"There has never been anything like this in all of the NFC! You are witnessing history right now, folks!" Machita yelled.
"Oh goodness," Ahim said.
"You sound nervous," Machita chided. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not nervous!"
"You both are looking pretty nervous right now."
"Machita, what are you even on about?" Cheryl threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh.
"Not only is this the first time that Byron has ever had a match go to the final round, there have never been any requests in the history of NFC to combine two rounds! We are witnessing history in the making! This may be the first loss in Byron Cartt's career!" Machita yelled to the crowd.
Ivy was the first one to attack.
She hit him square in the face with a flying knee, and spring boarded backwards off of him to avoid the punch that followed.
The fight slowed down and both of them were staring at each other from across the ring. "You really are strong." Ivy said, which surprised Byron. "I guess I'll have to use energy myself if I want to beat you." She said with a slight smirk on her face.
Bubbles of white hot energy began to form from the pores of her skin. She gritted her teeth, and with a yell of exertion, her aura expanded.
She took a step toward him, ready to fight again, but Byron actually took a step back in shock. 'What the- That energy is so immense. But the feeling of it...What is wrong with this kid? She's an absolute monster!' He shook off the feeling and got back into his fighting stance, ready for the final showdown.
The crowd was screaming louder than ever now. They could barely hear Machita yelling through the speakers, "Yea, that's right, get my money, Ivy! Gimmie mothafucking money, Ivy!"
Ivy and Byron both raced forward. Byron threw a long jab, which Ivy ducked under, and hit him square in the gut with a solid punch; almost knocking the wind out of him. He didn't let that bother him too much, as he, in turn, used this opportunity to catch Ivy off-guard and returning the favor with a sucker punch to her stomach. The look of surprise on his face when he saw that she not only survived the punch but was still able to move was priceless. The look of shock quickly turned to anger as a volley of punches and kicks flew.
Grabbing him by the wrist, she pivoted, using his weight against him, and threw him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground.
He rolled and got to his feet, and without wasting a second, pressed the attack again. Byron knew he was tired and wouldn't last the 1:15 left in the round. He mustered all the strength he had left into one last volley of attacks.
As he was attacking, Ivy noticed something—it was exactly as Tobi had said. When Byron punched with his left arm, he would always over-correct, leaving an opening, then he would take a quick step afterwards, as if he was a bit off balance—a bad habit that he never had to correct.
Byron roared something at Ivy, his mouth wide open in fury, but before he could finish, her fist collided with his jaw in a thunderous crack, sending him staggering to the side, clutching his face in shock.
'You stupid idiot!' Tobi thought, eyes wide. 'Even I know better than to leave yourself open like that!'
Byron struggled to his feet, his jaw now hanging awkwardly, clearly broken. He tried to gather himself, but Ivy had already vanished from his sight, reappearing in a flash behind him. Her right hand crackled with energy, and in one swift, brutal motion, she drove her fist into his back. The arena echoed with the sickening crunch of his spine shattering. Byron froze, his body unable to process the pain, before he slumped forward, crashing to the ground, his once-muscular frame deflating as the energy drained from him.
There was a brief moment of silence, then everyone in the crowd all at once erupted. Machita was looking at the faces of his co-commentators. "B-Byron...He just...lost?" Ahim said, with a bewildered look on his face.
"Damn straight he lost! Y'all really thought that I'd bet two million dollars on a fuckin' goofball?!" Machita stood up and yelled out, "Let's fucking go! Where's my twenty-muthafucking-million dollars at? Where's it at?!" The other two commentators were left completely speechless.
The ref brought Ivy to the middle of the ring and raised her hand as the victor of the match. Fans leaped to their feet, chanting her name with a frenzy that echoed off the walls. Some waved banners and posters, while others threw confetti and streamers into the air. The lights above pulsed in sync with the thunderous applause, casting a kaleidoscope of colors across the ring.
Byron was still lying motionless on the ground as the paramedics came in with a stretcher. His voice came out raspy "I..can't feel anything..I can't even move… YOU PARALYSED ME!" He yelled as he was being loaded onto the stretcher. Ivy looked at him, just shrugged, then turned around and nervously smiled and waved to the cameras, unsure what to do with everyone watching.
Machita waved Ivy up towards the commentator's table. She jogged up the stairs and climbed into the commentator's booth.
Grinning, Ivy said, "What'd I tell you, Machita! What'd I tell you!"
Tobi leaned against the railing overlooking the vast pier as yachts and fishing vessels came and went.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he looked to his right, seeing Ivy walking towards him, a big grin on her face, and two dufflebags slung over both her shoulders.
Tobi raised his eyebrows in surprise, "That's how they gave you your money?" He asked incredulously. "I'd be scared of gettin' robbed or something."
"I'm not too worried. Here," she slung one of the bags off her shoulder and extended it to him.
He looked at it warily.
"It's for you," Ivy laughed.
"Ivy…I don't…"
"It's not like I can carry this thing around while I'm training at the Isle of Skye. Keep it. You were like my coach during this whole thing, right? It's like your compensation for that."
"Wow…thank you," he took the bag from her. "So which one of these boats is it?" He gestured out at the water.
"Hmmm," Ivy squinted, the orange evening light of the sun reflecting off the water. "That one there!"
"The pirate ship?" Tobi raised an eyebrow. "That's ridiculous."
"It's gonna be leaving soon…" a small smirk played across Ivy's lips, "I don't remember if I told you, but apparently, there's a pretty high chance of death doing this training. So if I do survive, I'll definitely come back to California Island to see you right after!"
"Wait, what? How dangerous is this gonna be?"
"Uh, I think I heard there's like a twenty percent chance of survival…maybe it was twenty percent chance of dying. I don't remember," she shrugged, "But anyway," Ivy walked over and hugged him, before running off down the pier.
The Isle of Skye is infamous for being the world's most brutal training ground. Legends speak of its unforgiving nature, where the unfit perish under its relentless teachings. It's said that even the toughest men crumble before the sun sets on their first day. Those who refuse to quit face death from either sheer exhaustion or the ferocious beasts that roam the island. The island doesn't just test physical endurance; it pushes warriors to the brink of their mental and emotional limits. Few of the world's greatest fighters would dare endure its tortures, and even fewer would survive.
Ivy, however, could not be more hyped.