's hand again. "I still want you to train me in the evening like we always do. Nothing else will change."

As Hilary turned to the rest of the boys to say her final goodbyes and give them all big hugs, with promises to meet again soon; Kai turned them out of his mind. Max's sniffles and Ray protests fell on deaf ears. He could barely see Daichi breaking down too. Daichi was clinging to Hilary's other side, as she patted both him and Max on their heads soothingly.

Kai couldn't focus.

Hilary leaving them was something he never once considered possible. No matter how many times the Blade Breakers swayed - they came, they went and came back again - Kai always found solace in knowing Hilary would always be there, waiting for all of them.

Waiting for him.

She was his normal. Hilary kept Kai grounded and focused.

Hilary stood and turned to him, extending her hand out to him, she said in a quiet voice, "Walk with me."

He didn't want to imagine the Blade Breakers without her. But as Kai took her hand and followed her out of the park in silence, he knew...

Hilary was already gone.

AN: Shorter chapter. But another decent point to end at. Each chap will vary in length. Also don't expect this to be another 20 chapter adventure, not sure how many but deff less than Untouchable! Also, I'm getting busier as I am planning a Japanese festival in my city this June. Hopefully, I can post once a week, but no promises as we get closer to the June 3rd weekend.

lots of you were confused/not impressed with the Blade Breaker's behaviour towards Hilary. Personally, I couldn't see them accepting it all so easily and all at once - if their behaviour in G-Rev has any indication. They all struggled a long time to accept Tyson as the best; now they have to do it all over again with Hilary - who for the longest time was the team cheerleader then the team rookie. It's a double shock. But of course, it only lasts a couple days, because they can't avoid her for too long. Hope this chapter clears that up the confusion!

What happens now that Hilary leaves the Blade Breakers?! Any guesses? ;)

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xoxo