Welp we hit the goal so here's Chapter 2. Roy won't be in this one since I'm using this to build Greg's character a bit more. Next chapter however will have a lot of him so stay tuned!

Chapter 2

Royal Rumble

The coach silently commanded the football team's attention as he entered the locker room.

"Great game yesterday, you guys! I can see your all serious about making it to the kingdom championships this year. And a special thanks to Greg for scoring the winning touchdown.

The boy shrunk into himself as the room began to cheer for him.

"It was nothing. The ball came right at me." He tried to downplay his accomplishment, but it really was something to be proud of.

Not only did the runningback of the opposing team come straight for him, he didn't have a solid grip on the ball giving Greg the chance to rip it from him and dash 30 yards to win the game.

"Fuck that, it was great!" Roy joyously shouted over his friend.

Greg blushed. "Ok, it was kind of amazing."

"I say we celebrate!" Coach patted his slightly chubby stomach. "Party at Bankies after Friday's practice! On me!"

The team was in high spirits after the coach made the announcement. Bankies wasn't cheap.

Greg was the last one or of the locker room that afternoon. He was the last koopa to turn down free food but he was thinking of ditching the party.

He didn't really like big gatherings. He'd only go to certain events he was either forced into or required to attend. This was hopefully neither.

The koopa took the path back to his house at his own pace. His mind drifted every which way as he turned another familiar corner. Suddenly, his phone vibrated, pulling him back to reality.

He input the lock code and watched the text cover the screen.

He read it over a few times before smirking. "So they've got another match for me tonight? Just what I needed."

He picked up his pace so he could get ready for the showdown.

He dashed through the door and was met with his mother. Her light blue scales lit up when she saw her son.

"Greggy! You're home!" She lunged forward and hugged him tightly. She was a bit shorter than him, reaching about his shoulders in height.

"Mom, I saw you this morning." Greg sighed, but hugged her back.

"I'm just so proud of you! I heard about your game from Valerie. You scored the game winning points!"

"It wasn't hard when they kept giving the ball to a guy with butterfingers and sending him directly to me." Greg tried making light of the situation.

"Well I'm proud regardless. You go ahead and get ready for dinner. We're having your favorite."

"Fettuccini and Meatballs?!" Greg's mood lifted considerably. "You know just how to make me happy."

"Anything for my little man. Now go get cleaned up."

Their meal passed in silence as usual. It was a comfortable silence that Greg and his mother both cherished.

"I'm gonna turn in early." Greg picked up his plate and began walking to the kitchen.

"What time did they tell you?" She tossed her son a smirk.

"8:30." He conceded.

"Try not to stay out too late. And don't come home banged up again. You know I hate when you get hurt."

"I promise." He kissed her on the cheek and went upstairs to grab a smaller bag and his mask.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The teen stood in a deserted field in the outskirts of Darkland. He kicked at the ground and found the cellar door that would lead to his destination. Before he went inside, he tied his mask around his face and adjusted his black jeans.

He stepped carefully down through the secret passage, following the torches that lit the area. Loud music began to hit his ears, signaling he was close.

He reached a rough looking bouncer that looked him up and down.

"Welcome back, champ." He shot Greg a crooked smile.

"Good to be back, Jimmy. Who's coming for the belt tonight?"

"Some new kid who goes by Kid Danger. Nothing you can't handle though."

"We'll see about that." Greg slipped past him and took in the familiar site of the Dark Side Fight Club.

The main lobby had a few guests and fighters conversing. The door to the stands were directly in front of him and the dressing rooms could be reached from doors on the left or the right. Loud music pumped through the speakers around the room.

Greg passed a few more bouncers who greeted him warmly and made his way to his special dressing room. He'd been a regular at the club for quite some time and had even taken down the previous champ on his first try. Needless to say, he was damn near unbeatable.

The room was pretty spacious and came with a couch, TV and coffee table.

He took a seat then began to check his messages.

No new messages.

Well that's a bummer. He put the phone on the table and flipped the TV on.

A middle aged man with a mean 5 o' clock shadow wearing a suit popped up. "Commissioner Stanley. Nice to see you again."

"Oh, Greg! It's been a long time! How's your mother?" The man beamed.

"She's doing well. Anything you can tell me about my opponent tonight?"

"You can go all out tonight. No holding back whatsoever."

Greg was visibly excited for the fight now.

"You can head down in about 2 minutes. Try not to get too banged up before you win." The man waved and the channel changed to some old cartoon from the 90's.

The arena was huge. The walls were barred with steel cages. The audience stood on elevated platforms, cheering for the mindless violence they were there to indulge in. The floors were covered in a tan dirt, akin to sand but not quite.

"Welcome to the main event of the night!" Commissioner Stanley began as the arena's light centered in on him. "In the right corner, our challenger, Kid Danger!"

A light hit the area Stanley pointed to and a short yellow koopa with a red mohawk stepped into the ring. He wore a red mask that covered his eyes.

"In the left corner, your champion, Flamin' G!" Greg let the light hit him and also stepped into the ring.

"I want a clean fight. First one down for more than 3 seconds loses. No fatal blows. If we're all clear then..."

Kid Danger held his left hand out. A weird energy twirled around each claw. "Don't blink."

Greg let his fists catch fire. "Same to you."

"Begin!"

The two flipped back then threw matching punches. The energy build up from their clash launched them both back into the walls.

"The fuck was that?!" Greg steadied himself before dodging a blast of pure energy. It looked like a combination of circles, triangles, and squares, but it left a sphere shaped hole in the gate/wall.

"You're good. Normally the match would be over by now." The boy chuckled.

Greg didn't reply and slammed his fist into the ground. Flames erupted around the boy, successfully keeping him in place.

The grey koopa launched across the ring, fire spewing from his feet propelling him forward. He reared back ready to throw a punch.

"I told you not to blink." Kid Danger appeared under him, pressed a hand to his chest and blasted him into the air.

The Kid Danger surrounded by the flames flashed into nothingness.

Greg grit his teeth as his lungs emptied almost instantly. He briefly lost his train of thought as he hit the ceiling.

He fell back to the ground where he was met with a swift kick to the other end of the arena followed by another and another. Kid Danger was juggling his opponent all over the field by teleporting where he'd land, then hitting him once more.

The crowd was in an uproar. They'd never seen Flamin' G pushed this far into a corner. It was truly a sight to behold.

Once his opponent seemingly got bored, he was dropped near the wall.

"1... 2..."

Greg stood to his feet, but felt his knees threaten to buckle under the pressure. He didn't know if he could take another hit like that. He felt his lip where it was dripping a steady amount of blood.

"The kid's magic is on another level."

"Had enough?" A warning shot landed right in front of Greg's feet.

The grey koopa shot him a glare that could freeze Bowser himself in his tracks.

Kid Danger began throwing blast after blast at Greg who could barely keep up.

"Dance, tubby, dance!" He chortled.

Greg felt his inner fire spark up. "No one... calls me Tubby."

Kid Danger's face paled as he was enclosed in a box of fire. Greg began to shrink the cube in on his opponent, little by little.

"You blinked again!" He heard the childish voice from behind him.

As the hand touched his shell, it caught fire and retracted.

"There's no escape."

Kid Danger tried to put the fire on his hand out. Greg threw a punch directly to his gut, then landed a roundhouse kick to the kid's chest and knocked him back. He followed up by standing over him holding a fireball.

"I've got you pinned. Submit."

"1... 2..."

"No chance." Another blast rang out which Greg barely dodged.

"Fine then." Greg held his hands out. "If you're still standing after this attack, I'll happily hand the belt over."

Kid Danger hopped up and let loose a hearty cackle. "You're bluffing! No way you'd stake it all on one attack."

"You obviously didn't do your homework." Greg pulled his arms to his sides and clenched his fists. Fire swirled around him, slowly being drawn into his shell. "Don't blame me for what happens next."

Kid Danger gathered energy into his fists in a similar fashion, his body flexing awkwardly.

The grey koopa growled loud enough to shake the arena. The fire absorbed by his shell shot out and formed into a pair of wings. His right arm was fully engulfed in flames.

Kid Danger dashed at him holding out his fist. Greg mimiced his action. As they got closer, he switched the fire to his left and twisted in the air. A solid left hook smashed into Kid Danger's chest, pushing him into the wall and onto his face.

"1... 2... 3! And that's the match to Flamin' G! He holds onto his title!"

Greg fell onto his ass. He had no energy left after that punch. "If I didn't bait him into that last clash, he could've definitely worn me down and won."

Kid Danger still hadn't moved. His mask however had been burned off in the clash. His hair had also lost its red coloring and was now blue.

Greg had a flash of realization hit him when he saw the kid's face. "Iggy!?"