Arena

Finally.

When she entered the huge arena, the audience cheered at her loudly. Only half of the seats were taken but there were still quite a few people there. Both fighters who were in the ring today had fans and a lot of people admired them. They were cheering at them.

As she walked to the ring, she looked up at the ceiling. Lights everywhere. The huge arena was brightly lit. The biggest stage the boxing world had to offer. She had often fought in large halls before, but this sight was something else.

She felt like she was born for this day.

Despite the cheers and the commentator announcing them, she was able to focus and ignore most of the loud noises.

Then her eyes fell on her opponent. Anastasia. The red queen. She got her nickname because of her red hair and her charisma that reminded people of royalty. In the past they joked about it. The red queen against the ice princess. A battle royal. Her manager sold it very well and the whole boxing world was very excited for the fight. Women's boxing wasn't very popular, but this time it got a lot of attention.

She really looked like a queen when she stood in the boxing ring. In the past, Laura had admired her. It wasn't just her boxing style, her power or how she defeated her opponents with ease. It was her charisma. Even after the few tough fights in her career, she still seemed relaxed and confident afterwards. Like a queen. Laura still admired her.

Their eyes met for the first time and both smiled. Both were self-confident. They were both well aware that they were not friends but rivals today. And neither of them planned to go easy on the other.

And now their time had finally come.

Peter stood in front of her as she stood in the ring corner. Before each fight, Peter bandaged her hands and put Laura's boxing gloves on. This became a ritual for her and further increased her self-confidence. Only then did she feel like she was truly ready to fight.

"Remember what we talked about. Now is the time to focus on nothing else but the opponent in front of you. Don't lose a tick, watch for that dropped guard, keep your eyes on the prize. Be patient, take your hits and always remember. Even a queen makes mistakes."

Laura nodded.

Peter patted her shoulder. "Give it your all! Today is the perfect day and place."

"Yes!", euphoria arose in her. Peter was always able to cheer Laura up.

And then both trainers left the ring. Anastasia's trainer also took her champion belt out of the ring.

'That's gonna be mine today' Laura thought.

Laura and Anastasia slowly walked to the center of the ring.

They glanced at each other.

Some say Anastasia's Prime is over. But Laura knows better. She looks in top shape, too. Almost frighteningly fit. For a second she had doubts.

But also Anastasia looked uncertain for a moment when she looked at Laura. Laura noticed it and regained her self-confidence. She had never seen this look on Anastasia before. She must truly recognize her as a worthy opponent.

Both ignored the referee as he once again explained the rules. It was the world championship and they both had heard the same speech countless times. They glanced at each other. The doubt they both had for a second was gone. They knew if they lost focus for just a moment they would lose.

The referee was done explaining the rules. And as is tradition in boxing, they touched each other's gloves before they made some steps back.

It was then.

Time slowed down for Laura. She had never felt anything like it. It was as if the world around her stood still. She had the urge to look around. When she met Anastasia's gaze, Laura saw confusion in her eyes as well. But now is not the time for that. Her movements brought her back to reality. They moved at normal speed. What a sensational feeling.

Anastasia has always been the more aggressive boxer. She made the first move, as Laura had expected. If she hadn't analyzed Anastasia's fighting style, she would have lost by now.

In the blink of an eye, Anastasia closed the gap and what looked like an easy jab almost completely broke Laura's guard. She was barely able to raise her arms fast enough to defend herself.

She took three steps back.

It hurts so much.

Just a jab? Is that what it was supposed to be?

Anastasia also looks confused. Irritated by the power in her jab.

For Laura time felt even slower.

"Let's go." she said to herself. It's not the time to think too much.

She dashed forward and did the same Anastasia did before. A jab.

She knew that she would be blocked but still..

They tested each other, jabs and blocks. Laura feinted and landed a good blow on Anastasia's ribs, but the follow-up, a hook to Anastasia's jaw, caught air as she astutely pulled her head back. Still, the pain in her face was clear.

And so the most intense fight in their boxing career began.

It was a back and forth. Both fully concentrated.

They couldn't make even one mistake or the fight would be over.

Time lost meaning. They didnt know if it felt like a lifetime or just a moment.

But... It felt good. Every stroke made her more euphoric.

ding ding

Only the sound of a bell could stop them.

The first round was over.

Only then Laura realized that her arms felt like they were falling off. That was a feeling she never had before. She had long fights in the past but they weren't even comparable to what happened in just the first round. Can she keep this up for several more rounds? She had to.

Then Laura noticed something unusual. The complete silence in the room. She couldn't even hear the slightest sound.

Not even the commentator who was usually very excited after every round didn't say a word.

She never experienced something like that before.

Laura looked around.

As she met the faces of the crowd she saw that everyone was in shock. Their eyes wide open.

She looked over to Peter as she slowly moved back to her corner. He had the same expression as everyone else in the arena.

And then he broke the silence. "What was that?"

"What do you mean?" Peter didn't expect that answer. He wasn't even sure if there was a right answer. His eyes still on Laura's hands.

"Look at your gloves."

Laura looked down and could only see her bare hands and remains of what was once a pair of boxing gloves. There was nothing else left. But her confusion didn't hold for long.

At that moment, the whole Arena was shaking like there was a massive earthquake.

A moment later.

Sirens.