Chapter 4: Tensions Brewing
Lance, Richard, and Kevin are all awake in the morning, having their usual breakfast at the Smoothie Bar & Diner. During their visit, they all get unusual stares from people, as they still remember what happened last night between Lance & Shawn.
Richard finally breaks the silence by saying, "Lance, thanks a lot for last night. Nobody else would've done that."
Kevin looks at them both and states, "Yeah, it takes balls to just shove a big-time major-leaguer like that, and you're new!"
Lance smiles. "I hate it when I see things like that. When big-headed people do stuff like that, it gets under my skin, especially how Shawn thinks we're just worthless."
Richard chuckles in agreement. "Just keep your cool. If you show that he's getting on your nerves, he's already won."
Lance could only nod in silence. He didn't know what to say. He has a point. I really have to keep my cool. I don't even know what Shawn is capable of, let alone anybody else out here. While Lance was deep in thought, Jolene walked in, seeing the three fighters at the booth.
"I figured I could find you three here," she says confidently.
"Hey Jolene, when's my title shot?!" Kevin chimes in jokingly. Richard and Lance laugh as Jolene retorts with "Remember how I told you have the potential in a year? I meant five." Richard had his mouth wide open while Kevin laughed so hard he almost spat out his orange juice. "Anywho, all jokes aside, yesterday was…" Jolene glanced over to Lance for a second or two. "…interesting, to say the least. Regardless, all three of you have matches. Kevin, you're facing off against Rank #28, Peter the Dark."
Kevin had a serious look. "Oh boy, this guy gave me a run for my money last time."
Jolene switches her attention to Richard. "Richard, you will be fighting Rank #22, Eric the Swift." Richard looks up. "The veteran Hammer Bro? Interesting."
Jolene finally turns to Lance, who looks more nervous than a Koopa who just lost their shell. "And Lance? You'll be fighting Rank #37, Henry, the Iron Bulldozer." Lance only nods as he sips his coffee. Jolene is about to leave, but then turns to say one last thing to Lance.
"Oh and Lance? Thanks for sticking up for Richard last night. I wasn't exactly thrilled, but you did the right thing." Richard and Kevin have surprised expressions on their faces.
"You mean you're not mad at me?" Lance wondered. Jolene smirked.
"No, not really. It puts a good influence here, especially the minor-league." Lance was dumbfounded. "Moral of the story: Keep being you, Lance." Jolene leaves the Smoothie Bar & Diner, as the three fighters are speechless, but they all had a look of determination.
As the three leave the diner, the group is then approached by reporters, but more focused on Lance. "Hey Lance! What's your beef with Shawn, huh?" A reporter questioned. Another reporter quickly asked, "Lance, why are you getting into Major-league affairs?" Lance was thinking of what to say.
"He was being a jerk. I was just defending Shawn, so there's no beef." Lance answered. Just then, after hearing what he said, one of the reporters responded, "But I heard there was a falling out in the coffee shop where he saw Emily, his ex-girlfriend, who you were with. Are you two a thing?" Lance signaled Richard and Kevin to go out of the chaos. He looked at them with a stern look. They went back towards the locker room.
On their way there, Kevin felt guilty. "Man, we should've done something to help him. He's getting treated like garbage!"
"It was his idea to get us out of there in the first place. He'll be fine. It was either now or later. You know that," Richard responded. As they're walking back, they're approached by a mysterious figure.
"Hey, are you friends with Lance?" Richard, looking square in the eye of this person, says "Yes. Is there a problem, Mark?"
Mark, a well-rounded Goomba, looked on. "Tell him to watch his back, tonight," He stated. I heard some of Shawn's goonies are planning something."
Richard looked at Kevin like his fears turned into reality. "We'll make sure to tell him. Thanks for the warning, dude."
Mark grinned. "No worries. I like what he did. Reminds me of someone who did the same thing for me a year ago." Richard looked away.
"Well, this is different. I just hope this pans out." As the two get to their locker room, Kevin had the biggest smile on his face. "What you so happy about?" Richard questioned. "I have a plan, and I'm pretty sure you want to be in on this, too."
Meanwhile, Lance is dealing with the reporters, as he responds to the question he was confronted on earlier. "We are not a thing. We just met that same day, too, so don't overreact." Just then, he sees Shawn in the distance, staring and laughing with what seemed like a few of his friends. Did he plan this? I'm getting a pretty weird vibe here.
Just then, a reporter responded to his answer. "Well, Shawn said that Emily said it was a date. It's one of the headlines in the paper." Lance couldn't believe what her was hearing. Was I just…played for a fool? He hears hysterical laughter coming in the direction where Shawn was. It was him. Right then and there, Lance rushes into the Glitz Pit, as he escapes the paparazzi-like crowd. His mind was jumping to conclusions, until he finally snapped out of it. Get ahold of yourself, Lance! You know better than to just assume! Suddenly, Shawn and a couple of his friends walked in as he's making his way back into his locker room.
"Hey Lance, what's with all the reporters?" Shawn said with a snicker, and his two friends followed. Lance ignored him and kept walking. "HEY. I'm talking to you. Don't ignore me." Fighters were looking out in the hallway seeing what was going on. They all had suspense written on their faces. Kevin and Richard looked out, and were worried what was going to happen.
Kevin was panicking. "I didn't think they'd be in the locker room area," he whispered to Richard. They both stood still, as all they could do was watch as it unfolded.
He kept ignoring them until he heard Shawn whispered, "Get him." He then stopped, which startled his friend. I think it's time for a little psychological warfare. His friend, a purple koopa troopa, was frozen. Shawn got impatient. "Well?! What are you waiting for, Jake?! Go get him! He's just a filthy minor-leaguer!" At that moment, Lance turned around, having a steady impression on his face, looking like he's ready for a full-scale war. Jake sensed his intensity, as he stood frozen, still.
"Uhh…Shawn? There's something different about this guy…" Shawn's expression made him look like he's seen two heads. Jake backs off, quivering in fear, as Shawn grew frustrated.
"SERIOUSLY?! W-Well, FINE! Be a wuss then! Aaron, get him!" he commanded his second follower, a boomerang bro. Aaron doesn't seem fazed about Lance's stance. Round two.
"Go ahead." Aaron, surprised he was spoken to, stops to respond. "Go ahead what?" Lance chuckles at his retort. "Go ahead and touch me. Try and rough me up. You have no idea what I'm capable of doing." Thinking Lance is trying to trick him, he charges at him. In this instance, Lance was out of Aaron's sight. Shawn tries to warn him.
"Hey, he's behind you!" he shouts, but it was too late. Lance disappears again, but then reappears on top of Aaron's head. Shawn looks like he's seen a ghost. Wh-what…?! How does he… Aaron swings his boomerang over his head, but he misses, as Lance disappears again, this time, where Emily is standing.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked the relieved Emily. She wanted to say something, but Lance says something before she does. "Before you say anything, I know you weren't involved in this whole thing with the paparazzi. Emily smiles as she thanks Lance for believing in her. "I'll be right back."
Lance reappears in front of Aaron, who runs away cowardly. Shawn can't believe what he's seeing. Everyone is speechless in the hallways peeking out. Security and Jolene come rushing out. "What the hell is going on out here?!" She sees everyone staring at Shawn and Lance. "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, GET BACK TO YOUR BUSINESS. LANCE, SHAWN, YOU TOO!"
Everyone returns to their rooms frustrated, Shawn especially. Lance goes to Kevin and Richard, as Emily follows them into the room. "DUDE, THAT WAS SO FUNN!" Kevin exclaimed with extreme laughter. Lance then lays down exhausted, which concerns the three.
"Lance?! Are you okay?!" cried Emily. Lance chuckled. "Um…why are you laughing?"
"Did you see the LOOKS on their faces?! Absolutely PRICELESS." Richard, Kevin and Lance are all laughing hysterically, as Emily doesn't seem to understand what's going on. Lance attempts to explain to her.
"My whole idea was to mess with their minds! They looked like they were about to wet themselves!" Lance exclaimed. "To answer your question, I'm fine! I'm just worn out because I went so fast, and at that level takes a lot out of me." Emily feels relieved, and laughing it out, too. Unfortunately, they don't realize that Shawn is listening in from the other side, finding out the truth of Lance's plan. He…he made a FOOL OUT OF ME. NOBODY DOES THAT, ESPECIALLY NOT A MINOR-LEAGUE LOW-LIFE LIKE HIM!
After everyone calms down, Lance finally realizes he needs to introduce Emily. "Oh! Kevin and Richard, this is Emily. Emily, this is Kevin and Richard." Emily smiles and greets herself.
"Hello! Lance talked about you guys. You've been helping him, from what I heard?" Emily assumes. Kevin and Richard do the same. Kevin tries to be funny as he jokingly says, "Yeah, nice to meet ya! I'm the one who helped him pick you up."
Lance, embarrassed, lightly punches Kevin on the arm. "I'm gonna get you back for that one, Kev." Kevin just laughs as Richard introduces himself. "I'm the mature one around here." Emily laughed as she meets everyone. Afterwards, she just cuts right to the chase.
"Well, what are we going to do about Shawn? He's gonna be pissed if he finds out this was all a prank." She asks in a worried voice. The three fighters looked at each other.
"Oh c'mon, Emily. Even if he does find out, what's the worst that could happen?" Kevin suggested. Emily didn't agree with Kevin, as she's expression concern for the group. She has a point, though. Word travels fast these days in Glitzville. It doesn't matter, though. If anything comes up, we'll be prepared.
The day continues as another day in the Glitz Pit is about to begin. The three fighters are getting ready for their matches. Emily is in the stands with her friends, but feels uneasy about tonight. Lance and Kevin are raring to go, but Richard feels a sense of dread.
Kevin notices something seems off with Richard. "Hey, you okay? You don't look so good." Richard has a worried look on his face. "I'm just worried about Lance, tonight. I feel like Shawn might be planning something." Right as he says that, Lance walks into the locker room.
"Hiya! What's up?" Lance said cheerfully. Kevin and Richard looked on, confused. Huh? What's with the weird looks I'm getting? Kevin finally chimes in.
"That was a pretty long jog than your usual thing. What took ya?" Kevin felt a little weird. Ugh, I'm acting like this guy's mom. What am I, a babysitter?!
Lance laughed, "Oh! I ran into Emily and she introduced me to a few friends. I also ran into a family friend who lives around here. He's gonna be watching tonight."
"Ohhh, meeting the friends, eh? Were they hot? Considering how you didn't come back with any speaks louder than words!" Kevin retorted. Everyone starts laughing as Lance comically pushes Kevin. Something tells me tonight's gonna be better than last night. Although, considering what's happened today, I can't let my guard down.
Meanwhile, back in a home in Petalburg…
Lance's family, along with a few hometown friends, are all gathered to watch Lance's fight. Lance's Mom, Dad, his brother Kyle, and his sister Mary, are scattered between the living room and dining room, with snacks and sandwiches displayed on the dining room table and living room table. Flare is in attendance, too, as well as Lance's friends Erica, a blue Toad with long brunette hair, and Dan, a blue-colored Koopa Troopa.
"Hey Mr. Vernon! Thanks so much for inviting us over tonight. We couldn't miss Lance in action tonight!" Mr. Vernon smiles.
"Well, I'm glad both of you could make it! The three of you have known each other since 2nd grade, and your great people to him. Not to mention you helped us out with training." Mr. Vernon explained. Mrs. Vernon was walking by when he said that, giving a comedic grin.
"And to think, you opposed of the idea to have him become a fighter in the first place." Mrs. Vernon said jokingly. Erica and Dan were wide-eyed.
"Wait, seriously? Lance never told us that!" Erica exclaimed. Mrs. Vernon laughed. "Well, look how well we all turned out? We're just happy you're here!"
Flare walked by to join the conversation. "Hey, do you think he might use the attack I taught him?" Mr. Vernon felt pretty confident that it was going to happen. Just as when he was about to answer Flare's question, Mary and Kyle started shouting about the show starting. The intro turned on and the analysts were talking about the big matches coming up, and they showed Lance vs. Henry. There were cheers in the house, but you could also hear cheers from outside, as other townspeople are tuning in to cheer on their hometown fighter. As the analysts are talking about their match, they talk about rumors of Lance being involved with major-leaguer Shawn. The house fell silent for a few seconds, until Kyle speaks up.
"Why is Lance getting himself into a love triangle?!" Everyone laughed except Mary and Kyle. "Ah, don't believe everything the media is saying. Knowing Lance, he probably stood up for Richard, hence why the confrontation they showed." Flare explained. Kyle and Mary's worries were washed away as the television analysts dismissed it. Everyone was waiting for the night to begin with a lot of high-stake matches, but were more interested in watching Lance.
Back in the Glitzville Minor-League Locker Room…
Kevin is in the middle of his match, and appears to be struggling with Peter the Dark. Lance and Richard are watching in the locker room through the small television they have. Kevin looks more worn-out than Peter. Man…this guy is fighting pretty well. Much better than last time, to be sure. Peter looks ready to strike again. "I think it's time to finish this," Peter said confidently. The black cheep cheep was charging, hoping to bring a swift end to the match. I have one more trick up my sleeve. Let's hope this works! Kevin hid in his shell, and looked to begin attacking head on. C'mon…closer now. He starts spinning his shell, and then Peter lunges himself for his special attack. GOT 'EM. "ICE SHELL!" Kevin shouts as he unleashes his new attack. His shell is covered in ice as he launches himself. Peter was surprised unexpectedly, and Kevin hits him directly in the stomach, freezing Peter, making him vulnerable. "MACH SHELL!" Kevin shouted, as he hits Peter multiple times with hard, precise shell hits on Peter, and very quickly. After the ice breaks, Peter yells in pain. AHHHHHH! Kevin then leaps up and shouts "SHELL SLAM!" and slams himself on Peter and down to the ring. Peter was knocked out and couldn't get up. The gong was heard.
"WE HAVE OURSELVES A WINNER! THE STEEL-SHELLED MONARCH, KEVIN!
The crowd roared with excitement as Jolene declared the winner. Lance and Richard were amazed on how Kevin pulled off the victory, as well as Lance's family and friends back home.
"That was an insane comeback! Kevin is on a roll!" Lance said excitedly. He was so pumped, he could hardly wait for his fight. This is exactly why I became a fighter. Seeing stuff like this!
"That Ice Shell attack was new. Him and Peter always put on a close match, so a lot of people enjoyed that one." Richard showed a strong smile, but in the back of his mind, he was worried for Lance, as his match was nearing.
Meanwhile, back in Petalburg…
"Whoa! What a comeback!", Kyle exclaimed. "I thought for sure Peter had him this time!" His Dad laughed and shook his head.
"Well, it goes to show that overconfidence can be your downfall. I saw it in Peter's face. Kevin's a decent fighter. He's impressed me a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in the major-league sometime soon.
"Hey Dad, is Lance coming up soon?" Dad looked through the paper he printed out. "Well, according to this, he's due up! Everyone, come on in! Lance's match is coming up!"
Back in Glitzville…
Lance is getting ready for his match, until Kevin came in, returning from his match. "Hey fellas! Sorry I took a bit. Just had a precautionary follow-up with the doc." Richard and Lance were excited about his latest victory. "What is it, now? Seven wins in a row?" Kevin nodded in agreement. He's been tearing up the minor-league as of late, as he's been rising the ranks pretty quickly. Kevin explains to Lance how he was at Rank #37 just three weeks ago, but when one fighter racks up wins, so does his Rank. "If all things go toward your favor, you could be Rank #25!"
With all the excitement going on, a security guard walks in, asking for Lance. "Hey Lance? It's time for your match. Follow me, bub." Richard and Kevin turn serious towards Lance. "Well, I guess that's my cue. See you guys later!" Richard and Kevin wish Lance luck as he exited the door. Kevin looked into Richard's eyes. "Ready to put the plan into motion?" Richard nodded in acknowledgement. They headed out the locker room and headed towards the lobby.
Jolene is at the center if the ring. The crowd still buzzing for the epic comeback win from Kevin. Henry, waiting at the red door, and Lance, waiting at the blue door. Emily and her friends, Sarah, Teresa, and Allison look onward to see Lance fight for the first time. Back home, Lance's family and friends wait anxiously to see their son and hometown hero. Kevin and Richard are in the crowd as they stay on guard, and Prince Mush is in his box suite waiting to see what the new fighter is all about. Lastly, somewhere in the crowd, is Shawn, waiting for his chance to put his plan into action.
Alright, it's showdown time! My opponent isn't a pushover, for sure. Henry was a major-leaguer at one point. He took a leave of absence to help his family go through a rough time. But he's back, and people say he's stronger than ever. He needed to start over, and nothing is stopping him.
Except me, of course.
Jolene finally gets her microphone to introduce the fighters. "HELLO EVERYONE! I hope you all enjoyed that first match, because the second one of the day is an even BIGGER ONE! Introducing first, He had a promising career ahead of him, becoming Rank #7 at one point, until he took a leave of absence for an outside family matter. Now, this Shy Guy is back, and people say he's better than ever. He is the one, the ONLY…
THE IRON BULLDOZER, HENRY!
The crowd goes absolutely insane. It was clear this guy was a favorite among the crowd. Lance feels a little overwhelmed. So much for home-field advantage… The grey Shy Guy walks up into the ring. Although you can't see under that mask, people could just tell that he was all business out there. He was on a mission: Win. As the crowd finally calms down a bit, Jolene gets ready to introduce Lance. "And finally, his opponent. He's the new kid in town from Petalburg. Fresh off his win against The Goomba of Terror, Jacob, he wants to keep the momentum going. He easily defeated him, and he's got great potential. Will he live up to it? Some say this is his first real test. Give it up for…
THE CRUSADER OF DESTINY, LANCE!
There's cheers in the crowd, but not as crazy as they were for Henry. It was still decent reception for the newcomer. Lance's company back home is watching on, but Mary seems worried. "Hey, what's with the crowd? They were super loud for Henry, so why not Lance?!" Dad and Flare laughed. "Henry was a fan-favorite before and after his leave of absence. If Lance wants to get more people by his side, he's gonna need to win tonight." Mary still felt uneasy. Come on Lance…show these people your 8 years of training…
Emily and her friends look on. She's nervous, wanting to see what Lance is truly made of. Okay Lance. Show me your stuff. Richard and Kevin looked on. Let's see what this kid has been hiding from us.
Jolene backs up a few steps before starting the match. "Let's keep it clean, boys! Get yourselves ready to…"
BRAWWWWWWWWWL!
The gong is sounded, and right away Henry rushes in for a quick attack. Lance blocks and dodges all of his attacks, and as he gains separation from Henry, brings out an attack of his own, but to no prevail; Henry blocks and dodges as well. They both jump away from each other to recollect themselves. "I heard you beat Jacob without breaking a sweat," Henry said. Lance nodded. "Yeah? I guess word travels fast." Henry laughed, and begun to charge in again. Lance, thinking he would do the same thing, readied himself defensively. Suddenly, Henry increases his speed, as he ends up hitting Lance with a swift, solid kick, knocking him off-guard. Henry continued his onslaught, but Lance recovered, after dodging and blocking a few attacks, grabs Henry's foot, and throws him to the ground. Before Henry could get up, Lance increases his own speed, hitting Henry consecutively, and as Lance hits him up, throws him down to the ground. GAHHH! Caught be off-guard…this will be more interesting than I thought. "Fire swing!" shouted Henry. His body starts heating up, and suddenly his hands are on fire. He moves in on Lance and hits him with a punch combination that would send Lance to the ground. ACK! That stung… The crowd is on Henry's side, but it doesn't bother Lance. He immediately gets up and shouts, "DRAGON DANCE!" Lance begins to glow light-blue, and blue fire surrounds him. He charges after Henry, who also charges in, and a fierce exchange takes place. They seem to be even with each other, as each blocks attacks with their own. Their attacks are so fast; the crowd can barely keep up. Lance then thinks of an idea. He suddenly disappears using his speed to get behind Henry, who can't spot him. What the- where did he go?! "DRAGON FURY!" Oh sh- Lance shouts. He completes a combination attack of punches and kicks, and then as a shining outline of a dragon surrounds him, Lance slams Henry HARD into the ground. Henry shouts in pain. "AHHHHHH!" The crowd is stunned, trying to figure out how Lance got behind him. How…how in the world did he…I didn't even…see him! Henry gets up, seemingly angrier than hurt. Looks like I need to step things up. Time to do some real damage.
"Ha! One of Lance's signature maneuvers!" Flare exclaims. The whole house is filled with cheers for Lance, as he seemingly has the upper hand at the current moment. Meanwhile, Emily is wide-eyed while her friends cheered. Whoa…that was amazing!
"Well, kid, I think I owe you an apology." Henry says to Lance. "It seems you're much more talented than I originally anticipated. But I think it's time you finally learn why I was Rank #7 at one point." Then show me, Henry. I've been waiting for you to show your true power. I know you're holding back.
Henry begins to glow yellow, and his speed increases tenfold. Lance couldn't see him as he's hit viscously with a hard punch to the gut. Henry then lands a combination of punches and kicks and shouts "FIRE SERPENT!" He drives through Lance multiple times with scorching speed and powerful force, and knocks Lance to the ground, as he screams in pain. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The crowd cheers in excitement, chanting Henry's name. UGH…That one was new….did he…ugh…learn that recently…? Ugh…it hurts…but I'll live. Lance starts to get up slowly, but Henry is aggressive, as he charges in again. Lance then backflips away from his attack to gain room, but it's no use; he's knocked to the floor again. Damn it! He has me pinned down! Okay Lance, time to use what Flare taught you! Lances gets up even slower, but Henry shows his aggression, but Lance shouts "FIREY BARRAGE!" The attack name draws a reaction from the crowd. Lance ducks under Henry's assault and delivers a damaging punch to the gut of Henry, then an explosion of fire follows. "GRAHHHHHHHHH!" Henry screams. Did…did he…say what…I think he said? Firey…BARRAGE?! Jolene was even in shock. Everyone finally realized that Lance knew Flare's legendary attack. No…NO! I WONT LET THIS HAPPEN!
Henry gets up quickly to assault Lance, but he was too quick. He dodged the attack and shouted "DRAGON TEMPEST!" His dragon silhouette returns, as his fists are covered in blue fire. Lance increases his speed so much; the crowd could barely see him. He lands many punches and kicks to Henry, and drop kicks him right to the ground. "UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Henry shouts in severe pain. The crowd explodes, as this fight continues to intensify. Henry is slowly getting back up, as he appears weak. "How…how did you…learn Firey Barrage? How are you…so fast…? No one…should be that fast…" He asks Lance. He just simply replies, "Eight long years of training. Flare was around my neighborhood, so it was pretty cool." Henry laughs in acknowledgement, as he charges up for one last attack. Alright…time to see if you can match THIS. "SHY GUY LIGHTSPEED!" Henry shouts. Lance is surprised he can muster this much strength. He's moving so quickly and hitting him that he can't see him. GRAHHHHH! At this rate, I won't last much longer! Right when Henry is about to charge in again, Lance shouts, "FIREY BARRAGE!" again, but this time, it affects Henry. He starts slowing down, and he can't believe it. HE…HE KNOWS HOW TO CONTROL FIREY BARRAGE LIKE THAT?! NOOOOOO! Lance then unleashes a powerful attack. "HYPER DRAGON THRUST!" As he shouts, his arm and fist turn blue, and he thrusts right into Henry, creating an explosion covering the ring. As the smoke clears, Lance and Henry are standing for a few moments, but Henry collapses. The gong is heard, and the crowd erupts in amazement and disbelief as Jolene shouts:
WE HAVE OURSELVES A WINNER! THE CRUSADER OF DESTINY, LANCE!
Richard and Kevin jump up in excitement, Emily is jumping up and down cheering, and meanwhile in Petalburg, the Vernon household cheers on, unbelievably witnessing Lance's victory. In that moment, Lance lays down out of exhaustion, with his fists up in the air signaling his accomplishing victory. The crowd starts chanting Lance's name now. He gets up to check on Henry, who is barely up on his two feet. Lance offers his hand for a handshake, and Henry obliges. The crowd roars again.
Just then a shadowy figure climbs to the stage. Richard and Kevin notice it and jump into the ring right away. The shadowy figure is Shawn, who is trying to sabotage Lance. Shawn is right behind Lance, as he says "Hello, Lance." Lance looks back, and when he does, Shawn's fist is met with Lance's face, and he falls to the ground. Boos from the crowd ensue. His friends are about to do more to Lance, but Richard and Kevin show up in front of them, making them unable to do the dirty deed.
Meanwhile in Petalburg…
"HEY! Seriously?! What the heck is this guy's problem?!" Mrs. Vernon screams. Everyone seems caught off guard, when suddenly, Lance gets Shawn right back, and security is forced to hold them back. "This guy is a jerk! Who is he, Flare?!" Flare sighed, "That's Shawn. The most egotistical fighter that ever lived." Everyone just looks on. "Mom. I wanna RIP THIS GUYS FACE OFF." yells Mary.
As everything calms down, everyone returns to their respective locker room, who each get a warning. Lance is just fuming with anger. "IS HE LEGIT?! I WANNA PIECE OF HIM." Richard attempts to calm him down. "Hey. You need to relax and cool your jets, first." Emily then comes rushing in. "LANCE," she cried. "Are you okay?! Why would he do that to you?!" Emily looked worried sick.
"Emily, I'm fine. I'm more ticked off than hurt honestly," Lance huffed. "But man, Henry is ONE tough dude. He threw some things that I never seen before.
"Yeah, dude! That fight was the best we've seen in the minor-league! It even topped some major-league fights! People are gonna be talking about this one for awhile.
Lance's mind is still on Shawn. Richard notices it, too. "Hey, we'll deal with him tomorrow. Let's just enjoy the night, man. I sure hope I can do. I's so angry, I can barely keep myself from exploding.
From that point on, Lance knew he wasn't dealing with just a bully. He's dealing with a rival. He's dealing with someone who's the total opposite of him. Their tensions can never be higher. What's next for Lance? How will he respond to Shawn? Only time will tell.
~End of Chapter 4