April 9th, 2015. The First Round of East Japan Rookie King Tournament.
Korakuen Hall breathes in restless fits. Not quite silence, not quite roar. The seats are three-quarters filled, enough bodies to stitch together a low, constant murmur, but still freckled with gaps that remind you this is not yet prime time.
The lights dip. First bout, featherweights, two rookies shamble to center ring like foals learning how to stand. They are all elbows and nerves. Every jab lands a fraction late, every guard comes up a moment too slow, as if their thoughts are buffering.
The crowd doesn't roar. It mutters, heckles, and waits. Yet the die-hards are there, slicing through the lull with their voices:
"Don't back up! Swing it out!"
"C'mon, he's right there!"
"Throw your right! Don't think, just throw!"
