WARNING: Violence, blood, injury, death.
The Strongest Fist and Shield
Saori sat in a comfortable armchair in the very middle of a fascinating room, the ceiling and walls covered in stars and nebulae, similar to the starry dome of the Graad Colosseum. This star room was built somewhere under the Kido Mansion, a smaller demonstration of the technology used in the grander monument, and she oft used it to lose herself in meditation. As expected, she was deep in thought after the last tournament battle.
"Grandfather," she whispered, "things have started off strangely with the competition. I believe the enemy you spoke of is already onto us." With a bulky controller in a hand, she ran a recording of Hyoga's cruel act in his fight. Saori paused right at the point where he lifted his head to glare at the cabin, remembering the fearsome glare she met in the moment. Although this came in vain, she attempted to relive the moments as if to pay heed to some hint she might've missed. "What is he here for? He and Shiryu came on their own without any convincing. There is no way they could want the Gold Cloth so badly."
Pressing another button, the recording was rewound until she played the final moments of the battle. Each and every strike came envenomed with murderous intent, without a shadow of a doubt. "No. This cannot be a fight for the Gold Cloth. This is an attempted assassination." She breathed deeply, feeling an emptiness in her chest at the thought of those orphans dying in battle. That was not a far-fetched thought, she was certain, for the truth ran her over like a truck: "Hyoga has come to kill Saints." Once the image of him staring up repeated, Saori paused it and stood off the chair. "Something must have happened in Siberia."
Next she turned off the recording, left the controller behind her, and went around the armchair, a hand on its back. She longed to continue watching, to continue looking for clues that could help her avoid a terrible end to her grandfather's bait, but the point had come where she admitted the uselessness of her efforts. "I can only hope Shiryu does not entertain the same idea," she said. "If one of the Saints dies during the tournament... I cannot allow this."
A week later, a large crowd yet again gathered to watch the next stage of the Galaxian Wars, flooding gates to the Colosseum. A small group of protestors — both foreign and local — distributed pamphlets critical of Graad and the competition, a sentiment sparked by more people after the Cygnus and Lionet clash. One of them spoke into a megaphone: "Rome has fallen! Life is not a game! Murder is not entertainment! Shut down Graad! Life is not a game!"
Two attendees read the contents of the pamphlets, a multiple-language essay about the Graad Foundation's involvement with international gambling, a theory that it had illegally subtracted children into Sainthood for the tournament, and scathing criticism of the normalization of violence for entertainment. They pointed to ever-increasing violent leagues and competitions, a larger interest in them, and how the Galaxian Wars emboldened organizers to form organizations with looser and looser rules. "What are they on about? How's this any different from boxing?" one of the young men said, unable to understand how such glorified violence was anything new.
"You've got to be kidding me. This is in a completely different level than boxing, man! Did you see what the ice guy did last week?" his friend replied.
"I don't think that was real though."
"Believe whatever you want, it looked awesome. He's my favorite so far."
Shunrei passed by these two and grabbed a pamphlet of her own. Reading it only increased her concerns over Shiryu's upcoming match with Seiya, so she crumpled the paper and left it in a trash bin to not be seen again. For a split second, however, she met a strange movement in the corner of her eyes, coming whence no one should normally be. At the very top of the Colosseum, a starkly human contour moved off into hiding. "Hm?" Although she attempted to reencounter that figure for a handful of seconds, the pressure of the moving crowd about her hinted to go forth. She assumed it to be some worker tending for the Colosseum's structure, and henceforth continued towards a gate.
Missing Shun and June for that phase, there was no friend to be with Seiya in the locker room, so he ran in place while wearing the Pegasus Cloth. He thought warming up for the battle to be an interesting idea, despite the fact that, for a Saint, a clear mindset was a better strategy than a warmed-up body. "Right, right… if I stay alert and fight as hard as possible, he won't stand a chance." He did three mock punches into the air. "I have to be as relentless as Hyoga. Or… maybe not that relentless."
He heard someone come into the restroom, its steps as hard as the steps of his own boots. Turning to see, he was surprised by the sight of the Dragon Saint, the upcoming opponent. His Cloth had a greenish hue to it, the circlet with a crest of a Chinese dragon head with whiskers extending into a long curve. The chest and shoulder plates were broad and full of angles, three claws creeping from behind each of the two pads. The left gauntlet bore a round shield much larger than that of Cygnus', and the right gauntlet had bulky pieces of metal extending from the forearm and all the way to the knuckles. "Seiya," Shiryu said in respect, bowing very subtly. He had long recognized him, despite having little time to approach before.
Pegasus appeared surprised; he had already theorized that to be the case, but only seeing up close could he state what was now obvious: "Sh… Shiryu! You're the Dragon Saint after all! I knew I had recognized you in the ceremony."
It seemed he wasn't there for long introductions or reminiscing. "I need you to throw the match, Seiya. I don't want to hurt you," said the other.
Seiya reacted with an immediate scowl. "Huh? No deal! So you came here to ask me to give up?"
"I must take the Gold Cloth. It is of utmost importance."
"Well, I have my reasons to win this tournament too, Shiryu, and they have nothing to do with that Gold Cloth. I won't back down."
Dragon turned around before he calmly left. "Then I will have to give you my all. I will see you in the arena," he warned and exited through the door. Uneasiness caught onto Seiya again, imagining that someone like Shiryu was likely to be as strong as a Saint like Shun. Regardless, one could not tell the fierceness of such a man — although he displayed no desire to kill like Hyoga, there was no telling how far he would go emerge victorious.
Outside, in higher-end seats of the Colosseum, Shun and June sat near the Saints' bleachers, looking to find Seiya. The most expensive tickets had been sold for those spots alone, but Saori gave them two free ones in order to watch the next stage in comfort.
"Where is he?"
"He has not come out yet. He is probably getting ready in the locker room," Shun told his friend.
When Seiya walked out into the observation area, June became overtly excited and yelled with tiny jumps: "There he is! Seiya! Seiya!" Pegasus looked up at the two. "We're rooting for you!"
"Good luck, Seiya!"
Seiya smiled and waved back at them. Although the next fight would be difficult, he had friends rooting for him, not only in the Colosseum but also back in the orphanage, with Miho and the kids. That somehow made him feel at ease despite the great obstacles ahead.
The dome closed like it did in the first day of the tournament, and once more the stars and foot lights switched on. The announcer came through the speakers: "Today marks the second phase of The Galaxian Wars. In the first match, Dragon faces Pegasus! In the second match, the ruthless Cygnus faces Hydra!" The energy in the building went up a couple degrees, with the crowd beginning to cheer in expectation. "The winner of the first match will face Andromeda's chain, whereas the winner of the second match will face Chameleon's razor-sharp whip!" The tournament tree appeared on the panels again, to remind people of where everyone stood, reinforcing the announcer's words. Seeing that Pegasus and Dragon had already been called out to the halls to prepare for their fight, there was no more reason to delay it. "Without further ado, let's get to the first match. Dragon Shiryu! Pegasus Seiya!"
The two combatants walked in, June being especially loud for her friend, while Shunrei experienced fear rather than excitement. Seiya and Shiryu studied each other near the center of the arena, former friends only estranged by the passage of the years. At that point it was undeniable that they would give it their all, despite holding no animosities against one another.
Both got into position, Shiryu shutting his eyes until the moment was right. Once the fight kicked off, he opened them and charged with violence at Seiya, who had a similar idea. Their arms collided and the two skid loudly across the floor, a meter opened between them.
Seiya led the next charge, and Shiryu defended just as quickly, lifting the left gauntlet every time. Their movements flowed beautifully before collision, but it was Pegasus on the offensive, not once Dragon. Some of the blows were heavy enough to generate shock waves that made strands of their hair fly up, especially Shiryu's, long as it was.
People marveled at the ability of both Saints. The only combatant they saw move this frantically was June, arguably the fastest of them all, and it was known that Seiya was quite fast. Nonetheless, Shiryu seemed to keep up too well for comfort, and his strength was felt with each sturdy defense he offered.
Eventually the avalanche of blocked hits was pushed back by the shield, and Pegasus had been burning Cosmos a while during the ordeal. His right fist disappeared in a flash of light once he yelled: "PEGASUS METEOR FIST!"
Spheres of energy exploded in Dragon's direction, nearly every single one of them defended by his fast-moving left arm. The few that did pass through glanced off his Cloth ineffectively, which surprised Seiya and the other Saints.
"Did that guy just... defend every single punch?" June spoke with a gasp.
Shun was prompt in expressing his view: "Not all of them, but most. Seiya is fast on the offensive, but Shiryu seems to be just as quick defensively."
"Okay, but the guy barely even flinched!"
"As expected from the Dragon Cloth," said Shun, yet June remained confused.
Shiryu wandered menacingly around Pegasus, who stared in disbelief. "Do not be surprised. This is the Cloth that rested centuries under the waterfall of the Rozan Mountains, the Dragon Cloth!" He stopped on his tracks and crossed both arms, shield in front. "Bathing under the mineral water of Rozan for so long made its fist and shield harder than diamonds. This Cloth is impenetrable, Seiya!" he finished that while slowly lowering the gauntlets back into position, their shine dense and unbearable; the metal certainly did not appear ordinary, even for that kind of armor.
Pegasus clenched his teeth. "There has to be a way," he murmured.
"Let me give you a taste of my fist now. Receive the force of the waterfall that for so long blessed this Cloth!" Shiryu took a large stride all the way to his opponent, throwing a hit with the shield hand which was easily defended. Seiya noticed the Dragon Saint was emanating a strange heat, but it was too late to escape. "ROZAN RISING DRAGON!"
With an uppercut, strings of energy spiraled from the floor and flew upwards, lifting Seiya in the air hopelessly. The force was indeed akin to that of a massive waterfall, tearing off parts of the Pegasus Cloth like burning paper. Slowing down and then falling back to the ground, Seiya dove face first, not a movement in sight. Naturally, the countdown began.
"No! That can't be it! Get up, Seiya!" June screamed.
"Seiya, come on!" Shun still believed in his friend despite how fearsome that technique had looked.
Even Miho and the kids, experiencing their own trouble while watching the fight in the orphanage with a tube TV, put their hopes that such wasn't the end. "You always get up when you fall, don't you?" Miho muttered, attempting to look past the several kids glued to the screen in anticipation. "Then do it! Get up again and fight!"
Seiya slammed a palm against the ground with enough will to impress Dragon. The countdown stopped as a response, and he got up chuckling. His opponent stared on in a mix of surprise and admiration "What did you find so funny?" Shiryu questioned the laughter.
"I get it now," Pegasus affirmed, and it seemed he had been enlightened. There was no joke, only joy that he haply knew how to counter that opponent.
"Get what?"
"More than you'd like."
Shiryu frowned, taking it as a bluff. "I have already said it before, if you stand between me and the Gold Cloth, I will beat you until you can no longer stand."
"Then try it! The fight has just begun!" Seiya challenged him, glowing with Cosmos.
This once it was Dragon that went for the initial offensive, ferociously so. The weakened Pegasus Cloth gained more and more cracks with the continuous contact it had with Dragon's gauntlet, tiny pieces jumping off each instance it was struck. That didn't matter to Seiya, as he seemed to study an opportunity, and once he found it, he headbutted Shiryu's right forearm, exposing his own head entirely — a mindless bait to the eyes of other combatants.
In the heat of the fight, Shiryu took advantage of this situation with a well-placed punch, and it was then that Seiya crouched back and held the opponent's left hand in place. The result was that, although Seiya's head nearly got struck twice, the Dragon Cloth's gauntlet slammed its own shield, shattering both into pieces.
Feeling something wrong, Shiryu pulled back and vigorously kicked Pegasus in the face, launching him moderately far. He looked aghast at his armor, its best tools reduced to metal rubble that dropped straight to the floor. "This cannot be possible! How did he break the Dragon Cloth?" he spoke in disarray.
Pegasus' state was far from ideal, but he got up nonetheless, a red splatter marking his nose. He smirked, teeth stained with a pool of blood that he spit out to speak: "Since I couldn't penetrate your Cloth myself, I made it do all the work instead."
"But I thought the Dragon Cloth was impenetrable" June commented watching from the audience. "Isn't that why it was breaking Seiya's Cloth so easily?"
Shun fell pensive, hand under the chin. "Hmmm… I would not expect Seiya of all people to come up with this so early. Even I would have taken longer to think of it," he said. "There's an old Chinese tale of a blacksmith whose shields could not be penetrated, and whose spears could penetrate anything. To no one's surprise, he was very popular in the village, and soon became quite rich, although not for long."
"Eh?"
"One day, he noticed people stopped visiting his shop altogether. He found out it was due to a loophole discovered by his clients: if you strike an infinitely impenetrable shield with an infinitely penetrating spear, both are destroyed."
"Oh. And Seiya found that out by himself?"
"It seems so, in his own way."
"Wow…" June waved her hands in the air and continued cheering. "Go Sei-ya! Sei-ya!"
"I see." Shiryu smiled in the arena, accepting his momentary failure as a good lesson. "I took you for granted. That was a smart, albeit reckless, move. You are no longer in condition to fight."
No matter, Seiya refused to accept defeat, replying: "Think again. I won't give up while I still have life in me."
"Reasoning with you is useless, as per usual." Dragon started taking off most of his Cloth, which impressed the audience. He was now only wearing light pants and the boots, torso fully uncovered. Between the swollen muscles of his back they saw a large tattoo of a Chinese dragon, a claw aligned with the height of his heart from behind, glowing a vivid green with Cosmos. "Without the gauntlet and shield, this Cloth is dead weight. I must defeat you without it."
Seiya also began removing the remains of his destroyed Cloth, coming down to his ripped t-shirt and pants. "Fine. I won't fight against a handicapped opponent," he said.
Shunrei held her hands tightly together watching from her seat. "Shiryu…" she whispered, eyes afflicted by tears. "This is getting too dangerous, like I feared."
"This isn't good!" Shun told June. "Their bodies will take every blow directly, they could end up killed."
Saori was particularly disquieted by this. Sitting in an armchair illuminated by the white lights of her cabin, she looked behind and called: "Tatsumi! Tatsumi, get over here!"
Tatsumi responded and arrived at the door in the back. "Yes, Miss Kido?"
"Tell the crew to have two medical teams at the ready in the halls."
"Oh… understood, Miss Kido."
The two Saints faced off once more. "Come on!" Seiya screamed, and both strode forth into an intense trade of blows, this time much more careful than before. If they didn't dodge the hardest of attacks, they were more likely to be incapacitated, so elusiveness was key at such a stage.
This extra caution was not enough to keep them untouched; whenever strikes landed on their bodies and faces, they were left bruised and blemished. Once it was clear that both were even in power and ability, and that they had been moving nonstop for so long that they needed air, both took a breather from a distance. The soreness of all the wounds was also taking a toll on them, so an end had to come sooner than later.
Seiya whispered to himself, panting: "Use that move again. Do it and…" Suddenly, vertigo tilted the sense of his surroundings. It dawned on him that the hit he took directly to the head probably caused a concussion, if not something worse. His legs faltered with the way the ground seemed to shift below.
Seeing that his opponent was dazed, Shiryu took the chance without question. He cut through the sound barrier, hammering Pegasus with a punch that was surprisingly dodged. Still with the upper hand, he exchanged a couple more blows and prepared for the final move, swinging an arm upwards from below. "ROZAN RISING DRAGON!" While trapped in a spiral of his own energy, Shiryu made a display of lights, and the tattoo on the back glowed intensely, as to blind some spectators. A torment of green flames exploded in his preparation to defeat that adversary once and for all.
"Now! PEGASUS METEOR FIST!" Seiya shouted in response, sending his punch and body against Shiryu's at an alarming velocity. He ended up on the ground over the other man, fist pummeled over his chest after the blasts of both techniques canceled into wind, sweeping the whole arena with warm air.
Dragon was shaking, almost failing to keep the head up and look at the one who beat him. "You… you…" His once collected and deep voice was now frail, and his calm gaze, disturbed. "You found it... the Rising Dragon's fatal flaw." He huffed for more air, eyes lazing up into the skull, then fell limp on the ground.
By grabbing the flesh of Shiryu's right side of the chest, Seiya noted the clear lack of a beat. Knowing what had just occurred, he lifted the other arm and called for help: "His heart! Medic! He needs a medic!" As per Saori's orders, two fully prepared teams were ready to carry out either Saint, and they stormed in not minding the countdown.
"No, Shiryu!" Shunrei ran from her seat and down the stairs. Taking two security men by surprise, she was able to storm past them to find a passage to the arena.
From the Saints' bleachers, Hyoga watched the scene unfold before his eyes, more curious than shocked. "This makes no sense," he said. "Why would they go this far? There is no way these two are fighting for personal gain."
Shiryu was carefully yet rapidly placed onto a stretcher, a doctor checking his beat as everyone moved. "No beat. We have to resuscitate him!" he told the others.
Shunrei ran in, security yet unable to catch her, and told the ones rescuing Dragon to wait, which they reluctantly did. She then made her way straight to Seiya, who had a flashlight beamed into his eyes to test for any brain injury. "Seiya, please!" she cried, and her usual shy voice had gotten louder. The tears formerly pooling under the eyes now streamed down her face, to think she was about to lose one she held so dear to her heart. "You have to help Shiryu, only you can!"
Finally the two security men put their hands on her shoulders, but Seiya signaled them to leave her be, which they complied. "How?" he asked.
"Old Master says only an opposite blow of the same intensity can restart the heart after the Rising Dragon!" explained the girl.
It was less than a year before this that Shiryu mastered the Rising Dragon. His training was arduous, an attempt at reversing a waterfall's course through means of power alone, without physical tricks. Everything he threw at it was either only enough to stop the flow, or to briefly splash water upwards. That was until the day that his effort paid off.
To witness the soon-to-be Dragon Saint make a waterfall so long and wide run its way to the heavens was a cathartic experience. Old Master was satisfied, but by knowing a powerful technique, one should also be aware of its shortcomings, and as such he taught: "Shiryu, the Rising Dragon is a greatly devastating technique, unparalleled among Bronze Saints, and even fearsome to those of higher ranks. However, it comes with some flaws, one of which is possibly fatal."
"A fatal flaw?" the young Shiryu doubted. "You are the one who taught me and helped me perfect this technique, how could it have a fatal flaw?"
"In order to redirect the Cosmos out of your fist, for a second — no, perhaps a parcel of a second — your heart becomes exposed to the enemy." Old Master touched his cane to Shiryu's chest. "When you use the Rising Dragon, the flow of your blood shifts violently in a single direction. If at that moment an enemy strikes your heart with enough force, your heartbeat should come to a halt."
"If it is only for a split second, then it's unlikely that this will ever happen," the apprentice seemed to brush aside the worry with an easygoing smile.
"No! This could mean your end, Shiryu, so pay undivided heed to my words," Old Master reinforced. "Once a blow stops the heart during a Rising Dragon, only a blow of the same force from the back may restart it, so use this technique sparingly. Do not be rash!"
"Y-yes, Old Master. I understand."
Far into the future, this fear had come to fruition at the hands of another great fighter. It was only this great fighter, they knew, who would be capable of undoing Dragon's fate. The bawling Shunrei asked once more for Seiya's aid: "You're the one who can save him! I beg you, don't let Shiryu die! Please!"
There was no doubt that he had to try this, if not for the sake of his old friend, at least for the sake of that girl's assiduity. Pegasus stood up, ignoring the medic's warning. "Be careful, you took a hard blow to the head."
Shun and June had jumped from the half-walls and barriers. "Excuse us! Sorry, excuse us! Coming through, sorry!" June was the one who jumped into the arena first, and Shun arrived right behind her. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Shun, June, hold Shiryu up with his back towards me and brace for impact," Seiya told them.
"Uhm… understood!" Shun refused to question further and grabbed the body alongside June, ensuring the medics that this seemed necessary. They carried him over near a wall and turned his back, and to everyone's despair, the once limpid, glowing dragon tattoo was now dull and beginning to fade into skin.
As Pegasus aimed his fist, he felt a daze strike him for the second time, much harder than the first. He nearly stumbled to the side, but a sturdy pillar held him. It was Hyoga, who made sure to hold his hand forward. "Do not pass out yet," he said, then staring at the figure on Shiryu's back. "It is almost the color of his skin now, do you see? If that dragon fades, I think he will be dead."
The Colosseum was plunged in silence. Enjoying Cygnus' balance, Seiya saved up as much Cosmos as he could muster in that condition, seeking precision in the coming strike. He noticed the right claw of the dragon paired perfectly with the location of Shiryu's heart from the back, and forthwith made a choice to aim for that spot. "PEGASUS METEOR FIST!" he screamed. With all the hope and strength left in him, the young Saint zapped fist-first against his old friend's back, hitting it in full.
The three were thrown at the barrier, adding another large hole to it. June was flung to the side, having to get up, but Shun fell with an ear close to Shiryu's flesh, and thus clung to the side of his body. It seemed impossible, but the venue became quieter than before. Saori stood from her seat and came close to the edge of her cabin in anxiety, hugging her own shoulders in anticipation. Shun heard it. "I hear a beat!" the boy yelled.
"Yes, yes!" Saori teared up. The crowd's cheer swarmed the arena, and although both combatants now lied unconscious in the wall, they sang them many praises. Even Hyoga, as calculating as he often was, opened a genuine smile, tiny as it was.
Shunrei fell to her knees, weeping in relief rather than affliction. "Thank you, Seiya. Thank you so much…"