You clenched the ball tightly in your hand as Daddy Walrus held a device which measured the distance the ball was thrown at. You pulled your arm back. You then took a step forward and threw the ball. Everyone watched as it flew through the air. Daddy Walrus then looked at the device and nodded.
"221 metres." You smiled in delight and walked back towards the others. You then rested your hands on your hips as you smiled at Astro and gave him a high five.
"Your turn." Astro nodded and walked forwards. Everyone watched earnestly as Astro took the ball and readied his arm. He then took a step forwards and he threw the ball with all of his might. Everyone's eyes widened as the ball flew out of sight in a matter of seconds. Abercrombie scratched his head and whistled.
"Whew, that was quite a throw." He told. You nodded in agreement. A whistling sound then sounded behind you, prompting you to look back. Something then whizzed passed you and it connected with the back of Abercrombie's head. Abercrombie fell face forward onto the ground, making everyone's eyes widen and they cried out for him.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Kennedy whispered. Everyone surrounded him while Astro went to pick up the ball. He then walked over to Abercrombie and looked down at him.
"Sorry about that." He apologised. Abercrombie only twitched in response. You eyed the ball in amazement and you took it from him.
"I can't believe this thing actually flew over the earth! You've got a crazy amount of strength, Astro." You praised, making Astro smile. Daddy Walrus eyed Abercrombie down with concern before he nodded to the two of you.
"You two, take him to the nurse." You and Astro both shared a look before nodding to him. Astro then reached down to Abercrombie and he threw him onto his shoulder before he began his trek back to the school building. You waved to everyone before jogging after him. Suppose Abercrombie wouldn't want to do any more joint classes with you anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You excitedly talked Astro's ear off as you spoke about his epic throw.
"That ball must've gone around the world if it managed to hit Abercrombie in the head!" You exclaimed. Astro nodded while carrying the unconscious boy.
"I shouldn't have used that much strength." He admitted almost shamefully. You giggled at him. Astro smiled. You both then arrived at the nurse's office and walked in. The nurse turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Abercrombie.
"Oh my, what happened?" The nurse questioned as Astro set Abercrombie down on the bed.
"Astro gave him a concussion." You told while Astro nodded in agreement. The nurse sighed.
"Astro, you have to be more careful when around humans. You of all people should know this." Astro bowed his head apologetically.
"Yeah, I know. And I am careful with them!" Astro then gestured to Abercrombie. "I only used HALF of my strength when throwing that ball." You eyed him in disdain. He was such a liar.
"We should get going." You mentioned as you tugged him by the hand.
"Okay, bye Abercrombie. I hope you're feeling better." Astro said to the young boy as he laid unconscious on the bed. You dragged him out of the room while the nurse watched you go with a frown.
Outside of the nurse's office, you saw your friends come down the hallway. You instantly brightened and you waved to them.
"Hey guys!" You called out as you ran towards them. The others waved.
"Hey." Sabrina then spied the nurse's door behind you where Abercrombie slept.
"So, how's Abercrombie?" You smiled.
"He'll be fine. Astro only gave him a mild concussion." Alejo let out a rather long sigh.
"Astro, you have to be more careful." Astro rubbed his head.
"Sorry, I guess I did throw it a little too hard." Everyone eyed him with tired faces. 'You think?' Everyone thought in sync. All of you then began to make your way towards the school exit. You dragged two hands over your face as your exhaustion finally caught up with you.
"I just wanna go home and sleep and do absolutely nothing." You mumbled. Everyone laughed as you stepped into the sunshine. A familiar voice then called out to you, making you look up in confusion. Both you and Astro doubled back in surprise as Tobio ran at you with a waving hand.
"Tobio!? What are you doing here?" You exclaimed just as he came to a stop. Everyone stared at him with gaping mouths while Tobio smiled at you.
"I wanted to see you." He admitted. Your eyes widened slightly while Astro immediately frowned. Your friends then shoved you back as they stared at Tobio in astonishment.
"Holy cow, it's the white diamond candidate...! It's actually him!" Alejo squealed while Reno quickly fixed his uniform. He then turned to Kennedy for confirmation.
"Do I look presentable?" Kennedy pushed him back.
"Dude get a grip of yourself!" Sabrina pushed passed the two idiotic boys before she smiled shyly at Tobio.
"Excuse these guys. They don't know what manners are." Everyone immediately frowned at her before the bunch started bickering with each other. Astro shook his head in dismay while Tobio gave them a funny look. You let out a light laugh before you pulled Tobio away from the chaotic group.
"Are you sure you should be out of bed?" You asked Tobio with Astro hanging closely around you. Tobio rubbed his upper arm while nodding.
"The doctor said that I should be fine. Besides, I've really slacked off on my training. I need to get back into the grind of things if I ever want to resume my position as guardian of the white diamond pendant." He stated. Your eyes lit up while Astro eyed the pendant hanging around his neck. It was so weird actually talking to him, he honestly didn't know how to feel about it.
"Wait, will you be attending the same school as us!?" You asked hopefully. Tobio's face was full of surprise before he hurriedly shook his head.
"Oh, no. I'm actually homeschooled. I do all of my training back at the castle. Actually..." A small smile twisted onto Tobio's lips and he leaned towards you. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to train together." Your eyes widened as well as Astro's and you gave each other a look.
"Train together?" You both uttered in sync. Tobio happily nodded his head. He then gave Astro a pleading look.
"If that's okay with you." Astro clamped his mouth shut as Tobio practically begged him. He then scratched the back of his head decidingly.
"Well, I personally don't mind. But are you sure that Dr Ten- I mean your father, is alright with this?" He confirmed. Tobio waved him off without a problem while smiling.
"Of course it's not a problem. This is my training after all. Actually, I'd feel more confident if I trained with my partner." He admitted. Astro's eyes widened at the term.
"Partner?" Tobio nodded his head and he linked his arms with yours.
"Well yeah. We're both guardians. So it's only natural that we work together as a team." He stated. You happily nodded your head in agreement. Astro was at a loss for words. An overwhelming negative feeling then clouded his chest, making him frown. 'Why do I feel so...bad?' Astro was stuck with his feelings while you and Tobio marched your way over to the coliseum. You then looked back at Astro and called him over.
"Are you coming?" Astro was snapped out of his thoughts and he whipped his head in your direction. He then chased after you. Tobio watched him carefully as he caught up with the two of you. He then focused his gaze ahead of him as you walked to the coliseum.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tobio looked around at the broken coliseum with a look of impression on his face. He then eyed the perfectly sliced set of stairs before pointing at it.
"Is this where you train?" You let out a rather sheepish laugh while Astro nodded his head. Tobio shivered with excitement before he clapped his hands together. "This is so exciting! What should we start with? Sparring? Or maybe a few exorcises." You unsheathed your sword and you held your blade up.
"We could start off with a few exorcises." You suggested. Tobio smiled and he reached for his own sword, only to find that his waist was empty. His eyes widened and he looked down at the empty spot before lowering his head.
"I accidentally left my training sword back at the capital, um..." You shrugged your shoulders.
"That's okay. You can just borrow Astro's. What do you say?" You mentioned as you turned towards the surprised robot.
"Oh, um, sure he can borrow it." Tobio watched him intently as he unsheathed his sword, and he saw its magnificent white blade. He carefully reached out to it and he took a hold of it. Before he could admire its beauty, the heavy blade slipped through his fingers and it made a crack in the ground upon impact. Tobio almost choked while you eyed the blade in bewilderment.
"What the- Why is your sword so heavy, Astro?" You cried out in alarm. Astro laughed as he plucked his blade from the ground and returned it to its sheath.
"Sorry about that. I forgot I had it made this way. It's so that people can't easily steal it." He admitted. Tobio dusted his hands off before waving him off.
"That's understandable." You let out a long sigh before you offered up your sword to Tobio, making him look at you.
"Here, you can use mine. I'll just use my scythe." Tobio took your blade from you while eyeing you oddly.
"Scythe....?" You smiled promptly at him before a ring of shadows appeared around your feet. Tobio watched on in awe as a scythe conjured up of shadows appeared in your hands. This time, you caught it without a problem. You twirled your weapon around your wrist and you struck a pose with it. Tobio clapped at your mini performance while Astro sat by the stairs as he propped his chin on his palm.
"That was amazing! I thought your weapon would be a sword like mine, but I never imagined that it would be a scythe." Tobio praised and he inched his hands towards said weapon. You gave him a nervous laugh as he brushed his fingers over the handle.
"I actually did want a sword. But I got this instead." You said rather sadly. Tobio carefully held your scythe in his hands and he tested its weight.
"Well you've definitely chosen yourself a very fine weapon." You smiled at his words. As your gaze flickered towards his pendant, you pointed towards it.
"What about your powers? Can I see them?" Tobio almost dropped the scythe as you asked him this, and Astro sat up abruptly.
"Y-Y/n, I don't think you should be asking him something like that." Astro carefully warned, and he approached you from behind. You looked back at him with a visible look of confusion on your face while Tobio shook his head.
"No, it's okay. But..." Tobio looked down at your scythe thoughtfully, and he clenched it. "I honestly don't think I'm ready to use my powers just yet. I'm...afraid to. Especially with what happened." It took you a moment to fully realise what Tobio was talking about, and you immediately felt bad for asking him.
"I'm sorry. Y-You're right, we should probably focus on other things for now. Say, how about we do a few exercises first? Like a running race!" You excitedly exclaimed. Tobio tapped his chin thoughtfully before nodding along to your suggestion.
"I don't see why not." You grinned at him. You then pointed towards the other end of the coliseum.
"Then we'll race to over there. Whoever gets there first wins." Tobio nodded his head and he used your scythe as a resting spot for his arms.
"That's no problem. Ah, but I have to warn you. I am pretty fast." You eyed him funnily while he gave you a cocky smile. "Although, you are a guardian. So it's probably not necessary for me to give you a head start." You scoffed at his words.
"Of course it isn't necessary! We'll race fair and square." Tobio laughed before he readied himself.
"Whenever you're ready." You leaned forwards and you readied your arms while Astro stood to the side as a mediator. He then breathed in.
"On your marks, get set, GO!" You pushed yourself forwards and the wind blew passed your hair as you sped across the coliseum. Your lips twisted into a gleeful smile as you ran your hardest. Tobio wasn't even beside you, which gave you confidence. However, you couldn't be more far from the truth.
Tobio had stayed at the starting point for a good few seconds before he ran forwards. You looked back and to your astonishment, he caught up to you in no time flat. As he passed by you, he gave you a playful wink before racing forwards. As you reached the finish line, you slowed to a stop and you eyed Tobio with short breaths.
"Wow, you really are fast..." you uttered. Tobio rubbed the back of his head almost apologetically as he gave you a bashful grin.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't give you a fair race." You shook your head before smiling at him.
"Don't be. Why don't we have a crack at Astro's obstacle course?" You suggested, peaking Tobio's curiosity greatly.
"Obstacle course?" Astro shook his head shamefully while you eagerly nodded.
"Mhm! Come on, it'll be fun!" You exclaimed and you beckoned him over to the entry way leading to the other side of the coliseum. Tobio spared Astro a small glance before following behind you. Astro frowned at his back. So far, the pair have not once had a decent conversation with each other. It was troubling, to say the least. Astro gripped his chest tightly and he pressed his lips into a thin line. 'Why do I feel so unsettled? What is this feeling?'
"Come on, Astro! We need you to get it up and running!" You called out to him. Astro's feet moved before his mind could, and he suddenly found himself over by the control mechanism for the obstacle course. Tobio looked up at the contraption in wonder while you stood before it with an accomplished air surrounding you.
"We have to go through this?" Tobio spoke, to which you nodded your head.
"Yep! It looks scary, but-"
"Oh, it's not scary. I was just surprised at how easy it looks." Tobio admitted, making your eyes snap wide open.
"Huh?"
"Well, I'll go first." You and Astro both watched with wide eyes as Tobio readied himself. He then focused his gaze on the obstacle course before he planted his foot on the ground, giving himself a great boost. He dashed towards the obstacle course and he jumped right into the water, alarming you both greatly.
"TOBIO!" You wailed and you and Astro immediately rushed over to the edge. Instead of actually landing in the water, Tobio used the heads of the pirañas in the water as stepping stones. All of the air in your body had left you completely as you watched him in awe. Once he had arrived at the rings of fire, Tobio used your scythe as a grapple before swinging himself through in one go, making your jaw drop. You hadn't even realised he still had that.
As he arrived at the swinging axes, they had become another story. Tobio evaded their movements almost flawlessly before he arrived at the finish line. He looked back at the obstacle course and he let out a small breath. You struggled to take your eyes away from him he was that good.
"Wow, he really is amazing..." Astro breathed, making you look over at him. Tobio jogged over to the two of you and he smiled at you.
"Do you have anything else?" He asked. Oddly enough, this ticked you off. Why did you feel so annoyed? 'I shouldn't be, I mean he's had way more experience than I have. But...' You clenched your fists and they shook. You couldn't help it, it was your fighting spirit. The scythe disappeared in Tobio's hand, making him jump slightly.
"Let's have that sparring match after all." You spoke. Tobio's eyes widened as you drew your sword and handed it to him. "We'll go back to the arena grounds and fight there." Tobio took a hold of your sword and he looked over it just as you turned your back to him. He then followed you back to the arena with Astro not far behind him. He already knew who was going to win.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You stood before Tobio with your scythe ready in your hands. The young boy stood across from you with his blade poised in a battle position, ready for attack. Astro raised his hand into the air, before he struck it down.
"GO!" You raced forwards and you had your scythe ready by your side. You let out a huge war cry before you swung forwards at Tobio. His eyes flickered over to your oncoming blade for a split second before he brought his sword up, allowing your scythe to slide off his blade. Your body followed along the momentum and you were thrown to the side. You struggled to regain your balance as you stumbled forwards before you looked back at Tobio vexingly.
Tobio remained neutral to your hostile look and he readied his sword once again. You ran forwards once more, ready to throw your scythe at him. Admittedly, Tobio felt bored with this fight. 'She's so predictable.' He thought to himself with disappointment and he readied to parry your blade. The moment his sword even touched your scythe, you lifted yourself off the ground and you swung around it, making his eyes widen.
Astro inwardly cheered as you delivered a heavy blow to his head, knocking him off balance. You jumped down onto the ground and you readied yourself for another entourage of attacks. Tobio fell back and he used his palm to catch himself. You took this opportunity to rush forwards with your scythe ready by your side. You then swung it horizontally, aiming to knock the sword out of Tobio's hand.
His eyes widened as the scythe neared his blade. He then used his hand and threw himself into the air, shocking you. Your head followed his movements and you saw him fly over your head. How was he able to do that? He landed square on his feet and before you could react, you were dealt a heavy blow to the gut, knocking all of the air out of you.
You crumbled to your knees and you dropped the scythe in the process as you leaned on the ground. You gasped for air while Tobio stood above you with his sword poised. Astro stood deathly still as he watched you, his face full of shock.
"W-Wow, you're awesome...!" You croaked. Tobio relaxed his body and he offered a helping hand to you. You reluctantly took it and he hoisted you to your feet.
"You definitely surprised me in the end there." He admitted. You waved off his praise and you let out a defeated sigh.
"You're only saying that to be nice. You totally smashed me." Tobio couldn't help but smile victoriously. He then heard clapping behind him, making him turn around.
"Your form was great, Tobio. How about you and I have a sparring match?" Astro suggested as he stopped before him. Tobio's muscles tensed up and his grip on his blade tightened. He then gave Astro a nervous smile.
"I don't know...."
"Come on, don't chicken out on me. I reckon it'll be fun." Astro prompted. 'Plus it gives me a reason to take you down a notch.' He thought rather admittedly to himself. Tobio breathed in before he crouched into a fighting stance.
"Okay, but you've gotta go easy on me." Astro unsheathed his sword and he laughed.
"I'll try to." You dragged yourself over to the stairs while shaking a vengeful fist at Tobio.
"Avenge me!" You cried out to Astro, who nodded with all his might. Tobio laughed at you before he and Astro readied their positions. He and Astro watched each other's every move as they circled one another. You relaxed yourself over the stairs as you watched them intently. You then raised your hand into the air, and brought it down.
"Go!" Tobio and Astro ran at each other with ecstatic grins on their faces, waiting to test each other's strength. Tobio adjusted his grip on his sword and he swung Astro from the side. He saw this attack coming from a mile away and he pressed his blade against his shoulder and he used Tobio's momentum to effectively avoid the attack.
"Stealing my tricks?" Tobio stated tauntingly as he quickly turned his sword and he thrusted towards him. Astro swatted his blade away before charging in with an attack of his own.
"Trust me, you're not the first to use them." You sat up in your seat as you watched with wide eyes whilst the pair battled each other. They were fast, you couldn't even see their sword movements! Tobio ducked under Astro's blade before he leant back and drove his sword towards Astro's chest. Astro looked down at him, and he flicked his sword upwards.
A sharp cry left Tobio's mouth as his sword flew from his hand. It spun in the air for a moment before driving a wedge between your feet, making you squeak in surprise. Tobio stared up at Astro in a stunned silence while he looked down at him from above. Tobio's chest tingled and he held a hand up to it.
"Wow, you really are something else..." he breathed. A victorious smile appeared over his lips and he offered his hand to him.
"And so are you. You had excellent form." Tobio laughed as he took his hand and he was pulled to his feet. He then noted the setting sun and he dusted himself off.
"Well I should get going. I'm sure my father is worried about me." He mentioned. He then turned towards you while you struggled to pull the sword out of the ground. "Y/n, you should stop by the castle tomorrow. I'd love to show you around." He admitted. You looked up from your task and you nodded your head with glee.
"Yeah, that sounds great!" You exclaimed. Tobio smiled warmly at you. He then bowed his head to both you and Astro before walking towards the exit. Astro sheathed his sword and he walked over to you.
"Need help with that?" You kicked the blade out of frustration before dropping your head in defeat.
"Yeah." Astro muffled his laugh as he gripped the sword by the handle, and effortlessly pulled it out of the ground. He then handed the blade back to you and he watched you put it away.
"Y/n, after that battle with Tobio, it's made me realise something..." you eyed him up curiously as he spied the spot where the sword had been driven. He then pointed an accusing finger your way, making you jump. "You need more training. I don't think I've been hard enough on you. But first, I need to assess your power. So tomorrow at dawn, we'll fight."
Your jaw practically dropped to the floor upon hearing Astro's suggestion.
"WHAT!?"