Yang swaggered onto the boxing ring like she owned the place, a leisurely smile on her face as she hopped up and down around the ring while throwing light punches at the air. She was wearing a pair of tight shorts and a sports bra, the red gloves tied tightly to her hands. She waved to the crowd, working her charisma to its max and getting everyone who was watching excited and talking. Yang was always facing her audience no matter where she was in the ring, never turning her back on them, always giving them her full attention like any other entertainer. Because that what Yang looked like out there, not a boxer, but a beautiful actress.
Yang finally stopped moving, settling down in the corner to Winters right and turning to the center of the ring for the first time. Well, settled down wasn't the right thing to say. She was still bouncing like Ruby usually does, but at least she was standing in one spot now. The portly man with the mustache climbed into the ring, stepping on one of the ropes so he could walk in without having to bend. He was stretching the ropes so far apart Winter got more than little scared they might snap! The thing that mostly freaked her out about the guy, who was apparently acting as the referee, was that as much as she strained her eyes, Winter couldn't make out his eyes, which freaked her out a wee bit.
He coughed and held up his hands, trying to quiet the crowd. He waited, but the talking never stopped completely, so after a minute he continued anyway, "Our next match is between two of the newest and most promising young boxers in our league! First, Yang Xiao Long!" Yang held up her gloves and started to flex while the crowd clapped and cheered, all of them caught up in Yangs energy, and she couldn't really blame them. Yang gave off a warmth that made people want to smile and get excited. Winter would be lying if she said she didn't feel her effects.
"And she will be fighting, Neo!" A petite girl climbed into the ring, gliding between the ropes like a snake with her hair pink and brown that was tied in a ponytail. Neo was dressed similar to Yang, but she gave off the exact opposite energy. Yang was bombastic and explosive, while Neo seemed distant and cold. Not even bothering to look at Yang before she was situated in her corner.
Most of the cheers died down as Neo walked into the corner, but a small section got loud and started to yell and clap for the girl. Winter looked, and could see a young man with red hair and a bowler hat clapping with a grin on his face. When his hands stopped moving, the rest of the noise around the ring died within seconds.
Yang glared at Neo, her wild energy slowly turning into concentration and focus as she raised her gloves, "The two boxers will touch gloves" The mustached man stood in the middle of the ring looking at the girls waving them to the center. The girls looked at each other, like they were daring the other to make the first move.
"Allow me" Yang said with a grin and a wink, making the first steps. Neo stayed silent, shrugging as she lightly walked to meet the blonde. They touched gloves for an instant with their eyes locked on each other. Silence surrounded the crowd as the two girls got into their final positions. The ref turned to look a teach of them, nodding to both of them, before he raised his hand. The tension in the air was thick, like a mist that covered the entire gym… "Fight!"
Yang moved like a bullet, closing the distance between them before the man had hardly even taken a step away. Her arms were moving fast and hard, trying to deal as much damage as possible as quick as possible.
The crowd hadn't seemed to realize what was going on yet, because the silence hadn't broken yet. Until… "Kick her butt, Yang! You got this!" Ruby called from the back of the room.
Simple as that, the tension broke, and everyone watching exploded into a fit of cheers and applause. Some were for Neo, but most were for the bombastic blonde who was moving at light speed with anvils attached to her hands.
Yang threw blow after fierce blow at Neo, and it was clear to anyone watching that Yang could've taken the small girl out in a hit or two. Only one problem though, Neo was dancing around every hit like a pro.
Neo smiled as she spun around, ducked, and parried every one of Yangs punches, her small smile never wavering. With fist after fist hurled her way Neo was only dodging the hits by inches, but Yang was running out of steam quickly.
Yang's attacks were slowing down more with each passing millisecond. It was clear that Yang's strategy was something along the lines of, the best defense is a good offense. That made a lot of sense when Yang was being aggressive and keeping her opponents hands busy with blocks. But Yangs offense was falling apart, and her defense was close behind…
Wham! Yangs attacks suddenly stopped as Neo took advantage of an opening Yang had given her, receiving a knuckle sandwich right to her gut. Yang's eyes went wide as her hands dropped to grab her stomach, leaving her face wide open. A mistake Neo wouldn't let her forget as she rammed her left hand into Yangs face.
Yang went stumbling to the side, her balance obliterated by the punch. Yang turned and tried to throw up her hands again, but Neo wasn't having any of it. She kept close to Yang and kept throwing punch after punch at her.
Yang was trying to dodge and weave like Neo had, but she was slow and clunky where Neo had been swift and delicate. Neo got plenty of hits in before Yang managed to get some space between them.
Neo waited at a distance, an easy smile on her face, while Yang huffed and tried to find her footing with her off balance. Neo took a step to the side, when her smile vanished and she jerked. Somehow, she lost her balance and had started to fall, with shock clear on her face.
Yang didn't hesitate, making her move in a flash, probably throwing all of her remaining strength into this last punch aimed right for Neos face.
But almost as if it was in slow motion, the shock left Neos eyes and a dark glint took its place. Without missing a beat, Neo found her footing and righted herself, pulling herself out of Yang's destructive path with ease. She let her teeth show as she grinned, throwing all of her body weight into Yang's exposed side.
Yang's mouth flew open as her legs gave out, her eyes wide as she fell onto her knees, trying her best to cradle her side. Yang was gasping for air on the ground, not even looking at Neo anymore. Neo took a step back and smiled, reminding Winter of a demented fairy. Neos smile grew even bigger as she stepped in front of Yang's head and brought her fist back.
Winters stomach dropped and she had to look away, knowing what was about to happen to that sweet girl. She expected to hear a thud as Yang hit the ground, or a gasp from the audience, but nothing came. The only thing that was there was quiet.
Winter opened her eyes and saw that the hit never found its mark. The man with the squirrel on his face was standing behind Neo with her arm in his hand. He held it firmly, and Neo looked at him with utter contempt as she ripped her arm free, walking away from him and to the center of the mat.
He helped Yang to her feet, talking to her quietly, helping her find her footing aside Neo. Yang was wobbly on her feet, but at least she was standing. Albeit with her hand still pressed to her side.
"The winner is… Neo!" The man smiled, holding the pink-haired girls hand high in the air. There was a small roar from the audience, but Neo looked more bored than excited standing there. When he released her hand, Neo walked to the edge of the rope and floated down the floor, landing next to the red-haired boy, "My my, not a bad show!" Winter heard him say before he wrapped her in a soft hug, resting his chin on her head. Neos smile was small, but real as she wrapped her arms around him in return and closed her eyes.
Winter wished Yang was even close to that happy.
Yang stood in the middle of the ring, silent and stiff with eyes as dull as a corpse. The man lightly but his hand on her shoulder as he walked her over to the side of the ring. Qrow walked over with Ruby by his side, so Winter walked over and met them. Ruby had a big smile on her face, but it was clear she was trying her best to keep away from as many people as possible.
"Yang, that was so amazing! You were all like wham, ting, pop, whooshy whooshy! You were totally awesome! You're like a superhero!" Ruby bounced and swung a few punches of her own, keeping them well away from the crown around them. Yang's head hung low as she dropped off the ring with a huff.
"Thanks, Rubles" Yang said in a hoarse voice, clearly forcing a smile on her face.
"You did exceptional, Yang! Not unlike my first boxing match! We'll be practicing those blocks again, that's for sure!" The man gave a hearty laugh, twirling his mustache. His eyes fell on Winter, "Ahhh, this must be the woman you were telling me about Yang! How do you do miss, my name is Peter Port, Yang's coach" He said as he gave a small bow.
"Um, good to meet you? I'm Winter, a friend of Yang's" Winter appreciated words, but at the same time they were a bit too… Familiar. Too many of her father's associates and business partners had a similar, old school way of talking. But they mostly used it to feel superior to others, or that's what Winter thought at least. had probably talked like that all his life.
"If you'll excuse me, I have another match to referee. See you soon, Yang, great fight! Winter, it was a pleasure" He bowed again before walking back to the ring. All of them walked to the edge of the gym, and Winter was glad to finally have some breathing room.
"He's right kid, you did great. I think a celebration is in order. Wanna pay Glynda a visit?" Qrow asked with a smile before walking towards the door without waiting for them to follow. Ruby gasped and looked at Yang with wide eyes.
"Yang, Ice cream! Wait for me, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby whooped before racing off after Qrow, leaving Winter and Yang standing side by side. Yang used her teeth to untie the knots on her gloves, pulling them off as if there was acid on the inside of them. Yang held the gloves in her hands, looking at them in silence and her thumbs traced small lines in the material.
"Yang, I think we should get going. Doesn't ice cream sound good?" Winter thought it was a bit early for ice cream, but Yang looked like she needed a boost. Yang closed her eyes and opened her mouth to talk, but nothing came out.
"I can't do this…" Yang whispered, tears falling from her eyes and landing on the gloves. Her lip trembled and she gripped the gloves so hard Winter was afraid her nails would rip into them.
The words caught Winter off guard. Those were words she didn't think Yang would ever say about anything. Winter was about to open her mouth to say, well, anything. but Yang threw her gloves on the ground and ran as fast as she could past the old woman at the table and out of the gym, going further into the huge building without looking back…
Hey everyone! I know I usually post early in the morning but these were some long chapters and I wanted to make sure that everything was good and edited before I put them out there. So hopefully I've done that! Also this if the first time I've ever written any kind of a fight scene, so let me know what you guys think so I can do better next time. Thanks for being patient and thanks again for everyone still reading! Hope you enjoy!