A/N: Hey, guys. In the previous chapter, Little Mac defeated Great Tiger, and will now face the Major Circuit Champion. Let's begin.

Chapter 9: Debacle and Mac's sad past: VS Bald Bull

''Mac, the Major Circuit champion is Bald Bull.'' said Doc.

''Bald Bull? Is it a nickname? You know, Bald Bull?'' asked Little Mac, a little surprised.

''Yes, he is nicknamed so. His special attack is the Bull Charge, with which he charges forward to hit with a powerful uppercut. He is also easily irritable, and paparazzi learned their lesson the hard way when they disturbed him during his training and while he was bathing at the spa.(1)'' replied the coach.

Bald Bull was a 36-year-old Turk from Istanbul, twice as old as Mac. He was a 1.88 meters tall heavyweight and weighed 135 kg (298 pounds), and out of 38 matches, he had won 34 of them, including 29 by KO, and he had lost only 4.

The young man was a little intimidated by what he had heard. ''I wouldn't want to make him angry: if he charges at me with the force of an angry bull, he may break a rib or two of mine.'' he said. The two walked to the ring and saw a large bald, muscular and shirtless man with tanned skin and a black mustache. He wore white and green shorts, black shoes and red boxing gloves. It was Bald Bull himself, who chuckled at his opponent's size.

''Someone so small against me? Ah, he will never defeat me.'' he said arrogantly.

''We will see about that, Bald Bull.'' Mac replied, and the Turkish immediately claimed to fight, losing his patience and attacking him.

The referee was forced to hold him in place. ''Stay still! The match hasn't started yet!'' he shouted, and he had difficulty pushing him because of his size. When Bald Bull finally calmed down, he could give the signal. ''Start!''

(''Boss- Mega Man 8 OST'')

Bald Bull began with a series of feints followed by three jabs, and the first two hit Mac, while the third failed, and the young man took the opportunity to hit him in the face twice. He then dodged a jab by going left, hitting the opponent on the stomach four times and also avoided an uppercut with the same result. He was faster than his opponent, who was also noticeably stronger physically, so taking the hits meant a lot. A quick hook caught Mac by surprise, but he managed to parry a left jab and hit Bald Bull twice on the stomach.

However, he was struck by an uppercut on the stomach which made him falter, followed by a jab that struck him in the forehead and made him fall. The referee started counting.

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

Little Mac got up and dodged a hook, but over time, Bald Bull began to parry his attacks, limiting his attacking options.

''You're just delaying the inevitable.'' said Bald Bull.

''And you're just trying to scare me, but you won't!'' replied the American.

The Turk turned red and smoke began to come out of his nose, while Mac was a little nervous. Bald Bull started running towards him at high speed to hit him with an uppercut.

''Watch out, dodge that attack!'' Doc shouted, and the boy dodged the attack just in time and took the opportunity to hit Bald Bull with his Star Punch, causing him as much damage as was enough to knock him down. "This must be the Bull Charge." he thought.

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

The Turk got up, with one minute and twenty seconds remaining at the end of the first round. Mac dodged a series of attacks, but his were parried, and after thirty seconds, the opponent again used the Bull Charge. This time, he was too fast and the American could not react in time: the strength of that uppercut threw him back and slammed his back against the corners of the ring, and he fell to the ground for the second time in that round.

''1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8-''

Little Mac stood up, but the pain in his back and the damage he had suffered were pushing him to the limits. By now, sweaty and tired, he had little energy to move, and after dodging a hook, he underwent a long flurry of attacks which he could barely resist, and he was also pushed to the corner.

''Mac, can you keep going?'' asked Doc, and the boy nodded. Just then, Bald Bull used the Bull Charge, and Mac realized that he absolutely could not dodge it because there was no escape, so he tried to hold back his uppercut with both fists, but he was overwhelmed. He was hit straight in the neck and once again slammed his back against the corner, with a cry of pain, but it was somewhat muffled due to the opponent's boxing glove putting pressure on his throat. Bald Bull moved his hand away, and the young American moaned, sliding to the floor in a supine position. There were seven seconds to go until the end of the round, and it was the third time he had fallen to the mat in the same round.

(''Boss- Mega Man 8 OST-s'')

''Little Mac has been KO'd three times in the same round! The winner is Bald Bull!'' announced the referee.

Bald Bull began to taunt a semiconscious Little Mac by imitating a chicken, and the boy's view was beginning to become blurry. He heard Doc's shouts of concern, and then, everything went black.

''Wake up, Mac! Come on, open your eyes!'' shouted a voice.

Mac started to open his eyes. He seemed to see only confused colors, but then they came together and formed a worried figure holding him in his arms. ''Doc?''

''Yes, It's me. Luckily, you're okay.'' said Doc Louis.

''What happened? I lost, right?'' asked Mac, confused.

''Unfortunately, yes. After you were defeated, you lost consciousness for four hours.'' said the coach.

The boy suddenly felt sad, thinking he had let him down. ''I'm going to take a shower.'' he said, and went to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later, he got dressed and stayed in the locker room. He had just suffered a stinging defeat, as he was knocked three times in the first round. He felt that his efforts so far had been futile. He stayed there for two hours, lost in thought, when he heard footsteps and had a bad feeling, closing his eyes.

''Where have you been, Mac? You haven't been out of there for two hours, I was starting to get worried!'' exclaimed Doc, full of concern.

''Sorry. I needed to be alone for a while.'' replied the young man.

''Something is troubling you.'' stated the coach. ''Come on, tell me what's wrong.''

(''Sad Story- Super Mario Galaxy OST'')

''I think I let you down in today's match, everything went wrong.'' said Mac.

''No, you didn't. You did good, but Bald Bull is very strong. You shouldn't beat yourself up because of a defeat.'' Doc replied.

The boy sighed heavily. ''I think this is the best time to tell you everything, Doc. I didn't tell you when we first met because I didn't want to bother you with a dramatic story, and I thought it would be inappropriate. Now I will tell you my story.''

''OK, tell me. I'll listen to you.''

''I've always been short in my entire life. I was smaller than usual at birth, but other than that, I was normal. During my growth, however, I was noticeably shorter than the other children of my age, and since then I have always been teased and become a victim of both psychological and physical bullying. Among the insults I received there were those who called me ''dwarf'', and this is the insult I hate the most: not only it's offensive to those who have dwarfism, but it is as if I were because I was shorter than the boys of my age. This is why I registered as ''Little Mac''. When I was fourteen, I was only 1.42 meters (4 feet 7 inches) tall, so all my schoolmates towered over me. At least once every ten days I would come back home with a black eye, a bad bruise on my head or stomach, or blood dripping from my lips or nose. For this reason, I had very few friends, and although my parents were always by my side, it was not enough. Everyone except them often told me that I have no future, or that I am just the scum of society. In short, I have become the laughing stock of the company. If today I am much taller than before I must have had a growth spurt.''

''Damn. Do you have any brothers or sisters?''

''I had a little brother, Mark. He was four years younger than me.''

Doc Louis chuckled a little. ''Mac and Mark, huh? Nice. What happened to him?'' he asked.

Mac hesitated a little. ''He's dead... He was murdered.''

The coach was horrified. ''What happened to him?'' he asked.

''Mark had always been sensitive and at the same time, quite mature for his age. He seemed to know what I was going to do in the future, even though I didn't know it myself. However, last year, when I was sixteen, I had clear ideas. I wanted to start a sports career to prove to those who made fun of me that they were wrong about me, and I chose boxing as a sport. Bullies seemed to haunt me and sometimes, they came to my house to torture me. Mark, to defend my honor, ended up in the hospital a few times after being hit repeatedly with baseball bats, and I couldn't stop them to avoid being sued for assault. The worst, however, happened last year, on an April morning. They killed him in cold blood.'' explained the boy.

(''Sad Story- Super Mario Galaxy OST-s'')

(Flashback)

It was seven in the morning, and the sun shone in the New York sky. Twelve-year-old Mark woke up and got out of bed he shared with Mac, then took a ball and went down to play outside. Not long after, however, suspicious people arrived, certainly high school boys. Their presence worried him, since he recognized those teenagers: they were the bullies that his brother often talked to him about. ''Well, well, well, the little guy.'' They chuckled.

The boy understood what they wanted. ''You want my big brother, don't you?'' he murmured.

"How long have you known?'' asked the bullies.

''Since Mac told me how you bully him.'' Mark replied.

''You are more clever than you seem. Your brother is guilty of existing. How can he be that short? It seems he suffers from dwarfism or something.''

''Leave him alone! He didn't do anything to you guys!''

The boys took Mark by the collar of his shirt. ''Tell us where he is or we'll kill you!'' they threatened him.

(''The Evil Mrs. Tweedy- Chicken Run OST- 0:35'')

''Never!'' yelled the boy, and in response, the older boys started punching him, kicking him, stomping him and hitting him with baseball bats.

''HELP!'' Mac heard someone screaming and awoke with a start. He saw that the window was open, so he looked outside and was horrified at what he saw.

(''Mark was out playing, when the bullies, who wanted me, started hitting him. They threatened to kill him if he didn't tell them where I was, and he refused. I woke up suddenly after hearing his screams, and I saw everything at the window.'')

''Oh, no! Mark!'' Mac exclaimed. He couldn't leave his only brother like this, so he immediately ran into his parents' bedroom and woke them up. ''Mom, Dad, it's awful! They're attacking Mark!'' he shouted.

Mom was horrified. ''Are you serious?'' she asked.

''Yes! I heard him screaming and saw everything from the window!'' replied the boy.

''It's terrible!'' exclaimed Mom.

''I'm going to call the police. I'll join you soon.'' said Dad, who went into the kitchen, picked up the phone and dialed 911. ''Hello? Police. Some boys are attacking my youngest son. Head here as soon as possible.'' he said.

''We gotta hurry!'' Mac exclaimed, going down the stairs as fast as he could, followed by his mother. In the courtyard, they saw Mark in horror surrounded by a pool of blood and with a black eye. The baseball bats of those bullies were covered in his blood. ''MARK!'' cried the young man.

''Mac! Get out of here!'' shouted Mark, before being silenced. Angered, Mac tried to force the bullies to get their hands off his brother, but was overwhelmed and blocked by four boys. There was nothing he could do but watch, as Mark's condition worsened.

(''I immediately went to my parents and woke them up. Mom and I immediately went outside, while Dad called the police and joined us immediately after. When I saw Mark so battered and bloodied, I tried to face his attackers to protect him, but they blocked me and there was nothing I could do as they kept beating him up.'')

After two minutes, Dad joined the others. ''Stay away from my family!'' he yelled, but the bullies weren't afraid of him. He and his wife began to be afraid themselves, and began to tremble like leaves.

Mark opened one eye, and his vision was blurred. He could only recognize the figure of his big brother and hear his voice mixed with the pain of the beatings he suffered.

''Mark, get up. Mark, get up, damn it!'' cried Mac.

''Oh, no. Don't tell me...'' Dad murmured, seeing that a boy had raised his baseball bat high.

Even the older brother had noticed, and was becoming increasingly desperate. ''Stop it, please! No, please don't do this! Mark, you gotta get up!'' he shouted.

But it was no use. A terrible sound was heard in the air. The boy in front of Mark had slammed his baseball bat hard on his skull, from which more blood spurted.(2)

''NOOO!'' Mac screamed. He started to cry, realizing that Mark was now lifeless, and when the boys finally let him go, he saw his parents, who were as if they were paralyzed, and they couldn't do anything but sob. The bullies were about to leave, but they saw a police car and started to run away, but were discovered and arrested, as a policeman joined the family and asked what happened. The scene changed, and five days later, there was Mark's funeral, whose body was already beginning to decompose, being now discolored, and Mac, still too upset by grief, could only sob on his father's shoulder. The scene changed again, and this time the family was in a courtroom, where Mac told the story as a witness.

(''The Evil Mrs. Tweedy- Chicken Run OST- 3:07-s'')

(''Shortly after Dad joined us, one of those damn boys bashed my little brother on the head with his baseball bat, killing him instantly. The police saw them and arrested them, while a policeman asked us what had happened. As we were in mourning, I got permission to stay home for five days for mourning reasons, and then there was the funeral. I couldn't look at Mark's battered and lifeless body without bursting into tears, and later, there was the trial in court. Since I had witnessed the events directly, I talked as a witness and told everything, and the culprits were sentenced to fifteen years in prison for voluntary murder and psychological torture: they mentally tortured me with their bullying, and the fact that they had killed my little brother, an innocent boy like him, to get to me, this was just too much.'')

(Flashback end)

(''Family- Super Mario Galaxy OST'')

Doc Louis could not believe what he had heard, and seemed about to cry. ''Oh, my God. I'm sorry. What happened afterwards?'' he asked.

''Mark's death marked me deeply. Having been a victim of bullying and ridicule for years, I was fed up with it, I was sick and tired of it. So, two months later, I chose to give up attending the third and fourth year of high school. My parents were shocked, but they understood me, since they knew that everything I went through had profoundly affected me.'' replied Mac, who had difficulty holding back tears during his explanation.

''Did this also motivate you to become a boxer?''

''Yes. At school I wasn't too bad, so my academic results were not the problem, but with everything I went through, I thought it was not worth it anymore, that it would have been useless. My brother already knew what I was going to do in the future before I even knew it, and I decided to become a boxer in his honor. Dad agreed with me, he thought that like this, I could get stronger. But then, it all went wrong again.''

''What happened?''

''All the boxers towered over me, and I was once again made fun of. My former trainer, Mr. Sterling, was so strict and short tempered that in comparison, Bald Bull is more relaxed. When I failed to meet his huge expectations or lost a match, he denigrated and insulted me heavily. Due to my lack of experience, I lost my first five matches consecutively, the last of which against Piston Honda, as I told you two days ago. Although I did my best, knocking Honda to the mat twice, that was not enough, and I was defeated. After my defeat, my former coach scolded me for the umpteenth time, and when I said something in response, he slapped me, irritating my cheek and then, he abandoned me, leaving me all alone.''

In shock, Doc opened his jaw to the point that it seemed about to come off. ''What?! You, despite your inexperience, almost win against Piston Honda and your coach slaps you so violently and abandons you?!'' he exclaimed.

''Unfortunately, yeah. Since then, I stopped taking part in matches and spent whole afternoons looking for a coach, but being a minor too small compared to other boxers, I was rejected by about ten coaches a day, and three weeks later, I started to feel more and more insecure. When I went home for lunch, I saw my ex-coach arguing with my father, and he shouted that I was not worthy of being a boxer and that I would never be a professional.''

''That guy is the biggest jerk I've ever heard, he's awful! Then you met me, right?''

''Yes. I was near the river in the park closest to my home, lost in thoughts. Looking at my reflection in the water, I was disgusted with myself and my boxing gloves. It occurred to me to throw them away and give up everything, I thought my sad and mediocre life was over.''

Doc was taken aback by this last sentence. ''Wait a moment. You mean you actually tried to commit suicide?!'' he exclaimed.

''No, but it was something I was thinking about. I was fed up with everything.'' Mac replied.

''Never think of such a thing again, Mac. There's nothing good about committing suicide.'' replied the man.

Mac began to sob and covered his face with his hands, hopeless. ''Doc, I can't take it anymore. I'm sick of being treated like a worm, I'm sick of suffering because of who I am. I can't be treated like this forever, but my parents are at home, my brother died for me and all my friends have left me. Nobody is on my side.'' he murmured.

''I do. Come on, come here.'' said Doc, feeling sorry for the boy. He gave him a hug and allowed him to cry on his shoulder, ignoring the fact that his jacket was getting all wet, and after a few minutes, Mac stopped crying and the two parted. ''Are you feeling better now?'' he asked.

''I feel better now. Thank you, Doc.'' replied the young man.

''Good. You still want to continue your career, don't you?''

Mac felt determined again. ''I want to go on. I want to prove that I am much more than what others believe I am.''

''Then you will have to train. Once that is done, you can face Bald Bull again.''

''I have some ideas.''

(''Family- Super Mario Galaxy OST-s'')

A/N: Oh, dear, Mac has lost, and he also explained his sad past to Doc. This is the longest chapter so far, the previous ones are often just boxing matches, so they don't last long. However, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you next time. Bye!

(1): Reference to Bald Bull's scenes in the Wii game.

(2): If you played The Last of Us: Part 2, you will notice that the scene in which Mark dies is very similar to when, in that game, Joel is killed by Abby with a golf club because she is the daughter of a surgeon of the Fireflies that Joel killed in the first game to save Ellie, since after being bitten on the arm by a man infected with Cordyceps, a truly existing parasitic fungus that attacks ants, and that in the game, infected humanity, with 60% of humans infected or dead from it, she's immune to the effects of the fungus because it has mutated, and a vaccine can be extracted from her to treat the infected, but to do so, it will have to be removed from her brain, and this would kill her, so Joel kills many members of the Fireflies and sacrifices humanity to save Ellie, who over time had become like a daughter to him, especially after in the prologue set 20 years earlier, when the epidemic begins, he loses his twelve-year-old daughter Sarah.