A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Little Mac defeated Mr. Sandman, making him the new WVBA Champion! Now he will have to defend the title. Before I start, I will tell you that I will not put one match per chapter because it would be too slow and would hinder the pace. End premise, let's start.

Chapter 18: Title Defense

(''Kakariko Village- The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past OST'')

Three weeks have passed since Little Mac became Champion, and the fact that he was a minor made it all the more incredible for many. He was still surprised by this result, as unexpected for him as the others, and he was now famous, but with fame, there were also the hindrances of reporters and fans who wanted his autograph.

''What a day, Doc.'' he murmured, feeling a little tired.

''Are you all right, Mac?'' asked Doc Louis.

''I'm fine. It's just that this week, I found myself constantly followed by fans who wanted my autographs or by paparazzi who pestered me with questions, even in your absence. They didn't want to leave me alone and they disturbed me while I trained. In fact, some of them were spying on me while I was having lunch and a reporter had recorded while I was taking a shower.'' replied the boy, embarrassed by those memories.

Doc thought the boy wasn't entirely wrong. When they were in the gym five days ago, many fangirls continued to pester Mac while he trained, and all in front of Super Macho Man, who went away, angered that the young man had stolen the spotlight from him(1). ''You are not wrong, boy. I, too, am starting to have enough, but considering what you have done, many begin to think that you are already a legend, or that you can become it very soon.'' he said. ''You know, starting by tomorrow, the other boxers want to face you for the title in turn, in the order in which you defeated them. They are much stronger than before, have learned new techniques and have undergone various workouts. Piston Honda, for example, trained to block flying swords with his bare hands without injuring himself, to eat without gaining weight and to run behind a train and Great Tiger trained in forests, the ocean and cold regions. Mr. Sandman took the defeat against you so badly that he destroyed a large house with his bare hands with a couple of punches(2). He thus received a hefty $ 1,000 fine for property damage.''

Mac was a little shocked both by the descriptions of others'workouts and by Mr. Sandman's reaction, but he didn't care. ''Then I'll show him who the real champ is!'' he exclaimed.

The coach chuckled heartily. ''I know you will, Mac.'' he said.

(''Kakariko Village- The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past OST-s'')

(''Main Theme- Punch-Out! Wii OST'')

All boxers had clearly changed, even in appearance, with a new hairstyle, like Von Kaiser, or color of clothes, and they were all stronger than before. Glass Joe's protective headgear made blows to the head much weaker, but his stomach was still vulnerable. After the defeat, he told Mac that his doctor had diagnosed him with a head injury that could cause his death if he returned to the ring, and therefore he would retire soon.

''You're gonna retire?'' asked Mac.

''Oui. Je me retirans dans un mois. (Yes. I'll retire in a month.)'' replied the French.

''Alright. I guess you already know, but it doesn't matter how many times you win or lose. All that matters is the commitment and passion with which you fight.'' said the young man.

Joe didn't expect the American boy's speech. From how he and the others had seen in the matches and from his interactions with others, he managed to be deep and determined at the same time, and was able to leave a mark on everyone. ''Merci. Tu mérites d'être le Champion. (Thanks. You deserve to be the Champion.)'' he said.

Von Kaiser was no longer affected by the trauma of his past, making him stronger and more confident and even managing to give some trouble to Mac, who, at the end of the match, congratulated him on his great improvement since the last time they faced each other, and the German replied that it was thanks to him that he understood that he had to face the ghosts of his past, and that he had also managed to get promoted to the Major Circuit and defeat King Hippo. Don Flamenco hadn't taken very well the fact that Mac had become Champion and wanted to defeat him to prove himself worthy of the fans, but after being defeated, he accepted the result without complaining and congratulated him, saying that he had made him understand what it really means be the champion and he still had fans who liked him anyway. During the rematches, which occurred every day, Mac noted with pleasure that Aran Ryan had kept his promise, since he noticed nothing strange: no horseshoes in the gloves or hidden ropes, only green boxing gloves instead of purple, and the Irishman told him that he had changed them because the old ones were worn out. When Mac and Soda Popinski faced each other in the rematch, their respect for each other did not stop them from fighting all-out. The representatives of the two rival States fought for the whole match in absolute equality, and none of them wanted to give up, since the match ended only with one minute left at the end of Round 3, then complimented each other for the performance. The Russian seemed excited, declaring that this is how a real match should be.

In the penultimate rematch, the one against Super Macho Man, the latter seemed intent on winning only to regain his place in the spotlight, and after a hard fight, he lost. ''How could I lose against you again?'' he complained, kneeling on the ground.

''Fame isn't everything, Super Macho Man. I told you once, but you didn't listen to me.'' Mac replied. ''Moreover, before losing against me, you only lost against Mr. Sandman, so why didn't the fans leave you then?''

Super Macho Man looked unhappy, but answered the question. ''Mr. Sandman was the strongest of all of us, it was expected that he would have won against me too, but losing against you was too unexpected.''

''Then listen to me. If you are already a Hollywood celebrity, you already have fans, and in this rematch, it seemed to me that you had abandoned your passion for glory. Losing against me doesn't make you lose all the fans, Don Flamenco told me that at the beginning, he hadn't taken it very well and that he wanted to be in the spotlight by beating me, but he took the defeat well and accepted it willingly. Fans, especially the most loyal to you, continue to love you regardless of an off day, and Don Flamenco understood it when he lost the rematch against me. On the other hand, the fans' purpose is to support their sports idols, and they will never give up on them after a bad defeat.'' said Mac, putting his hands on the Hollywood boxer's shoulders.

The older boxer started thinking about it. He recognized that the young man was right, but still had some doubts. ''How do you know so much about it? You're 17, but you seem wise as if you were twenty years older.'' he asked.

The boy chuckled. ''Well, Doc was a heavyweight champion. He became famous in the United States as early as 1954, and he knows what all this means, he is now fifty-five years old. He taught me everything I know now and passed on his wisdom to me.'' he replied.

''You are right. You see, being a Hollywood star, everyone expects a lot from me, even too much.''

''Bald Bull told me about what the paparazzi made him go through, and this immediately made me understand the disadvantages of being famous. Not that I don't mind interacting with the fans, but even when you attended that scene from a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to get away from them and the paparazzi a bit, since they didn't leave me and Doc alone. Imagine how irritating it would be for these obsessive people follow you while having lunch or recording you while you're taking a shower: it's really embarrassing, and Bald Bull hates when paparazzi disturb him while he's bathing in the spa or training, believe me.''

Super Macho Man now had no more doubts. ''You know what? You're right. Von Kaiser, Aran Ryan, Soda Popinski and the others have told us how much you have influenced them, and all that comes out of your mouth are pearls of wisdom. I'm sorry for what happened the last time, I thought it would all be over.'' he said.

''It's all right. I forgave Aran Ryan for playing dirty, and it surprised him so much that he completely stopped using unfair tricks, so I forgive you too.'' replied Mac, who then held out his hand to him. Super Macho Man nodded and shook his hand out of respect.

''I now think you're the real champion. You only have Mr. Sandman left. Good luck.'' said the older boxer.

''Thanks.'' said the young man. Soon, he will face the former champion.

(''Main Theme- Punch-Out! Wii OST-s'')

A/N: Well. So far Mac has managed to hold the title against everyone except Mr. Sandman, and has also managed to earn Super Macho Man's respect. How will the rematch with Mr. Sandman end? Find out in the next chapter! See you soon!

(1): Super Macho Man scenes in Title Defense mode show him jealous of Mac because having defeated him, he took his place in the spotlight.

(2): Reference to the scenes of various boxers in Title Defense mode.