Punch-Out!

Chapter 24: Impact Training

It couldn't have been more perfect. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and thanks to all the money Mac had been making in the WVBA, he had been able to give Alice the wedding day that she deserved. They were able to have it in the same church where her parents had gotten married, and she looked so beautiful when she walked down the aisle in the same dress as well. All of their friends and family attended, well, mostly her family and his friends since he didn't really have much in the way of family, but that didn't matter now.

It was like a strange dream as they said their vows and their marriage was made official, and it hadn't quite sunk in that Alice was now his wife, even though the reception at the hall they had rented. The most incredible part of all this was that he had been able to give her things that he could have never dreamed of just a few months before. He had always thought that he would only be able to afford going to the Judge like his own parents had done, not having a whole celebration, let alone a honeymoon.

Sure, he had always planned to take a couple weeks off when they eventually got married, but before he started boxing there wasn't really anywhere he could afford for them to go. However, he had saved up enough money from fights and merchandise that he could not only afford a wedding, but also a two week trip to Hawaii. It was the best two weeks of his life, just the two of them in a suite reserved under the names of Mac and Alice Little. This was the first time that it truly dawned on him that he was married, and that this wasn't a dream - Alice was his wife.

Of course the two weeks flew by, and before he knew it they were back in New York, where something much less pleasant was waiting for him in the back half of the Super Macho Gym. Training picked up as soon as he got back, and this was probably the first time that he ever missed sparring with Aran Ryan, since now he was stuck sparring with the man who had handed him the worst beating of his life: Vodka Drunkenski a.k.a. Victor, stepson of the owner of the WVBA.

"Stick and move, kid!" Doc Louis yelled from his corner. "Come on, don't let him get you!"

This was much easier said than done as Mac did his best to avoid the flurry of punches that came from his opponent, but the truth was that Drunkenski had him outclassed. From fighting him before, Mac was able to avoid and block a bit better than he had done during their match, but it was only a matter of time before a jab to the face sent him stumbling back into the turnbuckle where he quickly sank to the mat while waiting for his vision to refocus.

"Get up, Mac!" Greg yelled.

He and Alice were both watching from outside the ring, with her calling for him to get up as well, giving him the strength that he needed in order to use the ropes to pull himself up to his feet - only to be sent back down even faster than before by one of Drunkenski's haymakers. He wanted to impress his new wife by getting up and continuing the fight, but this was just not an option at this point. In fact, he was perfectly content to just lay there for a second so that he could catch his breath.

"Okay everyone, take five." Doc said as he got into the ring. "You okay, kid?"

"How many fingers?" Drunkenski asked as he stood over him holding up two.

"Um - five?" Mac replied.

Doc and Drunkenski shook their heads as they picked him up off the mat and helped him over to his corner where the stool had been set down for him. Once there they gave him some water as well as a little whiff of some smelling-salts to wake him up the rest of the way. Well, this was just great. Here he was, only a few months from his own Pay Per View event, where he was probably going to be up against the most vicious fighters in the Major Circuit, and he couldn't even stand up to Vodka Drunkenski.

"I think I have solution to problem." Drunkenski said once Mac was fully awake. "You dance like housefly and bite like mosquito - but you take punch like sissy girl. Doc, let me borrow belt. Mac, stand up."

Doc shrugged as he took off his belt, and Mac was just as confused as he followed the Russian's instructions. Once he was standing, Drunkenski put the belt around him so that it was pinning Mac's arms to his sides when it was tightened, and Mac wasn't sure what was happening, but it couldn't have been good.

"To survive in Major Circuit, you must be tough like iron." The Russian continued. "Now we start again, but now you not fight back. Now you take hits like man, and try to stay on feet. Ready?"

No, Mac was certainly not ready for anything like this, but it made sense. If he could learn how to take a punch without being able to block or dodge, then winning during Mac's Last Stand would be a cinch. So he braced himself while putting all of his focus on staying on his feet, and the first punch came the moment Doc rang the bell. It was a jab that came right at his face, so he took it, and the next thing he knew, he was landing on his back. Yeah, it was a lot more difficult to take a hit without being able to defend himself, and the only thing more difficult than taking the hit, was getting up without the use of his arms.

"Come on, kid!" Doc exclaimed as Mac flopped around. "Get up and try again!"

"Wife is watching, Little Mac." Drunkenski said. "You collapse like broccoli and flop like upside down turtle - does this make her proud? You are not vegetable or reptile, you are man. Now show her this."

Looking outside the ring and seeing the look on concern on Alice's face, Mac knew that he had to keep going. So he rolled onto his stomach and hunched his back like a caterpillar in an effort that finally resulted in him standing up. This effort was short lived as the next hit from his opponent sent him down, as well as the next one, and the next one, and the next one, but each time Mac was able to get back up, although slightly slower each time.

He was full of fresh bruises by the time he went home for the night, but Alice was there to help ice him down and massage his sore muscles, and this in itself made all the torture worth it. This, and the fact that she couldn't stop telling him how proud she was of him, along with being on the phone with her family and friends doing the same.

This new kind of training was now a permanent part of his training, and from what he could tell, one of the most important. Each day after running, swimming, combo paddles, speed and heavy bag, sit-ups, chin-ups, and regular sparring, the belt was put back around him, and impact training was resumed. It took a long time, but then it happened. Mac took a left hook from Drunkenski, and he stumbled backwards like he was drunk, himself, but he didn't fall. He was dazed and winded from the hit, but he had finally managed to stay on his feet.

"Good, Little Mac, good." Drunkenski said. "But remember, enemy will throw many punches, and you must take all."

"He's right, kid." Doc replied. "If your opponent hits you and nothin happens, it'll mess with his head. He'll start to get scared and give up, and that's when you attack."

It was good advice, and every day Mac was able to take Drunkenski's super punches a little better. He was never able to stop them like bullets bouncing off Superman or anything, but as the main event drew closer, taking hits from him became no worse than any of the ones he had taken back in the Minor Circuit. They still hurt and knocked him off balance, but a single hit getting through his defense was no longer as critical of a threat as it had been before. Boy, was everyone in the Majors going to be surprised at how much he had improved.

However, this new advantage was no reason to get lazy or overconfident. In fact, now that he felt he had a fighting chance to survive Mr. Quarlow's little fiasco, he was motivated to train even harder. Swimming was going better as well, and Alice had been right, it was a total body workout that left him exhausted. At least now he didn't need to be rescued by her every time he went out far enough for his feet to not touch the bottom, and he was getting faster, too.

Yes, things were finally looking up after that dark stretch where he had considered going back to the Minors, and he hated himself for even thinking such a thing. He wasn't going to be like Bald Bull and the other quitters who had failed in the Majors and limped away with their tail between their legs, he was going to win. He had to, or else he would have to hang up his gloves forever, as per the deal he had made with Mr. Quarlow.

The months flew by quickly as he divided up his time between training, spending time with Alice, and doing all the shameless promotional ads that Doc set up to improve his image. This meant that the money was still coming in, but he didn't care about that. It made him not have to worry about debts any longer, and Greg was thrilled when Mac told him about his plans to buy half of the gym, and all this allowed him to focus.

Because focus was what he needed the most as the fateful night of Mac's Last Stand quickly approached.