"I hope you're sure about your decision boy," Harrow crouched down and put his fist on the ground like a sumo wrestler. "I'm not going to go easy on you over your pride,"
"Are you done with the warnings?" Toga asked.
Harrow smirked. "I just wanted you to know. Don't blame me for what happens next!" Harrow launched at him.
Toga's eyes widened. This man was faster than he predicted despite his age and size. He put up both his hands and blocked Harrow's hands. His tackle was powerful enough to slide Toga back by ten feet before he slowed down.
Toga was putting every ounce of his strength in. Both his hands were locked with Harrow's. His body already started glistening and the match just started. This man's physical strength. If only Ryuma could see this right now. He'd never believe that they could run into anybody stronger than him down here.
"I gotta admit kid. Not only do you have balls, you've got the strength to back it up," Harrow said.
Toga could only grunt. He couldn't even talk under these circumstances. Every step Harrow took, Toga slid back another inch.
Harrow smiled even more at Toga's predicament. "I'll admit, that's quiet the body you got there. The fact that you could even stop me proves that I'm a boulder in comparison to your diamond,"
Toga slid back a few more inches. "Appreciate that," It was the only words he could force out.
"That was no compliment boy. Diamonds might be harder, but boulders carry undisputed advantages. First off, we're always heavier," As Harrow said that Toga slid back a few more inches. "That means you're fighting against mass and gravity,"
Toga lost a few more ground to him. If he didn't stop this, he was going to be pushed out of bounds.
"Second, because of our size difference…" There was no need for Harrow to finish that. Toga started getting lifted into the air.
He desperately looked back and forth. Without his feet on the ground, there was nothing to stabilize himself against. He was at Harrow's mercy. The man was lifting him with ease when only their hands were connected.
{This man is lifting me with his wrist and forearms alone}
Harrow flipped him to the point Toga was upside down, shoulder to shoulder with him. He fell backwards, supplexing him against the gravel so hard, it created a small tremor.
Everything became silent after that.
"People don't usually survive that. Your body is indeed well built," Harrow said. He flipped backwards to where he was now sitting on Toga having pinned him to the ground. "That's my finisher. It is what it is boy. I'm already above you. Your body may be a diamond, but diamonds don't move,"
Toga just lied there with his eyes closed. The silence throughout the stadium was deafening.
"Man… boss really doesn't hold back. The match ended too quick," One of the bystanders said.
Shue just scoffed and turned his head away.
Toga's eyes shot open. Upon seeing that, Harrow raised an eyebrow. "Oh… still got some fight left in you?" He said.
"You're right… diamonds can't move… but I do," Toga said.
"Give it up kid. I weight around two-hundred-eighty. I've completely got you pinned. Just accept the defeat," Harrow said.
Now, it was Toga's turn to smirk. "Wow, just two-eighty? That's easier than my morning workout," Harrow's entire body shook. It was his turn to look at the teenager with shock. "Do you really think I've never lifted anything bigger than me before?"
Harrow now saw himself being lifted into the air. Without his own foot on the ground, he couldn't stop the kid from hurling him across the stage when he got up.
Although the attempt didn't hurt at all, the fact that this kid was able to do it spoke volumes about his strength.
Toga held one of his shoulder blades down and stretched his neck. There was a cracking sound that he just had to work out. "Ok… I'm ready,"
"I'm starting to like you more and more,"
Harrow began running at him again. Toga got into stance once more. This time, Harrow dug his hand into the ground and ripped out a piece of the earth.
Toga balanced his body so that his punch would be at its most effective. He shattered it effortlessly once it reached his fist.
{Damnit! The old man's speed!}
That Supplex must've rocked him. He forgot about how quickly he could close the distance. In one fell move, he got into his sumo stance, stepped sideways, and shoved his palm into the Harrows chest, from his side. This knocked the old man off balance.
Now it was Toga's turn to go on the offense. He slid up under the man's arm and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground. So much dust blew into the air it was almost impossible to see where the two combatants were.
Toga coughed. He didn't want to fight with his vision impaired and so he jumped back. He exited the cloud of dust, and a large hand followed him.
Toga was shocked. {He recovered that quick!?}
The rest of Harrow's body came bustling out of the dust cloud. He caught ahold of him by the arm. "This is it boy. You're bout to hold the record for shortest time with the shining spirit,"
Harrow threw him high into the air. It had to at least be thirty feet. What was he going to do with that distance? He hadn't seen two combatants' go this high into the air since Ryuma and Wen's match in the academy.
Once he reached the highest point, Harrow appeared up there right with him. He grabbed him by the waist. Instantly Toga knew what he was about to do. His heart started beating fast. No matter how good he trained his body, surely even a move like this would kill him. What was Harrow thinking?
"METEOR BOMB!" Harrow shouted
The two came plummeting down to the ground at record speed. Toga was trying anything he could think of to get out of this move. To no avail, it was too late.
Harrow slammed him into the ground so hard, there was an earthquake everybody in this tunnel felt. The stands shook, some guards who were standing lost their balance. Everything rocked back and forth as though they were vibrating. Some even fell over.
Not to even mention the sound it made.
There was a far bigger dust cloud than the one Toga made. He couldn't move any part of his body. It ached beyond anything he's ever felt imaginable. Like every one of his bones shattered. His vision was blurry, and all he could see was dust everywhere. He was starting to lose his consciousness. For the love of everything holy, don't let him get crippled because of this.
If the Edicts find out their shining spirit was crippled, would they off him for the next one? This was the first time he even thought such a thing.
He tried with everything in his might to get back up, but his brain stopped functioning. His head flopped on the ground, and the welcoming comfort of sleep called.
Toga Dawnheart was knocked out.
Everything went black. The sweet call of nothingness however brief, was strong. Like having sleep paralysis, he couldn't force his awake up.
SMACK! There was a loud slapping sound "Wake up!" it was the sound of a boy. A young boy of eleven. Toga was outside in the same woods he and Ryuma always played in.
It was a boy with black hair. He bared such a striking resemblance to Ryuma at that age, Toga knew this had to be a dream.
"It looks like you lost again," The boy said.
"I can see that," Toga said. He was feeling frustrated enough. He didn't need this.
"How are you supposed to fulfill your promise to her if you just keep losing?" Ryuma asked.
"I'll get stronger. It's as simple as that," Toga said.
Ryuma now moved into his personal space. If I'm to go based off your track record. I'd say the Skylands is doomed. Especially if it's me coming to destroy it," Ryuma said.
"I'm not going to let anybody touch the Skylands. That's the only way to keep my promise," Toga swore.
"Are you sure you could do it? Did you already forget… I let you win," Ryuma aged to his current self when he said that last part.
Toga jolted. It was enough of a shock to force his body awake. He was panting hard. He had a body full of sweat, and all he could feel was the heat around him. His mind pieced together where he was and what had happened. He must've survived that meteor bomb somehow. The fact that he sat upright immediately meant his vertebrae was still working. He wasn't paralyzed from the neck down.
He felt around at his thighs. He could still feel them. He kicked around for good measure. His legs were working too so he still had a spine.
There was a ton of relief let go as he fell backwards. At least it was some comfort to know after coming to the realization that he lost again.