A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Little Mac faced his first Major Circuit opponent, Piston Honda, and won. Now let's see who will face.

Chapter 7: Strong Strategy Steals the Show: VS King Hippo

(''Clock Town 1st Day- The Legend Of Zelda Majora's Mask OST'')

Little Mac was training alone in the gym when Doc Louis joined him. ''Great job against Piston Honda, Mac. Your next challenger is King Hippo, from an island in the South Pacific.'' said the coach.

''King Hippo? Do you know anything about him?'' asked Little Mac.

''Very little is known about him. In 27 matches, he has won 18, all by KO, and he has lost 9. He spends all day eating kilos and kilos of food and sleeps all night.'' replied Doc.

Mac was so shocked that the dumbbell he was lifting fell from his hand and almost landed on his foot. ''What?! What is this guy, a sumo wrestler?!'' he cried out in shock.

Doc burst out laughing. ''You have a great sense of humor, Mac. Don't worry, though. If you've beaten your previous opponents, you can defeat him too.''

Sometimes such humor was not at all suitable in certain situations, and Mac knew it. ''All right, but if I get crushed by that guy, I'll kill you!''

''Don't worry, you won't get crushed.'' replied the coach.

(''Clock Town 1st Day- The Legend Of Zelda Majora's Mask OST-s'')

Shortly thereafter, Mac stepped into the ring and when he saw King Hippo, he gasped. He looked like a giant hippopotamus. He was very fat and wore pink boxing gloves, orange and red trunks, a silver crown on his head and small brown shoes. ''Man... How much does that guy even eat?!'' he asked.

''Just like you said so. He reminds me of one of those sumo wrestlers. See if you can find a way to defeat him. Good luck!'' said Doc.

(''Big Boss- Yoshi's Island OST'')

The referee was a little intimidated by King Hippo's sheer size, but regained his composure. ''Start!'' he shouted.

King Hippo attacked first with a jab, which Mac dodged, but when he tried to hit him in the stomach, his punches had no effect.

''I didn't even scratch him!'' he thought, shocked. His attempts to hit him always failed, since he couldn't hurt him with a blow to the stomach and trying to hit him in the head did not go better, since Hippo covered himself with his arms, thus being forced to the defensive.

After only one minute of the first round, the young man was already tired, unable to dodge a powerful punch in the face that almost made him fall and being hit by a jab on the neck. He tried to find a hole in his opponent's defenses, but saw that he was well protected. A hook hit him in the stomach, right on the spleen, and made him fall. The referee started counting.

''1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7-''

Mac got to his feet and saw that there were only thirty seconds left until the end of the round. ''If this goes on, I will be defeated before I can even deal damage!'' he thought, irritated, before being hit by another powerful punch in the head, and shortly thereafter, the first round was over.

(''Big Boss- Yoshi's Island OST-s'')

''He's tough, isn't he?'' asked Doc Louis.

''I have never seen such a defense! Blows to the stomach don't work, and when I try to hit him in the head, my blows are blocked! I can't even scratch him.'' said Mac, as he drank some water.

''Don't give up, Mac! All opponents have moments of vulnerability during a match. When you dodge a hit, they will be exposed to your attack, and the same happens when they are about to hit.'' said the coach wisely. ''Try to anticipate him or dodge his attack, then hit him in the head and see what happens.''

(''The Fierce Battle- Final Fantasy V GBA OST'')

The second round began. Remembering Doc's advice, Little Mac allowed King Hippo to attack first, then dodged his attack and hit him in the head, then realizing that his opponent's trunks had fallen, leaving uncovered panties with stars on them(2). ''It worked!'' he exclaimed.

''Mac, hit him in the belly before he gets his trunks up!'' Doc shouted, and Mac hit the huge opponent six times on the stomach, making him burp and emit grunts that looked beastly, leaving him disgusted.

King Hippo spread his arms and released a hook from both hands, the Hippo Squeeze, and Mac tried to parry the blow to push it away, but he was overwhelmed and yelped, feeling great pain in the groin and falling to the ground for the second time. His black hair was all disheveled and he had bruises on his forehead, including a black eye. The referee started counting.

''1! 2! 3! 4-''

''Come on, Mac! Get up!'' cried Doc.

''5! 6! 7! 8! 9-''

Little Mac managed to get up just in time. He continued to dodge King Hippo's blows and hit him in the head to make his shorts fall, followed by blows to the stomach, and both suffered blows, until the bell rang. Round 2 was over.

''I feel exhausted. I don't know if I can do it.'' said Mac, breathing heavily.

''It's not over yet, Mac. I know you can beat King Hippo, I think he's tired too.'' said Doc, giving him a chocolate bar, which the boy ate. ''How are you feeling?'' he asked.

''I feel stronger.''

''That's good. Remember that if time runs out at the end of the third round, the referee will decide the winner. If you fight very well, it is more likely that the referee will choose you as the winner, in case the time runs out in all rounds. Also, if a boxer ends up outside the ring, he loses. Now let him see what you're made of, son!''

At the start of the third and final round, King Hippo used the Hippo Squeeze, but Mac crouched under it, allowing him to hit him on the head and then with ten more punches on the stomach.

''I have something to tell you, King Hippo. Go on a diet!'' he said, ready to use his Star Punch. This time, however, he did not perform an uppercut, but leaned forward and with a yell, he released all his strength in a powerful cross, hitting Hippo in the belly with such force that he ended up against the ropes of the ring, and the huge boxer, unable to stop the momentum, he fell from the ring twenty-four seconds after the start of the third round, while the boy was breathing heavily with fatigue.

(''The Fierce Battle- Final Fantasy V GBA OST-s'')

''I can't believe it...'' murmured the referee, amazed by the strength of that punch, but regained his composure and announced the results. ''King Hippo is out of the ring! Little Mac wins!'' he shouted.

(''Victory Fanfare- Final Fantasy V GBA OST'')

The audience cheered, and Little Mac removed his boxing gloves with his teeth. ''Yahooo!'' he shouted, jumping into the air and striking a pose.

''You were great, Mac!'' cheered Doc.

''I didn't think I would have made it! I'm exhausted, I should rest.'' replied the boy.

''You deserve it, kid. If you defeat the next two opponents, you will become the Major Circuit Champion.''

Mac helped King Hippo to get up, since he was too fat to get up on his own, and then he returned to the locker room with his trainer, who began to cure his bruises with some ice.

(''Victory Fanfare- Final Fantasy V GBA OST-s'')

A/N: Another victory for Little Mac! He's now proving to be the surprise of the year! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time! Bye!

(1): The reason for this joke is a reference to the fact that the Pokémon Snorlax is sated only when it eats 400 kg of food, and when it doesn't eat, it sleeps.

(2): In the Wii game, King Hippo's underpants have stars similar to Super Mario's Starman.