"That's it, Arthur! Keep going! That's the spirit! Show this punk who's boss!"
Sharkbite's continued to encourage Arthur to throw sharp punches at one of the heavy punching bags suspended by strong ropes. The young aardvark attacked his "opponent" with swift and perfect jabs every time it (literally) swung back at him. Arthur, despite his age and the time when he began training, displayed great intelligence in boxing. Sharkbite smiled with pride as he watched his student threw blow after blow at the punching bag.
Arthur continued to sweat as he delivered intense punches to the "person" he was up against. He clenched his fists within the red bag gloves he wore and struck fast. Even when he was panting loudly and it felt like his heart was ready to give out on him, Arthur went on with his lesson. He felt like he was on top of the world.
From the bench they were sitting on, Austin and Kyle were relaxing after a long workout. They continuously observed Arthur as he repeatedly punched the heavy bag while Sharkbite motivated him. While they always appeared to mock him, both of them loathed seeing the aardvark go through such an intolerable lesson like boxing training. What they despised the most was that the rabbit teaching him was completely oblivious to the fact that he was encouraging his young student to be angry. They wondered what his parents would say.
"If you could take a guess," Kyle quietly asked Austin; "how pissed off would that kid's parents be if they knew about this?"
"I'm sure they'll tear Fumbine's head off!" Austin replied as quietly as Kyle did.
"Agreed," said Kyle.
Eventually, Sharkbite told Arthur to stop. "Alright, Arthur, that's enough," he said.
Arthur's fists dropped to his sides as he caught his breath. When he was able to form words, he asked, "How did I do, Sharkbite? Was I good enough?"
"Good enough?" Sharkbite replied. "Arthur, your boxing skills are off the charts! You're definitely on the road to stardom!"
Arthur beamed in delight.
"Is that the new way of saying 'getting killed', Fumbine?" Austin called out mockingly.
Arthur and Sharkbite glanced at Austin briefly before deciding to ignore him and his companion when they would speak again.
"Will I really be the future boxing champion like you said I'd be?" Arthur asked.
"Of course you will," Sharkbite told him. "There's sill a lot of training ahead, but, if you continue to do your best and never back down, you'll be at the top in no time!"
The excitement Arthur felt was now gaining strength. He was already visualizing himself as the best boxer in the world. No matter who it was he would go against- how tall they were, how heavy they were, or where they were from -, Arthur would always prove himself to be the world's greatest boxer.
His daydreaming was suddenly interrupted by Kyle shouting, "Yeah, at top of the 'Top 10 Easily Defeatable Boxers and Wrestlers'!"
Arthur and Sharkbite looked at Kyle with angry faces. They were both becoming annoyed with him and Austin shouting out random insults at them. Both the dog and rat had already started, but it was clear that it was going to be long before they'd eventually stop.
While Arthur continued to silently stare at Austin and Kyle, Sharkbite called back at them, saying: "You two got a problem?!"
"Yeah, we got a problem!" Kyle replied. "It's that shrimp you brought here!"
Arthur stepped forward and yelled, "Are you talking about me?!"
"What do you think?!" Austin roared at Arthur. "Nobody wanted you here in the first place!"
"Hey, piss off!" Sharkbite shouted at Austin and Kyle. He then turned to Arthur and calmly said, "Arthur, why don't you get a drink or something. I'll take care of Austin and Kyle."
Arthur nodded and strolled off to a water fountain in one of the gym corners.
Sharkbite marched angrily towards Austin and Kyle. Neither of them showed any signs of fear as the rabbit approached. They were just about ready to knock some sense into Sharkbite, even if it really meant they were simply beating him senseless.
"Alright, spill it!" Sharkbite ordered. "Why are you guys giving Arthur a lot of crap?!"
"Isn't it obvious?!" Kyle snarled. "We're worried about that kid. You're literally sending him straight to his death!"
"Oh, sure; go with that idea!" Sharkbite yelled. "Don't even bother to consider to good things that would come out of this!"
"Like what?!" Austin roared. "Give us one good thing that would come out of you killing a little kid like him!"
Sharkbite's frown shaped itself into a grin. The anger drained from his voice as he said, "The money. The fame. The fans. Shall I keep going?"
Austin and Kyle glared at Sharkbite. They were equally in disbelief as they were in shock.
"You really care about the publicity more than that kid's health?!" Austin howled. "That's just unbelievable!"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll be in when his parents know about this?!" Kyle inquired.
Sharkbite still had a wicked grin on his face. He was clearly unmoved. "You two need to relax," Sharkbite told them coolly. "None of you have to worry about a thing. I have everything under control."
"Oh yeah?" Austin asked with one eyebrow raised.
"Yeah," Sharkbite replied. "As well as his progression, I'm going to keep an eye on Arthur's health. I don't need him sick or anything; that'll effect the training. If he's ever gonna make it to the top, he'll need to know everything about boxing."
"What's your gain on teaching a little kid how to box anyway?" Kyle inquired.
Sharkbite's grin widened as he slowly walked away from Austin and Kyle. After a few steps, the rabbit turned to the rat and dog and asked, "Haven't you seen the ad?"
"Ad for what?" Kyle questioned.
"You both know what I'm talking about," Sharkbite replied.
"We don't," Austin stated. "So, tell us what ad you're talking about."
Sharkbite strolled to a bulletin board and rested his right hand on a piece of yellow paper pinned into the cork material by a single blue push-pin. "Have you seen this ad before?" he asked the dog and rat.
Austin and Kyle rose to their feet and walked over to the bulletin board to see what Sharkbite was referring to. The moment the muscular boys recognized the filer, they became incredibly enraged. It was no ordinary advertisement for any type of special event. It was an announcement for a boxing tournament that was being held in eleven days. According to the handout, several young boxers would meet at "Tony's Sport Arena" and go head to head for the title of Best Juvenile Boxer in the State and the grand prize of one thousand dollars.
Austin and Kyle stared at Sharkbite completely outraged. Teaching an 8-year old how to box was awful enough, but training him to compete in a boxing tournament against other boxers, who would most likely be older than him, was entirely atrocious. The dog and rat knew clearly of what would happen to Arthur if Sharkbite entered him in the tournament. He would end up critically injured and his parents would be more furious than they would be if they knew earlier that their son was being taught how to fight.
After what felt like a minute of silence, Austin finally snapped at Sharkbite who was still grinning like a sinister maniac. "You're out of it, Mark!" he snarled. "You've lost your God damn mind!"
Once more, Sharkbite's mood wasn't effected and he continued to smile wickedly. "Have I?" he inquired. "Are you calling me insane?"
"Yeah, you're insane!" Austin yelled. "You can't do this to him! He'll be torn to shreds!"
"And then his parents will find out and hunt you down!" Kyle added. "Put that kid in the ring and you'll be screwed!"
Sharkbite was still unmoved. "You two have no idea how great this'll be for Arthur, don't ya?" he asked.
"It's not gonna be great for anybody!" Austin shrieked. "Arthur's gonna get hurt and you'll be thrown in the slammer! Is that really how you want to go down in history? Persuading a kid to get himself killed like that?"
Sharkbite calmly shook his head. "Of course not," he responded. "You two shouldn't get yourselves tied up getting paranoid about something that is obviously under complete control."
Neither Austin or Kyle spoke. They were now immensely enraged. They were at a point that their blood was boiling and their heartbeats were gradually increasing. But neither of them said a word. They listened to the rabbit while trying to contain the rage growing inside them.
"Arthur's not gonna get hurt or anything," Sharkbite continued. "I'm gonna make sure that he knows exactly what to do in the boxing ring against anyone who dares challenge him."
"Even if it puts you at risk of being arrested?" Kyle inquired.
Sharkbite chuckled. "Neither of us are at risk of anything," he replied. "You're just losing yourselves to anxiety."
"Well, anxiety's telling us that we should be concerned about that kid," Austin stated as he stood up.
Kyle quickly followed and they glared once more at Sharkbite in anger. Sharkbite did not sense fear or concern at all; not by their expressions, their remarks, not anything.
"I'm gonna say this once and once only," Austin told Sharkbite; "and, God damn it, you better hear me, Mark! You are not going to put Arthur into any type of boxing match, whether it's ameuter or professional! Kyle and I won't let you do this! Let this be a friendly warning."
With that, Austin and Kyle walked away to the door. Sharkbite watched as they exited the gym with the door being violently shut behind them, generating a deafening boom that echoed in the large room. He turned to find Arthur looking up at him slightly worried. He then made his way to his student.
"What was that all about?" Arthur inquired.
"Don't worry about them," Sharkbite replied. "Austin and Kyle must have a loose screw or something. They don't understand how important it is for you to learn how to be a boxer."
"They don't?" Arthur asked.
"They'll never learn until they see you fight for the first time," Sharkbite told him. "As a matter of fact, that's something I wanted to tell you earlier. I want to enter you in an upcoming boxing tournament across town."
Arthur's mouth fell open. He was both shocked and excited; however, he was unable to display his excitement. "A boxing tournament? A real boxing tournament?" he asked in a gasp.
"That's right," Sharkbite responded. "In less than two weeks, young boxers from all across the state are meeting at the local arena to fight their way to get one thousand dollars."
"Wow," said Arthur. "If I had one thousand dollars, I can buy a whole bunch of things!"
"Oh, I bet you can," said Sharkbite. "However, to get one thousand dollars, you have to answer one question: do you want to be in the tournament?"
Arthur felt a twinge of anxiety in his heart and brain. While he wanted to compete in the tournament for the grand prize, he quickly became hesitant. He worried about not being able to fight any boxer he would be put up against; he feared that he would be greatly injured and would be put in a full body cast; he also wondered how horrified his parents would be when they saw him in such an appalling condition.
But then, as soon as the thought of his parents popped up, Arthur imagined how much torment he would go through when D.W. saw him in a crippled state. She would mock him endless since he wouldn't be able to move for weeks- perhaps for months. She would do everything in her power to torture him, like watching her favorite show "Mary Moo Cow" every time she had the TV remote, playing her favorite song "Crazy Bus" non stop, and continuously insulting him about how his injuries was all his fault and how he truly deserved it.
The anxiety he felt swiftly morphed into anger. Arthur was still aware of the possible events that would take place if he would be severely hurt, but that didn't matter to him now that he thought of his little sister and her talent of being a pest. It was still a mystery to him why everyone protected her despite her admiration of acting like a brat; nonetheless, he no longer wanted anything to do with that 4-year old menace.
Arthur looked back up at Sharkbite who was patiently waiting for his answer. "So, what do you say?" the rabbit asked.
"I feel like I want to do it, but, somehow, I'm not so sure about it," Arthur told Sharkbite. "I don't know why but-"
"Arthur, you shouldn't be fooled by what you think," Sharkbite said, cutting Arthur's sentence short. "I mean, it's obviously a good idea to think before you say or act, but this is different. What you need to do is listen to what your heart tells you. You can't just allow everyone around you to control you. That's something you got to avoid: people who abuse their power of authority to make others their puppets."
Sharkbite's statement embedded itself into Arthur's subconscious. His tone of voice and his powerful diction was well enough to feed the message to the young aardvark. Arthur remained silent as his friend's small speech coursed through his body, as if it was mixing in with his blood and making it into a more potent fluid. Within moments, the aardvark was entirely convinced that entering the boxing tournament would be a big step in his life, and would be the starting point in his future career if he was to succeed in winning.
"You're right, Sharkbite," said Arthur. "I'm not going to let anyone tell me how I should be living my life. Not my family. Not my old friends. Not anybody! All I need is to follow my heart, and that means I'm going to that boxing tournament, and I'm not going to stop until I'm the best boxer in the whole wide world!"
Sharkbite grinned from ear to ear. He had Arthur in the position he wanted him to be in. He didn't want his boxing student to listen to what the world told him about himself and where he "stood" in life. Sharkbite had a belief that if a child, regardless of their age or gender, obeyed every order they're given, especially a high number of orders that are not important at all or completely ridiculous, that person would be controlled by everyone around them in their adult years, as if they had string tied to their limbs like a wooden marionette. By introducing Arthur into professional boxing, Sharkbite was certain that he and his little friend were going to stand out from every child in the world.
"I knew you would see the light you were meant to see," Sharkbite proudly told Arthur. "You don't need those people pushing you around. They're all a bunch of stubborn, ungodly hypocrites destined for hell! They'll one day understand that only you can control yourself; even if it means going to drastic measures to assure they get it!"
Arthur smiled and nodded. He didn't want to be controlled by the world and be unable to fight against it. It was horrible to think that he could one day be regarded as a "puppet" and be forced to work and do odd jobs while everybody else in the world could roam freely and do what they pleased. He liked- if not loved -what Sharkbite was advising him to do in his life. It was like he was obtaining the wisdom no one could ever receive. For him, it was magnificent.
Sharkbite then turned towards the door and said, "Come on, pal, let's go home."
Arthur was bewildered. He was expecting Sharkbite to teach him his next boxing lesson right there and then, but he instead suggested that they would leave for the day. It was a comedic stunt in most standards but the aardvark regarded it as a big disappointment.
"What about the boxing tournament?" Arthur inquired.
"Don't get so jumpy about it, Arthur," Sharkbite replied. "We've got plenty of time to practice."
"Are you sure?" Arthur asked worriedly. "How long do we have until the tournament?"
"Starting tomorrow, we have ten days," Sharkbite explained. "But don't worry, we'll sign you up as early as we can."
"When?" Arthur inquired. "Tomorrow?"
"In a few minutes," Sharkbite responded. "After we change our clothes, we'll meet up with Derek and have you signed up for the tournament."
The information was reassuring for Arthur. If anything, he didn't want his training to be hasty; that would easily tire him out and leave him unable to be a contestant in the boxing tournament. When he nodded again, agreeing with his older friend, the duo walked out of the fitness room.
Once they were both in their original clothes, Arthur and Sharkbite strolled through the narrow corridor and out the door, leading them to the lobby. Derek was at his desk reading a sports magazine. He didn't pay the aardvark or rabbit any mind; he was absorbed in reading.
Arthur and Sharkbite exchanged grins as they desired to joke about how the bear was secretly viewing a pornographic magazine and pretending to be looking at a different magazine. Although it would be fun for them, they didn't want to do anything to aggravate Derek since that would probably cause him to not allow Arthur to enter the boxing tournament. They knew that proper behavior would be the most convincing element to achieve their objective.
Sharkbite stepped up to Derek's desk and asked, "Hey, Derek, you know about that boxing tournament at Tony's?"
Derek nodded but didn't reply vocally.
"Well, Arthur and I were wondering if you had a sign-up sheet by any chance," said Sharkbite. "You see, Arthur here wants to go up against the other boxers and win the money they're offering as the grand prize."
"I'll show everyone else a thing or two!" Arthur added confidently.
"See, he's gonna be the best he can be!" Sharkbite told Derek. "I'm gonna teach him how to go head to head against someone and he'll be at the top in no time! Now, where's that sign-up sheet?"
Derek, without responding with words or looking away from his magazine, reached under his desk and withdrew a clipboard with a piece of paper with the title reading in bold capital letters "GRAND BOXING TOURNAMENT SIGN-UP SHEET". The bear placed it onto the desk in front of Sharkbite. Arthur walked up to see the paper for himself.
Arthur and Sharkbite saw that it was completely empty and they smiled. It was indeed early. Arthur was to be the first boxer to be signed up for the tournament. "Alright! We're the first to sign-up!" said Arthur excitedly.
"Oh, yes, we are!" said Sharkbite. He then turned to Derek. "May I have a pen, please?" he asked.
Derek grabbed a black pen from a nearby coffee mug filled with pens and pencils and held it in the air for Sharkbite.
"Thank you, my good man," Sharkbite said as he reached for the pen. "This will be the greatest moment in-"
When Sharkbite was about to take the pen, Derek pulled it away from him. The rabbit was surprised by the bear's sudden action. Sharkbite reached our again when the pen was in reach again, but Derek again prevented him from taking it by moving it away from him.
Sharkbite eventually became irritated and stopped attempting to take the pen for Derek. The bear finally took his eyes off of the magazine and glared at the rabbit bitterly. "Derek, what the hell are you doing?" Sharkbite asked.
"What do you think, Mark?" Derek in turn asked.
"I think you're being childish," said Sharkbite. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like that pen so I can-"
"I'm not giving you this pen," Derek stated, interrupting Sharkbite. He then put the magazine down and continued to stare at the rabbit in front of him. "I'm not going to allow you to do this!" he said pointing a finger at Sharkbite. "Austin and Kyle told me what you had in mind, and I agree with them that you are out of your mind to think of something like that!"
"What? That I want to enter Arthur in the upcoming boxing tournament?" Sharkbite inquired. "What's wrong with that?"
"He's too young to box, Mark!" Derek told him angrily. "He's not at the right age to do it! Chances are he'll be critically injured if he was to fight against someone else!"
Sharkbite became immensely enraged. "I thought I told you that Arthur can fight!" he snarled. "I told you what happened! Arthur himself told you what went down that day! You yourself were impressed and signed him up to join this gym! You can't tell me you're gonna forbid him from accomplishing his dreams!"
"Under the right circumstances I can!" Derek roared. "I was alright with you showing Arthur how to defend himself, but convincing him to enter a boxing match is where I draw the line!"
"You won't give him a chance, won't you?!"
"I don't want him to get hurt, that's all! Besides, have you forgotten that Arthur has parents? When they learn about this, they will not be happy! They're going to call the police and hunt us down!"
"Forget about it, Derek! That's how people become over-reactive: they worry too much about everything!"
"Are you saying I don't know everything I hear?!"
"Oh, that's what I'm saying!"
"You wanna bet?!"
Sharkbite's anger seemed to have diminished at the sound of a bet as he grinned. Arthur and Derek saw his grin and they had the same idea of what was about to happen.
"Alright," Sharkbite said calmly. "If you want to make a bet with me, I won't argue any further."
Derek raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked in suspicion.
"Yeah," replied Sharkbite. "What'll it be, Derek?"
Derek pondered for a moment but Arthur spoke up before he could.
"I think I know the perfect wager," said Arthur. "It's simple really. If I win, I'll continue to box and you won't say a word to anybody, Derek. But if I lose, I'll give up boxing forever and I'll tell my parents everything they need to know."
Derek and Sharkbite were amazed by Arthur's proposal on a wager. They briefly glanced at each other and then back to Arthur. It was clear that it was a done deal when Derek handled Sharkbite the pen. A moment later, Arthur's name was on the list.
"I hope you're happy with yourself," Derek said to Sharkbite.
"Oh, I am," Sharkbite told Derek. "This is going to be the crowning achievement in our lives."
"I'm sure it is," Derek mumbled.
Sharkbite handed the clipboard back to Derek, who quickly snatched it from the rabbit and then leaned in close to him. "One more thing, Mark," he growled. "When Arthur loses- if he does, of course -and you get your ass arrested, I'm gonna make sure you're out of here permanently! You were a good member here long ago, but lately you've been full of crap! So you better reconsider this!"
"I won't," Sharkbite stated. "I'm happy about this."
Sharkbite walked away from Derek and towards the main exit. He made a gesture for Arthur to follow him. The young aardvark complied and strolled behind the older rabbit.
Before they both left the gym, Arthur turned to Derek and said, "Wait and see, Derek. This world is going to love me just like Sharkbite says it will. You won't be disappointed."
With that, Arthur let go of the door and followed Sharkbite onto the street. The door slammed shut and Derek was now alone. He didn't mind it though. It wouldn't be long before the gym closed since it wasn't a typically busy place, so he took the opportunity to relax more than he would during normal operating hours.
However, Derek couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that was forming in the back of his mind. It was hard for him to believe that someone like Sharkbite would persuade someone like Arthur to begin a boxing career at a very young age and without the knowledge of his parents. He wished that he had asked Arthur for personal information, mostly his phone number or address, so, if something bad happened to him, he would be able to contact his parents. Derek knew that would have been impossible as Sharkbite wanted everything to be kept away from Arthur's family for his own reasons. That only added more guilt in the bear's thoughts.
"God, have mercy if Arthur fails," Derek said in a hoarse whisper. "I ask for forgiveness if the worst happens to him."
