A/N: OK, guys! In the previous chapter, Little Mac arrived in Washington and met President Ronald Reagan himself. Now the time has come to start the matches of the World Circuit. Who will he face first? Let's find out!
Chapter 13: Play Dirty: VS Aran Ryan
A day has passed since Little Mac and Doc Louis had met President Reagan.
''I never expected to meet the President.'' said Mac.
''Me neither. Today is your first match in the World Circuit, and you will face Aran Ryan. He is quite cruel to other boxers, and he often disrespects the rules. Once, he tickled a man who was lifting weights and vandalized a poster of you.(1)'' said Doc.
Aran Ryan was a 23 year old Irish middleweight, 1.85 meters (6 feet one inch) tall and weighing 73 kg (160 lbs). He came from Dublin and out of 28 fights, won 18, 16 of which by knockout, and lost 10. Mac was a little nervous about what he had just heard about him. ''Really? I don't want him to break my head.'' he commented.
''Don't worry. He's pretty fast, but if you can anticipate him before he can hit you, you may have a chance.'' replied the coach.
Mac stepped into the ring and saw a fair-skinned man with fairly developed abs. His reddish hair was in a ponytail, and he wore green shorts, a belt with a four-leaf clover and purple shoes and boxing gloves. ''We meet, Aran Ryan.'' He said.
Aran Ryan laughed to see his opponent. ''This guy is the Major Circuit Champion?! I will defeat him for sure!'' he said arrogantly, and immediately launched his attack.
''Hold still! The match hasn't started yet!'' shouted the referee, trying to hold him still, and instead he was pushed against the ropes of the ring.(2) Fortunately, Mac took off his glove briefly and took the referee's hand to help him stand up. ''Thanks.'' The boxers moved into position and waited for the signal. ''Start!''
(''Molgera- The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker OST'')
Following Doc's advice, Mac was the first to attack, hitting the opponent seven times in the face before he could even throw a hook. He then avoided a right uppercut with the same result, but then both then began to dodge their blows. ''He's fast!'' thought the boy.
Aran Ryan then threw an overhand that the young man could not avoid, making him flinch and yelp in pain. He felt that blow very different from the others, as if he had been hit by something metal or a blunt object. Because of the pain in his body, he tried to protect himself, only partially succeeding. A series of punches hit him in the liver, then in the pancreas, in the duodenum, in the stomach, and then also in the head, and he barely managed to stay on his feet.
''Woah, Little Mac is at a big disadvantage! How will he get out of it?'' asked the commentator.
The Irishman provoked him. ''Is that all? You look like you're about to fall!''
''I feel that those punches are very different from the usual ones, even too much. Don't think you judge me by my size.'' Mac replied. After a minute spent on the defensive, he hit Ryan with an overhand to the face, knocking him to the mat. The referee started counting.
''1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7-''
The Irishman got up and suddenly attacked Mac with an elbow smash in the face, then grabbed him by the tank top and headbutted him, hitting him straight on the mouth and then an overhand using the ropes to give himself momentum, and everyone gasped.
''Wake up, ref!'' shouted Doc.
The referee was visibly irritated with Aran Ryan. ''Do not attack the opponent with the head and elbow! And don't use the ropes!'' he scolded him.
Afterwards, both boxers began swapping blows, dodging, and after another minute, Mac fell to the mat, and the first round ended.
(''Molgera- The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker OST-s'')
''Mac, Aran Ryan can do anything to win. Be careful to his tricks!'' said Doc.
Aran Ryan began to provoke the boy. ''My sister could hit harder than you!'' he said.
''Maybe you don't even have a sister!'' replied Mac.
''You are so short compared to us that you would be ashamed only to see yourself in the mirror with us!''
''Oh, yeah?! Well, you're so ugly inside and out that you would crack the mirror! If you really think to judge me by my size, you're an idiot who doesn't understand anything about sports! And don't say these things, they are offensive!'' At Mac's last sentence, Doc laughed loudly, and the audience, including the President, cheered.
(''Don't be Afraid- Final Fantasy VIII OST'')
The Irishman lost his patience. ''Enough now, let's close it here!'' he yelled, and the second round began.
Aran Ryan tried to hit with a right uppercut and a left hook, but Mac dodged them both and hit him repeatedly. Since he had not yet used his Star Punch, he thought of using it, hoping however to land the blow. ''You like big guns, don't you?'' he asked.
''I love them! Hit me harder, I like it!'' replied the Irishman. The young American created a star shape and launched an uppercut. Ryan screamed and the force of the blow threw him against the ropes, leaving him briefly entangled, then fell back into the ring, with his hair unkempt.
''A devastating Star Punch!'' yelled the commentator.
''1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7-''
''Yes, hit me again! I love when they hit me!'' yelled the Irishman, laughing. He then revealed a rope hidden in his right glove and swung it like a whip. Mac, although shocked, parried the first two shots, but the next four struck him, leaving then exposed to a painful series of punches in the face and body that hit him in all the possible points allowed: in the forehead, on the eyes, on the nose, on the lips, on the chest, on the stomach, in the guts, on the shoulders, even on his ears. He could barely stand it all, and was almost hit by a headbutt which he blocked with a glove, but he was still tired. A devastating hook hit him on the neck, and as it had hit a particular nerve, this made him shout in pain as he suffered more blows.
''This isn't a match, it's a beating!'' exclaimed the commentator, as the younger boxer tried to protect himself, unsuccessfully. Aran Ryan hit him with an elbow smash in the stomach that almost took his breath away, followed by a headbutt, once again revealed the rope in the glove and hit him repeatedly. The last blow, a devastating uppercut, hit him in the face, and the young American gave a yell of pain, being thrown against the corner of the ring and falling in a prone position, with his body aching, and Doc gasped, worried.
(''Don't be Afraid- Final Fantasy VIII OST-s'')
(''Tension- Super Mario Galaxy OST'')
''Mac! Come on, you have to get up! You can't give up!'' yelled Doc. Mac barely moved, however, and the referee started the count.
''1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8- Time out!'' Suddenly, the referee stopped. According to the rules of boxing, he had to stop the count at 8 if a boxer was not in good shape. He motioned for Mac to look at him, and was horrified and worried by what he saw. He was in a really bad condition, with both eyes black and swollen, bruises everywhere on the head, a squeezed nose and blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He was breathing heavily with one hand on his chest, his body was covered in sweat, his hair was a mess and his vision was all clouded because of swollen eyes. ''You OK? Can you keep going?'' he asked him.(3)
''I'm... not... giving up!'' shouted Mac, who got up, ignoring the excruciating pain he felt in his body, organs and body again, and emitted a lion-like roar, then turned to the referee. ''Ref, I'm sure there was something strange, certainly atypical in those punches. I felt like I had been hit by a blunt object. I also saw a rope come out of his boxing glove.'' he said, while the opponent laughed.
The referee glared at Aran Ryan, and he was visually angry. ''You disobeyed the rules again, Aran Ryan! If I find out that you have used that illegal equipment, you will be disqualified. Now give me your glove, I have to check.'' he ordered. The Irishman, however, perhaps out of terror of getting busted, tried to push him away, and punched him on the nose, making it bleed and almost ruining his brown mustache. This angered him even more. ''That's it! Let me take your glove off!'' he yelled, and the audience began throwing random objects at Aran Ryan.
To prevent the situation from escalating, Mac had to block Ryan with the elbow of his right arm to help the referee hold him still, then he began to unfasten his glove, albeit with difficulty because the Irishman didn't stop moving his arm. ''Stay still and give me the glove!'' he shouted. When he finished, an iron object fell on his right foot, making him hop on the left foot in pain. ''OW! That hurt! Right in the big toe!''
''Look, Mac! In front of you!'' exclaimed Doc.
The young man took the iron object and a rope and understood everything. ''Ha-ha! There! Aran Ryan has put horseshoes into his boxing gloves to increase his power! I noticed it every time I was hit. I also noticed this rope in one of the boxing gloves! This is illegal equipment, we don't use weapons other than our own punches in boxing!'' he yelled, showing the illegal items to everyone.
''Excellent deductive reasoning, Mac! You understood that immediately!'' shouted Doc.
Since the referee had heard everything, he knew what to do. ''Aran Ryan, as a punishment for this lack of respect for the rules, you will be disqualified. You won't be able to take part in matches for three weeks.'' he said, leaving Ryan shocked.
''Nothing personal, Aran Ryan. No grudge.'' Mac murmured. The referee then raised his arm, albeit more gently because of his injuries, careful not to cause him any more pain, and announced the verdict. ''Aran Ryan is disqualified, which means that the winner of this match is Little Mac!'' The audience cheered, and the young man smiled. Suddenly, he no longer felt his legs and fell to the ground again. This time, he didn't get up.
''Mac, what's wrong?!'' said Doc worriedly. The referee took off Mac's gloves and tried to feel his wrist. ''He's just fainted.'' he confirmed. Then he lifted the boy's body in his arms and turned to the staff. ''Call the medic!''
(''Tension- Super Mario Galaxy OST-s'')
(''Main Theme- The Legend Of Zelda Four Swords Adventures OST'')
''Mac, wake up! Can you hear me?''
Mac heard a voice calling out to him. He opened his eyes and saw Doc, with a worried expression. ''Doc, what happened? Did I win?'' he asked.
''Yes, you won because the opponent was disqualified, but you passed out from your injuries. The referee was really worried when he saw you so demolished.'' replied the black man.
''How long was I unconscious?''
''For about six hours. Your mom called an hour ago, and she was in full panic crisis. You couldn't even have lunch. When the referee saw that you were unconscious, he immediately called the medic. We had to undress you to be able to heal your wounds, you had bad bruises everywhere, even on your chest, and even your big toe was swollen too.''
''So how will I deal with the next matches?''
''You will have to rest for a few days. You will not be able to take part in the next matches in that shape.''
Mac looked at himself. He was shirtless and wore only shorts. His body was filled with ice cubes for his bruises, and his big toe was wrapped in a small bandage. ''Doc, tell the referee to tell Aran Ryan that I don't hold a grudge for him, and that I forgive him despite what he's done to me.'' he said.
Doc was shocked. ''Mac! That foul git knocked you unconscious!'' he exclaimed.
''I know, but I don't really care about that. I want him to know that I'm willing to forgive him and have a rematch with him sooner or later if he promises never to play dirty again.''
The coach was amazed. ''You have a great sportsmanship, Mac. The referee told me that he was impressed by it, and he is grateful to you for helping him to keep Aran Ryan under control and find out his cheating. When he has to decide the winner by decision, he is always very considerate about who he chooses, but he has difficulty keeping some boxers under control. I will send him your message later. I am amazed that you are determined to forgive him after what he has done.'' he said.
''It seems to me the right thing to do. My bullies persecuted me, but despite the fact that they killed my brother, I didn't want to take revenge on them or hate them. I just wanted them to pay for their actions and get arrested, and so it was.''
''Son, you amaze everyone more and more over time, including me. Take some good rest and then, when you are fully healed, you can take part in the next match.''
''OK.''
Injured or not, Mac didn't care, the next challenge filled him with determination.
(''Main Theme- The Legend Of Zelda Four Swords Adventures OST-s'')
A/N: Mac won the match, but he was badly injured and Aran Ryan was disqualified. Despite this, Mac is willing to forgive him and have a rematch with him, sooner or later, as long as he learns the lesson and respects the rules. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time. See you soon!
(1): Reference to Aran Ryan's scenes. In the series, there are some boxers who don't respect the rules, and Aran Ryan is among them, but in the game for SNES, there are also those who spit in Mac's face, a disrespectful attitude.
(2): For some reason, in the Wii game, Aran Ryan, Bald Bull and Super Macho Man attack the referee: in the interval between rounds, Super Macho Man slams him to the ground, and in the Title Defense mode, during the interval, Aran Ryan almost hits the camera, and the referee is pushed into the ropes, and if you lose against Bald Bull in the same mode, he chases him through the ring, throws him overhead with his head twice and then against the ropes on the opposite side of the ring.
(3): In 1953, a new boxing rule was introduced that was officially used since 1961 and was also used in kickboxing since 1997: when the referee reaches "8" during the count, they now check the boxer's condition and ask them if they can continue. If the answer does not come or is negative, it results in a defeat for TKO, while if the boxer has to be taken to the emergency room, the referee decrees the defeat by KO and calls the medi. This rule was introduced to avoid excessive injuries and damage to the boxers.