Thanks to Cutetyhil, Princess, Beyblade origins or happypeanut, Velox the Knight 07, themidnight sun and Dranafile for reviewing the previous chapter. Here is the final part!

.

Tyson searched hard for Hilary, but he could no longer see her. The growing crowd had shielded her from his view. There was no knowing where she had gone now. He kicked the ground and cursed then walked over to a nearby tree and did the same thing, stubbing his toe in the process. The pain brought him relief however – a temporary distraction from Hilary.

"What did the tree ever do to you?"

Tyson turned around. Rick was walking towards him having come from the direction of the alleyway. "It doesn't have feelings and it has an easy life. I'm jealous."

Rick chuckled. "Something bothering you. I know just the thing. Come with me."

"Do you always hang around alleyways?"

"I meet up with some street kids and teach them how to blade. Not everyone comes from a privileged home, and blading brings them hope. Anyway, stop yapping and just follow me. For once in our life, don't talk so much." Rick walked down the street.

Tyson followed Rick despite not knowing where the man was taking him. "Where are you taking me?"

"When Max had troubles on his mind, I distracted him by taking him out to dining place so he could have his favourite food, and we talked things out like adults you know?"

They continued walking down the road until they reached a sporting complex. The words PPB were written on it. One of the many sporting venues around the world owned by the PPB. Tyson stopped in his tracks and frowned. "We're going to have a beyblade match? I'd take you up on the offer, but Kenny has my beyblade. He's upgrading the attack ring."

"There are other sports and activities besides beyblading."

"I fence."

"A disciplined sport. But let's do something far simpler – how about bowling?"

Tyson shrugged. "I can do with that."

They entered the venue, and Tyson was immediately taken aback by the size of the place. It was like the one they had visited in America only this one had more beyblade stadiums to practice in. There was a basketball court. A soccer field. And even an ice-skating rink. An athlete's dream. This place even had a gymnasium and its own food court.

But Rick didn't take him to the food court. Instead, the blader led him to the bowling area. Tyson wasn't interested in bowling, and he didn't really know what Rick's game was, but maybe it was for the best – it would give Hilary some space and maybe she'd be more willing to talk later… If he could find her.

Tyson wasn't surprised to find the other athletes hanging around. He spotted Eddy and Steve buying soft drinks and burgers from the counter, prompting his stomach to growl at the sight of delicious food. "…Wow. They look good."

Rick waved them over. "Eddy. Steven."

The two boys walked over. At the sight of Tyson, Eddy protectively shielded the food under his arms, as if afraid Tyson would snatch it away and eat it. "Hey, the big man is back, and he's brought a friend!" Eddy said.

"Well, if it isn't Tyson!" Steven exclaimed.

The burly footballer was no longer supported by a walking stick, having recovered from his long-term injury. The man had been sidelined from the game for six months. A good reason not to play football, Tyson noted. Too many injuries. "Hey guys. Where's the rest of your team?"

"We thought Max was with you," Eddy said.

"He was," Tyson remarked, remembering Max had accompanied him to the restaurant. "He probably went back to the dojo." He conveniently left out the part about finding Hilary.

Rick frowned. "And where is Michael?"

"He's at the baseball game. They're having some exhibition match for charity. Emily went to go and support him. She's his biggest fan… Not that she'd ever admit that out aloud, but we all know she's pining for him," Steven exclaimed. "But he doesn't really notice, and she continues to pursue him, even though it hurts her deeply."

"Oddly perceptive of you, Steven," Rick said.

Steven shrugs. "I've spent a lot of time on the sidelines and I've seen a lot of things."

"But that's okay because we're the fun ones," Eddy said.

"But your idea of fun is going on a merry-go-round ride."

"Hey. They're fun," Eddy defended.

Well, Rick was right about something. Their bantering was a distraction. The anger had subsided, but Steven's words had reminded him about Hilary. Hilary was his biggest fan, and he had ignored her attempts. One thing was certain – he couldn't be here now. He had to find Hilary. Had he really hurt her that bad? "I have to go, Rick."

"What? So soon? We only just got here."

"There's someone I need to talk to. Catch you later."

Before Rick could reply, Tyson turned around and hurried out the door.

.

Hilary stormed down the street, ignoring the looks the locals were giving her. She could hear Tyson calling out her name, but she didn't stop to talk to him. All she wanted right now was to be as far away as possible. Fortunately, she was able to lose Tyson through the crowd of people who had started to gather in the area.

She turned a corner and followed the road down, only coming to an abrupt stop when she reached the library. A place she knew Tyson wouldn't come looking for her. She was safe. For now at least. At least here she could be alone with her thoughts and reflect on the recent events in peace.

She pushed open the doors and charged inside, almost knocking a red-headed girl over in the process. Once inside, she stormed over to the north-western corner of the library and sat down in alcove, peering through the window only to find Tyson running past. She quickly turned away then buried her face in her hands, hoping the ground would swallow her up whole and transport her to a different reality where no one knew who she was. A place where feelings ceased to exist.

That would make life so much easier. But alas, life had other plans.

"Hilary."

She looked up and found Robert peering down at her, carrying a book on German History under his right arm. "I'm really not in the mood to talk, Robert."

"You almost knocked Salima over."

Oh. So that was the red-headed girl she had passed by. "I don't even care."

"You were also absent from the book club meeting the past weekend."

Ah. The book club meeting. "There's been a lot on my mind of the late."

"Yes, I've heard about it. Dating Kai. It's over those social media platforms." Robert sat across from her, laying the book down next to him. "I was going to message you about the missed book club meeting and inform you of the events that transpired, when I was bombarded with images about your date with Kai at Oliver's restaurant. It was Oliver who posted the images actually."

Her fingers curled into fists. "Oliver took photos?"

"He was taking photos of the seating arrangement and you just happened to be in them."

"Why would he post something like that?"

"It's good marketing. Kai and Hilary of the Bladebreakers dining at his restaurant?" Silence fell, then Robert added, "Something is clearly bothering you, Hilary. Tell me. What is on your mind?"

"I'm really not interesting in having a deep and meaningful, Robert. No offense or anything, but you don't really strike me as the type who would be interesting in listening to my drama."

Robert didn't seem offended by her blunt remark. "You must be forgetting who my teammates are. They are drama. Did you know that Jonathan is dating that woman from that Saint Shields team? Yes, it came to be a shock when I discovered this information. Now. I will ask you again. What is on your mind?"

She sighed. Why the hell not? Robert was a good listener. He always listened carefully during their book club meetings when she gave her reviews on the book of the week discussions. She also trusted him not to tell the entire world about her feelings. What was there to lose? At least it gave her a chance to vent some frustration. "I did something stupid."

"Define stupid."

"I convinced Kai to go on a date with me to make Tyson jealous."

"Tyson does not strike me as the jealous type."

She leaned back. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Why didn't you just confront him about it? I may not know Tyson as well as you, but I've seen enough to know he is a good man. He would never go out of his way to intentionally hurt someone," Robert explained, picking up his history book and putting it on the other side. "You are feeling hurt because you deeply care about him, and I would suggest doing something about it or he'll end up on the aisle with another woman."

Hilary raised an eyebrow. Blunt as always, but there was truth in his words. "How am I supposed to talk to him?"

"You are one of the most courageous women I know," Robert said in his usual calm tone. "You've endured a lot. Overcome a lot of challenges. Talking to Tyson and telling him what you really think will be the toughest challenge yet, but do not let this opportunity pass you by. You care for him. That much is obvious. So, act on it now or someone else will." He then stood up. "I expect to see you at next weekend's book club meeting. We are looking at romance in the Shakespearean world, and I have a feeling you'll be able to relate."

She surged to her feet. "Thanks, Robert. You've given me a lot to think about."

"You do not need to thank me. We may not be teammates, but you are a friend, Hilary. I think you are too hard on yourself. You may not be a beyblader, but you have the heart of one." He looked ready to leave, but Hilary stood in front of his path.

"What about your happiness, Robert? You give me this advice about love. What about you?"

"I am a busy man, Hilary. There is much to do, and I have little time to spare."

"Money doesn't always buy happiness, does it? Especially when you don't have the time."

He didn't reply. Merely, looked thoughtful. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Sacrifices have to be made when you are in my position. What matters is seeing my friends happy and fulfilling my own duties. Johnny is with Mariam now. Someone who can balance him out. Enrique has Rosette and Bianca."

"You shouldn't sacrifice your own happiness for others."

"Perhaps, but you and I walk very different paths."

"Last I heard Julia was flying solo. You know she's always wanted to be dined by a rich man."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "…I see."

"See you at the next meeting then."

They both shared their farewells and went their separate paths. Robert was right. She was no coward, and she wasn't going to let this moment slip by.

.

Tyson found Hilary at the park sitting down alone on a bench beneath a maple oak tree. She was looking down at the ground, her hands resting on her lap. Drawing in a deep breath, he approached his teammate with caution, as if he feared she would suddenly surge to her feet and strike at him.

"Hilary?"

She looked up. "Tyson."

"I've been chasing after you. Why didn't you stop to talk to me?"

She glared at him. "Did it ever occur to you I didn't want to talk?"

"Oh, come on, Hil! Why do you have to be so difficult?" He threw his hands up in the air and drew in a deep breath before exhaling loudly. "You think this is all about you? You're mad at me because of what I said, but did you ever think about how I felt about everything?"

She climbed to her feet. "About what?"

"About you being with Kai!" Tyson exclaimed, pointing a finger at her.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Tyson."

He lowered his hand and sighed. "I know that… I just… I didn't like seeing you with him and even hearing about it annoyed me. He's a friend, and a teammate, I get that, but the thought of you being in love with him? It…" He didn't finish his sentence.

Hilary raised an eyebrow. "You can't decide love, Tyson."

"But you don't love him."

"And what? You're an expert on matters of the heart?" She folded her arms.

"I'm not stupid, Hilary. I know I can be a clueless guy at times, and maybe I goof around too much, but I never meant to hurt you." He sighed again, raking a hand through his hair. "Dammit. Why is this so hard? It's so much easier in the movies…" he murmured.

"You act like I don't mean anything, Tyson. That hurts. I try to help you, and you push me away because I'm not one of the boys, and I don't blade like the other girls do." She unfolded her arms, dropping them at her sides. "I just want you to notice me. Like I'm someone important. But you're so blinded by your love for beyblading, you don't notice anyone else."

"Beyblading is an important part of my life."

"I know that. That's why I turned to Kai. I asked him to go on a date with me." She forced a dry laugh. "I know, it's so lame. But it's the only way I could see if you noticed. Don't you see, Tyson? You're the person I want to impress the most. Ever since we became classmates. You drive me crazy. You can be incredibly bull-headed and annoying. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Now Tyson raised an eyebrow, perplexed. This was nothing like the movies. The actors always made it seem so simple. He rubbed the back of his neck, and bit down on his lower lip, trying to find the right words to say. "…I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression that I didn't care. You've always been there for me, Hil. When my other friends left me… You stayed by me. You've seen me at my worst."

"I never should've asked Kai to go on a pretend date."

Tyson grinned. "Well, you did make Kai step out of his comfort zone. I mean, there are photos now on social media… Imagine all the memes that are going to come out of this based on the sourpuss."

Kai was not going to be happy, but that wasn't really her concern anymore. "He'll get over it."

"So… Uh, maybe we could do something this weekend. Together. Just you and me," he managed to speak, his face burning up. Never had he stuttered so much before in his life! Fortunately, Hilary didn't laugh at him. She was just as nervous as he was, and that made the moment a little more bearable. "I mean, that is, if you don't have anything else on…"

"I do have a book club meeting."

"Oh. Uh, maybe we could do something at night? Catch a movie or something?"

Maybe he should've read that book by Enrique on how to date girls.

She smiled. "I can do that."

"Cool!" Tyson exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck once more. "I mean, uh, yeah, that's great." Surely, there had to be some life guide books available on this sort of stuff? Hiro had never bothered to speak about love with him, and grandpa didn't bring up the topic either. The man had even avoided giving the birds and bees speech, hoping Tyson would learn from his friends instead.

"What are we going to tell everyone else?"

"We don't have to tell them anything or they'll decide to throw a party in our honour." Tyson shuddered. "My grandpa will feel compelled to share embarrassing stories about me in front of everyone, and no one needs to hear that. I mean, the others aren't stupid. They'll figure it out. But I want this moment to be private. At least for now. Just us. I mean. I've known you for awhile now, but this is different, you know? We're not just friends anymore."

She nodded. "Tyson, stop. You're rambling."

"I do that when I'm nervous."

She reached out to hold his hands. "We'll manage."

"Yeah," he said, returning her smile. "We will." He released her hands then wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace. Whispering into her ear, he added, "I got you some flowers on the way, but then I dropped them and accidentally crushed the petals."

She chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

They held each other for a few moments before pulling apart. "So. I don't know what people normally do in moments like these, but I'm getting kinda hungry. Do you want something to eat? There's a cool eating area at the sport complex."

Again, she laughed. "Never change, Tyson. Never change."

He smiled back, relieved. Making jokes relieved the tension. "Great."

"I'm serious, Tyson. I like you for you. Sure, you can be a pig-headed fool, but that's what I love about you."

Much to his surprise, she leaned in close and kissed him gently on the lips. If they hadn't been friends for years, it would've seemed a bit odd, but it felt like they had been together for a long time. He would've kissed her back, but she was already out of reach.

"If you want more, come and chase me." She gave him a teasing grin.

He grinned back. "You asked for it."

.

"Way to go, Kai," Bryan said, planting himself down in Hilary's seat.

Kai glared. "Great. Now I have to look at your ugly face. Why are you spoiling the view?"

"I thought you might want some company. You got ditched by your girl." Bryan snickered.

Rolling his eyes, Kai said, "Newsflash Bryan. Hilary's not my girl. I never loved her."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'."

Bryan rubbed his chin. "…Well, this awkward. I think I'll be going now."

Kai brought a fist down on the table. Even though Bryan was a bigger guy, he still jumped. Kai just had a way with people – the ability to make them squirm in their seats. It was a gift. "What the hell are you doing here anyway? I thought you were taking yoga classes with Tala and Spencer on weekends."

"Just because you can't get a girl, doesn't mean I can't either, Kai." He glanced over at Ming Ming who was at the counter ordering food. She glanced over at him and waved. Bryan smiled back. "She's the light of my life."

Sickening. Kai almost gagged. "Of all the girls in the world… You chose Ming Ming?"

"Hey! She's cute."

"Right, it's the whole beauty and the beast love story all over again." Kai rolled his eyes.

"You know this is all over social media, right? You meeting Hilary at a restaurant of love?"

"…How did people even know?"

Bryan shrugged. "Oliver shared it around. You know this is his restaurant, and he loves this sort of stuff. Really not the best place to come to if you're trying to be discreet. I mean, the guy is the king of gossip. He has eyes everywhere."

Damn Frenchman, Kai cursed. "Remind me to never dine out at a restaurant again."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Do what?"

Bryan rolled his eyes. "About Tyson and Hilary."

"That's not my problem. I might be captain of the team, but I'm not a babysitter."

"But they're your friends. I know you pretend to be an asshole twenty-four seven, but you care about them in your own weird way. You want them to be happy together. That's why you agreed to this date, right? Because you wanted to help Hilary."

"She's a teammate and a friend. I respect her. Why does it matter to you?"

Bryan shrugged. "It really doesn't, but it's nice to see you aren't always an asshole full-time."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Kai then sighed, rising to his feet. "I need to go. I have to check on them." So much for not being a babysitter, but he had to make sure they were okay. Hilary couldn't kill Tyson yet – Kai still wanted to blade him again at some point in the future.

"Don't break a leg." The burly blader then snickered.

Kai ignored him. The man really didn't have a sense of humour. He didn't say his goodbyes to Bryan. Instead, he just got up and left the place. He'd send the bill to Oliver later, but right now he had two stubborn bladers to find. Ignoring the looks from passing people, Kai walked down the street, trying to make sense of where Hilary would go.

"If I were you, where would I go?" he murmured, thinking hard.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

There. Heading towards the sport complex. Tyson and Hilary walking side by side.

"So, everything did work out, after all," Kai said, a slight smirk spreading across his face. "Of course it did. I'm team captain. I know what's best for the team. I just hope Tyson has received the birds and bees talk…" he shuddered. That was not a conversation he wanted to have. Pushing such thoughts out of his head, he turned away from the sports complex and headed back to the dojo.

.

So, I went for a more humorous tone because I felt that was a bit more in character for Tyson (and Hilary to that extent). Robert had a cameo because he felt like someone who would get on well with Hilary. I also added in some humour with Kai and Bryan at the end because they're funny. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the ending and the story. I also long for the day for someone else to write a Mike/Emily ^ _^

If you want some more Tyson/Hilary romance, please read chapter "Protectors of the Earth" of my story, A Hero's Last Cry for a bittersweet TyHil scene (final scene). As always, reviews are much appreciated!