Punch-Out!

Chapter 1: Loser

The cheers of the crowd were the first thing that could be heard as the curtains opened, and then a slow rhythmic clapping began as Mac Little began his walk to the ring. He knew each face that he saw in the stands as he walked past them; family members, friends, and even his boss were all just sitting there, continuing the rhythmic clap as if not being able to see him. Instead they were looking straight ahead, blankly staring at the boxing ring that was suddenly illuminated by intense overhead lights.

The emblem of a red cobra, the widely known symbol of the W.V.B.A. Minor Circuit, had been printed across the center of the ring, and it was inside that ring that Mac would participate in his first fight of what he already knew was going to be a long and illustrious career. The cheers and applause slowly faded away as he reached the ring and stepped through the ropes, and the thick-mustached referee took his time walking to the center as a microphone was lowered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the W.V.B.A. Minor Circuit." He began. "A place where a small number of lucky fighters will begin a long and illustrious career, while everyone else will get to look stupid in front of everyone and then go back to work on Monday."

The referee continued to drone on as Mac turned to take a look at the crowd, and now he was seeing even more familiar faces staring blankly in the crowd. He saw his girlfriend sitting in the front row, and this made him relax for a second, but then the anxiety returned as he saw his high school science teacher sitting next to her while holding up a test that had a big letter F written on the front.

"Introducing first, tonight's challenger." The referee continued as Mac turned back toward him. "He's a complete nobody from nowhere in particular, who will probably lose and then never fight again. In this corner, weighing in at 115 lbs., wearing 95 oz. gloves and a pair of tighty-whities; Mac Little."

The crowd gave a less than enthusiastic cheer that slowly devolved into laughter as Mac looked down at himself. He was a bit confused to see the gigantically oversized gloves that were over his hands, and then he gasped when he saw that he really was only wearing a pair of tighty-whities. He somehow knew that his mother would be happy about this since they appeared to be clean, but this didn't stop him from blushing, especially when he started to see camera flashes from in the stands.

"And now, introducing Mac's opponent." The referee continued. "He is a deep-seated terror from Mac's childhood, and the worst possible thing for someone to face in their very first match. Weighing in at 440 lbs. of pure nightmare-fuel, I give you - a big, scary clown."

Suddenly something dropped down from above, and the whole ring shook as Mac's opponent landed in the center. This guy was huge, wearing red overalls that didn't take anything away from the green hair on the sides of his head or the large red clown nose in the center of his face. He started laughing hysterically when he saw Mac, and gave a big, toothy grin when the referee motioned for Mac to approach.

"I'm sorry to say this, Mac, but you're gonna lose." The referee said as the clown honked his squeaky nose. "Just remember that your girlfriend is watching, so try not to scream to loudly when he frickin annihilates you. Ready, fight!"

The gloves he was wearing were so big and heavy that Mac had trouble even lifting his arms as the referee moved out of the way, but instead of attacking right away, the clown actually took a couple steps back. He grinned as he reached behind his back and took out a set of fist-size rubber balls, and needless to say, Mac was confused when he began to juggle them. The balls went around and around for a few seconds, but then the clown grabbed one out of the air and threw it at him.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Mac yelled as it struck him in the forehead.

The rubber ball was surprisingly heavy, making him stumble back a bit as it fell to the mat, but there was no time to do anything before the next one hit him in the chest. The clown kept throwing them at him until he had been backed all the way up against the ropes, and then he honked his squeaky nose again before rushing forward. In a surprising display of agility, the clown leapt higher than the top-rope, flipping backwards as he flew forward. The last thing Mac saw was two large fists coming at his face before he screamed and closed his eyes tightly, only to find that everything was gone when he finally opened them again.

The clown, the referee, and the whole arena were all gone as he looked around to see the familiar surroundings of his bedroom, but he was dripping with sweat, and suddenly cried out again as something touched his arm. An instant later a lamp on the other side of the bed was clicked on, and Mac started to settle down as the room was filled with dim orange light, allowing him to see the concerned expression on the face of a pretty girl with blonde hair.

"Mac, are you all right?" She asked as she moved closer.

He wanted to tell her that everything was fine so that she would go back to sleep, being that they both had to go to work in the morning, but the truth was that he was not fine. His hands were shaking a little, his breaths were quick and sharp, and his whole body was covered in sweat. A feeling of both dread and disappointment was then added to the mixture when he looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand; showing that he only had about a half hour before it was set to go off.

"I had that dream again, Alice." He replied while hanging his head. "I was in the ring, and I was getting my butt handed to me - by a clown. Losing is bad enough in itself, but losing to a clown is so much worse."

"You're not a loser." Alice said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You have a job, your own place, and hello, last I checked there was a beautiful girl in your bed. You think a loser could get someone cute as me?"

They both laughed a little at this, and then shared a quick kiss before Mac put his arms around her. Alice Apethree was more than just his girlfriend, she was his rock, his beacon to light the way whenever he started to get lost. The first time he had ever seen her was at a science fair way back in junior high, where her father had helped her build a machine for arm wrestling practice. She called it the Ape III, as a play on her last name, and it sent Mac flying right over a table when he agreed to test it for her. She ran over to see if he was all right, and then she smiled at him, and it was as if everyone else in the room had just disappeared.

He was still just as in love with her, now, two years after they had graduated from high school, but living in a one bedroom apartment and still having that same old job was not exactly where he had told the guidance counselor where he saw himself in 1-5 years. It was true that he had the girl of his dreams, but so far this was the only dream that he had accomplished. He wanted to be a famous boxer like, well, any of the fighters in the W.V.B.A.

"I know I'm not a loser." Mac continued. "But, I guess - I guess I thought that I would've figured everything out by now. I've got dreams, but I don't know how to act on them. I mean, what if I don't make it and we lose everything?"

"Mac, I love you." Alice replied. "I want you to be happy, and I'll support you in whatever you decide to do, but you're the only one who can make it happen. Just promise me that when you become famous, that you won't leave me for some Hollywood starlet."

They smiled at each other and had a laugh at her joke, and Mac knew that he would never leave her for anything. He pulled her in close as they kissed, but then the whole moment was ruined when the alarm clock went off. He kissed her again anyway, but then it was time to get out of bed and face reality. She was right, though. He was the only one who could make his dreams happen, and starting today he was going to do something about it.

Well, first he had to go to work, but then he would get to the dreams.