Yoshi had finally gotten himself ready to join the girls at the lake. He was wearing a black tank-top, red swim-trunks with orange hawk-like designs on the sides, and black sandals. He also had a red towel with a large hawk design in the middle, yellow borders, and red-rimmed shades.

As he walked along the path to the lake, he saw two members of the Animal Squadron at a picnic table. And one of them was his other roommate, Kenji.

Kenji was a pretty tall young man, standing about 6'04'', and had long, spiky dark brown hair that reached to the middle of his shoulder blades, amber eyes, and a notch on his left ear. He had a muscular frame and had three long scars starting on his left chest and going downward diagonally across his chest and midsection. He also had three scars on his right shoulder. He was currently wearing a black tank-top with orange slash-like stripes on the sides and black pants with black and orange shoes.

And the second guy stood 6'05'', and had jet-black hair held in a low ponytail, sky blue eyes, and, while he wasn't as muscular, he still had a very well-toned frame. He wore a cyan tank-top with kanji on his chest that translated to "dragon", and blue jeans with blue and white boots.

"How's it goin' bud?" Kenji asked.
"Hey Kenji. Hey Ryu." Yoshi greeted.
"Where are you heading off to?" Ryu asked, observing Yoshi's current attire.
"The lake. I promised Sakura I'd join her and the others." Yoshi replied nonchalantly.
"Sakura? You mean that Hagiwara girl? The one from Berserk?" Kenji asked, wanting to be clear. "The team that Chinatsu is on as well?"
"Yes indeed." Yoshi replied.
"...Can I come?" Kenji asked.
"Get your swim stuff and meet me there when you can." Yoshi told him.

Kenji wasted no time and took off for home.

The two watched him run and couoldn't help but laugh for a while.

"If only he'd run that fast for training." Ryu joked.
"Heh. Yeah." Yoshi said.
"...Say… would you mind if I came along too?" Ryu asked.
"Well… I wouldn't mind… but how come?" Yoshi asked, curious.
"Well, I've been wanting to grill for a while, and the lake seems like a good time and place." Ryu replied. "Plus… well… I was thinking… that if, maybe, Misaki was there… then..." he added, stammering like a school boy trying to ask a pretty girl out on a date.
Yoshi noticed the stammering and his reddening face and couldn't help but grin. "Do you have a crush on Misaki?"
"Uh… mmmaybe..." Ryu said. Yoshi shook his head, still grinning.
"Well, I'm sure they won't mind you coming along either. So get your stuff and meet us down at the lake." he told Ryu.
"Ok. Well, I'll see you in a bit." Ryu said as he got up and ran for home to get ready.

Yoshi watched for a few seconds before turning on his heels and shaking his head with a smile.
He then resumed his advance towards the lake.

* Meanwhile *

At the lake, the girls were already enjoying their time. Whether they were swimming, talking, sunbathing, or talking while swimming or sunbathing, everyone was going to make the most of their time at the lake.

"I think it's safe to say we earned this. Don't you think?" Sakura asked as she sunbathed in her white bikini.
"No arguments there pal." Rio joked, lounging in her chair, clad in a purple bikini and wearing shades with purple rims. "I've been looking forward to a day like this for weeks."

After a few minutes, Sakura saw that Yoshi had finally arrived.
"Hey Yoshi!" she greeted, waving at him happily. "Over here!"
Yoshi looked over and saw Sakura and the girls, and smiled at them. "I see ya. I'm comin' down." he said as he jogged up to them. Yoshi greeted them calmly before going to set up a spot a short distance away from the girls.
"No, no. Over here." Sakura said, beckoning him to come set up next to them.
"No, I… I can't possibly." Yoshi stammered nervously.
"Oh, come on. We don't bite." Sakura said, trying to convince him to come over.
"But… I just… I thought I'd give you girls some space." Yoshi said, trying to defend his decision.
"Look, just sit over there, and get it over with." Rio spoke up. But judging by the tone of her voice, they could tell she wasn't truly agitated. She seemed to be more pushing for Yoshi to get to know Sakura better.
"Well… ok..." Yoshi gave in, picking up his stuff and setting up over near Sakura. Rio grinned smugly, looking over at Yoshi through her shades.

Once Yoshi sat down, Sakura could see him tense up, becoming as stiff as a board.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Oh… I'll live..." Yoshi answered. "I've just… never been this close to a girl before… not counting my sisters, of course."
"I see..." Sakura said. "Are you going to swim?"
"...May be..." Yoshi replied. "Though… I think I'd feel more comfy if I kept the shirt on."
"And why is that?" Rio asked as she sat up, lowering her shades.
"Because, I… I don't feel very comfy showing off my body around a bunch of girls..." Yoshi explained as his face got redder as the moments passed.
"Well, considering what WE'RE wearing… I think you'll be fine." Sakura pointed out.
"Not changing my mind though." Yoshi said as he crossed his arms.
Rio rolled her eyes in mild amusement before walking over to Elena and whispering something in her ear before doing the same to Sakura. Both girls giggled at what Rio told them.

And luckily, Yoshi didn't catch on.

The girls used that to their advantage, and Sakura and Elena sneaked up behind Yoshi while Rio casually walked up to Yoshi. Yoshi had a bad feeling that something was gonna happen to him. And when he saw Rio nod her head once, he knew he was right. Yoshi's eyes grew big.

But it was too late.

"Get him!" Rio yelled as she, Sakura and Elena pounced on him.
"Wha-?! What are you-?! How dare you?!" Yoshi yelled out in protest.
"Sorry, but you forced our hands!" Rio said, not even trying to contain her laughter.
"We wish there was another way!" Sakura said, also laughing.

Meanwhile, as Yoshi was getting ambushed, Misaki, Moe, Juri, and the others just watched on with wide eyes and giggles.

"Get off me! Oh, when I get my hands on you I'll-!" Yoshi began, but stopped when he felt his tank-top being lifted off his body and tossed to the side. The girls all got off and looked at their handiwork.

And all three started to blush. But Sakura's blush ran deeper.

Yoshi's face was burning red from embarrassment. But what caught the girls' eyes was his body. It wasn't muscular, but it was well-toned, and they could see the outline of his abs and muscles. That, combined with his embarrassed face, gave him both a hot and cute appearance.

"...Wow..." Rio thought.
"He has a nice body..." Elena thought.
"That explains a lot..." Sakura thought. "And that body… I can imagine the line of girls that want to get a good look at him."

"Well, I hope you're happy." Yoshi spat in embarrassment.
"Oh, very much so." Sakura accidently blurted out, making Yoshi's face become even redder than before (if that was possible). The others giggled at her statement and his reaction.
"Ah, just go jump in the lake. You'll feel better." Elena said.
Yoshi let out a long sigh. "Very well." he said as he applied some sunscreen and ran to the water. Sakura watched him for a bit before deciding to go swimming herself, with Rio and Elena following behind.

From there, Yoshi pushed that earlier event out of his head and allowed himself to have fun in the water, even engaging some of the girls in splash fights.
"So, have you given joining the wrestling league some thought?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah… and I think it'll be good for me to join. I've been itching to get out of my shell and wrestle once more." Yoshi replied.
"Sweet." Sakura replied happily.
"I'll believe it when I see it." a male voice said. Sakura and Yoshi's faces changed, not expecting the new voice. They turned their heads to see Kenji standing there wearing black swim trunks with orange stripes on the side and black sandals.
"Kenji? When did you get here?" Yoshi asked.
"A few minutes ago, actually." Kenji replied. "Ryu and I have already set up over there." he added as he pointed over to Ryu. Ryu was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue dragon on the front, blue swim-trunks with white tribal marks on the side resembling a dragon, and blue sandals. And he was starting to grill some food. Ryu noticed Yoshi and the others and waved. They waved back.
Misaki also happened to notice Ryu, a smile creeping across her lips. To her. He was a handsome young man, and he looked like a nice guy too.

"So… what did you mean by 'I'll believe it when I see it' exactly?" Sakura asked, curious about his statement.
"This isn't the first time Yoshi has said that and back out." Kenji explained.
"But I'm serious this time." Yoshi said in defense.
"I've heard you say that too." Kenji bluntly stated.
"I MEAN IT!" Yoshi yelled, starting to get mad. "I don't want to hold myself back anymore! I want to take up wrestling again!"
Kenji let out a long sigh. "Look… I want to believe you. I really do." he explained. But Yoshi wasn't buying it. "But you always back out at the last minute, using excuses like stomach cramps, you feel sick after eating some bad sushi, heartburn, or whatever else you can think of."

Yoshi knew he was right; every time Yoshi tried to rejoin wrestling, he always backed out at the last minute with some half-baked excuse. But he knew that, if he was going to become a pro wrestler and make his parents proud, he had to take it seriously and go all the way.

"What if I PROVE to you that I'm serious?" Yoshi asked challengingly.
"...What do you have in mind?" Kenji asked.
"...I want you to put me to the test." Yoshi said. "Specifically, THE test; I want you, and the Animal Squadron, to put me through the Ten Beasts' Fury!"

"...Well, if that's what you want, then I'm sure we cou-..." Kenji began, but stopped as he let Yoshi's words sink in. "Wait… WHAT?!"
"WHAT?!" Ryu yelled out in shock, accidentally launching a hamburger up.
"WHAT?!" Chinatsu yelled in disbelief, spitting and coughing her drink out.

Kenji, Ryu, and Chinatsu were in absolute shock; Yoshi was dead serious this time. No one in their right mind would chose THAT to show how serious they are, JUST to join wrestling.

"Yoshi… y-y-you CAN NOT be serious!" Kenji said, hoping Yoshi was joking.
"I AM serious. Put me through the Ten Beasts' Fury." Yoshi said, not backing down.
"But… you'll be pulverized!" Chinatsu said, trying to reason with him.
"I don't care." Yoshi retorted, still showing no signs of backing down.

"Um… what exactly IS the Ten Beasts' Fury?" Moe asked. "I've heard my friend Kai talk about it, but I don't know quite what it is exactly."
"It's basically the 100 Holds test we were put through. Remember that?" Chinatsu stated.
"Uh huh." Moe said, nodding her head.
"Yoshi will be pitted against ten different wrestlers from the team. And each will perform ten different moves on him. So, that'll be 100 moves in total." Chinatsu explained. "And if he's able to stand at the end of it all, then he's in."
"Interesting." Moe said. "But Ms. Sakura made it through the 100 Holds, as did I. So Mr. Yoshi should be fine."
"This is the men's division, sweetie." Kenji pointed out. "It's a LOT tougher. And the members of the Animal Squadron are VERY tough. You know Hanzo?"
"Juri's dating him, I believe." Moe answered. "You are dating him, right?" she asked Juri, who nodded her head yes.
"Well, he's one of the elites of our team. Ichiro and I are as well. Same goes for Ryu over there." Kenji said, pointing back at Ryu, who was still grilling. "And the others? They make Rio look like a mere kitten playing with a ball of yarn."
Sakura's eyes grew wide; she's seen how aggressive Rio is. So the idea of someone who makes her aggression seem like child's play was quite unsettling.

"So, with that said, you know there's no turning back, right?" Kenji asked Yoshi, wanting to be absolutely sure that Yoshi was serious.
"I understand." Yoshi replied.

Kenji saw the fire in his eyes, and heard the passion in his voice, and he knew Yoshi was serious.
Kenji smiled big, and behind him, Ryu smiled as well.
"Well, congratulations Yoshi." he said. "That is EXACTLY what I want to hear from you. There's no mistaking that fire in your eyes or passion in your voice. As soon as we're done here, we'll put you through the Ten Beasts' Fury."
Yoshi smiled big. "Thanks Kenji. I won't let you, or the Animal Squadron down."
"Of that, I'm certain." Kenji said.
"WAY TO GO, BUDDY!" Ryu called out. Yoshi smiled as his face became a little red.
"I'm sure you'll do fine." Sakura said, hoping to calm his nerves.

Yoshi tried not to worry much about the test and resumed playing at the lake with the girls and getting to know Sakura and her friends a bit more. Soon, the food was done, and everyone rush over to Ryu to get some. Kenji sat down with Chinatsu, while Yoshi sat down with Sakura, and Ryu sat down with Misaki. From there, everyone was just eating and talking about various different topics.

But later that day, Yoshi suited up in his training attire and made his way to the gym.
Kenji and Ryu already explained the situation to Katsu, and he was more than happy to oblige. He knew Yoshi wanted to wrestle again so badly, and saw this as a good kick-starter.

Soon, the doors to the gym opened, and standing in the doorway was Yoshi with a look of determination in his eyes.
"Here I am Katsu." he said. "I'm ready."
"Are you now?" Katsu asked as he took his trench-coat off, leaving him in a black, form-fitting tank-top.
"Yes sir. I know what is expected of me."
"I understand." Katsu said as Yoshi made his way into the ring. "This test has been handed down from coach to coach in our proud history. It was made to weed out the weak and unworthy. You will endure ten moves from ten wrestlers. If you can stand at the end of it all… you'll pass, and you'll have the right to be considered a member of the Animal Squadron." he explained. "So… with that said… are you ready?"
Yoshi grinned and popped his knuckles. "Born ready."

Katsu grinned and chuckled slightly. And quick as a flash, Katsu charged at Yoshi, maneuvering behind him and looping his arms around his waist before lifting him over and slamming him down hard on his shoulders and back of his neck.
"The German Suplex. A good way to start." Katsu said as Yoshi growled and picked himself off the floor.
"Good choice, sir." Yoshi said as he got himself ready. Katsu then kicked Yoshi in the gut, making him bend over, where Katsu then looped his arms around his waist again, lifted him up, then slammed him down hard.
"Power Bomb. Another good starting-point. That's two down." Katsu said before awaiting Yoshi to get up again.
From that point, Katsu used eight other strong moves against Yoshi. And each time, Yoshi got up, ready for the next set.

"One set down. Excellent. Just nine more." Katsu stated.
"Bring it on sir. I can take it." Yoshi said, his voice now possessing a noticeable growl.

From then on, each wrestler came up to Yoshi, each performing their ten different moves against him.

Next up was Yukimura, a young male about Yoshi's age and height, possessing spiky, dirty blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes, and tights that were aqua-blue on one side and white on the other, and with a shark design on each side that is the opposite color of the side it's on, and wearing aqua-blue boots with white toe-areas and trims.
Yukimura's first move was a Tiger Bomb.
"11!" Katsu counted.
Yoshi growled as he got up, only or Yukimura to tackle him down hard with a Spear.
"12!" Katsu counted again.

After Yukimura was done, the next wrestler came in, ready to perform his moves. One of those moves was the Gorilla Press.
"24!" Katsu counted.

Set after set, and wrestler after wrestler, Yoshi had to endure brutal punishment from them all. And after each move, Yoshi still got up. However, it progressively got harder to stand, as the multiple moves were taking a big toll on him.

Soon, Yoshi was on his last set, and on move 98. The final wrestler was Ichiro.
"Alright Yoshi! Just two more! You can do it!" Katsu yelled encouragingly.

"I must say; I'm impressed you've made it this far." Ichiro said.
"You… doubt my endurance?" Yoshi asked tiredly.
"No. Just… surprised is all. Not many make it to 75." Ichiro pointed out.
"Yeah yeah yeah." Yoshi dismissed. "Just… get it over with."
"Very well." Ichiro said as he trapped Yoshi in a headlock before flipping him down hard. Yoshi let out a loud yell upon impact.
"99!" Katsu counted. "JUST ONE MORE!"

At this point, Yoshi was struggling hard to get up. But it hurt him so bad to even move. Nevertheless, he knew he couldn't quit now. He came this far, and victory was within arm's reach. He came so close, he could practically taste it. Summoning every ounce of willpower he could muster, he picked himself up, fighting through the pain that wracked his body.

"You ok?" Ichiro asked, concerned for his friend. "We can stop if you want."
"No!" Yoshi protested. "AGAIN!"
"Dude, you can barely stand!" Ichiro said, trying to reason with him. "You already proved your point."
"I DON'T CARE!" Yoshi yelled, his voice exhausted and pained. "I've come this far, and I've only got one move to endure left. I intend to play this thing out… TO THE END! Now, AGAIN!" he commanded.
Ichiro let out a long sigh. "It's your funeral..." he muttered as he charged at Yoshi, slamming him down with a powerful Suplex. Yoshi screamed out in massive pain, his body in more pain than he's ever been in up to this point.

"That's 100!" Katsu yelled excitedly. "All he has to do now is get up!"

But Yoshi couldn't move.

His body was in so much agony, he could barely breathe without pain shooting through his body.

"Come on, man. You can do it. Come on!" Ichiro said, hoping to encourage Yoshi.
"You've come this far! Don't give up now!" Kenji called out.

In the back of his mind, Yoshi knew he couldn't give up. Not now. He knew Sakura went through something very similar. And he knew if she could do it, then he could too. Mustering every last bit of energy he could, he made an effort to stand up, trying his best to fight through the pain. And any time his pain tried to bring him down, he fought through it harder, gritting his teeth and bearing the pain. He turned himself so that he try to push himself up with his arms and knees, eventually getting on one knee and an arm. He then attempted to push himself up with his other arm, and he almost got up, but fell down again. But thankfully, he managed to save himself before falling down comepletely. He was super close now.

The tension in the air was thick as Yoshi struggled to get up. They knew he was close.

He pushed himself up once more, finally getting up on his feet as everyone else was on the edge of their seat.

"Come on..." Katsu thought.

And finally, after much struggle, Yoshi stood up straight on both feet, smiling triumphantly.
"I… did it!" Yoshi cried out in victory, resulting in the team erupting into cheers for their newest member.
"WAY TO GO BUDDY!" Kenji cheered.
"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Yukimura cried out with glee.
"I never doubted you for an instant." Katsu said with pride in his voice.

"How do you feel, man?" Ichiro asked.
"...Very tired and hurt." Yoshi replied half-jokingly. "I think I'm going to stop standing up now."

And with that said, he plopped down, first on his knees, then his face.

"Man down!" Ryu joked.
"What do we do with him?" Yukimura asked.
"Get some towels for him." Katsu replied. "One for a pillow, and one for a blanket. We'll let him rest up here, seeing that he's in no position to move."
"Understood sir." Yukimura said as he left to get the towels. Meanwhile, Ichiro flipped Yoshi over so he would be more comfortable. And Ichiro had to stop himself from laughing, because Yoshi STILL had that triumphant grin on his face.

"He's a tough one, huh?" Ichiro asked.
"He sure is." Katsu replied. "He's definitely his parents' child."
"I'll bet." Ichiro said. "Also, do you want me to stay here with him until he wakes up?"
"That would be nice." Katsu said.
"Ok. I'll go get me some towels too." Ichiro said as he left the ring.

As for Yoshi, his body hurt so much, but he felt amazing inside. He had just completed a feat many have failed at, and few have tried. He had no idea how his fight against Luciana would go, but regardless, he could still walk away with his head held high, knowing he just achieved a near-impossible goal.

Yoshi was now looking forward to Saturday more so than ever before.

*Finally got this one done! Sorry for the long delay. I've been real busy, and my schedule is crazy. I will TRY to do better next time.
Until next time, let me know what you thought. Also let me know if you'd like to see more stories with Yoshi, Ichiro, and/or some of my other OCs for this series.
Anyways, I'm Foxboy614, and I bid y'all sayonara. God bless, and stay safe.