Before returning to the match, it needs to be said that in the night when Danuja found out about her impediment fighting she realized that there couldn't be possible just boxing. It sounded too sketchy and impossible to be. And that there will be opponents with years of experience with their art and not like her with a single month.
So she begin searching and above all trying.
Martial arts styles. Stances. Differences between boxing and other arts. And somewhere in the middle she stumbled upon history.
The history of martial arts was much more appealing than the blabbering her teacher spouted on about politics. It also come as an unexcepted help.
---
If the first round was more Shoto and the second round was Danuja than the third round was a desperate mix of survival, numb hands, bruises and cuts. There were lots of cuts from Shoto open palm hits that somehow cut the air around them.
Shoto himself wasn't any better. Danuja liked to think that he was worse than her.
Danuja pressed and pressed till Shoto stumbled back into the ring bars, almost losing his footing before using an open palm strike towards Danuja face.
Despite the blood in her mouth and her numb jaw, Danuja was grinning with a mad look in her eyes. Voluntary, she stopped pressing before stepping back adopting a wider stance, teasing, mocking Shoto to come closer by using his own footwork.
If almost a hundred years ago, one Motobu Choki, once know as the greatest fighter in the history of karate knocked out a German boxer with an open palm strike, humiliating boxing at that time, then Sora Danuja, almost a hundreds year later, a newby boxer of the underground fighting world, knocked out her opponent, a black belt in karate with the exact same technique, humiliating karate and the one in front of her.
The crowd exploded, for the better or worse.
---
'' I can't believe you.'' Mr. Touma said with his hands in his head
After Danuja was proclaimed the winner and Shoto was mocked out of the ring, Mr. Touma and Danuja returned to their changing room. A pretty spacious place, enough for warm ups with a small bathroom on the side. Mr. Touma looking just a little bit too pale, took immediately a seat with Danuja begin stretching lightly.
'' I'm not sure what it's more unbelievable.'' he muttered '' The fact that you win or that you managed to anger every single karateka on your first day.''
'' Please-'' Danuja begin stretching her legs ''- I would have win even if I was on the ground and needed to bite a chunk of that guy neck off.'' she said smirking still amused by the reaction of the crowd. She never saw so many angry people in a single place.
'' You brat.'' he said looking like he was close to hit her head again '' How do you feel anyway. Anything broken?'' he said checking her
'' Meh. Pretty sure that when my adrenaline goes down I will faint on spot. '' she said just a little more serious
'' Don't joke about that shit kid.'' he scolded her wiping some of the blood from her face. '' And don't scratch your face or you will get scars.''
'' Was he that strong?'' she asked almost faintly feeling a little too calm while seating down
Mr. Touma retort, most probably something about her being a damn gremlin, was interrupted by a loud knock at the door, said door opening slowly.
Danuja would have excepted anything from Shoto bloody face to some karateka from the crowd coming at her for revenge. What she didn't except was the bloody referee to show up at the door looking at them amused.
'' I apologize for coming unannounced but your reward was declared.'' he said briefly taking out a small black envelop from his pocked giving it to Mr. Touma '' I know that you wouldn't play with this thing.'' he said before leaving letting the two look at his back, blinking startled
'' What was that?'' Danuja asked poking her own head just to hiss at the pain. At last she was still conscious.
'' Play word.'' Mr. Touma said faintly checking the inside of the envelope not even looking at a confused Danuja '' Ha.'' he laughed taking out some green papers out of it
'' I get money out of this?'' Danuja almost yelled surprised getting up just to catch herself on Mr. Touma arm '' Why didn't you tell me?''
'' Because the First Ring doesn't get rewards like those. Period.'' he said still amused making her sit back down '' But it seems that humiliating karate on your first day made some people quite amused.'' he said patting her head
'' Everyone likes rewards.'' Danuja stated in a serious tone before losing conscious
---
Wet.
That's what Danuja first feel when she come back to her sense. She wasn't sure if it was from the cream on her face or from Dad licking her neck rigorously. Danuja groaned making the dog huff before shuffling away, putting his heavy head on her ribs.
'' Fuck.'' Danuja hissed in pain opening her eyes before wiping her face with her hand, spreading the cream on.....
'' That's not mine.'' she said, her voice too loud in the empty room. And it really wasn't her bed or even the old mattress at the gym. The room was too decorated with flowers on the wall and white furniture, beside that it had a faintly scent of jasmine. It took her much longer than he wanted to realize there was an IV in her arm.
Her though were interrupted by an almost silent scratch at the door wood, sound that made Dad ears lift up and tense before his tail begin to wag slowly.
'' Doggy-'' a woman voice said from the other side making Danuja gawk at the sound ''-I'm coming in, please don't be angry.'' the voice said, door beginning to open slowly.
Suddenly, Danuja was greeted by a slightly plump woman with warm features and visible laugh wrinkles at her eyes, that smiled widely upon seeing her.
'' Wonderful!'' she said happily before putting down a bowl of dog food on the ground '' There you go big boy, you did a great job today too.'' she said gently at him making Danuja relax '' I'm so happy you are awake dear, I couldn't believe when my foolish husband brough you here but he was always a little dumb since I picked him up.'' she said cheekily, winking at her making Danuja brain scur circuit
Husband?!