Chapter 153 - Strong-Arm Play

Several eyes from the shadows of the arena fall upon the current match. Those could already see that Joseph slowly began to lose his cool. Their uncaring gazes drifted away from the match as the boxing champion steadied his breath. He shuffled his feet as he kept his eyes on Gonzalez.

Joseph's thoughts: He's going to make my loss slow? Who does this fucker think he is? He got me by surprise… Those injuries don't seem to be hindering him… for now.

Joseph smiled. Gonzalez's ears perked up as he heard Joseph's heart begin to speed up. The boxer charged back in, leading with another fast barrage. Gonzalez dodged each blow until he heard Joseph take several small steps back.

Gonzalez's thoughts: Is he backing off?

Another sound caught his attention. His arm flew up, catching a rogue fist throw from outside of Joseph's usual range. Joseph had changed his tactics.

Zenzo: He changed his tactics! The famous swarmer Joseph is no more! He's changed to be an out-boxer!

Joseph's thoughts: That's right!

Joseph swung an uppercut at Gonzalez, which struck nothing but air. Gonzalez continued to not throw a single strike, dodging each of Joseph's attacks. Hamadeen and the others watched Joseph's performance from the infirmary.

Midori: Is he known for these types of changes?

Moll: Not at all.

Hamadeen: Maybe he took inspiration from my style of boxing. Gonzalez is no joke if he's ranking above Moll.

Kuro: Maybe he's too much of a bitch to commit!

Midori: He's clearly just playing the best tactic for the opponent he is up against. Gonzalez seems to be nearly a master of something himself, but what could it be?

Moll: Hell if I know. His name sounds familiar, but I can't recognize any specific martial arts in his fighting style.

Kuro: Maybe he's like me and just goes with everything!

Moll's thoughts: That may be true… But what are you thinking, Joseph?

Joseph's strikes got faster and faster as he slowly moved back in. The distance he had to cross became shorter and the power behind each strike became more explosive. Gonzalez took a step back and felt his back touch the wall behind him. Joseph had waited for this moment. He reeled back his fist and threw it at full force. Gonzalez moved his head to the side as the punch connected with the wall, going through it. Gonzalez pushed Joseph back as he brushed the dust off his shoulder.

Gonzalez: You couldn't even land that punch to the gut fast enough while I was cornered, disappointing. I was expecting better, but I see I was clearly mistaken. You're a worse boxer than you are a trash talker.

Joseph: Shut up!

Joseph charged at Gonzalez, aiming for a close-range uppercut. Gonzalez dodged the blow as Joseph's fist dragged through the wall, leaving a clean trail. Joseph spun on his heel, charging at Gonzalez once more. Gonzalez let out a sigh.

Gonzalez: I'll play.

Gonzalez's hands moved elegantly as he pushed away each of Joseph's attacks. Each precise movement was easily read by The Hyena. That all changed as one of Joseph's punches moved past Gonzalez's guard and sent the fighter sliding back. Gonzalez's nose and ears perked up as they sensed Joseph increasing his output.

Gonzalez's thoughts: If being close and strategic makes him a swarmer and being far and elegant makes him an out-boxer, this must be…

Zachary: He's changed his style to that of a slugger!

Joseph's arms tensed up as he threw punch after punch. The swings were much wider and the attacks far less coordinated, but Gonzalez could tell the power behind each one.

Gonzalez's thoughts: That one actually hurt. This is what Abraham had to deal with…

Joseph gritted his teeth as he charged at Gonzalez. He swung wide, just missing his target. Gonzalez swung around Joseph's attack and struck the boxer in the face. He stumbled as his face contorted with the punch. Gonzalez could tell he moved with the punch, weakening the power of it. Joseph pivoted on his feet, throwing a powerful left hook aimed at Gonzalez's head. Gonzalez whipped around at the last second, catching Joseph's strike by the forearm. He could feel the power of the strike as the punch had the forearm slide throw Gonzalez's grip. Joseph's eyes darted to Gonzalez's blindfold.

Joseph's thoughts: This bastard… He's not even taking me seriously enough to take that off! Yet he gladly takes it off against a serial killer!

Joseph pulled his arm away from Gonzalez, jumping back as his breathing got heavy. Gonzalez shook his head in disapprovement.

Gonzalez: Couldn't find a way to strike me from that close? You continue to disappoint me. I wish I got to fight Hamadeen, he seemed like a much better fighter.

Joseph's face began to turn a light red as his eyes shook. Gonzalez could sense his heart beginning to beat faster than before. He had struck a nerve with the boxer, being compared to someone he deemed himself above. What came next piqued Gonzalez's interest. His opponent's heartbeat began to calm down, Joseph letting out a quiet laugh.

Joseph: Man, you really won't shut up, will you? But honestly, you sure showed me that each of those boxing styles are not easy to just swap between to beat you. I need to be fully committed.

Gonzalez: Hm?

Joseph: I need to stop letting you get to my head and just win this thing. So bring it, bitch.

Gonzalez could tell from Joseph's heartbeat that he truly had gotten over his previous rage. His breathing had calmed down and his body seemed to reach a level of unfound peace. Joseph took a relaxed boxing pose as his eyes scanned over Gonzalez's person.

Zachary: Is it just me or did something change in Joseph?

Zenzo: Whatever it is, I wonder if it'll let him overcome that extremely tall wall before him.

Joseph chuckled as he took step after step around Gonzalez. His movements seemed smooth. Everyone could immediately notice the difference in the quality of his body language. Joseph charged forward, pulling back his right fist. Gonzalez shifted his body to respond as he felt movement in the air. He swayed back as several punches grazed his body. He stepped back as Joseph pulled back his left, steam seemingly coming off his fist.

Joseph: Not so hot now, are ya?

Hamadeen sat up in his seat in shock. Everyone in the infirmary turned to him.

Kuro: What the fuck are you all surprised about? Bitch hardly even touched him!

Hamadeen: That style of boxing… Joseph is normally what you'd call a swarmer with some slugger-like moments. I'm usually what one would compare to an out-boxer. But there's a style of boxing when you take the best aspects of out-boxing and slugging. It's usually referred to as "boxer-puncher."

Kuro: That sounds stupid as fuck!

Moll: It does, but it does just as it's named. Joseph's ability to capitalize on the benefits of both makes sense. The only thing that held him back before is his temper.

Midori: From what I heard of the preliminaries and the first round, he lets his aggression get the best of him. But if he's able to control that aggression, he becomes even more dangerous.

Kuro: What now?! You're going to tell me he has a good chance of beating me now?!

Midori: I wouldn't quite say that… Gonzalez is still heavily damaged, so while Joseph was able to graze him, that may not be as easy against a healthy Gonzalez.

Moll: This is where I have to disagree. Joseph's change was something Gonzalez didn't expect. As good as his senses are, if his reaction is slow, he'll be hit. Joseph is finding his rhythm.

Joseph zig-zagged across the ring as he chased after Gonzalez. Gonzalez kept his stoic expression, moving around the ring to avoid being cornered.

Gonzalez's thoughts: His style changed… I don't know much about boxing, but those slight grazes are nothing to scoff at. He's doing everything to beat me.

Joseph took a long stride forward as he threw several quick left jabs. Gonzalez blocked each one with the palms of his hands. Their hands moved faster and faster as people in the audience stared in awe.

Man 1: I can't even see them anymore!

Man 2: Is this an illusion or are they just that damn fast?!

When it came to these two fighters, there was no illusion. Their years and years of training had made this level of speed natural to them. Carrie looked on with worry on her face.

Carrie: How is he able to keep up with Gonzalez?! That makes no sense!

Hugo: It must be a joke! Blondie was getting his ass beat just a moment ago!

Mike: Joseph is a champion boxer, but even in this world champions would like nothing but to be the top-ranked. Did the damage he took last round hinder him now?

Theodore: No, that's not it. Gonzalez still isn't taking him seriously. He has yet to throw a serious blow, so don't count him out just yet.

Li: With all due respect, your highness, that type of play is dangerous. I'm assuming he's doing this to get even for what happened to your son, but the longer he plays that game, he allows his opponent to evolve.

Angel: Now that you mention it, Joseph has evolved from the previous round. His style is hardly even recognizable.

Theresa: Gonzalez is one of our greatest fighters, he'll never disappoint us.

Everyone watched the screen as Gonzalez and Joseph sped up further. Gonzalez's movements seemed nearly flawless, but Joseph simply smiled. His right fist flew forward, weaving past Gonzalez's guard and slamming into his side. It struck the heavily bandaged side of his torso, forcing Gonzalez to let out a grunt. Joseph pulled back his fist and landed a heavy punch to the side of Gonzalez's face, morphing the cheek around his fist.

Joseph: Got ya!

Gonzalez stood there, unmoving. Joseph's fist trembled as he tried to continue its force. He stared at Gonzalez's blindfold, how he didn't bother trying to remove it once.

Joseph: You act all tough, but you aren't as good as you think. Let's see the fear that's in your eyes. I want to know how fucked you'll feel after I'm done!

Joseph slipped his thumb under Gonzalez's blindfold, slowly pulling it up. His eyes grew wild as he lifted it up, only for his smile to slowly diminish. What stared back at him was an uncaring, brilliant blue eye. It was not filled with the terror or fear that Joseph had hoped for. Gonzalez pushed back against Joseph's fist, the eye filled with annoyance.

Gonzalez: You know, I was worried for a moment. Your fists were strong enough to beat Abraham's helmet in, heavily bruising his face and body. He was a good young man. I was worried that if you got in a single good hit, I may need to deal with a similar fate. But I remembered something, something that I needed to learn through my training. Armor and the like, it has its limits. The human body, however, can continue to evolve.

Gonzalez walked forward, pushing Joseph's fist back.

Gonzalez: My body is far stronger than your supposed fist that can punch through metal. I'm done letting you have your fun, your punishment begins, Joseph.

Joseph jumped back as an intense shiver went down his spine. His eyes dilated, shaking as he stared down at his opponent. Gonzalez corrected his blindfold, raising his hands.

Gonzalez: Your heart is speeding up again. Scared?