Chapter 19

…

When he heard the bell ring, something within him stirred.

His mind became crystal clear, and without even thinking, he settled into a boxing stance. His right hand tucked close to his chin, yet his left was just above his waist level. Feet shoulder width apart, and his knees slightly bent in. He was also ever so gently hopping in place. His ocean blue eyes slightly narrowed and focused solely on her.

Pyrrha adopted a text-book orthodox stance. He definitely looks more natural this way. She noted, and that glare in his eyes seemed to radiate with pure strength and confidence. It made her hesitate for a moment, her instincts telling her to tread carefully, but she composed herself, and started to slowly advance forward.

Meanwhile, Ren and Nora were watching with great interest.

"On who do ya bet? She asked with a smirk.

"…"

There was a brief moment of silence, before she heard him say, "Jaune."

Her smirk widened. Before she noticed his eyes dilating, and she snapped her attention back to the ring, and what she saw was a retreating spartan, and confidently marching knight.

His jab's incredible!

Pyrrha realized right after taking one on the chin. And another one. Another one. He fired again, she slipped, but it turned out to be a feint, and he then fired for real, and caught her again.

Bam, bam!

And he then fired one two, and Pyrrha's back was already pressed against the ropes, her knees weakened from his right hand. However, instead of trying to seize his chance, he lowered his hands and his blue softened.

"Hey, you okay? Maybe we should stop," He said, and his sudden shift in demeanor caught her off guard.

"Y-yea, I'm fine." She stammered, but then realized she could try a different approach. "What? You think I'm not good enough to last a round with you?" She simply asked him a question, but knew that he would reconsider what he said to her.

"What? No, that's not what I'm saying, I'm…" And he just couldn't quite finish the sentence.

She smiled. "Then fight me with everything you've got. And whatever happens, happens. Treat me like your equal, that's all that I'm asking for, Jaune," She said, and her voice was surprisingly gentle. Her eyes almost pleading him.

He felt unsure for a moment. Before he closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing for a bit. And some moments later, his eyes opened, revealing the blue which was focused and perhaps even excited. And finally, he cracked a smile too. "Alright. But let me warn you, I didn't earn that silver for nothing."

Her smile widened, before her expressions settled for one similar to his. "That remains to be seen."

His smile tuned into a smirk. "Don't say I didn't warn ya," He said, and then was quick on the move.

She shelled up with a guard, but found very quickly it to be a bad idea. Whatever openings she had, Jaune was quick to exploit them, and he did so with sharp, hurtful shots.

Fight back!

She tried, but the moment she opened up, he got her with a powerful hook, followed by a nasty uppercut.

This is bad!

She wasn't oblivious, and if nothing would change, she could truly end up tasting the canvas very soon.

Move!

She tried, but Jaune was hot on her trail, expertly cutting off the ring while doing so. Not only that, she also was soon met with a nasty barrage of right jabs as he momentarily switched to southpaw stance. Somehow, she managed to slip the last one, and tried to counter him with a hook. She partially succeeded, but he managed to roll with a shot, taking most of its power away. At the very least though, it forced him to retreat for a second.

"…"

What followed was a brief, tense moment of silence as the two combatants eyed each other with purpose.

He moved back. She thought. Up until now, he pressured me and I wasn't able to do anything about it. Or so it seemed. She breathed in heavy breaths, and that made her realize just how taxing this fight really was. She felt beats of sweat forming on her forehead, but didn't care to wipe them clean. I have to fight back. No…I have to take the fight to him! She set her jaw firm. Playing defensive isn't going to take me anywhere. The difference in skill is just too much. A fine fire was lit in her emeralds, and she resolved herself for a hellish exchange of punches. But. She wouldn't give in until her body would. Right before her, a strong opponent was standing.

This. This wasn't about discovering just how great of a boxer he was anymore.

It was a challenge now!

Jaune's eyes widened a bit when he noticed her coming right at him.

However.

If slugfest is what she wanted, she'd get one. It may not be his style of fighting, but…and he'd never admit it aloud, but there's no way he'd cower away from a none-boxer throwing a challenge at him inside the boxing ring.

Bam!

Bam!

They hit each other square in the face, and a vicious brawl then ensued. A violent exchange of punches, and though she certainly got the worst of it, she wasn't without any success. Due to her sheer tenacity, grit and pure athletic ability, she was able to land some punches of her own.

But.

"Guh!"

When Jaune landed a brutal combination of liver blow and right uppercut, the damage was too great, and her knees finally touched the canvas.

"Uhh…Uhhh."

She panted in quick, short and painful breaths, sweating profusely and feeling hurt in a way which wasn't familiar to her. She wondered if she'd be able to get up, but she'd try if nothing else. After all, Pyrrha Nikos was one helluva tough cookie when she needed to be. With great effort and some close calls, she managed to get back to her feet.

"Nine!"

She only now noticed that apparently, Nora was giving her a count, and somehow, she managed to beat it. An accomplishment which made her grin for a moment.

Ting!

That was the bell, and signaled that the first round was over.

She looked at him. "See? Made it out of the first round, didn't I."

He thought about it. Perhaps a moment of slight hesitance. But then he smirked. "You did. Guess I have to up my game in the next round."

"Looking forward to it, then." She didn't, but the fire in her eyes was still very much alive. She wasn't done yet. She wouldn't give up, but she also wasn't stupid. The odds were definitely heavily stacked against her, but that was all the more reason why she should go all out. And with that knowledge in mind, she wondered about two things in particular. One, when was the last time she'd ever knelt before her opponent?

And two, how much longer could she possibly last?