Rookie King Tournament - Part 4

Once again Coach Kamogawa had told Ippo to take the day off and rest. The day after a match was the hardest time to relax though. Ippo kept on reliving his match with Hayami over and over. Thinking about it made him want to box with Hayami again. The thrill of dodging all those punches, and the exhalation of winning - the rewards for the match made all the training well worth it. The next match would be the finals against Miyata-kun! The first time Mashiba had fought with Miyata, Ippo's rival would have won if the other fighter hadn't fouled him. If Miyata listened to his warning and avoided getting his foot injured, then Mashiba wouldn't stand a chance. Ippo was too excited to sit at home. His body was overflowing with energy so there was no way he could just relax. Against orders he'd wound up doing his entire morning run. Afterwards he made his way to the Yamanaka bakery. He could get an early lunch and see how Kumi was doing.

"Hello Ippo-san!"

"Hello Kumi-san!" It was nice to be on a first name basis with her. Getting bread was turning into the best 5 minutes of his day. Ippo was still nervous and found it hard to talk to Kumi, but she made it so easy.

"Eh? Ippo-san's face is more bandaged than usual."

"Oh, yeah. I had a match last night."

"How'd you do?"

"I managed to win." It was hard to talk about his fights. Ippo always felt like he was trying to boast.

"I knew it! You looked so happy that something good must have happened."

"Yeah, it was a great match. I wish I could fight my opponent again."

"Really? Is boxing fun?" Kumi's bright smile had been replaced with a sad expression.

"It's hard to describe. There's a lot of hard work and pain. You don't get paid much as a 4-rounder, but the thrill of fighting strong opponents and being in the center of the ring with everyone cheering for you..."

"I guess that does sound nice."

"Are you worried about your brother?"

"Yeah. He works so hard, and the thought of him getting hurt in the ring is too much." At that moment Kumi looked so fragile and vulnerable. Ippo wished he could say something to make her feel better, but everything he could think of sounded hollow to him. Assuring her that her brother would win felt wrong. If he did manage to beat Miyata-kun somehow then Ippo would have to fight him. What would Kumi think of him after that?

"I've seen your brother's matches. He's an amazing boxer. I'm sure he'll be fine." Kumi only nodded while she rang up his order.

It was the day of the other semi-final match. Ippo had come with Takamura to watch Miyata fight. Ippo had seen Kumi in line outside Korakuen Hall. She was obviously here to watch her brother fight. Since Ippo was going to be rooting for Miyata-kun, talking to her seemed odd. Takamura was also with him, so all in all it was probably best to just focus on the fight. While Ippo was distracted Fuji-san came up to them. The reporter was here for the semi-final match as well, so the three of them bought adjacent tickets.

"In the Red corner: weighing 125 pounds, Kawabara Gym's Miyata Ichiroooou!"

"In the Blue corner: weighing 125 and a half pounds, Touhou Gym's Mashiba Ryooooou!"

The match was about to start. Ippo was on the edge of his seat. Other things had changed, so why not this? Miyata was the better fighter, so with a second chance he'd win.

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rang as the match started. The two boxers dashed out of their corners and met in the middle of the ring. They exchanged blows and then were back at range. Mashiba threw a normal jab that Miyata swayed past. The out-boxer retaliated with a right straight of his own. Mashiba blocked and the two traded blows for a few seconds. Neither scored a hit until Miyata connected with a counter against a chopping-right. The punch didn't slow the taller fighter down as Mashiba immediately followed up with a powerful left hook. Miyata dodged backwards and the two boxers were at range again.

Miytata and Mashiba stared at each other for a few seconds before Mashiba lowered his left guard. Holding his left forearm parallel to the ground he began to move it back and forth in a sawing motion. It was the hitman stance, forsaking the forward guard in exchange for the ability to throw flicker jabs quickly from an unusual angle. The sawing motion also distracted opponents - a movement that helped hide the start of a jab. A second later Mashiba threw a flicker. Miyata swayed back, but under-estimated his opponent's reach - the flicker connected cleanly. From a seemingly impossible range Mashiba whipped his fist towards Miyata's head. Flicker followed flicker, but Miyata managed to dodge to the side to avoid them until he moved out of the greater reach of Mashiba.

Once again the two boxers stared at one another before continuing the fight. This time the previous stand-off was broken in the opposite way. Miyata lowered his right guard and assumed a southpaw-hitman stance. Mashiba inched forward before letting another flicker jab fly. Miyata didn't try to dodge the punch, instead he leaned forward causing the jab to hit his shoulder instead. Miyata quickly rushed in along the out-stretched arm of the taller boxer. Mashiba was surprised and began to throw a right, but Miyata was much quicker. His left straight caught his opponent off-guard and off-balance. A perfect counter.

"Down! Go to a neutral corner!"

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7.."

"Uoooooooooh!" Mashiba howled as he forced himself to his feet. Supporting himself on the ropes, he managed to stand.

"Can you continue?" The referee asked, and got a fighting pose and a nod in return. "Alright, Fi-" Before he could even finish the sentence Miyata rushed past him. The outboxer had his left arm cocked for another straight, one that would end the match.

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rang and Miyata pulled his punch inches from Mashiba's face. He then turned and calmly walked back to his corner.

"Alright Ichirou! It's too bad though...if the bell had sounded a few seconds later."

"Yeah. It was a clean hit though, so he'll still be damaged in the next round. I'll finish it." Miyata was disappointed that he hadn't been able to get a knockout in the first round. If he had then he would've been one up on Makunochi since he got his semi-final K.O. in the second round. The next round was when Ippo had warned about getting his foot stepped on. Miyata had dismissed the warning at first, but Mashiba's reach had been longer than he'd anticipated. The round had ended sooner than he'd though it would in his mind's eye.

"Be careful when charging in headlong. You don't know what he has left, and he'll be desperate."

"Ok!"

"Second's out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

As soon as the bell rung Miyata was rushed by Mashiba. The taller fighter trapped him in the corner with a furious series of rights and lefts. Mashiba still had damage though, there was no way he was capable of winning a hitting match at the moment. Miyata dodged a right, threw one of his own, and then ducked a left. A short right upper came in too fast and it managed to clip his head. The left straight that followed was stopped by a turtle stance. Miyata didn't intend to stay on the defensive though. Another right followed, but this time Miyata dodged underneath it and connected with a right body-blow of his own, then a left. Mashiba lowered his guard to try and defend, so Miyata threw a left hook next. It almost knocked Mashiba off his feet again.

Miyata wouldn't let his opponent recover. He dashed forward, dodging another punch and connecting with yet another left to the body. Mashiba retaliated with a right hook, but the damage was showing. It was coming in too wide and slow. Miyata blocked the punch and then unleashed a flurry of his own. Mashiba was against the ropes and couldn't dodge. At close range his punches were too slow and his defense was failing. Miyata's punches were all connecting cleanly, but he saw a gleam in Mashiba's eyes - the fight wasn't over yet. The cornered boxer let loose with wild swings. They were too wide, too slow, Mashiba couldn't hit him like this. Miyata was about to hit with another perfect counter when Ippo's warning came to him. It was the second round, Mashiba wasn't able to connect...his feet!

Mashiba's right haymaker was coming in, but Miyata glanced down. His left foot was about to be stepped on! Miyata quickly shifted his foot to the inside. This stopped his counter, but let him avoid Mashiba by ducking into short range where the taller fighter was at a severe penalty. Miyata was inside Mashiba's reach again. The training he'd done to be able to in-fight against Ippo was paying off. He could still finish things this close, but Mashiba woul...

*THUMP!*

A pain exploded in the back of his head. The world was swimming. Vaguely he saw Mashiba throwing a left hook, but his body wouldn't move. The punch connected and then he was against the ropes, taking flicker after flicker...

"5!" Someone was yelling at him. Across the mat he could see his father. Why was he so high up?

"6!" His dad wasn't any higher, he was on the mat. Miyata tried to move, but his body wouldn't listen to him.

"7!" Somehow he'd been knocked down. He had to get up! All the training he'd done: learning to in-fight, a counter to clinches - all of it would be wasted if he remained on the ground.

"8!" Miyata raised himself to one knee. It took more effort than he had imagined possible, but he'd promised Makunochi that they'd meet in the finals.

"9!" Ippo had already qualified. He was waiting at the top. Miyata couldn't let him down. They WOULD have their match!

"Aaarrrggghhhh!" Miyata uttered a primal scream which interrupted the referee's count and helped him stagger back to his feet. The world was still spinning. Keeping his balance took everything he had.

"Can you fight?" Nodding would only make his balance worse. It might even make him fall. So Miyata just took his fighting position and glared across the ring at his opponent.

"That cheating bastard Mashiba! What's wrong with that referee?"

"What happened? Miyata-kun was winning, and suddenly he just started taking punches." Ippo was confused, it was the same part of the fight where Mashiba's cheating had turned the tide by stepping on Miyata's foot and robbing him of his mobility.

"I'm not surprised someone like Ippo-kun doesn't know about that type of punch." Fuji-san was scowling, but he wasn't as riled up as Takamura was. "It's an illegal blow called a 'Rabbit Punch'. Basically when Miyata-kun was inside his reach, instead of pulling his arm back he just punched the back of Miyata's head."

"What?!"

"Yeah, that type of hit can really get you. It's right to the base of the skull where the spine and the brain meet. Hitting somewhere like that is really dangerous. It illegal because of how deadly it can be." Takamura grimly stated.

"Just one usually results in a concussion. I hope Miyata-kun is ok." Fuji-san's comment didn't make Ippo feel any better.

The rest of the match seemed to go by in a blur. It lasted forever, but was also over before Ippo knew it. Miyata had avoided one foul, only to be hit by another. He'd put up a good fight against Mashiba, but in the end his footwork was gone and his counters didn't have any strength behind them. Ippo felt numb. Before he'd been burning with a righteous anger against Mashiba. This time Ippo didn't feel anything. The results of the second match between them didn't seem real.

"I..I..I'm going to the locker room to check on him!" Ippo wasted no time after that, he pushed through the crowds of people until he got backstage. At Miyata's locker-room there were several reporters gathered around trying to get an update on the boxer's condition. Miyata's father was talking to them. Soon they dispersed and Ippo walked up.

"Makunochi..."

"Uh..Uhm..Miyata-kun..."

"...Ichirou...He gave me a message for you, if I saw you."

"He did?"

"A request...'Forgive me.'...he said."

The coach had increased his training regime. Ippo was focusing on strengthening his neck and legs. With Mashiba as his opponent, the fight would be decided at what range it was conducted at. Ippo was small, even for a feather weight. Mashiba on the other hand was almost as tall as Takamura. The reach difference between them was huge. Ippo still remembered their first match. In the boxing ring, Mashiba's reach was amazingly difficult to overcome. Kamogawa-sensei had told Ippo to start wearing his leg weights for all his roadwork. The extra mass was proving to be far more effective when worn running than when Ippo used it while working on the fishing boat. While his legs were sore every night, his step-in was improving.

Training also let him get his mind off of things. He'd failed in his goal to fight with Miyata, but somehow that didn't seem as tragic this time around. He'd have another chance, they'd both be competing for the Japanese title. Even if they didn't meet up after his fight with Date, Tree-sama might give him another chance. If Tree-sama had sent him back so he could fight with Date, then he might do the same with Miyata. There was a difference in their situations though. Date would never fight in Japan again after their match. His goal was the world, and Ippo felt that their fight had been the only chance he'd get to face off against the older boxer. On the other hand, Miyata would continue to box. The two of them were fated to have a match - of this Ippo was certain. Even if Miyata went overseas again to box in other countries, he'd be back one day. That though comforted Ippo. In truth, sparring with Miyata when he'd first come back had helped relieve the anticipation he'd felt after the two of them had failed to meet in the tournament finals the first time.

Miyata's words haunted him. 'Forgive me.' They were the same words that Miyata had said when he'd lost the first time. If Ippo didn't know better, he'd think that Miyata wanted to fight him as much he wanted a fight with the older boxer. His rival was too cool for that though. If Ippo had failed to make it to the finals and Miyata had, then there wouldn't have been anything that could console him. Miyata was still his cool and calm self even after his loss. In hindsight it was foolish to think that warning Miyata about one foul would alter the outcome. Mashiba could throw more fouls than Ippo knew existed. Miyata was the better fighter, but he didn't have enough experience against dirty moves to win right now. Mashiba would stop at nothing and would break the rules as much as he needed to win.

Ippo still didn't like Mashiba. Kumi's brother wasn't a nice person. It was depressing that he'd have to fight him when things were progressing so well with Kumi. At least this time he wouldn't stick his foot in his mouth around her, but he still felt like the 'Protagonist of Grief'. Ippo was glad he wouldn't be mocked by his gym-mates this time either, at least as long as he didn't volunteer information to Takamura. Beating up her brother didn't seem like it would help their relationship, but there wasn't another option. Perhaps this time he'd be able to win without sacrificing his right fist, or destroying Mashiba's left elbow.

While Mashiba was terrible at close range due to his height, he did possess a dangerous defensive technique. His elbow block was a surprise for anyone who tried to attack his body. Hitting his elbow with your fist caused your power to rebound back to you. While Ippo was more than willing to break his fist if it came down to it, there had to be a better method to fight him with. Body blows wouldn't work - they'd be elbow blocked. Hooks and uppercuts wouldn't work - Mashiba's head was too far away to effectively land such blows. All that left were jabs and straights, those could reach at least, but they lacked the power that weight-shifting provided his usual punches.

Perhaps a new punch? Sendou had the smash, a combination hook/uppercut - a punch like that would work wonders, but Ippo didn't think he could master such an attack without much more time than he had available. A higher body-blow or a lower hook? A punch that was aimed at the chest couldn't be blocked by an elbow, but would it be effective? Body blows got in underneath the rib cage, so they damaged the body directly. If a punch hit the chest, then it's power would be reduced by the body's internal structure. Date could throw a strong enough punch with pin-point precision that it stopped the heart for a second. His finishing blow came after that and was aimed at the head. Ippo didn't think he could throw a punch that precisely. If he couldn't attack the body, chest, or head what was left? Mashiba's arms? Punching the elbow would be counter-productive, but aiming for the taller boxer's bicep might work. Such a punch couldn't knock someone out, but it would reduce his ability in the ring.

The more Ippo thought of his plan, the better he felt. Step 1: Get inside. Kamogawa-sensei's training would make that possible. Step 2: Attack his biceps. It wouldn't help in knocking Mashiba out, but damaging his arms would reduce both his offensive and defensive power. Step 3: Attack his body. With Mashiba's arms weakened, Ippo hoped that he could get past his elbow blocks. Step 4: Attack the head. Once Mashiba's body was hurt enough that he bent at the waist, his head would be close enough for an uppercut to land.

Now if he could only come up with a plan for talking to Kumi.

Kumi stood at the counter of the Yamanaka bakery. It had been a slow night, and it was getting close to closing time. She had gone to see one of her brother's matches, but it had been awful. The two people in the ring, hurting each other like that. Who could enjoy such a spectacle. Didn't they know the kind of strain they were putting on their bodies? When her brother had finally won, after being hurt so much that she couldn't stand to watch, the crowd had booed him and made cat-calls. Why did they treat him like a villain? Didn't they see how much he was suffering?

Kumi wasn't un-observant. Most people were uncomfortable around Ryou-nii-san. It wasn't as bad as he thought though. If people truly hated him then they wouldn't work with him, or train him. He was just gotten a little anti-social while trying to be strong. The spectators at the boxing match weren't like that though. They didn't know him, and yet they really hated him. The long hours that he worked, the longer hours that he trained, the hell he willingly put himself through to maintain his weight, if people knew the real person behind the boxer they'd cheer for him.

A tray full of bread suddenly entered her line of sight. A customer! She'd been so distracted that she hadn't noticed them enter. It was rude not to greet someone when they came into the store! Involuntarily she let lose a small gasp. "Ah! Sorry!" Looking up, she recognized who it was. "Ippo-san!"

"Uhm...Hi Kumi-san. H-How are you doing?" Oh it was horrible! She must've looked depressed or something. An un-cheerful cashier would drive away business.

"I'm ok. Sorry for not greeting you properly." There was something that Kumi felt she was forgetting. It was something that was related to both Ippo and her brother...

"I saw your brother's match. I guess we're going to fight each other in the finals..." That was it! Ippo-san was in the same tournament. She hadn't asked him how he was doing, so now she felt bad that he had to tell her that he was in the finals also... Wait. Ryou-nii-san and Ippo-san were going to fight?

"Your going to fight Ryou-nii-san?"

"Y-yeah...Sorry." Ippo looked really sad. It was upsetting that one of her...friends and her brother would be hurting each other so much. Even if it was considered a sport, doing such a thing was wrong!

"Oh..." Ippo seemed different from other people right now. The press had said such horrible things about her brother. No one seemed to think it was sad that he was fighting. They said it was exciting, a travesty, or other cruel things. "I'm sorry too Ippo-san."

"I still don't know why the two of you enjoy boxing so much, but I appreciate your feelings." Ippo was always so nice and honest. Now he and her dear brother would wind up fighting. Somedays it felt like she was a Heroine of Tragedy.

"In a talent-studded feather weight class, two boxers have risen up. They'll now fight for the number one spot of the East Japan Rookie King Tournament!"

"In the red corner: His personality and fighting style are definitely 'Hitman'. He conquered the B block with the power of his flicker. Weighing 126 pounds: Mashiba Ryou!"

"In the blue corner: He rose up from the A block, overcoming the favored Hayami Ryuuichi. The hard puncher. Weighing 125 and a half pounds: Makunochi Ippo!"

"The match is starting. Will the Hitman's flicker emerge victorious?! Or will Makunochi's Dynamite punch claim victory!? Predictions are 50-50, but this match will almost certainly end with a knockout!"

Ippo stared across the ring at Mashiba. The referee was giving them very implicit warnings to avoid fouls. It might have been Ippo's imagination, but the ref seemed to be looking towards Mashiba more often. It felt good to be in the ring. Just yesterday he'd still felt anxious about the match, but now all that remained was a combination of excitement and resolve. It'd be nice if things made this much sense outside of a match. Ippo was ready.

*ding*ding*ding*

Ippo and Mashiba slowly approached each other. Ippo wasn't certain about how close he could get before he was in range. The only way to figure that out was to experience the punches first hand. By habit, Ippo was now swaying his upper-body left and right, but no punches had come yet. To anyone else it would look like they were still too far away, but Ippo knew he was with-in Mashiba's reach. The taller boxer wasn't attacking him immediately, instead he wanted Ippo to get a false impression of just how far his punches could hit. Ippo inched forward.

*whap*

The flicker came flying out at an odd angle, and struck him cleanly on the forehead.

*whap*whap*whap*

Mashiba's flickers kept coming. The tall fighter's punches had power behind them, despite the fact that all he was doing was whipping his hand out. Ippo tried to sway, but the flicker's odd angles made judging their trajectory difficult. The smaller fighter lowered his head and kept up his swaying, but was driven back. Ippo stayed in his low crouch. He wasn't certain of Mashiba's reach just yet. Coming in after a flicker jab would be tough even if he was positioned optimally.

*whap*whap*

Mashiba suddenly resumed his attack. Ippo felt a small sense of satisfaction for not being lulled into misjudging his opponent's reach. Unfortunately, all his hits were connecting cleanly. Ippo remained crouched, so that the taller fighter could only target the top of his head. At his back, he felt the ropes. Mashiba had driven him halfway across the ring.

*whap*whap*whap*whap*

The assault continued, but Ippo withstood it. He had to keep his eyes on his opponent. The chance would come...now! Mashiba threw his chopping right, and Ippo dodged it by ducking to the left. In a split second he'd surged forward and was now in Mashiba's space. The hitman style had left the other fighter's left body undefended. Ippo threw a right body-blow with all his weight behind it. Mashiba's arm moved, lining up his elbow with his abdomen, but Ippo's punch went high.

*bamph*

With a dull thud his glove struck Mashiba's bicep. Ippo didn't relent.

*bamph*bamph*bamph*

Again and again he attacked Mashiba's left arm. If he could seal his arm, both the flicker and elbow block would stop.

"Arggggg"

Mashiba threw a powerful right that Ippo blocked, but the force of the punch put some distance between the two fighters. The pattern continued however. Ippo was becoming more familiar with the flickers and the damage to Mashiba's arm was beginning to show. Twice he brought the fight to close range. The first time Mashiba managed to land a short upper-cut against him. The blow bought Mashiba some distance and made Ippo take several more flickers to the face. The second time, just as Ippo was swinging he felt an explosion of pain as something hard collided with his head. Mashiba had lowered his head and put in the path that Ippo's would take with his weight-shifting.

*thud*

The blow stunned Ippo, but before Mashiba could capitalize the referee rushed between them.

"Warning! Head foul! Minus one point!." The referee looked at Ippo. "Doctor!"

The match was temporally suspended as the ring-side doctor took a look at Ippo's head. The headbutt had opened up a gash above his left eye. Ippo couldn't feel any blood because of his sweating, and it wasn't in his eye. The doctor nodded, and the referee had the match continue. Mashiba immediately began throwing flicker after flicker.

*whap*whap*

They were all aimed at Ippo's cut. Ippo tried to avoid them, but several landed.

*ding*ding*ding*

The round was over. Ippo made his way back to his corner.

"Let me see that kid." Kamogawa-sensei looked at injury. "Don't worry we'll get it patched up. The problem will be if Mashiba opens it again. He won't hesitate to aim for it."

"I *zeh* know. *zeh*zeh* I can't outlast him now. *zeh* I have to finish this quickly!" Ippo breathed hard. He still had plenty of strength left, but if they had a medical stop it wouldn't matter.

"You have to stay at range! If he get's close just clinch!"

Mashiba glared at his coach. Didn't he remember Makunochi's earlier fights? The short brat could attack while being clinched. The cut he'd gotten was above his eyebrow, so there wasn't much chance that it would effect his eye muscles. They wouldn't stop the fight unless it started bleeding so much it obscured his vision. On top of that, he'd gotten a warning for such a shallow cut! It couldn't be helped, with their height difference any head collision would be hard to mistake for an accident. Any sort of foul would be dangerous now, and he couldn't afford to lose!

It hadn't been a smart move, but that little bastard pissed him off so much. The plan was to capitalize on the supposed weak-spot of the hitman style. Makunochi was supposed to have thrown a right body-blow and crushed his fist in the process. Instead he was actively aiming for the left arm! The punches had hurt at first, but his arms was now numb below the shoulder. His second was trying to massage it and get the blood flowing again, but he didn't have much time. The flicker already put more strain on the arm than a regular punch, and his speed and precision were beginning to be affected. The head butt was necessary, and while it didn't have the most desired result, the opportunity was still there.

He still had plenty of stamina, but his arm was close to finished. He had to end the match quickly.

"Seconds out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

Makunochi would obviously go on the defensive now and try and protect his face. That would slow down his step-in. Mashiba's left arm was tingling from the massage he'd gotten and the blood flowing through the bruised tissue. It was distracting, but it wouldn't stop him. He assumed the hitman stance and began the sawing motion to obfuscate his jabs. Before he could throw the first one Makunochi dashed in. The smaller fighter was in his annoying peek-a-boo stance and was leading with his head! He was completely open to an attack. The flicker connected cleanly, but his aim was a little off. The patching the blue corner had done held. Then Makunochi was inside his reach.

This was bad. His arm couldn't take much more. Instead of a right hook, the smaller boxer threw a quick one-two. Both hits connected, and nearly caused Mashiba to fail to block the left body-blow that followed. He managed to get his elbow in the way, but if the smaller fighter was surprised or felt any pain he didn't show it. Getting hit on the bicep was bad, but the elbow was far more painful. Looking down at his opponent, he saw his right fist go moving up. A straight? Mashiba moved to block, but then the punch was coming downward. The overhead blow connected cleanly with his face. The surprise of taking a clean hit caused him to lose his footing.

"Down! Go to a neutral corner!"

"1! 2!" Mashiba could've stood sooner, but let the ref get to 8. While he was down he tried to collect his thoughts and gather his strength. What kind of punch was that? It didn't go in a straight line. A curved punch? An over-hand hook type of blow? It had caught him off-guard, but he was ready for it now. "7! 8!"

Mashiba stood and took his fighting stance, not bothering to acknowledge the referee. As soon as 'fight' was uttered, Makunochi charged at him again. Mashiba was ready for him this time. Instead of throwing a flicker and trying to keep him away, he let the little kid dash into his chopping right. That stopped the punk. The flickers that followed pushed him back. The next chopping right was blocked though. It was still effective, the cut was bleeding again. Mashiba tried to follow up with a long left hook, but his punch was wide and slow. It felt like his arm was tearing itself apart when he put all his weight behind it.

Makunochi ducked the punch and got inside again. How was his step-in so fast? Once inside he threw that one-two again. Again the jabs hit, and the left body blow struck his elbow. This time when the overhand punch came, Mashiba leaned back. Makunochi struck him in the guard he'd put in front of his chest. Unfortunately with his right hand blocking, gaining space was a problem. His left was too damaged, but that wasn't acceptable. The pain was intense, and something tore, but the left uppercut took Makunochi square in the jaw. His head came up, and a chopping right knocked it back down.

"Down!"

Mashiba grinned. A high-school kid like him didn't know the pain of working past the time that your body wanted to collapse. No way was he getting back up. Makunochi's blood dripped from his right glove. It made a satisfying sound as it hit the canvas. Mashiba couldn't hear it above the roar of the crowd, but he knew it was there. He could feel the slight movement the liquid made as it succumbed to gravity. This wasn't as good as beating that daddy's boy Miyata, but this made him the champion!

"6! Can you fight?" What? Makunochi had gotten up. Blood was flowing down the left side of his face, but his eyes were clear. The referee talked to him and looked at the cut, but then backed away. "Fight!"

The bloodied boxer once again dashed forward at full speed, disregarding his head injury. The chopping right missed. Makunochi swayed to the left, then he was inside. The left body blow came too quickly. The chopping right had left him vulnerable. Pain exploded in his stomach, but that couldn't stop him. The two of them exchanged punch after punch. All thoughts of defense were gone. Slowly the number of punches the Makunochi was connecting with grew. Each one felt like a baseball bat swung at his gut. Mashiba aimed at his opponent's head, but Makunochi targeted the stomach. Blow after blow landed, then Mashiba couldn't breath. His jaw felt like it exploded, and the next thing he knew he was on the ground.

The referee was announcing that Makunochi had won! Like hell! He'd finish the little punk off right now!

"M-Mashiba!" His second got between him and Makunochi. "It's over, lets go!"

"Shut...your stupid mouth!" Mashiba knocked him to the side. This wasn't over. Not yet! "There's no way I'd lose to him. This isn't over! Bring it on!" He took his stance. His gut hurt and his left arm didn't want to move, but he could still fight. Makunochi just stared blankly at him. "BRING IT ON!"

"Mashiba" His corner men were still trying to hold him back.

"Let go. Get your hands off of me!" Makunochi walked forward, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for a good match." Blood from his cut dripped onto the mat between them. The left side of Ippo's face was covered with red. The cut had been opened up pretty badly. Shit. It was just too annoying. The brat wasn't just a high-school kid after all. He'd elected to attack rather than defend, even with that wound. Mashiba spun around and left, he had better things to do and his arm needed to get looked at.

Ippo was lined up with the other victors of the tournament for the award presentation. He still felt out of place. Mashiba hadn't shown up for his 2nd place trophy again. He was the only person without someone standing behind him. Then again, having Mashiba standing over him would've been worse, so perhaps it was a good thing he was by himself.

"...and continuing is the one who shined brightest! The most talented rookie award!"

"The most talented rookie award goes to: Feather class, Makunochi Ippo!"

Ippo shouldn't have been surprised. He'd won most talented before, but somehow the announcement caught him off-guard again. The thought that he out of all the weight classes was the 'most talented' was strange. He guessed they couldn't give it to someone who'd lost, no matter what the circumstances were. Otherwise Miyata-kun would easily have won. He was just so cool.

K.O. Time 2nd Round: 2 minutes, 22 seconds

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament Victor

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament Most Talented Rookie Award

Macunochi Ippo Victory

6-0-0 6 K.O.s