A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Little Mac faced Aran Ryan, who uses illegal tricks, and he managed to beat him, but he was seriously injured and the opponent was disqualified. However, he is willing to forgive him as long as he respects the rules. Now let's see who will face.

Chapter 14: A Gentle Giant: VS Bear Hugger

(''Venice Violins- Tomb Raider II Starring Lara Croft OST'')

It was the second half of March, and a new match on the World Circuit would start soon. Due to his injuries in the match against Aran Ryan, Little Mac could not move much and it took five days to fully recover from his injuries. After that, he trained for two days, learning some new techniques for his Star Punch and dodging by jumping sideways or backwards and running sideways.

''Hey, Mac. After his defeat and disqualification, Aran Ryan was so angry that he messed up all his dressing room. The referee wanted to send him your message, but when he heard what had happened, he decided to wait until he calmed down and sent him the message three days later.'' said Doc Louis.

''And how did it go?'' asked Mac.

''Well, it took him some time to admit it, but he said that what happened has opened his eyes and he will try not to play dirty anymore.'' replied the man.

''I hope it's not a lie. Who is my next opponent?''

''Your next opponent is Bear Hugger. He is known for his signature move, the Bear Hug(1), very similar to the Hippo Squeeze. He was once a lumberjack, but he became a boxer after he met a bear and managed to tame him to make him a boxing partner, and he also has a squirrel friend.''

''This is gonna hurt. I just hope he's not aggressive or short-tempered.''

''Quite the contrary. Compared to other heavyweights, he is calmer, kinder and friendlier, but sometimes he doesn't recognize his strength. He has heard of your rise and wants to see if you are really theguy everyone is talking about and if you are up to him.''

''Then I'll show him.'' Mac was confident.

Bear Hugger was a 32 year old Canadian heavyweight, 1.90 meters (six feet and three inches) tall and weighing 200 kg (440 pounds). Out of 29 matches, he had won 17, including 10 by KO and lost 12.

''Remember that Bear Hugger is so fat that punches in the stomach won't affect him, so aim for the head.'' said Doc.

Mac stepped into the ring and saw a fair-skinned big man. He was very tall and fat, bald and had a brown mustache, a long brown beard and some chest hair, he wore brown shoes, blue pants and overalls and red boxing gloves. Bear Hugger, huh? We finally meet.'' he said.

''I heard about you, Little Mac, but I will only believe it if you manage to defeat me. Let's see what you're made of.'' said Bear Hugger. On the corner of the ring was a small squirrel wearing tiny red boxing gloves to watch the match.

''OK! Bring it on!'' exclaimed Mac. The two boxers took their positions and waited for the signal.

(''Venice Violins- Tomb Raider II Starring Lara Croft OST-s '')

(''Realm Overworld- The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks OST'')

''Start!'' shouted the referee.

Bear Hugger attacked first with a quick left hook, which Mac dodged before hitting him in the face twice, remembering Doc's advice. He then launched a right overhand, but this also missed the target. Knowing that the opponent was slow due to his bulk, the boy began to use his speed to his advantage, jumping from side to side to dodge his attacks and then counterattack, and his small size made him difficult to hit, thus using this quality to its advantage. ''Nice try, but if you can't keep up with me, you won't hit me!'' he said.

''All right then, it will mean that this will be more challenging!'' replied Bear Hugger. His blows, due to the speed of the young American, were rarely successful, but when they were, they were powerful.

''Little Mac is using its small size to his advantage! With this speed, Bear Hugger seems to be in trouble.'' said the commentator.

After a minute and thirty seconds passed like this, Mac dodged a right jab, then hit Bear Hugger with a powerful uppercut and an overhand followed by a Star Punch, and the strength of the attack was enough to knock him out. There was a minute to go until the end of the first round, and the referee started counting.

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

With a little difficulty due to his size, the Canadian got up. ''You're really fast, yes, but you can't escape my attacks all the time.'' he said.

''You know, I could do this all day.'' Mac replied, confident as always.

''If you need a hug, here it is!'' Bear Hugger spread his arms to use his signature move, the Bear Hug, and Mac tried to block it, without success, getting hit hard, and he yelped, feeling a terrible pain in his back.

''A Bear Hug with tremendous power! Little Mac could fall!'' exclaimed the commentator.

Mac almost lost his balance, but managed to stay on his feet and dodge a left hook. ''You think that's enough to bring me down?'' he asked.

''This just the beginning.'' said Bear Hugger. Mac dodged his overhand and hit him repeatedly in the face, followed by a hook on his neck. However, he was hit in the head by an overhand followed by an uppercut and fell to the ground. Forty seconds were left.

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

The young American quickly got up with a kip-up, as if nothing had happened, and the commentator was also surprised. ''It's as if he wasn't affected by those blows!''

Over the remaining period of time, the two boxers exchanged shots until the first round ended.

(''Realm Overworld- The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks OST-s'')

''Mac, remember that like with the Hippo Squeeze, you can duck under the Bear Hug or jump away to dodge it, and if it doesn't hit you, Bear Hugger will be wide open.'' said Doc.

''That move was very strong. I can feel it in my kidneys.'' Mac replied.

(''Purification of Darkness- Grandia 2 OST'')

The second round began. Bear Hugger attacked with a right hook, but Mac dodged it and threw an uppercut, which was however blocked. A minute passed in which the boxers exchanged blows and the younger one dodged them all except for a couple of them. ''Don't think it's over.'' he said.

''And it's not, hoser. Take this!'' shouted Bear Hugger, attacking with a right overhand and a left uppercut, both dodged, being hit. Mac then saw that he was using the Bear Hug and ducked, completely avoiding the attack, and then hit him with a powerful uppercut on his neck, making him fall for the second time. Now he had a bump on his head and his beard was all disheveled. Thirty-five seconds had passed.

''1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! 9-''

Not without effort, the Canadian managed to get up again. ''You're not bad for your age.'' he said. His left jab was dodged, leaving him exposed to other blows. Whenever an opponent missed a blow, Mac always punished him for the mistake. The young man then replied with a series of hooks followed by an overhand.

''Let's end the match, okay?'' said Bear Hugger.

''I agree. But it won't necessarily end in your favor.'' replied the boy. Creating a star shape with his fists, he was wrapped in a blue aura. This time, he jumped up and attacked the opponent with a jab and a cross. Bear Hugger threw him away with an overhand, but Mac used the wall to give himself momentum and increase his speed and power.

''Go, Mac!'' Doc screamed.

''It looks like Mac is using a technique never seen before! Will it be enough to defeat the huge Bear Hugger?'' asked the commentator.

The two boxers continued hitting each other and after thirty seconds, they were tired, but Mac still had an ace up his sleeve. With a Star Punch, he hit Bear Hugger on the neck, stunning him. The Canadian sat down on the ground and his weight made the ring vibrate and the squirrel fell, then crushed by the man's arm, now on the ground in a supine position. He had spirals in place in his eyes.

(''Purification of Darkness- Grandia 2 OST-s '')

In a clash similar to that between David and Goliath(2), the far smaller boxer had won. After a moment of hesitation, he raised Mac's arm and announced the result. ''Bear Hugger is KO! The winner is Little Mac!'' he shouted.

(''Title Theme- The Legend of Zelda Four Swords OST'')

''Wahoooo! Oh, yes!'' cried Mac, backflipping and posing with a thumb up and a smile on his face.

''Mac, you are awesome!'' yelled Doc.

''I don't believe it! Little Mac upsets Bear Hugger!'' shouted the commentator.

Mac took off his boxing gloves and saw Bear Hugger unable to get up because of his size. ''I can't get up! A little help?''

The young man took off the Canadian's gloves and told him to grab his hand. Bear Hugger grabbed the hand of Mac, who was having difficulty helping him to get up due to his weight and had to support himself with the other arm on the ropes, but he succeeded. ''Thanks for your help! You really are the boy everyone is talking about, I'm impressed! I can't believe that at seventeen, you can beat boxers that are much more experienced, heavier and even twice as old as you!'' he congratulated him.

''You were good too, Bear Hugger. Your Bear Hug was very powerful, my kidneys felt that.'' replied the boy.

''You only have three opponents left in the World Circuit, and the last one is the Champion. They are all heavyweights, but if you beat me, you can beat them too.''

Mac was surprised at what he had heard. ''Wait, are you serious?'' he asked.

''Yeah! I've heard underdog stories, and I'm sure you can do it as well!'' replied the man, ruffling his hair and giving him a pat on the back that almost made him fall.

''Woah! Careful! I almost fell!'' exclaimed the boy.

Bear Hugger chuckled. ''Sorry. Sometimes I don't recognize my strength.'' he said. Suddenly he remembered his squirrel friend. ''The squirrel! Is it OK?! Did I crush it by mistake?!'' he exclaimed, panicking a little.

Mac saw the squirrel on the ground. He shook it a little and it woke up, frightened to see a face it didn't recognize. ''Hey, take it easy. There's nothing to be afraid of, it's all right.'' he whispered, then passed it to Bear Hugger. ''It's fine. It's just a little shaken, maybe it doesn't feel comfortable with others. When you fell, the ring vibrated and the squirrel fell to the ground. Your arm accidentally crushed it.'' he said.

''Thank you! I like you, Mac, you have a great sportmanship!'' shouted the Canadian happily, hugging his squirrel friend tightly, then, he left.

Mac turned to Doc. ''Doc, it seems that Bear Hugger believes I can beat the others.'' he said.

''I agree with him. If you managed to defeat him, then you could beat the others too. Let's go to practice, so you'll be ready for the next challenge.'' replied the coach.

(''Title Theme- The Legend of Zelda Four Swords OST-s'')

A/N: Very nice, Little Mac has also defeated Bear Hugger, who is as sure as Doc that he can beat the other remaining boxers, all heavyweights. Will he make it? Find out in the next chapters! See you soon!

(1): In wrestling, a submission hold to put pressure on the opponent's back is the Bear Hug.

(2): According to a story in the Bible, when the second king of Israel, David, was a boy, he faced the giant Goliath and killed him with a slingshot. This inspired the underdog archetype.