At first, the knockout artist didn't know where he was. Some cramped space where he could barely move, and his claustrophobia was already starting to set in. Then he felt himself falling and knew exactly where he was. Panicking, Little Mac struggled and struggled until cracks of light began to appear in the darkness.
He wasted no time. He extended both arms and legs like a sea star and broke out of Yoshi's egg, launching himself up with another rising uppercut to catch the ledge while the broken bits of shell continued to fall away from the stage.
That damned plush dinosaur was waiting for him, head tilted back and ready to smash him off the stage the instant he climbed back on. Behind Yoshi, Sonic and Wolf appeared to be evenly matched as they traded blows back and forth. Not a problem, Little Mac thought, flipping himself up from the ledge, over Yoshi and towards one of the upper platforms. What felt like a taser struck him in the legs just before he landed and sent powerful jolts of electricity through his body. The sudden shock stiffened his muscles to momentary paralysis. When it passed, he was left standing on legs that were as stable as strawberry jelly and collapsed.
The other fighters allowed him no rest. Yoshi leapt up and tail smacked Little Mac into the air, then head-butted him away from the stage in one smooth motion. More electrifying rounds from Wolf's blaster aimed to keep Little Mac from returning, but Sonic inadvertently saved him by speeding halfway across the stage in a ball and slammed into the annoying shooter. Further away this time, Little Mac performed a desperate flying haymaker to make it back to the stage. Again, Yoshi was there waiting for him.
A sense of dread and hopelessness washed over Little Mac as he hung from one hand, looking down. Then he felt himself getting angry. How is this even fair? he thought, wondering why no one was attacking Yoshi. He hadn't enjoyed such peace. Both Link and Donkey Kong were on him as soon as the announcer said "Go!" and he'd been fighting hard ever since. Yet here Yoshi was as relaxed as could be.
Little Mac considered letting go altogether. What was the point of continuing if he was going to keep getting double teamed? He looked down, weighing his options. Months and months of training would be poured down the drain if he released his grip. Who would he be getting back at by doing that? Not Yoshi or the others, he knew. He'd only be hurting himself, his coach, his fans and practically everyone who believed in him. He couldn't throw in the towel just because things were getting tough in the ring.
The knockout artist decided to focus his thoughts in a more useful direction. After all, he knew he couldn't beat a negative mindset by feeding it. Instead of asking himself how this was happening, he mulled over possible reasons why. The answer eluded him for a brief moment, but then he had it. His hard work had paid off. He was a force to be reckoned with and everyone here knew it. And despite their best efforts, none had been able to take him down. The only one that even came close wasn't Yoshi, but himself.
Little Mac pulled himself back onto the ledge, simultaneously sweeping Yoshi's legs out from under him.
Time for round two.