𝐓𝐊𝐎 (𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐓) • kuroo x reader

007 | 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈 𝐯𝐬 𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐎

DAICHI vs KUROO

Both fighters stay on their toes. They observe each other's stances, guarding their heads with gloved fists. You observe Kuroo's pivoting form as he dodges Daichi's left hook. Kuroo sees an opportunity when his guard drops, and he lands the first punch of the night, straight into Daichi's side.

The audience screams, whistles, cheers — some even yell vulgar and violent things. Everything is a clash of gloves, and you look aimlessly, trying to make sense of their calculated movements.

Both fighters stay calm, trying to get used to each other's rhythms and stances. Kuroo favours his right side due to his black eye by leading with his left. A few jabs and crosses are thrown as they step around the ring, dodging each other's blows like it's a simple warm-up.

Three clicks sound out, and after ten more seconds, a bell signals the end of the first round.

Stools are immediately placed inside the ring; one next to the blue corner and another at the red corner. Yamamoto is already moving, a water bottle and ice pack in his hands while Lev carries a towel and a bucket.

"Stay here," Kenma says to you before jumping up and ducking into the ring. He's the only one who actually enters the platform, crouching down in front of Kuroo who is already panting on the stool with beads of sweat forming at his temple.

Mori joins you on the sidelines. "Only three cornermen are allowed to assist the fighters during breaks." You don't expect him to talk, but you're thankful that he bothers anyway. "And only one is allowed inside the ring while the other two stay outside."

"How do we know who won the round?"

"We don't know until the end of all twelve rounds," he replies, "and we don't have any official judges here. The winner is determined by the crowd, or if someone is able to knockout their opponent."

"No judges?" you ask while observing both of the fighters. Kenma talks to a red faced Kuroo in a calm tone while Daichi's team offers him water. No judges or scoreboards are in sight. "Is the crowd not biased?"

"Not when their own money is on the line." Looking up past his glasses, Mori watches the number on the big screen increase, the original 320,000 yen capital jumping to 430,000 yen. "They'd rather see their money go to whoever they deem as the winner after all twelve rounds— if it actually makes it to twelve. This may all seem like too much information right now, but you'll learn along the way."

You stifle a laugh. "No kidding."

"If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask," he says as the cornermen run out of the ring. Even in the underground ring, Mori still has his teacher tendencies. It's something you appreciate, and also question.

The bell signals the start of the second round. As soon as both fighters make it to the centre of the ring, Kuroo bends his body, dodging all of Daichi's jabs and crosses.

"I told him that Daichi usually steps before throwing punches," Kenma says, leaning closer to keep the information discreet, "It's part of his style, but there's nothing strategic about it."

You try to keep track of their combinations, a flash of black and red. Kuroo catches Daichi off guard with a feint, dropping his guard and opening a channel for a jab and a right hook. Daichi steps back, regaining his balance while the crowd cheers for them to go on.