Knock Out!
Round 14: Problems Rising and the start of the Fight
To J.R. Castle: I agree with everything you've said in your review. Because of you, I've actually gained a good idea about what to do for a later arc. Thank you for taking your time to review and help me become a better author.
...
The next day, Izuku was seen walking up to a large building, Kaito next to him as they entered the building housing the boxing ring he was to be fighting in soon. The duo made their way inside, and Kaito looked to the boy.
"Kid, today you'll be meeting your opponent. How do you wanna take this? Politely, or with a form of competitiveness?" Kaito asked.
"I'm gonna see what he's like first, then I'll see where this goes." Izuku said. They found their way to the weighing room, where reporters and the opponent's training staff were located.
"Ketsueki Akuma is within the featherweight limit, and is fit to fight!" One person measuring said. He stepped off, and Izuku stripped to his underwear, the crown seeing his toned form. Izuku stepped onto the scale, and the official staff looked at the scale.
"Fifty-four point four kilograms (one hundred and twenty pounds)! Izuku Midoriya is within the featherweight limit and is fit to fight!" He said, and Izuku smiled. He got off the scale, and turned to see his opponent after putting back on his clothes.
"Hey there. It'll be a pleasure beating your skull in." The man said with a wicked grin. He was taller than Izuku by half a head, with green eyes much different from his own and a grin that only a mother could love. He had a head with dark red hair and skin as light as his own, looking down at the boy condescendingly.
"Excuse me?" Izuku asked, eyes narrowing.
"Oh, nothing. All I said was it's gonna be fun leaving you bleeding out on the mat like the little shit you are." He said, grinning even further. Izuku looked at the man with a light glare, but said nothing. "You're not gonna say anything?" The man asked. "I'm not here to fight you, Midoriya Izuku. I'm here to destroy you. Little hotshot thinks just because he won the Sports Festival he won at life, but I'm gonna beat you into submission, one fist at a time." He said, Izuku's glare remaining.
"I'd like to see you try." He said, as the man's grin grew wider.
"Oh yeah? I will destroy you, you little shit. If ya have a woman, better break it off with her now before she hears that you died in the ring with me. Don't worry though, I'll take good care of her." He noticed Izuku began to shake in anger, until Kaito stopped him. Izuku took a deep breath, glaring daggers at the man as both himself and Kaito left without another word. Outside, Kaito put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Don't let him get to you. You'll be fine kid, as long as you don't let your emotions get the better of you." He said. "Besides, you can just take your anger out on him during the fight."
"That's true, but he's seriously pissing me off." Izuku responded. "I don't want to listen to anything that creep says, but adding Momo to his taunts just sets me off."
"Just get through the week, and you'll be able to make him eat his words. Trust me." Kaito said, as the two left to train for the fight.
...The Next Day...
"Wait, how many people are watching?!" Izuku yelled, as Nezu had told him many people were going to see the match.
"I invited the teaching staff involved with the Hero Course, essentially meaning all of your teachers, myself, and your Class." Nezu said.
"Wait, why?!" Izuku asked.
"We need to give the students a break from dealing with stress." Nezu said. "With your incident involving the Hero Killer, I fear that they will think they're next, so watching you battle will serve as a reminder of the strength found within the students, or something like that. I for one would just like to see you fight."
"Thanks." Izuku said. "I love the support and all, but how did you get the money to do this?" He asked.
"I took a little portion of the school budget. Nothing major, really." Nezu said.
"Wouldn't that have a negative impact on school programs that need funding?" The boxer asked.
"No. I mean, it's not like we diverted a section of school funds to something like coffee." Nezu replied. Somewhere, a black-haired teen with bright green eyes walking with friends named after colors sneezed.
"Um... okay then. I promise I won't let you down." He said.
"Good luck." Nezu said, as Izuku left. He made his way to class, where the day was the same as usual, heading back to the gym afterwards.
"I'm back!" He said, as Kaito looked to the door to see his student in a familiar pink tracksuit.
"Hey, kid. Now that there's a week until your fight, we need to focus on training this week. I already told Nezu to exempt you from combat-related training for now so you need to work with me on this. Got it?" He asked, getting the boy to nod. "Good. Now, step up to the bag." Kaito held it from behind, as Izuku put on a pair of gloves and stood in front of the bag.
"One-two!" Kaito yelled, as Izuku did the set of punches. "Good. Now, left right left!" Izuku hit the bag again, each punch following the order Kaito told him to hit in. "Now, let 'em have it!" Izuku started to slam his fists into the bag, each blow making Kaito be pushed back a little at a time, before the ending began. Izuku ducked, and started to move into a dempsey roll, slamming into the bag hard enough for Kaito to jump away, ending his combo at the last punch with a KO punch that shot the bag towards the wall, chain rattling as the bag fixed itself. The coach was seen hiding behind the bag next to the one used by the boy, sweating slightly.
"You know, you really do scare me sometimes." He said, moving from behind the second bag into the ring.
"Now get in here, kid. We got more training to do." Izuku grinned. In the ring, Kaito, who was wearing boxing mitts, held them up for Izuku to punch with the opposite hand, and occasionally swung at his head to make sure Izuku would duck under it before going back to punching. This continued for an hour, until Kaito had Izuku do some footwork drills before he left for the day.
...Later...
Izuku returned home after a long day of training with his teacher, taking a seat on his couch as he took a moment to rest, and received a call. He answered to hear Inko's doctor... but his tone was grim.
"Hey Midoriya-san." The doctor said.
"What's the issue?" Izuku asked.
"Remember when I told you that we were able to synthesize a cure?" The man asked, as Izuku responded with a Yes. "I recently heard that the facility that made it was destroyed, and all notes on the synthesizing of another cure was stolen."
"WHAT?!" Izuku yelled, clenching his teeth in anger.
"I'm afraid it gets worse. You see, I did not know this, but the poison in your mother's system has suddenly become extremely toxic. I feel as though that was the specialty of Devil's Fang's poison during that specific dosage. At this point we would have given her the injection to cure her, but due to the carrier truck that contained the sample also being destroyed I'm afraid that we're on a timer."
"How long does she have..." Izuku said through gritted teeth.
"After doing some calculations, I figured that she has about until the end of next week." The doctor said, and Izuku's angered expression only became more fierce.
"FUCK!" He screamed, punching a wall. Pulling back his fist revealed a hole in the wall, and green and red lightning surrounding his fist. He took a deep breath, and spoke again. "Doctor... you think you can save her if you have the notes on how to make it?" Izuku asked.
"We can, but If only if you can find a cure, or a way to make it." The doctor said.
"That's all I needed to know. Bye." Izuku said, hanging up the phone. He looked at his unwrapped hands, and clenched them into fists, anger building up in him as he ran to his bathroom. He took a quick shower, donning a green tracksuit and pink gloves in contrast to the clothing he usually trained in, and ran all the way towards the Hansuke Boxing Gym, seeing nothing but red.
...The Next Day...
Kaito, usually opening the gym early in the morning, walked up to the building. Unlike the usual morning routine, he already heard someone inside, punching a bag. He slowly opened the apparently unlocked door, to see what could only be discovered as a massacre of sandbags. Every single bag was torn apart, sand across the floor and the emptied bags scattered across the building. He also saw bits of broken chain everywhere, and followed the sound of another bag being broken, turning to see Izuku at a bag. On the floor in front of him was a puddle of blood, the source being from the gloves, and the boy sweating profusely. He moved towards the closet for spare equipment to grab another punching bag, but on the way there he collapsed onto the floor.
"Kid holy fuck how long have you been here?!" Kaito asked. He pulled off the boxer's gloves, unwrapping them to reveal hands bloodied from punching away the night, the skin on the knuckles worn down to the bone. "Kid! Look at yourself! What happened?!" Kaito asked. "I need to call Toshinori..." He said, when Izuku fell unconscious from fatigue. After a long trip with a featherweight teenager on his shoulder, and dealing with a pissed off Recovery Girl, Izuku was now lying in an infirmary bed. He woke up about an hour later, feeling wraps on his hands not made for boxing, and both All Might and Kaito looking at him.
"Kid... how long were you at the gym?" Kaito asked, voice laced with concern.
"I... I've been there all night. I was training." Izuku said.
"Why? I had a plan set to make sure you got enough training and rest before your fight next week. What caused you to literally work yourself to the bone?!" He asked. Izuku told them both about what happened to his mother, causing them to stare in concern. He sat up and unwrapped his hands to clean the blood that was still left on his hands. He took a second to calm down, and walked to Kaito.
"I need this. My mother is dying, and I need to be there for her. Please." Izuku said, fists clenching tight.
"What you need to do is focus on your fight. I need to tell you about your opponent's Quirk." Kaito said.
"In the meantime, let me help. I will search for the antidote. You need to prepare for the fight, Young Midoriya." All Might said. "I promise you I will do my best to find a cure." He said. Izuku took a deep breath, and looked to his mentors.
"Alright then. We have a week, right? Then let's not waste any time!" Izuku said. A grin was present on his face, allowing them to see he was fine, but the two mentors noticed that the smile did not reach his eyes.
"I mean... we have to clean up all the sand in the gym... and get new bags." Kaito said, as Izuku paled.
"Let's just get it over with." He said, already knowing Kaito would make him clean up his mess.
...Later...
After replacing all the sandbags and cleaning up all the spilled sand, the two began to train. Every day leading up to the fight, Izuku was focused on the fight and nothing else. He would do the schoolwork and focus in class, but once class ended he ran immediately to the gym. On the first day, he learned that Akuma's Quirk, which was named after his own name, "Blood Demon," allowed him to grow in strength the more blood he lost or spilled during a fight. The worrying part was that the man bled easily as a means to activate his Quirk, making him a deadly opponent to fight against.
"Very few were able to get past his Quirk." Kaito said. "However, those who did were able to win, since he faints due to blood loss after about eighteen continuous minutes of using his Quirk. I know that means you'll have to hopefully survive a solid six rounds against him, but you need to if you want to win. It's a battle of endurance, so endurance is what we'll work on."
Izuku's training was intense, each day running from Hosu to Musutafu and back while being led by Kaito on a green bicycle, still doing sparring and bag work afterwards. Kaito helped the boy better figure out slugging and out-boxing, just in case Akuma used a style that countered his own, and he continued to work on his body strength through the help of others using him as a punching bag.
On his off time, Izuku could be seen at the hospital, looking over the now comatose Inko.
"Mom, help me. I want to fight, and I want to help people. At the same time, I want to be a loving boyfriend, and to be there for you too. This is all I want, so why is it so hard to do so?" Izuku said, looking down at her form. He felt a wear line going down one cheek, and wiped away his tear before kneeling next to her. "On the day of my match, I promise I will, as best as I can, be there for you. Hopefully, this time I can actually get to you in time." He said. He stood up and moved to the door, turning back to her before he exited. "I hope that All Might will be able to find the cure. I have to introduce you to my girlfriend, after all."
He then left, walking down the street back towards the gym. As he walked, he tried to distract himself from his anger with thinking of Momo. He pictured her in his mind, himself with her on their date earlier on, when he remembered something important.
'I didn't ask her anything about herself.' He realized. Thinking that he was a horrible boyfriend for not focusing more on her, he forced himself to put that conversation on the backburner, until a very important question popped into his mind. 'What do I like about Momo?' He thought. 'She's kind, she has a beautiful smile, and she's smart, with a sense of responsibility and care that I love more than anything. The issue is... I haven't said a thing to her. For all I know she might think I like her just because she's hot. There's too much going on right now!' He screamed within his head. He changed his path to his home instead of the gym, slamming the door behind him to thrust his back against the door.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?!" He said to himself. All of a sudden, it seemed as if the whole world was against him. Granted, the third issue was mostly just him thinking the worst, but at the same time the first two issues were the most important at the immediate moment. "I have a match, but it contrasts with the time Mom could possibly die. I have a feeling Devil's Fang did this, but if I want to keep boxing and doing my hero training I can't do anything about it. If all I can do is wait, I should at least make sure I'm as prepared as possible for the fight. I have a few days left, and I have an idea about what to do against Akuma, but I need something new to beat him." Izuku wrapped his fists with Momo's tape, activating the gloves and admiring their green texture. He deactivated the gloves, and washed his pink track suit, wearing the green one he had to train within his home. He closed his eyes, and imagined an opponent in front of him, moving and weaving to dodge the imaginary punches that came at him. After a few minutes of this he stopped, and stood back in his fighting stance, holding his hands in a block in front of his face and partially over his chest as he weaved, popping up from his block only to deliver punches before returning to the shield of his fists.
'That could work, but I need to improve. If I clear my head, maybe all of this will end up okay.' He thought, moving towards his shower and ending the day.
...A Few Days Later...
It was two days before the fight, and Izuku was given a free day. He took that day to clear his mind, and decided to clear one of the many things in his head by meeting up with Momo.
"What's the occasion?" Momo asked.
"Well, I felt like I was ignoring you recently due to my training, so I wanted to spend some quality time with you. Also, I wanted to get something off of my chest." Izuku said, much to her confusion.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
"Well, I feel like I'm not being good enough for you right now." He said, gaining her surprise. "It's just... I feel like you've shown me so much, and dome so much with me, but I haven't done the same for you in return. I'm scared that you think I'm with you just for the money."
"That's wrong! I'm sure you're a better person than that!" She said in response.
"That's it. Those words. 'I'm sure'. You've given me your everything, and what have I given back in return? Silence, silence and keeping you at arm's reach. I realized earlier today that you know barely anything about me, and while I'm happy to be with you, I'm scared you don't see it the same. For all I know, you could be thinking I love you just because I think you're beautiful." He said, a tear forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry for being a bad boyfriend, and-" Izuku said, before a hand on his shoulder stopped him from continuing.
"That's enough." Momo said. "Everything you just said contradicts the point you're trying to make. If you think that I don't know why you love me, you're wrong. You're the kindest, most caring boy I have ever met. The fact that you went out of your way to apologize for being 'a bad boyfriend' shows that you care about our relationship. I know enough about you to know that you're a caring boy, as I have just stated, and one who is determined to do his best to make sure the people around him can feel safe and secure. I remember that when we first met, you told me about your mother and her illness, and I remember how determined you looked when talking about wanting to save her. In the Sports Festival, you did your best to save Todoroki-san, even when it was in your best interest not to. That lets me know that you aren't shallow enough to have a relationship with me just for looks, rather you are because you actually do love me. Just because you didn't tell me something doesn't mean I don't know, Izuku. In the end, I can only love you even more." She said, as Izuku wrapped his arms around her lovingly.
"Thank you..." He said, adding a kiss to the lips to his words, making her blush and smile.
"You're welcome Izuku..." Momo said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I have something I would also like to say." Izuku nodded, and she continued. "I am accepting the offer to learn boxing." She said.
"Really?!" Izuku asked, happy that she was doing so.
"Yes. I feel like there will be many situations where I will not be able to use my Quirk, or where I have little chance to think to use it, and I think that learning more unarmed fighting styles will be beneficial." She explained.
"Perfect! I'll introduce you to my coach, and hopefully we can get you started." Izuku said, as she nodded happily. He led her down to the gym, where Kaito was currently putting away a box of spare gear.
"What's up kid?" He asked.
"I have someone who wants to learn how to box." Izuku said, introducing Momo. Kaito looked at her for a moment, before recollection shone in his eyes.
"I remember you. You were the girl that I saw back in the infirmary during the Sports Festival." He remarked, making her blush.
"Y-Yeah... that was me." Momo replied. "On a different topic, I would like to learn how to box. I feel like it would be beneficial to my future, and would like to learn under you due to Izuku's suggestion."
"Really now? Tell 'ya what, I'll start by having the kid teach you some basics, like hand wrapping. Once he's done that, I'll start teaching you how to box." Kaito said, and she nodded.
"Right!" Momo said, catching two rolls of boxing tape and a pair of red gloves. She took a seat at a bench, with Izuku by her side, his hands unwrapped, as Momo unrolled the tape to wrap her left hand.
"Alright, so first, you want to wrap your hands. Keep your wrist straight, and take the loop at the end of the roll and stick your thumb through it." Momo nodded, and followed his steps. "Okay, secondly, you want to wrap the tape around your wrist twice, then move the roll up to the back of your palm." Momo followed, and Izuku nodded. "So next, what you want to do is wrap it around your hand three times, then do the wrist once more. After that, what you want to do is wrap your thumb, so that the loop you started with is hidden, then once again around the wrist." Momo continued to follow his direction, and he smiled. "Perfect. Now, wrap the spaces between your fingers, starting with the pinky and ring finger, and then move up from there. Once that's done, wrap across the palm and above the thumb, until you reach the white strip at the end." The girl found the strip, and Izuku inspected it. "That's good. Now, secure it by strapping the strip to that little section on the wrist, and then you're good!" Momo inspected her hand, feeling the wrap around her hand.
"You did perfectly!" Izuku said. Momo grinned, and looked to him. "Now then, do the same thing for your other hand. I'll tell you if you're doing it wrong." Momo wrapped her other hand, Izuku having to step in only once or twice before she did it. For the rest of the day, Kaito watched as Izuku taught her some other basics, such as the proper stance for fighting, and how to jab, before they had to turn in for the day. Kaito let her keep the hand wraps, and she returned home with a grin on her face, practicing wrapping and unwrapping her hands until it was late in the night.
...The Next Day...
Izuku woke up at around seven the next morning, with a feeling that the fight would not be an easy one. He took a light jog down to the beach that took about an hour, before walking down to the gym where Kaito was waiting for him next to his car.
"You ready kid?" Kait asked.
"Yeah. Let's do this." Izuku said. They got in the car, and drove down to the stadium, where some of the opening fights were happening. Izuku was escorted to his prep room, where he changed into his boxing outfit and wrapped his hands in official tape, since Momo's was not allowed. He then had help putting a pair of green gloves over his fists, standing up afterwards to warm up a little more by doing light mitt work with Kaito. He heard a knock at the door after a few moments, opening it to see Mina and Kirishima standing there.
"What's good?" She asked.
"Hi there, Ashido-san, Kirishima-kun. What brings you here?" He asked.
"Just wanted to say good lick on the match. Also, Momo-chan would be here, but she wanted to surprise you when you came out to fight. The opening fights weren't bad though. Get this: one of those guys knocked out another by jumping up like a frog!" She said, giggling slightly.
"It was totally manly!" Kirishima exclaimed. "He made the other guy look away, then decked him in the chin with both fists!"
"Really? Send me a recording of it later, I might want to study that just in case." Izuku said.
"Alright, we will. See 'ya around, Midori/Bro." They said said, leaving with a wave. Izuku chuckled slightly, continuing his warm up before another person entered, this one being an official worker of the stadium.
"It's time for your match, sir." The man said, as Izuku and Kaito nodded. The two exited their prep room, and made their way to the ring, exiting into the main area where they heard the roars of the audience as Izuku took a few more swings, entering the ring. Kaito lifted the ropes as izuku quickly rolled under them, getting up to see Akuma grinning madly on the other side. Izuku was about to glare at him, until he heard a familiar voice cherring. He turned to the right to see his teachers and classmates in the crowd, Momo at the front of them all wearing a black shirt with Izuku's green gloves crossed in the center. In her hands was a large cardboard poster that said You can do it Izuku!. Izuku smiled somewhat, then shifting his focus to Akuma, who looked as though he had struck gold. The boy took a deep breath, and stood ready, as they were being announced.
"In the red corner, weighing in at fifty-seven point six kilograms (one hundred twenty-five pounds) is the Blood Demon, KETSUKEI AKUMA!" The announcers yelled, as the man walked slowly towards the center of the ring, his grin lowered into a thin smile after putting on his mouth guard.
"In the blue corner is the opponent. Weighing in at fifty-four point four kilograms, is MIDORIYA IZUKU!" The other announcer yelled, as the boy took another deep breath, putting on a mouth guard of his own as he walked towards the center of the ring. The two were facing each other now, eyes locked and eyes determined, waiting for the tell-tale sign for the fight to begin.
DING DING! "Box!" With the sound of the bell and the word of the referee, the fighters rushed towards each other.
Izuku ducked down to avoid an immediate right hook, countering with a left uppercut before backing up. The man jabbed at him twice, both punches being dodged as Izuku countered a right straight with two hooks to the man's face. Akuma recoiled, grinning madly as he spit onto the mat. Izuku quickly noted that it was blood, and became immediately cautious. Izuku suddenly was hit by two jabs and a right hook to the face, and took a step back before regaining his bearings and blocking a left straight that pushed him back. He countered a right uppercut with a left hook, and was about to throw a right jab before suddenly he felt a searing pain in his side, the opponent's fist planted where he felt his pain. Izuku hunched over, and the man fired a right uppercut that made the younger fighter do a backflip before landing face-first onto the mat.
"He's down!" The referee yelled, as Akuma walked confidently to a neutral corner. The ten-count started, as Izuku took a shaky breath.
'What the hell was that?! It felt like I was hit by a truck!' Izuku thought in his head. He waited until the ref counted to eight before standing up, taking a fighting stance.
"I can keep going!" Izuku said to the ref, who nodded. Akuma walked back up to him and the ref continued the fight with a cry of "Box!".
...In the Audience...
"Kick his ass Midori!" Mina yelled.
"You got this Bro!" Kirishima added, as Momo watched Izuku get back up with concern.
"That was quite a powerful set of punches." Nezu said to the deflated All Might.
"I agree. Both sides have great strengths of their own, but I have faith in Young Midoriya." All Might responded.
"As do I, but I have a feeling his opponent may have the upper hand." Aizawa said.
"How so?" Present Mic asked.
"Every other boxer in the league uses their Quirk when they fight, all except for those who are Quirkless, and Midoriya." Aizawa said. "I don't think he can go any farther in his career until he uses his Quirk at least a little bit, no matter the reason why he refuses to do so."
"FUCK 'EM UP!" the students and teachers were shocked by this loud yell, turning to see that it was Midnight who yelled.
"Language." Aizawa said, before slipping into his sleeping bag.
"Sorry. It's just that the guy's kind of a douche. Mount Lady had to use her Quirk to get him to back off the other day, and the way he tried flirting with her was kinda gross." She said, getting them to nod to at her reasoning.
"Izuku, do your best!" Momo yelled, as Izuku was seen just dodging another uppercut.
...In the Ring...
Izuku backpedaled from a left hook, countering a right straight with a left fist to the chin. Izuku moved closer, delivering a blow to the man's torso, following up with four more torso punches before sidestepping an overhead punch with both hands, slipping a right fist past the man's arms slowly moving back up to block, into his face. The boy followed up with a left hook, a right uppercut, finishing with a left straight that made the man begin to fall, catching himself with his feet before hitting the mat, spitting out more blood as he blocked a right straight. Izuku threw a right to hopefully gain a down, as the man aimed to counter with a left, the bell ringing before they could land their blows. The two returned to their corners, as Izuku took a seat.
"Kid, you're doing good. Increase the pressure, and try to get him down before he can attack. Also, be careful of his blows. They look like they can easily down a man, even if he's not using his Quirk yet."
"I think it's a little too late for that." Izuku said, as Kaito turned around to a rather scary sight. Akuma was activating his Quirk while he was recovering, the two knowing because of the major physical change. The man was now seen with his skin darkening to pure black, and the whites of his eyes turning into a deep red, the green pupils amplifying the intimidating look of the man's new form. His smirk from the start of the match became a fearsome grin, as the man spit out water into a bucket. He glared at Izuku, who steeled his nerves to get back into the fight.
"Seconds out!" The referee yelled, as Izuku stood up. He put back on his mouth guard, and walked towards the center of the ring, feeling like this would be a match that would test his limits. He glared a the grinning man, and put up his fists, the opponent doing the same, and the bell rung once more, Izuku preparing his mind as much as possible to combat the Blood Demon.
...
A/N: First update of the new year! I know I started the fight already, but I can't do the same "hold off the fight until next chapter" thing every single fight or match I write. Hopefully this year I can improve my writing quality to bring you guys a good experience every chapter from now on. Also, if it's not obvious from my pairing choice, I'm going to be spoiling Two Heroes later on. Hopefully you guys don't mind, and I wanted to say it so that those who only watch the anime, or have not seen the movie and care about spoilers, will know.
Anyways, I hope you liked what you read. Leave a follow and a favorite, and hopefully a review! I love reading what you have to say! See you next chapter. Later!