A/N: Hey, guys. In the previous chapter, Little Mac invited everyone to dinner at a luxurious restaurant to celebrate his victory over Mike Tyson. However, the next morning, he was attacked by six thugs whom he recognized as those who stalked him when he still attended school and killed his brother Mark, and they said they were hired by Mr. Sandman to get rid of him! Mac was stabbed and seriously injured, fainting while being transported to the hospital. If you haven't figured it out, this is a small arc of the finale. Now what's going to happen? Let's find out!

Chapter 23: All for trivial matters

Doc Louis, alongside Donkey Kong, stayed in the waiting room for some time, holding his jacket, stained with the blood of Little Mac, who was being transported to the operating room. After twenty minutes of silence, they were reached by a doctor. ''How's Mac doing? He's dead, isn't he?'' Doc asked, worried.

(''Great Deku Tree- The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time OST'')

The doctor sighed. ''No, he's not dead. But he's in serious condition. He has eight lacerations on his body: one on each arm, two on his chest, two on his stomach, one on his left shoulder and another on his back. The latter two are so deep compared to the others that closing them with sutures would be useless, and so we would have to perform two skin grafts to heal those wounds.'' he began.

''What about the donor areas? Will they heal after the skin is removed?'' Doc asked.

''Yes, the skin regenerates over time, so these areas will automatically heal. When you told us the boy was shot, we did an x-ray to check if there's a bullet in his body. The x-ray analysis indicates that there is a bullet in his right knee, and the impact damaged his meniscus. Also, due to the bullet in his leg and all those scars, he lost a lot of blood, so he's in intensive care.'' the doctor explained.

The man began to feel more and more nervous. ''What's the diagnosis?'' he asked, as he looked at the X-ray, seeing the bullet in his leg.

''We tested whether he opens his eyes or responds to stimuli, but he had just lost counsciousness during transport and didn't respond to any stimuli nor opened his eyes. I'm sorry to say it, but Mac is in a coma.'' replied the doctor.

The coach felt almost paralyzed. ''I want to see him.'' he said.

''His condition is too bad to receive guests. We attached him to machines to support his breathing and give him blood.'' the doctor said.

Doc didn't know what to say anymore. He left the hospital with Donkey Kong, also quite shocked, and went to wash his jacket to remove the blood stains, then met some policemen to whom he explained what happened. Two hours later he found himself in an interview: a journalist and many paparazzi who asked him what had happened to Mac, and he saideverything while holding back tears. When he was finally left alone, he returned to the WVBA headquarters and cried silently.

The news spread quickly and was soon in the newspapers. At Mac's home, his parents were watching the 1:00 PM news, and they discovered to their shock, that the news on the front page was just the terrible thing this morning. ''Hello and welcome to the news broadcasting. A young boxing champion was stabbed by some thugs he recognized as his brother's killers and is now in the hospital. Report from Amanda Campbell.'' said the reporter.

Mom began to tremble with anxiety, as if she realized what it was. The service began and the screen showed a journalist in an area guarded by the police and with images showing some bloodstains, a photo of Mac, of those who were with him at the time of the attack, of journalists asking questions to Doc and the hospital where he is hospitalized. ''It was 7:00 AM when it happened. Little Mac, 17 years old, a young boxing champion, had gone out for a walk with his coach, Doc Louis, and a friend when he found himself in front of a group of six boys he recognized: those boys, who escaped from jail three months ago, stalked him when he was still in school and killed his younger brother, Mark, 12 years old. He tried to fight them but he was shot in the leg and stabbed eight times all over his body. A family of passers-by saw everything and called the police, who arrested the hooligans, and to their fifteen-year prison sentence, another seven years were added on charges of attempted murder and aggravated injuries for trivial reasons. Those who accompanied him are unharmed, as the boy tried to protect them and reminded them that the thugs wanted to get rid of him and not them. Doc told everything in this morning's interview. Last night, Mac had defeated the World Boxing Champion, Mike Tyson, 21 years old, and decided to invite his family, his coach and the other boxers to dinner to celebrate, but he had become suspicious when he noticed that Mr. Sandman, 31 years old, former WVBA champion, was absent, and heard from the thugs that they had been hired by him to take him out and take back the title he had took from him. He is now in the hospital in the intensive care unit, and it has been made official that he is in a comatose state. Line to the studio.'' Amanda said.

Mom was so shocked by it that she fell to the ground and passed out, and Dad was pale with horror. He'd already seen one of his two sons die, and risking losing the other one too was too much to bear.

(''Great Deku Tree- The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time OST-s'')

Later, Doc asked all the boxers to meet with him and Donkey Kong to explain what happened that morning.

''WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!'' they all yelled, horrified.

''Mr. Sandman plotted to get rid of him and take back the title of Champion?!'' shouted Von Kaiser.

''I'm afraid so. Mac suspected it because he wasn't at yesterday's party.'' replied the coach.

Piston Honda lowered his head. ''Makku wa totemo wakakatta... (Mac was so young...)'' he murmured sadly.

''I agree with Piston Honda. He has his whole life ahead of him, he doesn't deserve to die like this...'' said Soda Popinski, also sad about what happened to his rival, the two had a deep respect for each other.

''This is a cheap shot. As dirty as I played at first, I never wanted to kill him!'' Aran Ryan exclaimed.

''It's true that I took the defeat against him badly, but at least I did not destroy an entire building for something so trivial!'' yelled Super Macho Man.

''If I see Mr. Sandman, I'll send him to the bullfight!'' shouted Bald Bull angrily.

''Bald Bull, after Mac lost to you, he told me his whole story.'' Doc said.

''What happened to Mac before you became his coach?'' asked Mike Tyson.

(''Roxas- Kingdom Hearts II OST'')

''Mac was very short until recently. For this reason, he was often called ''dwarf'', the insult he hates most. Despite support from his parents, he was constantly bullied and the laughing stock of the city, and always felt the need to prove to others who he really is. He had very few friends, and aside from his parents, he felt that he could only trust his little brother, Mark, who was four years younger than him. Mark seemed to understand what his big brother wanted to do in the future when he himself didn't know it yet: a sports career. The worst happened in April last year. While Mark was playing outside in the early morning, a group of those bullies threatened to kill him if he didn't give them information about his brother, and he refused, getting beaten up. As soon as he heard his screams, Mac woke up and saw everything from the window, so he woke up his parents, and his father called the police. They tried to stop those thugs, but there was nothing they could do, and Mac, held back by four of them, could only watch as Mark, already battered and in a pool of his own blood, was brutally murdered when they bashed his skull with their baseball bats. He was only twelve, and when the cops arrived and arrested the killers, one of them asked them what had happened. Poor Mac was even more upset than his parents, and was allowed to be absent from school for five days for mourning reasons. He couldn't even look at his coffin or his lifeless body without crying on his father's shoulder. Having seen it all, he was the witness at court and the killers were punished with 15 years in prison for murder and psychological torture. Losing his brother made such an impression on him that he did not want to attend the last two years of school. He instead began a boxing career, but there were other problems. In addition to being the shortest and lightest of all boxers, including Glass Joe, he was the laughing stock yet again, and his former coach, Mr. Sterling, insulted him heavily. Overall, he always grew up insecure, with no friends, with almost no one that he could trust and desperately trying to be appreciated for who he really is.'' Doc explained, crying as he told the whole story of his protégé.

The boxers were moved and some, such Glass Joe and Disco Kid, tried to hold back their tears.

''Now I feel bad for him.'' Soda Popinski said.

Don Flamenco was crying as if he had just seen a tearful scene from a telenovela. ''¡Que tristeza! Un paquete de pañuelos, por favor! (So sad! A packet of handkerchiefs, please!)'' he exclaimed.

''It's not all. Despite trying his best, Mac's lack of experience was clear, and he lost five consecutive times, including the match against Piston Honda. In this final match, he fought the best he could, but it wasn't enough and he lost. At this point, Mr. Sterling slapped him when he tried to reply, then abandoned him. So Mac spent the morning training alone and the afternoon looking for a coach, but being an inexperienced minor and with everyone towering over him, he was always rejected, and after three weeks, he had already been rejected 200 times, which made him more and more insecure, and when he went home for lunch, he heard his father arguing with Mr. Sterling, who said in front of the whole family that he was not worthy to be a boxer, that he would never be a professional and that he should just retire and give up. This destroyed all of Mac's self-esteem, and disgusted by his own reflection in the water, he was on the verge of throwing his gloves into the river and giving up everything. He told me that he believed that his life was over, and so, he implied that he had even thought about suicide, because he was tired of being treated like the usual idiot, of being humiliated in front of everyone, of being ashamed of himself and being told that he has no future. When he had lost to Bald Bull, he thought back to when Mr. Sterling was his coach, telling me that he had no one on his side and believing that I would abandon him too, like his previous manager before him. He thought he let me down.'' Doc concluded.

Everyone gasped in shock. ''But Mac was so determined when we faced him!'' Great Tiger exclaimed.

''Yes, he always has been like this. He hadn't given up before those cruel words from Mr. Sterling, and when the whole family heard him say these things, Mac had completely lost hope. However, I had seen videos of his first matches, and being a boxing champion myself, I saw potential in him, and I decided to become his coach. Meeting me changed his life and gave him back hope.'' the man replied, as he wiped his eyes.

The story was so sad that it triggered several reactions in the boxers. Bear Hugger broke down and openly burst into tears alongside Don Flamenco. Disco Kid and Glass Joe sobbed with their faces in their hands. Von Kaiser's lips were trembling, and he seemed about to cry as well. Great Tiger and Piston Honda had their eyes closed, and were trying, with little success, to hold back their tears. Aran Ryan and Super Macho Man stared at the floor, not knowing what to say, and punched the wall, sad and frustrated. Soda Popinski, remembering Mac, who had been a good friend, and with whom he had now established a brotherly relationship, could not restrain his emotions and began to cry, muttering ''Why...?'' over and over. Mike Tyson was with his arms folded, but his expression was sad. He wanted to say something, but the words didn't reach his lips. Donkey Kong whimpered but stayed where he was. Upon hearing Doc's explanations, King Hippo could no longer stand on his feet and fell heavily to the ground. Finally, Bald Bull was genuinely upset, just like them. He owed a lot to Mac, since shortly after dinner at that restaurant, they were all happy that he was smiling again after centuries, and he liked that kid. When Super Macho Man had caught the young champion being interviewed and tormented by the girls, the Turk was with him, with the press that, as usual, did not leave him alone, and Mac angrily warded them off, knowing about that problem, receiving from the Turk a small thank you, a genuine smile and a hair tusle to show affection. Small gestures, yes, but they meant a lot, and Bald Bull, unable to do anything about it, was crying in front of everyone.

''What a sad story. Mac never deserved any of this, it's like he's guilty of just existing!'' Bear Hugger whimpered.

''And I couldn't even go to the spa with him...'' Bald Bull murmured.

Doc could only nod. They didn't know if Mac would survive or not. His death would amount to the loss of a friend for them.

(''Roxas- Kingdom Hearts II OST-s'')

At that moment, Mr. Sandman arrived. ''Well well, it looks like that Little Mac cockroach isn't there.''

Everyone turned to him, not happy at all. ''You sent those thugs to kill him!'' Doc yelled angrily.

(''Vim and Vigor- Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMix OST'')

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Sandman didn't understand.

''Those guys said you sent them to get rid of him! All this because you lost the title of Champion against him! And you weren't there at the party Mac invited us to after he won against Mike Tyson, so he suspected you!'' the coach replied.

After some hesitation, the former champion replied. ''Okay, it was me! It's all true!'' he replied.

''Warum hast du das getan?! (Why did you do that?!)'' shouted Von Kaiser, also angry.

''Yeah, why?!'' Great Tiger shouted.

''Because he took everything away from me! he humiliated me and took the title from me! It can't belong to someone like him! So I decided I wanted to take the title back at any cost!'' replied Mr. Sandman, irritated.

''By conspiring to kill him?! You're crazy!'' shouted Super Macho Man, grabbing a dumbbell. ''I took defeat badly, but I didn't destroy a building on my tantrum, I didn't plot, and I didn't scheme against Mac! What's more, he told me that one defeat doesn't make you lose everything!''

''You're the biggest hoser I've ever met!'' Bear Hugger lost his temper too.

Donkey Kong was furious, and he began to make gorilla roars and beat his chest repeatedly.

''This is a low blow, even for you!'' Aran Ryan shouted, pulling out a horseshoe.

''Tu voulais me mettre en colère, non? BIEN, TU AS RÈUSSI! (You wanted to make me angry, weren't you? WELL, YOU SUCCEEDED!)'' screamed Glass Joe, also really angry, pulling out a frying pan. This surprised everyone, as he and Bear Hugger were generally the calmest, and seeing him so angry was so unusual, he never showed this side of his personality.

''Because of you, Mac is in a coma and could DIE!'' yelled Doc.

''You're terrible! My ''American Brother'' will die because of your selfishness! I can't believe you're so unfeeling!'' Soda Popinski yelled.

''I thought the Soviet Union was a rival to the United States.'' said Mr. Sandman.

''Mac and I have a strong mutual respect, which is why we call ourselves ''brothers from another country''!'' replied the Russian.

''Mac doesn't belong here. Everyone thought that way about him since he was born, so I did them a favor.'' The former champion rudely replied.

This was the last straw. It was clearly an insult to Mac, and Doc knew that since he was promoted to the Major Circuit, the perception of others of him had changed, and Bald Bull, red with outrage, went on a rampage, grabbed Mr. Sandman by the neck and slammed him to the ground. ''THAT'S IT! NOW I AM SO MAD THAT I FEEL MY BRAIN COMING OUT OF MY HEAD AND DRIPPING DOWN MY FACE! I'M GOING MAD!'' he screamed, his voice so loud it echoed across the room.

''You are the most despicable person ever! Shame on you!'' Disco Kid yelled, also pushed to his breaking point.

''If Mac wakes up from that coma, apologize to him, if you know what's good for you, or I'll smash your head!'' Super Macho Man threatened.

''No. He took everything away from me, so why should I do it?'' Mr. Sandman refused.

Don Flamenco, also outraged, heavily shook the former champion. ''¡ESCUCHAME, PENDEJO EGOISTA! POR TU CULPA, MAC ESTÀ MURIENDO! Y TU COSPIRASTE PARA QUE LO MATEN TODO POR UN CINTURÒN ESTÙPIDO?! (LISTEN TO ME, YOU SELFISH ASSHOLE! BECAUSE OF YOU, MAC IS DYING! AND YOU CONSPIRED TO KILL HIM ALL BECAUSE A STUPID BELT?!)(1)'' he screamed hysterically.

''You are a horrible person, Mr. Sandman! You're acting like a two-year-old who has lost his toy!'' Mike Tyson shouted angrily.

''WE'LL MAKE SURE THE WVBA FIRES YOU!'' Great Tiger yelled.

Donkey Kong couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his fists into the ground and lunged at Mr. Sandman, starting to punch him in the face, followed by everyone else except for Doc, who stood still. Glass Joe slammed his frying pan on the former champion's stomach, and Aran Ryan did the same by hitting him with his horseshoe, while the others punched him in the face, elbows, headbutts or even with plungers, and beated the hell out of him. The situation soon began to degenerate, and the discussion turned into an intense brawl. Doc thought that even though Mr. Sandman pretty much deserved it, it didn't mean that others had the right to beat him up, remembering what had happened to poor Mark and knowing that if Mac knew about all this, he would be very unhappy about it. He tried to tell everyone to stop it immediately, but there was such a racket that none of the other boxers heard him, forcing him to solve the matter on his own. He pulled an air horn out of his pocket and pressed a button.

(''Vim and Vigor- Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMix OST-s'')

The air horn made a loud sound that made everyone stop attacking Mr. Sandman, who was already dizzy, and they turned. Doc was unhappy. ''What are you guys doing?! Do you think Mac would accept this?!'' he snapped. ''The way you attacked Mr. Sandman was so savage it reminds me of the way those thugs killed Mark!''

Everyone looked at each other in shame as Doc continued to reprimand them, but in a calmer tone. ''Listen to me. Aran Ryan had played dirty and lost to Mac by disqualification, but he was willing to forgive him. And Super Macho Man had badly taken the first defeat against him and almost grabbed the referee by the neck, but Mac got in the way and was nearly strangled to death. Despite that, he forgave him too and told him that a defeat doesn't mean losing all your fans or your popularity, especially if you're already a star. What I mean is that if Mac found out about all this, he would never forgive you guys.''

''Doc is right. We were really irresponsible.'' Piston Honda said.

Doc let the referee know everything, but omitted Mr. Sandman's plot to prevent the situation from escalating. The referee, hearing the news that Mac was badly injured and in a coma, was shocked. He liked him, and Doc saw he was going to cry, so he left him alone.

(''Cry in Sorrow- Final Fantasy IV OST'')

Doc Louis flew from Los Angeles to New York and went to Mac's house to see how his parents were doing. It was 10:30 PM. When he knocked on the door, he saw Mac's father, pale as a ghost and with unkempt hair. ''Doc! Oh, thank goodness, you've arrived! What happened to my son? I saw the news, but I didn't hear everything!'' The man shouted, in a fit of panic.

The coach was hesitant to start. ''How's Mac's mother?'' he asked.

''She passed out from shock when she heard the news, and is now in the hospital.'' Dad replied.

''Oh dear.''

''What happened to Mac?''

''It's all a blur... A friend, Mac and I went out for a walk, but six guys ambushed Mac. Mr. Sandman was so mad at him for stealing the title of Champion of the WVBA that he hired those thugs to kill him. Mac was suspicious of him because he wasn't at yesterday's party, and he dealt with those bullies. Knowing they wanted him, he protected us, so we got out unscathed, but he... he was badly injured. He was stabbed eight times and has a bullet in his knee.'' Doc explained.

''Did he recognize those guys?''

''Yes. They were the same ones who killed his brother Mark a year ago.''

Hearing those words, Dad got very agitated and put his hands in his hair. ''THOSE BASTARDS!'' he screamed, startling Doc. ''Why did they do that? Why?!''

''I don't know. I ask myself the same thing.''

''I've already lost one of my sons to these murderers, I can't lose the other one too!'' Dad covered his face in his hands and started sobbing.

''I know Mac well. He's tenacious, and I'm sure he'll survive.'' Doc said.

''I should have done something to stop those thugs. But I did nothing, and Mark died... At his funeral, Mac was so desperate that he couldn't even look at his coffin without bursting into tears on my shoulder! I couldn't protect his brother, and it's all my fault he died... It was all my fault...'' Mac's father murmured as tears flowed from his eyes.

''It's not true. Mac couldn't do anything because four of those bullies held him back, and none of you guys could do anything more. Besides, those thugs have been arrested.'' replied the coach.

''I don't want to lose Mac, I can't lose him too...''

''Mac won't die. We have to wait to find out, but I'm sure he won't die.''

(''Cry in Sorrow- Final Fantasy IV OST-s'')

A/N: Damn, Mac is in a coma! Will he be able to survive? Find out in the next chapters! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time! See you soon!

(1): It is a reference to an episode of the third season of the SpongeBob Squarepants television series, ''Can You Spare a Dime?''. Here, Mr. Krabs, Spongebob and Squidward's boss at the Krusty Krab, accuses Squidward of stealing his first dime (a large stone coin), so the octopus moves to SpongeBob's house and mooches off him for several months, driving him crazy. Then, an enraged SpongeBob strangles Mr. Krabs because Squidward was taking advantage of him at his own house, driving him crazy, and his boss didn't want to hire him back all because of a stupid dime.