First Impressions Are Everything - Lee Meets Shiro

All in all, Shiro was pleased with the outcome of his apology. Predictably, the girl didn't seem receptive but at least she wasn't hateful of, or even scared or repulsed by his contact. On the other hand, the boy seemed downright murderous. Shiro doesn't enjoy being the cause of such explosive antipathy but blinding Lee with rage is part of his strategy. In Shiro's experience, for the overwhelming majority of combatants, sloppiness increases exponentially with anger.

Unbeknownst to my dwarfish friend, the fight has begun and I am already winning, Shiro privately gloated while holding the black speed bag at a steady rhythm with his faultlessly timed and precision punches. After spending a few more minutes inspecting his impeccable strike forms in front of a mirror, Shiro noticed that it was already seven o'clock.

He cheerfully skipped towards the center-most ring on the gym floor, shed his shirt, and leaped gracefully inside. Shiro spotted his rival, also topless, who was completely absorbed in a highly intensive warm-up routine. The redheaded agitator was astonished by his chiseled build and powerful performance. He had been deceived by Lee's height into thinking that he was nothing more than an extremely irritable hothead. However, his motions and physique stated clearly that this was a legitimate, experienced fighter. Never mind that. My body's just as impressive and also far bigger, Shiro reasoned, Plus, I'm much prettier!

He was now ready to deploy another round of taunts. The egotistical redhead had drawn an audience with the alluring, mesmerizing movements of his body stretches. "Oi! Pygmy!" Shiro badgered Lee, finally discovering his name from a group of girls who were ecstatic at just having his fleeting attention, "I mean, flea! Or rather Lee!" His sycophantic groupies laughed at his catcalls.

"It's already past seven o'clock. You must be very frightened but please understand that cowardly stalling does you no good. The sooner you're defeated, the quicker you'll be able to recuperate and return to your doll house."

Shiro gave Lee, who was now fuming, a haughty look from on high, "I promise to end this quickly, boy. I normally have tea at eight so I'm quite eager to get home. If you would be so kind, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop your pretend warm-up. You're probably hoping to be spared by me magically forgetting about you but I'm afraid that only works on your make-believe playground friends."

Lee jumped up, appearing obviously incensed even from Shiro's distant vantage point. "Now that I think about it, I didn't get my newspaper this morning. Were you unable to complete your paper delivery route? If you'd like to leave now, I won't hold it against you as I know you need the yen to buy the new manga. When you leave on your tricycle, if you quickly drop a copy of the paper off at my apartment, I might keep your tardiness a secret!"

Shiro chortled before offering the rapidly approaching Lee an innocently winsome smile. Shiro felt eager as he methodically laced up his emerald boxing gloves. "So you still want to fight then? Very well, but perhaps you'd like to change your diaper before we begin?

The warm up is over ,Lee's body is heating up both metaphorically and literally thanks to Shiro's annoying words and his irritating attitude. He finished up his training ,sitting on the bench and letting Cathy to do the rest ,lacing up his blue 8 oz gloves before he moves away from the bench ,nodding to Ms. Mazaki who just arrived at the gym in time to ref the match.

The teenage girls with undeveloped brain of course is on Shiro's side ,backing him up with their silly chantings and laughing like idiots every time Shiro looks at them either intentionally or accidentally.

Shiro's tall and chiseled build does nothing to frighten that little guy with the heart of a lion. With courage ,he climbs into the ring ,followed by Ms. Mazaki afterwards.

Just a slight grin that Lee showed to Shiro as a reply to all of his mockery before he puts on the blue mouthpiece that he holds on his right glove ,biting it down hard to make sure it secures inside his mouth while Ms. Mazaki walks with swaying butts into the center of the ring ,dressed in her usual business outfit which is a huge contrast to her slightly dark skin.

Lee had to lift his head up to face another mockery from Shiro but Ms. Mazaki saves Shiro from being punched by Lee before the fight even started yet. "C'mon cowboy ,let the fists do the talking" Her deep female tone voice pierces into Shiro's ears as the guy immediately obeys to her command and leaving Lee along in his corner.

Ms. Mazaki gives them a short break time in their own corner ,Cathy utilized the given break time perfectly by messaging his big oppa's shoulders and neck ,loosening it before Ms. Mazaki calls them to the center of the ring. "Alright big boys ,here's the deal ,i expect a clean fight from you ,no hitting below the belts ,ears and the back of the head. Winners will be determined by knockouts ,technical knockouts or submission as the match will go for 8 rounds. 3 minutes rounds with one minute break" Ms. Mazaki gives a pause so the boys could absorb his words with their minds as they were just keep staring at each other during the briefing. "Do you hear me?? and okay with the length of the match?? if you don't ,tell me right now".

Shiro's last remark tipped Lee over the edge, a premature start to the match avoided only by the intervention of the formidable gym proprietor, Miho Mazaki, whose strong presence commanded obedience from even the tall loudmouth. Despite the abrupt outburst, Shiro privately applauded Lee's fortitude. If the roles were reversed, it would be difficult for me to maintain my silence for as long as this Lee character has.

He turned to Ms. Mazaki to answer her question, "Any length or format is fine by me, it doesn't matter. I'll have him begging for mercy and forgiveness by the end of round one," Shiro boldly declared with a smirk, "However, I may need two rounds if I'm blindfolded and lose the use of an arm and a leg." Lee gave him a chilling glare, only nodding his assent to the referee as he had already affixed his mouth guard.

"Also, before we start, I thank you for spending your time overseeing us and allowing the use of your gym for the settling of this little private affair. I am ashamed that I have let this situation advance to a point where it is now causing trouble for you," Shiro bowed humbly before the retired champion. He rose and met her amused and unimpressed expression, clearly having failed in his attempt to charm the powerful woman. Her piercing gaze suggested that she has easily discerned Shiro's presumptuous scheming.

Shiro returned to the corner slightly dejected, biting down onto his glistening white mouthpiece offered by one of his seconds. Although he had the overwhelming majority of the present fans, Shiro, nevertheless, deeply envied Lee. His sister's concern and Ms. Mazaki's matronly pride and care were products of pure, genuine love. On Shiro's side, his team of female, and notably one male, seconds transparently volunteered for the purposes of getting closer for wholly shallow reasons, perhaps in the hopes of getting a chance to grope him. What a sad bunch, he thought derisively, hit suddenly by the understanding that he was alone, not only at the gym, but in the entire country.

The young Viennese boxer threw off this unease and then met Lee at the center of the ring, lip slightly upturned, predatory and confident, and offered his emerald gloves for the customary friendly tap. Shiro drew himself to his full, comparatively impressive height hoping to intimidate his opponent but Lee met his bright blue eyes with a firm, open defiance, showing no signs whatsoever of fright or even uncertainty.

Shiro's playful disposition evaporated with the bell heralding the start of the first round and he immediately began a methodical test of Lee's defense with a few probing jabs. Almost immediately, a testament to Shiro's considerable cunning and intelligence, the redhead identified Lee's attempt to hide the weakness of his left arm.

He's facing me with a serious injury, Shiro realized with wonderment as he easily dodged Lee's counters. Oh well, this just makes my promise to put him down swiftly that much easier.

Shiro feinted at the left with a hook and then, taking full advantage of Lee's unhealthy arm, unleashed a torrent of blows coming at Lee from the right, including a potentially devastating uppercut.

Ms. Mazaki found the tall redhead quite irritating at times. Mouthful and pretending to have some manners on people he eager to flirt with isn't a type that Ms. Mazaki would like to have around the gym or in her life but Ms. Mazaki keeps it to herself ,staring at the guy coldly as a sign that she is fed up by his wholly pretending manner.

She fixes up her glasses ,still folding her arms and ready to authorize the match to start. She takes no sides even Lee is being one of his favorite in the terms of fighting skills.

With a single nod to the waiting orderlies ,the bell rings and the match has begun for the fighters. For a moment ,Lee feels like the beast inside of him unleashed by the bell. The blue demon shows no fear to his adversary and have no concern on his injured left arm. He just strode forward with bravery and strategies in his mind straight to the Goliath.

David versus Goliath ,the perfect name that anyone could figured out to describe the match between Lee and Shiro. Shiro took the first shot but Lee countered it badly which eventually dodged by Shiro easily thanks to the injured left arm.

"He's strong ,i have to find his weakness" Lee thought in his mind as Shiro crowds him with seeming endless blows from the right. Lee ate some with his cheeks ,nose and his both sides as he keeps moving backwards. Her sister never stop supporting her from the ringside while the other girls and Shiro's male seconds jumped happily seeing the blue haired guy takes the devastating uppercut right on the pit of his stomach.

"BBBrrrffffff!!!!" The guy almost spits out his mouthpiece thanks to the uppercut. It was a nasty one that would send the guy reeling a couple steps backwards and resetting his defense.

He would come over Shiro once again ,bobbing and weaving in a quick pace to confuse the guy before he dives into Shiro ,sending waves of right straights and hooks to his mid and left side ,minimizing the use of his left arm as much as possible.

The redhead smiled at the satisfying impact of his successful uppercut, his strike plowing deep into Lee's abdomen who fell back with a surprised moan, audible even over the roars of the audience and the shuffling on the ring floor. Shiro then moved in aggressively, abandoning his carefully maintained defense, to deliver a powerful cross from the left with the intent of finishing the Korean immediately, believing it impossible for his diminutive opponent to reorient himself in time.

It's over! Shiro celebrated ferociously, bewildered when his outstretched arm met only air. His neat form collapsed as the momentum of the failed strike rapidly twisted the taller fighter clockwise. The confident aggressor glanced downwards, eyes widening with worry, as he could only helplessly watch the first of a flurry of punches land against his completely open lower ribs on his left.

Shiro snapped his body back from the awkward position and leaped away from the onslaught, able to block the worst of Lee's counterattack with his agility. Shiro glared at Lee's triumphant smile and the jolly glint in his eye. The pain had already begun to fade from the tall redhead's side while Lee must still have felt the hurt from Shiro's far more devastating assault. However, Lee made Shiro retreat in a panic and, even if it was relatively light, he nevertheless did inflict damage against the German-Japanese combatant. Because of the ceaseless, boastful taunts he was making before the round, Shiro knew he looked quite silly right now even if he was ahead in absolute terms. Between the two of them, Shiro looked even more foolish as they both knew of Lee's faulty left arm.

He had to cool his desire to strike back punitively, knowing that another thoughtless attack could end in shame or even disaster. For a couple of moments, Shiro and Lee circled each other, sneering, before the redhead made his decision. I'll just wear down the insolent brat from afar.

Shiro kept his distance, occasionally jabbing at Lee's face, partially fueled by the desire to quell his happy, rebellious expression. Rather than actively searching for the decisive blow, his strategy now was to allow Lee to take the initiative and safely erode his will with his far superior reach. Although this approach was achingly slow, Shiro had a near permanent advantage as he could easily predict any offense from the blue-headed tiger's limited arsenal who should only be able to launch power blows with his right arm.

Shiro hoped to repeat the feat of his uppercut, this time as a counter aiming for the Korean's chin, if Lee ever thought to become aggressive.

Lee's biggest concern now is his left arm ,it keeps sending him waves of serious sharp pain everytime he moved it around by accident. Not to mention ,the abs of his which absorbed a serious uppercut too early in the round ,it still aching and occasionally distracting Lee from the match but thanks to his underground fighting experience ,he could go on and still able to lift both arms up to continue the fight while her little sister is worried sick about him.

He notices the slightest change in the match that his tall adversary is now using the advantage of his reach and maybe will be trying to wear him down from a far ,another knowledge he obtained from the underground fighting. Things are getting hard and rough for Lee. With limited arsenal and movement ,people around the gym predicts that the short guy will have the taller guy's mercy soon after he pounds him around the ring and toying him around like his personal punching bag.

Might be dangerous to strike him in close distance ,the guy must be thought in his mind repeatedly ,over and over like an endless loop ,thinking the best way to deal with this tall guy who far surpasses him in the terms of physics and powers.

Lee had to rely on his brain now ,not his heart if he wants to survive the first round unscratched and saves himself for the next round. He close in but far more cautious now ,his right hand is ready to strike more than anything although it isn't his forte to strike with one arm.

The blue headed demon is a little bit hesitate in his steps but his hesitation saves him from another deadly uppercut in the matter of inches. The uppercut just went swishing ,hits nothing but the thin air and this is the moment that Lee had been waited for ,Lee just opens himself a gap to attack and now is the chance. The blue headed demon dives it once again and strikes Shiro with what he have ,straight ,jab ,jab to the perfect looking abs ,hook to the left kidney ,all done by his right hand before his heart takes over him and he forgets about his left arm ,pulled out a fierce left hook which seeking Shiro's right handsome cheek as a target but bad things are bound to happen soon.

It's just centimeters away from the cheek and suddenly his arm feels like twisted in the inside by someone. It felt so painful that Lee will stop his attack right away and holds his aching arm with the other arm while gasping painfully. Her sister was right ,maybe Lee isn't ready to fight yet ,maybe it's just one night stand ego only that he could get over with in a single night but decisions had been made and there's no way Lee could back down from the fight.

Shiro rejoiced at his adversary's inability to cope with his defensive ploy. The redhead danced around the ring floor, bidding and taunting Lee to follow his movements. Although it wasn't yet visible on Lee's resolute face, Shiro knew that his strategy had begun to wear down the Korean who had now absorbed a series of moderate blows without having, even a good chance at, any counters of his own. Even if his opponent was physically durable, the emotional toll of this increasingly futile fight should be devastating.

Knowing that the end of the round was fast approaching, Shiro decided once more to see if he could make good on the promise to have Lee eviscerated early on. Letting Lee draw near, Shiro put all his strength behind yet another uppercut aimed at his face. The Viennese boxer gasped when his power punch failed utterly once more, not making even grazing contact. How? Shiro despaired, his mind paralyzed. Even after the battering he had endured, Lee's speed handily surpassed his. Shiro peeked downwards in awe, back in a familiarly vulnerable situation. However, this time, he could not jump away from Lee's assault like before as he had, unknowingly, chosen to launch his offense from a corner.

Lee's first jab dove deep into his enemy's abdomen as the redhead's retreat, much to his surprise, was foiled by the turnbuckle. Although Shiro had impressive muscles, they could not resist pain well as one, he had never trained with the aim of pain endurance and two, the turnbuckle held his body still, forcing him to take the full weight of Lee's ferocious attacks.

The first three strikes to his stomach easily demolished Shiro's ability to move away or counter attack; he could now only attempt to bring his arms in for a meek, defensive stance. However, the blue haired devil showed no mercy to his cornered prey, harshly tenderizing the redhead's kidney with a brutal hook. "Ah!" Shiro exclaimed delicately, his arms involuntarily dropping back to his sides. He had done his best to remain stoic before, not wanting to give Lee the satisfaction of hearing him cry out, but this last blow was too much. Every aspect of his existence surged with fire and ice. Shiro shut his sparkling blue eyes in resignation and leaned against the ropes. His only recourse now was to hope that he could endure the remainder of this apocalyptic onslaught.

However, the follow up failed to arrive and Shiro instead heard Lee groaning in agony. He tentatively investigated the scene before him, quickly understanding that Lee had overexerted his injured arm. "You're such a dumbass," Shiro mumbled through his mouthguard. It was cheap and childish but Shiro, overwhelmed by the desire to achieve revenge, mustered all the strength he could manage in this weakened state for two jabs against Lee's injured arm and exposed face right before the bell signifying the end of round one.

Shiro hobbled back to his corner, profoundly disappointed with his performance. "Go home," he demanded of Lee, his voice giving away a tiny hint of frantic desperation, "You're clearly too stupid and weak to defeat me." The redhead glossed over the inconvenient truth that Lee had nearly decimated him with only one healthy arm. He didn't want to admit it but, despite his greater chances of victory and the fact that he had come out far ahead in the first round, he was frightened by the prospect of facing another direct volley from the blue headed tiger.

From the ringside ,Cathy watches the match with her gleaming eyes ,supporting her big oppa no matter what and concerning about his left arm ,wishing Lee could hold himself in using it as much as possible but rage blinded the blue haired demon ,forcing him to use his own left only to meet with his own demise. Fortunately ,Shiro doesn't seize the opportunity very well and only landed a few jabs on the body that shows no effect or whatsoever with Lee's body unless his arm. A single punch to the arm could be painful and he absorbed punch twice using it ,twice the pain but the bell rang to save his ass from being Shiro's personal punching bag.

Lee lets out a sigh of relief when he hears the bell ,he is in desperate need of an icepack for his throbbing left arm. He sits down on the stool provided by his sister ,more like throwing himself onto it and resting his back against the leather corner pad ,exhaling and inhaling breaths like he had gone for 10 rounds already.

His mouthpiece freed from his mouth by Cathy's hands before the pink hared cutie worriedly examining his brother despite zero experience of being a cut man or seconds. "Big oppa!! you should stop it!!" Cathy begged his big brother but that's now how Lee's way of life. He refused to give up ,spurts an amount of water into his own mouth and spits it out to the empty bucket to clean his mouth from excessive saliva inside of it.

"I'm not going to give up if that what you ask for ,hah! hah!" Lee spoke between his breaths while his eyes are gluing on his tall adversary ,eager to know what he has on his mind.

Shiro was relieved at the failures of his sucker punches. He was an honorable person but Lee was adept at getting him to lose his temper. "Don't yell at me, boy!" Shiro huffed and looked away dramatically, somewhat upset at Lee's fiery dismissal. He peered down at a carefully manicured fingernail as a second reapplied his hand wraps, "I'm only concerned for your health. You're no match for me, not even in perfect condition. Why fight now in this sad, pathetic state?"

The redhead knew this was an exaggeration. Lee had proven himself to be a remarkably swift and highly intelligent fighter, resourceful enough to surprise someone as experienced as Shiro with only one good arm. Moreover, he could endure injury far better than the Japanese-German who was still straining to remain nonchalant in the face of the severe lingering pain from the Korean's kidney hook. Perhaps most importantly, Lee had more determination. Whereas Shiro was only overreacting to a bad day, the feelings of which had long vanished, Lee was fighting for revenge on the behalf of family, a motivation clearly evident from his powerful gaze.

Ignoring Lee's intense scrutiny, Shiro began formulating a plan for the second round. Even if I've underestimated him, spirit alone cannot overcome my strategic advantages, the Viennese fighter tried reassuring himself. The outcome of the first round suggested that Lee was faster. This meant a heavily defensive strategy was not particularly advantageous; even if he did execute a counter tactic with textbook precision, Lee was capable of evading it. Moreover, Lee was skilled at predicting Shiro's offensive turns. However, when he did manage a surprise attack, the results were devastating Shiro remembered, thinking back to his first uppercut. For now, I'll alter my patterns drastically.

And so, at the conclusion of the one minute rest period, Shiro surged explosively with the bell, his long arms opening the second round with a wild but deadly haymaker aimed right at Lee's face. A miss could mean prolonged vulnerability but the redhead was betting that the blue-haired demon would not be able to respond efficiently as he probably did not expect such aggression so early on.

Bell rings when it's not expected and round 2 has begun. Lee faces his own destiny to fight this guy who might destroy him in the end without any serious effort thanks to his left arm but so far he put up a good fight with one arm and impressed Ms. Mazaki with his amazing fight skill. With another drink that refresh her throat ,Lee is ready for the second round. He bites down hard his mouthpiece ,staring at his tall adversary with a menacing grin to answer all of his mockery during the round's interval.

With caution ,he steps forward and with worry ,her sister watches him from the ringside. The peek-a-boo stance suppose to be enough to protect from Shiro's long range shots but the guy switched tactics and surprising the blue haired demon with a pictured perfect haymaker that rocks Lee's world entirely.

His mouthpiece almost leapt from his mouth as the saliva flew from his mouth ,it's so hard that the guy is like being thrown across the ring and landed his back on the ropes ,heavily stunned by that marvelous unexpected haymaker that started the swelling on his left cheek and left him hanging almost defenseless on the ropes.

There's a time when Lee almost fell to the canvas but he tries to hold on although he is only going to prolonged his suffering by keep standing and peeking where his adversary might be in the middle of his gloves and in the state of heavily stunned.