Fight Night (Demoshi's POV) (Open)

Ray threw his jacket on and began a long walk down the stairs toward the exit. He planned on slinking away to do some late-night training. He had shown up to school late and missed the beginning sessions and needed to do some work to catch up with the rest of them. Not to mention just to get a handle on things around here.

He put his hands in his pockets and strolled down the stairs with his eyes on the glass doors at the end of the hall. He made it halfway down when the sound of a TV echoed across the walls in the dorm room floors. It sounded like...a show...with an announcer. He slowed his pace and eased closer to the open doorway where the smell of food wafted out. Popcorn being the most abundant aroma to tingle the senses of any passerby.

The sound became more and more clear and it was a fight they were watching. He could make it out right before he stepped out in view of the doorway and looked it. It must have been an important one judging by the number of spectators he saw on the screen. So far there were a few people in there. Most of them he had yet to meet. He turned away and took another step towards the door but stopped as his foot touched the ground.

Changing his trajectory, he turned into the room, with his eyes glancing at the full array of snacks and hot wings laid out. Enough for more than just the whole dorm. "Seems like you're gearing up for a party," he said as he inched in and snagged a small plate with some wings and popcorn.

He made his way to the seats, next to the fairly fit student and an innocent-looking one."I'm Ray," he said and took a bit of a wing and swallowed. "So what do we got?" he asked gesturing his head nod towards the television.

One by one, the students filing into the common area as Mizuki and Desmoshi's eyes were glued to the screen. This was the fight the twins had been waiting for. The fight that would showcase what it truly meant to be a boxer. Jokai Haymaker versus Moyd Fayweather. People were calling it the fight of the century.

It sucked that Desmoshi couldn’t be there to see it in person front and center. But he knew that school came first and he couldn’t put his hero training on hold. Plus, his mom was with him at the event. So there was at least one Haymaker at the event cheering his dad on. Not only that he was still cheering his dad from where he was sitting, and his dad knew that.

The first student to walk up to the group was a blonde-haired girl with green eyes who introduced herself as Kiersa from the first-year group. “No need to worry,” Desmoshi responded to the young girl’s comment. “You can still watch, and if you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them.” It was nice to explain something he loved to someone who might not understand everything that was going on. It made Desmoshi feel… smart.

The next student to arrive was a boy with messy brown hair and brown eyes who Desmoshi believed he had seen before. “Welcome, friend,” Desmoshi said with a smile as another female student with muscles entered the room. “I think this is the first time we had met. My name is Desmoshi Haymaker. Tonight is my dad’s night to fight in a boxing match in America. It was delayed due to the Sports Festival, but now it’s finally happening.”

The other student also took a seat behind the common room couch. She was definitely tall enough to see over the other students with no issues at all. She was a lot more muscular than Desmoshi would have imagined, but it didn’t bother him as much. She had long white hair and some visible scars as though she had fought her few shares of fights. “Well, Jess,” Desmoshi answered with a smile, “it is nice to meet you as well. I love this sport because it is more than just two people punching each other. It is all about technique and styles along with mental focus and well-built stamina. And thanks for the support. I am hoping my dad can keep up his streak.”

Just as Desmoshi finished the introductions, the announcer came back on. “Ladies and gentlemen this is a fight for the ages. Two undefeated men are entering the ring tonight for one of the best exhibition matches ever to be witnessed.” The screen put up two pictures. One of his dad and another one of Moyd Fayweather. He was a tall dark-skinned man with huge muscles and a small goatee. His head completely shaven and when he smiled for his picture, he was missing a few teeth. “Two undefeated boxers from different parts of the world will meet here tonight.”


            


Both fighter stats appeared on the screen displaying their records and other things that were important to the fans. “For the folks at home, here’s a rundown of both fighters’ history. Haymaker has over 70 undefeated fights under his belt. He very well versed in all boxing styles, being able to switch between multiples depending on the situation,” the announcer stated. “His contender, Fayweather, is versed in slugger boxing. He has the same record as Haymaker and has proven time and time again that the rock-paper-scissors theory does not apply to him. Especially with all that power and weight, each one of his swings is going to be devastating. It will be amazing to see what Haymaker can do against this.”

The screen then flashed to the ring. “Now we go live to the ring. Ted, the floor is yours!” On cue, a heavy-set bald man in a black suit entered into the ring with a microphone in hand. “Thank you, Dave. Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. I will be your round announcer for this fight. Tonight we got a treat for you. Japan’s unstoppable dragon meets United States’ unmovable tiger! Both fighters have fought in multiple countries, including each other’s home countries. This is there first meeting! Who will win?!” And with an excited cheer from the crowd, the man yelled, “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!”

Both fighters were in their corners, jumping up and down to loosen their muscles. “And in this corner,” Ted said pointing to Jokai, “wearing blue shorts and wieghing at 220 pounds. He’s fast! He’s lean! He’s a fighting machine! JOKAI HAAAAYMAKKKEEEER!” The crowd was on its and feet cheering to the top their lungs.

“You got this, Dad!” Desmoshi yelled in excitement standing to his feet. Even if he was watching this from school, he was still going to cheer his father on. “And in this corner,” said Ted pointing at Fayweather, “wearing red shorts and weighing at a whopping 325 pounds! The Butcher of Boxers! The hungry beast! MOYD FAAAAAAAYYWEATHER!” The crowd was on their feet as they cheered on Fayweather.

“And without further introductions, the referee will be taking the stage,” said Ted. “It is time to get this match underway!“ An older man who was short and stocky enter the ring dressed in a referee’s uniform. “I want a good clean fight,” the referee said for everyone to hear as the boxers met in the middle. “No hits below the belt! Anti-quirk Boxing Gloves must be kept on at all times! When you ready, touch gloves. When the bell, come out your corners and box.” Both men touch gloves and went back to their respective corners.

At the sound of the bell, both men came out, their hands and gloves in a fighting stance. The match was underway!

"Yeah, I just transferred in, so I'm new," he answered the other boy and nodded to the blonde girl as well. "Nice to meet the both of you too. What's your name?," he realized he had yet to make an introduction to the blonde girl sitting with them. The next thing he knew a muscular student plopped down behind them. Ray leaned to the side and put his arm on the back of the couch to look behind him at the new woman that was loading up on food. "Punching people in the face huh? Could be interesting."He was no slouch when it came to martial arts and combat, and once he really looked at the screen he realized it was a US boxing competition. "Well Jess. I'm Ray from class 2-b. Nice to meet you."


"You must hit the gym pretty hard," he quickly remarked about the woman's massive muscular definition. Then Desmoshi gave a break down of what was going on. "I'll be rooting for your old man then. Did you take up boxing too? I've watched a small amount of American boxing before. It seems to take an amazing amount of stamina." He had only watched a few but the ones he did, featured athletes that showed a dedication to fitness like few others. He then paused for a moment and looked at all the students around him, one blonde, one with silver hair, and one whose dad was already known to be American. He put a hand on his face and laughed, "Wait...are none of us Japanese." More of a comical convenience to point out than anything.

Ray smiled and looked up at Desmoshi's excitement. It was nice that even among all the hard work at the school, there was still time for this. He popped another boneless wing into his mouth and scarfed it down. Ray nearly choked on the wing hearing the weight difference. Once he forced it down he looked over at Kiersa, "It's a crazy weight difference. But I think once people get to a certain weight its just all of the above."He looked up at Desmoshi to verify as he was the boxing enthusiast but gave a quick answer just in case Desmoshi was caught up in the moment.

He couldn't answer the girl's other question about the theory or styles of it. But he did narrow his eyes at the mention of quirk restraining gloves. If those existed then it made apprehending criminals much easier. For now Ray dismissed it and leaned back to enjoy the fight. "Hey, Des...Your dad have a quirk too? IS that why they need those gloves?"

Desmoshi gave a smile at Kiersa's comment. "Actually, you are not too far off," Desmoshi said. "Sluggers focus more on power and ending their opponents with a TKO. However, it takes a lot of energy to do so." Desmoshi turned back to the TV as the two men began their dance in the ring. Both looked at each other, posed in a fighting stance, looking for an opening. "In boxing, there is the rock-paper-scissors theory. Basically, each stance counters the other. For boxing, a slugger beats a swarmer, who focuses on getting in close with quick attacks. However, they also lose out to out-boxers, boxers who focus on mobility and wearing down the opponent. My dad’s fighting style ignores that because he can switch between them.”

When Desmoshi finished his explanation, the first punch was thrown by Moyd. It seemed his dad had elected with the out-boxer stance for this, keeping his distance as best as he could and keeping out of his opponent’s reach. His dad responded with quick jabs to the side, which seem not to phase Moyd. Their footwork was on point, always constantly moving around and never staying still.

Ray asked if Desmoshi took up boxing. “Thanks for the root, man,” Desmoshi said with a smile. “Actually, I did take up boxing. I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps and use it my martial art as a hero.” Desmoshi thought back to the days when his dad would practice boxing techniques with himHe heard Ray introduce himself and ask were any of them Japanese. “Actually I am half Japanese,” Desmoshi stated. He pointed to the Japanese boxer fighting Moyd. “That guy there is my dad. He looks more like my sister than I do, but I look like my mom, who is American.”

Ray had also explained to Kiersa the weight difference. “Ray is actually right,” Desmoshi said. “When you reach a certain weight class, it really doesn’t matter how much the other weight at that point. Plus, my dad can handle it.” Desmoshi looked closely at the fight. In truth, he was getting worried. It seemed that none of his dad’s hits was getting through and Moyd was eating it up like it was nothing.

Jesse was saying a few things before her phone went off. She apologized and said she had to take a call, leaving the room. As she went into the other room, Ray asked if his dad was a quirker. “Yep,” Desmoshi answered. “In order to have a fair fight, all participants have to wear anti-quirker gloves. To be honest with you, Moyd is also a quirker as well. Not that either one of them needs their quirk to actually box.” If only Ray knew who his dad truly was. But for the time being, his secret was safe.

"Oh. Uh...no need to call me senpai. Ray will do fine.

He nodded at the pleasant introduction from the Slavic girl. She dismissed his compliment but he could tell she was downplaying her own achievement. "Don't be so modest," he replied with a grin and looked back at the battle. The fight had begun and Kiersa was full of questions. Ray paid no mind to the rapid-fire response of the muscular woman and continued on with his sentence as he eased into the chair. She made a good point and he was already adding his own. Taking another mouthful of food as he finished.

"A solid choice. May as well take some of the expertise your father has and use it." He was beginning to note all the students at the school that had some form of martial arts training. It seemed to be the standard around here, to a degree. So one was slavic and the other two were half-Japanese. Still an odd mix for sure. "Ah, Guess I should have put two and two together," he commented about Des' Japanese dad, with a bit of laughter. "French huh...sounds classy,"

"Oh Des...does your sister also go to this school?"

Des spoke with confidence but Ray could see the fight was leaning against his dad's favor. Hopefully, the man could pull through and was going to deliver ana action-packed finish. At least for his son's sake. Des gave the explanation of the gloves and Kiersa followed it up with a question that turned Ray's attention back to Desmoshi.

Yeah, that's a good point.I'm sure they have a way. but it's pretty interesting that there are gloves that can suppress a quirk and used for entertainment. But that's a topic for another time probably," he waved it off and yielded to Kiersa's question. But he did wonder if a boxing organization could get their hands on something like that. Who else could?

Kiersa nodded as the boxing terminology was explained to her some more, watching the match closely as she tried to observe how they fought and moved.

She very much doubted that she'd ever take up boxing itself during her time here at UA, but who knows? Watching the match at least and learning about the sport could come in handy down the line perhaps. And the footwork if nothing else could be useful for her own training.

The young blonde winced as Desmoshi's father took a heavy blow to the side, and proceeded to bite her lip as a veritable storm of attacks came rushing towards him from the much larger opponent. What was more painful to her though was the sheer amount of cheering going on at the sight of such power and brutality.

When Desmoshi explained that the gloves were observed by the judges at all times to make sure that no cheating happened, it did alleviate some of her concerns regarding the fairness of this fight. She was still curious how and where this sort of technology had come from though... But that was a question for another time.

This Slugger style definitely appeared to be quite brutal, judging from the onslaught alone. It was little wonder that it was considered a Total Knockout style for boxing if each punch had all that power in it. Which made Kiersa blink as a thought occurred to her and she began to watch not Desmoshi's dad, but Fayweather instead. In particular, the way he was swinging his fists.

"If... if each a-and every s-single p-punch has the s-same l-level of force b-behind it..." she began to ask, watching each blow carefully even as they rained down on their targets, "Then w-wouldn't that t-tire him out f-faster?" Kiersa asked, wondering if the larger boxer would reach a tiring point before the lighter one was knocked out...