A round, and a round, and a round they go... (Boxer/Closed)

A loud mash of eighties music came over the PA system while the lights went dark. The older generation can recognize it immediately but it wouldn't be until it cut to the classic lyrics that the younger ones could remember it from some movie or parody that they once saw. A light shined on the entrance to direct attention.

”It's the eye of the tiger it's the thrill of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rival!” Boxer entered through a pair of double doors like he had entered the biggest stage of them all. Rather than his usual hero attire, the boy had elected to wear a sky blue boxer's robe, classic red gloves, and sunglasses. Just like his competitor today, he wore a full body black unitard but his shined with a holofoil rainbow as the light hit him. With cartoonish jabs and a bounce in his step, the boy hero whom took his name literally came down and stood next to Rubband.

The carrot top hero was half a foot taller than Boxer and over a hundred and fifty pounds heavier than him. Clearly the underdog, this sort of fight would never occur in any sort of real sporting event. And that was half the reason Boxer picked up this little charity event. In addition to the normal publicity granted from these kinds of things; heroes are celebrity faces in this world after all. But, for a guy like Boxer to stand up to a giant like Rubband, there was a lot of press noise to be had from that. As a charity event, Boxer had no intention of actually fighting seriously and knocking the fellow hero out but the rubber man did offer the boy a rare opportunity to throw some blows without his usual restraints on.

”Hello kids it's good to be here!” The music came to an end and it seemed like he was just a bit out of touch with the audience. What could he really expect though. Rubband, with his jovial and lighthearted disposition, was better suited for this age group. Perhaps Boxer would've been better received with teenagers. ”Ahem. Well, Rubband, why don't you get us started with the rules and stage for our match!”

WC: 376
GP: 7

Anything to add indeed. Boxer was more than grateful for Rubband being there. He spoke with such confidence and held attention so well. The jovial carrot top giant was a, for lack of a better word of it, pro at this. Favored to win by the crowd of children as well. Boxer could feel himself getting pushed into the heel position of this match. Well, if that’s what they wanted, he had a pretty good fighting style for that. After all, this was his sport, his name sake, and his ring. While Rubband has the physical edge and experience over all, it was in Boxer’s honest opinion that it would be embarrassing for him to lose in this match up.

”Anything to add… This is a sparring match for charity at the end of the day. No one should be judged too harsh if they lose.” In a perfect world this would go to decision at the end of the fifth match but Boxer was left wrestling with what the best outcome was for his career. Knocking out Rubband in the first round would certainly show off how powerful Boxer was and could advance his independent career but it would damage his reputation and make it tough to cooperate with other hero agencies. Letting this go to decision increased the chances of Rubband taking the win which would make Boxer seem weaker. That would increase cooperation with other agencies but it would make it more difficult for him to go independent later in life.

The scales in the boy’s mind tipped back and forth as the two entered the ring and readied themselves in their corners. The YMCA provided some staff to serve the two in their corners but still, Boxer did not bring a second to serve him due to personal reasons. One of the staff took off the boy’s robe to leave him in just a sparkling rainbow holofoil, black unitard, red boots, and red gloves. Another reached for his glasses only for the boy to refuse with a harsh shrug from his shoulder.

”You can’t wear those. There could be a permanent eye injury.” The man counter objected to the boy. Still, there was clear hesitation from the younger hero. It might not have seemed obvious as to why he would hesitate. He was surrounded by other mutant quirks but there was still something in him that was embarrassed. Eventually he succumbed though and let the man take the glasses off. Beneath was revealed a pair of eyes near exactly like a mantis shrimp’s. Despite the boy’s focus on Rubband alone, they moved about in different directions with the pupil sliding between different segments and bands. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope of filters spread across the electromagnetic spectrum. He saw colors that there weren’t even names for.

A heavy breath escaped as he attempted to relax himself before he approached the center of the ring for the usual referee speech before a match.

WC: 502
GP: 10
TGP: 17

Though the ref spoke, Boxer wasn’t listening anymore. His exposed shrimp eyes stayed locked on Rubband. His face wasn’t like rubber. It was more like a statue or a painting. It was unflinching and unmoving as he held a wide goofy grin. Unlike the boy’s. His was twisted with emotion and confusion as he struggled with the decisions he was about to face and the ramifications they would hold. The wrinkles on his forehead only increased the more he looked at Rubband’s grin. Even as they had returned to their corners and awaited the bell, that stupid grin. That was it, he settled on how he would conduct himself through this fight.

It takes a human being at the very least two tenths of a second to respond to auditory input and three tenths of a second to respond to visual input. Such as a bell signalling the start of a fight or an opponent rushing you respectively. In other words, you respond quicker to sound than sight. But what if you were already acting before such input got to you? Like when a racecar driver puts the pedal down on his vehicle before the light changes from amber to green. Boxer was so used to the timing of fight signals that this sort of fat was possible. Before the bell even tolled his brain was already telling his muscles to move and as the bell tolled he was already launched from his post. Immediately in front of Rubband, Boxer raised his fist and unleashed the first attack at full power.

.22 Caliber Overhand!” The overhand is the kind of punch a boxer uses when fighting someone bigger than them. This was the perfect kind of scenario for Boxer to throw his fist above his shoulder and still slam it straight into his opponent’s face. He was sure Rubband wouldn’t be able to dodge or guard in time and would take this blow straight to his eye; granting Boxer a clean edge for the rest of the bout. Though a bit dirty, he could make up for it in the rest of the five rounds and still show how powerful he was in the beginning. Surely, this was the best of both worlds.

WC: 375
GP: 7
TGP: 24

A clean and beautiful hit. No one could ask for one better that was for sure. Yet, even as the boy's fist hung for a moment, perfectly targeted straight where he wanted it to go, he frowned. Rubband leaped back still with his grin and perfect face in perfect condition. The sound was wrong, that's what it was. How many times could Boxer begin to guess he had slammed his fist into someone's face. He knew the way it shook his arm when it happened. He knew the feel a human body had when it attempted to resist the impact. He knew the sound that happened. The crack and thud of his mach speed punch colliding with bone. That's not what he got from Rubband. He got a thudding bud-ump as the face absorbed the blow and then recoiled back into perfect position. It was probably foolish to expect anything except that response though. After all, Rubband's Quirk made his entire body into rubber. It was one of the highlights of this match.

The counter attack came quick and without hesitation from the rubber man. He took just a step back to gain his footing and bent his knees to get into a good stance. A right arm flung from a low position into a soaring uppercut targeting the boy's chin. The step back had given Boxer time enough to put his guard back up but it wasn't any good. Boxer expected the fist to lose impact since it should be made of rubber. Rubband was perfectly capable of only making parts of his body rubber at any given moment though. A very real and very solid fist split the boy's guard and cracked into his chin in a very clean fashion. Boxer's brain rattled and his teeth ached but it wasn't the end for him.

Rubband would find that Boxer wasn't without his defenses either. Hitting the boy was, quite literally, like hitting a brick wall. Under that perfectly normal looking human skin was a mineral composite crustacean shell. It was this shell that absorbed the recoils of Boxer's bullet speed punches. Consequently, Boxer was pretty used to tanking for the team as well. So, when you broke it all down, this was a stamina battle. Which would fail first? The rubber body or the bullet fist?

Boxer took a step back to get out of Rubband's immediate range before he slammed his guard back together. No, that wasn't what the boy did. Instead of a tight guard ready for more Boxer dropped his gloves and began to wiggle his core and shoulders. With his eyes still locked onto Rubband's he returned a toothy grin through the mouth guard. Playful flicks that could barely be called “jabs” were flung out at the taller man's face. They lacked any semblance of the power or form of the dynamic punch that started the match. It was almost like Boxer was teasing and mocking Rubband now. “If that's the best you've got,carrot top, this is all I need.” Is what he was saying now.

WC: 513
GP: 10
TGP: 34

With his guard completely lowered it wasn't looking too good for Boxer. Especially since it looked like Rubband was aiming to unleash some special moves. The much larger man with a much larger reach was struggling some how. Intensely focused on his own body the rubber man began to... shrink. Yes, as a man made of rubber, the hero Rubband could feasibly do this to his body. Compressed and forced down on its self, the body would become more dense and have a harder punch per square inch. But that wasn't the ginger's plan. The coiled energy of the compressed body served to launch the man instead.

As one of the boy's jabs returned back to him, Rubband followed with it with increased speed as his compressed legs pushed forward. The boy's exposed shrimp eyes went wide with surprise but his mental fortitude remained as he focused on his objective. Instead of retreating or even taking a conventional fighting stance, he remained still and limber. Rubband's left jab flew out with incredible speed. Far greater than what he had displayed before. Nearly as fast as Boxer's own punches. But that wasn't the most impressive part of his attack. Boxer merely moved his head to avoid the punch but it went flying far past him, all the way to the ropes, before it almost instantly snapped back into place. Next came a body blow. Classic one-two. A hook from Rubband's right aimed to inflict injury on Boxer's floating ribs or internal organs. Probably wants the boy to present his jaw for another, even stronger attack. Well, if that's what he wanted.

With all the confidence in the world, Boxer pushed out his butt and bent around the hook shot. At the same time he presented his jaw in perfect exposure. No guard was placed up and the boy had his feet together. But his body remained fluid. His eyebrows even twitched at Rubband saying “I dare you.”

WC: 326
GP: 6
TGP: 40