5th July, Wednesday
A glimmer of light.
…
A thick smell of sweat, grey colored walls, rows of lockers and lengthy benches lined up beside them. Few details he managed to notice, most, he didn't.
"You'll do great! I'm sure of it!" Ippo' voice was elevated, cheerful, and ringed just about pleasant into Jaune's ears.
"Thanks." He answered simply, but truly meant that simple word that he said.
"You go out there and show what you've got. About as simple as that." Joe's voice was a fine breeze, a tug in his lips, perhaps, a snippet of encouragement.
"Will do." He answered, and was a tad bit surprised how truthful his voice sounded.
"Deliver some sweet whoopin," Apollo chirped, and patted him across the shoulder. Then, pretty much out of nowhere, he started to throw combinations and lecture Jaune how to do said whoopin correctly.
"I'll be sure to remember, thanks," He said and chuckled. As he did, he looked to his left and rose to his feet.
Tai didn't have to say a word, and nor he did.
"It's time for me to go," Jaune said to himself, as much as he did to them.
The three acknowledged his words. Each one doing so differently from the other, and then sent him off.
He waved them, and before he knew it was already outside of the locker room.
She was right there. To meet and walk alongside him.
He, of course, appreciated it sincerely.
I really do. Words echoed inside his mind, clearly, noticeably, despite the saturation of thoughts he had. With serene chaos inside his own world, he looked up to the ceiling and squinted. Too bright. For him, the ceiling lights were just blinding, and felt like torches too close to his skin. He looked away, no particular direction in mind, and then to his left.
A murmur.
He looked to his right.
Another murmur, perhaps a comment about him, something in regards to him losing this fight.
We'll see about that.
He dared to think, noted the crowd was small, as expected, and closed his eyes. Even so…Being under their watchful eye, it still felt like an intimate experience. As if he was exposing himself to a world he barely knew of. Which kinda makes sense, I guess. Words formed in his mind, and he slowly exhaled through lips.
The next step he took, his eyelids opened.
It's only a fight, right?
A simple thought, he blinked, and all of the sudden, he was already inside the ring.
Actually, I have to win a deal here.
A sentence formed and framed in his mind, a minuscule part of it evident in a tiny tug at his lips. A moment later, his eyes closing and inhaling through nostrils. As he did, Tai knew this to be a fitting moment to equip him with a headgear.
"…No low blows, no head butts or elbows. I expect a clean fight from you."
Jaune opened his eyes, and found himself standing at the center of the ring. Referee explaining the rules to him and Gisei.
"Are both of you ready?"
"Yes."
He blinked. As he did, the world around him disappeared for a briefest of moment. Even his thoughts seemed to stop dead in their random tracks, and he was engulfed into an abyss.
"…"
"You go out there and show what you've got. About as simple as that." First thought that managed to reach him.
"…stick to your own boxing and rest is just smoke and mirrors." Then came a second one.
"But I sure as hell know that I want you to win," The third one, but this time around, even more so than words themselves, he remembered her face. Her grin, which didn't fail to make him smile.
"I do too."
He didn't want to fail himself.
"Jaune!"
Her, he didn't want to even more so.
Jaune's eyes snapped open and immediately thereafter, he threw himself backwards as fast as he could. His back sank deeply into the cushioned corner-post, the ropes stretching alongside the momentum of his force.
The incoming hook, it barely missing yet still grazing the tip of his nose.
Now!
A new glint in his blue, determination was swelling within and he let his hands go.
*Bang! Bang!*
A combination of hook and uppercut exploded as it struck true, Gisei' legs buckled and he stumbled backwards. Clearly hurt, but even more so than that, perhaps, shocked from such sudden, immediate retaliation.
Now's my chance!
His blue screamed out such sentence, he lunged forward with reckless abandon.
"Damnit!" Yang cursed as she winced. As if, she was the one to get hit in the abdomen. Her face riddled with lines and contours speaking of worry.
He got me!
His jaw clenched shut, he was too careless and hence, didn't expect his opponent to answer so quickly.
Then came an uppercut.
He managed to dodge, but felt his legs weren't there fully just yet and therefor, he lost balance just briefly and stumbled back into the corner.
A nasty grin.
He saw his opponent grin nastily, wickedly, his next punch sinking deeply into his stomach.
Attack thereafter sending the mouth-guard high in the air.
*Thud.*
A motionless body hit the canvas, two seconds later, a bloodied mouth-guard following suit.
The referee rushed over, had a quick look, and then crossed his arms over his head, signaling the fight was over.
The count was not needed.
"Jaune…" She uttered his name, her jaw slack and loose. Few moments later, her rushing inside the ring.
"Jaune!" She exclaimed, her arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace. "You won you dork!" Her lips a wide grin, her face beamed with an unmistakable joy.
He embraced her into a hug of his own.
"Of course I did. I had a deal to win, after all," He said and smiled, his face buried into her hair. I do kinda want to check on Gisei, though. He thought to himself, and glancing over her head, thankfully, saw a sight of him getting back up. His couch helped him to do so, but fortunately, he didn't need the support for too long, and soon after, was standing steadily on his own two feet. That's a relief. Jaune exhaled, closed his eyes and buried his face back into her hair.
"…"
This moment didn't last long, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking to his right, he noted Tai standing right next to them, his eyes solely locked onto him.
"…"
A quiet, eerily so moment passed, and Jaune felt, if at least slightly, unnerved.
Tai squeezed his shoulder just a bit harder, and then patted it. His lips a fine smirk.
"You did a fine job, Jaune. I mean, you did make a couple of mistakes here and there, but overall, nicely done. I'm quite proud of you," He said, patted him once more, and then retreated his hand back. As he did, all of the tension Jaune felt a mere moment ago was gone. It being replaced with ever so growing snippets of pride and joy.
"Thanks." He voiced a simple word, but meaning behind it was a bit more complex than just that.
"No need to thank me, Jaune. You were the one who was doing the fighting," He said simply, then glanced to his right and continued. "Also, I think there's someone who'd like to have a word with you," He said, and made a gesture with his head.
Jaune didn't even need to ask who as his blue was greeted with a pair of dark, regretful eyes. His opponent, Gisei, understandably so, wasn't pleased with the outcome, and didn't try to hide it one bit. Hence, Jaune wasn't sure what to do, even more so, what words to say in a situation like this.
She stepped aside for a moment, and as she did, Gisei ever so slowly started.
"That…" One word in, and he already stopped. He too struggled to find the right words it seemed, and it certainly didn't help the situation. He and Jaune squaring off while still in the ring, an intense atmosphere about them, but luckily enough, his coach put an end to this spell. Placing his hand on his athlete's shoulder, he squeezed it. Gisei turned to look at him and as he did, quietly bit his lip in frustration, but then exhaled, resignation washing over his face.
"I underestimated you," He said bitterly, and then offered a handshake. "Even so, you won fair and square so mad props to you, Jaune. I reckon you'll be one helluva boxer in the future," He said, and Jaune wasn't hesitant to shake hands with him.
"Thanks. You almost had there though. This was a close fight, even if short," He said, though could see his words weren't appreciated.
"You better don't, lad. I rather accept this loss without any what-if's. Doesn't mean I'd never want to fight you again, though. We totally should, sometime in the future," He said, gave a somewhat honest smile, and then parted his hand from Jaune's. "You keep winning in the meantime," His words were sincere, he turned around and walked over to the referee who, from the looks of it, was waiting for both of them.
She took off his headgear and then pushed him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on then." She urged him, and he glanced backwards to meet her eyes. "Remember, your chest out, your chin up and be proud of yourself. You did helluva good today," She said, he paused for a moment and then nodded without a snippet of doubt.
"Right!" He exclaimed, slightly surprising her and then she watched him go. Her face softening as she did. You really, most certainly did good today, Blondey. She thought to herself, and loved every bit of this warm feeling she felt right now.
A moment later, he and Gisei were standing at the center of the ring, referee right in between them. As Jaune continued to wait, he noticed something.
The ceiling lights, which used to be too bright and hot for him, weren't so anymore. They felt normal now.
"And winner by knock-out 59 seconds into the first round-Jaune Arc!" Referee exclaimed, and raised his hand.
His chest out, his chin up and proud of himself, he stood tall and steady.
She clapped vigorously, and so did the audience. Some of them whistling, and one or two even shouting his name.
He remembered Beacon for some reason.
"I'm expecting you to do better next time around, Mr. Arc."
Rather, all the times he had lost and how humiliating some of them felt, perhaps, were. All of that utter disappointment chipping away his already fragile confidence, and the condescending looks from his peers he'd have to endure thereafter…It hurt.
He bit into his lower lip, and closed his eyes.
It really did.
A simple truth echoed within, he opened his eyes and looked around.
No one was giving him a condescending look.