What training is about

“Come on Oliver!” Kazu commanded as Oliver performed a series of dodges, tackles, and lift-ups with the wrestling dummy. “Technique, Oliver, technique!”

Oliver dodged, lunged forward, and lifted the dummy from the waist. Change side. Dodge, tackle, and lift the dummy from the chest. Dodge, jump forward and lift the dummy from one leg. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

“Come on Oliver!” Kazu directed. “You’ll have to do ten more series if you don’t do it correctly!”

“It’s so boring!” Oliver complained as he stomped the floor.

“You have to do those boring things to improve,” Kazu replied. “It’s called training.”

“I don’t want to train!” Oliver said pouching and stomping again on the floor. “I’m six! I wanted to Geordie’s party.”

“Your mother said you could go when you finished training,” Kazu appealingly said, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t want to train technique!” Oliver yelled.

Kazu sighed as he crossed his hands behind his neck. He started walking around the room, looking for the patience he couldn’t find at that moment, as if it would appear like a rabbit from a wizard’s hat.

“What’s going on?” asked a gentle voice.

“Aria!” Kazu said relieved. “Your little rebel is unwilling to train. Help me here please.”

“Is that true Oliver?” Aria questioned raising an eyebrow. “We came early today so you could go to Geordie’s party remember?”

“I don’t want to train!” Oliver stubbornly replied.

“Then you won’t go to the party,” Aria stated.

“Fine!” Oliver said and stomped again on the floor.

A grin appeared on Aria's face.

“Do that again,” Aria requested.

Oliver stomped again.

“Kazu, help me for a minute,” She said as she handed worriedly-faced Kazu tiny baby Alin.

Aria approached her son and crouched. Her posture mirrored herself on the poster behind her.

“Now do that here,” Aria instructed, raising the palm of her hand. “Not with your foot, with your fist of course!”

Oliver punched his mother’s hand.

“Ha! You’re not doing it as you did it with your foot,” Aria told her pouching son. “What do you don’t want to do?”

“To train!” Oliver said as he punched the Aria’s hand.

“Do it again!” Aria thrilledly requested.

“I don’t want to train! I don’t want to train!” Oliver continued as his mother had to raise the other hand to catch all the punches. “I don’t want to train! I don’t want to train! I don’t want to train!”

“Why are you smiling?” asked his mother.

Oliver didn’t reply.

“Good training, Oli!” She exclaimed as she dearly ruffled her son’s hair. “Now, let’s go to that party!”

Aria’s smile slowly faded onto the floor of the handling booth.

“Oliver get up!” Nina and Mike screamed as Oliver’s vision cleared. “Stand, Oliver!”

“Four! Five! Six!” The public shouted.

“They’re counting a knockout!” Oliver flabbergastedly realized.

His neck ached, and his knee was throbbing in pain but he managed to rise on his feet before the crowd reached number ten.

“Athena is out of the designed area!” The referee declared. “The first round is for the Kazuhara!”

Athena looked at the floor, two feet outside the designed area.

“Oliver!” Nina called out, taking Oliver out of his trance. “The left leg, whatever they added to that heel, it’s slowing it down.”

Oliver nodded.

“Go for it Toughver!” Mike encouraged.

“Second round. Contenders, to your positions!” The referee ordered.

Oliver took a deep breath.

“Fight!” The referee commanded.

And lunged forward.

“SWOOSH!” Passed a heel over Athena’s nape.

Athena tackled Kotomine, bringing it close to the edge of the combat zone.

“Oh! Kotomine should better watch out, that possibility of knockout definitely brought fresh air to the Amelia,” Antoine commented.

Kotomine regained its balance and quickly retaliated with a series of flying kicks. Athena dodged one, and two, and “SMASH!” the third punch impacted Athena’s left side. The pain of the impact spread through Oliver’s entire chest but he managed to grab Kotomine’s leg. Oliver twisted Kotomine’s leg to its rotation limit. Kotomine hopped on its right left to maintain its balance as Athena twisted the leg behind Kotomine’s back.

“Just look at how Athena has immobilized Kotomine!” Alex admired.

“Kazuhara’s handler knows for sure that if they resist it’ll be game over for their team,” Antoine added.

As Athena kept twisting the leg to form a loop with Kotomine’s nape, Kotomine started to miserably punch Athena’s left knee. Sparks flew over Oliver’s vision, but he kept firm.

“End it! End it!” Chanted the crowd.

“And what is he doing!?” Antoine exclaimed. “I’ve never seen a lock like that in my entire life!”

“So far, it seems useless,” Alex skeptically said. “If the other robot is still capable of moving, the point won’t be valid…Oh! Wait!”

The public gasped as Athena raised Kotomine from the back with a hand and kept the locked leg with the other. Kotomine desperately tried to break free, sparks began to fly from its limbs. Oliver elevated his opponent as high as he could and let it smash against the floor. The foamed floor on its own wouldn´t have damaged the robot much but as the left heel collided with the nape a dent formed on Kotomine.

“The second round is for the Amelia!” The referee declared.

“What a move Antoine! What a move!” Alex exclaimed. “I’ve never seen something alike before!”

“I’m going to give myself the right of calling it The Doughnut,” Antoine rejoiced.

“Third round. Contenders, fight!” The referee commanded.

Kotomine clumsily lunged forward, and Athena easily dodged as it landed a blow on the rival’s back. Kotomine fell to the ground and frantically started spinning, trying to make Athena fall. Athena jumped out of reach.

Kotomine went in with a flying kick. Athena dodged it. Another kick, another evasion. As Kotomine hysterically tried to land a contact against its opponent, Athena moved away with elegant technique.

Dodge, land a blow, dodge, kick, change position, dodge, land a blow, dodge, kick, change position, lunge, try seizing a lock. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Oliver performed the series automatically, unfazed by the bruises that covered his body.

Dodge, lunge. Athena seized the opponent's waist and locked its arms around it. Kotomine wasn’t able to react as it flew over and smashed the floor.

The arena fell silent witnessing Kotomine lay motionless. The referee began the countdown. "One, two, three..."

“Four, five, six, seven…” The stadium joined.

Emil furiously tried to make Kotomine move. "Eight, nine, ten!"

“Kotomine is knocked out” The referee vociferated. “Round. combat and contest go to the Amelia!”

Oliver froze Athena’s stance and took the handling loop off as Mike and Nina rushed inside the booth.

“You did it, Toughver!” Mike exclaimed as they hugged Oliver.

“You were incredible out there,” Nina said with teary eyes.

“Congratulations, winners!” Quenzie said from outside the booth’s door. “Now come out here. They’re calling for you.”

As Oliver stepped toward the door, the pain brought him down to the floor. Quenzie offered to transport him, to which he reluctantly agreed and they climbed up to the ring.

“Today's ceremony is presided over by honorable Captain Bushida,” Said the announcer as Bushida approached the winners carrying the golden medals.

“Congratulations,” Bushida said as nicely as he could disguise his exasperation as he put the last medal on Oliver’s neck.

The three friends looked at each other and laughed after the infuriated man walked away from the ring.

“Amelia! Amelia! Amelia!” The stadium chanted as they raised their stretched hands to the sky.