Hey, back with this again. Disclaimers, blablabla, on with it.
After saying my line, I walked forward and touched Takeshi's shoulder.
... After waiting a while, nothing happened.
Hm. Figures.
I scoffed audibly. "Congratulations on making me go along with the most stupid thing I've ever heard, Shizuka," I threw a glance and a deadpan at her. Seriously, that was retarded.
...
I suddenly felt the tip of my fingers twitch with a strange coldness.
What was that about famous last words, again...?
"Well, at least it was fun, right guys?" The girl answered with smile so cheeky that-
My phone vibrated before I could complete the thought. I heard some of the others' phones ring, as well.
A message...
'You just might get it.'
...
Hmph... women... how could they take so freaking long in the bathroom?
Don't give me that 'make-up' excuse... she knew very well by how many times I told her that she didn't need that shit.
I sighed to myself as I leaned back on the wall outside of my class. Exams were over, finally, and as soon as she handed her test, Shizuka made a mad dash to the bathroom. And I was kept waiting since.
Didn't Takeshi have a match today? I just hoped we didn't miss that because someone was taking their sweet time... doing whatever she was doing.
I fixed my bandanna once more, before getting tired of fixing it over and over again. I took it off and ruffled my hair. Looking at the window in front of me, it was still very much red... wouldn't need to dye it again anytime soon. I needed a haircut, though...
Oh, there she was.
"Baack," she said, approaching me.
"Goddamn, I thought you actually needed help there. Was about to kick the door down and drag you outta there, myself," I answered. Dammit, she was wearing lipstick. I swear she did that on purpose. "Do I need to remind you of how much I hate it when you do that." I motioned towards her lips.
She opened a smile as I said that then edged closer to me. "Silly... if you're not happy with that, why don't you kiss the red outta my lips?"
"You don't need a lame excuse like that for me to kiss you, you know that?"
"Well, excuuuuse me, tough guy. I didn't know you were that easy," she said, taking a small step back and turning her previously slightly lustful smile to a more playfully smug grin.
I just rolled my eyes at that. Same old Shizuka. "So, you gonna watch Takeshi's match with me?"
"Ooh, he's fighting today? Against who?"
She really didn't know...? Kyo'd been running his mouth all over the corridors about that..."Akihiko Sanada, from class F..."
"Who do you think will win, Keita?" She asked again. She didn't know who Sanada was...? Where was she all this time?
"To be honest... I'm thinking Takeshi will take the beating of his life."
She made a clearly surprised face. "Seriously? Wasn't he supposed to be really strong?"
"Yeah, but Sanada is a monster. At least according to Aragaki. The two of them fight all the time, and they're basically on the same level. As much as I like the guy, I honestly don't think Takeshi stand a chance against me in a fight. Imagine him against someone like Shinjiro." I answered.
Here's a little story. Aragaki once slapped a cigarette outta my hand because he didn't like the smoke. I got angry and fought back.
And that was how I quit smoking. I kinda owed the guy for that.
Speaking of the devil, he passed near us on his way to the stairs and threw me a glance. I nodded at him, he nodded back.
"Ouch..." Shizuka winced. Sorry, but it was that grim.
"But still, I wanna see how well he fares. You coming along?"
"Hm... alright," she replied, a bit apathetically. Maybe she was a bit reluctant to go watch Takeshi probably lose.
...
...
I freaking swear she did that on purpose.
We got to the gym and picked two seats to watch to fight, but as soon as we took our seats, she got up and freaking left again. The fight was gonna start in a few minutes and I was there, waiting, with my backpack sitting by my side because some asshole tried to steal her place.
His severed head was gonna fly straight at the nose of the next punk who tried the same.
No, just kidding.
People were starting to fill the seats, while some decided to stay down there, closer to the ring. Some people passed me by and looked at me kinda weird.
What? Can't a guy save a seat for his girl, now?
Begone!
I didn't vocalize the thought, but my expression surely scared people from giving me looks.
Hm...
"Checkity check, hey, hey!" The guy was already testing the PA down there. Where the Hell wa-
There she was.
"Ladies aaaaand gentlemen! I'm Junpei Iori, your host for today's spectacle!" I could hear the guy yelling as Shizuka lifted my backpack and plopped her ass down.
"Sorry for the holdup. What did I miss," she asked.
"Nothing, really. Things are about to start."
"Great!" She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my shoulder. "I just hope Takeshi's gonna be okay."
"The moment you've been waiting for iiis heeree!" The jester wearing a cap continued his spiel. "Today, the fiercest fighters in Gekkoukan are gonna duke it out, right in front of your eyes! I can barely hold my excitement!"
No, you can't.
"How about you?!" he asked pointed the mic towards some of the girls near the ring. Some of them went along with it, cheering and even screaming. The famous Sanada fangirls... Sigh. I visibly rolled my eyes at that.
"Our contestants are getting ready, and will be up in the ring shortly. So hold on tight! If you can, that is."
So there's still a minute or two until the fight.
I just hope Takeshi doesn't get beat up so badly...
...
...
...
"Did you hear that? The time's near. You gotta focus, concentrate. Put up a great fight. You're the star of the show, man, don't let your dreams be-"
"Shh. I'm trying to do just that, but your babbling isn't helping." I kindly told Kyo to shut up before I hung my head and closed my eyes once more. Not outta shame, or anything, it was just something I always did when the pressure was starting to get to me. After a deep breath, I almost literally shot up from my bench and started hopping from side to side, loosing myself up. Rolled my shoulders a few times, relaxed my neck, then shook all the bad vibes to the ground.
I dunno what I was doing, I just saw what the fighters on the big leagues did. Only habit I had was to keep quiet for a while, but that whole shaking the tension away thing kinda came naturally, that moment.
Curious thing was: hopping around actually helped. I was fresher than before.
"Gekkoukan! Iiiiiiiiiiit's... tiiiiiime!" Even I could hear that loud and clear.
"Let's go?" I asked Kyo.
"Let's go!" He said, and we busted out of the door, starting to stroll towards the ring. There was even a way through the crowd of people that decided to stay closer to the ring. Walking through it was kinda cool.
Kyo, however, was the one who was really excited with it all. He began revving up the crowd and stuff, and strangely enough, it kinda worked. yeah, less than half the people there cheered, but it still made for some good vibes.
"Fighting! In the blue corner! The challenger... Takeshi! Yamamoto!"
Iori-kun announced as I got up into the ring. Or was going to, until Kyo tapped my shoulder.
"No shirts allowed. Just saying." He kinda whispered, because he had to beat all the voices in the gym.
... Really?
I got up in the ring and took my shirt off.
To feel a chill throughout my whole body.
The stares... the stares!
There was the pressure again. Why were there so many people staring?!
Calm down... hopefully Sanada-san would steal that spotlight. Yeah, the girls loved him, he'd surely keep all the looks for himself.
How come those seconds were passing so damn slow, announce the guy already!
"Fighting! In the red corner! The captain... Akihiko! Sanada!"
Thank you.
There was Sanada-san, coming from the other restroom across the gym, along with that blue haired friend of his. He was already shirtless and-
Crap, my ears.
How high pitched can those girls' voices be?
At least they were staring at someone else.
He strolled towards the ring and hopped in, not giving a single glance towards the girls. He commented something with his... what I assumed was his corner man, before turning towards the center of the ring once more.
The middle school's P.E teacher stepped up in the ring. I guess he was gonna be the referee?
Iori-kun continued his antics, but my mind was elsewhere.
Okay, time to think up a strategy against Sanada-san: I knew he was an in-fighter who liked to rush people down an stay on the offensive. I fought in a pretty similar style, only I was a bit more defensive. I had less reach then him, so... counter hits? Then again, other guys in the club tried rushing him down and he just out boxed them to death from out of their reach.
Goddammit.
I'll come up with something as I go along.
Famous last words, I know.
The referee called us to the center of the ring, and we went there.
The man had short black hair and was taller than us, but already had some grey locks. I dunno, I thought his hair looked cool. I wanted mine to look like that when I got older.
"I want a fair fight, yada yada yada, you know the drill. I'm sure that you won't bite each other's ears off, but do try to refrain from striking below the belt. You know how that hurts. Elbows are a no no, too. I think that's it. Well, back to your corners!" He said as he patted our backs.
I walked back to my corner and Kyo handed me the blue helmet with a grin so wide, I don't think he needed to say anything. I put it on and took another deep breath, and Sanada-san did the same, only his corner man actually had something to say to him.
The referee then motioned for us to stand up, and we did.
No turning back now...
After looking at each of our faces, he motioned for Iori behind the table and he rang the bell.
Okay, since I didn't know what to do yet, I decided to study him a bit before I did anything.
Apparently, however, Sanada-san didn't have the same idea.
I had to think quickly to block his jab. My guard was below the ideal, I had to keep that in mind.
Another one came my way, but I could dodge it this time. Where was the opening, though? He recovered way too quickly, I couldn't counter attack.
Scratch what I thought earlier, he was actively studying me, at least he was considering what bait I'd bite.
Well, two could play that game.
I decided to throw my own jab, quickly as I could an-
Ugh!
Where the hell did that left come from?!
He stuffed my jab with a psychic left straight.
Granted, it wasn't that strong, but it surely went against my momentum...
... hey, what if...
I consciously staggered back slightly and made a pained face.
He bit it, I could actually see his right coming for my face, for once.
You know what was weird? I don't think any of the guys in the club fought southpaw style, only Sanada-san. I wasn't used to dodging short blows to the right, so I had to actually put my mind into dodging to the right side, but that favored me a bit. I weaved to the right, under his hook and threw a strong right to his ribs. Awesome, it connected, and the impact sent him reeling a bit.
Time to capitalize on that. I turtled up, raising a guard in front of me and stepped forward. Just then I became conscious of the cheering again.
I aimed a punch to his face, but he blocked it. Not giving him the chance to react, I followed with another one, now aimed to his body, and he blocked it. I was managing to keep the pressure game going, two more punches were blocked without reaction.
I then wound up a straight to try and open his guard.
And he stepped forward like he didn't block the punch before. All I knew was that his left was coming towards my face.
And I fell, just like that. Bang, straight to my chin. I fell on my ass with my eyes widened, as if I'd just ran full speed into a tree branch that was in front of me.
How did he do that? Did he catch my rhythm, or something?
I looked up to see Sanada-san taking a step back with a neutral expression. My head was starting to weigh a bit... I was actually a bit dizzy. How quick was that?
How was I supposed to counter that...?
"Seven!"
... Oh shit!
I supported myself on my hands and got up, then raised my guard. After shaking my head, I nodded towards the referee, and he nodded back, before letting us continue the fight. People cheered louder than before for a moment, and I could see that Sanada had a small grin on his face.
Before I could properly stand my ground, he rushed at me, already demanding me to block a strong left hook which didn't leave me space to throw even a jab.
And there I was, stuck on the defensive again. Two other punches followed, and I could no longer stay on the same spot. I tried to weave away, but he chased me down every sidestep I took, until I was in the ropes. It was like every movement of mine was predicted and he had me completely under control! What trickery was that?!
Once in the ropes, he began mixing up heights and it went south from there. As much as I'd like it to be, my guard wasn't omnipresent and could only cover so much space at a time.
The only pause he gave me was to wind up a right hook, which I desperately tried to duck...
To the wrong side. I only noticed it when I started the motion. Freaking lefty fighter!
But strangely enough, the punch didn't come...
... a feint!
I instinctively raised my left hand for a guard, and sure enough, his left hand hit my guard. I wasn't looking at his face, but that was my only chance to try and hit a right counter to the side of his head, full force. Now or never...!
...
...
"Yeah!" I cheered from my spot, even though my yell was muffled by the fangirls' gasps, winces and everything else. Even Shizuka raised invisible pompons for Takeshi. That hit was legit! Hell, the guy was doing good.
Just as he hit that massive right and Akihiko was sent staggering back, the bell rang, ending the first round. Both fighters looked at each other for a brief moment before they went back to their corners.
"Damn, that was hype. I didn't know Takeshi had that in him... I'm proud." I looked at Shizuka, who laid her head on my shoulder again. "What do you think?"
"I dunno... he took a bit of a beating there..." she answered, a bit downtrodden.
"But he still stood out in the end and delivered that sick punch. Must've rocked Sanada's world," I said, a bit excited, I must confess.
"... I guess."
Hm. "What's wrong?"
"I dunno... why do you enjoy that? I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching two shirtless hot guys as much as the next person, but... I don't see a lot of sense in fighting like that."
... She thought Takeshi was hot. Personally, the guy was more average than an NPC in a videogame. Not sure what to think about that, but duly noted.
"I think that's more a guy's thing. Maybe because of power? To watch two people proving themselves? Because it's fun? I dunno, I don't claim to be a know it all of why we like to fight. We just do."
"Yeah, but..." she trailed off before sighing and looking back at the ring. Of course my answer didn't satisfy her. It didn't even satisfy myself, to be honest. If I didn't have better shit to think about, I'd actually ponder about that a bit.
Kyo was slapping a pack of ice on Takeshi's face and talking to him. Akihiko was getting told by that blue haired kid, like he knew what he was saying. Just looking at his fringe makes me think that he didn't know what he was saying.
The bell rang again, signalling the second round.
...
...
Kyo slapped me on the back. "Do your damn best!"
Well, time to go. I put on my mouthpiece and stood up, ready to face Sanada again.
Okay, that time, I'd take a different approach. From what I saw the round before, he had managed to catch my rhythm and threw me out of it, I only countered him by mistake. So, what I had to do was to step forward and not let him get his groove on.
And step forward I did, raising a guard in front of my face. I began to rush him down with jabs, hooks and straights, advancing at each strike. His guard wasn't showing many signs of opening, but then I started varying my blows. I took it to his body, then his guard started lowering a bit. I guess he was starting to get the memo that my intention was to hit his gut.
He couldn't stand his ground much like me in the last round, and began to be pushed back. Soon, I felt myself moving forward smoothly, I was dictating the rhythm of the dance. I put so much effort into not letting him attack, maybe it was working.
I pushed my way until Sanada-san was in the ropes. His guard was really strong, but I was finally starting to crack it. I even connected a few blows to his body before his guard lowered a bit. A few strong ones made his back stretch the ropes back, even. When I could see his eyes above the gloves, I noticed that was my chance. Going with the flow of my punches, I aimed one straight to his temple. That was gonna knock him out, for sure. To me, it was gonna be such a clean hit, it was like I could see things in slow motion. One chance, one tiny chance.
I released my right arm with all my strength on a strong right hook.
Sanada-san leaned back on the ropes and avoided my punch. Coming back with the momentum, he hit a left straight to my jaw.
And I lost it there. I just fell, my legs gave in underneath me. I only saw blurry faces in front of me, and I couldn't make out the noises around me.
As much as I tried to, I couldn't stand back.
... Clever... son of a...
I blacked out right there and then.
...
Done. Same as always, review box below, Raidou the 16th, I approve this message, see ya.