Silvers D. Naruto
AN: Hey, all and welcome to a fightin' chapter! As always, I attempt to make the fights interesting as I know reading words for a fight can be really boring which is why I want to make them…quick I suppose is the best way to put it. There're only so many times that you guys and I can read 'he punched him then the other guy punched him, but it was dodged and got punched instead,' you know. I want them to be fun and give character moments while having a unique flavor to them which you will soon see in this chapter
Oh…and, uh…enjoy the ending for this one, guys. Heh, heh, heh, the next chapter's going to be a good one
Chapter 10: Game, Set, Match (or A Day of Matches)
Cover: A naked, furious Ryuko rushes out of an onsen, covering her modesty, chasing a female monkey that has stolen Senketsu to woo the ape of its dreams.
(We Are! Opening-see chapter 5 for visuals)
The marine base was silent as the four pirates stared each other down. Ichigo's brows were furrowed as he scanned his gaze up and down the two uniformed opponents. Naruto was less concerned with them, keeping his eyes on the beaten bounty hunter that he and his Nakama were standing protectively in front of. Hakodate had her lens trained on the newcomers in curiosity attempting to discern just who they were. And lastly, Fukuroda was grinding his teeth together at having another obstacle appear in between him and his target.
"What…the hell...are...the two of you doing here?" Ryuko groaned out through her clenched teeth, the stinging pain making it difficult.
"That any way to thank us for saving you?" Ichigo looked at the beaten girl out of the corner of his eye.
"Tch, who asked you to come save me in the first place?" Ryuko winced.
"I did," Naruto raised his hand with a smile. "I was worried about you, so I came running over," Naruto grinned and pointed to the swordsman at his side. "And Ichigo didn't want me to go alone and came along too!" Naruto laughed.
"Don't tell her that," Ichigo sighed, "She'll get the wrong idea," Ichigo looked back to the two in front of them.
"Looks like we made the right choice, huh?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"Huh?" Ryuko looked to the blond.
"I mean, you're all busted up. If we didn't come when we did, you coulda ended up dead," Naruto smiled.
"Tch, oh yeah!" Ryuko made to get up, grabbing the surprised Naruto's jacket collar. "This hasn't got anything to do with you two runts, so just butt out! I can take care of myself!" Ryuko made to muscle past the two. Ichigo was more than happy to indulge the girl's suicide mission, but the blond wasn't as accommodating as he stopped her by the shoulder.
"These are the pirates you've been hunting, right?" Naruto said seriously, Ryuko froze up and glanced at the blond in her periphery.
"So, what if they are?" Ryuko asked.
"Then I understand how important this is to you, but I don't think that whatever the reason you have for hunting them is worth getting yourself killed over," Naruto told her.
"What do you know? Hunting them, putting a stop to them, is the entire reason I set out here in the first place! They're gonna pay!" Ryuko growled.
Ichigo looked to her and saw a similar look in her eyes to his, understanding instantly just what this grudge meant to the girl. He rolled his eyes when he realized that he was beginning to empathize with the enemy.
"Hm, so getting yourself killed is the only way?" Naruto put a hand to his chin…"Sounds stupid," Naruto bluntly stated.
"What'd you say?!" Ryuko looked ready to beat the teen regardless of her current state.
"Ahhh…" Naruto sighed overdramatically, "What's with all you stubborn hardasses wanting to do everything yourselves? I dunno what happened to you, Ryuko, and I don't care," Naruto cleaned out his ear in annoyance with the girl's attitude while her anger rose at his disregard for her decision.
"Why you son of a-"
"I just know that I don't want you to die!" Naruto stated without fear.
The girl's anger dissipated like that, dropping back to her knees in her disbelief and exhaustion. This blond idiot pirate, a person that only a day ago she was planning on locking up forever and forgetting just as quickly was now standing in front of her, protecting her from enemies she sought out…for such a base reason.
"Hm, a real puzzle," Ichigo scoffed good-naturedly as he was reminded of his own shock at his blond captain's character.
"Since you're out of action, we'll take care of these guys for you, and after, you can go right back to trying to throw us in jail if you want," Naruto turned back two Kiryuin Pirates.
The two uniformed pirates were in the middle of their own conversation while the three had their disjointed talk.
"Now who the hell are these guys?" Fukuroda was grinding his teeth in barely restrained anger, especially since the two newcomers weren't even regarding his or Hakodate's presence. "Was Matoi supposed to have accomplices?" the boxer whispered to his tennis-playing cohort.
"Not that we were told about," Hakodate answered, switching her lens to a green-tinted one, "She never interacted with anyone closely enough to be considered a human connection, or else we'd most likely have taken them hostage to force her to comply. These two are complete unknowns," Hakodate deduced.
"Unknowns? And they're ignoring the mighty Kiryuin Pirates?!" Fukuroda looked offended.
"Calm down, they simply haven't realized the severity of their situation," Hakodate licked her teeth. "I think it's best to give these men the benefit of the doubt," Hakodate offered not as hotheaded or eager for battle as Fukuroda, though just as vicious.
"Fine, then…hey you two!" Fukuroda pointed his oversized glove in the direction of the rookies and bounty hunter as they finished talking, the blond and orange-haired swordsman turning. "Identify yourselves!"
"Oh, I'm Naruto," the blond answered sincerely to the shock of those on his side.
'Such a normal greeting?!' all present thought at the same time.
"I am Takaharu Fukuroda," the boxer answered back with a bow.
"Fukuroda…" Hakodate whispered, snapping her partner out of it.
"Gah, he answered so amicably that I was drawn in! Curse your approachable attitude!" Fukuroda blushed.
"You're the one that answered," Ichigo sweatdropped.
"Because he entranced me with his unassuming appearance and the ease he answered me with!"
"Eh?" Naruto smiled while looking at his crewmate.
'Can't counter that,' Ichigo thought.
"The blond's answer aside. What we meant was for you to identify your affiliation with Matoi Ryuko," Hakodate elaborated.
"We don't have any affiliation with her," Ichigo answered.
"Yeah, we're pirates!" Naruto smirked at them.
"Pfft, pirates?" Fukuroda laughed obnoxiously loud when he heard that. "Then clearly you must know the danger you find yourself in! Don't you know who we are!"
"No idea," Naruto's words slammed into the boxer's head with the force of a hurled stone.
"You've got to be joking!"
"Nah, we just heard of you guys from some random person running for their lives in town…wasn't it….Ryu-something?" Ichigo scratched his scalp but came off as not trying to remember all that hard, looking to his captain for assistance.
"Kyōryū (Dinosaur)?"
"Sounds about right…" Ichigo said with a straight face and eyes closed into thin lines.
"No! We're the Kiryuin Pirates! People run in fear at our mere mention!" Fukuroda fumed.
"That explains all the panicking then," Ichigo shrugged, only making the hotheaded teen angrier.
"If you haven't heard our names before, then you must still be greenhorns," Hakodate spoke up.
"Of course, that explains why you aren't trembling in fear!" Fukuroda shouted.
"Greenhorns?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Y'know, you're still wet behind the ears!" Fukuroda said.
"Nah, we have Devil Fruit powers."
"Don't just tell them that…" Ichigo looked to his captain.
"He's the one talking weird."
"What they mean is that we're still rookies," Ichigo explained.
"Oh, then, yeah, we are!"
"Are you making fun of us?!" Fukuroda blew his lid dealing with this idiot.
"Hm, with that knowledge, why don't we make this whole situation easier on both parties gentlemen?" Hakodate stood in front of the fuming boxer. "Hand over Matoi. You have no reason to be protecting her, she's a bounty hunter," Hakodate stretched her hand out as if awaiting something to be placed in it, "Her job is to jail people like us, so what reason could pirates have to stand between another pirate's business?"
"That's easy! I like her!" Naruto stated with no hint of joking or wavering, pointing behind himself toward the injured girl.
"You can' be serious…" Hakodate frowned.
"Told you that wasn't a good enough reason, even she thinks so," Ichigo sighed.
"Well, why not?" Naruto asked.
"Because it makes no sense for a pirate to protect someone that would turn them in, ruining any plans that you had if she succeeded. It gains you nothing to defend that girl, no money, power, or status," Hakodate started to finally become angry herself at the illogical move.
"And?" Naruto frowned. "If we're all pirates…then we don't need a reason! We can do whatever we want!"
"He's got a point. We don't have to explain our reasons to you, but if it's any consolation, I just want this chick to apologize for the trouble she's put us through, soon as I get that you can take her," Ichigo smiled.
"Bastard!" Ryuko grumbled behind the swordsman.
"The two of you are unhinged. It is unfathomable how you would allow such a thing to happen," Hakodate's brows furrowed.
"What can I say. He persuaded me," Ichigo said simply.
"Tch, you'd allow a flunky to lead you?" Fukuroda growled.
"Huh…flunky?" Ichigo rose a brow.
"He's talkin' about you letting blondy lead you around like that. If you didn't want to come, you shoulda put your foot down," Ryuko explained.
Ichigo blinked for a second, looking to the red-streaked bounty hunter, then the Kiryuin Pirates before realization hit him. Hefting Zangetsu onto his shoulder, the swordsman chuckled a bit and decided to educate.
"Seems you all have gotten the wrong impression," he then jabbed a thumb where Naruto stood, "I ain't the captain of this crew, he is."
This clammed all three observers up, staring with wide eyes at the simpleton that had somehow gotten this tough-looking sword wielder to follow him.
"Him?! The captain?! He doesn't look like he could hurt a fly!" Hakodate sniggered.
"You chose your leader poorly, swordboy. Hope you don't regret the choice from the grave!" Fukuroda grinned.
"You've been in charge this whole time?!" Ryuko asked the blond…captain in shock.
"Oh yeah, guess I never said that. Now that you mention it, you did keep calling Ichigo the captain and me the subordinate…eh," Naruto shrugged at the end.
"What do you mean, 'eh'!?" Ryuko fumed ignoring the slight pain that her anger brought her.
"Have a little more pride in being the captain, why don't you?" Ichigo looked to his leader.
"Even if I told her, she wouldn't have believed me yesterday," Naruto pouted.
"I knew it," Senketsu spoke up.
'What do you mean you knew?' Ryuko thought back to her partner.
"I told you the other day that as rookies we would have to build data on them beyond our initial thoughts, Ryuko. At first glance it appeared that the swordsman was in charge, doling out the plan of action and taking control, but once we started to interact with Naruto on a personal level…that's when I began to suspect he was the captain."
'Just from talking to him? Senketsu, how can you think that blondy was the captain just by talking?' Ryuko was skeptical.
"Think back, Ryuko. After your battle, he bore you no ill will and simply spoke to you as if you were any other person…not an enemy planning on ending his career, but a person. In only a few hour's time he got you to bring the walls you built around yourself down and got you to smile. He did all this through his welcoming personality and charisma alone, attributes that a good leader would need, Ryuko…you can't lie to me and tell me that you didn't feel anything as you spoke to him…you didn't want to turn him in."
"Tch, know it all…" Ryuko didn't answer, knowing that the sentient clothing had gotten her.
"So, you won't be budging, will you?" Hakodate asked as a final attempt at resolving this peacefully.
"Hell no!" Naruto stood ready.
"Same as him," Ichigo put both hands on Zangetsu's handle ready to begin.
"Can't say we didn't try to end this civilly…" Hakodate retrieved another tennis ball from her skirt, this one having a solid green coloration rather than the green-yellow of regular tennis balls and solid white lines.
"…but we're short on time, so we're going to deal with the two of you swiftly just like your friend!" Fukuroda finished.
"Kōtobōru(Court Ball)!" Hakodate served the ball with ferocity, lobbing it over their heads so it could fall like a meteor.
"Looks like that outfit isn't just for show," Ichigo watched the ball fall with his captain, unaffected.
"Where's she aiming? That won't hit us," Naruto had his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked up.
"Dodge it!" Ryuko called.
"Hm?" the two looked back.
"It isn't a normal tennis ball! You don't want to get caught by it!" Ryuko warned them.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo got ready.
It was then that the odd ball expanded above the two, forming a terrarium of sorts as it continued to plummet toward the two.
"Whoa!" Naruto's mouth was in an 'O' as he moved, impressed. "That's neat!"
"Don't compliment the enemy," Ichigo rolled his eyes, looking up he saw that the odd structure drew closer and shoved his captain out of the way, leaving him as the only one entrapped inside the terrarium which housed…
"A tennis court?" Ichigo looked at his feet, noticing that the see-through prism came with its own tennis layout…and no doors.
"That's right," Hakodate entered through an opening that immediately shut once she'd made her way in. "Unfortunately, I couldn't capture the both of you but I'm sure Fukuroda can handle that 'captain' of yours himself. And I'll deal with you."
"You sure about that?" Ichigo rose a brow.
"Of course, I am. As you can see, we are enclosed inside of my court, and there is no way out, that is, unless you defeat me in a game…" Hakodate smiled toothily, holding a ball in her hand.
"Why should I play your games?" Ichigo walked to one of the walls charging Zangetsu with his energy.
"Heh, by all means, escape," Hakodate inclined her head.
"Getsuga Tenshō (Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer)!" in a flash of blue the crescent-shaped wave smashed against the wall of the court but didn't make it budge. "What?" Ichigo looked at the aftermath of his attack and didn't even see a scratch.
"Your little friend tried the same thing when I trapped her in here with Fukuroda and me, her face was priceless. She was already on the verge of losing our little single vs. doubles match and tried to cut her losses but when she saw that she couldn't break through, her heart sank and it was the most delight I've felt on a mission in a while," Hakodate mocked.
"From the sound of it, you had to cheat and lock her into rules rather than just fight it out," Ichigo countered.
"Your attempts at insulting me are cute, but as pirates, we should always be working to put an encounter to our advantage to increase our chances of winning," Hakodate's lens changed to red.
"Heh, guess I can't argue, but don't think that I'm not gonna kick your ass hard for doing it."
"Hold on," Hakodate held her hand in a stop position.
Ichigo faulted, "You wanna fight or not!?" he cried indignantly.
"Calm yourself, oaf. I just wanted to make sure you understood the rules of tennis before we began," Hakodate smiled.
"That's surprisingly fair of you after trapping me in here," Ichigo frowned.
"I'm a professional. I would never disrespect the sacred court while I stand against an opponent on it. I want you to fully understand before your inevitable loss."
"How nice," Ichigo looked away with a twitching eye.
"So, do you know the rules?"
"Yeah, I think so…I used to play Ping Pong with my friends on our days off from school," Ichigo rubbed his chin, remembering those times vaguely since he didn't really care to play that much.
"How dare you!" Hakodate became offended.
"Hm?" Ichigo looked clueless.
"Equating the master sport of tennis to a children's game! Table tennis is an affront to the real thing!" Hakodate fumed.
"You called it 'tennis', so it's the same thing!" Ichigo fumed right back.
"It is not! Have you no shame?! Tennis, actual tennis, utilizes the player's entire body, bringing out their ferocious drive to win, their determination to crush all opposition, their intelligence to outmaneuver their opponent!" Hakodate pulled at her collar, tongue out, and fanned herself as she described the glorious sport.
"I think you might enjoy tennis a little too much," Ichigo looked put off by the odd girl.
"*Ahem* The fact of the matter is, tennis is different from table tennis," Hakodate spat the name.
"If you say so…"
"In tennis, you are to be the first to reach 4 points essentially with at least a margin of two over the loser. Normally the winner would be decided in a match, which is made up of sets which is a number of games won by a player, but since I don't have time to enjoy crushing you, we'll play only one game."
"I have no idea what all that means, but what I did understand was, 'get four points'," Ichigo got himself ready.
"As fair warning, I have never lost a game, set, or match of tennis," Hakodate drew a ball from her skirt, holding behind her back as she leaned forward.
"Heh, guess there's a first time for everything then, you tennis nut," Ichigo smiled back.
Outside the prism, Naruto and Ryuko watched on.
"Stupid Ichigo," Naruto crossed his arms.
"Shouldn't you be more worried? He's trapped in there," Ryuko held her shoulder.
"He'll be fine…but I wanted to play…" Naruto was intrigued by the game that he was just learning about and wanted a shot.
"You're upset because you weren't trapped?" Ryuko sweatdropped.
"A peculiar one…" Senketsu glanced at the blond pirate.
'You defended him,' Ryuko thought back.
"Hah!" Fukuroda then landed across from the pair, "It seems Hakodate has taken her opponent, leaving me with you. Perfect," the boxer grinned evilly.
"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto pounded his fists together.
"Not so fast! If this is going to be a one-on-one, then I might as well do it in style!" Fukuroda somehow snapped his fingers in his gloves.
A loud whooshing of air was heard right before a large boxing ring dropped from nowhere, lined with chains as ropes and the posts resembling sawblades.
"What's with these guys? You think those outfits are supposed to be a theme and they pull crap like this!" Ryuko covered her eyes.
"Hop in!" Fukuroda jumped into his territory, leaning against the ropes. "We'll be duking it out like real men, in the ring!"
"Ooo," Naruto had his star gaze again when met with the ring.
"There's no way that he's taking one step in- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Ryuko shouted when she saw the blond practically teleport into the ring.
"So how do we do this?" Naruto was excited.
"You're playing right into their hands, moron!"
"Yeah, but I never boxed before! It'll be fun," Naruto gave a thumbs up, turning back to the injured girl who was dumbfounded.
"I like that fighting spirit!" Fukuroda joined in on the corny motion.
'Why are they acting like old friends?!' Ryuko's eyes bulged out.
"Here, your courtesy boxing uniform," Fukuroda offered the blond.
Naruto was now dressed in a pair of silver boxing trunks with the word 'float' written on the waistband, on the left leg was a monarch butterfly drawn in only a neon green outline, and on the right leg was a bee drawn the same way with one of the stripes on its abdomen having the word 'sting'.
"Looking good!" Fukuroda complimented one last time, "But now it's time for a man's battle in the ring. No bell to save you from my barrage of blows, the only way to win is to get three knockdowns with no countdown to get back up…or a knockout!" the boxer smirked at the end of his sentence.
"Sounds easy enough," Naruto had his own pair of gloves put on now.
"I'll have you know that since joining the Kiryuin Pirates I have never once hit the mat, knockdown or otherwise, rookie," Fukuroda boasted.
"Cool, then I am gonna be the one to knock you out!" Naruto smiled.
"I like the cockiness, but bravado doesn't suit you too well!"
"Just telling the truth!"
(Ichigo vs. Hakodate)
The two pirates stared each other down on their respective sides of the court. Eyes serious, Hakodate smirked haughtily as she didn't entertain the thought that she could lose to this hardheaded swordsman that hadn't even stepped foot on a tennis court. Ichigo's eyes narrowed and brows furrowed as he was annoyed that he had to play this game rather than just slicing into the girl…well she had another thing coming.
The tennis player suddenly felt the right moment hit her, the feeling coursing through her veins. Throwing the ball into the air, Hakodate served with her oversized racket with similar force to her demonstration on that hapless marine, and sadistic glee.
The ball screeched through the air, cannonballing toward Ichigo who had Zangetsu in front of him ready for his counter move. Once the ball was within striking distance, Ichigo pounced!
The swordsman slashed through the tennis ball and pressed his attack on the still smirking Tennis Captain by launching a horizontal Getsuga, hoping to catch her off guard and ending the game.
"Hm, so sad," Hakodate shook her head slightly and held her ground against the compressed blade of energy by blocking it with the side of her racket. "We've only just begun and you're breaking the rules."
"I already told you that I don't want to play your game!" Ichigo growled.
The girl then held up a finger and waved it side to side, "Naughty, naughty. We're standing on a tennis court, so your want to play my game is neither here nor there simply because of that fact. You have to play by the rules…and since you haven't, you will be penalized," Hakodate smiled, showing off her sharp teeth.
"What?" Ichigo was then cut off from further questions when a spike was driven into his side, having come up from the court itself. Blood pooled in Ichigo's mouth as he stood there in shock at the unexpected attack, trickling out from between his lips.
The spike then retracted back into the court, disappearing as if it were never there and allowing Ichigo to hold his injured side. Coughing out the sanguine liquid, Ichigo hunched over in pain and sneered at the giggling girl.
"What was that?" Ichigo growled.
"That's the penalty. Now you see why you won't be leaving this court," Hakodate rose a hand, gesturing to the enclosed space they were surrounded by, "This is no simple game, this is a game of death. Every point you or I lose will be a punishment inflicted on our bodies, pushing us to play to the best of our ability to avoid the painful retaliation of the sacred court. An increasing number of spikes will be driven into your body the closer I get to winning the game…" the girl's eyes shone evilly as she finished her sentence, "…ending with the loser being engulfed in fire!"
"Tch," Ichigo ground his teeth together.
"Didn't you wonder how that bounty hunter was burned? I explained the rules to her the same as you, but she still tried to escape rather than lose gracefully," Hakodate grinned.
"All this is becoming is annoying, not hard," Ichigo got angry at the pleasure this girl was taking at toying with him.
To the side of the two, across the wall of the terrarium, words appeared…
15-Love
"That is the current score, the one leading has their score announced first, and 'love' means zero points," Hakodate explained before the swordsman felt the need to ask. "Your penalty has given me the first point of the game. Not a very good start," Hakodate put a hand to her mouth as she giggled.
"Don't slash the ball then, fine. I got it," Ichigo suppressed the pain in his side and changed the grip he had on Zangetsu. The rookie pirate held the blade in such a way the side would be used to bat away any future tennis balls.
'Playing right into my hands,' Hakodate thought to herself, having got back into her serving stance with a brand-new ball. With a twinkle in her eye, the shark-toothed woman launched the ball once more with the same force as before.
Watching the ball bounce once upon the court, Ichigo was upon it instantly with Zangetsu held in front of his chest to catch it and smack it back to the other side of the court. Only once the ball bounced into the orange-haired pirate he was taken aback when the ball was heavier than he'd imagined and was unprepared for the amount of force behind it. Due to his surprise and the awkward positioning he'd had for Zangetsu, Ichigo was skidding backward while the ball didn't seem to lose any speed or torque as it drilled into the blade's side.
Ichigo was forced to keep the sword to his chest as he was pushed back, veins visible on his forehead, "What's with this ball!" Ichigo managed to get out in his struggle.
"You assumed that these were normal…" Hakodate chimed in, "While my tennis balls do have the consistency and durability of the regular variety, they are as heavy as cannonballs and I'm capable of launching them even faster!" Hakodate laughed as she watched Ichigo edge closer to being out of bounds. "I'd hurry and return the ball, that's your only way of scoring now. If you hit out of bounds or the ball hits the ground again, that's another penalty and another point for me~" Hakodate leaned against her racket while inspecting her nails.
'Damn, she got me! She played me into using Zangetsu as a racket and made sure that I'd underestimate the ball after cutting through it!' Ichigo couldn't hold the ball anymore as he was finally pushed out of bounds.
Behind him, spikes rose again to penalize Ichigo for failing to stop his opponent from scoring this time two came up to pierce him in the back. Crisscrossing, the weapons stabbed through the swordsman enough for their tips to be visible just above his waist and the sharp pain managed to distract Ichigo long enough for the ball to overtake his footing and smash him into the wall behind him.
30-Love
The new score was displayed, filling Hakodate with glee as she saw her lead grow while Ichigo, with his eyes shadowed, slumped to the ground and breathed hard through his pain and exhaustion. He cast a glance at the score but did his best to put it out of his mind lest it distracts him from the game.
"Come now, you aren't done, are you?" Hakodate grabbed yet another ball and held it next to her face while addressing the downed swordsman. "I absolutely hate it when someone can't keep up with me and finish the game…" she frowned.
"Don't worry about me…you should be worried about how badly your face will look after I get done with it," Ichigo stood back up.
"Heh, you'll have to start winning before that can happen," the tennis player subtly zoomed her lens in on the swaying Ichigo, taking notice of an exploit that she would take advantage of for this next serve and smiled.
Without any real warning this time around, Hakodate swiftly served the ball once again but this time the professional maneuvered her racket in a way that only someone that knew what to look for would catch. Ichigo, of course, didn't, and was more focused on evening the score with the girl, or else he'd be getting another helping of penalty spikes.
The ball approached the swordsman who stood ready for any tricks that could catch him off guard. Once the ball hit the court, he was ready, the appropriate amount of strength put into his arms to finally return the ball to the master tennis player and hopefully score a point.
'Something must be up…this seems way to simple to hit,' Ichigo cautiously extended his arm with Zangetsu's side at the ready. Just as the orange-haired pirate began to move his arm to swing he heard Hakodate say something that chilled his blood.
"Kābubōru(Curveball)!" Hakodate cackled, watching the ball curve sharply through the air and veering out of Ichigo's reach.
"Dammit!" Ichigo went to dive and adjust his reach only to wince in pain as blood spilled from his wounds and hindered his movements. The ball soared away to the point that Zangetsu wouldn't even be able to nick it with its tip, Ichigo's eyes widening as he knew what was coming. 'She made sure to curve the ball toward my injured side!' Three spikes ran Ichigo through once he'd completed his thought, painfully gritting his teeth to keep from yelling out.
40-Love
"Aw, how sad. After all that grandstanding you did, I thought that you'd be a challenge. Instead, it turns out that you're just another rookie that can't back up all the big talk he spouts. I wonder if your captain is this pathetic as well, he seems even worse than you. Acting like a fool, and that stupid grin on his face…heh, it's better that the two of you are crushed here and now, you'd never make it as pirates," Hakodate mocked her grin widening sadistically while watching Ichigo stand again hunched and breathing heavily as his blood leaked to the ground.
"I'm not dying in some stupid, annoying game to a girl that loves to hear the sound of her own voice!" Ichigo growled, glaring at the girl from beneath his bangs with great intensity.
When she met his eye, Hakodate felt a slight twinge of fear and unconsciously took a step back. As soon as she realized this, Hakodate composed herself and stared the teen down again, though her grin slightly wavered.
"Don't you think it's a little late to be talking tough, amateur? I only need one point to barbecue you," Hakodate taunted, bouncing what she believed was the final tennis ball of the game.
'She's got a point…she knows his game better than I do and has been leading the fight because of it,' Ichigo thought to himself, watching Hakodate serve the ball. He focused intently on the ball, 'I can't keep up with her skill level when it comes to tennis…' the ball bounced off the court and made its way toward Ichigo.
'He isn't moving…' Hakodate watched the swordsman, wondering what his final moments clinging to life would look like but never expected this, '…he couldn't have given up…' she prepared herself for whatever he came up with.
The ball grew closer and closer to passing Ichigo, yet he still didn't make a move.
'Maybe those injuries are more serious than I thought,' Hakodate grinned, the ball begins its decline to the court.
Suddenly, Ichigo's eyes sharpened and he quickly spun his body around and swung Zangetsu into the ball with a backhand. No tricks interrupted the blow this time as the added power from the spin sent the tiny projectile right back towards its point of origin.
"He waited to the last possible second to return! Damn, a simple tactic but an effective one!" Hakodate sneered and brought her racket up to send the ball right back only for her eye to widen when a familiar blue glow trailed behind the ball. "You sent that energy blade at the same time you returned the ball!"
Yes, a horizontal Getsuga Tenshō was following the returned ball and moving much faster than it as well. Upon catching up to it, the blue energy caused the ball to have a sudden and unexpected boost in speed. The combination move made the ball hit the ground in front of Hakodate much faster than she'd expected and made her need to readjust but had no time to as Ichigo had cleverly sent a second Getsuga as well.
"Ngh!" Hakodate held her racket up vertically to block the attack, her eye focused on the ball as it bounced past her with her unable to stop it lest she is hit by the energy she held at bay, "No!"
The tennis ball fell and hit the court.
40-15
Ichigo had managed to score on the girl.
Hakodate was on the end of a spike this time, getting stabbed in her side and bloodying her uniform.
"…but when it comes to fighting…I think I have more skill," Ichigo finished his thought out loud.
"Damn you, you tricked me!" Hakodate held her side, blood leaking out of her mouth and through her sharp teeth.
"What, you're the only one that can use tricks?" Ichigo had Zangetsu over his shoulder, smirking at his comeback. "I may not be a professional player like you, but I think I can be just as tricky with my unique skills," Ichigo taunted.
"Feeling all high and mighty over one point! You're still doomed if I score another!"
"Then I guess the game's still on," Ichigo said with renewed vigor.
'How dare that fool humiliate me in the throes of my victory…I'll make him pay for that!' Hakodate growled, throwing an eye to the score and figuratively glaring a hole through Ichigo's score…it ruined her perfect win!
'I'll avoid that blade of his from now on. I'm going to end this now!' Hakodate served the ball once more, a wicked, vindictive grin on her face.
Ichigo stood and awaited the ball as it zoomed his way, knowing that waiting for the first bounce would reveal what kind of trick this ball would have in store for him.
Unfortunately for the pirate swordsman, he was correct about there being a trick in the works, only instead of bouncing back up and unveiling it, the ball seemed to halt on the ground momentarily and suddenly begin to spin in place, skidding as it picked up a great amount of speed and force before launching upward at an odd angle.
Its target, Ichigo's face.
"Toppu supin (Topspin)!" Hakodate called as the ball shot directly into Ichigo's cheek still rolling, grinding into Ichigo's face all the while before bouncing off to score for the tennis player. "This is the end, boy!"
"I wouldn't say that…" Ichigo said lowly but with great weight. Behind him, the ball was caught in midair by Zangetsu's bandages, stopping it from going any further.
"The bandages?!" Hakodate growled.
"Heh, that's right!" Ichigo laughed as he used the momentum the ball had gained and flung it back to the girl.
Hakodate growled as she readied herself for the ball but started to sweat when she saw its erratic behavior. The ball waved about in midair as it approached, no discernible pattern in its movements making it all the harder to predict the proper place to position herself for her return.
'He can control the bandages!?' Hakodate had a bead of sweat roll down her temple at the realization. The ball's serpentine maneuvers ended abruptly as it approached her face, appearing as if Ichigo was going to pay her back for hitting him. "Heh, petty!" Hakodate brought her racket up to smack the ball away.
"You're one to talk!" Ichigo shot back as he pulled down on the bandages and unwrapped the ball, forcing it to shoot to the ground for its first bounce.
"Wait, I was so focused on where the ball was going to land, I forgot that it hadn't bounced!" Hakodate looked down and saw the ball bounce through her legs, making it impossible for her to save her flub and forcing her to watch as she lost another point.
40-30
The spikes plunged into the tennis player again, the humiliation hurting her far more than they ever could. Her rage made her ignore the penalty of her own making, staring down the man that was beginning to make a real nuisance of himself.
"Looks like I'm catching up," Ichigo smirked at the furious girl.
"How dare you!" Hakodate lost her cool and served the ball without any real thought behind it other than hurting the cocky rookie that believed that a few lucky shots meant he could stand on her pedestal.
The ball went straight at Ichigo, no bounce, as he calmly blocked it with Zangetsu across his chest and his condescending smile still present. The power of the blow didn't make him skid back this time around, in fact, Ichigo stood his ground as the projectile did its best to burrow through the blade and him.
"What happened to your technique, tennis girl!?" Ichigo called over the screeching metal. "Does it hurt so bad that a rookie can show up and dominate you at your own game?" Ichigo taunted, deflecting the ball back at Hakodate who felt it pass through her hair and earn the orange-haired pirate another point.
Deuce
The scoreboard now read 'deuce' meaning the two players were tied, and Hakodate was penalized once again with three spikes piercing her body. The angered girl didn't even flinch when the sharp pain hit her, using the sensation to focus her thoughts and calm herself.
Once the spikes retracted back into the court, Hakodate released a breath she'd been holding. "I let your childish insults get to me…I deserved all the pain that the court has given me, but it won't happen again.
"You sure? We're tied now, so the next two points mean that someone wins, right?" Ichigo smirked. "Seems to me you've got two more punishments coming from your stupid court."
"I've wasted far too much time playing with you and I'm exhausted of your inane insults," Hakodate rubbed her temple.
"If you wanted to save time, why'd you start this dumb game…" Ichigo mumbled.
"The point is…" Hakodate pointed to herself and Ichigo, "…we both want this game over," Hakodate then grinned maliciously as her skirt began to rise seemingly of its own volition and flipped upward…
"Whoa, what the hell?! Are you flashing me?!" Ichigo blushed and raised a hand to cover the bottom half of the girl from his view.
"Don't be such a prude, besides there's nothing scandalous to see," Hakodate laughed, "I'm simply speeding the game up." Underneath Hakodate's skirt, the numerous tennis balls were on display and started to increase as well to the point that the skirt seemed unable to contain them all as it writhed.
"I'm not liking the looks of that…" Ichigo sweat when he'd finally put his hand down.
"Think of this next move…" Hakodate's eye and lens both flashed red in glee.
"As the Sudden Death Round!"
The tennis balls finally reached the limit and were launched into the air before falling in front of a ready Hakodate who licked her lips, preparing to serve.
Ichigo's eyes widened when he realized what was coming his way, readying Zangetsu, his brown orbs darted from ball to ball trying to find what could be considered a pattern but could find none. This wasn't a coordinated attack like the others, this was a sudden death attack…
A desperation move.
'Even she can't possibly knock all those balls back, same as me! She's just aiming to win quickly even if it means taking the penalties in stride…this'll be a battle of attrition,' Ichigo tightened his grip on Zangetsu, a smile emerging on his face.
'Heh, why does the game get fun at the end?'
"Okkusenman Bon Dangan Sābu (110 Million Cannonball Serve)!"
Hakodate roared as she slammed her racket into the myriad of tennis balls, sending them sailing toward the ready swordsman.
The rain of tennis balls came speeding towards Ichigo who never lost the smirk on his face, waiting for the perfect moment to begin striking back. His eyes narrowed when the balls began to take their first bounce, bringing Zangetsu to his side, Ichigo went to swing.
Swiftly, almost imperceptible to the outside observer, Ichigo managed to knock back the tennis balls with a few passing him by. Hakodate on the other side of the court, readied her racket and returned the balls that had been deflected toward her, also missing a few that moved too quickly for her to get to.
These moves were so fast that neither side scored more than one point from that volley.
They had moved so quickly that the balls they missed hadn't hit the ground in time to score Hakodate or Ichigo two points.
Of course, the two incurred penalties during this but had no time to dwell on the pain of the spikes driving themselves into their bodies, too focused on returning and receiving the balls that were still in play.
Deuce
Advantage In
Deuce
Advantage Out
…
The board was barely able to keep up with the insane amount of scoring happening between the two players. The tennis balls flew with such insane speed and force that they appeared to be weaving a green-yellow trail between the two players without any intermittent openings between them.
The opponents were engaged in a mental as well as physical match as they pushed their bodies to the limits to keep up with the volley while sneaking in any trick shots they could manage to throw the other off. Spikes driving into them with every slipup and blood flew, splattering onto the terrarium surrounding them. Their eyes fierce as they paid no heed to the pain in their bodies or the exhaustion, the only thing they focused on was their opponents and the hail of tennis balls.
Despite the pain and fatigue, the two still had grins on their faces that would seem manic to the outside observer.
Eventually, the storm was over, all the tennis balls had been hit out of play, laying at the feet of both participants. Swaying, blood staining the court at their feet, and their hair shadowing their eyes the two pirates lifted their heads and looked to the score.
Advantage Out
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo coughed out with some blood.
"The server's opponent needs the point to win…" Hakodate told him.
"So, it'll all be over after your next shot?" Ichigo smiled, his eyes half-lidded.
"If you manage to score with that feeble body…" Hakodate huffed.
"You're one to talk. Can you even lift your arms?" Ichigo shot his vitriol back at the girl.
"If it means ending you, then I've got energy in spades!" Hakodate's smile almost touched her eyes, lifting her racket and serving the ball. In her mind, the weakened Ichigo wouldn't be able to stop this serve, she made sure to aim it and add spin that would send it veering out of the side of his blade's reach thus giving her a point and one step closer to finally dominating him.
Like all the others, the tennis ball sailed through the air, bouncing off the court and moving out of the swordsman's reach. Ichigo moved quickly, though his body wanted to refuse, it relented to his movements. He knew that his impaired movements wouldn't allow him to catch the ball with the side of his blade, but changing the position would allow its tip to.
"How desperate, cutting the ball will make you lose the point!" Hakodate cackled.
"I know, but who said I'm using the tip to cut it!" Ichigo shouted, channeling his energy through Zangetsu he put it into the tip, blunting the sharp edge due to the dense energy and allowing Ichigo to add power behind his return. The audible smack of the ball against the blade managed to make Hakodate swallow nervously, as she prepared for the ball as it shot forward with a blue trail.
Smashing against the surface of the court, cracking it in the process, Hakodate brought her racket in front of her and swung. The girl struggled with the powerful projectile, noticing that it was hitting so hard that the netting of her racket was being forced inward…not only that it was beginning to fray!
'My racket is made of Life Fibers! There no way this fool is powerful enough to tear through it!' Hakodate sweat, watching the netting slowly come undone as she was pushed back by the force.
"*sigh* I was afraid you were gonna catch on…" Ichigo hefted Zangetsu back onto his shoulder, his other hand in his pocket, relaxing as if he knew that he'd won.
"What are you talking about!?" she screamed only to refocus when snapping could be heard from her racket.
"During that little volley of yours, I was making sure that every ball that I hit back was aiming for a specific part of that racket in case you managed to keep up," he smirked. "You thought I was just firing them back without a plan? Not with you…" Ichigo told her.
"Dammit," she skidded back further and further, no chance to avoid the loss at this point. "This can't be…I can't…I refuse to lose to an amateur who's only just played his first game!"
"Didn't you say that the loser gets barbecued?" Ichigo questioned.
"Damn you!" with that her racket gave way, the netting snapping and its handle breaking with the ball continuing to slam into Hakodate's stomach.
Ichigo had scored.
Beneath Hakodate her half of the court began to glow red before flames erupted from underneath her, burning her skin as she kept flying backward.
"Agghhhh!" she screamed in pain from both the flames and the hit to her gut, slamming into the wall of the terrarium and eventually breaking through, shattering the encasement to keep flying.
The rest of the terrarium began to shatter from the initial break, fading into the wind with the scoreboard reading…
Game, Set, Match: Ichigo
The score fading with the falling terrarium as well, Ichigo stood in his original spot and scratched the top of his head in indifference of his win before making his way off the destroyed court with an annoyed sigh.
"It swears I care…going and acting like it's something to be proud of," Ichigo rolled his eyes, hearing a crack as Hakodate had smacked into something, halting her flight.
(Naruto vs. Fukuroda, during Ichigo and Hakodate's match)
While Ichigo was having his fierce match with Hakodate, Naruto and Fukuroda were just starting their bout. The two stood in opposite corners, Naruto stretching as he brought his arms above his head and leaned from side-to-side; Fukuroda did no such actions, standing in his corner and leaning back against the post with his ever-present smirk on his face as he watched the blond.
"We starting soon?" Naruto grinned, pounding his gloves into each other as he made his way to the center of the ring.
"If you're ready…" Fukuroda followed suit.
*Ding-Ding*
A bell was rung and the boxing match between rookie and veteran began.
"Alright, here I go!" Naruto started the fight with a charge, calling the wind to his arm and excited to start.
Outside the ring, the female bounty hunter watched the blond rush in with her brows furrowed in slight worry and lingering pain. "You think he can win this?" Ryuko asked Senketsu in a hushed voice.
"I'm not sure…" Senketsu narrowed his eye.
"I think blondy has this…after fighting the two of these guys I think it's safe to say that he's tougher and faster than the boxer," Ryuko put her two cents in.
"That may be, but this isn't just a fight now. The two of them are boxing," Senketsu pointed out and git a questioning look from Ryuko.
"So what? They punch each other in the face with gloves on," Ryuko bluntly stated, looking back to the ring. "I'm not seeing your point."
"What I mean is, they are participating in a sport and sports have rules. It ultimately doesn't matter if someone is stronger than their opponent physically when their opponent knows the ins and outs of the game that is being played," Senketsu elaborated.
"Kaze Ken (Wind Fist)!" Naruto shot his fist out, the shockwave from the wind fist traveling out, yet missing its intended target. "Huh?" Naruto smartly responded.
'In the end, he's just a rookie!' Fukuroda thought, having moved to the side to avoid Naruto's attack. He brought his glove up to his side as he moved with his dodge and fired a string of miniature boxing gloves from his right oversized glove into Naruto's ribs, "Tekken Funsai (Iron Fist Pulverizer)!"
The gloves met their mark, knocking the wind from Naruto's lungs. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto retaliated in the direction that the gloves had come from by thrusting his fist out once again. Unfortunately, the blond still missed his mark and failed to see where the boxer had disappeared to.
"Slippery bastard!" Naruto growled.
"I wouldn't say that!" Fukuroda taunted as he appeared again and punched the blond in his ribs on the opposite side.
"Knock it off!" Naruto whirled his fist around in a backhand, hoping to strike the boxer but still whiffed his strike.
"Heh, this is boxing!" Fukuroda finally reappeared bouncing on the balls of his feet with his arms tucked in. "Tekken Konbo (Iron Fist Combo)!"
Fukuroda proceeded to dance around the blond swiftly, landing punch after punch on Naruto who did his best to keep the Kiryuin Pirate in his view and land a hit on him.
"What the hell's going on?" Ryuko watched from the sidelines as it looked to her that the small teen was dominating the blond as he controlled the pacing of the fight.
"This is what I was worried about," Senketsu's eye narrowed. "Naruto may be stronger than Fukuroda but he has no technique, he puts his all into his attack and it leaves him open."
"Still doesn't explain how he's able to stay a step ahead of him. Naruto was easily able to catch us when we were going full speed," Ryuko countered.
"In an open space where he could clearly see and move freely. Now that he is boxing it is all about punching and maneuverability. Naruto's speed is nothing to scoff at, but he is planting his feet when he attacks thus rooting himself in place until he is finished and Fukuroda capitalizes on this, notice his feet," Senketsu elaborated.
"His feet…" Ryuko looked to see the boxer constantly hopping, "…he's bouncin' around?"
"Yes, staying in constant movement makes it easier for him to avoid Naruto's attacks as he hops back and quickly moves into Naruto's periphery and out of his field of vision to mount surprise attacks and simply repeats when Naruto moves to his previous location."
Ryuko took notice of this once her sentient clothing had pointed it out, watching as Fukuroda always seemed to be just out of reach of Naruto's swings while staying close enough to get punches in on the blond pirate all while keeping him on the defensive.
"Dammit, he's playing with him!" Ryuko growled, seeing Fukuroda push Naruto into the corner, jabbing the blond in the sides rapidly as he overwhelmed him all with a smile.
"I've got you now, rookie!" Fukuroda shouted, bringing his right fist back and made his glove rotate and aimed for the blond's unprotected chest.
"That's what you think!" Naruto moved to clash with Fukuroda's punch but winced when his ribs creaked from the barrage they'd been subject to. This moment was all Fukuroda needed as the spinning glove hit him dead on and raked across his torso, managing to cut him.
"Tekken Masatsu Fukku (Iron Fist Friction Hook)!"
The tough material that the gloves were made of, added with the rotation, made the blond's skin be cut and burned from the friction it caused. A devastating combo that managed to bring Naruto to his knees, holding his injury as best he could with his gloved hands with his forehead touching the mat.
"That's your first knockdown! Two more and this is all done!" Fukuroda gloated before he jumped back to his corner to wait for his opponent to get back up.
"Hey, you alright?" Ryuko called to the downed blond.
"It isn't a deep cut or anything it just stings really bad and burns," Naruto winced, turning his head to regard the girl with a strained smile.
"Look, I can help you out," Ryuko told the blond, gaining his attention with a blink. "You can't treat this just like our fight, his reaction time to your attacks is too quick…" Ryuko started to break down Fukuroda only to be stopped when Naruto brought himself back to a standing position.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Ryuko," Naruto smile toothily, looking like an excited predator as he stared down the uniformed pirate. "I wanna take him down myself!"
*Ding-Ding*
"What do you mean?!" Ryuko cried out frustrated that the blond was refusing help.
"I said I was going to knock him out, if you help me then I'm not the one doing it."
Ryuko looked ready to pull her hair out at his reasoning.
"Don't worry, I've got a plan," Naruto smiled back.
'That isn't filling me with confidence like it should…' Ryuko groaned in her mind.
"You will just have to trust that those battle instincts that we witnessed firsthand will allow him to prevail," Senketsu sighed.
"Ready for the next round, rookie!?" Fukuroda threw a few punches in preparation, seeing the blond's smile had him ready himself for the no doubt revised plan of action Naruto had in store.
"Yep," Naruto said with the same amount of enthusiasm, copying the boxer's movements from the previous round as he hopped on his feet to stay in motion.
'That's his plan,' Fukuroda thought, readying himself for the blond's move.
Naruto took the offensive first once again, using his speed to dash around the ring and stopping intermittently before moving again which gave the illusion of multiple blonds surrounding Fukuroda. Naruto kicked off so quickly and often that constant booms were coming from the floor as he moved around to confuse his enemy.
"Have to say that I'm impressed how quick you learn!" Fukuroda darted his eyes around attempting to tell where the blond would attack from deciding not to waste his energy chasing him.
"It wasn't too hard after watching you!" Naruto's voice came from all directions, giving nothing away. "Now, I hope you're ready!" Naruto tauntingly called with his gloved hand down by his waist and wind gathered around his arm rather than his fist.
"Jinsokuna Kaze Jabu (Swift Wind Jab)!" Naruto shot his fist out quickly using the wind around his arm to accelerate it and truly make the punch live up to its namesake as it struck Fukuroda in his back.
The boxer staggered slightly from the attack but managed to hold his ground just as another jab aimed at his helmeted head rung his bell. This started a hail of quick hits that came from all sides of the Kiryuin Pirate, batting Fukuroda around with each punch.
In spite of his current predicament, Fukuroda was still smiling as he slowly got used to the punches that rained on him. Eventually, the boxer was barely getting jostled by the attacks, grinning as he held his ground against them.
"You may be quick on the uptake but what you gained with speed you lost in your power!" the boxer shouted, tanking the punches that Naruto continued to throw as he planted a foot behind him and raised his gloves in front of his face. "I may not be able to keep up with you, but it doesn't matter if your moves lack bite!" Fukuroda shot both arms forward, creating a wall of fists directly in front of him as he slowly moved forward to corner Naruto once again.
"Tekken Funsai Kabe (Iron Fist Pulverizer Wall)!" the teen's gloves fired their streams once again, making a nearly unavoidable attack in the small ring.
Naruto ceased his speedy movements when met with the wall of fists and shifted gears to dodging them to the best of his ability. Naruto was able to avoid a good amount of the punches but of course, the sheer number that he was met with made it impossible to dodge them all, getting grazed and full-on hit by them.
The blond soon decided to try his hand at matching the blows but found that while he could counteract the force that wouldn't stop the myriad of others, he was surrounded by, so he did his best to multitask. Naruto began to weave his body through the openings he could and punched others out of his way.
Fukuroda's eyes widened as he watched the blond's movements and had sweat begin to come from his brow at the implication of the blond's moves, 'He couldn't be…he's never boxed before!' Fukuroda poured more effort into his attack and overwhelmed Naruto and knocked him back onto the mat. 'Must've been my imagination…' Fukuroda tried to assure himself.
"I almost have him!" Naruto was up again instantly, raring to go.
"Take a breath here!" Ryuko called. "He's knocking you around like a ragdoll, blondy. You can't just rush in without a plan!" Ryuko pleaded with the blond.
"I got a plan!" Naruto didn't give a moment to even think over his response before he was back in the ring.
"I think you're getting a little punch drunk, rookie! Tossing these punches around can be just a tiring as takin' 'em!" Fukuroda huffed with a lopsided smile.
"So, what if I am?" Naruto grinned. "I'm just ready to beat ya!"
"Beat me?" Fukuroda put his gloved hands to his hips and let out a mighty laugh, "That settles it, I must have knocked something loose in that head of yours! Have you been keeping track of the score?" Fukuroda mocked the blond. "I just have to knock you on your ass one more time to win this!"
"If you can do it one more time," Naruto taunted back.
With that, Fukuroda was the first to attack this time around throwing lines of gloves to end the bout once and for all with the blond, believing that the beating that Naruto had taken had left him weary. The boxing gloves surrounded the blond and rather than going with his previous strategies Naruto tucked his arms inward, brought his gloves in front of his face, and planted his feet.
"The hell is he doing?!" Ryuko was at the side watching Naruto stand his ground against the onslaught of punches coming his way.
Just as the gloves were about to hit the blond pirate, he moved his upper body to the side while keeping his feet centered. This movement let the blond avoid the gloves before copying the weave to the opposite side of his body and repeating the process, combining these movements made the blond appear to move in a sideways figure eight. Within mere seconds the blond's maneuver had him picking up speed as he weaved through the glove barrage, allowing him to more easily avoid them and worrying his boxing opponent.
'It wasn't just a fluke?!' Fukuroda grits his teeth with his eyes wide, watching Naruto dodge his punches. 'He's using the Dempsey Roll!' Fukuroda pressed his attack once he'd realized this, trying much harder to land a hit on the weaving blond.
"What's the deal?" Ryuko blinked while watching, seeing the boxing pirate seemingly become frantic to hit Naruto. "Why's he having such a hard time?"
"I'm not sure, but Naruto's moves are proving. He has combined the aspects of his previous two attempts to create this technique, keeping his body centered and using his speed to weave around the attacks allows him to build momentum with his body weight. His punches will be more devastating due to that," Senketsu deduced as he watched the blond.
'If he's just an amateur, how does he know such an old move!?' Fukuroda sweat harder, beginning to run out of steam and still hadn't managed a hit on the weaving blond.
With his thoughts elsewhere, Fukuroda missed the blond make his way to stand directly in front of the boxer. Naruto stood slightly off to the side as he was in the middle of bobbing to the left, bringing his fist to his waist, he began to move to the opposite side, putting all his weight and force behind it. Fukuroda noticed the punch heading his way and knew that he'd have no time to avoid it, so he decided to tank the attack.
'Even if he is using the Dempsey Roll, I'm wearing a Two-Star Goku Uniform! It enhances my physical abilities to their peak based on boxing specs! His measly punch won't do a thing-'
"Gasuto Chekku (Gust Check)!"
*Wham!*
"Grrk!" Fukuroda was cut off when he felt the punch hit him in the stomach, his eyes widening as he lost his breath and he hunched over, holding his stomach. 'Th-the hell? Through my Goku Uniform-' again Fukroda was hit in the cheek, his face scrunching from the force, 'The Dempsey Roll couldn't have upped his attack power by that much-' another punch to his gut sent him skidding backward, knees wobbling as he struggled to stay standing, and eyes pure white as blood came from his mouth, 'Is this what I was avoiding from the start? Those pathetic jabs are nothing compared to his real punches!' Fukuroda's vision was blurring.
'Am I done…' Fukuroda thought in shame, beginning to fall forward…
"You did it!" Ryuko cheered from the sidelines and a smile on her face, witnessing the end of the fight.
"Don't you dare fall!"
The outburst managed to rile Fukuroda from his small blackout, catching himself before he could fall. Ryuko's eyes widened when she saw this, gripping the ropes in equal parts confusion and frustration.
"What'd you do that for?! You had him?!" Ryuko shouted to Naruto.
The blond stood with a determined frown, arms at his sides, and staring down the hunched boxer who brought his head up to stare into his opponent's eyes.
"I said I was gonna knock him out not down! If he falls now that'd make me a liar," Naruto explained. "I want to punch him out of the ring, so there's no chance of him getting up!"
The gravity of Naruto's words made any retort by Ryuko get caught in her throat, no matter how much she didn't understand it. The blond stood proud as he waited for his opponent to gather the strength to stand again so he could finally end the fight…and win, hopefully.
'This presence…it's similar to milady's…' Fukuroda had his eyes narrowed as he thought this, 'What am I thinking…I should be ashamed for humoring it, but there's nothing else to equate it to. The gravity, the determination…but I've no doubt in my mind that he couldn't stand up to her if they met, even if he wasn't exhausted now!' Fukuroda looked to his legs, 'I'm actually shaking because of this rookie! I'm not allowed to feel fear from anyone but those I've dedicated my life to…' now he stood back up, ready to finish his fight with the blond, 'A limb is there to be used by the main body, no feeling is allowed unless given permission!'
The two tired and injured fighters stared each other down, small smirks present on each one of their faces, knowing that it was going to end soon.
"Heh, encouraging an enemy to stand back up? I thought you wanted to win!" Fukuroda chuckled.
"I am going to win, and don't pretend like you would have gone down after getting punched a few times. You'd have gotten up again," Naruto admitted with a grin. "I want this to end with an undisputed win and end your streak."
"Dammit, you really make it hard to hate you, when you say manly things like that!" Fukuroda smiled wildly and brought a glove up to his mouth and gripped the strap on it with his teeth. "*mmph* I have my dignity as a Kiryuin Pirate and a boxer on the line here, failing is worse than death to me and I've no time to continue this Title Fight," he undid his gloves strap and moved on to the next as he continued, "We're both on our last legs…so it is time to finish this, like men!"
With his gloves undone, Fukuroda took them off to reveal that underneath them were what could only be called slabs of metal vaguely shaped like boxing gloves with red spikes littering it and three prominently featured on the knuckles.
"These are my ultimate weapons! Be glad that I'm using them on a rookie like you!" Fukuroda shouted excitedly as he unveiled his trump card.
"Long as you don't have any regrets when you lose, you can pull whatever you want!" Naruto seemed just as excited. He brought his gloves up along with his opponent, approaching each other with full intent on having an all-out brawl as the end of their fight.
"Arutimetto Tekken Gurēto Funsai (Ultimate Iron Fist Great Pulverizer)!"
"Shinkū Ken Arashi (Vacuum Fist Storm)!"
Calling out their attacks, the two unleashed a storm of fists at each other. No skill was being used and no dodging was begin done, the two just tore into each other with all their might as they let their fists do the work. Naruto and Fukuroda took each hit that came at them, clashing fists when the chance arose but kept focused on dealing more damage than the other, all with smiles on their faces.
Ryuko continued to watch the brutal battle in front of her, eyes wide as she focused on Naruto's face. 'He's getting the crap beat out of him…but he's smiling…the both of them are crazy…' Ryuko looked on, blood splattering close by from the ring. "They're like animals…"
"Perhaps…but can you say that their determination to win is so much different from yours? A simple drive toward a purpose…and technically speaking that purpose is protecting you."
"Yeah, doesn't stop them both from bein' crazy," Ryuko's hair shadowed her eyes, staring intently at the blood Naruto was shedding.
The barrage was beginning to wind down, Naruto and Fukuroda becoming tired from it, and were close to putting their all into one final push.
"*Huff* You've put up a great fight for an amateur! Learning on the fly from your knockdowns, pulling out the Dempsey Roll of all things? It was impressive, but now it all ends here!" Fukuroda slammed his gloves together and thrust them forward in a double punch and began to rotate.
"Tekken Kōkusukuryū (Iron Fist Corkscrew)!"
The spiked slabs resembled a drill as they approached the blond, who stood his ground. Naruto brought his left arm up and coated it in wind, matching the drill to the best of his ability, skidding backward bit by bit.
As he ran out of space, the situation looked dire…only Naruto smirked at the last second. Naruto disengaged from his clash with Fukuroda and swerved around the corkscrew, slamming his foot down audibly in preparation for his punch. Fukuroda fell forward slightly due to having lost the opposing force and had to stare at a fist barreling toward his face.
"Tsuisutā Sutorēto (Twister Straight)!" Naruto called his attack, slamming his fist into Fukuroda's cheek, the wind coating his fist twisting the boxer's face up more and more until he shot off in the air spinning and tearing up the ring as he went.
The chains-ropes of the ring weren't enough to halt his flight either as Fukuroda twisted them up and pulled them from the posts as he kept going. Naruto huffed in the ring, trembling that soon grew into visible shaking, bringing his gloves to his head.
Fukuroda soared until he collided with another object that was going in the opposite direction, Omiko Hakodate. The two fell to the ground in a heap, Fukuroda sprawled on his back unconscious with his eyes completely white, and Hakodate leaning against him with her head down and unmoving.
"I WON!" Naruto cheered loudly, thrusting his hands into the air, the ring giving way from the damage it had sustained, splintering and causing Naruto to roll out and onto his back next to Ryuko.
"That was insane," Ryuko gained her voice back, seeing the two Kiryuin Pirates defeated. "How'd you manage to do that? What's that Dempsey Roll thing he was talking about?" Ryuko was desperate for an answer.
Naruto raised a brow when he was asked this, "Dempsey Roll? You mean I didn't just make that up?"
"You didn't even know what you were doing?"
"Nope, I just knew that I needed to move fast and hit hard at the same time. Planting my feet to center myself and using my weight to build momentum seemed like a good idea…kinda sucks that I didn't make it," Naruto looked to the sky blankly.
'He really just learned on the fly…' Ryuko thought.
"That's incredible battle instinct he has," Senketsu commended the teen.
"Oh, hey, you're done, too," Ichigo made his way over, looking just as bad as his captain, scratching his head nonchalantly despite this.
"Hey, Ichigo, ya won!" Naruto waved.
"You sound surprised," Ichigo sat next to his captain and released a breath as his body unwound from its tension.
"Nah, I was just wondering how it was going. I snuck glances and it looked like you were having fun," Naruto smiled.
Ichigo looked away with an annoyed smirk and twitching brow, "'Fun', he says," he looked back, "There was nothing fun about playing either of their stupid games, it was just tedious and annoying."
"Aw, it wasn't so bad. I kinda wanted to play the game you were, it looked more challenging."
"Then next time you can play the annoying games instead of me," Ichigo sighed. "I guess we overestimated pirates from the Grand Line if this is the best they have…" Ichigo looked to the downed Kiryuin Pirates, "If it wasn't for their stalling, we'd probably have beaten them much faster."
"As long as we win, I don't think it matters what they do," Naruto told him, "It makes me wonder what else is there."
"Glad to see your optimism hasn't taken a hit as bad as your body," Ichigo smiled.
"These guys just defeated two officers of the Kiryuin Pirates a few seconds ago…and now they're talking like nothing happened…' Ryuko was stunned.
"It's relaxing in its own weird sort of way…freeing," Senketsu's eye went up to show he was happy.
"Oh, Ryuko…" Naruto got the bounty hunter's attention, "I know that I said you could go back to chasing us after we beat these guys, but do you think you could hold off for a couple hours?" Naruto looked to her from his laying position. "We're exhausted."
"You think she'll let us get our strength back?" Ichigo glared slightly at her, "She could just backstab us and catch us while we're down," Ichigo frowned.
"She owes us, so I think she'd give us a little rest at least. We saved her life, after all," Naruto reasoned.
"Doesn't mean she'll honor that…" Ichigo shook his head.
Ryuko went silent as she listened to them talk, gripping her skirt with her eyes hidden. The bounty hunter opened her mouth to speak when…
*Thud*
A loud bang was heard, getting the attention of the three and silencing Ryuko.
Naruto shot up at the noise and Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu.
"Now what?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.
In the marine's port was a large white ship that had extended a long staircase down to the ground, causing the loud noise that the three had heard. Two figures were standing at the top of the staircase, the sun shining down harshly on them, making it hard to see them but not impossible.
The first figure stood lower than the other, being a few stairs down from the top, he had a foot positioned higher than the other on them with his hands in his pockets as he looked down at the three. He wore a white uniform in the same vein as the defeated Fukuroda and Hakodate only his was a coat with a high collar that had three silver star marks along it, the same marks, colored black, were on its front being split down the middle due to the coat being open and showing that he wore a blue vest beneath it, and spikes on its shoulders. His pants were plain white and were held up by a belt with three spikes as a buckle. Behind his back, the handle for a sword could be seen just over his shoulder. To top him off he had dark green hair and gray eyes.
The figure that stood at the top of the staircase was decidedly feminine, with the sun shining directly behind her, her legs spread shoulder length apart and hands clasping the handle of a sword that was in front of her as a sort of cane. She wore a white-and-blue sailor uniform that had a high collar, golden epaulets on the shoulders, and gold accents on her sides. On the left sleeve, there was a blue band that's use wasn't immediately apparent. The skirt of her uniform showed a lot of leg, but that was taken care of by the thigh-high boots she wore. Her face was set in an angular frown with blue eyes, thick eyebrows, and dark blue hair that went down to her thighs.
"It's the boss bitch!" Ryuko shouted in anger, glaring at the woman.
"The who?" Ichigo asked.
Naruto meanwhile stared at the woman at the top of the stairs, mouth agape and a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. He was looking at her with a great intensity, his gaze zeroing in on her face and he opened his mouth to speak…
"Eyebrows…"
(Infinity Ending- see Chapter 9 for visuals) {Suggested by Sirifoulous}
AN: There we have it, the end of this chapter. I know the fights might not have been stellar, which is why I wanted this stinger at the end specifically because of that. My knowledge of Tennis and Boxing is rudimentary, so I hope they aren't flat-out terrible. The next chapter will be dealing with these "Mysterious Figures" and ending this arc! Yay!
Fun Fact: Um, don't really have one…uh, Sanji was originally going to be named Naruto but since the Naruto manga was starting Oda didn't want to have two characters in different manga to have the same name to cause confusion.
Peace out, drop a review and lay into me…constructively please if you want. Hell, as long as it isn't a simple "Your story's dumb, give up moron" type, you can even say its bad everyone has opinions…just try to be civil about it, it's annoying to see reviews that just say "Story bad" without a real reason to it. Give a reason, and I can at least attempt to see it from your perspective and may even agree to an extent.