Chapter 41: Women's Underground Fighting
Underground fighting matches were not the sole domain of the Kengan Association.
Or rather, while Kengan matches were underground fighting, there were far more organizations hosting such events than just the Kengan Association.
Compared to Kengan matches, which originated from business competition, most underground fighting groups leaned towards "direct profit."
Often backed by yakuza or even politicians, they recruited fighters, held matches, attracted spectators and gamblers, and collected ticket sales and wagers.
Just like "legitimate" fighting in the surface world, underground fighting had the classic "Men's Division," but also the less populated but equally popular "Women's Division."
This was "Women's Underground Fighting"!
...
...
Drawn by the "scent and feeling," Shiraki Kei had wandered his way here.
It was a spacious warehouse, cleared of goods. In the center was a crude ring, the floor covered with a haphazard layer of sand.
Visibly, this underground arena was quite shabby, even worse than the makeshift setup the Grisly Tooth Gang had prepared for "Shiraki Kei vs. Komada."
But the poor venue didn't dampen the audience's enthusiasm.
Over a hundred people surrounded the ring. Men and women, mostly punks or yakuza underlings, all looking to kill time, shouting and cheering.
"..."
Since it was an illegal event, there were obviously bouncers. They spotted Kei, a new face, and came over to question him and demand an entry fee.
Kei paid up. The bouncer gave him a quick rundown of the rules: no filming with phones, no starting fights, etc...
The bouncer wasn't very professional, but he didn't do anything out of line either. His attitude was completely perfunctory.
It wasn't hard to see that while the organizers weren't amateurs, they were definitely at the bottom of the industry food chain.
Such a group couldn't host high-quality matches and would struggle to attract a large audience.
But "Women's Fighting" was different.
Compared to the men's division, which was all about blood, savagery, and violence, women's fighting had another draw for the audience: sex appeal.
This was a survival tactic for bottom-tier organizations.
...
...
Since he was here and had paid, he might as well find a good spot to watch.
Kei squeezed through the crowd, getting close to the ring.
The match had already started. The atmosphere was heating up, and the audience was getting worked up.
"Go on! Finish her! Kill her!"
"Haha, so lucky tonight! Seeing a 'famous fighter' for such a cheap ticket..."
"Don't stall! Chase her down! Rip her clothes off!"
"Take it off!"
"..."
Being women's fighting, there were plenty of spectators with ulterior motives.
But some of the comments caught his attention. The phrase "famous fighter" piqued Kei's curiosity.
He looked closely at the ring.
Currently dominating was a woman with short hair in twin-tails, wearing a sports bra and shorts. Her build was athletic, her muscles firm and powerful.
Kei had seen her before—on a street-side TV report.
Her name was Tojo Ran, former Japanese Super Featherweight Champion of the WWBC!
Career record: eight wins, two losses. One loss was by disqualification for causing an injury incident, which led to her being stripped of her license. She had disappeared since then.
For a fighter like Tojo Ran—blacklisted and unable to continue in the "legitimate pros"—there were usually two choices.
Either stop there, retire from the front lines completely, and become a coach or find other work;
Or, enter the "Underground"!
Tojo Ran had clearly chosen the latter. Judging by her condition, it seemed like a seamless transition. She was ready to make a splash in the underground ring.
Seeing a "famous fighter" of this level was worth the ticket price.
Unfortunately, Tojo Ran's "opponent" seemed a bit lacking in skill, being beaten back steadily. It wasn't much of a show.
...
...
Thwack! Thwack!
After another simple exchange, Tojo Ran and her opponent both stepped back, adjusting their breathing and resetting their stances.
The referee, doubling as the announcer, shouted passionately: "There it is! The genius boxer—Tojo Ran's signature stance, the widely known 'Philly Shell'!"
"..."
Kei was positioned facing Tojo Ran, so he had a clear view.
The "Philly Shell," originating from the Philadelphia boxing school and popularized by Floyd Mayweather, relies on shoulder rolling. The lead shoulder is raised to protect the chin and deflect heavy punches, integrating defense and counter-attacking.
As expected of a pro boxer, Tojo Ran perfectly utilized her physical advantages.
"I've got this match in the bag..."
Tojo Ran rotated her forearm, throwing out her usual trash talk.
"I heard you used to be the 'Champion' of some old underground fighting group, huh? But that's just an 'underground champion'."
"Let's face it, 'underground fighting' is just a dumping ground for trash that couldn't make it in the 'pros.' I was active on the front lines of the professional world. You're no match for me."
"Don't worry. I'll kill you quickly!"
Swish!
Tojo Ran stepped forward, throwing an extremely fast jab.
Kei saw it clearly. Although it was also "agile," unlike Kure Fusu's grappling style, Tojo Ran favored a hit-and-run approach.
Combined with the Philly Shell, the jab she threw wasn't standard. It came from below, a "Flicker Jab" with a harder-to-predict trajectory!
Swish—Thud!
Tojo Ran hit her opponent again and followed up with an uppercut to the chest. The opponent staggered back several steps, crouching at the edge of the ring, gasping for breath.
"...Hm?"
Kei noticed something.
Tojo Ran's punch was clearly off. Although she wore gloves, the power far exceeded that of the Flicker Jab itself. She had likely hidden a "hard object" in her gloves.
Truly a blacklisted boxer; she had adapted to the "underground style" very quickly.
In underground fighting, these little tricks were like cheating in gambling. As long as you weren't caught, it didn't matter. Being able to keep getting away with it was a skill in itself.
Unfortunately, that meant there was little reference value for Kei.
The "feeling" of the technique wasn't right!
"..."
Kei was about to leave when he glanced at Tojo Ran's "opponent"—the girl crouching and panting. His gaze was involuntarily drawn to her.
...Good stance!
Although she was losing, compared to the trick-using Tojo Ran, the girl's stance was noticeably more solid. She even felt more experienced than Tojo Ran.
But strangely, the girl's footsteps were floaty, as if she had no strength. She looked like she had been starving for a long time.
That was very wrong.
Anyone surviving in the underground fighting world knew the importance of "eating well."
Even during the hardest times for the Shiraki family—before the fight with [Nioh] Komada—Kei would make sure to eat his fill. You can't fight on an empty stomach.
And from what Tojo Ran said, this girl wasn't a rookie. How did she end up unable to afford food?
"ORA! Die!"
Tojo Ran slid forward, aiming a Flicker Jab at the girl's face.
The girl took a deep breath, seemingly planning to block with her forehead. However, her stomach was empty, her energy insufficient, and her movement was half a beat too slow.
BANG!
The girl was hit squarely on the nose. Blood splattered instantly, nosebleed mixing with blood from her mouth, dripping onto the ring.
THUD!
Tojo Ran pressed the attack, smashing an elbow into the girl's chest, sending her flying back several steps. She crashed to the ground at the edge of the ring, her breathing ragged.
"Koff... koff..."
The girl landed right in front of Kei. He could even hear her stomach growling. She really was starving.
Seeing the girl in such a sorry state, the audience buzzed, convinced the match was decided.
The girl heard the audience, too. Her pained expression suddenly froze. Perhaps the extreme hunger and pain had given her a moment of clarity.
"I'm going to lose... Eh? Am I really going to lose?"
"Eh? You're kidding, right? I'm the Genius Kung Fu Girl, Yuzuha..."