Dangerously Close

2.

Taking a step back, he kept his eyes on Horace before returning to his seat.
"Why don't we enjoy tonight's match?" Jian said politely, relaxing his shoulders upon his young master's restraint.

"M-Mr. Delacourde, there's nothing to worry about. I'm here to see the result of our deal. There's no breaking of rules on my part."

Respectful, aren't we? Eros thought to himself. Ignoring them all, he placed his attention on the monitor. 

"That last rule, let it resonate in your heads. Now for the main event. The challenger tonight, coming in the heavyweight class 228lbs, Pasadena native, Alsford Medina."

The bulky, six foot four Mexican with a cocky grin on his face, strutted through the crowd accepting the polite cheers from the audience. A smaller, shifty-looking man followed closely, eyeing the place with his beady eyes. To outsiders, he can be Medina's coach but the servers who were strategically placed around the ground floor knew his silent motive. 
Medina entered the cage and got lost in the audience's excitement. He enthusiastically shook Peter's hand, after all, he's every MMA fighter's ideal.
Wanting to act normal, Horace began to brag about his fighter with Wil and Trent weakly backing him up. The younger men didn't know the specifics of this match but they were feeling a tad bit uneasy. Their eyes searched the faces of the stoic men in the booth; they showed no sign of acknowledging the old man's bragging.

Jhoel stood abruptly and casually left the room.

"For the man, y'all have been waiting for. Two-time national champion, Iron Fist's youngest fifth-generation fighter, weighing at 205lbs, ladies and gentlemen, HONOR!" Peter's enthusiastic welcome created the mood of the club. The fighter under the five families was greatly welcomed and recognized. Just like Peter, he covered a lot of sports magazines and made it to Men's Health for four issues. In his twenties, Honor can say with confidence that he's content with life and ready to try new things if he wishes. Stepping out of the shadows, he shook hands with fans who reached out to him, signed autographs, and smiled for numerous phone cameras. Two men followed him acting as his guards and coaches. The brown-haired tightly muscled man didn't need 'protection' but an image had to be shown. His brown eyes had no emotion shining through but the smile on his face deceived the crowd. He had a job to do. The young master pulled him out of training for this and he had to show exceptional results. Stepping into the cage, his name was chanted throughout the building, his opponent grit his teeth in annoyance, his five seconds of fame was up and the main act was here.

Honor and Peter shook hands in familiar greeting before creating distance between them. It was time to work.

"Tonight's match is special for our young master. Let's make it an exciting one. We are doing a title match. Five rounds - five minutes each- one-minute rest period. Each fighter must give it their all, no fatal blows but rendering your opponent unconscious is considered a win. I can also stop the fight if one submits or simply can't defend himself. Are we set on these rules?"

Honor nodded stiffly and positioned himself to defend from Medina's blows. He knew this type of fighter, he had to train against these types in the early days no matter what weight class. This was why he was summoned. He had to show this man and his backer where they belonged. 
"C'mon pretty boy. I want to finish this quickly," Medina taunted.
Brown, emotionless eyes flicked to the camera overhead, two red lights flashed in his line of vision, with the message received he relaxed his body and allowed his mind to feel at ease. Peter saw the message also and stepped away from the two.

The bell rang and as ordered, Honor didn't move. The man behind the camera plus the two in the cage had ample experience in fighters who relied on their weight and stature. Medina was one of them. Not only did he depend on the weight disadvantage, but his boss also inflated his ego a bit too much. The strapping man charged towards him with a glint in his eye and an arrogant smirk on his face. Left hand posed to protect his jaw, Medina swung his right when he got into close proximity. Honor dodged the blow by lowering his body and moving under the incoming punch. In retaliation, he swung his own right arm and was successful in putting the large man into a daze. Easily he took two steps away from Medina and waited patiently for the man to regain his focus. The crowd celebrated Honor's hit and begged for more. The country's champion was known for his stealth and wide range in martial arts and boxing plus his stamina.