A/N: Hey, guys. In the previous chapter, Little Mac defended the title by winning the rematch against all boxers except for one: the previous champion, Mr. Sandman. Let's see how it will end.

Chapter 19: Clash between Titans

Doc Louis joined Little Mac while he was training. ''Great work, son. Now you only have to face Mr. Sandman, and the other boxers will be cheering you on with me.'' he said.

''Alright. Mr. Sandman has not learned his lesson, I will show him not to mess with me!'' said Mac.

''Take one of my chocolate bars, you will need energy.'' said the coach.

The two reached the ring and saw Mr. Sandman growling at Mac as if he were angry with him. The young champion ignored that fierce gaze and jumped into the ring. ''Here we go!''

(''Bonnie Tyler- I Need a Hero'')

The other boxers were on the edge of the ring, near Doc, and they were all cheering for Mac.

''Come on, Mac! You will win!'' cried Bear Hugger.

''You can do it!'' shouted Disco Kid.

''I will destroy you as I destroyed that house, and the title will be mine again!'' snarled Mr. Sandman.

''I don't think so! I'll show you who is obsolete, Mr. Sandman! You don't scare me!'' replied Mac, and the audience cheered.

''Get him, Mac!'' yelled Great Tiger.

''Start!'' shouted the referee, and the match started.

Mr. Sandman attacked first with a left overhand that Mac dodged before hitting him in the face four times, and missed the target even with a subsequent right hook, but he was stronger than ever. Whenever Mac was hit, he wavered from the blow immediately, but still tried to stay on his feet, while the audience, the other boxers and his coach believed in him. He began to use his speed to tire the opponent, and it worked at the beginning: one minute and ten seconds at the end of the first round, he hit Mr. Sandman in the liver with a cross that made him fall.

''A good start for Little Mac! The young champion seems to be in great shape!'' shouted the commentator, and the referee started counting.

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

Mr. Sandman got up, full of anger. ''You dare standing in my way?!'' The rest of the round continued with the two exchanging blows, and Mac almost fell after being hit by a Dreamland Express, but he remained standing and made him fall for the second time with a Star Punch on the chin, five seconds from the end.

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

The former champion was now infuriated and about to attack again, but time was up.

''Great job, lion!'' yelled Great Tiger.

''You're doing great, Mac! You could beat him again! '' Bear Hugger shouted, excited by the result of the first round: Mac had not yet fallen to the mat, while Mr. Sandman did, twice.

''I know, but I have a bad feeling. Mr. Sandman was really mad, and I feel this round won't be any good for me.'' replied the boy.

''You are the real champ, Mac, so show him and defeat him!'' said Super Macho Man.

''Mac is right, though. After Mr. Sandman lost to him, he was so mad that he destroyed an entire house with his bare hands, and now he's furious.'' Doc replied.

''Ce n'est rien de bon, je le sent dans mon menton. (That's no good, I can feel it in my chin.)'' said Glass Joe, worried.

(''Bonnie Tyler- I Need a Hero-s'')

(''Championship Battle (Last Battle VS Rival) Pokémon Anime BGM'')

During the second round, it was clear that Mac was right: Mr. Sandman seemed to have gone mad, going ahead throughout the whole round. The attacks of the young champion were often countered or anticipated, and beat hard. He threw a right hook, which was blocked, then hit with a left one, but he couldn't do much and was knocked out in less than forty seconds.

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

The older boxer launched a rapid series of fourteen uppercuts that the young boxer managed to dodge, but with extreme difficulty, since he had to jump and move backwards repeatedly, and after that, he was very tired, with sweat running down all over his skin and his heart pounding.

''I can't believe it! Little Mac managed to dodge that series of attacks! If they hit him, it could have been all over!'' shouted the commentator.

''That was too close.'' murmured Aran Ryan.

''Dodging all these attacks took a lot of energy from him.'' said Doc.

''Yeah, and Mac is already tired from the last round!'' exclaimed Von Kaiser.

Mac tried to find opportunities to deal damage, but fatigue was evident and Mr. Sandman countered many of his attacks. Angered by the fact that that series of uppercut was not enough, he resorted to every means to defeat Mac, even playing dirty, hitting him with headbutts, elbow smashes and even low blows, often also blocking the referee's view.

''Hey! That's a foul!'' yelled Super Macho Man.

Aran Ryan was horrified: they were the same things he did during his first match against Mac, and he has changed since then. ''Wake up, ref!'' he shouted.

Throughout the rest of the second round, Mac was forced to absorb the blows to tire the opponent, as he was too tired to move quickly.

''WHY DON'T YOU JUST GIVE UP ALREADY?!'' screamed Mr. Sandman.

''I will never give up!'' Mac shouted. The opponent was furious even more, and red with anger, he attacked the young man with fourteen uppercuts that he couldn't absolutely dodge and hitting him everywhere: in the intestine, in the stomach, in the spleen, in the liver, in the guts, on the nose, on the eyes, on the ears, even in the groin. With a cry of pain, the younger boxer fell to the ground in a prone position.

''Mr. Sandman is attacking ruthlessly, some of his attacks are illegal! Wake up, referee!'' yelled the commentator, agitated by what was going on.

''Don't give up, Mac! You can do it!'' yelled Soda Popinski.

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

There were only twenty seconds to go until the end of the second round. Mac managed to get up, albeit with difficulty, but was hit by a Dreamland Express. The first two uppercut hit him on the neck and the third on the stomach, knocking him away. He noticed the pillar behind him and used his feet to give himself the momentum and to attack with a downwards hook.

''Get him, Mac!'' Doc shouted, eager to see a hit on Mr. Sandman, while all the other boxers were amazed at what the young boxer had done.

''Aaaaaahhhhhh!'' screamed Mac. Mr. Sandman seemed to have predicted what he was going to do, and with a devastating uppercut, he had hit him straight in the face, launching him high into the air. Everyone gasped.

''¡No! ¡Ahora no! (No! Not now!)'' yelled Don Flamenco.

''Shimatta! (Damn it!)'' cried Piston Honda.

''MAC!'' Doc screamed, very worried.

*BANG!*

With a loud thump, Mac returned to the ground, in a supine position, and a great cloud of dust rose. At the same time, the time of the second round had run out.

(''Championship Battle (Last Battle VS Rival) Pokémon Anime BGM-s'')

''Oh, non! Ça pourrait etre fini! (Oh, no! It could be over!)'' shouted Glass Joe.

''Mac, you gotta get up! Mac!'' cried Doc, and Mac tried to get up, to no avail.

Von Kaiser was horrified to see how badly Mac was beaten up: his hair was all disheveled, his nose was squashed as if it was broken, blood dripped from his nostrils, both eyes were swollen and blackened, blood came out of his mouth and there were bruises everywhere on his face. ''Er wind nicht mehr lange dauern! (He won't be able to hold on much longer!)'' he shouted, agitated.

''This is really too much.'' Super Macho Man commented.

''You never threw in the towel, Mac! Why give up right now?!'' yelled Soda Popinski, nervous and worried at the same time.

''You can't give up now!'' cried Bald Bull, and King Hippo looked agitated too.

The referee came over to Mac. ''Look at me, Mac. Can you keep going?'' he asked.

''I must... go on... '' the boy murmured, trying, unsuccessfully, to get up. His view was completely blurred.

The man immediately noticed the bad conditions in which the young champion was. ''Are you really sure? You should rest.'' he said, worried.

''No. I won't give up...'' murmured Mac, who this time, managed to get up, and was surrounded by a blue aura. He had a mighty fire in his eyes, and Doc noticed it. Then he let out a roar and the glow covered his whole body, leaving everyone amazed. His voice began to distort more and more until his roar became animalistic, and his body began to grow. The glow was so intense that everyone had to close their eyes, and when the light disappeared, Mac was different: his black hair was longer and disheveled, he was taller and at the same size as Mr. Sandman, his muscles were more develoepd and he no longer wore the undershirt, which seemed to have disappeared. He had become Giga Mac.(1)

''What a twist! Little Mac managed to get up, and he looks stronger than ever!'' the commentator yelled.

Everyone was shocked by what happened.

''Did Little Mac just... transformed?'' murmured Don Flamenco.

''Mac has awakened many techniques that were dormant in him, and I'm sure this is one of them. Now, he has become Giga Mac.'' explained Doc.

''WOW! This is awesome, I can't believe it!'' yelled an excited Disco Kid.

Everyone started cheering for Mac, while Mr. Sandman could only growl. ''Alright then! It will mean that I will be the best giant, you idiot!''

(''Ash-Greninja Theme- Pokémon Anime BGM'')

The third round began. Due to its larger size and new weight, Giga Mac could not move as quickly as in his normal form, but on the other hand, he was stronger and more resistant. He attacked first with a jab followed by a right hook, which hit Mr. Sandman. Then he launched a left hook, which was dodged, and a right uppercut, which landed.

The older boxer launched his Dreamland Express, which struck the opponent, but was not as effective as it was before, and the two exchanged blows for a minute.

The other boxers, along with the crowd, continued to cheer on Giga Mac. ''Get him, Giga Mac!'' screamed Disco Kid.

''Show him who the real champion is!'' yelled Super Macho Man.

''Defeat that hoser!'' Bear Hugger cried out.

''Give him nightmares for us, Mac!'' shouted Bald Bull.

Giga Mac, after successfully blocking a Dreamland Express, performed what appeared to be a variant of the Bear Hug or Hippo Squeeze, spreading both arms and hitting Mr. Sandman from both sides of the head, followed by a series of elemental punches of fire, ice and electricity, dealing serious damage. Afterwards, he successfully dodged a right and left hook before hitting with a series of six punches in the stomach. The fight continued like this, until halfway through the third round, Mac returned to normal, to his shock.

''Oh, no! Not now!'' exclaimed Von Kaiser.

''Bad timing for Mac! He's back to normal!'' exclaimed the commentator.

Mr. Sandman chuckled, and Mac was once again forced on the defensive for about thirty seconds, but he realized he still had a secret weapon in his arsenal. ''It's not over yet!'' he yelled, creating a star shape with his fists, and was surrounded by a blue aura. He struck three powerful overhands that struck Mr. Sandman on the jaw, each more powerful than the previous one, then backed off to attack with a hook, but was struck by an uppercut on the chin that threw him in the air. He once again noticed the pillar and used it to give himself momentum, but another uppercut hit him on the neck, throwing him upwards. However, he heard so many voices cheering on him.

''Don't give up, Mac! Defeat him for us!'' It was Soda Popinski.

''Give him nightmares, lion!'' Bear Hugger.

''Show him the eye of the tiger!'' Great Tiger.

''Don't give up, Mac! Give him the final blow! FULL POWER!'' Doc's scream was the loudest of all.

With a lion-like roar, Mac opened his eyes and started doing a series of backflips to stabilize himself until he got low enough. ''THIS IS YOUR NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE, MR. SANDMAN!'' he screamed, using his Star Punch and hitting his opponent on the chin, while Mr. Sandman tried to counterattack with a cross to hit him in the stomach, raising a huge cloud of smoke.

(''Ash-Greninja Theme- Pokémon Anime BGM-s'')

When the cloud began to clear, both boxers were on the ground, very tired, and Mr. Sandman was near the corner. During the referee's count, they both got up at 9, and fiercely glared at each other, until there was a thump. Mr. Sandman had fallen again, supine, full of bruises on his stomach and face and with spirals in his eyes, while Mac had almost fallen too and was breathing heavily, but he was the only one left standing.

The referee knew what to do. He gently lifted Mac's arm and announced the verdict. ''Mr. Sandman is KO! The winner is Little Mac, so he still holds the title!'' he shouted, and the audience screamed loudly.

''Alright! I have no words! Doc really trained an extraordinary kid!'' Bald Bull yelled.

''Yes! In your face, former champion!'' shouted Super Macho Man.

''Yatta! Anata wa subarashikatta! (Alright! You were awesome!)'' yelled Piston Honda, full of emotion.

''I knew it, Mac! You're the real champion!'' Doc cried out.

Mac smiled despite the fact that he could barely stand up. ''I'm sorry for you, but you've lost. You almost did it though.'' he told Mr. Sandman, who had just got up on his own, and both boxers took off their boxing gloves.

(''Danger- Tomb Raider OST'')

The older boxer was furious. ''I can't believe that such a scum defeated me again! And that thing, that form, is against the rules!'' he roared.

The referee was not very convinced by it. ''It was unexpected, yes, but as Doc told me, they were all his techniques, which respect all the rules of the WVBA. But you did some low blows, Mr. Sandman.'' he replied.

Mr. Sandman had a murderous look in his eyes, and seemed about to grab the referee by the neck and attempt to kill him, which left Super Macho Man horrified, since when he was beaten by Mac, he had tried to stop him, being seriously injured himself.

The Hollywood boxer was even more horrified when he saw the young American jump in front of the referee and block Mr. Sandman's hands. ''What is your problem?! You have already destroyed an entire house on your tantrum!'' he shouted.

''Mac is right! At least I didn't destroy something because I was salty about a defeat!'' Super Macho Man replied, even more horrified.

''Even though I lost to you, the title is still mine! MINE! You are not worthy of the title, and you are not worthy of being a boxer!'' yelled the older boxer, horrifying everyone. This reminded the young champion of Mr. Sterling's hateful words, but he was not intimidated and didn't reacted. In response, he was lifted by the tank top until it fell off, then Mr. Sandman grabbed him by the neck and slammed him face-first repeatedly. Although everyone tried, they couldn't force him to let go. After being slammed to the ground seven times, the boy was thrown against the nearby pillar, making everyone even more horrified.

''I can't look...'' murmured Disco Kid, closing his eyes in anxiety.

''LOOK OUT, MAC!'' screamed Soda Popinski.

Mac noticed that he was approaching the pillar, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. His scream was interrupted by a thud that left everyone speechless, and the young man fell back into the ring in a prone position.

''Mac, no!'' Doc shouted, worried sick. He noticed with horror that blood dripped from Mac's nose, as if some blood vessels were damaged, and he was unresponsive.

(''Danger- Tomb Raider OST-s'')

Von Kaiser knelt down and placed an ear on the boy's chest to check if he was breathing. ''He's still alive, just passed out.'' he said.

Super Macho Man turned to Mr. Sandman, very angry. ''Not even Bald Bull gets that angry! I can't be seen with a freak like you!'' he shouted.

''You disgust me!'' yelled Don Flamenco.

Mac woke up, completely dazed. ''Ow, that hurt...'' he murmured.

''Mac! You're awake!'' said Doc.

''Hey, Doc. How long was I out?'' asked Mac.

''About eight hours. You couldn't have lunch.'' replied the coach, as he put some ice on the bruises.

''How are the others? Are they fine?''

''Yes, apart from you, nobody has been injured. Mr. Sandman was disqualified for three weeks and a half for use of low blows and unwarranted assault, and the other boxers were really mad at him. What will you do with him? Not to tell you that you can't believe it, but you seem a little naive.''

''I don't know, honestly. But I kept the title, and that's what matters.'' said Mac.

Doc chuckled. ''Yes, it's true. With all the matches you won during your career, you made a lot of money, your parents told me that. Your fame has now reached the point that on some products, there is your image.''

Mac didn't expect it. ''Oh, I didn't know. Now that I'm still the champion, I'm curious about what I'll face in the future.''

''Yeah. But you are in a bad shape and you have an epistaxis: your nose started to bleed after you whacked your head on the pillar, and you lost consciousness due to the impact. For this reason, you have a band-aid on your nose. You should rest for a few days, you deserve it.

''OK. I should have dinner soon. I'm so hungry.''

''Now that I think about it, I'm hungry too.''

So, the two went in to have some dinner in a restaurant. Mac didn't care about the severity of his injuries, only his victory and his curiosity about the future.

A/N: Woah. Although Little Mac has earned Super Macho Man's respect, it was not the case with Mr. Sandman, who has been really ruthless. This story isn't over though, there will be a few more chapters. Don't miss them! See you soon!

(1): In the Wii game's multiplayer, the player can fill a bar by hitting the opponent at certain specific moments. When the bar fills up completely, Mac transforms into Giga Mac.